Holy Bible

Berean Standard Bible

The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB
Printed 2016, 2020, 2022, 2025 by Bible Hub


Table of Contents

Genesis  ………………………  5

2  Chronicles  .……….…  402

Daniel  ……...…....………..  793

Exodus  …………………….  55

Ezra  .……………………...  436

Hosea  ………….……..…..  808

Leviticus  ………...………..  96

Nehemiah  ..……………..  447

Joel  ………………..………  817

Numbers  ………………..  124

Esther  ………..…………..  462

Amos  ………..……..…….  821

Deuteronomy  …………  164

Job  …..……………………..  469

Obadiah  ………..………..  828

Joshua  …………………...  198

Psalms  ...………………….  497

Jonah  ………..…...……….  830

Judges  …………………...  221

Proverbs  ..……………….  577

Micah  ………….....………  832

Ruth  ………..…………….  245

Ecclesiastes  ......………..  603

Nahum  ……………..…….  838

1  Samuel  ………………..  249

Song  of  Solomon  .……  611

Habakkuk  …………..…..  841

2  Samuel  ..………………  280

Isaiah  ..……………………  617

Zephaniah  ……..……….  844

1  Kings  ..…………………  307

Jeremiah  ......…………….  677

Haggai  ………..………….  847

2  Kings  .……….…………  339

Lamentations …...…….  738

Zechariah  ………..……..  849

1  Chronicles  ..………….  370

Ezekiel  …………………...  744

Malachi  ……..………...…  858

Matthew  .……….…..…..  861

Ephesians  …..…..…….  1048

Hebrews  ..………..……  1075

Mark  .………..…….……...  894

Philippians  ..……..…...  1053

James  ..……….…….…...  1085

Luke  .…………….…..……  915

Colossians  ……….……  1057

1  Peter  ..…………….….  1089

John  ………..……….…….  950

1  Thessalonians  ..….  1060

2  Peter  ..…………….….  1093

Acts  .……………..….…….  976

2  Thessalonians  ..….  1063

1  John  ..……….…….…..  1096

Romans  .………….……  1008

1  Timothy  .…….….….  1065

2  John  ..……….…….…..  1100

1  Corinthians  .….……  1022

2  Timothy  .…….….….  1069

3  John  ..……….…….…..  1101

2  Corinthians  .….……  1035

Titus  .…….…………..…  1072

Jude  …..…….……….…..  1102

Galatians  ..……….…….  1043

Philemon  .…….……....  1074

Revelation  …..……..…  1103

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 Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern English 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 BSB represents a single tier of the Berean Bible. This printing contains the full BSB text,
footnotes, section headings, and cross references. Additional components, including translation
tables, lexicons, outlines, and summaries, are free online and in a variety of apps.

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,
After this letter has been read among you,
share it, and proclaim it. We are inspired by the model of the early Christian church:
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 distrib-
uted. The committee hopes to follow this example by sharing all the resources with which we
have been entrusted. Just as Paul encouraged the churches to pass on his letters, the Berean Bible
is intended to be offered freely in websites, apps, software, and various text and audio formats.
Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic Sources and Abbreviations

NA
SBL
ECM
NE
WH
BYZ
GOC
TR

DSS
MT

LXX

SP

Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece
Nestle
Society of Biblical Literature, Greek New Testament
Editio Critica Maior, Novum Testamentum Graecum
Eberhard Nestle Novum Testamentum Graece

  Westcott and Hort, New Testament in the Original Greek

The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform
Greek Orthodox Church, New Testament
Scrivener’s Textus Receptus
Stephanus Textus Receptus
Dead Sea Scrolls
Hebrew Masoretic Text: Westminster Leningrad Codex
Hebrew Masoretic Text: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
Greek OT Septuagint: Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta
Greek OT Septuagint: Swete's Septuagint
Samaritan Pentateuch

Genesis

The Creation  (John 1:1–5  ;  Hebrews 11:1–3)

The Fourth Day

1

2

In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens
and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and void, and dark-
ness  was  over  the  surface  of  the  deep.  And  the
Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the
The First Day
waters.

3

4

 a

And  God  said,  “Let  there  be  light,”

  and
And God saw that the light
there was light.
5
was  good,  and  He  separated  the  light  from
the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and
the darkness He called “night.”

b

The Second Day

And there was evening, and there was morn-
ing—the first day.
6

 c

7

And God said, “Let there be an expanse

 be-
tween  the  waters,  to  separate  the  waters
So God made the expanse
from the waters.”
and separated the waters beneath it from the
God called the
waters above. And it was so.
expanse “sky.”

8

The Third Day

And there was evening, and there was morn-
ing—the second day.
9

10

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky
be  gathered  into  one  place,  so  that  the  dry
God
land  may  appear.”  And  it  was  so.
called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering
of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that
11
it was good.

12

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth
vegetation:  seed-bearing  plants  and  fruit
trees, each bearing fruit with seed according
The  earth
to  its  kind.”  And  it  was  so.
produced  vegetation:  seed-bearing  plants
according  to  their  kinds  and  trees  bearing
fruit with seed according to their kinds. And
13
God saw that it was good.

And  there  was  evening,  and  there  was

b 5

day one

c 6

a canopy

a 3

morning—the third day.

14

And God said, “Let there be lights in the ex-
panse of the sky to distinguish between the
day  and  the night,  and  let  them be  signs  to
And
mark the seasons and days and years.
let them serve as lights in the expanse of the
16
sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

15

God  made  two  great  lights:  the  greater
light to rule the day and the lesser light to
17
rule the night. And He made the stars as well.

18

God set these lights in the expanse of the
sky  to  shine  upon  the  earth,
to  preside
over the day and the night, and to separate
the  light  from  the  darkness.  And  God  saw
19
that it was good.

And  there  was  evening,  and  there  was

The Fifth Day

morning—the fourth day.
20

21

And  God  said,  “Let  the  waters  teem  with
living  creatures,  and  let  birds  fly  above  the
earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
So
God  created  the  great  sea  creatures  and
every living thing that moves, with which the
waters teemed according to their kinds, and
every  winged  bird  after  its  kind.  And  God
22
saw that it was good.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruit-
ful  and  multiply  and  fill  the  waters  of  the
23
seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

And  there  was  evening,  and  there  was

The Sixth Day

morning—the fifth day.
24

And  God  said,  “Let  the  earth  bring  forth
living  creatures  according  to  their  kinds:
livestock,  land  crawlers,  and  beasts  of  the
25
earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
God made the beasts of the earth accord-
ing to their kinds, the livestock according to
their kinds, and everything that crawls upon
the earth according to its kind. And God saw
a vault
a firmament
that it was good.

Cited in 2 Cor. 4:6

Literally

Or

 or

 or

; also in verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20

6    |    Genesis 1:26

26

7

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
  and
livestock,  and  over  all  the  earth  itself
every creature that crawls upon it.”

 a

     27

So God created man in His own image;
  in the image of God He created him;
  male and female He created them.

b

 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
29
crawls upon the earth.”

30

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
And  to
seed.  They  will be  yours  for  food.
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
31
food.” And it was so.

And God looked upon all that He had made,

and indeed, it was very good.

And there was evening, and there was morn-
The Seventh Day   (Ex. 16:22–30 ;  Heb. 4:1–11)
ing—the sixth day.

2

2

Thus the heavens and the earth were com-
And  by  the
pleted  in  all  their  vast  array.
seventh  day  God  had  finished  the  work  He  had
c
been doing; so on that day He rested from all His
3
work.

Then  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sancti-
fied it, because on that day He rested from all the
Man and Woman in the Garden
work of creation that He had accomplished.
4

 d

This is the account of the heavens and the earth
when  they  were  created,  in  the  day  that  the
5
LORD

 God made them.

6

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
 welled up from the earth
ground.
and watered the whole surface of the ground.
a 26
b 27
d 4 LORD

and over all the beasts of the earth

But springs

 e

Then the LORD God formed man from the dust
f
of the ground and breathed the breath of life into
8
his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

9

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in
the  east,  where  He  placed  the  man  He  had
Out of the ground the LORD God gave
formed.
growth to every tree that  is pleasing to the eye
and good for food. And in the middle of the gar-
den  were  the  tree  of  life  and  the  tree  of  the
10
knowledge of good and evil.

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 the Pishon; it
12
winds  through  the  whole  land  of  Havilah,
And  the  gold  of  that
where  there  is  gold.
land  is  pure,  and  bdellium  and  onyx  are
13
found there.

The  name  of  the  second  river  is  the
Gihon;  it  winds  through  the  whole  land  of
14
Cush.

The name of the third river is the Tigris; it

runs along the east side of Assyria.

15

And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the LORD God took the man and placed
him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep
16
it.

17

And the LORD God commanded him, “You may
eat  freely  from  every  tree  of  the  garden,
but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it,
18
you will surely die.”

The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the
man  to  be  alone.  I  will  make  for  him  a  suitable
19
helper.”

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
20
called  each  living  creature,  that  was  its  name.
The man gave names to all the livestock, to the
birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But
21
for Adam

 no suitable helper was found.

 g

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a
deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the

c 2

GOD
MT; Syriac
 or
g 20
from the Hebrew as
15:45

Or

YHWH

e 6
, with capital letters, represents the proper name of the God of Israel and the one true God, transliterated
the man
; cited in 1 Corinthians

; here and throughout the Scriptures.

Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6
a living soul

Cited in Hebrews 4:4

mist

Or

Or

f 7

, as in verses 19 and 21

 a

10

Genesis 3:19    |    7

22
man’s  ribs

  and  closed  up  the  area  with  flesh.
And from the rib that the LORD God had taken
23
from  the  man,  He  made  a  woman  and  brought
her to him.

And the man said:

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’

24

for out of man she was taken.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and they will
25
become one flesh.

b

And  the  man  and  his  wife  were  both  naked,

The Serpent’s Deception  (Romans 5:12–21)
and they were not ashamed.

 c

3

 was more crafty than any
Now the serpent
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
2
garden?’

”

3

The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat
the fruit of the trees of the garden,
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
4
will die.’

”
5

“You  will  not  surely  die,”  the  serpent  told  the
woman.
“For God knows that in the day you eat
of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like
6
God, knowing good and evil.”

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  hus-
7
band who was with her, and he ate it.

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
God Arraigns Adam and Eve
themselves.
8

 d

Then  the  man  and  his  wife  heard  the  voice  of
the  LORD  God  walking  in  the  garden  in  the
breeze
 of the day, and they hid themselves from
the presence of the LORD God among the trees of
9
the garden.

But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where
b 24
a 21
are you?”
Or

took part of the man’s side

nachash
unto the Ruach

snake
at the breezy (time)
10:7–8, 1 Cor. 6:16, and Eph. 5:31
crush
bruise

d 8

c 1

; similarly in v. 22
Hebrew
strike
; Hebrew
, or

.

Or

The same Heb. root for

,

“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied,
“and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid
11
myself.”

“Who  told  you  that  you  were  naked?”  asked
the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of
12
which I commanded you not to eat?”

And  the  man  answered,  “The  woman  whom
You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and
13
I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What

is this you have done?”

“The  serpent  deceived  me,”  she  replied,  “and  I
The Fate of the Serpent
ate.”
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!

15

On your belly will you go,
and dust you will eat,
all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity between you and the

woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

e

He will crush your head,
The Punishment of Mankind

and you will strike his heel.

”

16

To the woman He said:

“I will sharply increase your pain in

childbirth;

f

in pain you will bring forth children.

Your desire will be for your husband,

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,

18

cursed is the ground because of you;
through toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

19

Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your bread,

and the two will become one flesh

serpent

LXX

e 15

, translated in this chapter as

; cited in Matt. 19:5, Mark
He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel
, is translated in most cases as
You will desire to control your husband
.

f 16

Or

 appears twice in this verse.

Or

8    |    Genesis 3:20

until you return to the ground—

because out of it were you taken.

“I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s
10
keeper?”

20

For dust you are,

a
and to dust you shall return.”

And  Adam  named  his  wife  Eve,
The Expulsion from Paradise
would be the mother of all the living.
21

  because  she

And the LORD God made garments of skin for

22
Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

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
23
from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. . .”

24

Therefore  the  LORD  God  banished  him  from
the  Garden  of  Eden  to  work  the  ground  from
So He drove out the
which he had been taken.
man and stationed cherubim on the east side of
the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword
Cain and Abel  (Hebrews 11:4)
of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

4

And Adam had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.

b

“With the help of the LORD I have brought forth
2
a man,” she said.

Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel.

3

4

Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was
a tiller of the soil.
So in the course of time, Cain
brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering
while Abel brought the best por-
to the LORD,
tions of the firstborn of his flock.

5

And  the  LORD  looked  with  favor  on  Abel  and
but He had no regard for Cain and
his offering,
his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his
6
countenance fell.

7

“Why  are  you  angry,”  said  the  LORD  to  Cain,
If  you
“and  why  has  your  countenance  fallen?
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,
 but you must master
8
it.”

c

 d

11

“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The
voice  of  your  brother’s  blood  cries  out  to  Me
from the ground.
Now you are cursed and ban-
ished  from  the  ground,  which  has  opened  its
12
mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your
hand.
When  you  till  the  ground,  it  will  no
longer  yield  its  produce  to  you.  You  will  be  a
13
fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

 e

14

But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment

 is
Behold,  this  day  You
greater  than  I  can  bear.
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
15
me will kill me.”

 f

“Not  so!”

  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
16
who found him would kill him.

g

So  Cain  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the
  east  of

LORD  and  settled  in  the  land  of  Nod,
The Descendants of Cain
Eden.
17

And Cain had relations with his wife, and she
conceived  and  gave  birth  to  Enoch.  Then  Cain
18
built a city and named it after his son Enoch.

19

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
And  Lamech  married  two  women,
Lamech.
20
one named Adah and the other Zillah.

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of
21
those  who  dwell  in  tents  and  raise  livestock.
And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the

22
father of all who play the harp and flute.

And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of
every implement of bronze and iron. And the sis-
23
ter of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Then Lamech said to his wives:

Then  Cain  said  to  his  brother  Abel,  “Let  us  go
out  to  the  field.”
  And  while  they  were  in  the
field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and
9
killed him.

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

wives of Lamech, listen to my speech.
For I have slain a man for wounding me,

24

a young man for striking me.

 h

And  the  LORD  said  to  Cain,  “Where  is  your
a 20 Eve
brother Abel?”
c 7
d 8
 sounds like the Hebrew for
f 15

it desires to control you

 or
.
“Very well!”

giving life

living

b 1 Cain

seventy times seven
LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; Hebrew

seventy-sevenfold
 or

“Therefore:”
SP, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew

sin
Or

or
can be translated as either

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
acquired

then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Then Cain spoke to his brother Abel.
 or
g 16 Nod
h 24

 sounds like the Hebrew for

wandering

brought forth
e 13

guilt
.

 means

.

Hebrew; LXX

Or

 or

; see also Matthew 18:22.

Seth and Enosh

25

a
And  Adam  again  had  relations  with  his  wife,

and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,
saying,  “God  has  granted  me  another  seed  in
26
place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

And to Seth also a son was born, and he called

 b

him Enosh.

 the name of
At that time men began to call upon
The Descendants of Adam (1 Chronicles 1:1–3)
the LORD.

5

c

This is the book of the generations of Adam.
2
In  the  day  that  God  created  man,  He  made
Male  and  female  He
 and He blessed them. And in the

him  in  His  own  likeness.
created them,
3
day they were created, He called them “man.”

 d

4

When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in
his  own  likeness,  after  his  own  image;  and  he
And after he had become the
named him Seth.
father  of  Seth,  Adam  lived  800  years  and  had
So Adam lived a total
other sons and daughters.
6
of 930 years, and then he died.
7

5

When Seth was 105 years old, he became the fa-
And  after  he  had  become  the
ther  of  Enosh.
father  of  Enosh,  Seth  lived  807  years  and  had
So Seth lived a total
other sons and daughters.
9
of 912 years, and then he died.

8

10

When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the
father of Kenan.
And after he had become the
father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had
other  sons  and  daughters.
So  Enosh  lived  a
12
total of 905 years, and then he died.

11

13

When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the
And after he had become
father of Mahalalel.
the  father  of  Mahalalel,  Kenan  lived  840  years
and  had  other  sons  and  daughters.
So  Kenan
15
lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
16

14

When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became
the  father  of  Jared.
And  after  he  had  become
the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and
had  other  sons  and  daughters.
So  Mahalalel
God Takes Up Enoch  (Hebrews 11:5)
lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
18

17

19

Genesis 6:7    |    9

21

22

 e

When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the
father of Methuselah.
And after he had become
the  father  of  Methuselah,  Enoch  walked  with
23
God
 300 years and had other sons and daugh-
24
ters.

So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.

f

Enoch  walked  with  God,  and  then  he  was  no

From Methuselah to Noah
more, because God had taken him away.
25

26

When  Methuselah  was  187  years  old,  he  be-
came  the  father  of  Lamech.
And  after  he  had
become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived
27
782  years  and  had  other  sons  and  daughters.
So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and

28
then he died.
29

g

When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.
  saying,  “May  this
And  he  named  him  Noah,
one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands
30
caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
And  after  he  had  become  the  father  of  Noah,
Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and
daughters.
So  Lamech  lived  a  total  of  777
32
years, and then he died.

31

After Noah was 500 years old, he became the

Corruption on the Earth  (Matthew 24:36–51)
father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6

2

Now  when  men  began  to  multiply  on  the
face of the earth and daughters were born to
them,
the sons of God saw that the daughters of
men  were  beautiful,  and  they  took  as  wives
3
whomever they chose.

h

So  the  LORD  said,  “My  Spirit  will  not  contend
 for he is mortal; his days shall

with man forever,
4
be 120 years.”

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
5
men of old, men of renown.

6

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.
And  the  LORD
regretted  that  He  had  made  man  on  the  earth,
and He was grieved in His heart.
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
to invoke
am grieved that I have made them.”
pleased God

to call themselves by

7

20

When Jared was 162 years old, he became the
father of Enoch.
And after he had become the
father  of  Enoch,  Jared  lived  800  years  and  had
other sons and daughters.
So Jared lived a total
a 25 Seth
of 962 years, and then he died.
to profane
f 24

 probably means
 or
and he was not found, because God had taken him away
Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6
comfort

appointed

granted

b 26

rest

.

h 3

d 2

c 2

LXX
Hebrew for

 or

.

LXX and Syriac

to proclaim

Or

Adam
e 22
; some translators
My Spirit will not remain in man forever
; cited in Hebrews 11:5

Hebrew

LXX

 or
g 29 Noah
; also in verse 24
 sounds like the

 or

10    |    Genesis 6:8

Noah’s Favor with God

8

Noah,  however,  found  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the

9
LORD.

This  is  the  account  of  Noah.  Noah  was  a
10
righteous  man,  blameless  in  his  generation;
Noah  walked  with  God.
And  Noah  had  three
11
sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

12

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God,
And God looked upon the
and full of violence.
 a
earth and saw that it was corrupt; for  all living
  on  the  earth  had  corrupted  their
creatures
Preparing the Ark  (Hebrews 11:7)
ways.
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
 b
14
will destroy both them and the earth.

 d

15

Make  for  yourself  an  ark  of  gopher  wood;
make  rooms  in  the  ark  and  coat  it  with  pitch
inside and out.
And this is how you are to build
it:  The  ark  is  to  be  300  cubits  long,  50  cubits
wide,  and  30  cubits high.
You  are  to  make  a
e
 for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the
roof
top,
 place a door in the side of the ark, and build
17
lower, middle, and upper decks.

16

c

18

And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the
earth to destroy every creature under the heav-
ens that has the breath of life. Everything on the
earth will perish.
But I will establish My cove-
nant with you, and you will enter the ark—you
and  your  sons  and  your  wife  and  your  sons’
19
wives with you.

And you are to bring two of every living crea-
20
ture  into  the  ark—male  and  female—to  keep
them  alive  with  you.
Two  of  every  kind  of
21
bird and animal and crawling creature will come
to  you  to  be  kept  alive.
You  are  also  to  take
for  yourself  every  kind  of  food  that  is  eaten
and gather it as food for yourselves and for the
22
animals.”

So  Noah  did  everything  precisely  as  God  had

The Great Flood   (2 Peter 3:1–7)
commanded him.

7

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Noah,  “Go  into  the
ark, you and all your family, because I have
You are

found you righteous in this generation.
a 12
c 15

all flesh

2

 f

3

to  take  with  you  seven  pairs  of
  every  kind  of
clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every
kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate;
and
seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male
4
and  female,  to  preserve  their  offspring  on  the
For seven days from now I
face of all the earth.
will  send  rain  on  the  earth  for  forty  days  and
forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the
5
earth every living thing I have made.”

And  Noah  did  all  that  the  LORD  had  com-

6
manded him.

7

Now  Noah was  600  years  old  when the  flood-
And Noah and his
waters came upon the earth.
wife,  with  his  sons  and  their  wives,  entered
8
the  ark  to  escape  the  waters  of  the  flood.
The  clean  and  unclean  animals,  the  birds,  and
came
everything that crawls along the ground
to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and
10
female, as God had commanded Noah.

9

11

And  after  seven  days  the  floodwaters  came
In  the  six  hundredth  year  of
upon  the  earth.
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
And  the  rain  fell  upon  the  earth  for
opened.
13
forty days and forty nights.

12

14

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—
they
and every kind of wild animal, livestock, crawling
creature,  bird,  and  winged  creature.
They
came  to  Noah  to  enter  the  ark,  two  by  two  of
every  creature
And
they entered, the male and female of every living
thing,  as  God  had  commanded  Noah.  Then  the
17
LORD shut him in.

  with  the  breath  of  life.

16

15

 g

18

For  forty  days  the  flood  kept  coming  on  the
earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high
So  the  waters  continued  to
above  the  earth.
surge and rise greatly on the earth, and the ark
Finally,
floated  on  the  surface  of  the  waters.
the waters completely prevailed upon the earth,
so that all the high mountains under all the heav-
20
ens were covered.

19

h

21

The  waters  rose  and  covered  the  mountain-
And  every
cedar

tops  to  a  depth  of  fifteen  cubits.

cypress

b 14 Gopher

Literally
The ark was approx. 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 me-
g 15

; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19
skylight

 is an unknown kind of tree; possibly

e 16 A cubit

by sevens

window

h 20  15 cubits

of all flesh

d 16

 or

f 2

.

ters high).
verse 3

Or
Literally

 or

; similarly in verses 16 and 21

 is approx. 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters.

 is approx. 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.

Or

; also in

22

living  thing  that  moved  upon  the  earth
perished—birds,  livestock,  animals,  every  crea-
ture  that  swarms  upon  the  earth,  and  all  man-
Of  all  that  was  on  dry  land,  everything
kind.
23
that  had  the  breath  of  life  in  its  nostrils  died.
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
24
him in the ark remained.

And  the  waters  prevailed  upon  the  earth  for

The Ark Rests on Ararat
150 days.

8

2

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,
The springs
and the waters began to subside.
of  the  deep  and  the  floodgates  of  the  heavens
were  closed,  and  the  rain  from  the  sky  was
The  waters  receded  steadily  from
restrained.
the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone
4
down.

3

On the seventeenth day of the seventh month,
5
the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
And  the  waters  continued  to  recede  until  the
tenth  month,  and  on  the  first  day  of  the  tenth
Noah Sends a Raven and a Dove
month the tops of the mountains became visible.
6

7

After  forty  days  Noah  opened  the  window  he
had made in the ark
and sent out a raven. It kept
flying back and forth until the waters had dried
8
up from the earth.

 a

9

Then Noah sent out

 a dove to see if the waters
had receded from the surface of the ground.
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 in-
10
side the ark.

11
Noah waited seven more days and again sent
out the dove from the ark.
And behold, the dove
returned  to  him  in  the  evening  with  a  freshly
plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that
12
the waters had receded from the earth.

And  Noah  waited  seven  more  days  and  sent
out the dove again, but this time she did not re-
turn to him.
a 8

sent out from him

sent out from it

Literally

 or

Genesis 9:5    |    11

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
By the twenty-seventh day of
ground was dry.
15
the second month, the earth was fully dry.

14

16

17

Then God said to Noah,

“Come out of the ark,
you and your wife, along with your sons and their
Bring  out  all  the  living  creatures  that
wives.
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
18
multiply upon it.”

19

So  Noah  came  out,  along  with  his  sons
Every living
and his wife and his sons’ wives.
creature, every creeping thing, and every bird—
everything that moves upon the earth—came out
Noah Builds an Altar
of the ark, kind by kind.
20

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And tak-
ing  from  every  kind  of  clean  animal  and  clean
21
bird,  he  offered  burnt  offerings  on  the  altar.
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 incli-
nation  of  his  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth.  And
never again will I destroy all living creatures as I
22
have done.

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

The Covenant of the Rainbow
shall never cease.”

9

2

3

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said
to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
The  fear  and  dread  of  you  will  fall  on
earth.
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
Everything that lives and moves will
your hand.
be  food  for  you;  just  as  I  gave  you  the  green
But you must
plants, I now give you all things.
And
not  eat  meat  with  its  lifeblood  still  in  it.
surely I will require the life of any man or beast
by  whose  hand  your  lifeblood  is  shed.  I  will

5

4

12    |    Genesis 9:6

demand  an  accounting  from  anyone  who  takes
6
the life of his fellow man:

Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man his blood will be shed;

for in His own image

7

God has made mankind.

But as for you,

be fruitful and multiply;
spread out across the earth
and multiply upon it.”

8
9

11

10

Then God said to Noah and his sons with him,
“Behold, I now establish My covenant with you
and  with
and  your  descendants  after  you,
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
And  I  establish  My  covenant  with  you:
ark.
Never again will all life be cut off by the waters
of  a  flood;  never  again  will  there  be  a  flood  to
12
destroy the earth.”

13

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 gen-
I have set My rainbow in the
erations to come:
clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant be-
14
tween Me and the earth.

15

Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the
I will remem-
rainbow appears in the clouds,
ber My covenant between Me and you and every
living creature of every kind. Never again will the
And
waters become a flood to destroy all life.
whenever  the  rainbow  appears  in  the  clouds,  I
will  see  it  and  remember  the  everlasting  cove-
nant  between  God  and  every  living  creature  of
17
every kind that is on the earth.”

16

So  God  said  to  Noah,  “This  is  the  sign  of  the
covenant that I have established between Me and
Noah’s Shame and Canaan’s Curse
every creature on the earth.”
18

19

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were
Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father
These three were the sons of Noah,
of Canaan.
20
and from them the whole earth was populated.

 a

21

Now  Noah,  a  man  of  the  soil,  proceeded
22

  to
plant a vineyard.
But when he drank some of
its wine, he became drunk and uncovered him-
And  Ham,  the  father  of
self  inside  his  tent.
Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his
a 20
two brothers outside.

was the first     b 27 Japheth

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
24
not see their father’s nakedness.

When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and
25
learned what his youngest son had done to him,

he said,

“Cursed be Canaan!

A servant of servants
Shem’s Blessing and Noah’s Death
shall he be to his brothers.”

26

He also declared:

27

28

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
May God expand the territory of Japheth;
may he dwell in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his servant.”

 b

29

After  the  flood,  Noah  lived  350  years.
So
The Table of Nations  (1 Chronicles 1:4–27)
Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.

10

The Japhethites
after the flood.
2

This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem,
Ham,  and  Japheth,  who  also  had  sons

The sons of Japheth:

3

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal,
Meshech, and Tiras.

The sons of Gomer:

4

Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

And the sons of Javan:
c

5

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the
Rodanites.
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:

7

Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

The sons of Cush:

d

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah,

 Raamah, and Sabteca.

Or

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

and 1 Chronicles 1:7); most MT manuscripts

 is a variant of

SP and some MT manuscripts (see also LXX
; see 1 Chronicles 1:9.

And the sons of Raamah:
expand

Sheba and Dedan.

c 4

Sabta

Dodanites

d 7 Sabtah

8

 a

9

10

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be
 b
a  mighty  one
  on  the  earth.
He  was  a  mighty
 the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nim-
hunter before
His
rod,  a  mighty  hunter  before  the  LORD.”
11
kingdom  began  in  Babylon,  Erech,  Accad,  and
From that land
Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nine-
and  Resen,  which  is
veh,  Rehoboth-Ir,  Calah,
13
between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
14

12

c

Genesis 11:11    |    13

territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the
31
eastern hill country.

These are the sons of Shem, according to their

32
clans, languages, lands, and nations.

All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, accord-
ing to their generations and nations. From these
the  nations  of  the  earth  spread  out  after  the
The Tower of Babel
flood.
(Deuteronomy 32:8 ;  Acts 2:1–13)

d

15

Mizraim  was  the  father  of  the  Ludites,  the
the
Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Phil-
e
And  Ca-
istines  came),  and  the  Caphtorites.
16
naan was the father of Sidon his firstborn,
 and
17
of  the  Hittites,
the  Jebusites,  the  Amorites,
18
the  Hivites,  the  Arkites,  the
the  Girgashites,
the  Arvadites,  the  Zemarites,  and  the
Sinites,
Hamathites.

19

and
Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,
the  borders  of  Canaan  extended  from  Sidon
toward  Gerar  as  far  as  Gaza,  and  then  toward
Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as
20
Lasha.

These are the sons of Ham according to their

The Semites
clans, languages, lands, and nations.
21

 f

And  sons  were  also  born  to  Shem,  the  older
 Shem was the forefather of

brother of Japheth;
22
all the sons of Eber.

The sons of Shem:

23

Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The sons of Aram:

24

Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

g

Arphaxad  was  the  father  of  Shelah,

25
Shelah was the father of Eber.

i

h

  and

Two sons were born to Eber: One was named
 because in his days the earth was divided,

Peleg,
26
and his brother was named Joktan.

11

2

Now the whole world had one language
j
And as
and a common form of speech.
 they found a plain

 k

people journeyed eastward,
3
in the land of Shinar

 and settled there.

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
4
mortar.

“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
5
be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

Then the LORD came down to see the city and
6
the  tower  that  the  sons  of  men  were  building.
And  the  LORD  said,  “If  they  have  begun  to  do
this as one people speaking the same language,
7
then  nothing  they  devise  will  be  beyond  them.
Come,  let  Us  go  down  and  confuse  their  lan-
guage,  so  that  they  will  not  understand  one
8
another’s speech.”

l

9

So the LORD scattered them from there over the
face  of  all  the  earth,  and  they  stopped  building
the city.
 for there
That is why it is called Babel,
the  LORD  confused  the  language  of  the  whole
world,  and  from  that  place  the  LORD  scattered
Genealogy from Shem to Abram
them over the face of all the earth.
(1 Chronicles 1:17–27)

10

28

And  Joktan  was  the  father  of  Almodad,
Hadoram,  Uzal,
30
Ophir, Havilah,
Their
who became the first fearless leader

Sheleph,  Hazarmaveth,  Jerah,
Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
Diklah,
and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
who established himself as a mighty warrior
a 8
c 10

d 14

11

This  is  the  account  of  Shem.  Two  years  after
the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he be-
came the father of Arphaxad.
And after he had
become the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500
years and had other sons and daughters.

in defiance of

b 9

the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites

27
29

Or
(from whom the Philistines came)
verse
 f 21

That is, Babylonia

Shem, whose older brother was Japheth

 or
g 23

Some translators adjust the Hebrew word order to

e 15

Or
of the Sidonians, the foremost
Meshech

; twice in this

And Arphaxad was the father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of Shelah,
l 9

; see also Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7.
k 2

Hebrew; LXX and 1 Chronicles 1:17

in the east

Babylon

Or

Babel

Or

from the east
j 2
also Luke 3:35–36)
confused

h 24
i 25 Peleg

division

Hebrew; LXX (see
.

 means
 sounds like the He-

Or
brew for

 or
.

That is, Babylonia

Or

; the Hebrew word for

14    |    Genesis 11:12

12

13

When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became
And after he had become
the father of Shelah.
a
the  father  of  Shelah,  Arphaxad  lived  403  years
14
and had other sons and daughters.

15

When  Shelah  was  30  years  old,  he  became
And after he had become the
the father of Eber.
father  of  Eber,  Shelah  lived  403  years  and  had
16
other sons and daughters.

17

When Eber was 34 years old, he became the fa-
And  after  he  had  become
ther  of  Peleg.
the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had
18
other sons and daughters.

19

When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the
And after he had become the fa-
father of Reu.
ther of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other
20
sons and daughters.

21

When Reu was 32 years old, he became the fa-
And  after  he  had  become
ther  of  Serug.
the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had
22
other sons and daughters.

23

When Serug was 30 years old, he became the
And after he had become the
father of Nahor.
father  of  Nahor,  Serug  lived  200  years  and  had
24
other sons and daughters.

25

When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the
And after he had become the
father of Terah.
father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had
26
other sons and daughters.

When Terah was 70 years old, he became the

Terah’s Descendants
father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27

28

This is the account of Terah. Terah became the
father  of  Abram,  Nahor,  and  Haran.  And  Haran
During  his  father
became  the  father  of  Lot.
Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in
29
Ur of the Chaldeans.

32

Terah
arrived  in  Haran,  they  settled  there.
The Call of Abram  (Genesis 26:1–5 ;  Acts 7:1–8)
lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

12

b

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Abram,  “Leave
your country, your kindred, and your fa-
ther’s household, and go to the land I will show
2
you.

I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,

3

so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
c
and all the families of the earth
will be blessed through you.

and curse those who curse you;

”

4

5

So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed
him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-
five  years  old  when  he  left  Haran.
And  Abram
took  his  wife  Sarai,  his  nephew  Lot,  and  all  the
possessions  and  people  they  had  acquired  in
6
Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan.

 d

Abram
When they came to the land of Canaan,
traveled through the land as far as the site of the
Oak
 of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the
7
Canaanites were in the land.

e

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I
” So Abram
will give this land to your offspring.
built  an  altar  there  to  the  LORD,  who  had  ap-
8
peared to him.

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
9
LORD.
Abram and Sarai in Egypt

And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

10

30

11

And  Abram  and  Nahor  took  wives  for  them-
selves.  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
But  Sarai  was  barren;  she
Milcah  and  Iscah.
31
had no children.

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram
went down to Egypt to live there for a while be-
cause the famine was severe.
As he was about
to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I
know  that  you  are  a  beautiful  woman,
and
when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This
is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you
live.
Please say you are my sister, so that I will
be treated well for your sake, and on account of
12 When Arphaxad was 135 years old, he became the father of Cainan. 13 And after he
you my life will be spared.”

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
a 13
Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they
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.

Heb.; LXX (see also Luke 3:35–36)

12

13

b 1

c 3

d 6

Terebinth

Great Tree

e 7

 Note that LXX also adds 100 years to the ages of Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, and Nahor in

this genealogy.

Cited in Acts 7:3

See Galatians 3:8

Or

 or

Cited in Galatians 3:16

14

15

16

So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians
When
saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Pharaoh’s  officials  saw  Sarai,  they  commended
her to him, and she was taken into the palace of
He  treated  Abram  well  on  her  ac-
Pharaoh.
count,  and  Abram  acquired  sheep  and  cattle,
male  and  female  donkeys,  menservants  and
17
maidservants, and camels.

18

The  LORD,  however,  afflicted  Pharaoh  and
his  household  with  severe  plagues  because  of
So  Pharaoh  summoned
Abram’s  wife  Sarai.
Abram and asked, “What have you done to me?
Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Why
did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her
as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her
20
and go!”

19

Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning
Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and
Abram and Lot Part Ways
all his possessions.

13

So Abram went up out of Egypt into the
Negev—he and his wife and all his pos-
And  Abram
sessions—and  Lot  was  with  him.
had become extremely wealthy in livestock and
3
silver and gold.

2

4

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  for-
to  the  site  where  he  had
merly  been  pitched,
built  the  altar.  And  there  Abram  called  on  the
5
name of the LORD.

6

Now  Lot,  who  was  traveling  with  Abram,  also
But the land was
had flocks and herds and tents.
unable to support both of them while they stayed
together, for they had so many possessions that
And there was dis-
they were unable to coexist.
cord  between  the  herdsmen  of  Abram  and  the
herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and
8
the Perizzites were also living in the land.

7

9

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
Is not the whole land before you?
are kinsmen.
Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the
left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I
Lot Proceeds toward Sodom
will go to the left.”
10

And  Lot  looked  out  and  saw  that  the  whole
b 18
a 15
plain  of  the  Jordan,  all  the  way  to  Zoar, was

Terebinths

Great Trees

Genesis 14:8    |    15

11

well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the
land  of  Egypt.  (This  was  before  the  LORD  de-
stroyed  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.)
So  Lot  chose
the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set
out toward the east. And Abram and Lot parted
12
company.

13

Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot set-
tled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent
But  the  men  of  Sodom  were
toward  Sodom.
God Renews the Promise to Abram
wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
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
for all the land that you see,
and east and west,
16
I will give to you and your offspring forever.

15

a

I will make your offspring like the dust of the
earth, so that if one could count the dust of the
17
earth,  then  your  offspring  could  be  counted.
Get up and walk around the land, through its

18
length and breadth, for I will give it to you.”

 b

So Abram moved his tent and went to live near
 of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an

the Oaks
The War of the Kings
altar to the LORD.

c

14

2

In those days Amraphel king of Shinar,
Arioch  king  of  Ellasar,  Chedorlaomer
king  of  Elam,  and  Tidal  king  of  Goiim
went  to
war  against  Bera  king  of Sodom,  Birsha  king  of
Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king
3
of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

 d

4

The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Sid-
For  twelve  years
dim  (that  is,  the  Salt  Sea
they  had  been  subject  to  Chedorlaomer,  but  in
5
the thirteenth year they rebelled.

).

6

In  the  fourteenth  year,  Chedorlaomer  and  the
kings allied with him went out and defeated the
Rephaites  in  Ashteroth-karnaim,  the  Zuzites  in
and the
Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
Horites  in  the  area  of  Mount  Seir,  as  far  as
El-paran,  which  is  near  the  desert.
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
8
lived in Hazazon-tamar.

7

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

d 3

c 1

Cited in Galatians 3:16

Or

 or

That is, Babylonia; also in verse 9

That is, the

Dead Sea

16    |    Genesis 14:9

22

 a

9

arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Sid-
dim
against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal
king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Ari-
Abram Rescues Lot
och king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
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
11
to the hill country.

12

The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom
and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went
They  also  carried  off  Abram’s
on  their  way.
nephew  Lot  and  his  possessions,  since  Lot  was
13
living in Sodom.

 c

 b

14

Then  an  escapee  came  and  reported  this  to
Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near
  of  Mamre  the  Amorite,  a  brother  of
the  Oaks
Eshcol  and  Aner,  all  of  whom  were  bound  by
And when Abram heard that
treaty
his relative had been captured, he mobilized the
318 trained men born in his household, and they
15
set out in pursuit as far as Dan.

 to Abram.

16

During the night, Abram divided his forces and
routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as
He retrieved
far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his
possessions,  together  with  the  women  and  the
Melchizedek Blesses Abram
rest of the people.
(Psalm 110:1–7 ;  Hebrews 7:1–10)

17

23

But  Abram  replied  to  the  king  of  Sodom,  “I
have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High,
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,
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 will accept nothing
‘I have made Abram rich.’
but what my men have eaten and the share for
the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and
God’s Covenant with Abram
Mamre. They may take their portion.”
(Romans 4:1–12 ;  Hebrews 11:8–19)

24

15

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
Abram con-
my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
tinued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring,
4
so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

3

Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, say-
ing, “This one will not be your heir, but one who
5
comes  from  your  own  body  will  be  your  heir.”
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
6
be.”

f
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited

 e

7
to him as righteousness.

After Abram returned from defeating Chedor-
laomer and the kings allied with him, the king of
Sodom  went  out  to  meet  him  in  the  Valley  of
18
Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who
brought  you  out  of  Ur  of  the  Chaldeans  to  give
God Confirms His Promise
you this land to possess.”
(Numbers 34:1–15 ;  Romans 4:13–25)

 d

19

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out
bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most
High

and he blessed Abram and said:

—

20

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your

hand.”

Then  Abram  gave  Melchizedek  a  tenth  of
21
everything.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the

a 8
people, but take the goods for yourself.”

b 13

Terebinths

8

But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know

9
that I will possess it?”

And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a
goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with
10
a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

11

So Abram brought all these to Him, split each
of them down the middle, and laid the halves op-
posite each other. The birds, however, he did not
And the birds of prey descended on
cut in half.
the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
As
Great Trees
the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,

  c 13

berit

12

That is, the Valley of the Dead Sea

e 5
f 6
translated in most passages as
Cited in Romans 4:18

covenant.     d 18
Or

El-Elyon
 or

Hebrew

Forms of the Hebrew
; also in verses 19, 20, and 22; cited in Hebrews 7:1

 are

Cited in Romans 4:3, Romans 4:22, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23

and  suddenly  great  terror  and  darkness  over-
13
whelmed him.

a

14

15

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for cer-
tain that your descendants will be strangers in a
land  that  is  not  their  own,  and  they  will  be  en-
slaved and mistreated four hundred years.
But
I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and
afterward  they  will  depart  with  many  posses-
You, however, will go to your fathers in
sions.
peace  and  be  buried  at  a  ripe  old  age.
In  the
fourth  generation  your  descendants  will  return
here,  for  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorites  is  not  yet
17
complete.”

16

18

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
On that day the LORD made a cove-
carcasses.
nant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I
19
have given this land—from the river of Egypt to
the  land  of  the
the  great  River  Euphrates—
21
Kenites,  Kenizzites,  Kadmonites,
Hittites,
Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Rephaites,
Hagar and Ishmael
Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

20

16

2

Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him
no  children,  but  she  had  an  Egyptian
So  Sarai  said  to
maidservant  named  Hagar.
Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me
from bearing children. Please go to my maidser-
3
vant; perhaps I can build a family by her.”

So af-
And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
ter he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife
Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and
And he slept
gave her to Abram to be his wife.
with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar
b
realized that she was pregnant, she began to des-
5
pise her mistress.

4

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.
6
May the LORD judge between you and me.”

7

 c

Genesis 17:5    |    17

8

Now the angel

 of the LORD found Hagar by a
spring of water in the desert—the spring along
“Hagar,  servant  of  Sarai,”  he
the  road  to  Shur.
said, “where have you come from, and where are
you going?”

“I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she
9
replied.

So  the  angel  of  the  LORD  told  her,  “Return  to
10
your  mistress  and  submit  to  her  authority.”
Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply
your offspring so that they will be too numerous
11
to count.”

The angel of the LORD proceeded:

“Behold, you have conceived and will bear a

d

son.

And you shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard your cry of

12

affliction.

He will be a wild donkey of a man,

and his hand will be against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him;

13

he will live in hostility

toward all his brothers.”

e

14

So  Hagar  gave  this  name  to  the  LORD  who
had  spoken  to  her:  “You  are  the  God  who  sees
me,
”  for  she  said,  “Here  I  have  seen  the  One
f
Therefore  the  well  was  called
who  sees  me!”
 It is located between Kadesh and
Beer-lahai-roi.
15
Bered.

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave
16
the  name  Ishmael  to  the  son  she  had  borne.
Abram  was  eighty-six  years  old  when  Hagar

Abraham to Father Many Nations
bore Ishmael to him.

17

g

2

When Abram was ninety-nine years old,
the  LORD  appeared  to  him  and  said,  “I
  Walk  before  Me  and  be
am  God  Almighty.
I will establish My covenant between
blameless.
3
Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
4

i

5

Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
“As  for  Me,  this  is  My  covenant  with  you:  You
h
No  longer
 but your name will be
 for I have made you a father of many
c 7
God hears
h 5 Abram

f 14 Beer-lahai-roi
; also in verses 9, 10, and 11; cor-
i 5 Abraham

Angel
e 13

j

El-Roi
exalted father
Hebrew

Or
.
 means

.

 means

“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
a 14
her.

will  be  the  father  of  many  nations.
will you be called Abram,
Abraham,
her mistress became despised in her sight
nations.

b 4

Cited in Acts 7:6–7

well of the Living One who sees me
responding pronouns may also be capitalized.
father of many
means

Or

g 1

j 5

.
Cited in Romans 4:17

.

Hebrew

d 11 Ishmael

El-Shaddai

 means

18    |    Genesis 17:6

6

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make
7
nations of you, and kings will descend from you.

I  will  establish  My  covenant  as  an  everlasting
covenant  between  Me  and  you  and  your  de-
scendants after you, to be your God and the God
8
of your descendants after you.

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
The Covenant of Circumcision
their God.”
9

10

God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My
covenant—you and your descendants in the gen-
erations  after  you.
This  is  My  covenant  with
you and your descendants after you, which you
are  to  keep:  Every  male  among  you  must  be
You are to circumcise the flesh of
circumcised.
your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the cove-
12
nant between Me and you.

11

13

Generation after generation, every male must
be circumcised when he is eight days old, includ-
ing  those  born  in  your  household  and  those
purchased from a foreigner—even those who are
Whether  they  are  born  in
not  your  offspring.
your household or purchased, they must be cir-
cumcised.  My  covenant  in  your  flesh  will  be  an
14
everlasting covenant.

But  if  any  male  is  not  circumcised,  he  will
be  cut  off  from  his  people;  he  has  broken  My
15
covenant.”

a

16

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your
wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be
And I will bless her and will surely give
Sarah.
you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be
the mother of nations; kings of peoples will de-
17
scend from her.”

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
And Abraham said to God,
the age of ninety?”
19
“O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

18

b

But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed
 I
bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac.
will establish My covenant with him as an ever-
20
lasting  covenant  for  his  descendants  after  him.
As  for  Ishmael,  I  have  heard  you,  and  I  will
a 15
surely  bless  him;  I  will  make  him  fruitful  and

princess

Sarah

Sarai
b 19 Isaac
 and

21

multiply him greatly. He will become the father
of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great
But  I  will  establish  My  covenant  with
nation.
Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time
22
next year.”

When He had finished speaking with Abraham,

23
God went up from him.

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
24
circumcised them, just as God had told him.
25

So  Abraham  was  ninety-nine  years  old  when
26
and his son Ishmael was
he was circumcised,
27
thirteen;
Abraham  and  his  son  Ishmael  were
And all the men
circumcised on the same day.
of Abraham’s household—both servants born in
his household and those purchased from foreign-
The Three Visitors
ers—were circumcised with him.

18

 c

Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by
  of  Mamre  in  the  heat  of  the
the  Oaks
2
day,  while  he  was  sitting  at  the  entrance
And  Abraham  looked  up  and  saw
of  his  tent.
three men standing nearby. When he saw them,
he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them
3
and bowed low to the ground.

“My lord,” said Abraham, “if I have found favor
4
in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.
Let a little water be brought, that you may wash
5
your  feet  and  rest  yourselves  under  the  tree.
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
6
said.”

d
So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sa-
rah,  “Quick!  Prepare  three  seahs  of  fine  flour,
7
knead it, and bake some bread.”

8

Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a
tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant,
Then  Abraham
who  hurried  to  prepare  it.
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.

Both
Canaan.
21.9 liters (probably about 24.5 pounds or 11.1 kilograms of flour).

 means

 mean

 or

Or

.

he laughs

Terebinths

d 6 3 seahs
c 1
; the change in spelling may reflect the difference in dialect between Ur and

Great Trees

 is approximately 19.8 dry quarts or

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

25

Genesis 19:2    |    19

9

“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked.

10
“There, in the tent,” he replied.

Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you
at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will
have a son!”

11

Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the en-
And  Abraham  and  Sarah
trance  to  the  tent.
were already old and well along in years; Sarah
had  passed  the  age  of  childbearing.
So  she
laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out
and my master is old, will I now have this pleas-
13
ure?”

12

14

And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah
laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am
Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At
old?’
the appointed time I will return to you—in about
15
a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

 a

But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said,

“I did not laugh.”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
“No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”
16

When the men got up to leave, they looked out
over  Sodom,  and  Abraham  walked  along  with
17
them to see them off.

18
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham
Abraham  will  surely
what  I  am  about  to  do?
become  a  great  and  powerful  nation,  and
through him all the nations of the earth will be
For I have chosen him, so that he will
blessed.
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
20
bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

19

21

Then  the  LORD  said,  “The  outcry  against
Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin
I will go down to see if their ac-
is so grievous,
tions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me.
22
If not, I will find out.”

And  the  two  men  turned  away  and  went  to-
ward  Sodom,  but  Abraham  remained  standing
23
before the LORD.

24

Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You
really  sweep  away  the  righteous  with  the
What if there are fifty righteous ones
wicked?
in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not
a 14
spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous

Cited in Romans 9:9

Far be it from You to do
ones who are there?
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
26
Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

So  the  LORD  replied,  “If  I  find  fifty  righteous
ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I
27
will spare the whole place.”

28

Then  Abraham  answered,  “Now  that  I  have
ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but
suppose  the  fifty  righteous
dust  and  ashes—
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 de-
29
stroy it.”

Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Sup-

pose forty are found there?”

He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not
30
do it.”

Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be an-
gry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are
found there?”
31
He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”

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
32
not destroy it.”

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
33
not destroy it.”

When  the  LORD  had  finished  speaking  with
Abraham,  He  departed,  and  Abraham  returned
Lot Welcomes the Angels  (Judges 19:1–30)
home.

19

2

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
and  said,
up  to  meet  them,  bowed  facedown,
“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.”

20    |    Genesis 19:3

3

17

But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed
him into his house. He prepared a feast for them
4
and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

5

Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the
city  of  Sodom,  both  young  and  old,  surrounded
They  called  out  to  Lot,  saying,
the  house.
“Where  are  the  men  who  came  to  you  tonight?
Send  them  out  to  us  so  we  can  have  relations
6
with them!”

7

8

Lot  went  outside  to  meet  them,  shutting  the
“Please,  my  brothers,”  he
door  behind  him.
pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
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 protec-
9
tion of my roof.”

“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they de-
clared, “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
10
Lot and moved in to break down the door.

11

But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into
And
the house with them, and shut the door.
they struck the men at the entrance, young and
old, with blindness, so that they wearied them-
Lot Flees to Zoar
selves trying to find the door.
12

13

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
because we are
to you? Get them out of here,
about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the
LORD  against  its  people  is  so  great  that  He  has
14
sent us to destroy it.”

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-
15
in-law thought he was joking.

16

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
But when
away in the punishment of the city.”
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.
small
a 22 Zoar

 means

.

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
18
to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

19

But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please!

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
Look,
disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it is
a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a
21
small place? Then my life will be saved.”

20

22

“Very well,” he answered, “I will grant this re-
quest as well, and will not demolish the town you
Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot
indicate.
do anything until you reach it.” That is why the
23
town was called Zoar.

a

And  by  the  time  the  sun  had  risen  over  the

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
land, Lot had reached Zoar.
(Luke 17:20–37)

24

25

Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on
Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the
heavens.
Thus  He  destroyed  these  cities
and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants
of  the  cities  and  everything  that  grew  on  the
26
ground.

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a

27
pillar of salt.

28

Early  the  next  morning, Abraham  got  up  and
returned to the place where he had stood before
the LORD.
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
29
from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,
He  remembered  Abraham,  and  He  brought  Lot
out  of  the  catastrophe  that  destroyed  the  cities
Lot and His Daughters
where he had lived.
30

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled
in  the  mountains—for  he  was  afraid  to  stay  in
31
Zoar—where they lived in a cave.

32

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
Come, let us get our father drunk
all the earth.
with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve
his line.”

33

9

Genesis 21:8    |    21

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
34
or when she got up.

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 pre-
35
serve our father’s line.”

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
36
down or when she got up.

37

a

38

Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant
by their father.
The older daughter gave birth
to a son and named him Moab.
 He is the father
of the Moabites of today.
The younger daugh-
ter also gave birth to a son, and she named him
Ben-ammi.
 He is the father of the Ammonites of
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
today.

b

20

Now  Abraham  journeyed  from  there  to
the  region  of  the  Negev  and  settled  be-
2
tween Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in
Abraham  said  of his  wife  Sarah,  “She  is
Gerar,
my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah
3
brought to him.

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
4
a married woman.”

Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he re-
5
plied,  “Lord,  would  You  destroy  a  nation  even
though it is innocent?
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
6
heart and the innocence of my hands.”

7

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.
Now re-
turn 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—
8
you and all who belong to you.”

Early  the  next  morning  Abimelech  got  up  and
summoned  all  his  servants;  and  when  he  de-
scribed to them all that had happened, the men
a 37 Moab
were terrified.
els of silver

from my father

Then  Abimelech  called  Abraham  and  asked,
“What have you done to us? How have I sinned
against you, that you have brought such tremen-
dous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have
10
done  things  to  me  that  should  not  be  done.”
“What

Abimelech  also  asked  Abraham,

11
prompted you to do such a thing?”

13

12

Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely
there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill
Besides, she really
me on account of my wife.’
is my sister, the daughter of my father—though
not the daughter of my mother—and she became
So when God had me journey from my
my wife.
father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you
can  show  your  loyalty  to  me:  Wherever  we  go,
14
say of me, “He is my brother.”

”

’

So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, men-
servants and maidservants, and he gave them to
15
Abraham  and  restored  his  wife  Sarah  to  him.
And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before
And he said
you. Settle wherever you please.”
c
to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thou-
sand  pieces  of  silver.
  It  is  your  vindication
before all who are with you; you are completely
17
cleared.”

16

18

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed
Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so
for  on
that  they  could  again  bear  children—
account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had
completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s
The Birth of Isaac
household.

21

2

Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He
had  said,  and  the  LORD  did  for  Sarah
So Sarah conceived and
what He had promised.
bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very
3
time God had promised.

4
And Abraham gave the name Isaac

 to the son
When his son Isaac was eight
Sarah bore to him.
5
days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had
Abraham  was  a  hundred
commanded  him.
6
years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

 d

Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and
7
everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
She added, “Who would have told Abraham that
Sarah  would  nurse  children?  Yet  I  have  borne
8
him a son in his old age.”

 sounds like the Hebrew for
; that is, approximately 25.1 pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver

.

 means

 means

So  the  child  grew  and  was  weaned,  and  Abra-
ham  held  a  great  feast  on  the  day  Isaac  was
weaned.

a thousand shek-

son of my people

d 3 Isaac

b 38 Ben-ammi

c 16
he laughs
.

Or
.

22    |    Genesis 21:9

Sarah Turns against Hagar  (Gal. 4:21–30)

24

9

a

10

But  Sarah  saw  that  the  son  whom  Hagar  the
Egyptian  had  borne  to  Abraham  was  mocking
her son,
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
11
son Isaac!”

 b

12

Now  this  matter  distressed  Abraham  greatly
But God
because it concerned his son Ishmael.
said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the
boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything
c
that  Sarah  tells  you,  for  through Isaac  your  off-
But I will also make a
spring will be reckoned.
nation  of  the  slave  woman’s  son,  because  he  is
14
your offspring.”

13

15

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  Beer-
When  the water  in  the  skin  was  gone,
sheba.
Then
she left the boy under one of the bushes.
she went off and sat down nearby, about a bow-
shot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch
the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up
17
her voice and wept.

16

d

18

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
Get
heard  the  voice  of  the  boy  where  he  lies.
up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for
Then God
I will make him into a great nation.”
opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So
she went and filled the skin with water and gave
20
the boy a drink.

19

21

And God was with the boy, and he grew up and
settled  in  the  wilderness  and  became  a  great
And while he was dwelling in the Wil-
archer.
derness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him
The Covenant at Beersheba
from the land of Egypt.
22

23

At  that  time  Abimelech  and  Phicol  the  com-
mander  of  his  army  said  to  Abraham,  “God  is
with  you  in  all  that  you  do.
Now,  therefore,
swear  to  me  here  before  God  that  you  will  not
deal falsely with me or my children or descend-
ants. Show to me and to the country in which you
reside  the  same  kindness  that  I  have  shown  to
a 9
you.”
d 16
f 33

the child lifted up his voice and wept

LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew lacks

El-Olam

her son

b 10

25

And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”

26

But when Abraham complained to Abimelech
about  a  well  that  Abimelech’s  servants  had
seized,
Abimelech replied, “I do not know who
has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not
27
heard about it until today.”

28

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave
them  to  Abimelech,  and  the  two  men  made
29
Abraham  separated  seven  ewe
a  covenant.
and  Abimelech  asked
lambs  from  the  flock,
him,  “Why  have  you  set  apart  these  seven  ewe
30
lambs?”

e

32

31

So that place was called Beersheba,

He  replied,  “You  are  to accept  the  seven  ewe
lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this
well.”
 be-
cause it was there that the two of them swore an
After  they  had  made  the  covenant  at
oath.
Beersheba,  Abimelech  and  Phicol  the  com-
mander of his army got up and returned to the
33
land of the Philistines.

And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-
f
34
sheba, and there he called upon the name of the
LORD, the Eternal God.
And Abraham resided
The Offering of Isaac  (John 3:1–21)
in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

22

Some time later God tested Abraham and
said to him, “Abraham!”

2
“Here I am,” he answered.

“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Of-
fer  him  there  as  a  burnt  offering  on  one  of  the
3
mountains, which I will show you.”

So Abraham got up early the next morning, sad-
dled his donkey, and took along two of his serv-
ants  and  his  son  Isaac.  He  split  the  wood  for  a
burnt offering and set out for the place God had
4
designated.

5

On  the  third  day  Abraham  looked  up  and  saw
“Stay  here  with  the
the  place  in  the  distance.
donkey,”  Abraham  told  his  servants.  “The  boy
and I will go over there to worship, and then we
6
will return to you.”

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.

c 12

well of seven
Cited in Romans 9:7 and Hebrews 11:18

well of the oath

  e 31 Beersheba

Cited in Galatians 4:30

Hebrew; LXX
Hebrew

 means

 or

.

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
8
where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide
the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the
9
two walked on together.

When they arrived at the place God had desig-
nated,  Abraham  built  the  altar  there  and
arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and
Then
placed him on the altar, atop the wood.
Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife
The LORD Provides the Sacrifice
to slaughter his son.
11

10

 a

Just then the angel

 of the LORD called out to

him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”
12
“Here I am,” he replied.

“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
13
son from me.
 c

”

b

14

Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him
a  ram
  in  a  thicket,  caught  by  its  horns.  So  he
went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt
d
And  Abraham
offering  in  place  of  his  son.
called that place The LORD Will Provide.
 So to
this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD
15
it will be provided.”

16

17

And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham
from heaven a second time,
saying, “By Myself
I  have  sworn,  declares  the  LORD,  that  because
you have done this and have not withheld your
 e
I will surely bless you, and I will mul-
only son,
tiply your descendants
 like the stars in the sky
and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants
And
will  possess  the  gates  of  their  enemies.
through  your  offspring  all  nations  of  the  earth
will  be  blessed,
  because  you  have  obeyed  My
19
voice.”

18

f

Abraham went back to his servants, and they
got up and set out together for Beersheba. And
The Sons of Nahor
Abraham settled in Beersheba.
20

21

Genesis 23:16    |    23

22

the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father
Chesed,  Hazo,  Pildash,  Jidlaph,  and
of  Aram),
23
Bethuel.”

24

And  Bethuel  became  the  father  of  Rebekah.
Milcah  bore  these  eight  sons  to  Abraham’s
Moreover, Nahor’s concubine,
brother Nahor.
whose  name  was  Reumah,  bore  Tebah,  Gaham,
The Death and Burial of Sarah
Tahash, and Maacah.

23

2
Now  Sarah  lived  to  be  127  years  old.
She  died  in  Kiriath-arba  (that  is,  Heb-
ron)  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  Abraham  went
3
out to mourn and to weep for her.

g
4
Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife
and said to the Hittites,
“I am a foreigner and
an  outsider  among  you.  Give  me  a  burial  site
5
among you so that I can bury my dead.”

6

The Hittites replied to Abraham,

“Listen to us,
sir.  You  are  God’s  chosen  one  among  us.  Bury
your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us
7
will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”

8

9

Then  Abraham  rose  and  bowed  down  before
“If you are
the people of the land, the Hittites.
willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them,
“listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar
to sell me the cave of Machpelah
on my behalf
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
10
that I may have a burial site.”

Now  Ephron  was  sitting  among  the  sons  of
Heth.  So  in  the  presence  of  all  the  Hittites  who
11
had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hit-
“No, my lord. Listen to
tite answered Abraham,
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
12
people. Bury your dead.”

13

Again Abraham bowed down before the peo-
ple of the land
and said to Ephron in their pres-
ence,  “If  you  will  please  listen  to  me,  I  will  pay
you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so
14
that I may bury my dead there.”

15

h

Ephron  answered  Abraham,

“Listen  to  me,
my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels
 but what is that between you and me?
of silver,
16
Bury your dead.”

Angel

a 11
has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:

Some  time  later,  Abraham  was  told,  “Milcah
Uz
e 17
h 15 400 shekels

; also in verses 12 and 15

saw one ram

YHWH Yireh

from Me

b 12

d 14

Or

c 13

Abraham  agreed  to  Ephron’s  terms  and
weighed out for him the price he had named in
sons of
Most MT manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts, SP, LXX,

f 18

g 3

; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, and 20

Hebrew

Cited in Hebrews 6:14
 is approximately 10.1 pounds or 4.6 kg of silver; also in v. 16.

Cited in Acts 3:25

Or

Or
Heth
and Syriac

24    |    Genesis 23:17

12

the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels
of  silver,  according  to  the  standard  of  the  mer-
17
chants.

18

So  Ephron’s  field  at  Machpelah  near  Mamre,
 cave that was in it, and all the trees within the
the
to
boundaries  of  the  field  were  deeded  over
Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the
19
Hittites  who  had  come  to  the  gate  of  his  city.
After  this,  Abraham  buried  his  wife  Sarah  in
the  cave  of  the  field  at  Machpelah  near  Mamre
So the
(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to
A Wife for Isaac
Abraham as a burial site.

20

24

3

2

By now Abraham was old and well along
in years, and the LORD had blessed him
So Abraham instructed the chief
in every way.
servant  of  his  household,  who  managed  all  he
owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
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
but will
Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
go to my country and my kindred to take a wife
5
for my son Isaac.”

4

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
6
came?”

7
Abraham  replied,  “Make  sure  that  you  do  not
take my son back there.
The LORD, the God of
heaven, who brought me from my father’s house
and my native land, who spoke to me and prom-
ised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will
give this land’—He will send His angel before you
8
so that you can take a wife for my son from there.
And  if  the  woman  is  unwilling  to  follow  you,
then  you  are  released  from  this  oath  of  mine.
9
Only do not take my son back there.”

So the servant placed his hand under the thigh
of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him
10
concerning this matter.

Then the servant took ten of his master’s cam-
els and departed with all manner of good things
from  his  master  in  hand.  And  he  set  out  for
Nahor’s  hometown  in  Aram-naharaim.
As
evening  approached,  he  made  the  camels  kneel
down near the well outside the town at the time
a 10
when the women went out to draw water.

Aram-naharaim

11

a

b 22 A beka

14

13

“O  LORD,  God  of  my  master  Abraham,”  he
prayed,  “please  grant  me  success  today,  and
Here I
show kindness to my master Abraham.
am,  standing  beside  the  spring,  and  the  daugh-
ters of the townspeople are coming out to draw
Now  may  it  happen  that  the  girl  to
water.
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
Rebekah Is Chosen
my master.”
15

Before  the  servant  had  finished  praying,  Re-
bekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She
was  the  daughter  of  Bethuel  son  of  Milcah,  the
wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Now the girl
was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had re-
lations  with  any  man.  She  went  down  to  the
17
spring, filled her jar, and came up again.

16

So  the  servant  ran  to  meet  her  and  said,
18
“Please let me have a little water from your jar.”

“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly
lowered  her  jar  to  her  hands  and  gave  him  a
19
drink.

20

After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will
also draw water for your camels, until they have
And she quickly emptied
had enough to drink.”
her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to
draw water, until she had drawn water for all his
21
camels.

Meanwhile,  the  man  watched  her  silently  to
see whether or not the LORD had made his jour-
22
ney a success.

b

23

And after the camels had finished drinking, he
took out a gold ring weighing a beka,
 and two
c
gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shek-
“Whose  daughter  are  you?”  he  asked.
els.
“Please  tell  me,  is  there  room  in  your  father’s
24
house for us to spend the night?”

25

She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the
Then  she
son  that  Milcah  bore  to  Nahor.”
added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well
26
as a place for you to spend the night.”

27

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the
saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God
LORD,
Aram of the two rivers
of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His

That is, Mesopotamia;

c 22 10 shekels
Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.

 means

, likely the region between the Euphrates and
 is half a shekel, or approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams.

 is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams.

kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for
me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the
28
house of my master’s relatives.”

29

The girl ran and told her mother’s household
Now  Rebekah  had  a
about  these  things.
30
brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the
As soon as he saw the ring,
man at the spring.
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
31
near the spring.

“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said
Laban.  “Why  are  you  standing  out  here?  I  have
32
prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
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
33
feet of his companions.

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.”
34
So Laban said, “Please speak.”

35

“I  am  Abraham’s  servant,”  he  replied.

“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,
My  master’s  wife  Sarah
camels  and  donkeys.
has borne him a son in her old age, and my mas-
37
ter has given him everything he owns.

36

38

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
but  you  shall  go  to  my  father’s  house
dwell,
39
and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’

Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman

40
will not come back with me?’

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
And when you go to my kin-
my father’s house.
dred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you
42
will be released from my oath.’

41

43

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!
Here I am,
standing  beside  this  spring.  Now  if  a  maiden
44
comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please
and
let me drink a little water from your jar,’
she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your

Genesis 24:58    |    25

camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD
45
has appointed for my master’s son.

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
46
a drink.’

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 cam-
47
els.

Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Na-
hor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring
48
on  her  nose  and  the  bracelets  on  her  wrists.
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
49
son.

Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness
to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so
50
that I may go elsewhere.”

51

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the
LORD;  we  have  no  choice  in  the  matter.
Re-
bekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let
her become the wife of your master’s son, just as
52
the LORD has decreed.”

When  Abraham’s  servant  heard  their  words,
53
he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold,
and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Re-
bekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother
Then he and the men with him
and her mother.
ate and drank and spent the night there.

54

When  they  got  up  the  next  morning,  he  said,
55
“Send me on my way to my master.”

But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl
remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may
56
go.”

But  he  replied,  “Do  not  delay  me,  since  the
LORD has made my journey a success. Send me
57
on my way so that I may go to my master.”

So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her

58
opinion.”

They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you

go with this man?”

“I will go,” she replied.

26    |    Genesis 24:59

59

9

60

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way,
along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and
And they blessed Rebekah and said to
his men.
her,

“Our sister, may you become the mother

of thousands upon thousands.

61

May your offspring possess

the gates of their enemies.”

Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready,
mounted  the  camels,  and  followed  the  man.  So
Isaac Marries Rebekah
the servant took Rebekah and left.
62

63

Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-
Early in the
roi, for he was living in the Negev.
evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate,
64
and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

65

And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac,
and  asked  the
she  got  down  from  her  camel
servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to
meet us?”

66

“It is my master,” the servant answered. So she
Then  the
took  her  veil  and  covered  herself.
67
servant told Isaac all that he had done.

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
Abraham and Keturah   (1 Chronicles 1:32–33)
mother’s death.

25

2

Now  Abraham  had  taken  another  wife,
and she bore him Zim-
named Keturah,
3
ran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And
the  sons  of  Dedan  were  the  Asshurites,  the  Le-
4
tushites, and the Leummites.

The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch,

Abida, and Eldaah.
5
All these were descendants of Keturah.
6

Abraham  left  everything  he  owned  to  Isaac.
But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts
to the sons of his concubines and sent them away
The Death of Abraham
from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7

8

Abraham  lived  a  total  of  175  years.

And  at  a
ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and
contented, and was gathered to his people.
c 23
a 18

Assyria

b 20

hairy

His  sons  Isaac  and  Ishmael  buried  him  in  the
cave  of  Machpelah  near  Mamre,  in  the  field  of
This was the
Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.
field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites.
11
Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.

10

After  Abraham’s  death,  God  blessed  his  son

The Descendants of Ishmael  (1 Chr. 1:28–31)
Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
12

13

This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael,
whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant,
These are the names of the
bore to Abraham.
sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebai-
oth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel,
Hadad,
Mishma,  Dumah,  Massa,
Mibsam,
16
Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

15

14

These  were  the  sons  of  Ishmael,  and  these
were their names by their villages and encamp-
Ishmael
ments—twelve princes of their tribes.
lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his
18
last and died, and was gathered to his people.

17

a

Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to
Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go
  And  they  lived  in  hostility  to-
toward  Asshur.
Jacob and Esau  (Mal. 1:1–5 ;  Rom. 9:6–29)
ward all their brothers.
19

20

This  is  the  account  of  Abraham’s  son  Isaac.
and Isaac
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
was  forty  years  old  when  he  married  Rebekah,
the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Pad-
21
dan-aram
 and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

 b

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
22
conceived.

But the children inside her struggled with each
other,  and  she  said,  “Why  is  this  happening  to
23
me?”  So  Rebekah  went  to  inquire  of  the  LORD,

and He declared to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be

separated;

 c

24

one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”

25

When her time came to give birth, there were
The first one came
indeed twins in her womb.
out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they
named him Esau.
After this, his brother came

d 25 Esau

26

d

Or
that means

.

That is, northwest Mesopotamia

Cited in Romans 9:12

 sounds like a Hebrew term

a

out  grasping  Esau’s  heel;  so  he  was  named  Ja-
cob.
  And  Isaac  was  sixty  years  old  when  the
27
twins were born.

28

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful
hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet
Because Isaac had a
man who stayed at home.
taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah
Esau Sells His Birthright
loved Jacob.
29

One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew,
30
Esau  came  in  from  the  field  and  was  famished.
He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red
stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also
31
called Edom.
32

“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.

)

b

“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what

33
good is a birthright to me?”

“Swear to me first,” Jacob said.

34

So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birth-
Then  Jacob  gave  some  bread  and  lentil
right.
stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up
and  went  away.  Thus  Esau  despised  his  birth-
God’s Promise to Isaac  (Genesis 12:1–9)
right.

26

Now  there  was  another  famine  in  the
land, subsequent to the one that had oc-
curred  in  Abraham’s  time.  And  Isaac  went  to
2
Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

3

4

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not
go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell
you.
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 con-
firm  the  oath  that  I  swore  to  your  father  Abra-
ham.
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  na-
tions of the earth will be blessed,
because Abra-
ham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My
Isaac Deceives Abimelech
commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
6

7

5

So Isaac settled in Gerar.

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, be-
a 26 Jacob
cause she is so beautiful.”
d 20 Esek

he grasps the heel
contention

he deceives

b 30 Edom

 means
 means

e 21 Sitnah
 or

enmity
.

hostility

.

 means

 or

Genesis 26:24    |    27

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
Abimelech sent for
caressing his wife Rebekah.
Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How
could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

9

Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on
10
account of her.”

“What  is  this  you  have  done  to  us?”  asked
Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have
11
slept  with  your  wife,  and  you  would  have
So Abimelech warned
brought guilt upon us.”
all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man
Isaac’s Prosperity
or his wife will surely be put to death.”
12

14

13

Now  Isaac  sowed  seed  in  the  land,  and  that
very  year  he  reaped  a  hundredfold.  And  the
and he became richer and
LORD blessed him,
He
richer,  until  he  was  exceedingly  wealthy.
owned  so  many  flocks  and  herds  and  servants
So  the  Philis-
that  the  Philistines  envied  him.
tines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that
his father’s servants had dug in the days of his fa-
16
ther Abraham.

15

Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us,

17
for you are much too powerful for us.”
18

So  Isaac  left  that  place  and  encamped  in
Isaac re-
the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
opened 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
19
them.

 c

20

Then  Isaac’s  servants  dug  in  the  valley  and
found  a  well  of  fresh  water
But  the
herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herds-
d
men and said, “The water is ours!” So he named
21
 because they contended with him.
the well Esek,

  there.

e

Then  they  dug  another  well  and  quarreled

22
over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.

   f

He moved on from there and dug another well,
and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Re-
  and  said,  “At  last  the  LORD  has  made
hoboth
23
room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

24

From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,

and
that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I
am  the  God  of  your  father  Abraham.  Do  not  be
 means
.

red
f 22 Rehoboth
Or

flowing water

broad places

living water

open spaces

 means

c 19

 or

 or

.

.

28    |    Genesis 26:25

5

afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and mul-
tiply your descendants for the sake of My servant
25
Abraham.”

So Isaac built an altar there and called on the
name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there.
Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech
His servants also dug a well there.
26

Later,  Abimelech  came  to  Isaac  from  Gerar,
with  Ahuzzath  his  adviser  and  Phicol  the  com-
27
mander of his army.

“Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them.

28
“You hated me and sent me away.”

29

“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.
that you will
Let us make a covenant with you
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
30
LORD.”

31

So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate
And  they  got  up  early  the  next
and  drank.
morning and swore an oath to each other. Then
Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in
32
peace.

a

33

On  that  same  day,  Isaac’s  servants  came  and
told him about the well they had dug. “We have
So  he  called  it
found  water!”  they  told  him.
Shibah,
  and to  this  day  the  name  of  the  city  is
Esau’s Wives
Beersheba.
34

b

When Esau was forty years old, he took as his
wives  Judith  daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite  and
Basemath  daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite.
And
Isaac Blesses Jacob  (Hebrews 11:20)
they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

35

27

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.”
2
“Here I am,” Esau replied.

3

“Look,”  said  Isaac,  “I  am  now  old,  and  I  do
Take your weap-
not know the day of my death.
4
ons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the
Then prepare a
field to hunt some game for me.
tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so
a 33 Shibah
that I may bless you before I die.”

b 33 Beersheba

seven

oath

 can mean

 or

.

 means

6

Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told
his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to
Rebekah  said  to
hunt  game  and  bring  it  back,
7
her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father
saying  to  your  brother  Esau,
‘Bring  me  some
game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that
I may bless you in the presence of the LORD be-
8
fore I die.’

9

Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly
Go  out  to  the  flock  and  bring  me
as  I  tell  you.
two choice young goats, so that I can make them
10
into  a  tasty  dish  for  your  father—the  kind  he
Then take it to your father to eat, so that
loves.
11
he may bless you before he dies.”

12

Jacob  answered  his  mother  Rebekah,  “Look,
my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-
What if my father touches me? Then
skinned.
I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I
would  bring  upon  myself  a  curse  rather  than  a
13
blessing.”

His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my
14
son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”

15

So Jacob went and got two goats and brought
them to his mother, who made the tasty food his
And  Rebekah  took  the  finest
father  loved.
clothes  in  the  house  that belonged  to  her  older
16
son Esau, and she put them on her younger son
She also put the skins of the young goats
Jacob.
17
on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food

18
and bread she had made.

So  Jacob  went  to  his  father  and  said,  “My

father.”

“Here  I  am!” he  answered.  “Which  one are  you,
19
my son?”

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
20
bless me.”

But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find

it so quickly, my son?”

“Because the LORD your God brought it to me,”
21
he replied.

Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer
so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son
22
Esau, or not?”

well of seven

So  Jacob  came  close  to  his  father  Isaac,  who
touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of
.

well of the oath

 or

23
Jacob,  but  the  hands  are  the  hands  of  Esau.”
Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands
were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he
24
blessed him.

Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

25
And he replied, “I am.”

“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
26
brought him wine, and he drank.

Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come

27
near and kiss me, my son.”

So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac

smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said:

“Ah, the smell of my son

28

is like the smell of a field
that the LORD has blessed.

May God give to you the dew of heaven

29

and the richness of the earth—
an abundance of grain and new wine.

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,

Esau’s Lost Hope

and those who bless you be blessed.”

30

31

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and
Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother
Esau  returned  from  the  hunt.
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
32
game, so that you may bless me.”

But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?”

33
“I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.

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
indeed,  he  will  be
and  blessed  him—and
34
blessed!”

When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out
a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless
35
me too, O my father!”

Genesis 28:3    |    29

36

 a

So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Ja-
cob?
 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
37
me?”

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
38
son?”

Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one
blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!”
39
Then Esau wept aloud.

His father Isaac answered him:

“Behold, your dwelling place shall be

40

away from the richness of the land,
away from the dew of heaven above.

You shall live by the sword
and serve your brother.

But when you rebel,

41

you will tear his yoke from your neck.”

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
42
Jacob.”

44

43

When the words of her older son Esau were re-
layed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son
Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is
consoling  himself  by  plotting  to  kill  you.
So
now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to
my brother Laban in Haran.
Stay with him for
45
a  while,  until  your  brother’s  fury  subsides—
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.
46
Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

b

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my
life  because  of  these  Hittite  women.
  If  Jacob
takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good
Jacob’s Departure
is my life?”

28

c

2

So  Isaac  called  for  Jacob  and  blessed
him.  “Do  not  take  a  wife  from  the  Ca-
“Go at once to
naanite women,” he commanded.
Paddan-aram,
 to the house of your mother’s fa-
ther  Bethuel,  and  take  a  wife  from  among  the
May
daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

c 2

3

But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceit-

he deceives

b 46

daughters of Heth

a 36 Jacob
fully and took your blessing.”
 or

he grasps the heel

 means

in verses 5, 6, and 7

.

Or

That is, northwest Mesopotamia; also

30    |    Genesis 28:4

 a

4

  bless  you  and  make  you  fruitful
God  Almighty
and multiply you, so that you may become a com-
And may He give the blessing
pany of peoples.
of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that
you may possess the land where you dwell as a
5
foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

So  Isaac  sent  Jacob  to  Paddan-aram,  to  Laban
son  of  Bethuel  the  Aramean,  the  brother  of  Re-
Esau Marries Mahalath
bekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6

7

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  Ca-
and that Jacob had obeyed his
naanite woman,”
8
father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram.

9
And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of
Esau  went  to  Ishmael
the  Canaanite  women,
and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and
daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition
Jacob’s Ladder
to the wives he already had.

10

11

Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for
On  reaching  a  certain  place,  he  spent
Haran.
the night there because the sun had set. And tak-
ing one of the stones from that place, he put it un-
12
der his head and lay down to sleep.

 b

14

13

And  there  at  the  top

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.
  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
Your descendants
land on which you now lie.
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
Look,  I  am
through  you  and  your  offspring.
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 prom-
16
ised you.”

15

The Stone of Bethel

18

Early  the  next  morning,  Jacob  took  the  stone
that he had placed under his head, and he set it
c
and he
up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it,
 though previously the
called that place Bethel,
20
city had been named Luz.

19

21

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
so that I may return safely to my fa-
to wear,
22
ther’s  house,  then  the  LORD  will  be  my  God.
And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be
God’s  house,  and  of  all  that  You  give  me  I  will
Jacob Meets Rachel
surely give You a tenth.”

29

2

Jacob resumed his journey and came to
He
the  land  of  the  people  of  the  east.
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  cov-
When all the flocks
ered the mouth of the well.
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
4
stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

3

“My  brothers,”  Jacob  asked  the  shepherds,

“where are you from?”
5
“We are from Haran,” they answered.

“Do  you  know Laban  the  grandson  of  Nahor?”

Jacob asked.
6
“We know him,” they replied.

“Is he well?” Jacob inquired.

“Yes,”  they  answered,  “and  here  comes  his
7
daughter Rachel with his sheep.”

“Look,” said Jacob, “it is still broad daylight; it is
not  yet  time  to  gather  the  livestock.  Water  the
8
sheep and take them back to pasture.”

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
9
will water the sheep.”

10

While he was  still  speaking with  them, Rachel
arrived  with  her  father’s  sheep,  for  she  was  a
As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the
shepherdess.
daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with La-
ban’s  sheep,  he  went  up  and  rolled  the  stone
away from the mouth of the well and watered his

house of God

When  Jacob  woke  up,  he  said,  “Surely  the
17
LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
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!”
 a 3

there beside him

El-Shaddai

b 13

c 19 Bethel

Hebrew

Or

 means

.

11

29

Genesis 30:8    |    31

12
Then  Jacob  kissed  Rachel  and
uncle’s  sheep.
He  told  Rachel  that  he  was  Re-
wept  aloud.
bekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran
13
and told her father.

When  Laban  heard  the  news  about  his
sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He em-
braced him and kissed him and brought him to
his home, where Jacob told him all that had hap-
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
pened.
14

Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own

15

flesh and blood.”

After Jacob had stayed with him a month,
La-
ban said to him, “Just because you are my rela-
tive, should you work for nothing? Tell me what
16
your wages should be.”

18

Leah had weak eyes,

Now Laban had two daughters; the older was
a
17
named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.
 but Rachel was shapely
Since Jacob loved Rachel, he an-
and beautiful.
swered,  “I  will  serve  you  seven  years  for  your
19
younger daughter Rachel.”

20

Laban  replied,  “Better  that  I  give  her  to  you
So Jacob
than to another. Stay here with me.”
served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but
21
a few days because of his love for her.

Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife,
for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with
22
her.”

23

So Laban invited all the men of that place and
But  when  evening  came,
prepared  a  feast.
Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Ja-
cob, and he slept with her.
And Laban gave his
servant  girl  Zilpah  to  his  daughter  Leah  as  her
25
maidservant.

24

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
26
you deceived me?”

27

Laban  replied,  “It  is  not  our  custom  here  to
give the younger daughter in marriage before the
Finish  this  week’s  celebration,  and  we
older.
will  give  you  the  younger  one  in  return  for  an-
28
other seven years of work.”

had delicate eyes

And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s
  b 32 Reuben
a 17
celebration,  and  Laban  gave  him  his  daughter
c 33 Simeon
Or
for

Look, a son
d 34 Levi

one who hears

praise

f 3

e 35 Judah
He has vindicated
.

 probably means

h 8 Naphtali
 sounds like the Hebrew for

 means
.

Laban also gave his servant
Rachel as his wife.
girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidser-
30
vant.

Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he
loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah
Laban another seven years.
31

When  the  LORD  saw  that  Leah  was  unloved,
32
He  opened  her  womb;  but  Rachel  was  barren.
And  Leah  conceived  and  gave  birth  to  a  son,
and she named him Reuben,
 for she said, “The
LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband
33
will love me now.”

b

Again  she  conceived  and  gave  birth  to  a  son,
and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I
c
am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So
34
she named him Simeon.

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
35
him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

d

And once more she conceived and gave birth
to  a  son  and  said,  “This  time  I  will  praise  the
  Then  Leah
LORD.”  So  she  named  him  Judah.
Dan and Naphtali
stopped having children.

e

30

When Rachel saw that she was not bear-
ing any children for Jacob, she envied her
sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said
2
to Jacob.

Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am
I in the place of God, who has withheld children
3
from you?”

f

Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah.
Sleep  with  her,  that  she  may  bear  children  for
4
 so that through her I too can build a family.”
me,

5

So  Rachel  gave  Jacob  her  servant  Bilhah  as  a
6
and  Bilhah  con-
wife,  and  he  slept  with  her,
Then  Rachel  said,
ceived  and  bore  him  a  son.
“God  has  vindicated  me;  He  has  heard  my  plea
7
and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

g

8

And  Rachel’s  servant  Bilhah  conceived  again
Then Rachel said,
and bore Jacob a second son.
“In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my
sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.
being attached to
feeling affection
.
g 6 Dan

bear children on my knees

He has seen my misery

He has judged

h

 and also sounds like the Hebrew for

 sounds like the Hebrew for
wrestling

.

Literally

 or
 means

or

.

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

32    |    Genesis 30:9

Gad and Asher

9

10

When  Leah  saw  that  she  had  stopped  having
children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as
11
a wife.
And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a
son.
 So she
12
named him Gad.

Then Leah said, “How fortunate!”

 a

b

13

c

When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a sec-
Leah said, “How happy I am! For the
ond son,
women  call  me  happy.”  So  she  named  him
14
Asher.

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
15
mandrakes.”

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
16
tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

When Jacob came in from the field that even-
ing,  Leah  went  out  to  meet  him  and  said,  “You
must come with me, for I have hired you with my
Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah
son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
17

18

And  God  listened  to  Leah,  and  she  conceived
Then Leah said,
and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
“God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant
19
to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

d

20

Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to
“God has given me a good gift,” she said.
Jacob.
“This time my husband will honor me, because I
e
have  borne  him  six  sons.”  And  she  named  him
21
Zebulun.

After  that,  Leah  gave  birth  to  a  daughter  and

Joseph
named her Dinah.
22

23

24

Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to
and she conceived
her and opened her womb,
and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my
 and
shame,” she said.
Jacob Prospers
said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
25

She named him Joseph,

f

26

return to my homeland.
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
27
for you.”

28

But  Laban  replied,  “If  I  have  found  favor  in
your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divina-
tion  that  the  LORD  has  blessed  me  because  of
And he added, “Name your wages, and I
you.”
29
will pay them.”

30

Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have
served you and how your livestock have thrived
Indeed, you had very little be-
under my care.
fore  my  arrival,  but  now  your  wealth  has  in-
creased many times over. The LORD has blessed
you  wherever  I  set  foot.  But  now,  when  may  I
31
also provide for my own household?”

“What can I give you?” Laban asked.

32

“You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob re-
plied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep
Let
on  shepherding  and  keeping  your  flocks.
me go through all your flocks today and remove
from  them  every  speckled  or  spotted  sheep,
every  dark-colored  lamb,  and  every  spotted  or
So my
speckled goat. These will be my wages.
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 con-
34
sidered stolen.”

33

“Agreed,”  said  Laban.  “Let  it  be  as  you  have

35
said.”

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
36
he  placed  them  under  the  care  of  his  sons.
Then he put a three-day journey between him-
self and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the
37
rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar,
almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, ex-
38
posing  the  white  inner  wood  of  the  branches.
Then he set the peeled branches in the water-
ing  troughs  in  front  of  the  flocks  coming  in  to
drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came
they mated in front of the branches.
to drink,
And  they  bore  young  that  were  streaked  or
b 11 Gad
“A troop is coming!”
speckled or spotted.
Jacob set apart the young,
 sounds like the Hebrew

d 18 Issachar

40

39

may He add

 sounds like the Hebrew for

happy
f 24 Joseph
.

 means
.

Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Ja-
a 11
cob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can

good fortune
Alternate MT reading (see also LXX); the other alternate reads
reward

band of raiders

c 13 Asher

honor

wages
for

 or

e 20 Zebulun
, or alternately for
.

.

 sounds like the Hebrew for

 means

.

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
41
animals.

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.
But
if the animals were weak, he did not set out the
branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban
43
and the stronger ones to Jacob.

42

Thus  Jacob  became  exceedingly  prosperous.
He  owned  large  flocks,  maidservants  and  men-
Jacob Flees from Laban
servants, and camels and donkeys.

31

Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were
saying, “Jacob has taken away all that be-
2
longed to our father and built all this wealth at
our father’s expense.”
And Jacob saw from the
countenance  of  Laban  that  his  attitude  toward
3
him had changed.

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Jacob,  “Go  back  to  the
land  of  your  fathers  and  to  your  kindred,  and  I
4
will be with you.”

5

7

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah
and he told
to the field where his flocks were,
them, “I can see from your father’s countenance
6
that his attitude toward me has changed; but the
You know
God of my father has been with me.
that  I  have  served  your  father  with  all  my
strength.
And although he has cheated me and
8
changed  my  wages  ten  times,  God  has  not  al-
If he said, ‘The speckled
lowed him to harm me.
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
Thus  God  has  taken  away
streaked  offspring.
10
your father’s livestock and given them to me.

9

 a

When  the  flocks  were  breeding,  I  saw  in  a
dream  that  the  streaked,  spotted,  and  speckled
males  were  mating  with  the  females.
In  that
dream the angel
12
And I replied, ‘Here I am.’

 of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’

11

13

‘Look  up,’ he  said,  ‘and  see  that  all  the  males
that are mating with the flock are streaked, spot-
ted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has
done to you.
I am the God of Bethel, where you
anointed  the  pillar  and  made  a  solemn  vow  to
Me. Now get up, leave this land at once, and re-
c 20
a 11
turn to your native land.’

Angel

b 18

”

Or

That is, northwest Mesopotamia

Or

Genesis 31:32    |    33

14

And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any
15
portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?
Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not
only has he sold us, but he has certainly squan-
Surely  all  the
dered  what  was  paid  for  us.
wealth that God has taken away from our father
belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever
17
God has told you.”
18

16

Then Jacob got up and put his children and his
wives on camels,
and he drove all his livestock
before him, along with all the possessions he had
acquired  in  Paddan-aram,
  to  go  to  his  father
19
Isaac in the land in Canaan.

b

 c

father’s  household

Moreover, Jacob deceived

Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep,
20
idols.
Rachel  stole  her
 Laban the Aramean
21
by  not  telling  him  that  he  was  running  away.
So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the
  and  headed  for  the  hill  country  of

d

Euphrates,
Laban Pursues Jacob
Gilead.
22

23

24

On the third day Laban was informed that Ja-
So he took his relatives with him,
cob had fled.
pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him
in the hill country of Gilead.
But that night God
came  to  Laban  the  Aramean  in  a  dream  and
warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Ja-
25
cob, either good or bad.”

27

Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill coun-
try of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and La-
26
ban  and  his  relatives  camped  there  as  well.
Then  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  “What  have  you
done? You have deceived me and carried off my
daughters  like  captives  of  war!
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.
But
you  did  not  even  let  me  kiss  my  grandchildren
and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done
29
a foolish thing.

28

30

I  have  power  to  do  you  great  harm,  but  last
night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be care-
ful  not  to  say  anything  to  Jacob,  either  good  or
Now you have gone off because you long
bad.’
for your father’s house. But why have you stolen
31
my gods?”

“I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought
32
you would take your daughters from me by force.
If  you  find  your  gods  with  anyone  here,  he
the River
stole the heart of
shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see
; also in vv. 26 and 27

Heb.

d 21

34    |    Genesis 31:33

for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.”
For  Jacob  did  not  know  that  Rachel  had  stolen
33
the idols.

34

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
Now  Rachel  had
and  entered  Rachel’s  tent.
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
35
found nothing.

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
36
the household idols.

37

Then  Jacob  became  incensed  and  challenged
Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin
You
of  mine  have  you  so  hotly  pursued  me?
have searched all my goods! Have you found an-
ything that belongs to you? Put it here before my
brothers and yours, that they may judge between
38
the two of us.

39

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.
I did not
bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the
loss  myself.  And  you  demanded  payment  from
As it
me for what was stolen by day or night.
was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost
41
by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

40

42

Thus  for  twenty  years  I  have  served  in  your
household—fourteen years for your two daugh-
ters and six years for your flocks—and you have
If the God of my
changed my wages ten times!
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
Jacob’s Covenant with Laban
last night He rendered judgment.”
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 daugh-
44
ters  of  mine  or  the  children  they  have  borne?
Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I,
and  let  it  serve  as  a  witness  between  you  and
a 47
me.”
c 2 Mahanaim

Jegar-sahadutha
two camps

Galeed

45

46

So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a
and  he  said  to  his  relatives,  “Gather
pillar,
some  stones.”  So  they  took  stones  and  made  a
mound, and there by the mound they ate.
La-
ban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it
48
Galeed.

47

a

49

Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness

between you and me this day.”

b
It was
Therefore the place was called Galeed.
also  called  Mizpah,
  because  Laban  said,  “May
the LORD keep watch between you and me when
If you mistreat
we are absent from each other.
my  daughters  or  take  other  wives,  although  no
one is with us, remember that God is a witness
51
between you and me.”

50

52

Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound,
and here is the pillar I have set up between you
and me.
This mound is a witness, and this pil-
lar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound
53
to harm you, and you will not go past this mound
May  the  God  of  Abra-
and  pillar  to  harm  me.
ham  and  the  God  of  Nahor,  the  God  of  their  fa-
ther, judge between us.”
54
So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

55

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
Early  the  next  morning,  Laban  got
mountain.
up  and  kissed  his  grandchildren  and  daughters
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
and blessed them. Then he left to return home.

32

2

Jacob also went on his way, and the an-
When  Jacob  saw
gels  of  God  met  him.
c
them,  he  said,  “This  is  the  camp  of  God.”  So  he
3
named that place Mahanaim.

4

Jacob  sent  messengers  ahead  of  him  to  his
brother  Esau  in  the  land  of  Seir,  the  country  of
Edom.
He instructed them, “You are to say to my
master  Esau,  ‘Your  servant  Jacob  says:  I  have
been  staying  with  Laban  and  have  remained
I  have  oxen,  donkeys,  flocks,
there  until  now.
menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this
message to inform my master, so that I may find
6
favor in your sight.’

”

5

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.”

heap of witnesses

b 49 Mizpah

watchtower

The Aramaic

 and the Hebrew

 both mean

.

 means

.

 means

.

7

8

In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his peo-
ple  into  two  camps,  as  well  as  the  flocks  and
He  thought,  “If  Esau  comes
herds  and  camels.
and attacks one camp, then the other camp can
9
escape.”

11

10

Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abra-
ham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told
me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred,
I am unworthy
and I will make you prosper,’
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
Please  deliver  me  from  the  hand
two  camps.
of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may
come  and  attack  me  and  the  mothers  and
But  You  have  said,  ‘I  will
children  with  me.
surely  make  you  prosper,  and  I  will  make  your
offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous
13
to count.’

12

”

14

15

Jacob spent the night there, and from what he
had brought with him, he selected a gift for his
brother Esau:
200 female goats, 20 male goats,
30 milk camels with their
200 ewes, 20 rams,
young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and
He  entrusted  them  to  his
10  male  donkeys.
servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on
ahead  of  me,  and  keep  some  distance  between
17
the herds.”

16

18

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 ani-
then you are to say,
mals are these before you?’
‘They  belong  to  your  servant  Jacob.  They  are  a
gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is be-
19
hind us.’

”

He also instructed the second, the third, and all
those  following  behind  the  herds:  “When  you
20
meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him.
You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob
”  For  he  thought,  “I  will  ap-
is  right  behind  us.’
pease Esau
 with the gift that is going before me.
b
After  that  I  can  face  him,  and  perhaps  he  will
21
accept me.

”

 a

Genesis 33:5    |    35

23

He  took
and  crossed  the  ford  of  the  Jabbok.
them  and  sent  them  across  the  stream,  along
 c
24
with all his possessions.

25

So  Jacob  was  left  all  alone,  and  there  a  man

When  the
wrestled  with  him  until  daybreak.
man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he
struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it
Then the man said, “Let me
as they wrestled.
go, for it is daybreak.”

26

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you
27
bless me.”

“What is your name?” the man asked.

28
“Jacob,” he replied.
d

e

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer
be  Jacob,
  because  you  have  strug-
gled  with  God  and  with  men,  and  you  have
29
prevailed.”

  but  Israel,

And  Jacob  requested,  “Please  tell  me  your

name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then
30
he blessed Jacob there.

f

So Jacob named the place Peniel,

 saying, “In-
deed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life
31
was spared.”
g

32
Penuel,

The  sun  rose  above  him  as  he  passed  by
 and he was limping because of his hip.
Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat
the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, be-
cause  the  socket  of  Jacob’s  hip was  struck  near
Jacob Meets Esau
that tendon.

33

Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau com-
ing toward him with four hundred men.
2
So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel,
He put the maidser-
and the two maidservants.
vants  and  their  children  in  front,  Leah  and  her
3
children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to
the  ground  seven  times  as  he  approached  his
4
brother.

So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he

Jacob Wrestles with God
spent the night in the camp.
22

Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him,
threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
5
And they both wept.

During the night Jacob got up and took his two
a 20
wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons,

I will appease his face

b 20

When Esau looked up and saw the women and

perhaps he will lift up my face
d 28 Jacob

c 24
children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”
he grasps the heel

Man
he deceives

e 28 Israel

he

Or

Literally
struggles with God
sponding pronouns may also be capitalized

f 30 Peniel

the face of God

g 31 Penuel
 means

Or
Peniel
 or

.

 means

.

 is a variant of

; here and in verses 25–28; corre-

.
; see verse 30.

 means

36    |    Genesis 33:6

6

7

Jacob  answered,  “These  are  the  children  God
Then  the
has  graciously  given  your  servant.”
maidservants and their children approached and
Leah  and  her  children  also  ap-
bowed  down.
proached and bowed down, and then Joseph and
8
Rachel approached and bowed down.

“What do you mean by sending this whole com-

pany to meet me?” asked Esau.

“To  find  favor  in  your  sight,  my  lord,”  Jacob
9
answered.

“I  already  have  plenty,  my  brother,”  Esau  re-

10
plied. “Keep what belongs to you.”

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
 a
11
like  seeing  the  face  of  God,  since  you  have  re-
Please  accept  my  gift
ceived  me  favorably.
that was brought to you, because God has been
gracious  to  me  and  I  have  all  I  need.”  So  Jacob
12
pressed him until he accepted.

Then  Esau  said,  “Let  us  be  on  our way,  and  I

13
will go ahead of you.”

But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the chil-
dren are frail, and I must care for sheep and cat-
tle that are nursing their young. If they are driven
14
hard  for  even  a  day,  all  the  animals  will  die.
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
15
Seir.”

“Let  me  leave  some  of  my  people  with  you,”

Esau said.

But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find fa-
16
vor in the sight of my lord.”

b

17

but Jacob went on to Succoth,

So  that  day  Esau  started  on  his  way  back  to
 where he
Seir,
built a house for himself and shelters for his live-
Jacob Settles in Shechem
stock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
c
18

19

After  Jacob  had  come  from  Paddan-aram,
he  arrived  safely  at  the  city  of  Shechem  in  the
land  of  Canaan,  and  he  camped  just  outside
And  the  plot  of  ground  where  he
the  city.
pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of
d
Hamor,  Shechem’s  father,  for  a  hundred  pieces
of silver.
There he set up an altar and called it
a 11
El-Elohe-Israel.
 or
e 20 El-Elohe-Israel
is, northwest Mesopotamia

booths
a hundred kesitahs
 means

God is the God of Israel

treaty of peace

b 17 Succoth

Hebrew

blessing

d 19

Or

20

e

The Defiling of Dinah

34

2

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne
to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters
When  Shechem  son  of  Hamor  the
of  the  land.
3
Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took
her and lay with her by force.
And his soul was
drawn
of
the
Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her
So  Shechem  told  his  father  Hamor,
tenderly.
5
“Get me this girl as a wife.”

daughter

Dinah,

to
4

Jacob  heard  that  Shechem  had  defiled  his
daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his
6
livestock in the field, he remained silent about it
Meanwhile,  Shechem’s
until  they  returned.
When
father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.
Jacob’s  sons  heard  what  had  happened,  they
returned  from  the  field.  They  were  filled  with
grief and fury, because Shechem had committed
 by lying with Jacob’s daugh-
an outrage in Israel
8
ter—a thing that should not be done.

7

  f

9

But  Hamor  said  to  them,  “My  son  Shechem
longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as
Intermarry  with  us;  give  us  your
his  wife.
10
daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.
You may settle among us, and the land will be
open to you. Live here, move about freely, and ac-
11
quire your own property.”

12

Then  Shechem  said  to  Dinah’s  father  and
brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you
whatever you ask.
Demand a high dowry and
an  expensive  gift,  and  I  will  give  you  whatever
The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers
you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!”
13

15

14

But because Shechem had defiled their sister
Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father
“We  cannot  do  such  a
Hamor  deceitfully.
thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncir-
cumcised man would be a disgrace to us.
We
will consent to this on one condition, that you be-
come  circumcised  like  us—every  one  of  your
Then  we  will  give  you  our  daughters
males.
and  take  your  daughters  for  ourselves.  We  will
But
dwell among you and become one people.
if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we
18
will take our sister and go.”

16

17

19

Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son
The young man, who was the most
Shechem.
shelters
respected  of  all  his  father’s  household,  did  not
 or
 or
mighty is the God of Israel
; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known

; twice in this verse.

against Israel

tabernacles

That

c 18

f 7

 means

 or

.

Or

hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was de-
20
lighted with Jacob’s daughter.

21

So  Hamor  and  his  son  Shechem  went  to  the
gate of their city and addressed the men of their
city:
“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.
But
only on this condition will the men agree to dwell
23
with us and be one people: if all our men are cir-
cumcised as they are.
Will not their livestock,
their possessions, and all their animals become
ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will
24
dwell among us.”

22

All the men who went out of the city gate lis-
tened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every
25
male of the city was circumcised.

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 unsuspect-
ing  city,  and  slaughtered  every  male.
They
killed  Hamor  and  his  son  Shechem  with  their
swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and
27
went away.

26

28

Jacob’s  other  sons  came  upon  the  slaughter
and looted the city, because their sister had been
defiled.
They  took  their  flocks  and  herds  and
29
donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the
field.
They carried off all their possessions and
women and children, and they plundered every-
30
thing in their houses.

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
31
will be destroyed.”

But they replied, “Should he have treated our

Jacob Returns to Bethel
sister like a prostitute?”

35

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
2
fled from your brother Esau.”

Genesis 35:18    |    37

3

Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I
garments.
will  build  an  altar  there  to  God,  who  answered
me  in my  day  of  distress.  He has  been  with  me
4
wherever I have gone.”

 a

So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all
their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the
5
oak

 near Shechem.

6

As they set out, a terror from God fell over the
surrounding  cities,  so  that  they  did  not  pursue
Jacob’s  sons.
So  Jacob  and  everyone  with  him
7
arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Ca-
naan.
There  Jacob  built  an  altar,  and he  called
that  place  El-bethel,
  because  it  was  there  that
God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from
8
his brother.

b

 c

Now  Deborah,  Rebekah’s  nurse,  died  and  was
d
  below  Bethel.  So  Jacob
e

buried  under  the  oak
9
named it Allon-bacuth.

f

After  Jacob  had  returned  from  Paddan-aram,
10
God  appeared  to  him  again  and  blessed  him.
And God said to him, “Though your name is Ja-
g
 you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead,
”  So  God  named  him

cob,
your  name  will  be  Israel.
11
Israel.

h

And  God  told  him,  “I  am  God  Almighty.
12

  Be
fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company
of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall
descend  from  you.
The  land  that  I  gave  to
Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will
13
give this land to your descendants after you.”

Then  God  went  up  from  the  place  where  He

14
had spoken with him.

15

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
i
Jacob called the place where God had
with oil.
Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies
spoken with him Bethel.
16

Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they
were  still  some  distance  from  Ephrath,  Rachel
17
began  to  give  birth,  and her  labor was  difficult.
During  her  severe  labor,  the  midwife  said  to
her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another
18
son.”

j

So  Jacob  told  his  household  and  all  who  were
with  him,  “Get  rid  of  the  foreign  gods  that  are
terebinth
a 4
among  you.  Purify  yourselves  and  change  your
e 9
ing
Or
g 10 Israel
.
j 18 Ben-oni

 means
That is, northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
son of my strength
 means

son of my sorrow
.

he struggles with God

b 7 El-bethel

great tree

Hebrew

h 11

 or

God of Bethel

El-Shaddai

c 8
f 10 Jacob
.

 could mean

 or

.

And  with  her

dying—she  named  him  Ben-oni.
called him Benjamin.

d 8 Allon-bacuth

great tree

he grasps the heel

last  breath—for  she  was
k
  But  his  father
oak of weep-

Or
i 15 Bethel
 means
k 18 Benjamin

he deceives
 means

house of God
 or
son of my right hand

 means
 means

.

.

.

38    |    Genesis 35:19

19

20

7

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to
Jacob set up a pil-
Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
lar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this
The Sons of Jacob  (1 Chronicles 2:1–2)
day.
21

22
Israel  again  set  out  and  pitched  his  tent  be-
yond the Tower of Eder.
While Israel was liv-
ing in that region, Reuben went in and slept with
his  father’s  concubine  Bilhah,  and  Israel  heard
about it.

23

Jacob had twelve sons:

The sons of Leah were Reuben the
firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
24
Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and

25
Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah

26
were Dan and Naphtali.

And the sons of Leah’s maidservant

Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

These  are  the  sons  of  Jacob,  who  were  born  to
The Death of Isaac
him in Paddan-aram.
27

Jacob  returned  to  his  father  Isaac  at  Mamre,
near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abra-
28
ham and Isaac had stayed.

29

And Isaac lived 180 years.

Then he breathed
his last and died and was gathered to his people,
old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob
The Descendants of Esau  (1 Chron. 1:35–37)
buried him.

36

2

This  is  the  account  of  Esau  (that  is,
Esau  took  his  wives  from  the
Edom).
daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the
3
Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and grand-
and  Basemath
daughter  of  Zibeon  the  Hivite,
And
daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth
and  Oholibamah  gave  birth  to  Jeush,
to  Reuel,
Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau,
6
who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

4

5

Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daugh-
ters  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
a 16
moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.

8

For their possessions were too great for them
to  dwell  together;  the  land  where  they  stayed
could  not  support  them  because  of  their  live-
So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area
stock.
9
of Mount Seir.

This  is  the  account  of  Esau,  the  father  of  the

10
Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.

These  are  the  names  of  Esau’s  sons:  Eliphaz
son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s
11
wife Basemath.

12

The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho,
Additionally, Timna, a con-
Gatam, and Kenaz.
cubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to Ama-
13
lek. These are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.

These  are  the  sons  of  Reuel:  Nahath,  Zerah,
Shammah,  and  Mizzah.  They  are  the  grandsons
14
of Esau’s wife Basemath.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah
(daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon)
15
whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

a

16

These are  the chiefs among the sons of Esau.
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs
  Gatam,
Teman,  Omar,  Zepho,  Kenaz,
and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the
land  of  Edom,  and  they  are  the  grandsons  of
17
Adah.

Korah,

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
18
Basemath.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:
Chiefs  Jeush,  Jalam,  and  Korah.  They  are  the
chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah,
19
the daughter of Anah.

All these are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom),

The Descendants of Seir  (1 Chron. 1:38–42)
and they were their chiefs.
20

These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were
21
living  in  the  land:  Lotan,  Shobal,  Zibeon,  Anah,
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs
of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land
b
22
of Edom.

The  sons  of  Lotan  were  Hori  and  Hemam.

23
Timna was Lotan’s sister.

These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath,

b 22 Hemam
Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

Korah

Homam

Hebrew; SP (also in verse 11 and 1 Chronicles 1:36) does not include

.

 is a variant of

; see

1 Chronicles 1:39.

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
25
of his father Zibeon.)

These  are  the  children  of  Anah:  Dishon  and

26
Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

 a

These  are  the  sons  of  Dishon:

27
Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

  Hemdan,

These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and

28
Akan.
29

These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

30

These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chiefs Lo-
tan,  Shobal,  Zibeon,  Anah,
Dishon,  Ezer,  and
Dishan.  They  are  the  chiefs  of  the  Horites,  ac-
The Kings of Edom  (1 Chronicles 1:43–54)
cording to their divisions in the land of Seir.
31

 b

These are the kings who reigned in the land of
the

Edom  before  any  king  reigned  over
Israelites:

32

Bela  son  of  Beor  reigned  in  Edom;  the

33
name of his city was Dinhabah.

When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from

34
Bozrah reigned in his place.

When Jobab died, Husham from the land of

35
the Temanites reigned in his place.

When  Husham  died,  Hadad  son  of
Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country
of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name
36
of his city was Avith.

When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah

37
reigned in his place.

 c

When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth

38
on the Euphrates

 reigned in his place.

When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Ach-

39
bor reigned in his place.

 d

When  Baal-hanan  son  of  Achbor  died,
  reigned  in  his  place.  His  city  was
Hadad
named  Pau,  and  his  wife’s  name  was
Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter
of Me-zahab.

40

Genesis 37:13    |    39

and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, accord-
ing  to  their  settlements  in  the  land  they  pos-
Joseph’s Dreams
sessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

37

2

Now Jacob lived in the land where his fa-
ther had resided, the land of Canaan.

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
3
bad report about them.

Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than  his  other
e
sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his
4
old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.

When  Joseph’s  brothers  saw  that  their  father
loved him more than any of them, they hated him
5
and could not speak a kind word to him.

6
Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it
7
He
to his brothers, they hated him even more.
said  to  them,  “Listen  to  this  dream  I  had:
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
8
to mine.”

“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
9
statements.

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
10
eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

11

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
And  his  brothers  were  jealous
before  you?”
of him, but his father kept in mind what he had
Joseph Sold into Egypt  (Acts 7:9–14)
said.
12

13

Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to
Is-
pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
rael said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing
the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending
you to them.”

42

41

These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, accord-
ing to their families and regions, by their names:
Oholibamah,
Chiefs  Timna,  Alvah,  Jetheth,
Magdiel,
Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
Elah, Pinon,
before an Israelite king reigned over them:
b 31
Dishon
a 26
d 39
Hebrew
Or
with long sleeves
Some MT manuscripts, SP, and Syriac (see also 1 Chronicles 1:50); other MT manuscripts

“I am ready,” Joseph replied.
c 37
Hadar

, a variant of

Dishan

43

; also in verses 23 and 32

the River

e 3

a robe

Hebrew

Possibly

40    |    Genesis 37:14

14

Then  Israel  told  him,  “Go  now  and  see  how
your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring
word back to me.”

15

So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And
when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
a man found
him wandering in the field and asked, “What are
16
you looking for?”

“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied.
“Can you please tell me where they are pasturing
17
their flocks?”

“They have moved on from here,” the man an-
swered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’
”
So  Joseph  set  out  after  his  brothers  and  found
18
them at Dothan.

20

19

Now  Joseph’s  brothers  saw  him  in  the  dis-
tance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill
him.
“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to
one  another.
“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
21
see what becomes of his dreams!”

22

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Jo-
seph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,”
“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into
he said.
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
23
father.

So  when  Joseph  came  to  his  brothers,  they
24
stripped him of his robe—the robe of many col-
ors he was wearing—
and they took him and
threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,
25
with no water in it.

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,
26
and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

27

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit
will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmael-
his blood?
ites  and  not  lay  a  hand  on  him;  for  he  is  our
So
brother,  our  own  flesh.”  And  they  agreed.
when the Midianite traders passed by, his broth-
 a
ers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for
twenty shekels of silver
 to the Ishmaelites, who
29
took him to Egypt.

28

30

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that
re-
Joseph  was  not  there,  he  tore  his  clothes,
turned  to  his  brothers,  and  said,  “The  boy  is
a 28 20 shekels
gone! What am I going to do?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

31

Then  they  took  Joseph’s  robe,  slaughtered  a
32
young  goat,  and  dipped  the  robe  in  its  blood.
They sent the robe of many colors to their fa-
ther and said, “We found this. Examine it to see
33
whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

34

His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s
robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph
Then  Jacob
has  surely  been  torn  to  pieces!”
tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist,
All  his
and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days.
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 fa-
36
ther wept for him.

35

 b

Meanwhile,  the  Midianites

  sold  Joseph  in
Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and cap-
Judah and Tamar  (1 Chronicles 2:3–4)
tain of the guard.

38

2

3

About  that  time,  Judah  left  his  brothers
and settled near a man named Hirah, an
Adullamite.
There Judah saw the daughter of a
Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a
So  she  conceived  and
wife  and  slept  with  her.
4
gave  birth  to  a  son,  and  Judah  named  him  Er.
5
Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and
Then  she  gave  birth  to
she  named  him  Onan.
another  son  and  named  him  Shelah;  it  was  at
6
Chezib that she gave birth to him.

7

Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn,
But  Er,  Judah’s
and  her  name  was  Tamar.
8
firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so
the LORD put him to death.
Then Judah said to
Onan,  “Sleep  with  your  brother’s  wife.  Perform
your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up off-
9
spring for your brother.”

But Onan knew that the offspring would not be-
long 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
What he did was wicked in the
for his brother.
sight  of  the  LORD,  so  He  put  Onan  to  death  as
11
well.

10

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.

b 36

the Medanites

 is approximately 8 ounces or 228 grams of silver.

Hebrew

12

13

14

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
When Tamar
to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Tim-
she  removed  her
nah  to  shear  his  sheep,”
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
15
given to him as a wife.

When  Judah  saw  her,  he  thought  she  was  a
16
prostitute  because  she  had  covered  her  face.
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?”
17
she inquired.

“I will send you a young goat from my flock,”

Judah answered.

But she replied, “Only if you leave me something
18
as a pledge until you send it.”

“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
19
slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
Then Tamar got up and departed. And she re-
moved her veil and put on her widow’s garments
20
again.

21

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
He  asked  the  men  of  that  place,
find  her.
“Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside
the road at Enaim?”

“No  shrine  prostitute  has  been  here,”  they  an-
22
swered.

So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could
not  find  her,  and  furthermore,  the  men  of  that
23
”
place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’

a

“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Oth-
erwise  we  will  become  a  laughingstock.
  After
all, I did send her this young goat, but you could
24
not find her.”

Genesis 39:7    |    41

“Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned
25
to death!”

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
26
cord and staff are these?”

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
The Birth of Perez and Zerah
with her again.
27

28

When the time came for Tamar to give birth,
And as she was
there were twins in her womb.
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  an-
But  when  he  pulled  his  hand  back
nounced.
b
and  his  brother  came  out,  she  said,  “You  have
30
broken  out  first!”  So  he  was  named  Perez.

29

c

Then  his  brother  came  out  with  the  scarlet
thread  around  his  wrist,  and  he  was  named
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
Zerah.

39

Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down
to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Pot-
iphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh  and  captain  of  the
guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had
And  the  LORD  was  with  Jo-
taken  him  there.
seph, and he became a successful man, serving in
3
the household of his Egyptian master.

2

4

When his master saw that the LORD was with
Joseph
him and made him prosper in all he did,
found favor in his sight and became his personal
attendant.

5

Potiphar put him in charge of his household and
From
entrusted him with everything he owned.
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,
So  Potiphar
both  in  his  house  and  in  his  field.
left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not
concern himself with anything except the food he
ate.

6

7

About  three  months  later,  Judah  was  told,
“Your  daughter-in-law  Tamar  has  prostituted
herself, and now she is pregnant.”
a 23

we will become despised

b 29 Perez

breaking out

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
and
after  some  time  his master’s  wife  cast  her  eyes
upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
scarlet

brightness

c 30 Zerah

Or

 means

.

 can mean

 or

.

42    |     Genesis 39:8

8

3

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.
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
10
evil and sin against God?”

9

11

Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day
after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even
be  near  her.
One  day,  however,  Joseph  went
into  the  house  to  attend  to  his  work,  and  not  a
single  household  servant  was  inside.
She
grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with
me!”  But  leaving  his  cloak  in  her  hand,  he  es-
Joseph Falsely Imprisoned
caped and ran outside.
13

12

14

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her
hand and had run out of the house,
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.
When he heard
me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me
16
and ran out of the house.”

15

17

So  Potiphar’s  wife  kept  Joseph’s  cloak  beside
her until his master came home.
Then she told
him  the  same  story:  “The  Hebrew  slave  you
18
brought  us  came  to  me  to  make  sport  of  me,
but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak

19
beside me and ran out of the house.”

When his master heard the story his wife told
20
him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,”
he burned with anger.
So Joseph’s master took
him and had him thrown into the prison where
the king’s prisoners were confined.

21

22

While  Joseph  was  there  in  the  prison,
the
LORD  was  with  him  and  extended  kindness  to
him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison
And the warden put all the prisoners
warden.
under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible
The warden
for all that was done in the prison.
did not concern himself with anything under Jo-
seph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph
The Cupbearer and the Baker
and gave him success in whatever he did.

23

40

2

Some  time  later,  the  king’s  cupbearer
and  baker  offended  their  master,  the
Pharaoh was angry with his two
king of Egypt.
a 19
officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

and impale you on a pole

Or

; similarly in verse 22

4

and  imprisoned  them  in the  house  of the  cap-
tain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph
The captain of the guard assigned
was confined.
them to Joseph, and he became their personal at-
tendant.
5
After  they  had  been  in  custody  for  some  time,
both  of  these  men—the  Egyptian  king’s  cup-
bearer  and  baker,  who  were  being  held  in  the
prison—had  a  dream  on  the  same  night,  and
6
each dream had its own meaning.

7

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he
So he asked the
saw that they were distraught.
officials  of  Pharaoh  who  were  in  custody  with
him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so
8
downcast today?”

“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there

is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations
9
belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

10

11

So  the  chief  cupbearer  told  Joseph  his  dream:
and
“In my dream there was a vine before me,
on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its
blossoms  opened  and  its  clusters  ripened  into
Pharaoh’s  cup  was  in  my  hand,  and  I
grapes.
took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and
12
placed the cup in his hand.”

13

14

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The
Within  three
three  branches  are  three  days.
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  cup-
But  when  it  goes  well  for  you,  please
bearer.
remember  me  and  show  me  kindness  by  men-
tioning  me  to  Pharaoh,  that  he  might  bring  me
For  I  was  kidnapped  from
out  of  this  prison.
the  land  of  the  Hebrews,  and  even  here  I  have
done nothing for which they should have put me
16
in this dungeon.”

15

17

When the chief baker saw that the interpreta-
tion was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a
dream: There were three baskets of white bread
In the top basket were all sorts of
on my head.
baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eat-
18
ing them out of the basket on my head.”

19

a

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The
Within  three
three  baskets  are  three  days.
days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you
  Then  the  birds  will  eat  the  flesh  of
on  a  tree.
your body.”

20

15

Genesis 41:32    |    43

21

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birth-
day, 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.
Pharaoh  re-
stored  the  chief  cupbearer  to  his  position,  so
that  he  once  again  placed  the  cup  in  Pharaoh’s
hand.
But  Pharaoh  hanged  the  chief  baker,
just  as  Joseph  had  described  to  them  in  his
23
interpretation.

22

a

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remem-

The Dreams of Pharaoh
ber Joseph; he forgot all about him.

41

3

2

After two full years had passed, Pharaoh
had  a  dream:  He  was  standing  beside
when seven cows, sleek and well-fed,
the Nile,
came  up  from  the  river  and  began  to  graze
After them, seven other cows,
among the reeds.
sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood
4
beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.
And  the  cows  that  were  sickly  and  thin  de-
5

voured the seven sleek, well-fed cows.

6

Then Pharaoh woke up,
but he fell back asleep
and  dreamed  a  second  time:  Seven  heads  of
Af-
grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.
ter  them,  seven  other  heads  of  grain  sprouted,
And the thin
thin and scorched by the east wind.
heads  of  grain  swallowed  up  the  seven  plump,
ripe  ones.  Then  Pharaoh  awoke  and  realized  it
8
was a dream.

7

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
9
could interpret them for him.

10
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “To-
Pharaoh was once an-
day I recall my failures.
gry with his servants, and he put me and the chief
11
baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.
One  night  both  the  chief  baker  and  I  had
12
dreams,  and  each  dream  had  its  own  meaning.
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 indi-
And it happened to us just as he had
vidually.
interpreted:  I  was  restored  to  my  position,  and
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams
the other man was hanged.”
14

13

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
a 22
Pharaoh.

had interpreted to them

Literally

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 inter-
16
pret it.”

“I  myself  cannot  do  it,”  Joseph  replied,  “but

17
God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”

18

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I
when
was  standing  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,
19
seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the
Af-
river and began to graze among the reeds.
ter  them,  seven  other  cows—sickly,  ugly,  and
thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows
Then  the  thin,  ugly
in  all  the  land  of  Egypt!
cows  devoured  the  seven  well-fed  cows  that
were  there  first.
When  they  had  devoured
them,  however,  no  one  could  tell  that  they  had
done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had
22
been before. Then I awoke.

20

21

23

In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain,
Af-
plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.
ter them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—
24
withered,  thin,  and  scorched  by  the  east  wind.
And  the  thin  heads  of  grain  swallowed  the

seven plump ones.

I  told  this  dream  to  the  magicians,  but  no  one
25
could explain it to me.”

27

26

At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of
Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed
The seven
to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
good  cows  are  seven  years,  and  the  seven  ripe
heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have
Moreover,  the  seven  thin,
the  same  meaning.
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
28
years of famine.

29

30

It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown
Behold, seven
Pharaoh what He is about to do.
years of great abundance are coming throughout
the  land  of  Egypt,
but  seven  years  of  famine
will follow them. Then all the abundance in the
31
land  of  Egypt  will  be  forgotten,  and  the  famine
The abundance in the
will devastate the land.
land  will  not  be  remembered,  since  the  famine
32
that follows it will be so severe.

Moreover,  because  the  dream  was  given  to
Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been de-
creed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.

44    |    Genesis 41:33

33

34

Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a dis-
cerning and wise man and set him over the land
Let Pharaoh take action and appoint
of Egypt.
 a
commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the
35
  of  Egypt  during  the  seven  years  of
harvest
Under the authority of Pharaoh, let
abundance.
them collect all the excess food from these good
years, that they may come and lay up the grain to
This  food
be  preserved  as  food  in  the  cities.
will  be  a  reserve  for  the  land  during  the  seven
years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt.
Joseph Given Charge of Egypt
Then the country will not perish in the famine.”
37

36

38

This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his offi-
 b
cials.
So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find an-
yone  like  this  man,  in  whom  the  Spirit  of  God
39
abides?”

Then  Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph,  “Since  God  has
40
made all this known to you, there is no one as dis-
You shall be in charge
cerning and wise as you.
of my house, and all my people are to obey your
commands. Only with regard to the throne will I
41
be greater than you.”

42

Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you
Then Pharaoh re-
over all the land of Egypt.”
moved the signet ring from his finger, put it on
Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine
43
linen,  and  placed  a  gold  chain  around  his  neck.
He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with
 So

men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!”
44
he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

 c

And  Pharaoh  declared  to  Joseph,  “I  am  Phar-
aoh, but without your permission, no one in all
45
the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”

d

Pharaoh  gave  Joseph  the  name  Zaphenath-
e
  and  he  gave  him  Asenath  daughter  of
  to  be  his  wife.  And  Jo-

paneah,
Potiphera,  priest  of  On,
The Seven Years of Plenty
seph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
46

Now Joseph was thirty years old when he en-
tered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And
Joseph  left  Pharaoh’s  presence  and  traveled
47
throughout the land of Egypt.

48

During the seven years of abundance, the land
During those seven
brought forth bountifully.
years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the
a 34

a fifth from the land

 b 38

See LXX; MT

speaks and lives
that sounds similar to the Hebrew for
to forget
g 52 Ephraim
.

e 45

land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every
49
city he laid up the food from the fields around it.
So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance,
like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping
50
track of it; for it was beyond measure.

f

52

51

Before  the  years  of  famine  arrived,  two  sons
were  born  to  Joseph  by  Asenath  daughter  of
Joseph  named  the
Potiphera,  priest  of  On.
 saying, “God has made me
firstborn Manasseh,
g
forget all my hardship and all my father’s house-
And the second son he named Ephraim,
hold.”
saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of
The Famine Begins
my affliction.”
53

54

When the seven years of abundance in the land
the  seven  years  of
of  Egypt  came  to  an  end,
famine  began,  just  as  Joseph  had  said.  And  alt-
hough there was famine in every country, there
When
was food throughout the land of Egypt.
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
56
he tells you.”

55

57

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
And every nation came to
in the land of Egypt.
Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
was severe over all the earth.

42

When Jacob learned that there was grain
in  Egypt,  he  said  to  his  sons,  “Why  are

2
you staring at one another?”

“Look,”  he  added,  “I  have  heard  that  there  is
grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for
3
us, so that we may live and not die.”

4

So  ten  of  Joseph’s  brothers  went  down  to buy
But  Jacob  did  not  send
grain  from  Egypt.
Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for
5
he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

So  the  sons  of  Israel  were  among  those  who
came  to  buy  grain,  since  the  famine  had  also
6
spread to the land of Canaan.

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

“Abrek ,”

the spirit of the gods       c 43

kneel

d 45 Zaphenath-paneah

Revealer of Mysteries

God

Or

making fruitful

That is,
f 51 Manasseh
 probably means
twice fruitful

 probably an Egyptian word

making

 or

.

That is, Heliopolis, as in LXX; also in verse 50
 or

 sounds like the Hebrew for

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

7

And  when
him  with  their  faces  to  the  ground.
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
8
here to buy food.”

9

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they
Joseph remembered his
did not recognize him.
dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You
10
have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

11
“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants
We are all sons of one

have come to buy food.
12
man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

“No,”  he  told  them.  “You  have  come  to  see  if

13
our land is vulnerable.”

But they answered, “Your servants are twelve
brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Ca-
naan. The youngest is now with our father, and
14
one is no more.”
15

Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are
And  this  is  how  you  will  be  tested:  As
spies!
surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this
16
place unless your youngest brother comes here.
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,
17
then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
18

19

So  Joseph  imprisoned  them  for  three  days,
and  on  the  third  day  he  said  to  them,  “I  fear
If you are hon-
God. So do this and you will live:
est, leave one of your brothers in custody while
20
the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve
Then  bring
the  hunger  of  your  households.
your youngest brother to me so that your words
can be verified, that you may not die.”
21
And to this they consented.

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
22
come upon us.”

And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not
to sin against the boy? But you would not listen.
23
Now we must account for his blood!”

24

They  did  not  realize  that  Joseph  understood
them,  since  there  was  an  interpreter  between
And  he  turned  away  from  them  and
them.
a 25
wept. When he turned back and spoke to them,

money

Or

; here and throughout chapters 42–44

Genesis 42:38    |    45

he  took  Simeon  from  them  and  had  him  bound
Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan
before their eyes.
25

 a

Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with
grain,  to  return  each  man’s  silver
  to  his  sack,
and  to  give  them  provisions  for  their  journey.
and  they  loaded
This  order  was  carried  out,
27
the grain on their donkeys and departed.

26

28

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.
“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
29
done to us?”

30

When  they  reached  their  father  Jacob  in  the
land of Canaan, they described to him all that had
happened to them:
“The man who is lord of the
land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying
31
on the country.
32

But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.
We  are  twelve  brothers,  sons  of  one  father.
One is no more, and the youngest is now with our
33
father in the land of Canaan.’

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.
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
35
you can trade in the land.’

34

”

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
36
were dismayed.

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have de-
prived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon
is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Eve-
37
rything is going against me!”

Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill
my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put
38
him in my care, and I will return him.”

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.”

46    |    Genesis 43:1

The Return to Egypt with Benjamin

Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers

43

2

16

Now  the  famine  was  still  severe  in  the
land.
So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all
the grain they had brought from Egypt, their fa-
ther  said  to  them,  “Go  back  and  buy  us  a  little
3
more food.”

4

But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned
us,  ‘You  will  not  see  my  face  again  unless  your
If you will send our brother
brother is with you.’
5
with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
But if you will not send him, we will not go; for
the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again
6
unless your brother is with you.’

”

“Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Is-
rael  asked.  “Why  did  you  tell  the  man  you  had
7
another brother?”

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 possi-
bly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother
8
here’?”

9

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.
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
If we had
I bear the guilt before you all my life.
not delayed, we could have come and gone twice
11
by now.”

10

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,
12
spices  and  myrrh,  pistachios  and  almonds.
Take  double  the  silver  with  you  so  that  you
may return the silver that was put back into the
13
mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Take  your  brother  as  well,  and  return  to  the
  grant  you
May  God  Almighty
man  at  once.
mercy before the man, that he may release your
other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if
15
I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

14

 a

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.
a 14

El-Shaddai

Hebrew

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 pre-
17
pare  it,  for  they  shall  dine  with  me  at  noon.”
The  man  did  as  Joseph  had  commanded  and

18
took the brothers to Joseph’s house.

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  re-
turned  in  our  bags  the  first  time,”  they  said.
“They  intend  to  overpower  us  and  take  us  as
19
slaves, along with our donkeys.”

21

So  they  approached  Joseph’s  steward  and
20
spoke  to  him  at  the  entrance  to  the  house.
“Please,  sir,”  they  said,  “we  really  did  come
But when
down here the first time to buy food.
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
We have brought additional sil-
back with us.
ver with us to buy food. We do not know who put
23
our silver in our sacks.”

22

“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
24
silver.”  Then  he  brought  Simeon  out  to  them.
And  the  steward  took  the  men  into  Joseph’s
house,  gave  them  water  to  wash  their feet,  and
25
provided food for their donkeys.

26

Since  the  brothers  had  been  told  that  they
were  going  to  eat  a  meal  there,  they  prepared
When Jo-
their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
seph  came  home,  they  presented  him  with  the
gifts  they  had  brought,  and  they  bowed  to  the
27
ground before him.

He asked if they were well, and then he asked,
“How is your elderly father you told me about? Is
28
he still alive?”

“Your  servant  our  father  is  well,”  they  an-
swered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down
29
to honor him.

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

13

Genesis 44:28    |    47

31

Joseph hurried out because he was moved to
tears  for  his  brother,  and  he  went  to  a  private
Then  he  washed  his  face  and
room  to  weep.
came back out. Regaining his composure, he said,
32
“Serve the meal.”

33

They  separately  served  Joseph,  his  brothers,
and the Egyptians. They ate separately because
the  Egyptians  would not eat  with  the Hebrews,
They were
since that was detestable to them.
seated  before  Joseph  in  order  by  age,  from  the
firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at
When  the  por-
one  another  in  astonishment.
tions  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
Benjamin and the Silver Cup
freely with Joseph.

34

44

2

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
Put my cup, the silver one, in
mouth of his sack.
the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with
the silver for his grain.”
3
So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.

4

At  daybreak,  the  men  were  sent  on  their  way
They had not gone far from
with their donkeys.
the  city  when  Joseph  told  his  steward,  “Pursue
the  men  at  once,  and  when  you  overtake  them,
Is
ask,  ‘Why  have  you  repaid  good  with evil?
this not the cup
 my master drinks from and uses
6
for divination? What you have done is wicked!’
”

5

 a

 b

When  the  steward  overtook  them,  he  relayed

7
these words to them.

8

“Why  does  my  lord  say  these  things?”  they
asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such
We even brought back to you from the
a thing.
land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths
9
of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold
If any of your serv-
from your master’s house?
ants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest
10
will become slaves of my lord.”

“As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the
one who is found with the cup will be my slave,
11
and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”

12

So  each  one  quickly  lowered  his  sack  to  the
The steward searched,
ground and opened it.
beginning  with  the  oldest  and  ending  with  the
youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s
a 4

Why have you stolen my silver cup?

b 5

Then  they  all  tore  their  clothes,  loaded

sack.
14
their donkeys, and returned to the city.

When  Judah  and  his  brothers  arrived  at  Jo-
seph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to
15
the ground before him.

“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph de-
clared. “Do you not know that a man like me can
16
surely divine the truth?”

“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied.
“How  can  we  plead?  How  can  we  justify  our-
selves?  God  has  exposed  the  iniquity  of  your
servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we
17
and the one who was found with the cup.”

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 fa-
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
ther in peace.”

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
My  lord  asked
are  equal  to  Pharaoh  himself.
20
his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

19

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
21
his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down

22
to me so that I can see him for myself.’

So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave
his  father.  If he  were  to  leave,  his  father  would
23
die.’

But  you  said  to  your  servants,  ‘Unless  your
younger brother comes down with you, you will
24
not see my face again.’

Now when we returned to your servant my fa-

25
ther, we relayed your words to him.

Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some

26
food.’

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
27
see the man.’

28

And  your  servant  my  father  said  to  us,  ‘You
When

know  that  my  wife  bore  me  two  sons.

Is it not this which

LXX includes

Hebrew

48    |    Genesis 44:29

one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been
29
torn  to  pieces.”  And  I  have  not  seen  him  since.
Now  if  you  also  take  this  one  from  me  and
harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair
30
down to Sheol in sorrow.’

31

So  if  the  boy  is  not  with  us  when  I  return
to  your  servant,  and  if  my  father,  whose  life  is
sees that the boy
wrapped up in the boy’s life,
is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will
have  brought  the  gray  hair  of  your  servant
Indeed,
our  father  down  to  Sheol  in  sorrow.
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
33
life.’

32

34

Now  please  let  your  servant  stay  here  as  my
lord’s  slave  in  place  of  the  boy.  Let  him  return
For how can I go back to my
with his brothers.
father  without  the  boy?  I  could  not  bear  to  see
Joseph Reveals His Identity
the misery that would overwhelm him.”

45

Then  Joseph  could  no  longer  control
himself before all his attendants, and he

cried out, “Send everyone away from me!”

2

So none of them were with Joseph when he made
But he wept so
himself known to his brothers.
loudly  that  the  Egyptians  heard  him,  and  Phar-
3
aoh’s household soon heard of it.

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my

father still alive?”

But  they  were  unable  to  answer  him,  because
4
they were terrified in his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come

near me.” And they did so.

5

6

“I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you
And now, do not be distressed
sold into Egypt!
or  angry with  yourselves  that  you  sold  me  into
this place, because it was to save lives that God
For the famine has covered
sent me before you.
the land these two years, and there will be five
God
more years without plowing or harvesting.
sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant
on the earth and to save your lives by a great de-
Therefore  it  was  not  you who  sent
liverance.
me here, but God, who has made me a father to
Pharaoh—lord  of  all  his  household  and  ruler
and to keep you alive as a great band of survivors
a 7
over all the land of Egypt.

8

7

a

Joseph Sends for His Father

9

10

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
You  shall  settle  in  the  land  of  Goshen
delay.
and  be  near  me—you  and  your  children  and
grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and every-
And  there  I  will  provide  for
thing  you  own.
you, because there will be five more years of fam-
ine.  Otherwise,  you  and  your  household  and
12
everything you own will come to destitution.’

11

Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see
13
that  I,  Joseph,  am  the  one  speaking  with  you.
Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt
and everything you have seen. And bring my fa-
14
ther down here quickly.”

15

Then  Joseph  threw  his  arms  around  his
brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept
as  they  embraced.
Joseph  kissed  each  of  his
brothers  as  he  wept  over  them.  And  afterward
Pharaoh Invites Jacob to Egypt
his brothers talked with him.
16

When the news reached Pharaoh’s house that
Joseph’s  brothers  had  come,  Pharaoh  and  his
17
servants were pleased.

18

19

Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph,  “Tell  your  brothers,
‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to
Then bring your father and
the land of Canaan.
your families and return to me. I will give you the
best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from
You are also directed to tell
the fat of the land.’
them:  ‘Take  wagons  from  the  land  of  Egypt  for
your  young  children  and your  wives,  and  bring
But pay no regard
your father and come back.
to your belongings, for the best of all the land of
21
Egypt is yours.’

20

”

22

So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Jo-
seph  gave  them  wagons  as  Pharaoh  had  in-
structed,  and  he  also  gave  them  provisions  for
He gave new garments to each of
their journey.
 b
them,  but  to  Benjamin  he  gave  three  hundred
And
shekels of silver
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 provi-
24
sions for his father’s journey.

 and five sets of clothes.

23

Or

 is approx. 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms of silver.

Then  Joseph  sent  his  brothers  on  their  way,
and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not
quarrel on the way!”

b 22 300 shekels

The Revival of Jacob

25

26

So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came
to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
“Jo-
seph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over
all the land of Egypt!”

27

But  Jacob  was  stunned,  for  he  did  not  believe
them.
However, when they relayed all that Jo-
seph had told them, and when he saw the wagons
that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit
28
of their father Jacob was revived.

“Enough!”  declared  Israel.  “My  son  Joseph  is

Jacob’s Journey to Egypt
still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”

46

2

So Israel set out with all that he had, and
when he came to Beersheba, he offered
And that
sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Ja-
cob!” He said.
3
“Here I am,” replied Jacob.

4

“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.
I  will  go  down
with  you  to  Egypt,  and  I  will  surely  bring  you
back.  And  Joseph’s  own  hands  will  close  your
5
eyes.”

6

Then  Jacob  departed  from  Beersheba,  and  the
sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wag-
ons  Pharaoh  had  sent  to  carry  him,  along  with
They  also  took  the
their  children  and  wives.
livestock  and  possessions  they  had  acquired  in
the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring
Those Who Went to Egypt  (Exodus 1:1–7)
went to Egypt.
7

Jacob  took  with  him  to  Egypt  his  sons  and
grandsons,  and  his  daughters  and  granddaugh-
The Children of Leah
ters—all his offspring.

8

Now these are the names of the sons of

Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who
9
went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu,
10
Hezron, and Carmi.
b

a

The sons of Simeon: Jemuel,

 Jamin,

Genesis 46:26    |    49

11

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and

12
Merari.

The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah,
Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died
in the land of Canaan.
13
The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

c

d

The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah,

14
and Shimron.

 Job,

The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and

15
Jahleel.

e

These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob

 in addition to his

in Paddan-aram,
daughter Dinah. The total number of
sons and daughters was thirty-three.
16

The Children of Zilpah

f

g

The sons of Gad: Ziphion,

 Haggi, Shuni,

17
Ezbon, Eri, Arodi,

 and Areli.

The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah,

Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
18
The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

These are the sons of Jacob born to

Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter
The Children of Rachel
Leah—sixteen in all.
19

The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph

20
and Benjamin.

Manasseh and Ephraim were born to

h

Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath
21
daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher,
Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim,
22
Huppim, and Ard.

These are the sons of Rachel born to

The Children of Bilhah

Jacob—fourteen in all.
23

24

The son of Dan: Hushim.

The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer,

25
and Shillem.

These are the sons of Jacob born to
Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter
Rachel—seven in all.

26

a 10 Jemuel

Ohad, Jachin, Zohar,
Canaanite woman.
c 13

 and Shaul the son of a

Nemuel

Jashub
1 Chronicles 4:24.

 is another name for

g 16 Arodi
; see Numbers 26:24 and 1 Chronicles 7:1.

Hebrew; SP and Syriac

Puah
; see Numbers 26:12.
Arod

e 15

All  those  belonging  to  Jacob  who  came  to
Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives
b 10 Zohar
of  Jacob’s  sons—numbered  sixty-six  persons.

Zerah

d 13
 is a variant of

f 16

; see Numbers 26:13 and

Zephon

; see 1 Chronicles 7:1.

h 20

Hebrew; SP and some LXX manuscripts

That is, northwest Mesopotamia

SP and LXX

; see

also Numbers 26:15.

 is a variant of

; see Numbers 26:17.

That is, Heliopolis, as in LXX

50    |    Genesis 46:27

27

 a

And with the two sons

 who had been born to
Joseph  in  Egypt,  the  members  of  Jacob’s  family
Jacob Arrives in Egypt
who went to Egypt were seventy
28

 in all.

 b

29

Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Jo-
seph  to  get  directions  to  Goshen.  When  Jacob’s
family  arrived  in  the  land  of  Goshen,
Joseph
prepared his chariot and went there to meet his
father  Israel.  Joseph  presented  himself  to  him,
30
embraced him, and wept profusely.

Then  Israel  said  to  Joseph,  “Finally  I  can  die,
now that I have seen your face and know that you
31
are

 still alive!”

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
The men are
land of Canaan have come to me.
shepherds;  they  raise  livestock,  and  they  have
brought their flocks and herds and all that they
33
own.’

32

34

When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What
you are to say, ‘Your serv-
is your occupation?’
ants have raised livestock ever since our youth—
both  we  and  our  fathers.’  Then  you  will  be  al-
lowed  to  settle  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  since  all
Jacob Settles in Goshen
shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

47

So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My fa-
ther  and  my  brothers,  with  their  flocks
and herds and all they own, have come from the
2
land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”

And he chose five of his brothers and presented

3
them before Pharaoh.

“What  is  your  occupation?”  Pharaoh  asked  Jo-

seph’s brothers.

“Your  servants  are  shepherds,”  they  replied,
4
“both we and our fathers.”

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
5
land of Goshen.”

6

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father
and  brothers  have  come  to  you,
the  land  of
Egypt is before you; settle your father and broth-
a 27
ers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in

the nine sons

the land of Goshen. And if you know of any tal-
ented  men  among  them,  put  them  in  charge  of
7
my own livestock.”

Then  Joseph  brought  in  his  father  Jacob  and
Jacob

presented  him  before  Pharaoh,  and
8
blessed Pharaoh.

“How  many  years  have  you  lived?”  Pharaoh

9
asked.

 c

“My  travels

  have  lasted  130  years,”  Jacob  re-
plied.  “My  years  have  been  few  and  hard,  and
they have not matched the years of the travels of
10
my fathers.”

Then  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh  and  departed

11
from his presence.

12

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 Phar-
aoh had commanded.
Joseph also provided his
father  and  brothers  and  all  his  father’s  house-
The Famine Continues
hold with food for their families.
13

14

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
Joseph  collected  all  the  money  to  be
famine.
found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan
in exchange for the grain they were buying, and
When the
he brought it into Pharaoh’s palace.
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
16
eyes? For our funds have run out!”

15

17

“Then  bring  me  your  livestock,”  said  Joseph.
“Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in
So they brought
exchange for your livestock.”
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
18
their livestock.

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
Why  should
except  our  bodies  and  our  land.
we perish before your eyes—we and our land as
well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for

19

b 27

Hebrew; LXX

seventy-five
, probably including Joseph’s grandsons through Ephraim and Manasseh; see 1 Chronicles

sojourns

 c 9

7:14–29.

Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5); LXX (see also Acts 7:14)

Hebrew

; twice in this verse

food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves
to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not
20
die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

22

21
 a

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.
and  Joseph  re-
The  land  became  Pharaoh’s,
 from one end of
duced the people to servitude
However,  he  did  not  ac-
Egypt  to  the  other.
quire 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
23
sell their land.

24

Then  Joseph  said  to  the  people,  “Now  that  I
have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this
At
day, here is seed for you to sow in the land.
harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Phar-
aoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the
field  and  food  for  yourselves  and  your  house-
25
holds and children.”

26

“You have saved our lives,” they said. “We have
found  favor  in  our  lord’s  eyes,  and  we  will  be
So  Joseph  established  a
Pharaoh’s  servants.”
law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Phar-
aoh, and it is in effect in the land of Egypt to this
day.  Only  the  priests’  land  does  not  belong  to
The Israelites Prosper in Goshen
Pharaoh.

27

28

Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt,
in the region of Goshen. They acquired property
there and became fruitful and increased greatly
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt
in number.
seventeen  years,  and  the  length  of  his  life  was
29
147 years.

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
but
faithfulness.  Do  not  bury  me  in  Egypt,
when I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of
Egypt and bury me with them.”

30

Joseph  answered,  “I  will  do  as  you  have  re-
31
quested.”

“Swear to me,” Jacob said.

b

Genesis 48:14    |    51

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

48

2

Some  time  later  Joseph  was  told,  “Your
father  is  ill.”  So  he  set  out  with  his  two
When Jacob was
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
told,  “Your  son  Joseph  has  come  to  you,”  Israel
 c
3
rallied his strength and sat up in bed.

4

Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty

 appeared
to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He
blessed me
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
5
possession.’

And now your two sons born to you in Egypt be-
fore  I  came  to  you  here  shall  be  reckoned  as
mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just
as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
Any children
born to you after them shall be yours, and they
shall be called by the names of their brothers in
7
the territory they inherit.

6

d

Now as for me, when I was returning from Pad-
dan,
 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”
8
(that is, Bethlehem).

When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked,

9
“Who are these?”

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
10
may bless them.”

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
11
them.

“I  never  expected  to  see  your  face  again,”
Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see
12
your children as well.”

Then  Joseph  removed  his  sons  from  his

13
father’s knees and bowed facedown.

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
But Is-
hand—and brought them close to him.
rael 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,

Israel worshiped as he leaned on

b 31

14

So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in wor-
ship at the head of his bed.
a 21
the top of his staff

removed the people to the cities

c 3

El-Shaddai

d 7

SP, LXX, Vulgate; Hebrew

Hebrew; LXX

; see Hebrews 11:21.

Hebrew

That is, northwest Mesopotamia

52    |    Genesis 48:15

15

4

although Manasseh was the firstborn.
blessed Joseph and said:

Then he

Uncontrolled as the waters,
you will no longer excel,

“May the God before whom my fathers

because you went up to your father’s bed,
5

Abraham and Isaac walked,

16

the God who has been my shepherd all my

 a

6

life to this day,

onto my couch, and defiled it.

 c
Simeon and Levi are brothers;

their swords

 are weapons of violence.

the angel

 who has redeemed me from all

May I never enter their council;

harm—

may He bless these boys.

And may they be called by my name

and the names of my fathers Abraham and

Isaac,

17

and may they grow into a multitude upon

the earth.”

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
“Not so, my fa-
Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.
ther!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put
19
your right hand on his head.”

18

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
20
offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

may I never join their assembly.

For they kill men in their anger,

7

and hamstring oxen on a whim.
Cursed be their anger, for it is strong,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!

I will disperse them in Jacob
8
and scatter them in Israel.

d

Judah,

 your brothers shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the necks of your

9

enemies;

your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

Judah is a young lion—

my son, you return from the prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
e

like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

10

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the staff from between his feet,

 f

until Shiloh

11

 comes

So that day Jacob blessed them and said:

and the allegiance of the nations is his.

“By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and

Manasseh.’

”

21
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

 b

22

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to
die, but God will be with you and bring you back
And to you, as one
to the land of your fathers.
who  is  above  your  brothers,  I  give  the  ridge  of
  that  I  took  from  the  Amorites  with  my
land
Jacob Blesses His Sons
sword and bow.”

49

Then Jacob called for his sons and said,
“Gather  around  so  that  I  can  tell  you

2
what will happen to you in the days to come:

Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob;

3

listen to your father Israel.

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
and the beginning of my strength,

excelling in honor,

He ties his donkey to the vine,

his colt to the choicest branch.
He washes his garments in wine,

12

his robes in the blood of grapes.

His eyes are darker than wine,

13

and his teeth are whiter than milk.

Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore
and become a harbor for ships;
his border shall extend to Sidon.

14

g

Issachar is a strong donkey,

15

lying down between the sheepfolds.
He saw that his resting place was good
and that his land was pleasant,
so he bent his shoulder to the burden

 h
and submitted to labor as a servant.

16

Dan shall provide justice for his people

17

as one of the tribes of Israel.
He will be a snake by the road,

a viper in the path
that bites the horse’s heels

b 22
Angel
excelling in power.
dwelling places

a 16
c 5
Or
to whom tribute belongs
Or
He has vindicated

one portion of the land
d 8 Judah
g 14

saddlebags

Or

; Hebrew
hearths

h 16

shekem

praise

so that its rider tumbles backward.
e 10

Shechem
until the one

f 10

, which sounds like the town and district called

from his descendants
Dan

Dan shall judge his people
.

Or

He has judged
Or

 sounds like the Hebrew for
 or

Or

Or

;

 means

or

.

18

33

Genesis 50:14    |    53

19

 a

I await Your salvation, O LORD.

20

Gad

 will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.

21

22

Asher’s food will be rich;

he shall provide royal delicacies.

b

Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

Joseph is a fruitful vine—

c

23

a fruitful vine by a spring,
whose branches scale the wall.

The archers attacked him with bitterness;

24

they aimed at him in hostility.

Yet he steadied his bow,

and his strong arms were tempered
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

25

in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of
 d

Israel,

by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almighty

 who blesses you,

with blessings of the heavens above,

26

with blessings of the depths below,
with blessings of the breasts and womb.
The blessings of your father have surpassed
the blessings of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the everlasting hills.

 e

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27

Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

28

in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”

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
The Death of Jacob
suitable blessing.
29

31

Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be
gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers
30
in  the  cave  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite.
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
There Abraham and his wife Sarah
burial site.
are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are
The field and
buried, and there I buried Leah.
the  cave  that  is  in  it  were  purchased  from  the
Hittites.”
a 19 Gad
fold
c 22
 sounds like the Hebrew for
of my ancestors
e 26

f 11 Abel-mizraim

 and also for

raid

32

When Jacob had finished instructing his sons,
he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his
Mourning and Burial for Jacob
last, and he was gathered to his people.

50

2

Then  Joseph  fell  upon  his  father’s  face,
wept over him, and kissed him.

3

And  Joseph  directed  the  physicians  in  his  ser-
vice  to  embalm  his  father  Israel.  So  they  em-
balmed  him,
taking  the  forty  days  required  to
complete  the  embalming.  And  the  Egyptians
4
mourned for him seventy days.

5

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
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
6
and bury my father, and then return.”

Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury your father,

7
as he made you swear to do.”

8

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
along with all of Joseph’s
of the land of Egypt—
household,  and  his  brothers,  and  his  father’s
household.  Only  their  children  and  flocks  and
9
herds were left in Goshen.

Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him,
10
and  it  was  an  exceedingly  large  procession.
When they reached the threshing floor of Atad,
which  is  across  the  Jordan,  they  lamented  and
wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father
11
seven days.

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
12
is called Abel-mizraim.
13

f

So  Jacob’s  sons  did  as  he  had  charged  them.
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
14
from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

After Joseph had buried his father, he returned
to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone
with him to bury his father.

gives beautiful words

b 21

band of raiders

bears fawns of the
Shaddai

d 25
 or

Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey by a spring, with his wild colts beside the wall

mourning of the Egyptians

.

Or

Or

Or

 means

.

Hebrew

21

Therefore
preserve  the  lives  of  many  people.
do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your
little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and
The Death of Joseph
spoke kindly to them.
22

Now
23

Joseph  and  his

father’s  household
remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of
110.
He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third gener-
 a
ation,  and  indeed  the  sons  of  Machir  son  of
24
Manasseh were brought up

 on Joseph’s knees.

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
And Joseph
oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
made  the  sons  of  Israel  take  an  oath  and  said,
“God will surely attend to you, and then you must
26
carry my bones up from this place.”

25

So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they em-
balmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.

54    |    Genesis 50:15

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
16
evil that we did to him.”

17

So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he
died,  your  father  commanded,
‘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 for-
give the transgression of the servants of the God
of your father.”
18
When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
His  brothers  also  came  to  him,  bowed  down

19
before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
20

But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in
As  for  you,  what  you  in-
the  place  of  God?
tended  against  me  for  evil,  God  intended  for
good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to

a 23

born

placed at birth

Or

 or

Exodus

The Israelites Multiply in Egypt
(Genesis 46:7–27)

1

2

family:

These  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel
who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his

3

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

4

Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

Dan and Naphtali;

5

Gad and Asher.

 a

The  descendants  of  Jacob  numbered  seventy
in  all,  including  Joseph,  who  was  already  in
6
Egypt.

7

Now  Joseph  and  all  his  brothers  and  all  that
but the Israelites were fruitful
generation died,
and  increased  rapidly;  they  multiplied  and  be-
came exceedingly numerous, so that the land was
Oppression by a New King  (Acts 7:15–19)
filled with them.
8

10

9
Then  a  new  king,  who  did  not  know  Joseph,
came to power in Egypt.
“Look,” he said to his
people, “the Israelites have become too numer-
Come, let us deal
ous and too powerful for us.
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
11
country.

”

b

12

So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over
the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor.
As  a  result,  they  built  Pithom  and  Rameses  as
But  the  more  they
store  cities  for  Pharaoh.
were  oppressed,  the  more  they  multiplied  and
flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Is-
13
raelites.

14

They  worked  the  Israelites  ruthlessly

and
made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard  labor  in brick
and  mortar,  and  with  all  kinds  of  work  in  the
15
fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew mid-
wives,  whose  names  were  Shiphrah  and  Puah,
a 5
d 3

to the Hebrews

MT (see also Gen. 46:27); DSS and LXX (see also Acts 7:14)

16

“When you help the Hebrew women give birth,
observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a
17
son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”

18

The  midwives,  however,  feared  God  and  did
not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they
So  the  king  of  Egypt  sum-
let  the  boys  live.
moned the midwives and asked them, “Why have
19
you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

The  midwives  answered  Pharaoh,  “The  He-
brew  women  are  not  like  the  Egyptian  women,
for they are vigorous and give birth before a mid-
20
wife arrives.”

So God was good to the midwives, and the peo-
21
ple multiplied and became even more numerous.
And because the midwives feared God, He gave

22
them families of their own.

 c

Then  Pharaoh  commanded  all  his  people:
“Every son born to the Hebrews
 you must throw
into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow
The Birth and Adoption of Moses
to live.”
(Acts 7:20–22 ;  Hebrews 11:23)

2

2

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Le-
vite  woman,
and  she  conceived  and  gave
birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beau-
3
tiful child, she hid him for three months.

 d

But when she could no longer hide him, she got
him a papyrus basket
 and coated it with tar and
pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and
4
set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
And  his  sister  stood  at  a  distance  to  see  what

5
would happen to him.

6

Soon  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  went  down  to
bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walk-
ing along the riverbank. And when she saw the
basket  among  the  reeds,  she  sent  her  maidser-
When she opened it, she saw
vant to retrieve it.
the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So
she had compassion on him and said, “This is one
of the Hebrew children.”
and take the country
b 10
seventy-five

c 22

ark

Or

SP, LXX, and
; also in verse 5; see Gen. 6:14.

Targum Yonaton; Heb. does not include

.

The Hebrew can also mean

56    |    Exodus 2:7

7

20

Then  his  sister  said  to  Pharaoh’s  daughter,
“Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to
8
nurse the child for you?”

“So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did
you  leave  the  man  behind?  Invite  him  to  have
21
something to eat.”

“Go  ahead,”  Pharaoh’s  daughter  told  her.  And

9
the girl went and called the boy’s mother.

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child
and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.”
10
So the woman took the boy and nursed him.

 a

When the child had grown older, she brought
him  to  Pharaoh’s  daughter,  and  he  became  her
  and  explained,  “I
son.  She  named  him  Moses
The Rejection and Flight of Moses
drew him out of the water.”
(Acts 7:23–29)

11

 b

One  day,  after  Moses  had  grown  up,  he  went
 and observed their hard
out to his own people
12
labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one
After looking this way and
of his own people.
that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyp-
13
tian and hid his body in the sand.

The next day Moses went out and saw two He-
brews  fighting.  He  asked  the  one  in  the  wrong,
14
“Why are you attacking your companion?”

 c

But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and
 d
  Are  you  planning  to  kill  me  as

judge  over  us?
you killed the Egyptian?

”

Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I
15
have done has surely become known.”

When  Pharaoh  heard  about  this  matter,  he
sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Phar-
aoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he
16
sat down beside a well.

17

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters,
and they came to draw water and fill the troughs
And  when  some
to  water  their  father’s  flock.
shepherds  came  along  and  drove  them  away,
Moses  rose  up  to  help  them  and  watered  their
18
flock.
e

When  the  daughters  returned  to  their  father
 he asked them, “Why have you returned

Reuel,
19
so early today?”

f

22

Moses  agreed  to  stay  with  the  man,  and  he
gave  his  daughter  Zipporah  to  Moses  in  mar-
And she gave birth to a son, and Moses
riage.
named him Gershom,
 saying, “I have become  a
God Hears the Cry of the Israelites
foreigner in a foreign land.”
23

After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The
Israelites groaned and cried out under their bur-
den of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from
24
bondage ascended to God.

25

So God heard their groaning, and He remem-
bered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-
Moses at the Burning Bush  (Acts 7:30–38)
cob.

God saw the Israelites and took notice.

3

g

 i

h

There the angel

Meanwhile,  Moses  was  shepherding  the
flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
 the priest
of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the
2
wilderness and came to Horeb,
 the mountain of
God.
 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 con-
So Moses thought, “I must go over and
sumed.
see  this  marvelous  sight.  Why  is  the  bush  not
4
burning up?”

3

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to
look, God called out to him from within the bush,
“Moses, Moses!”
5
“Here I am,” he answered.

 j

6

“Do  not  come  any  closer,”  God  said.  “Take  off
your sandals, for the place where you are stand-
Then He said, “I am the God
ing is holy ground.”
of  your  father,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

 k

At  this,  Moses  hid his  face,  for  he  was afraid  to
7
look at God.

The  LORD  said,  “I  have  indeed  seen  the  afflic-
tion  of  My  people  in  Egypt.  I  have  heard  them
crying out because of their oppressors, and I am
aware of their sufferings.
I have come down to
rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and
b 11
to bring them up out of that land to a good and

his brothers

c 14

8

e 18 Reuel

“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,”
they replied. “He even drew water for us and wa-
to lift out
a 10 Moses
tered the flock.”
d 14
Jethro

 sounds like a Hebrew term that means

f 22 Gershom

Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?

LXX

Reuel
; see Exodus 3:1.
j 5
Angel

; see Exodus 2:18.

h 1

.

Cited in Acts 7:27 and Acts 7:35
Jethro
 was also called
 was also
.
That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

 sounds like the Hebrew for
k 6

Moses’ father-in-law

 Cited in Acts 7:28

Or
foreigner

g 1

Cited in Acts 7:33

Cited in Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37, and Acts 7:32

i 2
called
Or

d

20

Exodus 4:9    |    57

spacious  land,  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and
honey—the  home  of  the  Canaanites,  Hittites,
9
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

So I will stretch out My hand and strike
him.
the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform
21
among them. And after that, he will release you.

10

And  now  the  cry  of  the  Israelites  has  reached
Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians
are oppressing them.
Therefore, go! I am send-
ing you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israel-
11
ites out of Egypt.”

 a

But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should
go  to  Pharaoh  and  bring  the  Israelites  out  of
12
Egypt?”

“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
13
you will worship God on this mountain.”

 b

Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Is-
raelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers
has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His
14
name?’ What should I tell them?”

c

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.

 This is
what  you  are  to  say  to  the  Israelites:  ‘I  AM  has
15
sent me to you.’

”

God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The
LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abra-
ham, 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 genera-
16
tion.

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
17
have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
And  I  have  promised  to  bring  you  up  out  of
your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Ca-
naanites,  Hittites,  Amorites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,
and  Jebusites—a  land  flowing  with  milk  and
18
honey.’

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
19
sacrifice to the LORD our God.’

22

And I will grant this people such favor in the
sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you
Every woman
will not go away empty-handed.
shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in
her house for silver and gold jewelry and cloth-
ing,  and  you  will  put  them  on  your  sons  and
Moses’ Staff
daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

4

Then Moses answered, “What if they do not
believe  me  or  listen  to  my  voice?  For  they

2
may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’

”

And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your

hand?”
3
“A staff,” he replied.

e

“Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Mo-
ses  threw  it  on  the  ground,  and  it  became  a
4
snake,

 and he ran from it.

“Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail,”
the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  who  reached  out  his
5
hand  and  caught  the  snake,  and  it  turned  back
“This is so that they may
into a staff in his hand.
believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—
the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the
Moses’ Hand
God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6

f

Furthermore,  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Put
your hand inside your cloak.
” So he put his hand
g
inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand
7
was leprous,

 white as snow.

“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
8
of his skin.

And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you
9
or heed the witness of the first sign, they may be-
lieve that of the second.
But if they do not be-
lieve 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.”

   d 19

except by a mighty
into your

tannin

I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE

f 6
Literally
leprous

 in Exodus 7:10
The Hebrew word traditionally translated as

Hebrew

 was used for

But  I  know  that  the  king  of  Egypt  will  not
b 12
a 10
allow  you  to  go  unless  a  mighty  hand  compels
hand
bosom

Cited in Acts 7:34

Cited in Acts 7:7

nachash

c 14

e 3

Or

Hebrew

g 6
, in contrast to Aaron’s staff, which became a

; twice in this verse and twice in verse 7

various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

58    |    Exodus 4:10

The Appointment of Aaron

26

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
11
speech and tongue.”

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?
Now
go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach
13
you what to say.”

12

But  Moses  replied,  “Please,  Lord,  send  some-

14
one else.”

16

15

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.
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.
He will speak to the people for you. He will
be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were
God to him.
But take this staff in your hand so
Moses Leaves for Egypt
you can perform signs with it.”
18

17

So  the  LORD  let  him  alone.  (When  she  said,
“bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the
The People Believe Moses and Aaron
circumcision.)
27

28

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
And  Moses  told  Aaron  everything  the
him.
LORD  had  sent  him  to  say,  and  all  the signs  He
29
had commanded him to perform.

30

Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all
and Aaron relayed

the elders of the Israelites,
everything the LORD had said to Moses.

31

And Moses performed the signs before the peo-
and  they  believed.  And  when  they  heard
ple,
that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and
had seen their affliction, they bowed down and
Pharaoh’s First Refusal
worshiped.

5

After  that,  Moses  and  Aaron  went  to  Phar-
aoh  and  said,  “This  is  what  the  LORD,  the
God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they
2
may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’

”

 a

Then  Moses  went  back  to  his  father-in-law
Jethro
 and said to him, “Please let me return to
my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.”
19
“Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

20

Now  the  LORD  had  said  to  Moses  in  Midian,
“Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to
kill you are dead.”
So Moses took his wife and
sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to
21
Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

The  LORD  instructed  Moses,  “When  you  go
back to Egypt, see that you perform before Phar-
 b
aoh all the wonders that I have put within your
power. But I will harden
 his heart so that he will
22
not let the people go.

23

Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD
and I told you
says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,
to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But
since you have refused to let him go, behold, I will
24
”
kill your firstborn son!’

 c

25
LORD  met  Moses

Now  at  a  lodging  place  along  the  way,  the
  and  was  about  to  kill  him.
But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s
foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet.
 “Surely
Jethro
a 18
you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
d 25

his feet

Reuel

d

But  Pharaoh  replied,  “Who  is  the  LORD  that  I
should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not
3
know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”

“The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they
answered. “Please let us go on a three-day jour-
ney into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD
our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with
4
the sword.”

5

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!”
Pharaoh
also said, “Look, the people of the land are now
numerous,  and  you  would  be  stopping  them
Bricks and Straw
from their labor.”
6

7

8

That  same  day  Pharaoh  commanded  the  task-
“You
masters of the people and their foremen:
shall no longer supply the people with straw for
making  bricks.  They  must  go  and  gather  their
But require of them the same quota
own straw.
of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are
9
lazy;  that  is  why  they  are  crying  out,  ‘Let  us  go
Make the work harder
and sacrifice to our God.’
on the men so they will be occupied and pay no
attention to these lies.”

strengthen

stiffen

b 21

c 24

him

Moses’ father-in-law
Hebrew

 was also called

; see Exodus 2:18.

Or

 or

Hebrew

10

2

3

Exodus 6:16    |    59

So the taskmasters and foremen of the people
went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh
Go and
says: ‘I am no longer giving you straw.
get your own straw wherever you can find it; but
12
your workload will in no way be reduced.’

11

”

13

So  the  people  scattered  all  over  the  land  of
The  task-
Egypt  to  gather  stubble  for  straw.
masters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your
quota each day, just as you did when straw was
14
provided.”

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
The Cry of the Israelites
did before?”
15

16

So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to
Pharaoh:  “Why  are  you  treating  your  servants
this  way?
No  straw  has  been  given  to  your
servants,  yet  we  are  told,  ‘Make  bricks!’  Look,
your  servants  are  being  beaten,  but  the  fault  is
17
with your own people.”

18

“You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers!
That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sac-
Now get to work. You will
rifice to the LORD.’
be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full
19
quota of bricks.”

The  Israelite  foremen  realized  they  were  in
trouble when they were told, “You must not re-
When  they
duce  your  daily  quota  of  bricks.”
left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron,
21
who stood waiting to meet them.

20

“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
22
in their hand a sword to kill us!”

23

So  Moses  returned  to  the  LORD  and  asked,
“Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this
Ever since I
people? Is this why You sent me?
went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has
brought trouble on this people, and You have not
God Promises Deliverance
delivered Your people in any way.”

6

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;  be-
cause of My strong hand he will drive them out of
b 12
a 3
his land.”
Hebrew

El-Shaddai

Hebrew

I have uncircumcised lips

Numbers 26:13 and 1 Chronicles 4:24.

a

God  also  told  Moses,  “I  am  the  LORD.

I  ap-
peared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God
4
  but  by  My  name  the  LORD  I  did  not
Almighty,
make Myself known to them.
I also established
My covenant with them to give them the land of
5
Canaan, the land where they lived as foreigners.
Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the
Israelites,  whom  the  Egyptians  are  enslaving,
6
and I have remembered My covenant.

7

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
I will take you as
with mighty acts of judgment.
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
And  I  will  bring  you  into  the  land
Egyptians.
that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I  will  give  it  to  you  as  a  possession.  I  am  the
9
LORD!’

”

8

Moses  relayed  this  message  to  the  Israelites,
but  on  account  of  their  broken  spirit  and  cruel
11
10
bondage, they did not listen to him.

So  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“Go  and  tell
Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out
12
of his land.”

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
13
in speech?

”

 b

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and
gave them a charge concerning both the Israel-
ites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Isra-
Genealogies of Moses and Aaron
elites out of the land of Egypt.
14

These were the heads of their fathers’ houses:

The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel,
were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
15
These were the clans of Reuben.

c

The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin,

Ohad, Jachin, Zohar,
 and Shaul, the son of a
Canaanite woman. These were the clans of
16
Simeon.

These were the names of the sons of Levi
according to their records: Gershon, Kohath,
and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

c 15 Zohar

Zerah

; also in verse 30

 is a variant of

; see

60    |    Exodus 6:17

17

3

The sons of Gershon were Libni and

18
Shimei, by their clans.

The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar,
19
Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.

The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.

These were the clans of the Levites accord-
20
ing to their records.

And Amram married his father’s sister

Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and
21
Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg,

22
and Zichri.
a

The sons of Uzziel were Mishael,

23
Elzaphan,

 and Sithri.

And Aaron married Elisheba, the daugh-
ter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon,
and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar
24
and Ithamar.

b

The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah,

and Abiasaph.
25
Korahites.

 These were the clans of the

Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the

daughters of Putiel, and she bore him
Phinehas.

26

These were the heads of the Levite families
by their clans.

27

It  was  this  Aaron  and  Moses  to  whom  the
LORD said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of
Egypt  by  their  divisions.”
Moses  and  Aaron
were  the  ones  who  spoke  to  Pharaoh  king  of
28
Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

29

Now on the day that the LORD spoke to Moses
He said to him, “I am the LORD; tell

in Egypt,
30
Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I say to you.”

But  in  the  LORD’s  presence  Moses  replied,
“Since  I  am  unskilled  in  speech,  why  would
God Commands Moses and Aaron
Pharaoh listen to me?”

7

2

The  LORD  answered  Moses,  “See,  I  have
made  you  like  God  to  Pharaoh,  and  your
You are to
brother Aaron will be your prophet.
speak all that I command you, and your brother
Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out
a 22 Elzaphan
of his land.

Elizaphan

4

But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I
will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of
Pharaoh will not listen to you.
Egypt,

Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty
acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My
5
people  the  Israelites  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.
And  the  Egyptians  will  know  that  I  am  the
LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt
6
and bring the Israelites out from among them.”

7

So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had
Moses was eighty years old
commanded them.
and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to
Aaron’s Staff
Pharaoh.
8

9

The  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,

“When
Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to
c
say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down
10
”
before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.

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,
11
and it became a serpent.

But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers
and  magicians  of  Egypt,  and  they  also  did  the
same  things  by  their  magic  arts.
Each  one
threw  down  his  staff,  and  it  became  a  serpent.
13
But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

12

d

Still,  Pharaoh’s  heart  was  hardened,

  and  he
would not  listen  to  them,  just  as  the  LORD  had
The First Plague: Blood
said.
14

 e

16

15
is  unyielding;

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart
  he  refuses  to  let  the  people  go.
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
Then  say  to
that  was  changed  into  a  snake.
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 until now you
This is what the LORD says:
have not listened.
By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold,
with the staff in my hand I will strike the water
The fish in
of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.
the  Nile  will  die,  the  river  will  stink,  and  the
Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’

18

17

”

b 24 Abiasaph

Ebiasaph

tannin

  c 9
 is a variant of
Hebrew

1 Chr. 9:19.
and was noted again in Exodus 7:15

; here and in verse 10, in contrast to Moses’ staff, which became a
Or

; also in verse 22

 or

Or

 or

; see Numbers 3:30.
stiffened
d 13

strengthened

 is a variant of

e 14

nachash
; see 1 Chr. 6:23 and
heavy

stubborn
 in Exodus 4:3

19

8

Exodus 8:20    |    61

And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take
your staff and stretch out your hand over the wa-
ters  of  Egypt—over  their  rivers  and  canals  and
ponds and all the reservoirs—that they may be-
come blood.’ There will be blood throughout the
land  of  Egypt,  even  in  the  vessels  of  wood  and
20
stone.”

 a

21

Moses  and  Aaron  did  just  as  the  LORD  had
commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his
officials,  Aaron  raised  the  staff
  and  struck  the
water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to
The fish in the Nile died, and the river
blood.
smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink
its  water.  And  there  was  blood  throughout  the
22
land of Egypt.

23

But the magicians of Egypt did the same things
by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hard-
ened,  and  he  would  not  listen  to  Moses  and
Instead,
Aaron,  just  as  the  LORD  had  said.
24
Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and
So  all  the
did  not  take  any  of  this  to  heart.
Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink,
because they could not drink the water from the
25
river.

And seven full days passed after the LORD had

The Second Plague: Frogs
struck the Nile.

8

3

2

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
But if you refuse to let them go, I
worship Me.
The
will plague your whole country with frogs.
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
The frogs will come up on you and your
bowls.
5
”
people and all your officials.’

4

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
6
to come up onto the land of Egypt.’

”

So  Aaron  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the
waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and cov-
7
ered the land of Egypt.

But  the  magicians  did  the  same  thing  by  their
magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto
a 20
the land of Egypt.
stiffened
c 19

he raised the staff

strengthened

Hebrew
Or

 or

; see verse 19; some translators

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,
9
that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”

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 (ex-
cept  for  those  in  the  Nile)  may  be  taken  away
10
from you and your houses?”

“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered.

11

“May it be as you say,” Moses replied, “so that you
may know that there is no one like the LORD our
The frogs will depart from you and your
God.
houses and your officials and your people; they
12
will remain only in the Nile.”

13

After Moses and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Mo-
ses cried out to the LORD for help with the frogs
that He had brought against Pharaoh.
And the
LORD  did  as  Moses  requested,  and  the  frogs  in
14
the  houses,  the  courtyards,  and  the  fields  died.
They  were  piled  into  countless  heaps,  and

15
there was a terrible stench in the land.

 b

When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, how-
ever,  he  hardened
  his  heart  and  would
not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD
The Third Plague: Gnats
had said.
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
17
throughout the land of Egypt.’

”

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
18
the land of Egypt.

The  magicians  tried  to  produce  gnats  using
their  magic  arts,  but  they  could  not.  And  the
19
gnats remained on man and beast.

c
“This is the finger of God,” the magicians said

to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,
and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD
The Fourth Plague: Flies
had said.
20

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in
the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the
Moses raised the staff
water, stand before him and tell him that this is
Or

made heavy

; also in verse 32

b 15

.

62    |    Exodus 8:21

21
what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that
 a
But if you will not let My
they may worship Me.
people go, I will send swarms of flies
 upon you
and  your  officials  and  your  people  and  your
houses. The houses of the Egyptians and even the
22
ground where they stand will be full of flies.

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
23
you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.
 between My people
and your people. This sign will take place tomor-
24
row.’

I will make a distinction

”

 b

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
25
ruined by swarms of flies.

Then  Pharaoh  summoned  Moses  and  Aaron
and  said,  “Go,  sacrifice  to  your  God  within  this
26
land.”

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?
We  must
make  a  three-day  journey  into  the  wilderness
and  sacrifice  to  the  LORD  our  God  as  He  com-
28
mands us.”

27

Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacri-
fice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but
29
you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”

“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 deceit-
fully  again  by  refusing  to  let  the  people  go  and
30
sacrifice to the LORD.”

31

Then  Moses  left  Pharaoh  and  prayed  to  the
LORD,
and the LORD did as Moses requested.
He  removed  the  swarms  of  flies  from  Pharaoh
32
and  his  officials  and  his  people;  not  one  fly  re-
But  Pharaoh hardened  his heart  this
mained.
The Fifth Plague: Livestock
time as well, and he would not let the people go.

3

continue to restrain them and refuse to let them
go,
then  the  hand  of  the  LORD  will  bring  a
severe plague on your livestock in the field—on
4
your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
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
5
die.’

”

6

7

The  LORD  set  a  time,  saying,  “Tomorrow  the
And the next day
LORD will do this in the land.”
the  LORD  did  just  that.  All  the  livestock  of  the
Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to
Pharaoh  sent  officials  and
the  Israelites  died.
c
found that none of the livestock of the Israelites
had  died.  But  Pharaoh’s  heart  was  hardened,
The Sixth Plague: Boils
and he would not let the people go.
8

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take
handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of
It will
Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air.
become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and
festering boils will break out on man and beast
10
throughout the land.”

9

So they took soot from the furnace and stood
before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and
11
festering  boils  broke  out  on  man  and  beast.
The  magicians  could  not  stand  before  Moses,
because the boils had broken out on them and on
12
all the Egyptians.

 d

But the LORD hardened

 Pharaoh’s heart, and
he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had
The Seventh Plague: Hail
said to Moses.
13

14

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  He-
brews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may
worship  Me.
Otherwise,  I  will  send  all  My
 and your officials and your
plagues against you
people, so you may know that there is no one like
15
Me in all the earth.

 e

9

For by this time I could have stretched out My
hand  and  struck  you  and  your  people  with  a
But  I  have
plague  to  wipe  you  off  the  earth.
raised you up
 for this very purpose, that I might
17
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Phar-
display  My  power  to  you,
  and  that  My  name
aoh and tell him that this is what the LORD,
might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Still, you
the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go,
lord it over My people and do not allow them to
a noxious mixture
a 21
But  if  you
so  that  they  may  worship  Me.
go.
c 7
strengthened
stiffened
d 12
made heavy
; also in verses 22, 24, 29, and 31
against your inner man
in you

LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew

I will set redemption

against your heart

have spared you

Literally

b 23

e 14

16

2

h

g

 f

f 16
; also in verse 34

Or

g 16
 or

 h 16
; also in verse 35

Hebrew

 or

Or

Or

LXX

Cited in Romans 9:17

18

19

Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down
the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from
So  give
the  day  it  was  founded  until  now.
orders now to shelter your livestock and every-
thing  you  have  in  the  field.  Every  man  or beast
that remains in the field and is not brought inside
20
”
will die when the hail comes down upon them.’

Those  among  Pharaoh’s  officials  who  feared
the  word  of  the  LORD  hurried  to  bring  their
servants  and  livestock  to  shelter,
but  those
who disregarded the word of the LORD left their
22
servants and livestock in the field.

21

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
23
Egypt.”

24

So  Moses  stretched  out  his  staff  toward
heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and
lightning  struck  the  earth.  So  the  LORD  rained
The hail fell
down hail upon the land of Egypt.
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
25
time it became a nation.

26

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
The  only  place  where  it
stripped  every  tree.
did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the
27
Israelites lived.

Then  Pharaoh  summoned  Moses  and  Aaron.
“This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is
28
righteous,  and  I  and  my  people  are  wicked.
Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of
God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do
29
not need to stay any longer.”

Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I
will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thun-
der will cease, and there will be no more hail, so
30
that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
But as for you and your officials, I know that

31
you still do not fear the LORD our God.”

(Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since
32
the  barley  was  ripe  and  the  flax  was  in  bloom;
but  the  wheat  and  spelt  were  not  destroyed,

33
because they are late crops.)

Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out
a 1
of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD.

made heavy

Or

Exodus 10:11    |    63

The  thunder  and  hail  ceased,  and  the  rain  no
34
longer poured down on the land.

When  Pharaoh  saw  that  the  rain  and  hail
and  thunder  had  ceased,  he  sinned  again  and
hardened  his  heart—he  and  his  officials.
So
Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not
let  the  Israelites  go,  just  as  the  LORD  had  said
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
through Moses.

35

10

 a

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Go  to
Pharaoh, for I have hardened
 his heart
and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform
2
these  miraculous  signs  of  Mine  among  them,
and that you may tell your children and grand-
children how severely I dealt with the Egyptians
when I performed miraculous signs among them,
3
so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”

4

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told
him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the He-
brews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble
yourself  before  Me?  Let  My  people  go,  so  that
they may worship Me.
But if you refuse to let My
5
people go, I will bring locusts into your territory
tomorrow.
They will cover the face of the land
so that no one can see it. They will devour what-
ever is left after the hail and eat every tree that
grows in your fields.
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.’
7
Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

”

6

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
8
you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”

So  Moses  and  Aaron  were  brought  back  to
Pharaoh.  “Go,  worship  the  LORD  your  God,”  he
9
said. “But who exactly will be going?”

“We will go with our young and old,” Moses re-
plied. “We will go with our sons and daughters,
and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold
10
a feast to the LORD.”

11

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.
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.

64    |    Exodus 10:12

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
13
left behind.”

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
14
morning the east wind had brought the locusts.

15

The locusts swarmed across the land and set-
tled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never be-
fore had there been so many locusts, and never
again will there be.
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
16
Egypt.

Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron
17
and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your
God  and  against  you.
Now  please  forgive  my
sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God,
18
that He may remove this death from me.”
19

So  Moses  left  Pharaoh’s  presence  and  ap-
pealed to the LORD.
And the LORD changed the
wind to a very strong west wind that carried off
the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea.
 Not
20
a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.

 b

a

But the LORD hardened
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
he would not let the Israelites go.
21

 Pharaoh’s heart, and

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Stretch  out
your  hand  toward  heaven,  so  that  darkness
may spread  over the land of Egypt—a palpable
22
darkness.”

So  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand  toward
23
heaven, and total darkness covered all the land
of Egypt for three days.
No one could see any-
one else, and for three days no one left his place.
24
Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

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
25
behind.”

26

But Moses replied, “You must also provide us
with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to
Even our livestock must go
the LORD our God.
with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will
b 20
the Sea of Reeds
a 19

strengthened

stiffened

need some of them to worship the LORD our God,
and we will not know how we are to worship the
27
LORD until we arrive.”

28

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and
“Depart from
he was unwilling to let them go.
me!”  Pharaoh  said  to  Moses.  “Make  sure  you
never see my face again, for on the day you see
29
my face, you will die.”

“As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see

The Plague on the Firstborn Foretold
your face again.”

11

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
Now  announce  to  the  people
out  completely.
that  men  and  women  alike  should  ask  their
3
neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”

2

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
4
and by the people.

5

6

So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says:
‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
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
Then a great cry will go out over all the
cattle.
land  of  Egypt.  Such  an  outcry  has  never  been
heard before and will never be heard again.
But
among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl
at man or beast.’

7

 c

8

Then you will know that the LORD makes a dis-
tinction between Egypt and Israel.
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  pres-
9
ence.

The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not lis-
ten to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied
10
in the land of Egypt.”

 d

Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before
Pharaoh,  but  the  LORD  hardened
  Pharaoh’s
heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out
of his land.

c 7

Or

d 10

stiffened
Or

strengthened
 or

the end of the verse.

Or

 or

; also in verse 27

Some translators close this quotation at

The First Passover  (Numbers 9:1–14)

12

2
Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron
in the land of Egypt,
“This month is the
beginning of months for you; it shall be the first
3
month of your year.

 a

4

Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the
tenth day of this month each man must select a
lamb
If the
 for his family, one per household.
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
5
accordingly.

6

Your  lamb  must  be  an  unblemished  year-old
male, and you may take it from the sheep or the
You must keep it until the fourteenth day
goats.
of  the  month,  when  the  whole  assembly  of  the
congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals
They are to take some of the blood
at twilight.
and  put  it  on  the  sides  and  tops  of  the  door-
8
 of the houses where they eat the lambs.
frames

7

b

 c

They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over
the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter
9
herbs.

10

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.
Do not leave any
of it until morning; before the morning you must
11
burn up any part that is left over.

d

This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully
dressed  for  travel,
  with  your  sandals  on  your
feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in
12
haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

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
13
against  all  the  gods  of  Egypt.  I  am  the  LORD.
The blood on the houses where you are staying
will be  a  sign;  when  I  see the  blood,  I will  pass
over  you.  No  plague  will  fall  on  you  to  destroy
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
you when I strike the land of Egypt.
(Lev. 23:4–8 ;  Num. 28:16–25 ;  De. 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
15
permanent statute for the generations to come.
For  seven  days  you  must  eat  unleavened
a 3
bread.  On  the  first  day  you  are  to  remove  the
c 7
on the two doorposts and on the lintel
e 17

lamb

 or

kid

The Hebrew word can mean
Literally

Exodus 12:28    |    65

leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything
leavened from the first day through the seventh
16
must be cut off from Israel.

On the first day you are to hold a sacred assem-
bly,  and  another  on  the  seventh  day.  You  must
not do any work on those days, except to prepare
17
the meals—that is all you may do.

e

So  you  are  to  keep  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
Bread,
 for on this very day I brought your divi-
sions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this
18
day as a permanent statute for the generations to
In the first month you are to eat unleav-
come.
ened  bread,  from  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth
19
day  until  the  evening  of  the  twenty-first  day.
For seven days there must be no leaven found
in  your  houses.  If  anyone  eats  something  leav-
ened, that person, whether a foreigner or native
of the land, must be cut off from the congregation
You are not to eat anything leavened;
of Israel.
21
eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

20

Then  Moses  summoned  all  the  elders  of
Israel  and  told  them,  “Go  at  once  and  select
22
for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaugh-
ter  the  Passover  lamb.
Take  a  cluster  of  hys-
sop, 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 un-
23
til morning.

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
24
to enter your houses and strike you down.

And you are to keep this command as a perma-
25
nent  statute  for  you  and  your  descendants.
When  you  enter  the  land  that  the  LORD  will
give  you  as  He  promised,  you  are  to  keep  this
26
service.

27

When your children ask you, ‘What does this
service mean to you?’
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.’
28
Then  the  people  bowed  down  and  worshiped.
And the Israelites went and did just what the
between the two evenings
d 11

LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Gird up your loins

b 6

”

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten

; also in verses 4 and 5.

Hebrew
; similarly in verses 22 and 23

Literally

66    |    Exodus 12:29

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

Instructions for the Passover

29

43

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
30
well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

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
The Exodus Begins
without someone dead.
31

32

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
Take your flocks and herds as
have requested.
well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless
33
me also.”

And  in  order  to  send  them  out  of  the  land
quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For
34
otherwise,”  they  said,  “we  are  all  going  to  die!”
So  the  people  took  their  dough  before  it  was
leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in knead-
35
ing bowls wrapped in clothing.

36

Furthermore,  the  Israelites  acted  on  Moses’
word and asked the Egyptians for articles of sil-
ver and gold, and for clothing.
And the LORD
gave  the  people  such  favor  in  the  sight  of  the
Egyptians that they granted their request. In this
37
way they plundered the Egyptians.

 a

38

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Suc-
coth
  with  about  600,000  men  on  foot,  besides
And  a  mixed  multitude
women  and  children.
also went up with them, along with great droves
39
of livestock, both flocks and herds.

 b

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
40
not prepared any provisions for themselves.

  was  430  years.

41
Now  the  duration  of  the  Israelites’  stay  in
Egypt
At  the  end  of  the  430
years,  to  the  very  day,  all  the  LORD’s  divisions
Because  the
went  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.
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
b 40
a 37 Succoth
for the generations to come.
c 2

tabernacles

shelters

booths

42

d 4 Abib
 or

44

And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This
is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to
eat of it.
But any slave who has been purchased
A
may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.
temporary  resident  or  hired  hand  shall  not  eat
46
the Passover.

45

It must be eaten inside one house. You are not
to  take  any  of  the  meat  outside  the  house,  and
47
you may not break any of the bones.

48

The  whole  congregation  of  Israel  must  cele-
brate  it.
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  uncir-
The same law shall
cumcised man may eat of it.
apply  to  both  the  native and  the  foreigner  who
50
resides among you.”

49

Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as
51
the  LORD  had  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron.
And  on  that  very  day  the  LORD  brought
the  Israelites  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  by  their
The Dedication of the Firstborn  (De. 15:19-23)
divisions.

13

2

c

“Conse-
Then the LORD said to Moses,
crate  to  Me  every  firstborn  male.
  The
firstborn from every womb among the Israelites
3
belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”

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
4
shall be eaten.
5

d

Today, in the month of Abib,
 you are leaving.
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
6
month.

7

For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread,
and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to
the LORD.
Unleavened bread shall be eaten dur-
ing those seven days. Nothing leavened may be
found among you, nor shall leaven be found any-
where within your borders.

in Egypt and Canaan

in Canaan and Egypt

 means

 or

.

MT; SP

; LXX

Cited in Luke 2:23

 was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within

the months of March and April.

8

9

And on that day you are to explain to your son,
‘This  is  because  of  what  the  LORD  did  for  me
It shall be a sign for
when I came out of Egypt.’
you on your hand and a reminder on your fore-
head that the Law of the LORD is to be on your
lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought
Therefore you shall keep this
you out of Egypt.
11
statute at the appointed time year after year.

10

12

13

And after the LORD brings you into the land of
the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to
you are to present to the
you and your fathers,
LORD  the  firstborn  male  of  every  womb.  All
the  firstborn  males  of  your  livestock  belong  to
You  must  redeem  every  firstborn
the  LORD.
donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it,
you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of
14
your sons you must redeem.

15

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,
And when Pharaoh
out of the house of slavery.
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
So it shall serve as a
the firstborn of my sons.’
sign  on  your  hand  and  a  symbol  on  your  fore-
head, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought
The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
us out of Egypt.”
17

16

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
So  God  led  the
minds  and  return  to  Egypt.”
people around by the way of the wilderness to-
ward the Red Sea.
 And the Israelites left the land
19
of Egypt arrayed for battle.

18

a

b

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him be-
cause Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a
solemn  oath  when  he  said,  “God  will  surely  at-
tend to you, and then you must carry my bones
20
with you from this place.”

 c

21

They  set  out  from  Succoth  and  camped  at
And the
Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
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
b 18
a 18
Neither the pillar of cloud by
by day or night.
strengthen
Or

the Sea of Reeds

LXX

e 8

22

Exodus 14:14    |    67

day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place be-
Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites
fore the people.

2

14

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Tell the
Israelites  to  turn  back  and  encamp  be-
fore  Pi-hahiroth,  between  Migdol  and  the  sea.
You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite
3
Baal-zephon.

 d

4

For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are
wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness
has  boxed  them  in.’
  Phar-
aoh’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.”
5
So this is what the Israelites did.

And  I  will  harden

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
6
done? We have released Israel from serving us.”

7

So  Pharaoh  prepared  his  chariot  and  took  his
He  took  600  of  the  best
army  with  him.
chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with
8
officers over all of them.

e

9

And  the  LORD  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh
king  of  Egypt  so  that  he  pursued  the  Israelites,
The  Egyp-
who  were  marching  out  defiantly.
tians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horse-
men  and  troops—pursued  the  Israelites  and
overtook  them  as  they  camped  by  the  sea  near
10
Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.

11

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked
up and saw the Egyptians marching after them,
and  they  were  terrified  and  cried  out  to  the
They  said  to  Moses,  “Was  it  because
LORD.
there were no graves in Egypt that you brought
us  into  the  wilderness  to  die?  What  have  you
Did we
done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
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
13
die in the wilderness.”

12

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
The  LORD  will  fight  for  you;  you  need
again.
only to be still.”

stiffen

c 19

d 4

14

marching out with an upraised hand

Genesis 50:25

Or

 or

left the land of Egypt in the fifth generation

marching out boldly

; similarly in verses 8 and 17

Or

; literally

68    |    Exodus 14:15

Parting the Red Sea

15

17

16

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Why  are  you
crying  out  to  Me?  Tell  the  Israelites  to  go  for-
And  as  for  you,  lift  up  your  staff  and
ward.
stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it,
so that the Israelites can go through the sea on
dry ground.
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
The  Egyp-
army  and  chariots  and  horsemen.
tians  will  know  that  I  am  the  LORD  when  I  am
honored  through  Pharaoh,  his  chariots,  and  his
19
horsemen.”

18

 a

20

And  the  angel

  of  God,  who  had  gone  before
the  camp  of  Israel,  withdrew  and  went  behind
them. The pillar of cloud also moved from before
so that it came
them and stood behind them,
b
between the camps of Egypt and Israel. The cloud
was there in the darkness, but it lit up the night.
So  all  night  long  neither  camp  went  near  the
21
other.

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
and the Isra-
land. So the waters were divided,
elites went through the sea on dry ground, with
23
walls of water on their right and on their left.

22

24

And  the  Egyptians  chased  after  them—all
Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen—and
At morning watch,
followed them into the sea.
however, the LORD looked down on the army of
the  Egyptians  from  the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud,
He
and  He  threw  their  camp  into  confusion.
caused  their  chariot  wheels  to  wobble,
  so  that
they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the
Israelites,”  said  the  Egyptians,  “for  the  LORD  is
26
fighting for them against Egypt!”

25

c

27

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
So  Moses  stretched  out  his
and  horsemen.”
hand  over  the  sea,  and  at  daybreak  the  sea  re-
turned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were
28
retreating,  the  LORD  swept  them  into  the  sea.
The waters flowed back and covered the char-
iots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh
that  had  chased  the  Israelites  into  the  sea.  Not
b 20
a 19
one of them survived.
the Sea of Reeds
d 4

and the night passed

Angel

c 25

29

30

But the Israelites had walked through the sea
on dry ground, with walls of water on their right
That  day  the  LORD  saved
and  on  their  left.
Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel
saw  the  Egyptians  dead  on  the  shore.
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
The Song at the Sea  (Judges 5:1–31)
Moses.

31

15

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

2

He has thrown into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise Him,
3

my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

The LORD is a warrior,

4

the LORD is His name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and army
He has cast into the sea;

d

the finest of his officers

5

are drowned in the Red Sea.
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,

7

has shattered the enemy.
You overthrew Your adversaries

by Your great majesty.

8

You unleashed Your burning wrath;
it consumed them like stubble.

At the blast of Your nostrils
the waters piled up;

like a wall the currents stood firm;

9

the depths congealed in the heart of the

sea.

The enemy declared,

‘I will pursue, I will overtake.

I will divide the spoils;

I will gorge myself on them.

10

I will draw my sword;

my hand will destroy them.’
But You blew with Your breath,
to bind
to come off
and the sea covered them.

to swerve

Or

Or

LXX
; also in verse 22

Or

 or

 or

; see also SP, LXX, and Syriac.

They sank like lead

11

in the mighty waters.

Who among the gods is like You, O LORD?
Who is like You—majestic in holiness,

12

revered with praises,

performing wonders?

13

You stretched out Your right hand,

 a
and the earth swallowed them up.

With loving devotion

 You will lead
the people You have redeemed;
with Your strength You will guide them

14

to Your holy dwelling.

15

The nations will hear and tremble;

anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.

Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;

16

trembling will seize the leaders of Moab;

those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
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,

17

until the people You have bought

pass by.

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

19

The LORD will reign forever and ever!”

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
20
Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

Then  Miriam  the  prophetess,  Aaron’s  sister,
took  a  tambourine  in  her  hand,  and  all  the
women  followed  her  with  tambourines  and
dancing.

And Miriam sang back to them:

21

“Sing to the LORD,

for He is highly exalted;

the horse and rider
The Waters of Marah

He has thrown into the sea.”

22

23

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
chesed
a 13
  they
water.
faithfulness
love

And  when  they  came  to  Marah,
kindness

b

Exodus 16:8    |    69

could  not  drink  the  water  there  because  it  was
24
bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)

25
So the people grumbled against Moses, saying,
“What are we to drink?”
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.

26

There the LORD made for them a statute and an
saying,
ordinance,  and  there  He  tested  them,
“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
27
the LORD who heals you.”

Then  they  came  to  Elim,  where  there  were
twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees,
Manna and Quail from Heaven
and they camped there by the waters.

16

c

2

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
 which is between
and came to the Desert of Sin,
And  there  in  the  desert  the
Elim  and  Sinai.
3
whole  congregation  of  Israel  grumbled  against
Moses  and  Aaron.
“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
4
starve this whole assembly to death!”

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
Then  on  the
they  will  follow  My  instructions.
sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in,
it  will  be  twice  as  much  as  they  gather  on  the
6
other days.”

5

7

So  Moses  and  Aaron  said  to  all  the  Israelites,
“This evening you will know that it was the LORD
and
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, be-
cause He has heard your grumbling against Him.
For who are we, that you should grumble against
8
us?”

And  Moses  added,  “The  LORD  will  give  you
meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in

loving devotion

bitter

Forms of the Hebrew
range of meaning includes
means
.

c 1

,
The geographical name

,

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, and

, as well as

mercy

Sinai

loyalty to a covenant

Sin

,

.

b 23 Marah
; the
sin

 is related to

 and should not be mistaken for the English word

.

70    |    Exodus 16:9

the  morning,  for  He  has  heard  your  grumbling
against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are
9
not against us but against the LORD.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole con-
gregation  of  Israel,  ‘Come  before  the  LORD,  for
10
He has heard your grumbling.’

”

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
11
appeared.

12

 a

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“I have heard
the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twi-
light
 you will eat meat, and in the morning you
will be filled with bread. Then you will know that
13
I am the LORD your God.’

”

That  evening  quail  came  and  covered  the
14
camp,  and  in  the  morning  there  was  a  layer  of
When the layer of dew
dew around the camp.
had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the de-
When
sert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.
the  Israelites  saw  it,  they  asked  one  another,
“What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

15

16

So  Moses  told  them,  “It  is  the  bread  that  the
This  is  what  the
LORD  has  given  you  to  eat.
LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as
  for
much  as  he  needs.  You  may  take  an  omer
17
each person in your tent.’

”

 b

18

c

So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more,
When they measured it by the
and some less.
omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and
 Each one
he who gathered little had no shortfall.
19
gathered as much as he needed to eat.

20
Then  Moses  said  to  them,  “No  one  may  keep
But they did not listen
any of it until morning.”
to Moses; some people left part of it until morn-
ing,  and  it  became  infested  with  maggots  and
21
began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

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 un-
24
til morning.’

”

25

So they set it aside until morning as Moses had
commanded, and it did not smell or contain any
“Eat  it  today,”  Moses  said,  “because
maggots.
26
today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will
not find anything in the field.
For six days you
may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath,
27
it will not be there.”

29

28

Yet  on  the  seventh  day  some  of  the  people
went  out  to  gather,  but  they  did  not  find  any-
Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long
thing.
will you refuse to keep My commandments and
Understand  that  the  LORD  has
instructions?
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
30
one may leave his place.”
The Jar of Manna

So the people rested on the seventh day.

31

e

32

Now  the  house  of  Israel  called  the  bread
manna.
  It  was  white  like  coriander  seed  and
Moses
tasted  like  wafers  made  with  honey.
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
33
land of Egypt.’

”

So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with
an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD
f
34
to  be  preserved  for  the  generations  to  come.”
And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony,
to  be  preserved  just  as  the  LORD  had  com-
35
manded Moses.

Every  morning  each  one  gathered  as  much
as  was  needed,  and  when  the  sun  grew  hot,  it
The Sabbath Observed  (Gen. 2:1-3; Heb. 4:1-11)
melted away.
22

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they
came to a land where they could settle; they ate
36
manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
Water from the Rock  (Numbers 20:1–13)
(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

 g

 d

23

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much
food—two omers per person
—and all the lead-
ers of the congregation came and reported this to
a 12
He told them, “This is what the LORD
Moses.
c 18

Between the two evenings

b 16 An omer

d 22 2 omers

17

h
Then  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel
left the Desert of Sin,
 moving from place
to place as the LORD commanded. They camped

e 31 Manna

Heb.
Cited in 2 Corinthians 8:15

What is it?

like the Hebrew for
h 1
scribed with the Ten Commandments.
liters.

The geographical name

Sin

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters; also in vv. 18, 32, 33, and 36.

g 36 An
 (see verse 15).

 is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters per person.

 sounds
 refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant in-
 was a dry measure having the capacity of about 20 dry quarts or 22

Sinai

sin

 is related to

 and should not be mistaken for the English word

.

f 34 The Testimony
ephah

2

at  Rephidim,  but  there  was  no  water  for  the
So the people contended with
people to drink.
Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied.
3
“Why do you test the LORD?”

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
4
children and livestock die of thirst?”

Then  Moses  cried  out  to  the  LORD,  “What
should I do with these people? A little more and
5
they will stone me!”

6

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
a
Behold, I will
which you struck the Nile, and go.
stand  there  before  you  by  the  rock  at  Horeb.
And  when  you  strike  the  rock,  water  will  come
out of it for the people to drink.”

He named the place Massah

 c
So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Is-
 and Meribah
rael.
because  the  Israelites  quarreled,  and  because
they  tested  the  LORD,  saying,  “Is  the  LORD
The Defeat of the Amalekites
among us or not?”
8

7

 b

9

After  this,  the  Amalekites  came  and  attacked
So  Moses  said  to
the  Israelites  at  Rephidim.
Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to
fight  the  Amalekites.  Tomorrow  I  will  stand  on
10
the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”

Joshua  did  as  Moses  had  instructed  him  and
fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aa-
11
ron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

12

As  long  as  Moses  held  up  his  hands,  Israel
prevailed;  but  when  he  lowered  them,  Amalek
When  Moses’  hands  grew  heavy,
prevailed.
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
13
steady until the sun went down.

So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army

14
with the sword.

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.”
a 6 Horeb
Nissi
sojourner

Jethro
 is another name for Sinai.

God is my helper

b 7 Massah

g 4 Eliezer

 means

Reuel

e 1

testing

Exodus 18:12    |    71

15

d

16

And  Moses  built  an  altar  and  named  it  The
LORD Is My Banner.
“Indeed,” he said, “a hand
was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The
LORD will war against Amalek from generation
The Visit of Jethro
to generation.”

18

e

3

Now  Moses’  father-in-law  Jethro,
  the
priest of Midian, heard about all that God
had  done  for  Moses  and  His  people  Israel,  and
2
how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

f

After  Moses  had  sent  back  his  wife  Zipporah,
his father-in-law Jethro had received her,
along
with  her  two  sons.  One  son  was  named  Ger-
4
shom,
  for  Moses  had  said,  “I  have  been  a  for-
eigner  in  a  foreign  land.”
The  other  son  was
named Eliezer,
 for Moses had said, “The God of
my father was my helper and delivered me from
5
the sword of Pharaoh.”

g

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’
wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where
He
he  was  encamped  at  the  mountain  of  God.
sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro,
am  coming  to  you  with  your  wife  and  her  two
7
sons.”

6

8

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.
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 encoun-
tered  along  the  way,  and  how  the  LORD  had
9
delivered them.

10

And Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the
LORD had done for Israel, whom He had rescued
Jethro  de-
from  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians.
clared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered
you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Phar-
11
aoh, and who has delivered the people from the
Now  I  know  that  the
hand  of  the  Egyptians.
LORD  is  greater  than  all  other  gods,  for  He  did
12
this when they treated Israel with arrogance.”

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.

c 7 Meribah

quarreling

YHWH

d 15

.

f 3 Gershom

 means

.

Hebrew

Moses’ father-in-law

.

 means

 was also called
.

; see Exodus 2:18.

 sounds like the Hebrew for

72    |    Exodus 18:13

Jethro Advises Moses
(Deuteronomy 1:9–18)

13

14

The next day Moses took his seat to judge the
people, and they stood around him from morning
until  evening.
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
15
standing around you from morning till evening?”

16

“Because the people come to me to inquire of
“Whenever  they  have  a
God,”  Moses  replied.
dispute, it is brought to me to judge between one
man and another, and I make known to them the
17
statutes and laws of God.”
18
But  Moses’  father-in-law  said  to  him,  “What
Surely you and these
you are doing is not good.
people  with  you  will  wear  yourselves  out,  be-
cause the task is too heavy for you. You cannot
19
handle it alone.

20

Now listen to me; I will give you some advice,
and may God be with you. You must be the peo-
ple’s  representative  before  God  and  bring  their
Teach  them  the  statutes  and
causes  to  Him.
laws,  and  show  them  the  way  to  live  and  the
21
work they must do.

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,
22
of fifties, and of tens.

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
23
you.

If  you  follow  this  advice  and  God  so  directs
you, then you will be able to endure, and all these
24
people can go home in peace.”

25

26

Moses  listened  to  his  father-in-law  and  did
So  Moses  chose  capable
everything  he  said.
men  from  all  Israel  and  made  them  heads  over
the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds,
And they judged the peo-
of fifties, and of tens.
ple  at  all  times;  they  would  bring  the  difficult
cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would
27
judge themselves.

Israel at Mount Sinai

19

 a

2

In  the  third  month,  on  the  same  day  of
  that  the  Israelites  had  left
the  month
the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of
After  they  had  set  out  from  Rephidim,
Sinai.
they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel
3
camped there in front of the mountain.

4

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:
‘You have seen for yourselves
what  I  did  to  Egypt,  and  how  I  carried  you  on
eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Now if
you will indeed obey My voice and keep My cov-
enant, you will be My treasured possession out of
6
all  the  nations—for  the  whole  earth  is  Mine.
And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you
7
are to speak to the Israelites.”

5

8

So Moses went back and summoned the elders
of the people and set before them all these words
that the LORD had commanded him.
And all the
people  answered  together,  “We  will  do  every-
thing that the LORD has spoken.”
9
So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.

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
10
had said.

11

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the peo-
ple  and  consecrate  them  today  and  tomorrow.
They must wash their clothes
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
12
the people.

13

And you are to set up a boundary for the peo-
ple around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be care-
ful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base.
Whoever  touches  the  mountain  shall  surely  be
put to death.
No hand shall touch him, but he
shall  surely  be  stoned  or  shot  with  arrows—
whether man or beast, he must not live.’

 b

c

Only  when  the  ram’s  horn  sounds  a  long  blast
14
may they approach the mountain.

”

Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,

In the third month, on the same day
a 1
and Jethro returned to his own land.
b 13

c 13

may they go up on the mountain

When Moses came down from the mountain to
the  people,  he  consecrated  them,  and  they

Hebrew

; that is, two months after leaving Egypt; see Numbers 33:3.

Cited in Hebrews 12:20

Or

15

5

Exodus 20:19    |    73

“Be  prepared  for  the
washed  their  clothes.
third  day,”  he  said  to  the  people.  “Do  not  draw
The LORD Visits Sinai
near to a woman.”
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
Then Moses brought the peo-
camp trembled.
ple out of the camp to meet with God, and they
18
stood at the foot of the mountain.

17

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 fur-
19
nace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
And  as  the  sound  of  the  ram’s  horn  grew
louder  and  louder,  Moses  spoke  and  God  an-
20
swered him in the thunder.

21

The  LORD  descended  to  the  top  of  Mount
Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses
and the LORD said to him, “Go down
went up,
and warn the people not to break through to see
Even the
the LORD, lest many of them perish.
priests who approach the LORD must consecrate
themselves,  or  the  LORD will  break  out  against
23
them.”

22

But Moses said to the LORD, “The people can-
not  come  up  Mount  Sinai,  for  You  solemnly
warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain
24
”
and set it apart as holy.’

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,
25
or He will break out against them.”

So Moses went down to the people and spoke

The Ten Commandments  (De. 5:6–21)
to them.

20

2
And God spoke all these words:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery.

3

a

4

You shall have no other gods before Me.

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.

to thousands

besides Me

c 12

b 6

a 3
d 13

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 gener-
 b
but  showing
ations  of  those  who  hate  Me,
loving devotion to a thousand generations
of  those  who  love  Me  and  keep  My  com-
7
mandments.

6

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
8
vain.
9

Remember  the  Sabbath  day  by  keeping  it
10
Six days you shall labor and do all your
holy.
work,
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 maidser-
vant  or  livestock,  nor  the  foreigner  within
For in six days the LORD made
your gates.
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 Sab-
12
bath day and set it apart as holy.

11

Honor  your  father  and  mother,  so  that
your  days  may  be  long  in  the  land  that  the
13
LORD your God is giving you.
14

d

e

c

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

f

15

16

You shall not steal.

g

You  shall  not  bear  false  witness  against

17
your neighbor.

 h

You  shall  not  covet

  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
“Speak to us
trembled and stood at a distance.
yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses.
“But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”

19

e 14

Or

Or

Cited in Matt. 15:4, Matt. 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, and Ephesians 6:2–3

f 15

Cited in Matt. 5:21, Matt. 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11

Cited in Matt. 5:27,

h 17

g 16

Matt. 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
Romans 13:9

Cited in Matt. 19:18, Mark 10:19, and Luke 18:20

Cited in Mat. 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and

Cited in Romans 7:7 and Romans 13:9

74    |    Exodus 20:20

20

21

“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.”
And the
people stood at a distance as Moses approached
Idolatry Forbidden  (1 Corinthians 10:14–22)
the thick darkness where God was.
22

23

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
You are not to make any gods along-
heaven.
side Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods
24
of silver or gold.

You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and
sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace of-
ferings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every
place where I cause My name to be remembered,
25
I will come to you and bless you.

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.
And
you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your
Hebrew Servants  (Deuteronomy 15:12–18)
nakedness be exposed on it.’

26

21

2

“These are the ordinances that you are to
set before them:

3

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.
If  he  arrived
alone,  he  is  to  leave  alone;  if  he  arrived  with  a
wife, she is to leave with him.
If his master gives
him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters,
the woman and her children shall belong to her
5
master, and only the man shall go free.

4

6

But  if  the  servant  declares,  ‘I  love  my  master
and  my  wife  and  children;  I  do  not  want  to  go
a
free,’
then his master is to bring him before the
judges.
  And  he  shall  take  him  to  the  door  or
doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he
7
shall serve his master for life.

8

11

marital rights of his first wife.
If, however, he
does not provide her with these three things, she
Personal Injury Laws
is free to go without monetary payment.
12

13

Whoever  strikes  and  kills  a  man  must  surely
be put to death.
If, however, he did not lie in
wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will ap-
14
point for you a place where he may flee.

But if a man schemes and acts willfully against
his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away
15
from My altar to be put to death.

Whoever  strikes  his  father  or  mother  must

16
surely be put to death.

Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to
death, whether he sells him or the man is found
17
in his possession.

 c

d
 his father or mother must

Anyone who curses
18
surely be put to death.

19

If men are quarreling and one strikes the other
with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is
then the one who struck him
confined to bed,
shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get
up and walk around outside with his staff. Nev-
ertheless,  he  must  compensate  the  man  for  his
20
lost work and see that he is completely healed.

21

If  a  man  strikes  his  manservant  or  maidser-
vant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand,
he  shall  surely  be  punished.
However,  if  the
servant  gets  up  after  a  day  or  two,  the  owner
shall  not  be  punished,  since  the  servant  is  his
22
property.

e

23

If  men  who  are  fighting  strike  a  pregnant
woman and her child is born prematurely,
 but
there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined
as  the  woman’s  husband  demands  and  as  the
But  if  a  serious  injury  results,
court  allows.
f
eye for
then you must require a life for a life—
25
eye, tooth for tooth,
 hand for hand, foot for foot,
burn  for  burn,  wound  for  wound,  and  stripe

24

26
for stripe.

b

And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she
If she is
is not to go free as the menservants do.
displeasing  in  the  eyes  of  her  master  who  had
designated her for himself,
 he must allow her to
be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to for-
eigners, since he has broken faith with her.
And
if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with
her  as  with  a  daughter.
If  he  takes  another
so that he does not designate her for himself
a 6
wife,  he  must  not  reduce  the  food,  clothing,  or

before God

b 8

10

9

and her children come out

f 24

e 22

Or

Or

and Mark 7:10

Literally

27

If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his man-
servant or maidservant, he must let the servant
go free as compensation for the eye.
And if he
knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maid-
servant, he must let the servant go free as com-
28
pensation for the tooth.

 g

dishonors

If an ox
c 17

 gores a man or woman to death, the
reviles
ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not
Cited in Matt. 15:4
; also in verses 29–36

Cited in Matthew 5:38

g 28
 or

a bull

d 17

Or

Or

be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held
29
responsible.

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
30
stoned and its owner must also be put to death.
If payment is demanded of him instead, he may
redeem  his  life  by  paying  the  full  amount  de-
31
manded of him.

If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be

32
done to him according to the same rule.

 a

If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant,
the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver
 to
the  master  of  that  servant,  and  the  ox  must  be
33
stoned.

34

If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it,
the owner of
and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
the  pit  shall  make  restitution;  he  must  pay  its
35
owner, and the dead animal will be his.

If  a  man’s  ox  injures  his  neighbor’s  ox  and  it
dies,  they  must  sell  the  live  one  and  divide  the
36
proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.
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 an-
Property Laws
imal will be his.

 b

22

“If  a  man  steals  an  ox
  or  a  sheep  and
slaughters or sells it, he must repay five

2
oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
3

If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to
But if
death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.
it  happens  after  sunrise,  there  is  guilt  for  his
bloodshed.

4

A thief must make full restitution; if he has noth-
ing, he himself shall be sold for his theft.
If what
was stolen is actually found alive in his posses-
sion—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must
5
pay back double.

If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vine-
yard and allows them to stray so that they graze
in someone else’s field, he must make restitution
6
from the best of his own field or vineyard.

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
a 32 30 shekels
make full restitution.
c 8

before God

whom God condemns

d 9

7

Exodus 22:21    |    75

8

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.
If the thief is not found, the owner
of the house must appear before the judges
 to
determine whether he has taken his neighbor’s
9
property.

 c

In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a don-
key,  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
 must pay back dou-
10
ble to his neighbor.

 d

11

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,
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
12
restitution.

But if the animal was actually stolen from the
13
neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner.

If the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring
it as evidence; he need not make restitution for
14
the torn carcass.

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.
If  the
owner was present, no restitution is required. If
Laws of Social Responsibility
the animal was rented, the fee covers the loss.
16

15

17

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.
If her father
absolutely  refuses  to  give  her  to  him,  the  man
still  must  pay  an  amount  comparable  to  the
18
bridal price of a virgin.
19

You must not allow a sorceress to live.

Whoever  lies  with  an  animal  must  surely  be

20
put to death.

e

If  anyone  sacrifices  to  any  god  other  than
the  LORD  alone,  he  must  be  set  apart  for
21
destruction.

You must not exploit or oppress a foreign res-
ident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the
a bull
land of Egypt.
Or

; also in verses 4, 9, and 10

cherem

a cow

e 20

b 1

 refer to the giving over

Or

 is approximately 12 ounces or 342 grams of silver.
Or

; also in verse 9

 or
Forms of the Hebrew

of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

76    |    Exodus 22:22

22
23

24

You must not mistreat any widow or orphan.
If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me
My an-
in distress, I will surely hear their cry.
ger  will  be  kindled,  and  I  will  kill  you  with  the
sword; then your wives will become widows and
25
your children will be fatherless.

If you lend money to one of My people among
you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to
26
him; you are not to charge him interest.

27

If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral,
because his cloak is
return it to him by sunset,
the only covering he has for his body. What else
will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will
28
hear, for I am compassionate.

a

You  must  not  blaspheme  God  or  curse  the

29
ruler of your people.

30

You  must  not  hold  back  offerings  from  your
granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn
You shall do likewise with your
of your sons.
cattle  and  your  sheep.  Let  them  stay  with  their
mothers  for  seven  days,  but  on  the  eighth  day
31
you are to give them to Me.

You are to be My holy people. You must not eat
the meat of a mauled animal found in the field;
Justice and Mercy
you are to throw it to the dogs.

23

2
witness.

“You  shall  not  spread  a  false  report.  Do
not join the wicked by being a malicious

You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing.
When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert jus-
And do not show
tice by siding with the crowd.
4
favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

3

If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or don-

5
key, you must return it to him.

If  you  see  the  donkey  of  one  who  hates  you
fallen  under  its  load,  do  not  leave  it  there;  you
6
must help him with it.

7

You  shall  not  deny  justice  to  the  poor  in  their
Stay far away from a false accusation.
lawsuits.
Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not
8
acquit the guilty.

9

Do  not  oppress  a  foreign  resident,  since  you
yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for
Sabbath Laws
you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
(Leviticus 25:1–7 ;  Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

10

11

For  six  years  you  are  to  sow  your  land  and
but in the seventh year you
gather its produce,
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.
12
Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

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 for-
13
eign resident.

Pay close attention to everything I have said to
you.  You  must  not  invoke  the  names  of  other
The Three Feasts of Pilgrimage  (Lev. 23:1–3)
gods; they must not be heard on your lips.
14

Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast

15
to Me.
 b

You  are  to  keep  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
 c
Bread
  as  I  commanded  you:  At  the  appointed
time in the month of Abib
 you are to eat unleav-
ened bread for seven days, because that was the
month  you  came  out  of  Egypt.  No  one  may  ap-
16
pear before Me empty-handed.

 d

You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest

 with
the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow
in the field.

 e

 at the end of
And keep the Feast of Ingathering
the year, when you gather your produce from the
17
field.

Three times a year all your males are to appear

18
before the Lord GOD.

You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices
with  anything  leavened,  nor  may  the  fat  of  My
19
feast remain until morning.

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to

the house of the LORD your God.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those
who see and twists the words of the righteous.
or speak evil about the ruler of your people
a 28

You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s
milk.
c 15 Abib
; cited in Acts 23:5

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover

b 15

d 16

LXX

during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
to Jerusalem; it is also known as
Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is later called

the Feast of Weeks

 (see Exodus 34:22) or

the Feast of Tabernacles

 was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar

the Feast of Pentecost
That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage
That is,

 (see Acts 2:1).

Shelters

Booths

e 16

 (or

 or

).

God’s Angel to Lead  (Deuteronomy 7:12–26)

3

Exodus 24:18    |    77

20

21

Behold,  I  am  sending  an  angel  before  you  to
protect  you  along  the  way  and  to  bring  you
to the place I have prepared.
Pay attention to
him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for
he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in
22
him.

23

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.
For My angel
will go before you and bring you into the land of
the  Amorites,  Hittites,  Perizzites,  Canaanites,
24
Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.

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
25
pieces.

 a

So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He
will bless
 your bread and your water. And I will
No
take  away  sickness  from  among  you.
woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I
27
will fulfill the number of your days.

26

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.
I will send
the  hornet  before  you  to  drive  the  Hivites  and
29
Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

28

I will not drive them out before you in a single
year; otherwise the land would become desolate
30
and  wild  animals  would  multiply  against  you.
Little  by  little  I  will  drive  them  out  ahead  of
you,  until  you  become  fruitful  and  possess  the
31
land.
 b
And I will establish your borders from the Red
  to  the  Sea  of  the  Philistines,  and  from  the
Sea
 For I will deliver the in-
desert to the Euphrates.
habitants into your hand, and you will drive them
out  before  you.
You  shall  make  no  covenant
with  them  or  with  their  gods.
They  must  not
remain  in  your  land,  lest  they  cause  you  to  sin
against  Me.  For  if  you  serve  their  gods,  it  will
The Covenant Sealed
surely be a snare to you.”

33

32

c

24

2

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.
Moses alone shall
approach  the  LORD,  but  the  others  must  not
come near. And the people may not go up with
a 25
him.”

the Sea of Reeds

I will bless

b 31

LXX and Vulgate

Or

When  Moses  came  and  told  the  people  all  the
words and ordinances of the LORD, they all re-
sponded with one voice: “All the words that the
4
LORD has spoken, we will do.”

And  Moses  wrote  down  all  the  words  of  the

LORD.

5

Early the next morning he got up and built an al-
tar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve
Then  he
pillars  for  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.
sent out some young men of Israel, and they of-
fered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls
6
as peace offerings to the LORD.

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls,
7
and  the  other  half  he  splattered  on  the  altar.
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read
it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD
8
has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

So  Moses  took  the  blood,  splattered  it  on  the
people, and said, “This is the blood of the cove-
nant that the LORD has made with you in accord-
9
ance with all these words.”

 d

10

11

Then  Moses  went  up  with  Aaron,  Nadab  and
Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
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.
But God did not lay His hand
on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they
Moses on the Mountain
ate and drank.
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 com-
13
mandments I have written for their instruction.”

14

So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and
went up on the mountain of God.
And he said
to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to
you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever
15
has a dispute can go to them.”

16

When  Moses  went  up  on  the  mountain,  the
cloud  covered  it,
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.
And the
sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consum-
ing  fire  on  the  mountaintop  in  the  eyes  of  the
18
Israelites.

17

c 31

Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the
mountain,  and  he  remained  on  the  mountain
forty days and forty nights.
Hebrew

Cited in Hebrews 9:20

the River

d 8

78    |    Exodus 25:1

Offerings for the Tabernacle  (Exodus 35:4–9)

2

25

“Tell the
Then the LORD said to Moses,
Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are
to  receive  My  offering  from  every  man  whose
This is the offering you are
heart compels him.
to accept from them:

3

4
gold, silver, and bronze;

blue, purple, and scarlet yarn;

5
fine linen and goat hair;

 a

ram skins dyed red and fine leather;

6
acacia wood;

olive oil for the light;

spices for the anointing oil and for the
7
fragrant incense;

8

and onyx stones and gemstones to be
mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

9

And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that
You  must  make  the
I  may  dwell  among  them.
tabernacle and design all its furnishings accord-
The Ark of the Covenant  (Exodus 37:1–5)
ing to the pattern I show you.
10

And  they  are  to  construct  an  ark  of  acacia
wood,  two  and  a  half  cubits  long,  a  cubit  and  a
Overlay
half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a
12
gold molding around it.

11

b

13

Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its
four feet, two rings on one side and two on the
14
And  make  poles  of  acacia  wood  and
other.
Insert  the  poles  into
overlay  them  with  gold.
15
the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry
it.
The poles are to remain in the rings of the
c
And place in-
ark; they must not be removed.
The Mercy Seat  (Exodus 37:6–9)
 which I will give you.
side the ark the Testimony,
17

16

 d

e

18

And you are to construct a mercy seat

 of pure
gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a
half wide.
Make two cherubim of hammered
gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
one cherub
on one end and one on the other, all made from
And  the  cherubim  are  to
one  piece  of  gold.
a 5

b 10

19

20

have wings that spread upward, overshadowing
the  mercy  seat.  The  cherubim  are  to  face  each
21
other, looking toward the mercy seat.

Set  the  mercy  seat  atop  the  ark  and  put  the

22
Testimony that I will give you into the ark.

 f

And  I  will  meet  with  you  there  above  the
mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are
over the ark of the Testimony;
 I will speak with
you about all that I command you regarding the
The Table of Showbread
Israelites.
(Exodus 37:10–16 ;  Leviticus 24:5–9)

23

g

24

You  are  also  to  make  a  table  of  acacia  wood
two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a
Overlay it with pure gold and make
half high.
 h
a  gold  molding  around  it.
And  make  a  rim
  and  put  a  gold
around  it  a  handbreadth  wide
26
molding on the rim.

25

27

Make four gold rings for the table and fasten
them  to  the  four  corners  at  its  four  legs.
The
28
rings are to be close to the rim, to serve as hold-
Make
ers for the poles used to carry the table.
the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with
29
gold, so that the table may be carried with them.

You are also to make the plates and dishes, as
well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink
30
offerings. Make them out of pure gold.

And place the Bread of the Presence on the ta-

The Lampstand
ble before Me at all times.
(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, in-
cluding its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds
32
and petals.

33

Six  branches  are  to  extend  from  the  sides  of
the lampstand—three on one side and three on
There  are  to  be  three  cups  shaped
the  other.
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.

 c 16 The Testimony

Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals

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).
atonement cover
stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments; also in verses 21 and 22.

e 17

the ark of the covenant

g 23

f 22

; here and throughout Exodus

The mercy seat was approximately 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide

h 25 A handbreadth

(114.3 centimeters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
The table was approxi-
mately 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).

 is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.

That is,

an

d 17
 refers to the
Or

34

10

Exodus 26:29    |    79

35

And on the lampstand there shall be four cups
shaped like almond blossoms with buds and pet-
For the six branches that extend from the
als.
lampstand, a bud must be under the first pair of
branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud
The  buds  and  branches
under  the  third  pair.
are  to  be  all  of  one  piece  with  the  lampstand,
37
hammered out of pure gold.

36

38

Make  seven  lamps  and  set  them  up  on  the
lampstand  so  that  they  illuminate  the  area  in
39
The wick trimmers and their trays
front of it.
The  lampstand  and  all
must  be  of  pure  gold.
a
these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure
40
gold.

b

See to it that you make everything according to

The Ten Curtains for the Tabernacle
the pattern shown you on the mountain.
(Exodus 36:8–13)

26

“You  are  to  construct  the  tabernacle  it-
self with ten curtains of finely spun linen,
each  with  blue,  purple,  and  scarlet  yarn,  and
Each cur-
cherubim skillfully worked into them.
tain  shall  be  twenty-eight  cubits  long  and  four
3
cubits wide

—all curtains the same size.

2

 c

4

Five  of  the  curtains  are  to  be  joined  together,
and the other five joined as well.
Make loops of
blue  material  on  the  edge  of  the  end  curtain  in
the first set, and do the same for the end curtain
5
in the second set.

6

Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops
on the end curtain of the second set, so that the
Make fifty
loops line up opposite one another.
gold clasps as well, and join the curtains together
with the clasps, so that the tabernacle will be a
The Eleven Curtains of Goat Hair
unit.
(Exodus 36:14–19)

7

You  are  to  make  curtains  of  goat  hair  for  the
8
tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all.
Each  of  the  eleven  curtains  is  to  be  the  same

9
size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.

d

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.
a 39 A talent

Make fifty loops along the edge of the end cur-
tain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge
11
of  the  corresponding  curtain  in  the  second  set.
Make fifty bronze clasps and put them through

12
the loops to join the tent together as a unit.

13

As for the overlap that remains of the tent cur-
tains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang
down over the back of the tabernacle.
And the
tent  curtains  will  be  a  cubit
  longer  on  either
side,  and  the  excess  will hang  over  the  sides  of
14
the tabernacle to cover it.

 e

f

Also  make  a  covering  for  the  tent  out  of  ram
skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine
The Frames and Bases  (Exodus 36:20–34)
leather.
15

16

You are to construct upright frames of acacia
g
Each  frame  is  to  be

wood  for  the  tabernacle.
17
ten  cubits  long  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  wide.

 h

Two tenons

 must be connected to each other
for each frame. Make all the frames of the taber-
18
nacle in this way.
19

Construct twenty frames for the south side of
with  forty  silver  bases  under
the  tabernacle,
the  twenty  frames—two  bases  for  each  frame,
20
one under each tenon.

21

For the second side of the tabernacle, the north
and forty silver ba-

side, make twenty frames
22
ses—two bases under each frame.

23

24

Make six frames for the rear of the tabernacle,
and two frames for the two back
the west side,
coupled  together
corners  of  the  tabernacle,
25
from bottom to top and fitted into a single ring.
These will serve as the two corners.
So there
are to be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—
26
two under each frame.

27

You are also to make five crossbars of acacia
wood  for  the  frames  on  one  side  of  the  taber-
five for those on the other side, and five
nacle,
for those on the rear side of the tabernacle, to the
28
west.

The  central  crossbar  in  the  middle  of  the
29
frames  shall  extend  from  one  end  to  the  other.
Overlay  the  frames  with  gold  and  make  gold
rings  to  hold  the  crossbars.  Also  overlay  the
crossbars with gold.

b 40

 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.

Cited in Hebrews 8:5
curtains was approximately 42 feet long and 6 feet wide (12.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
f 14
curtains was approximately 45 feet long and 6 feet wide (13.7 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
h 17
approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
approximately 15 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (4.6 meters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
pieces of wood made for insertion into another piece; similarly in verse 19.

c 2
d 8
e 13 A cubit
g 16

Each of the ten
Each of the eleven
 is
Each frame was

That is, projecting

80    |     Exodus 26:30

30

So you are to set up the tabernacle according

The Veil  (Exodus 36:35–36)
to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
31

32

Make  a  veil  of  blue,  purple,  and  scarlet  yarn,
and  finely  spun  linen,  with  cherubim  skillfully
worked into it.
Hang it with gold hooks on four
posts  of  acacia  wood,  overlaid  with  gold  and
And hang the veil
standing on four silver bases.
from  the  clasps  and  place  the  ark  of  the  Testi-
b
 behind the veil. So the veil will separate
mony
34
the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

33

 a

35

Put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony
And place the table out-
in the Most Holy Place.
side the veil on the north side of the tabernacle,
and put the lampstand opposite the table, on the
The Curtain for the Entrance  (Ex. 36:37–38)
south side.
36

37

For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a
curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scar-
let yarn, and finely spun linen.
Make five posts
of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with
The Bronze Altar  (Exodus 38:1–7)
gold hooks, and cast five bronze bases for them.

27

“You are to build an altar of acacia wood.
c
The  altar  must  be  square,  five  cubits

2
long,  five  cubits  wide,  and  three  cubits  high.

Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that
the  horns  are  of  one  piece,  and  overlay  it  with
3
bronze.

4

Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for re-
moving ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its
Construct  for  it  a
meat  forks,  and  its  firepans.
5
grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at
each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  mesh.
Set  the
grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the
6
mesh comes halfway up the altar.

7

Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the
The poles
altar and overlay them with bronze.
are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles
8
are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

Construct the altar with boards so that it is hol-
low. It is to be made just as you were shown on
the mountain.
a 33

the ark of the covenant

b 33

The Courtyard  (Exodus 38:9–20)

9

 d

10

You are also to make a courtyard for the taber-
nacle.  On  the  south  side  of  the  courtyard  make
curtains  of  finely  spun  linen,  a  hundred  cubits
long
with  twenty  posts  and
twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands
11
on the posts.

  on  one  side,

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
The  curtains  on  the
and  bands  on  the  posts.
west  side  of  the  courtyard  shall  be  fifty  cubits
13
wide,

 with ten posts and ten bases.

12

e

14

f

15

The east side of the courtyard, toward the sun-
rise,  is  to  be  fifty  cubits  wide.
Make  the  cur-
tains on one side fifteen cubits long,
 with three
and the curtains on the
posts and three bases,
other  side  fifteen  cubits  long,  with  three  posts
16
and three bases.
g

The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cu-
bits long,
 with a curtain embroidered with blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It
17
shall have four posts and four bases.

19

All the posts around the courtyard shall have
18
silver  bands,  silver  hooks,  and  bronze  bases.
h
The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits
i
long and fifty cubits wide,
 with curtains of finely
spun linen five cubits high,
 and with bronze ba-
ses.
All the utensils of the tabernacle for every
use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs
The Oil for the Lamps  (Leviticus 24:1–4)
of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.

20

And you are to command the Israelites to bring
you  pure  oil  of  pressed  olives  for  the  light,  to
21
keep the lamps burning continually.

j

In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is
in  front  of  the  Testimony,
  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.

the Holy of Holies

c 1

That is,

; also in verse 34

Or

e 12 50 cubits

f 14 15 cubits
h 18
i 18 5 cubits

mately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
is approximately 150 feet or 45.7 meters; also in verse 11.
verse 13.
or 9.1 meters.
wide).
the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

j 21 The Testimony
The courtyard was approximately 150 feet long and 75 feet wide (45.7 meters long and 22.9 meters
 refers to the stone tablets in the ark of
 is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.

 is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters; also in
 is approximately 30 feet

 is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters; also in verse 15.

; also in verse 34
g 16 20 cubits

d 9 100 cubits
The altar was approxi-

Garments for the Priests

17

Exodus 28:32    |    81

28

“Next, have your brother Aaron brought
to  you  from among  the  Israelites,  along
2
with  his  sons  Nadab,  Abihu,  Eleazar,  and  Itha-
Make holy garments
mar, to serve Me as priests.
for  your  brother  Aaron,  to  give  him  glory  and
3
splendor.

4

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
These  are  the  gar-
he  may  serve  Me  as  priest.
ments  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
They  shall  use  gold,
may  serve  Me  as  priests.
along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine
The Ephod  (Exodus 39:1–7)
linen.
6

5

8

7

They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen
embroidered  with  gold,  and  with  blue,  purple,
It  shall  have  two  shoulder
and  scarlet  yarn.
pieces  attached  at  two  of  its  corners,  so  it  can
be fastened.
And the skillfully woven waistband
of  the  ephod  must  be  of one  piece,  of  the  same
workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and
9
scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.

10

Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the
six of their names
names of the sons of Israel:
11
on one stone and the remaining six on the other,
Engrave the names
in the order of their birth.
of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a
gem  cutter  engraves  a  seal.  Then  mount  the
Fasten  both
stones  in  gold  filigree  settings.
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 me-
13
morial before the LORD.

14

12

Fashion gold filigree settings

and two chains
of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and at-
The Breastpiece  (Exodus 39:8–21)
tach these chains to the settings.
15

You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment
with the same workmanship as the ephod. Con-
struct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet
It  must  be
yarn,  and  with  finely  spun  linen.
square when folded over double, a span long and
a span wide.
a 16
b 17

16

a

 b

And  mount  on  it  a  setting  of  gemstones,  four

rows of stones:

In the first row there shall be a ruby, a
18
topaz, and an emerald;

in the second row a turquoise, a

19
sapphire, and a diamond;

in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and

20
an amethyst;

and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx,

and a jasper.

21
Mount  these  stones  in  gold  filigree  settings.
The  twelve  stones  are  to  correspond  to  the
names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a
22
seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

23

25

For the breastpiece, make braided chains like
cords of pure gold.
You are also to make two
24
gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of
the  breastpiece.
Then  fasten  the  two  gold
chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the
and  fasten  the  other  ends  of  the
breastpiece,
two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching
them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the
26
front.

Make two more gold rings and attach them to
the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the
27
inside edge next to the ephod.

28

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.
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
29
swing out from the ephod.

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 contin-
30
ual reminder before the LORD.

 c

And  place  the  Urim  and  Thummim

  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 judg-
ment of the sons of Israel over his heart before
Additional Priestly Garments  (Ex. 39:22–31)
the LORD.
31

32

You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely
with an opening at its top in the

of blue cloth,

c 30

Lights and Perfections

The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both length and width.
The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.

Literally

82    |    Exodus 28:33

4

a

center. Around the opening shall be a woven col-
lar  with  an  opening  like  that  of  a  garment,
  so
33
that it will not tear.

34

Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scar-
let yarn all the way around the lower hem, with
alternating the gold
gold bells between them,
bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of
35
the robe.

Aaron must wear the robe whenever he minis-
ters, and its sound will be heard when he enters
or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he
36
will not die.

You  are  to  make  a  plate  of  pure  gold  and

b

engrave on it as on a seal:
37

HOLY TO THE LORD.

38

Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the tur-
And
ban; it shall be on the front of the turban.
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
39
that they may be acceptable before the LORD.

40

You  are  to  weave  the  tunic  with  fine  linen,
make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an em-
Make tunics, sashes, and head-
broidered sash.
bands  for  Aaron’s  sons,  to  give  them  glory  and
41
splendor.

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
42
as priests.

43

Make linen undergarments to cover their bare
Aaron and
flesh, extending from waist to thigh.
his  sons  must  wear  them  whenever  they  enter
the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to min-
ister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur
guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for
Consecration of the Priests  (Leviticus 8:1–13)
Aaron and his descendants.

29

“Now this is what you are to do to conse-
crate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as
2
priests: Take a young bull and two rams without
along with unleavened bread, unleav-
blemish,
ened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wa-
fers  anointed  with  oil.  Make  them  out  of  fine
put them in a basket, and present
wheat flour,
them  in  the basket,  along  with  the bull  and  the
a 32
two rams.
offering

3

5

Then  present  Aaron  and  his  sons  at  the  en-
trance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting  and  wash  them
Take  the  garments  and  clothe  Aa-
with  water.
ron  with  the  tunic,  the  robe  of  the  ephod,  the
ephod  itself,  and  the  breastplate.  Fasten  the
Put the
ephod on him with its woven waistband.
turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to
Then  take  the  anointing  oil  and
the  turban.
8
anoint him by pouring it on his head.

7

6

9

Present his sons as well and clothe them with
Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his
tunics.
sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood
shall  be  theirs  by  a  permanent  statute.  In  this
The Order of the Sacrifices  (Leviticus 8:22-36)
way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.
10

12

11

You are to present the bull at the front of the
Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to
And  you  shall
lay  their  hands  on  its  head.
slaughter  the  bull  before  the  LORD  at  the  en-
trance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
Take  some  of
the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the
13
altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of
the blood at the base of the altar.
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.
But burn the flesh of
the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp;
15
it is a sin offering.

14

c

16

Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons
You  are  to
shall  lay  their  hands  on  its  head.
17
slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splatter it
Cut the ram into pieces,
on all sides of the altar.
wash  the  entrails  and  legs,  and  place  them
with its head and other pieces.
Then burn the
entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to
the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the
19
LORD.

18

20

21

Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons
Slaughter the
are to lay their hands on its head.
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.  Splatter  the  remaining  blood  on  all
And take some of the blood
sides of the altar.
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.

the LORD

c 14

purification

a coat of mail

b 36

The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly

.

That is,

Or

; also in verse 36

22

The Daily Offerings  (Numbers 28:1–8)

Exodus 30:9    |    83

23

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
along with
(since this is a ram for ordination),
one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with
oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened
Put all these in
bread that is before the LORD.
the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them
Then take
before the LORD as a wave offering.
them from their hands and burn them on the al-
tar  atop  the  burnt  offering  as  a  pleasing  aroma
26
before the LORD; it is a food offering to the LORD.

25

24

27

28

Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordina-
tion and wave it before the LORD as a wave offer-
Consecrate for
ing, and it will be your portion.
Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offer-
ing  that  is  waved  and  the  thigh  of  the  heave
offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordina-
This will belong to Aaron and his sons as
tion.
a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the
heave  offering  the  Israelites  will  make  to  the
29
LORD from their peace offerings.

30

The  holy  garments  that  belong  to  Aaron  will
belong  to  his  sons  after  him,  so  they  can  be
anointed and ordained in them.
The son who
succeeds  him  as  priest  and  enters  the  Tent  of
Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear
Food for the Priests
them for seven days.
31

33

32
You are to take the ram of ordination and boil
At the entrance to the
its flesh in a holy place.
Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the
meat of the ram and the bread that is in the bas-
They  must  eat  those  things  by  which
ket.
atonement  was  made  for  their  ordination  and
consecration. But no outsider may eat them, be-
And if any of the
cause these things are sacred.
meat of ordination or any bread is left until the
morning,  you  are  to  burn  up  the  remainder.  It
35
must not be eaten, because it is sacred.

34

36

This  is  what  you  are  to  do  for  Aaron  and  his
sons  based  on  all  that  I  have  commanded  you,
Sacrifice  a
taking  seven  days  to  ordain  them.
bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Pu-
rify  the  altar  by  making  atonement  for  it,  and
For seven days you
anoint it to consecrate it.
shall  make  atonement  for  the  altar  and  conse-
crate  it.  Then  the  altar  will  become  most  holy;
a 39
whatever touches the altar will be holy.

between the two evenings

37

38

c

b

a

40

This is what you are to offer regularly on the
39
altar,  each  day:  two  lambs  that  are  a  year  old.
Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at
With the first lamb offer a tenth of an
twilight.
ephah of fine flour,
 mixed with a quarter hin of
41
oil from pressed olives,
 and a drink offering of a
And offer the second lamb
quarter hin of wine.
at twilight with the same grain offering and drink
offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, a
42
food offering to the LORD.

43

For the generations to come, this burnt offer-
ing shall be made regularly at the entrance to the
Tent  of  Meeting  before  the  LORD,  where  I  will
meet  you  to  speak  with  you.
I  will  also  meet
with  the  Israelites  there,  and  that  place  will  be
consecrated by My glory.
So I will consecrate
the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will con-
God Will Dwell among the People
secrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.
45

44

46

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be
their  God.
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.
The Altar of Incense  (Exodus 37:25–29)
I am the LORD their God.

30

2

d

 Its horns must be of one piece.

“You are also to make an altar of acacia
It is to
wood for the burning of incense.
3
be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cu-
Over-
bits high.
lay with pure gold the top and all the sides and
4
horns,  and  make  a  molding  of  gold  around  it.
And make two gold rings below the molding on
5
opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
Make  the  poles  of  acacia  wood  and  overlay

6
them with gold.

 e

f

7

Place the altar in front of the veil that is before
the  ark  of  the  Testimony
—before  the  mercy
seat  that  is  over  the  Testimony—where  I  will
meet  with  you.
And  Aaron  is  to  burn  fragrant
8
incense on it every morning when he tends the
When  Aaron  sets  up  the  lamps  at  twi-
lamps.
light,
  he  must  burn  the  incense  perpetually
 g
9
before  the  LORD  for  the  generations  to  come.
On this altar you must not offer unauthorized
incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor
are you to pour a drink offering on it.

c 40

b 40 A tenth of an ephah
a quarter hin of pressed oil

Heb.
e 6

d 2
about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kg of flour).

 is approx. 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably
; that is, approx. 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters
g 9
f 8
The altar was approximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 cm in length and width, and 91.4 cm

between the two evenings

the ark of the covenant

; also in verse 41

Hebrew

strange

high).

That is,

; also in verse 26

Hebrew

Or

84    |    Exodus 30:10

10

Once  a  year  Aaron  shall  make  atonement  on
the horns of the altar. Throughout your genera-
tions  he  shall  make  atonement  on  it  annually
 of atonement.
with the blood of the sin offering
The Census Offering
The altar is most holy to the LORD.”
(2 Samuel 24:1–9 ;  1 Chronicles 21:1–6)

 a

11

12

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“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
Every-
upon  them  when  they  are  numbered.
one who crosses over to those counted must pay
a half shekel,
 according to the sanctuary shekel,
which weighs twenty gerahs.
 This half shekel is
14
an offering to the LORD.

13

b

c

16

Everyone  twenty  years  of  age  or  older  who
15
crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
In making the offering to the LORD to atone for
your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half
Take  the
shekel,  nor  shall  the  poor  give  less.
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
The Bronze Basin  (Exodus 38:8)
to make atonement for your lives.”
18
17

19

And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“You  are  to
make  a  bronze  basin  with  a  bronze  stand  for
washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and
with which Aaron
the altar, and put water in it,
20
and  his  sons  are  to  wash  their  hands  and  feet.
Whenever  they  enter  the  Tent  of  Meeting  or
approach  the  altar  to  minister  by  presenting  a
food offering to the LORD, they must wash with
Thus they are
water so that they will not die.
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
The Anointing Oil
come.”
22

23

21

d

Then the LORD said to Moses,
24

est spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh,
amount  (250  shekels)  of  fragrant  cinnamon,
250  shekels  of  fragrant  cane,
500  shekels  of
cassia
 —all according to the sanctuary shekel—
purification offering
a 10

“Take the fin-
e
 half that

b 13 A half shekel

 g

f

h

25

Prepare from these a sa-
and a hin of olive oil.
cred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a
26
perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.

27

Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the
the table and all its uten-
ark of the Testimony,
28
sils,  the  lampstand  and  its  utensils,  the  altar  of
the altar of burnt offering and all its
incense,
You are
utensils, and the basin with its stand.
to consecrate them so that they will be most holy.
Whatever  touches  them  shall  be holy.
Anoint
Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve
31
Me as priests.

30

29

33

32

And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be
My  sacred  anointing  oil  for  the  generations  to
It  must  not  be  used  to  anoint  an  ordi-
come.
nary man, and you must not make anything like
it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be
Anyone who mixes perfume like it
holy to you.
or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his
The Incense
people.’
34

”

35

The  LORD  also  said  to  Moses,  “Take  fragrant
spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure
and make a
frankincense—in equal measures,
fragrant  blend  of  incense,  the  work  of  a  per-
36
fumer,  seasoned  with  salt,  pure  and  holy.
 i
Grind some of it into fine powder and place it
in front of the Testimony
 in the Tent of Meeting,
where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy
to  you.
You  are  never  to  use  this  formula  to
make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it
Anyone who makes some-
as holy to the LORD.
thing like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off
Bezalel and Oholiab  (Exodus 35:30–35)
from his people.”

37

38

2

3

“See,  I
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
have  called  by  name  Bezalel  son  of  Uri,
the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
And I have
filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability,
to
and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,
5
design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,
to  cut  gemstones  for  settings,  and  to  carve
6
wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.

4

Moreover,  I  have  selected  Oholiab  son  of

Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant.
c 13 20 gerahs

31

Or

e 23 250 shekels

  d 23 500 shekels
 is approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams; also in verse 15.

 is
 is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7

f 23 250 shekels

equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
kilograms of myrrh.
h 24 A hin
proximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane.

g 24 500 shekels

 is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon.

i 36 The Testimony
 is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia.

 is ap-

 is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.

 refers to the stone tablets in the ark of

the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

9

8

I  have  also  given  skill  to  all  the  craftsmen,  that
 a
7
they may fashion all that I have commanded you:
the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony
and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other fur-
the table with its utensils,
nishings of the tent—
the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the
altar of incense,
the altar of burnt offering with
10
all  its  utensils,  and  the  basin  with  its  stand—
as well as the woven garments, both the holy
garments for Aaron the priest and the garments
for his sons to serve as priests,
in addition to
the  anointing  oil  and  fragrant  incense  for  the
Holy Place. They are to make them according to
The Sign of the Sabbath  (Numbers 15:32–36)
all that I have commanded you.”
12

11

13

14

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell the Isra-
elites,  ‘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.
Keep  the
Sabbath,  for  it  is  holy  to  you.  Anyone  who  pro-
fanes  it  must  surely  be  put  to  death.  Whoever
does any work on that day must be cut off from
among  his  people.
For  six  days  work  may  be
done,  but  the  seventh  day  is  a  Sabbath  of  com-
plete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any
work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to
16
death.

15

17

The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrat-
ing  it  as  a  permanent  covenant  for  the  genera-
tions to come.
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
Moses Receives the Tablets
day He rested and was refreshed.’
18

”

When  the  LORD  had  finished  speaking  with
Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tab-
lets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed
The Golden Calf  (De. 9:7–29 ;  Acts 7:39–43)
by the finger of God.

32

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
2
him!”

 b

So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings
that are on your wives and sons and daughters,
a 7
and bring them to me.”

the ark of the covenant

b 1

That is,

Cited in Acts 7:40

Exodus 32:16    |    85

3

4

Then all the people took off their gold earrings
and  brought  them  to  Aaron.
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
5
up out of the land of Egypt!”

When  Aaron  saw  this,  he  built  an  altar  before
the  calf  and  proclaimed:  “Tomorrow  shall  be  a
6
feast to the LORD.”

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
7
indulge in revelry.

c

8

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.
How
quickly they have turned aside from the way that
I commanded them! They have made for them-
selves 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
9
the land of Egypt.’

”

10

The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this
people,  and  they  are  indeed  a  stiff-necked  peo-
ple.
Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may
burn against them and consume them. Then I will
11
make you into a great nation.”

12

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?
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.
Re-
member  Your  servants  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Is-
rael, 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 prom-
14
ised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’
”

13

So  the  LORD  relented  from  the  calamity  He

15
had threatened to bring on His people.

16

Then Moses turned and went down the moun-
tain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his
hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front
and  back.
The  tablets  were  the  work  of  God,
and the writing was the writing of God, engraved
on the tablets.
Or

; cited in 1 Corinthians 10:7

to play

c 6

86    |    Exodus 32:17

17

31

When  Joshua  heard  the  sound  of  the  people
shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is
18
in the camp.”

But Moses replied:

“It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of

19

defeat;

I hear the sound of singing!”

20

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
Then he took
them at the base of the mountain.
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
21
Israelites to drink it.

“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked
Aaron,  “that  you  have  led  them  into  so  great  a
22
sin?”

23

“Do  not  be  enraged,  my  lord,”  Aaron  replied.
“You yourself know that the people are intent on
They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go
evil.
before us. As for this Moses who brought us up
out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has
24
happened to him!’

So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him
take  it  off,’  and  they  gave  it  to  me.  And  when  I
25
threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

 a

26

Moses saw that the people were out of control,
for  Aaron  had  let  them  run  wild  and  become  a
laughingstock
So  Moses
  to  their  enemies.
stood  at  the  entrance  to  the  camp  and  said,
“Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.”
27
And all the Levites gathered around him.

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
28
friend, and his neighbor.’

”

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that
29
day about three thousand of the people fell dead.

 b

Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been
ordained
  for  service  to  the  LORD,  since  each
man went against his son and his brother; so the
30
LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”

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.”
a 25

and become an object of derision

b 29

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh,
what  a  great  sin  these  people  have  committed!
32
They  have  made  gods  of  gold  for  themselves.
Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin. . . .
But if not, please blot me out of the book that You
33
have written.”

The  LORD  replied  to  Moses,  “Whoever  has
34
sinned  against  Me,  I  will  blot  out  of  My  book.
Now  go,  lead  the  people  to  the  place  I  de-
scribed. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But
on  the  day  I settle  accounts,  I  will  punish  them
35
for their sin.”

And  the  LORD  sent  a  plague  on  the  people
because of what they had done with the calf that
The Command to Leave Sinai  (De. 1:1–8)
Aaron had made.

33

2

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
And  I
said,  ‘I  will  give  it  to  your  descendants.’
will send an angel before you, and I will drive out
3
the  Canaanites,  Amorites,  Hittites,  Perizzites,
Go up to a land flowing
Hivites, and Jebusites.
with milk and honey. But I will not go with you,
because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise,
4
I might destroy you on the way.”

5

When  the  people  heard  this  bad  news,  they
went into mourning, and no one put on any of his
jewelry.
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
6
decide what to do with you.’

”

c

So  the  Israelites  stripped  themselves  of  their

The Tent of Meeting
jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.
7

8

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
Then,  whenever  Moses  went  out  to  the
camp.
tent, all the people would stand at the entrances
to their own tents and watch Moses until he en-
As  Moses  entered  the  tent,  the
tered  the  tent.
pillar of cloud would come down and remain at
10
the  entrance,  and  the  LORD  would  speak  with
When  all  the  people  saw  the  pillar  of
Moses.

c 6

9

have ordained yourselves

Or

Or

That is, from Mount Sinai onward, or pos-

sibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

cloud standing at the entrance to the  tent, they
would stand up and worship, each one at the en-
11
trance to his own tent.

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  assis-
The Promise of God’s Presence
tant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.
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
Now if in-
you  have  found  favor  in My  sight.’
deed 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 na-
14
tion is Your people.”

13

And the LORD answered, “My Presence will go

15
with you, and I will give you rest.”

16

“If Your Presence does not go with us,” Moses
For how
replied, “do not lead us up from here.
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
17
other people on the face of the earth?”

So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very
thing you have asked, for you have found favor in
18
My sight, and I know you by name.”
19

Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”

“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
20
compassion on whom I have compassion.”

 a

But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no

21
one can see Me and live.”

22

23

The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me
and when
where you are to stand upon a rock,
My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the
rock  and  cover  you  with  My  hand  until  I  have
Then I will take My hand away, and
passed by.
you  will  see  My  back;  but  My  face  must  not  be
New Stone Tablets  (Deuteronomy 10:1–11)
seen.”

34

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out
two stone tablets like the originals, and I
c 12
b 7
a 19
will  write  on  them  the  words  that  were  on  the
covenant

to thousands

Exodus 34:14    |    87

2

Be  ready  in  the
first  tablets,  which  you  broke.
3
morning, and come up on Mount Sinai to present
yourself before Me on the mountaintop.
No one
may go up with you; in fact, no one may be seen
anywhere on the mountain—not even the flocks
4
or herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the
originals. He rose early in the morning, and tak-
ing the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up
5
Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.

And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with
6
him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
Then  the  LORD  passed  in  front  of  Moses  and

called out:

“The LORD, the LORD God,

is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger,

7

abounding in loving devotion and
faithfulness,
b

maintaining loving devotion to a thousand

generations,

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.”

9

8

Moses immediately bowed down to the ground
“O Lord,” he said, “if I have in-
and worshiped.
deed 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
The LORD Renews the Covenant
inheritance.”
(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
11
an awesome thing that I am doing with you.

 c

12

Observe  what  I  command  you  this  day.  I  will
drive  out  before  you  the  Amorites,  Canaanites,
Be
Hittites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  and  Jebusites.
careful not to make a treaty
 with the inhabitants
13
of the land you are entering, lest they become a
snare  in  your  midst.
Rather,  you  must  tear
down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and
berit
For you must
chop down their Asherah poles.

14

Cited in Romans 9:15

Hebrew

Forms of the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

.

88    |    Exodus 34:15

not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose
15
name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

16

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 in-
And
vite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.
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
17
do the same.
18

You shall make no molten gods for yourselves.

a

b

You  are  to  keep  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
 For seven days at the appointed time in
Bread.
  you  are  to  eat  unleavened
the  month  of  Abib,
bread as I commanded you. For in the month of
19
Abib you came out of Egypt.

20

The  first  offspring  of  every  womb  belongs  to
Me, including all the firstborn males among your
You  must
livestock,  whether  cattle  or  sheep.
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-
21
handed.

Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day
you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and
 c
22
harvesting, you must rest.

 d

And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks
with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the
23
  at  the  turn  of  the  year.
Feast  of  Ingathering
Three times a year all your males are to appear
For  I
before  the  Lord  GOD,  the  God  of  Israel.
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 be-
25
fore the LORD your God.

24

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
26
morning.

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
a 18
milk.”
b 18 Abib

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
28
Israel.”

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
29
covenant—the Ten Commandments.

e

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
Aaron
radiant  from  speaking  with  the  LORD.
and  all  the  Israelites  looked  at  Moses,  and  be-
hold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid
31
to approach him.

30

32

But Moses called out to them; so Aaron and all
the leaders of the congregation returned to him,
and Moses spoke to them.
And after this all the
Israelites  came  near,  and  Moses  commanded
them  to  do  everything  that  the  LORD  had  told
33
him on Mount Sinai.

34
When Moses had finished speaking with them,
But whenever Moses
he put a veil over his face.
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
and the Israel-
what he had been commanded,
ites would see that the face of Moses was radiant.
So  Moses  would  put  the  veil  back  over  his  face
The Sabbath
until he went in to speak with the LORD.

35

35

2

Then  Moses  assembled  the  whole  con-
gregation  of  Israel  and  said  to  them,
“These  are  the  things  that  the  LORD  has  com-
For  six  days  work  may  be
manded  you  to  do:
done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day,
a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Whoever
3
does any work on that day must be put to death.
Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on
Offerings for the Tabernacle  (Exodus 25:1–9)
the Sabbath day.”
4

Moses  also  told  the  whole  congregation  of  Is-
5
rael,  “This  is  what  the  LORD  has  commanded:
Take from among you an offering to the LORD.
Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an of-
fering to the LORD:

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20.

the Feast of

c 22

Harvest
twice in this verse.

 was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April;
That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as
Shelters
the Feast of Tabernacles

the Feast of Pentecost

the Ten Words

Booths

d 22

e 28

 (see Exodus 23:16) or

Jerusalem; it is later called

 (see Acts 2:1).

That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to

 (or

 or

).

Hebrew

Exodus 35:35    |    89

6
gold, silver, and bronze;

blue, purple, and scarlet yarn;

7
fine linen and goat hair;

 a

ram skins dyed red and fine leather;

8
acacia wood;

olive oil for the light;

spices for the anointing oil and for the
9
fragrant incense;

The Skilled Craftsmen

and onyx stones and gemstones to be
mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

10

Let  every  skilled  craftsman  among  you  come
and  make  everything  that  the  LORD  has  com-
manded:

11

the tabernacle with its tent and covering,

its clasps and frames, its crossbars, posts,
12
and bases;

the ark with its poles and mercy seat, and

13
the veil to shield it;

the table with its poles, all its utensils,

14
and the Bread of the Presence;

the lampstand for light with its

15
accessories and lamps and oil for the light;

the altar of incense with its poles;

the anointing oil and fragrant incense;

the curtain for the doorway at the entrance
16
to the tabernacle;

prompted him came and brought an offering to
the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for
22
all its services, and for the holy garments.

So  all  who  had  willing  hearts,  both  men  and
women,  came  and  brought  brooches  and  ear-
rings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold
jewelry.  And  they  all  presented  their  gold  as  a
23
wave offering to the LORD.

24

Everyone  who  had  blue,  purple,  or  scarlet
yarn, or fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red,
or  articles  of  fine  leather,  brought  them.
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
25
of the service brought it.

26

Every skilled woman spun with her hands and
brought what she had spun: blue, purple, or scar-
let  yarn,  or  fine  linen.
And  all  the  skilled
women whose hearts were stirred spun the goat
27
hair.

The  leaders  brought  onyx  stones  and  gem-
28
stones  to  mount  on  the  ephod  and  breastpiece,
as well as spices and olive oil for the light, for

29
the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

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)

the altar of burnt offering with its bronze

30

grate, its poles, and all its utensils;
17
the basin with its stand;

the curtains of the courtyard with its

posts and bases, and the curtain for the gate
18
of the courtyard;

the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for

19
the courtyard, along with their ropes;

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  with-
And every-
drew from the presence of Moses.
a 7
one  whose  heart  stirred  him  and  whose  spirit

21

31

Then  Moses  said  to  the  Israelites,  “See,  the
LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the
And  He  has
son  of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.
filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability,
32
and  knowledge  in  all  kinds  of  craftsmanship,
to  design  artistic  works  in  gold,  silver,  and
to  cut  gemstones  for  settings,  and  to
bronze,
carve wood, so that he may be a master of every
34
artistic craft.

33

35

And the LORD has given both him and Oholiab
son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability
to teach others.
He has filled them with skill to
do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, em-
broiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and
fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers
of every kind of craft.

Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verse 23

90    |    Exodus 36:1

The People Bring More than Enough

36

“So  Bezalel,  Oholiab,  and  every  skilled
person are to carry out everything com-
manded by the LORD, who has given them skill
and ability to know how to perform all the work
2
of constructing the sanctuary.”

Then  Moses  summoned  Bezalel,  Oholiab,  and
every  skilled  person  whom  the  LORD  had
3
gifted—everyone  whose  heart  stirred  him  to
They received from Mo-
come and do the work.
ses  all  the  contributions  that  the  Israelites  had
brought to carry out the service of constructing
the sanctuary.

4

Meanwhile,  the  people  continued  to  bring
so
freewill  offerings  morning  after  morning,
5
that all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all
and
the work on the sanctuary left their work
said  to  Moses,  “The  people  are  bringing  more
than  enough  for  doing  the  work  the  LORD  has
6
commanded us to do.”

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
since what they
restrained from bringing more,
already had was more than enough to perform all
The Ten Curtains for the Tabernacle
the work.
(Exodus 26:1–6)

7

8

9

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
Each  curtain  was  twenty-
worked  into  them.
eight  cubits  long  and  four  cubits  wide;
  all  the
And he joined five
curtains were the same size.
of  the  curtains  together,  and  the  other  five  he
11
joined as well.

10

 a

12

He made loops of blue material on the edge of
the  end  curtain  in  the  first  set,  and  also  on  the
He  made  fifty
end  curtain  in  the  second  set.
loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end
curtain of the second set, so that the loops lined
He  also  made  fifty
up  opposite  one  another.
gold clasps to join the curtains together, so that
the tabernacle was a unit.
a 9
b 15
c 19

d 21

13

The Eleven Curtains of Goat Hair
(Exodus 26:7–14)

14

He then made curtains of goat hair for the tent
15
over  the  tabernacle—eleven  curtains  in  all.
b
Each  of  the  eleven  curtains  was  the  same
16
size—thirty  cubits  long  and  four  cubits  wide.

17

He joined five of the curtains into one set and
He made fifty loops
the other six into another.
along the edge of the end curtain in the first set,
18
and fifty loops along the edge of the correspond-
He also made fifty
ing curtain in the second set.
19
bronze clasps to join the tent together as a unit.

c

Additionally, he made for the tent a covering of
ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of
The Frames and Bases  (Exodus 26:15–30)
fine leather.
20

21

d

 e

Next, he constructed upright frames of acacia
Each  frame  was  ten
wood  for  the  tabernacle.
Two
cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
tenons
  were  connected  to  each  other  for  each
frame. He made all the frames of the tabernacle
23
in this way.

22

24

He  constructed  twenty  frames  for  the  south
side  of  the  tabernacle,
with  forty  silver
bases to put under the twenty frames—two ba-
25
ses for each frame, one under each tenon.

26

For the second side of the tabernacle, the north
and  forty  silver

side,  he  made  twenty  frames
27
bases—two bases under each frame.

28

29

He made six frames for the rear of the taber-
and  two  frames  for  the
nacle,  the  west  side,
coupled
two  back  corners  of  the  tabernacle,
together  from  bottom  to  top  and  fitted  into  a
30
single  ring.  He  made  both  corners  in  this  way.
So there were eight frames and sixteen silver

31
bases—two under each frame.

32

He also made five crossbars of acacia wood for
five
the frames on one side of the tabernacle,
for those on the other side, and five for those on
33
the rear side of the tabernacle, to the west.

34

He made the central crossbar to run through
the  center  of  the  frames,  from  one  end  to  the
And  he  overlaid  the  frames  with  gold
other.
and  made  gold  rings  to  hold  the  crossbars.  He
also overlaid the crossbars with gold.

Each of the ten curtains was approximately 42 feet long and 6 feet wide (12.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).

Each of the eleven curtains was approximately 45 feet long and 6 feet wide (13.7 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
e 22
Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals

Each frame was approximately 15 feet long and 2.25 feet wide
That is, projecting pieces of wood made for insertion into another

(4.6 meters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
piece; similarly in verse 24.

The Veil  (Exodus 26:31–35)

13

Exodus 37:29    |    91

35

Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scar-
let  yarn,  and  finely  spun  linen,  with  cherubim
36
skillfully worked into it.

He also made four posts of acacia wood for it
and  overlaid  them  with  gold,  along  with  gold
The Curtain for the Entrance  (Ex. 26:36–37)
hooks; and he cast four silver bases for the posts.
37

For the entrance to the tent, he made a curtain
38
embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn,
together with five posts
and finely spun linen,
and their hooks.

He overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands
Constructing the Ark  (Exodus 25:10–16)
with gold, and their five bases were bronze.

37

Bezalel  went  on  to  construct  the  ark  of
a
acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a

2
cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

3

4

He  overlaid  it  with  pure  gold,  both  inside  and
And he
out, and made a gold molding around it.
cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on
Then  he  made
one  side  and  two  on  the  other.
poles  of  acacia  wood  and  overlaid  them  with
gold.
He inserted the poles into the rings on the
The Mercy Seat  (Exodus 25:17–22)
sides of the ark in order to carry it.
6

5

b

8

7

He constructed a mercy seat of pure gold, two
and  a  half  cubits  long  and  a  cubit  and  a  half
wide.
He  made  two  cherubim  of  hammered
one cherub
gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
9
on one end and one on the other, all made from
one piece of gold.
And the cherubim had wings
that  spread  upward,  overshadowing  the  mercy
seat. The cherubim faced each other, looking to-
The Table of Showbread
ward the mercy seat.
(Exodus 25:23–30 ;  Leviticus 24:5–9)

10

c

11

He also made the table of acacia wood two cu-
bits  long,  a  cubit  wide,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half
12
high.
He overlaid it with pure gold and made
a gold molding around it.
And he made a rim
around  it  a  handbreadth  wide
  and  put  a  gold
a 1
molding on the rim.

 d

b 6

He  cast  four  gold  rings  for  the  table  and  fas-
14
tened  them  to  the  four  corners  at  its  four  legs.
The rings were placed close to the rim, to serve
15
as holders for the poles used to carry the table.
He made the poles of acacia wood for carrying

16
the table and overlaid them with gold.

He also made the utensils for the table out of
pure  gold:  its  plates  and  dishes,  as  well  as  its
The Lampstand  (Ex. 25:31–40 ;  Numbers 8:1–4)
bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.
17

18

19

Then he made the lampstand out of pure ham-
mered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its
Six branches ex-
cups, and its buds and petals.
tended  from  the  sides,  three  on  one  side  and
There  were  three  cups
three  on  the  other.
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 ex-
20
tended from the lampstand.

21

And on the lampstand were four cups shaped
A
like almond blossoms with buds and petals.
bud was under the first pair of branches that ex-
tended from the lampstand, a bud under the sec-
The
ond pair, and a bud under the third pair.
buds and branches were all of one piece with the
23
lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

22

24

e

He  also  made  its  seven  lamps,  its  wick  trim-
mers,  and  trays  of  pure  gold.
He  made  the
lampstand  and  all  its  utensils  from  a  talent  of
The Altar of Incense  (Exodus 30:1–10)
pure gold.
25

f

He  made  the  altar  of  incense  out  of  acacia
wood.  It was  square,  a  cubit  long,  a  cubit  wide,
26
and two cubits high.
 Its horns were of one piece.
And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all
the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of
27
gold around it.

He made two gold rings below the molding on
28
opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
And  he  made  the  poles  of  acacia  wood  and

29
overlaid them with gold.

He also made the sacred anointing oil and the

pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

c 10

The ark was approximately 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high (114.3 centimeters long, 68.6 centimeters
The mercy seat was approximately 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (114.3 centi-
The table was approximately 3 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high

wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
meters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
(91.4 centimeters long, 45.7 centimeters wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
inches or 7.4 centimeters.
proximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 centimeters in length and width, and 91.4 centimeters
high).

 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.

 is approximately 2.9

d 12 A handbreadth

The altar was ap-

e 24 A talent

f 25

92    |     Exodus 38:1

The Bronze Altar  (Exodus 27:1–8)

 a

38

b

2

Bezalel  constructed
  the  altar  of  burnt
offering from acacia wood. It was square,
five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits
He  made  a  horn  at  each  of  its  four  cor-
high.
ners,  so  that  the  horns  and  altar  were  of  one
3
piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.

4

He  made  all  the  altar’s  utensils  of  bronze—its
pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and
He  made  a  grate  of  bronze  mesh  for
firepans.
the  altar  under  its  ledge,  halfway  up  from  the
5
bottom.

6

7

At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast
And he made
four rings as holders for the poles.
the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with
bronze.
Then  he  inserted  the  poles  into  the
rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He
The Bronze Basin  (Exodus 30:17–21)
made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.
8

Next  he  made  the  bronze  basin  and  its  stand
from the mirrors of the women who served at the
The Courtyard  (Exodus 27:9–19)
entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
9

 c
Then  he  constructed  the  courtyard.  The  south

10

11

side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long
and  had  curtains  of  finely  spun  linen,
with
twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with
The north
silver hooks and bands on the posts.
side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty
posts  and  twenty  bronze  bases.  The  hooks  and
The west side
bands of the posts were silver.
 and had curtains, with ten
was fifty cubits long
13
posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the
And the east side, toward the
posts were silver.
14
sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.

12

 d

e

15

The curtains on one side of the entrance were
fifteen  cubits  long,
  with  three  posts  and  three
And the curtains on the other side were
bases.
16
also  fifteen  cubits  long,  with  three  posts  and
All the curtains around the
three bases as well.
The
courtyard were made of finely spun linen.
bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and
bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of
a 1

He constructed

b 1

17

the posts was silver. So all the posts of the court-
18
yard were banded with silver.

 f

g

19

The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard
was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet
yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits
 and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five
long
with four posts and four bronze
cubits high,
bases.  Their  hooks  were  silver,  as  well  as  the
All the tent
bands and the plating of their tops.
pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding
An Inventory of Materials
courtyard were bronze.
(Ezra 2:68–70 ;  Nehemiah 7:70–73)

20

21

22

23

This  is  the  inventory  for  the  tabernacle,  the
tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Mo-
ses’ command by the Levites under the direction
Bezalel son
of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made
everything that the LORD had commanded Mo-
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach,
ses.
of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  an  engraver,  designer,  and
embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and
24
fine linen.

h

All the gold from the wave offering used for the
work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730
25
shekels,

 according to the sanctuary shekel.

The  silver  from  those  numbered  among  the
i
26
congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shek-
a
  according  to  the  sanctuary  shekel—
els,
 according
beka per person, that is, half a shekel,
to  the  sanctuary  shekel,  from  everyone  twenty
years of age or older who had crossed over to be
27
numbered, a total of 603,550 men.

 k

j

The  hundred  talents  of  silver

  were  used  to
cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of
the veil—100 bases from the 100 talents, one tal-
28
ent per base.

 l

With the 1,775 shekels of silver

 he made the
hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and sup-
29
plied bands for them.

m
The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70
He used it to make
talents and 2,400 shekels.
the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

30

Literally

g 18 5 cubits

length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
proximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters.
mately 30 feet or 9.1 meters.
j 26 A beka
was approximately 1.1 tons or 1 metric ton.
ric tons.
m 29
tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.

c 9 100 cubits

d 12 50 cubits

e 14 15 cubits

The altar was approximately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in
 is approximately 150 feet or 45.7 meters.

f 18 20 cubits

i 25

 is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters.

 is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.

k 27 100 talents

h 24

 is ap-
 is approxi-
The total weight of the gold

 is half a shekel, or approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams.

 is approximately 3.77

l 28 1,775 shekels

The total weight of the silver was approximately 3.79 tons or 3.44 met-

 is approximately 44.6 pounds or 20.2 kilograms of silver.

The total weight of the bronze was approximately 2.67 tons or 2.42 metric tons.

31
the  bronze  altar  and  its  bronze  grating,  all  the
the  bases  for  the  sur-
utensils  for  the  altar,
rounding courtyard and its gate, and all the tent
pegs  for  the  tabernacle  and  its  surrounding
The Ephod  (Exodus 28:6–14)
courtyard.

39

From  the  blue,  purple,  and  scarlet  yarn
they made specially woven garments for
ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy gar-
ments  for  Aaron,  just  as  the  LORD  had  com-
 a
2
manded Moses.

3

4

Bezalel  made

  the  ephod  of  finely  spun  linen
embroidered  with  gold,  and  with  blue,  purple,
They  hammered  out  thin
and  scarlet  yarn.
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 crafts-
man.
They made shoulder pieces for the ephod,
which were attached at two of its corners, so it
could  be  fastened.
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  com-
6
manded Moses.

5

7

They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree
settings, engraved like a seal with the names of
Then they fastened them on
the sons of Israel.
the  shoulder  pieces  of  the  ephod  as  memorial
stones  for  the  sons  of  Israel,  as  the  LORD  had
The Breastpiece  (Exodus 28:15–30)
commanded Moses.
8

He made the breastpiece with the same work-
manship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, pur-
9
ple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.
It was square when folded over double, a span

b

10
long and a span wide.

 c

And  they  mounted  on  it  four  rows  of  gem-

stones:

The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an
11
emerald;

the second row had a turquoise, a

12
sapphire, and a diamond;

the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and

13
an amethyst;

and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx,

a 2

He made

    b 9

and a jasper.
Literally

c 10

length and width.
Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly

.

Exodus 39:29   |    93

These stones were mounted in gold filigree set-
14
tings.

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
15
tribes.

16
For the breastpiece they made braided chains
They  also  made  two
like  cords  of  pure  gold.
gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fas-
tened  the  two  rings  to  the  two  corners  of  the
Then they fastened the  two gold
breastpiece.
chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the
and they fastened the other ends
breastpiece,
of the two chains to the two filigree settings, at-
taching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod
19
at the front.

17

18

They made two more gold rings and attached
them to the other two corners of the breastpiece,
20
on the inside edge next to the ephod.

21

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
Then they tied
just above its woven waistband.
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,
Additional Priestly Garments
just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
(Exodus 28:31–43)

22

23

d

They  made  the  robe  of  the  ephod  entirely
with  an
of  blue  cloth,  the  work  of  a  weaver,
opening  in  the  center  of  the  robe  like  that  of  a
garment,
  with  a  collar  around  the  opening  so
24
that it would not tear.

25

They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and
scarlet  yarn  and  finely  spun  linen  on  the  lower
They also made bells of pure
hem of the robe.
26
gold and attached them around the hem between
alternating  the  bells  and
the  pomegranates,
pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe
to  be  worn  for  ministry,  just  as  the  LORD  had
27
commanded Moses.

28

For  Aaron  and  his  sons  they  made  tunics  of
as well as the
fine linen, the work of a weaver,
turban  of  fine  linen,  the  ornate  headbands  and
and  the
undergarments  of  finely  spun  linen,

29

d 23

The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both
The meaning of the

The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.

a coat of mail

94    |    Exodus 39:30

sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue,
purple,  and  scarlet  yarn,  just  as  the  LORD  had
30
commanded Moses.

They also made the plate of the holy crown of
pure  gold,  and  they  engraved  on  it,  like  an  in-
scription on a seal:
31

 a

HOLY TO THE LORD.

Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount
it  on  the  turban,  just  as  the  LORD  had  com-
Moses Approves the Work
manded Moses.
32

So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of
Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did eve-
33
rything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses:

the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps,
its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and
34
bases;

b

the covering of ram skins dyed red, the

covering of fine leather,
35
covering;

 and the veil of the

 c

the ark of the Testimony

36
and the mercy seat;

 with its poles

the table with all its utensils and the

37
Bread of the Presence;

the pure gold lampstand with its row of
lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil
38
for the light;

the gold altar, the anointing oil, the
fragrant incense, and the curtain for the
39
entrance to the tent;

the bronze altar with its bronze grating,

its poles, and all its utensils;
40
the basin with its stand;

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
41
Meeting;

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.
b 34
the LORD
the ark of the covenant

a 30
d 3

40

42

43

The Israelites had done all the work just as the
And Moses in-
LORD had commanded Moses.
spected  all  the  work  and  saw  that  they  had  ac-
complished it just as the LORD had commanded.
Setting Up the Tabernacle
So Moses blessed them.
(Acts 7:44–47 ;  Hebrews 9:1–10)

2

 d

4

“On the
Then the LORD said to Moses,
3
first day of the first month you are to set
Put the
up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
ark of the Testimony
 in it and screen off the ark
Then bring in the table and set out
with the veil.
its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well,
5
and set up its lamps.

Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark
6
of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the en-
Place the altar of burnt
trance to the tabernacle.
7
offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle,
And  place  the  basin  be-
the  Tent  of  Meeting.
tween the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put
8
water in it.

Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the

9
curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.

10

Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle
and everything in it; consecrate it along with all
Anoint the
its furnishings, and it shall be holy.
altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; conse-
Anoint
crate the altar, and it shall be most holy.
12
the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

11

13

14

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with wa-
And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy
ter.
garments,  anoint  him,  and  consecrate  him,  so
Bring his sons
that he may serve Me as a priest.
Anoint
forward  and  clothe  them  with  tunics.
them  just  as  you  anointed  their  father,  so  that
they may also serve Me as priests. Their anoint-
ing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood
16
throughout their generations.”

15

17

Moses  did  everything  just  as  the  LORD  had
So the tabernacle was set up
commanded him.
on the first day of the first month of the second
18
year.

19

When Moses set up the tabernacle, he laid its
bases,  positioned  its  frames,  inserted  its  cross-
Then he spread the
bars, and set up its posts.
tent  over  the  tabernacle  and  put  the  covering
over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded
him.

the ark of the covenant

c 35

That is,

That is,

Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals

That is,

; also in verses 5 and 21

20

31

Exodus 40:38    |    95

32

21

Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the
ark,  attaching  the  poles  to  the  ark;  and  he  set
Then he brought
the mercy seat atop the ark.
the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the
screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony,
22
just as the LORD had commanded him.

23

Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting
on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the
veil.
He  arranged  the  bread  on  it  before  the
24
LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

and from it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed
their hands and feet.
They washed whenever
they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached
the  altar,  just  as  the  LORD  had  commanded
33
Moses.

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 fin-
The Cloud and the Glory
ished the work.
(Numbers 9:15–23)

25

He  also  placed  the  lampstand  in  the  Tent  of
Meeting opposite the table on the south side of
the tabernacle
and set up the lamps before the
26
LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

27

29

Moses  placed  the  gold  altar  in  the  Tent  of
Meeting, in front of the veil,
and he burned fra-
28
grant  incense  on  it,  just  as  the  LORD  had  com-
manded him.
Then he put up the curtain at the
entrance to the tabernacle.
He placed the altar
of burnt offering near the entrance to the taber-
nacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the
burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the
30
LORD had commanded him.

He placed the basin between the Tent of Meet-
ing and the altar and put water in it for washing;

34

Then  the  cloud  covered  the  Tent  of  Meeting,
35
and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting
because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory
36
of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

37

Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the
tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through
If the cloud was
all the stages of their journey.
38
not lifted, they would not set out until the day it
For the cloud of the LORD was
was taken up.
over  the  tabernacle  by  day,  and  fire  was  in  the
cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Is-
rael through all their journeys.

Leviticus

Laws for Burnt Offerings  (Leviticus 6:8–13)

15

1

2

Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to
him  from  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  saying,
“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
3
the flock.

If his 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.
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
5
him.

4

And he shall slaughter the young bull before the
LORD,  and  Aaron’s  sons  the  priests  are  to  pre-
sent the blood and splatter it on all sides of the
6
altar  at  the  entrance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
Next, he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it

7
into pieces.

8

The sons of Aaron the priest shall put a fire on
the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
Then Aa-
ron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces,
9
including the head and the fat, atop the burning
wood on the altar.
The entrails and legs must be
washed with water, and the priest shall burn all
of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offer-
10
ing, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

11

If,  however,  one’s  offering  is  a  burnt  offering
from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is
to  present  an  unblemished  male.
He  shall
slaughter it on the north side of the altar before
the  LORD,  and  Aaron’s  sons  the  priests  are  to
12
splatter  its  blood  against  the  altar  on  all  sides.
He  is  to  cut  the  animal  into  pieces,  and  the
priest shall arrange them, including the head and
13
fat,  atop  the  burning  wood  that  is  on  the  altar.
The entrails and legs must be washed with wa-
ter, and the priest shall present all of it and burn
it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offer-
14
ing, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

a young pigeon.
Then the priest shall bring it
to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the
16
altar; its blood should be drained out on the side
 a
of the altar.
And he is to remove the crop with
17
its contents
 and throw it to the east side of the
He  shall  tear  it
altar,  in  the  place  for  ashes.
open by its wings, without dividing the bird com-
pletely. And the priest is to burn it on the altar
atop  the  burning  wood.  It  is  a  burnt  offering,  a
Laws for Grain Offerings   (Leviticus 6:14–23)
food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

2

2

“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,
and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The
priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, to-
gether with all the frankincense, and burn this as
a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering,
The remainder of
a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his
sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings
4
to the LORD.

3

Now if you bring an offering of grain baked in
an oven, it must consist of fine flour, either un-
leavened  cakes  mixed  with  oil  or  unleavened
5
wafers coated with oil.

b

If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a
6
  it  must  be  unleavened  bread  made  of
Crumble it and pour oil

griddle,
fine flour mixed with oil.
7
on it; it is a grain offering.

c

If  your  offering is  a  grain  offering  cooked  in  a

8
pan,

 it must consist of fine flour with oil.

9

When you bring to the LORD the grain offering
made in any of these ways, it is to be presented
The
to the priest, and he shall take it to the altar.
priest  is  to  remove  the  memorial  portion  from
the  grain  offering  and  burn  it  on  the  altar  as  a
10
food  offering,  a  pleasing  aroma  to  the  LORD.
But  the  remainder  of  the  grain  offering  shall
belong  to  Aaron  and  his  sons;  it  is  a  most  holy
11
part of the food offerings to the LORD.

If, instead, one’s offering to the LORD is a burnt
b 5
a 16
offering of birds, he is to present a turtledove or

the crop and feathers

No grain offering that you present to the LORD
may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn

c 7

Or

That is, a shallow pan for baking or frying

That is, a deep pan or stew pan

12

13

any  leaven  or  honey  as  a  food  offering  to  the
LORD.
You may bring them to the LORD as an
offering of firstfruits, but they must not go up on
the  altar  as  a  pleasing  aroma.
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
14
to each of your offerings.

15

If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the
LORD, you shall offer crushed heads of new grain
And you are to put oil and
roasted on the fire.
The
frankincense  on  it;  it  is  a  grain  offering.
priest  shall  then  burn  the  memorial  portion  of
the crushed grain and the oil, together with all its
Laws for Peace Offerings   (Leviticus 7:11–21)
frankincense, as a food offering to the LORD.

16

3

2

“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 blem-
He is to lay his hand on the
ish before the LORD.
head  of  the  offering  and  slaughter  it  at  the  en-
trance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons
the priests shall splatter the blood on all sides of
3
the altar.

4

5

From  the  peace  offering  he  is  to  bring  a  food
offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the en-
trails,  all  the fat  that  is  on  them,
both  kidneys
with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe
of the liver, which he is to remove with the kid-
neys.
Then  Aaron’s  sons  are  to  burn  it  on  the
altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burn-
ing wood, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to
6
the LORD.

If, however, one’s peace offering to the LORD is
from the flock, he must present a male or female
7
without blemish.

8

If  he  is  presenting  a  lamb  for  his  offering,  he
must present it before the LORD.
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
9
shall splatter its blood on all sides of the altar.

And  from  the  peace  offering  he  shall  bring  a
food offering to the LORD consisting of its fat: the
entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat
10
that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
both  kidneys  with  the  fat  on  them  near  the
11
loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to re-
move  with  the  kidneys.
Then  the  priest  is  to
burn them on the altar as food, a food offering to
a 3
the LORD.

purification offering

Or

; here and throughout Leviticus

4

Leviticus 4:12    |    97

12

13

If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it be-
He  must  lay  his  hand  on  its
fore  the  LORD.
head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meet-
ing. Then Aaron’s sons shall splatter its blood on
14
all sides of the altar.

16

15

And from his offering he shall present a food
offering to the LORD: the fat that covers the en-
both kidneys
trails, all the fat that is on them,
with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe
of the liver, which he is to remove with the kid-
Then the priest is to burn the food on the
neys.
altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the
17
fat is the LORD’s.

This is a permanent statute for the generations
to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any
Laws for Sin Offerings   (Lev. 5:1–13 ;  6:24–30)
fat or any blood.”

2

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Tell the Is-
raelites to do as follows with one who sins
unintentionally  against  any  of  the  LORD’s  com-
3
mandments and does what is forbidden by them:

 a

7

If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the
people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull
4
without blemish as a sin offering
 for the sin he
has committed.
He must bring the bull to the en-
trance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting  before  the  LORD,
5
lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it
before the LORD.
Then the anointed priest shall
6
take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the
Tent of Meeting.
The priest is to dip his finger in
the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times be-
fore the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctu-
ary.
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
8
base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting.
Then he shall remove all
the fat from the bull of the sin offering—the fat
9
that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
both  kidneys  with  the  fat  on  them  near  the
loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to re-
move  with  the  kidneys—
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.
But  the  hide  of  the  bull  and  all  its
flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and
dung—
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.

10

12

11

98    |    Leviticus 4:13

13

16

14

15

Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays
unintentionally  and  the  matter  escapes  the  no-
tice of the assembly so that they violate any of the
LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing
when they become aware of
what is forbidden,
the sin they have committed, then the assembly
must bring a young bull as a sin offering and pre-
The elders
sent it before the Tent of Meeting.
of the congregation are to lay their hands on the
bull’s  head  before  the  LORD,  and  it  shall  be
Then  the
slaughtered  before  the  LORD.
17
anointed  priest  is  to  bring  some  of  the  bull’s
and he is to dip
blood into the Tent of Meeting,
his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times
He is also
before the LORD in front of the veil.
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
19
base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance
And he is to remove all
to the Tent of Meeting.
He shall
the fat from it and burn it on the altar.
offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin
offering; in this way the priest will make atone-
21
ment on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.
Then  he  is  to  take  the  bull  outside  the  camp
and burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It is
22
the sin offering for the assembly.

18

20

23

24

When  a  leader  sins  unintentionally  and  does
what is prohibited by any of the commandments
When he
of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt.
becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he
must bring an unblemished male goat as his of-
He is to lay his hand on the head of the
fering.
goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt
25
offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin
Then the priest is to take some of the
offering.
blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on
the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour
26
out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
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
27
be forgiven.

28

And  if  one  of  the  common  people  sins
unintentionally  and  does  what  is  prohibited  by
any  of  the  LORD’s  commandments,  he  incurs
When he becomes aware of the sin he has
guilt.
committed,  he  must  bring  an  unblemished
He is to
female goat as his offering for that sin.
lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and
30
slaughter  it  at  the  place  of  the  burnt  offering.
Then  the  priest  is  to  take  some  of  its  blood

29

with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of
31
burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood
Then he is to remove all
at the base of the altar.
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
32
be forgiven.

33

If, however, he brings a lamb as a sin offering,
he must bring an unblemished female.
And he
is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
34
and  slaughter  it  as  a  sin  offering  at  the  place
Then
where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
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
And  he  shall
blood  at  the  base  of  the  altar.
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 food offerings
to  the  LORD.  In  this  way  the  priest  will  make
atonement for him for the sin he has committed,
Sins Requiring a Sin Offering
and he will be forgiven.
(Leviticus 4:1–35 ;  Leviticus 6:24–30)

35

5

“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
2
of it, he shall bear the iniquity.

Or  if  a  person  touches  anything  unclean—
whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal
or livestock or crawling creature—even if he is
3
unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.

Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything
by which one becomes unclean—even if he is un-
4
aware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.

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
5
is guilty in the matter.

6

If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he
and he
must confess the sin he has committed,
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
7
make atonement for him concerning his sin.

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

8

He is
offering and the other as a burnt offering.
to  bring  them  to  the  priest,  who  shall first  pre-
sent the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its
9
head at the front of its neck without severing it;
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.
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,
11
and he will be forgiven.

10

 a

But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two
young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah
of fine flour
 as a sin offering. He must not put
12
olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin
offering.
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 food offerings to
In  this  way  the
the  LORD;  it  is  a  sin  offering.
priest  will  make  atonement  for  him  for  any  of
these sins he has committed, and he will be for-
given.  The  remainder  will  belong  to  the  priest,
Laws for Guilt Offerings
like the grain offering.”
(Leviticus 6:1–7 ;  Leviticus 7:1–10)

13

14

15

 b

16

Then  the  LORD  said  to Moses,

“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
 in silver shekels
according  to  the  sanctuary  shekel;
  it  is  a  guilt
offering.
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
17
ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

 c

18

If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s
commandments  even  though  he  was  unaware,
He
he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.
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 be-
half  for  the  wrong  he  has  committed  in  igno-
It  is  a  guilt
rance,  and  he  will  be  forgiven.
offering;  he  was  certainly  guilty
  before  the
LORD.”
a 11 A tenth of an ephah
b 15
d 19

flock or its equivalence
he has paid full compensation

c 15 A shekel

19
 d

Or
Or

6

Leviticus 6:15    |    99

Sins Requiring a Guilt Offering
(Leviticus 5:14–19 ;  Leviticus 7:1–10)

2

3

“If  someone
And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
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 ex-
or finds lost property and lies
torts his neighbor
about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any
such sin that a man might commit—
once he has
sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what
he  has  stolen  or  taken  by  extortion,  or  the  de-
posit  entrusted  to  him,  or  the  lost  property  he
or  anything  else  about  which  he  has
found,
sworn falsely.

4

5

He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the
6
value,  and  pay  it  to  the  owner  on  the  day  he
Then he must bring to
acknowledges his guilt.
the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an un-
7
blemished  ram  of  proper  value  from  the  flock.
In this way the priest will make atonement for
him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for
The Burnt Offering  (Leviticus 1:1–17)
anything he may have done to incur guilt.”
8

9

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Command Aa-
ron 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
10
the fire must be kept burning on the altar.

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
11
fire  has  consumed  and  place  them  beside  it.
Then  he  must  take  off  his  garments,  put  on
other  clothes,  and  carry  the  ashes  outside  the
12
camp to a ceremonially clean place.

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 fire shall be kept
the peace offerings on it.
burning on the altar continually; it must not be
The Grain Offering  (Leviticus 2:1–16)
extinguished.
14

13

15

Now  this  is  the  law  of  the  grain  offering:
Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD in
The  priest  is  to  remove  a
front  of  the  altar.
handful of fine flour and olive oil, together with

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
 is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams of silver.

100    |    Leviticus 6:16

all the frankincense from the grain offering, and
burn  the  memorial  portion  on  the  altar  as  a
16
pleasing aroma to the LORD.

18

17

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
It  must  not  be  baked  with  leaven;  I
Meeting.
have assigned it as their portion of My food offer-
ings. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the
Any male among the sons of Aa-
guilt offering.
ron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from
the  food  offerings  to  the  LORD  for  the  genera-
tions  to  come.  Anything  that  touches  them  will
19
become holy.”

20

 b

 a

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“This is the of-
fering  that  Aaron  and  his  sons  must  present  to
the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an
ephah  of  fine  flour
  as  a  regular  grain  offering,
21
half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
 you
It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle;
 c
are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a
22
grain  offering  broken
  in  pieces,  a  pleasing
The priest, who is one of
aroma to the LORD.
Aaron’s  sons  and  will  be  anointed  to  take  his
place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for
Every
the LORD, it must be burned completely.
grain offering for a priest shall be burned com-
The Sin Offering
pletely; it is not to be eaten.”
(Leviticus 4:1–35 ;  Leviticus 5:1–13)

23

24

25

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell Aaron and
his sons that this is the law of the sin offering: In
the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered,
26
the  sin  offering  shall  be  slaughtered  before  the
The priest who offers it
LORD; it is most holy.
shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the
Anything
courtyard  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any
of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must
28
wash it in a holy place.

27

30

The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled
must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the
29
pot  must  be  scoured  and  rinsed  with  water.
Any  male  among  the  priests  may  eat  it;  it  is
But no sin offering may be eaten if
most holy.
its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meet-
ing to make atonement in the Holy Place; it must
a 20 A tenth of an ephah
be burned.
b 21

c 21

baked

The Guilt Offering  (Lev. 5:14–19 ;  Lev. 6:1–7)

7

2

4

3

“Now  this  is  the  law  of  the  guilt  offering,
The guilt offering must
which is most holy:
be slaughtered in the place where the burnt of-
fering is slaughtered, and the priest shall splatter
And all the fat
its blood on all sides of the altar.
from  it  shall be  offered:  the  fat  tail,  the  fat  that
both kidneys with the fat on
covers the entrails,
them  near  the  loins,  and  the  lobe  of  the  liver,
The
which  is  to  be  removed  with  the  kidneys.
6
priest shall burn them on the altar as a food of-
fering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering.
Every
male among the priests may eat of it. It must be
7
eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

5

9

8

The  guilt  offering  is  like  the  sin  offering;  the
same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest
who makes atonement with it.
As for the priest
who  presents  a  burnt  offering  for  anyone,  the
Likewise,
hide  of  that  offering  belongs  to him.
every grain offering that is baked in an oven or
10
 belongs to the
 or on a griddle
cooked in a pan
priest who presents it,
and every grain offer-
ing,  whether  dry  or  mixed  with  oil,  belongs
The Peace Offering  (Leviticus 3:1–17)
equally to all the sons of Aaron.
11

 d

 e

12

Now this is the law of the peace offering that
If he offers it in
one may present to the LORD:
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
13
mixed with oil.

14

Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving
he  is  to  present  an  offering  with  cakes  of  leav-
From  the  cakes  he  must  present
ened  bread.
one portion of each offering as a contribution to
15
the LORD. It belongs to the priest who sprinkles
The meat of the
the blood of the peace offering.
sacrifice  of  his  peace  offering  of  thanksgiving
must be eaten on the day he offers it; none of it
16
may be left until morning.

17

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
But any meat of the
be eaten on the next day.
18
sacrifice  remaining  until  the  third  day  must  be
burned  up.
If  any  of  the  meat  from his  peace
offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be

d 9

e 9

That is, a shallow pan for baking or frying

Or

That is, a deep pan or stew pan

That is, a shal-

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).

low pan for baking or frying

accepted. It will not be credited to the one who
presented it; it shall be an abomination, and the
19
one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

Meat that touches anything unclean must not
be eaten; it is to be burned up. As for any other
20
meat, anyone who is ceremonially clean may eat
But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from
it.
the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that
If one
person must be cut off from his people.
touches  anything  unclean,  whether  human  un-
cleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean, de-
testable thing, and then eats any of the meat of
the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that
Fat and Blood Forbidden
person must be cut off from his people.”
22

23

21

Then the LORD said to Moses,
24

“Speak to the
Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the
fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.
The fat of an an-
imal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be
used for any other purpose, but you must not eat
25
it.

26

If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which
a  food  offering  may  be  presented  to  the  LORD,
the one who eats it must be cut off from his peo-
You  must  not  eat  the  blood  of  any  bird
ple.
or animal in any of your dwellings.
If anyone
eats blood, that person must be cut off from his
The Priests’ Portion
people.’
28

”

29

27

30

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the
Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace
offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice
With his own hands he is to bring
to the LORD.
the food offerings to the LORD; he shall bring the
fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast
31
as a wave offering before the LORD.

32

8

Leviticus 8:13    |    101

35

36

This  is  the  portion  of  the  food  offerings  to
the  LORD  for  Aaron  and  his  sons  since  the  day
they  were  presented  to  serve  the  LORD  as
On  the  day  they  were  anointed,  the
priests.
LORD  commanded  that  this  be  given  them  by
the sons of Israel. It is a permanent portion for
37
the generations to come.

This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain
offering,  the  sin  offering,  the  guilt  offering,  the
38
ordination  offering,  and  the  peace  offering,
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.  Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons
(Exodus 29:1–9)

2

“Take Aaron
Then the LORD said to Moses,
and  his  sons,  their  garments,  the  anointing
3
oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and
and assemble
the basket of unleavened bread,
the  whole  congregation  at  the  entrance  to  the
4
Tent of Meeting.”

5

So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him,
and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the
And Moses said to them, “This
Tent of Meeting.
6
is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”

7

8

Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and
He  put  the  tunic  on
washed  them  with  water.
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
Then he put the breastpiece
fastened it to him.
9
on him and placed the Urim and Thummim
 in
the  breastpiece.
Moses  also  put  the  turban  on
Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy dia-
dem, on the front of the turban, as the LORD had
10
commanded him.

 a

The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the
And you
breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
33
are to give the right thigh to the priest as a con-
The son of
tribution from your peace offering.
Aaron  who  presents  the  blood  and  fat  of  the
peace offering shall have the right thigh as a por-
34
tion.

I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast
of the wave offering and the thigh of the contri-
bution of their peace offerings, and I have given
them to Aaron the priest and his sons as a per-
manent portion from the sons of Israel.’
Lights and Perfections
a 8

”

Next,  Moses  took  the  anointing  oil  and
11
anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and
He sprinkled some of
so he consecrated them.
the  oil  on  the  altar  seven  times,  anointing  the
altar  and  all  its  utensils,  and  the  basin  with  its
12
stand, to consecrate them.

13

He  also  poured  some  of  the  anointing  oil  on
Aaron’s  head  and  anointed  him  to  consecrate
Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, put
him.
tunics  on  them,  wrapped  sashes  around  them,
and  tied  headbands  on  them,  just  as  the  LORD
had commanded him.

Literally

102    |    Leviticus 8:14

The Priests’ Sin Offering

14

15

Moses then brought the bull near for the sin of-
fering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on
its  head.
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
16
could be made on it.

Moses also took all the fat that was on the en-
trails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and
their fat, and burned it all on the altar.
But the
bull with its hide, flesh, and dung he burned out-
The Priests’ Burnt Offering
side the camp, as the LORD had commanded him.
18

17

20

21

19

Then  Moses  presented  the  ram  for  the  burnt
offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands
on  its  head.
Moses  slaughtered  the  ram  and
splattered the blood on all sides of the altar.
He
cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the
pieces, and the fat.
He washed the entrails and
legs with water and burned the entire ram on the
altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food
offering to the LORD, just as the LORD had com-
The Ram of Ordination  (Exodus 29:10–30)
manded Moses.
22

After that, Moses presented the other ram, the
23
ram  of  ordination,  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  laid
their hands on its head.
Moses slaughtered the
ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aa-
ron’s  right  earlobe,  on  the  thumb  of  his  right
hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
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  splattered  the  blood  on  all
25
sides of the altar.

24

26

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.
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.
He
put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons
and waved them before the LORD as a wave of-
28
fering.

27

Then Moses took these from their hands and
a 4
burned them on the altar with the burnt offering.

a cow

a bull

Or

 or

; also in verses 18 and 19

29

This  was  an  ordination  offering,  a  pleasing
aroma,  a  food  offering  to  the  LORD.
He  also
took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of or-
dination—and  waved  it  before  the  LORD  as  a
30
wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.

Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and
some of the blood that was on the altar and sprin-
kled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his
sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aa-
ron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and
31
their garments.

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,
Then  you
‘Aaron  and  his  sons  are  to  eat  it.’
must  burn  up  the  remainder  of  the  meat  and
33
bread.

32

34

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
What has been done
seven days to ordain you.
today has been commanded by the LORD in or-
der  to  make  atonement  on  your  behalf.
You
must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meet-
ing  day  and  night  for  seven  days  and  keep  the
LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is
36
what I have been commanded.”

35

So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD

Aaron’s First Offerings
had commanded through Moses.

9

2

3

On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron
He
and  his  sons  and  the  elders  of  Israel.
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
Then  speak  to  the  Israelites  and  say,
LORD.
‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a
 a
lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for
a burnt offering,
 and a ram for a peace
offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain
offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will
5
appear to you.’

an ox

”

4

6

So  they  took  what  Moses  had  commanded  to
the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole
congregation  drew  near  and  stood  before
And  Moses  said,  “This  is  what  the
the  LORD.
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 of-
fering  to  make  atonement  for  yourself  and  for
the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to
make atonement for them, as the LORD has com-
8
manded.”

9

So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered
The sons of
the calf as a sin offering for himself.
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
On the altar he
blood at the base of the altar.
burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the
liver from the sin offering, as the LORD had com-
But he burned up the flesh and
manded Moses.
12
the hide outside the camp.

10

11

Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering. His
13
sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it
They brought him the
on all sides of the altar.
burnt offering piece by piece, including the head,
and  he  burned  them  on  the  altar.
He washed
the entrails and the legs and burned them atop
15
the burnt offering on the altar.

14

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
16
one.

He presented the burnt offering and offered it

17
according to the ordinance.

Next  he  presented  the  grain  offering,  took  a
handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addi-
18
tion to the morning’s burnt offering.

Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the
people’s  peace  offering.  His  sons  brought  him
the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the
19
altar.

They also brought the fat portions from the ox
and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the en-
20
trails,  the  kidneys,  and  the  lobe  of  the  liver—
and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned
but he waved the
the fat portions on the altar,
breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering be-
22
fore the LORD, as Moses had commanded.

21

Aaron  lifted  up  his  hands  toward  the  people
and blessed them. And having made the sin offer-
ing, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he
23
stepped down.

Moses  and  Aaron  then  entered  the  Tent  of
a 1
Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the

b 4 Elzaphan

Elizaphan

strange

Leviticus 10:11    |    103

24

people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all
Fire came out from the presence of
the people.
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
The Sin of Nadab and Abihu  (Numbers 3:1–4)
facedown.

10

 a

Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took
their censers, put fire in them and added
  fire  before
incense,  and  offered  unauthorized
So  fire
the  LORD,  contrary  to  His  command.
came out from the presence of the LORD and con-
sumed them, and they died in the presence of the
3
LORD.

2

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
But Aaron remained silent.

b

Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,

 sons
of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come
5
here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the
So
camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”
they came forward and carried them, still in their
6
tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed.

 c

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar
and  Ithamar,  “Do  not  let  your  hair  become  di-
 and do not tear your garments, or else
sheveled
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
You shall
of the fire that the LORD has ignited.
not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meet-
ing, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil
is on you.”
Restrictions for Priests
So they did as Moses instructed.
9
8

7

10

Then the LORD said to Aaron,

“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  genera-
You  must  distinguish between
tions  to  come.
11
the holy and the common, between the clean and
so that you may teach the Israel-
the unclean,
ites all the statutes that the LORD has given them
through Moses.”

Do not uncover your heads

c 6

Or

 is a variant of

; see Numbers 3:30.

Or

104    |    Leviticus 10:12

12

And  Moses  said  to  Aaron  and  his  remaining
sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offer-
ing  that  remains  from  the  food  offerings  to  the
13
LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar,
You shall eat it in a holy
because it is most holy.
place,  because  it  is  your  share  and  your  sons’
share of the food offerings to the LORD; for this
14
is what I have been commanded.

15

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
They are to bring the thigh
of the sons of Israel.
of the contribution and the breast of the wave of-
fering, together with the fat portions of the food
offerings, to wave as a wave offering before the
LORD.  It  will  belong  permanently  to  you  and
16
your children, as the LORD has commanded.”

17

Later,  Moses  searched  carefully  for  the  goat
of  the  sin  offering,  and  behold,  it  had  been
burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Itha-
“Why
mar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
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
Since its
atonement for them before the LORD.
blood was not brought inside the holy place, you
should  have  eaten  it  in  the  sanctuary  area,  as  I
19
commanded.”

18

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
20
the sight of the LORD?”

And  when  Moses  heard  this  explanation,  he

Clean and Unclean Animals
was satisfied.
(Deuteronomy 14:1–21 ;  Acts 10:9–16)

11

2

3

The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aa-
“Say to the Israelites,
ron, telling them,
‘Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may
eat:
You may eat any animal that has a split hoof
4
completely divided and that chews the cud.

 a
But of those that only chew the cud or only have

a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following:

5

b

The rock badger,

 though it chews the cud,

does not have a divided hoof; it is
6
unclean for you.

The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does

not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for
7
you.

And the pig, though it has a split hoof

8

completely divided, does not chew the cud;
it is unclean for you.

You must not eat their meat or touch their car-

9
casses; they are unclean for you.

Of  all  the  creatures  that  live  in  the  water,
whether in the seas or in the streams, you may
10
eat anything with fins and scales.

11

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
They shall be an abomina-
have fins and scales.
tion to you; you must not eat their meat, and you
Everything in the
must detest their carcasses.
water that does not have fins and scales shall be
13
detestable to you.

12

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
14
vulture,
15

the kite, any kind of falcon,

16

any kind of raven,

c

the ostrich,
17
kind of hawk,

 the screech owl, the gull, any

the little owl, the cormorant, the great

18
owl,

the white owl, the desert owl, the

19
osprey,

the stork, any kind of heron,

20

the hoopoe, and the bat.

21

All flying insects that walk on all fours are de-
However, you may eat the fol-
testable to you.
lowing  kinds  of  flying  insects  that  walk  on  all
fours: those having jointed legs above their feet
Of these you may
for hopping on the ground.
eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grass-
All other flying insects that have four
hopper.
legs are detestable to you.
b 5

The coney

The hyrax

22

23

a 4
c 16

The camel, though it chews the cud, does
not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for
you.
The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
Literally

the daughter of the ostrich

the daughter of the owl

 or

Or

 or

24

25

These creatures will make you unclean. Who-
ever touches their carcasses will be unclean until
evening,
and  whoever  picks  up  one  of  their
carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be
26
unclean until evening.

 a

Every  animal  with  hooves  not  completely  di-
vided
 or that does not chew the cud is unclean
for you. Whoever touches any of them will be un-
27
clean.

All the four-footed animals that walk on their
paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their
carcasses  will  be  unclean  until  evening,
and
anyone  who  picks  up  a  carcass  must  wash  his
clothes,  and  he  will  be  unclean  until  evening.
29
They are unclean for you.

28

The  following  creatures  that  move  along
the  ground  are  unclean  for  you:  the  mole,  the
mouse, any kind of great lizard,
the gecko, the
monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and
31
the chameleon.

30

32

These  animals  are  unclean  for  you among  all
the  crawling  creatures.  Whoever  touches  them
when they are dead shall be unclean until even-
When one of them dies and falls on some-
ing.
thing, that article becomes unclean; any article of
wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any imple-
ment used for work must be rinsed with water
and  will  remain  unclean  until  evening;  then  it
If any of them falls into a clay pot,
will be clean.
everything in it will be unclean; you must break
Any food coming into contact with wa-
the pot.
ter from that pot will be unclean, and any drink
35
in such a container will be unclean.

34

33

36

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 re-
main unclean for you.
Nevertheless, a spring or
cistern  containing  water  will  remain  clean,  but
37
one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean.
If  a  carcass  falls  on  any  seed  for  sowing,  the
seed is clean;
but if water has been put on the
39
seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

38

If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who
40
touches the carcass will be unclean until evening.
Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his
clothes and will be unclean until evening, and an-
yone  who  picks  up  the  carcass  must  wash  his
41
clothes and will be unclean until evening.

42

Every creature that moves along the ground is
b 44
a split hoof not completely divided
Do not eat any

a 26
detestable; it must not be eaten.

12

Leviticus 12:8    |    105

creature that moves along the ground, whether it
crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet;
43
for such creatures are detestable.

Do not defile yourselves by any crawling crea-
44
ture; do not become unclean or defiled by them.
b
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate your-
selves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy.
You must not defile yourselves by any creature
that  crawls  along  the  ground.
For  I  am  the
LORD,  who  brought  you  up  out  of  the  land  of
Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be
46
holy, because I am holy.

45

This is the law regarding animals, birds, all liv-
ing  creatures  that  move  in  the  water,  and  all
You
creatures  that  crawl  along  the  ground.
must  distinguish  between  the  unclean  and  the
clean,  between  animals  that  may  be  eaten  and
Purification after Childbirth
those that may not.’

47

”

2

“Say  to
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
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
And on the eighth day the flesh of
menstruation.
4
the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

3

The woman shall continue in purification from
her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not
touch  anything  sacred  or  go  into  the  sanctuary
5
until the days of her purification are complete.

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  con-
tinue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-
6
six days.

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
7
a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.
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
8
to a male or to a female.

c

But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring
two turtledoves or two young pigeons,
 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.’

c 8

”

Literally

Here and in verse 45; cited in 1 Peter 1:16

Cited in Luke 2:24

106    |    Leviticus 13:1

Laws about Skin Diseases  (Numbers 5:1–4)

13

2
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
“When someone has a swelling or rash
or bright spot on his skin that may be an infec-
tious skin disease,
 he must be brought to Aaron
3
the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.

a

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
4
him, he must pronounce him unclean.

5

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.
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.
The priest will ex-
amine 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.
7
The person must wash his clothes and be clean.

6

But if the rash spreads further on his skin after
he has shown himself to the priest for his cleans-
8
ing, he must present himself again to the priest.
The priest  will reexamine him, and if the rash
has  spread  on  the  skin,  the  priest  must  pro-
9
nounce him unclean; it is a skin disease.

10
When anyone develops a skin disease, he must
The priest will exam-
be brought to the priest.
ine  him,  and  if  there  is  a  white  swelling  on  the
11
skin that has turned the hair white, and there is
raw  flesh  in  the  swelling,
it  is  a  chronic  skin
disease and the priest must pronounce him un-
12
clean. He need not isolate him, for he is unclean.

13

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
the priest shall examine him, and if the dis-
see,
ease  has  covered  his  entire  body,  he  is  to  pro-
nounce the infected person clean. Since it has all
14
turned white, he is clean.

15

and if the infection has turned white, the priest is
to pronounce the infected person clean; then he
18
is clean.
19

When a boil appears on someone’s skin and it
and a white swelling or a reddish-white
heals,
20
spot develops where the boil was, he must pre-
sent himself to the priest.
The priest shall ex-
amine 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 in-
21
fection that has broken out in the boil.

22

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
If it spreads any further on the skin, the
days.
23
priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an in-
fection.
But if the spot remains unchanged and
does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil,
24
and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

25

When  there  is  a  burn  on  someone’s  skin  and
the raw area of the burn becomes reddish-white
the priest must examine it. If the hair
or white,
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  pro-
26
nounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection.

27

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
On the seventh day the priest is to
seven days.
reexamine him, and if it has spread further on the
28
skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it
But  if  the  spot  is  un-
is  a  diseased  infection.
changed 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
29
scar from the burn.
30

If a man or woman has an infection on the head
or chin,
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
31
infectious disease of the head or chin.

But whenever raw flesh appears on someone,
When  the  priest  sees  the
he  will  be  unclean.
raw flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. The
But if
raw flesh is unclean; it is a skin disease.
the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must
tzaraath
a 2
The priest will reexamine him,
go to the priest.
, traditionally translated as

17

16

Forms of the Hebrew
throughout verses 3-46.

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
On
isolate the infected person for seven days.
the seventh day the priest is to reexamine the in-
fection, and if the scaly outbreak has not spread

32

leprosy

, were used for various skin diseases; here and

33

34

and there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not
then  the
appear  to  be  deeper  than  the  skin,
person  must  shave  himself  except  for  the  scaly
area. Then the priest shall isolate him for another
On the seventh day the priest shall
seven days.
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
35
be clean.

36

If, however, the scaly outbreak spreads further
the priest is to
on the skin after his cleansing,
examine  him,  and  if  the  scaly  outbreak  has
spread on the skin, the priest need not look for
37
yellow hair; the person is unclean.

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 pro-
38
nounce him clean.
39

When  a man  or  a  woman  has  white  spots  on
the priest shall examine them, and if
the skin,
the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that
40
has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.

41

42

43

Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is
Or  if  his  hairline  recedes  and  he
still  clean.
But if
is bald on his forehead, he is still clean.
there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or
forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out
The priest is to examine him, and if the
on it.
swelling of the infection on his bald head or fore-
the
head  is  reddish-white like  a  skin  disease,
man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must
pronounce him unclean because of the infection
45
on his head.

44

a

46

A diseased person must wear torn clothes and
let  his  hair  hang  loose,
  and  he  must  cover  his
As long
mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
as  he  has  the  infection,  he  remains  unclean.  He
Laws about Mildew
must live alone in a place outside the camp.
47

 b

48

If any fabric is contaminated with mildew
49

—
any wool or linen garment,
any weave or knit
and
of linen or wool, or any article of leather—
if the mark in the fabric, leather, weave, knit, or
leather article is green or red, then it is contami-
nated  with  mildew  and  must  be  shown  to  the
b 47
a 45
And the priest is to examine the mildew
priest.
mildew

uncover his head

50

tzaraath

Leviticus 14:4    |    107

and  isolate  the  contaminated  fabric  for  seven
51
days.

52

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 un-
He is to burn the fabric, weave, or knit,
clean.
whether the contaminated item is wool or linen
or leather. Since the mildew is harmful, the arti-
53
cle must be burned up.

54

55

But when the priest reexamines it, if the mil-
dew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or
the  priest  is  to  order  the  con-
leather  article,
taminated article to be washed and isolated for
After it has been washed,
another seven days.
the priest is to reexamine it, and if the mildewed
article  has  not  changed  in  appearance,  it  is  un-
clean.  Even  though  the  mildew  has  not  spread,
you must burn it, whether the rot is on the front
56
or back.

57

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,
But  if  it  reappears  in  the
weave,  or  knit.
fabric, weave, or knit, or on any leather article, it
is  spreading.  You  must  burn  the  contaminated
58
article.

If  the  mildew  disappears  from  the  fabric,
weave, or knit, or any leather article after wash-
ing, then it is to be washed again, and it will be
59
clean.

This is the law concerning a mildew contami-
nation in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or
any  leather  article,  for  pronouncing  it  clean  or
Cleansing from Skin Diseases
unclean.”
(Matthew 8:1–4 ;  Mark 1:40–45 ;  Luke 5:12–16)

2

3

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“This is
 c
the law for the one afflicted with a skin
 on the day of his cleansing, when he is
disease
The priest is to go outside
brought to the priest.
the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease
of  the  afflicted  person  has  healed,
the  priest
shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood,
scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one
leprosy
to be cleansed.

4

14

Or

c 2

eases, are translated as
der of this chapter.
diseases; also in verses 3, 7, 32, 54, and 57.

Forms of the Hebrew

, traditionally translated as
Forms of the Hebrew
leprosy
 regarding blemishes on garments, utensils, or buildings; here and throughout the remain-

 regarding skin dis-

tzaraath

, traditionally translated as

, were used for various skin

108    |    Leviticus 14:5

5

18

 a

6

Then the priest shall command that one of the
birds be slaughtered over fresh water
 in a clay
pot.
And he is to take the live bird together with
the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip
7
them into the blood of the bird that was slaugh-
Seven times he shall
tered over the fresh water.
sprinkle  the  one  to  be  cleansed  of  the  skin  dis-
ease.  Then  he  shall  pronounce  him  clean  and
8
release the live bird into the open field.

9

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
On the seventh day he must
tent for seven days.
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
10
will be clean.

c

 b

11

On the eighth day he is to bring two unblem-
ished  male  lambs,  an  unblemished  ewe  lamb  a
year  old,  a  grain  offering  of  three-tenths  of
an ephah of fine flour
 mixed with olive oil, and
one log of olive oil.
The priest who performs
the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed,
together with these offerings, before the LORD at
12
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

13

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
Then he is to slaugh-
offering before the LORD.
ter 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
14
priest; it is most holy.

16

15

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.
Then
the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil,
dip his right forefin-
pour it into his left palm,
ger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some
of the oil with his finger seven times before the
And the priest is to put some of the oil
LORD.
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.
living water
a 5

flowing water

17

19

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.
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
and offer it on the altar, with
the burnt offering
the  grain  offering,  to  make  atonement  for  him,
21
and he will be clean.

20

 d

If, however, the person is poor and cannot af-
ford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb
as  a  guilt  offering  to  be  waved  to  make  atone-
ment for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of
22
fine flour
 mixed with olive oil for a grain offer-
and  two  turtledoves  or
ing,  a  log  of  olive  oil,
two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one
23
to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

24

On the eighth day he is to bring them for his
cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent
The  priest  shall
of  Meeting  before  the  LORD.
take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the
log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering
25
before the LORD.

27

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
26
right  hand,  and  on  the  big  toe  of  his  right  foot.
Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into
and sprinkle with his right fore-
his left palm
finger some of the oil in his left palm seven times
The  priest  shall  also  put
before  the  LORD.
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
29
same places as the blood of the guilt offering.

28

30

31

The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to
put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make
Then he
atonement for him before the LORD.
must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons,
one as a sin offering
whichever he can afford,
and the other as a burnt offering,
 together with
the  grain  offering.  In  this  way  the  priest  will
make atonement before the LORD for the one to
32
be cleansed.

e

Or

 or

; here and in verses 6, 50, 51, and 52

dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour).
0.33 quarts or 0.31 liters; also in verses 12, 15, 21, and 24
liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).      e

 31

This is the law for someone who has a skin dis-
ease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”
one log of oil

b 10 Three-tenths of an ephah

c 10
d 21 A tenth of an ephah

 is approximately 6
; that is, approximately
Or
as he is able to afford,
 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew includes

Signs of Home Contamination

49

Leviticus 15:8    |    109

33
34

35

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,
“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I
 a
am  giving  you  as  your  possession,  and  I  put  a
  into  a  house  in  that
contamination  of  mildew
the  owner  of  the  house  shall  come  and
land,
tell  the  priest,  ‘Something  like  mildew  has  ap-
36
peared in my house.’

The  priest  must  order  that  the  house  be
cleared  before  he  enters  it  to  examine  the  mil-
dew, so that nothing in the house will become un-
clean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect
37
the house.

He is to examine the house, and if the mildew
on the walls consists of green or red depressions
38
that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,
the priest shall go outside the doorway of the

39
house and close it up for seven days.

41

40

On the seventh day the priest is to return and
inspect  the  house.  If  the  mildew  has  spread  on
he must order that the contaminated
the walls,
stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean
place outside the city.
And he shall have the in-
side  of  the  house  scraped  completely  and  the
plaster  that  is  scraped  off  dumped  into  an  un-
42
clean place outside the city.

So  different  stones  must  be  obtained  to  re-
place  the  contaminated  ones,  as  well  as  addi-
43
tional mortar to replaster the house.

If the mildew reappears in the house after the
stones  have  been  torn  out  and  the  house  has
been scraped and replastered,
the priest must
come and inspect it.

44

45

46

If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a de-
It must
structive mildew; the house is unclean.
be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all
its  plaster,  and  taken  outside  the  city  to  an  un-
Anyone  who  enters  the  house
clean  place.
47
during any of the days that it is closed up will be
And anyone who sleeps
unclean until evening.
Cleansing a Home
in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
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.
tzaraath
a 34
dew
b 57

50

He  is  to  take  two  birds,  cedar  wood,  scarlet
and  he
yarn,  and  hyssop  to  purify  the  house;
shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water
51
in a clay pot.

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 wa-
And he
ter, and sprinkle the house seven times.
shall  cleanse  the  house  with  the  bird’s  blood,
the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the
53
hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.

52

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
54
clean.

55

56

for a scaly outbreak,
57
in  a  house,

This is the law for any infectious skin disease,
for mildew in clothing or
and  for  a  swelling,  rash,  or  spot,
to determine when something is clean or un-
clean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and
The Uncleanness of Men
mildew.
(Deuteronomy 23:9–14)

”

b

15

2

3

And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and
“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any
Aaron,
man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is un-
This  uncleanness  is  from  his  discharge,
clean.
whether his body allows the discharge to flow or
blocks  it.  So  his  discharge  will  bring  about  un-
4
cleanness.

Any bed on which the man with the discharge
5
lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which
he sits will be unclean.
Anyone who touches his
bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water,
Whoever
and he will be unclean until evening.
sits on furniture on which the man with the dis-
charge  was  sitting  must  wash  his  clothes  and
bathe  with  water,  and  he  will  be  unclean  until
7
evening.

6

8

Whoever  touches  the  body  of  the  man  with  a
discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with
If
water,  and  he  will  be unclean  until  evening.
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
leprosy
evening.

mil-

Forms of the Hebrew
 regarding blemishes on garments, utensils, or buildings; here and throughout the remainder of this chapter.
The Hebrew translated here as

 is one singular term; see the footnotes for verses

 regarding skin diseases, are translated as

, traditionally translated as
skin diseases and mildew

2 and 34.

110    |    Leviticus 15:9

9

10

24

Any  saddle  on  which  the  man  with  the  dis-
charge rides will be unclean.
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
11
he will be unclean until evening.

12

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.
Any  clay  pot  that  the  man  with  the
discharge  touches  must  be  broken,  and  any
The Cleansing of Men
wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.
13

a

14

  and  he  shall  be  clean.

When the man has been cleansed from his dis-
charge,  he  must  count  off  seven  days  for  his
cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in
On  the
fresh  water,
eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two
young pigeons, come before the LORD at the en-
trance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to
The priest is to sacrifice them, one
the priest.
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  dis-
16
charge.

15

17

When  a  man  has  an  emission  of  semen,  he
must  bathe  his  whole  body  with  water,  and  he
will be unclean until evening.
Any clothing or
leather on which there is an emission of semen
18
must  be  washed  with  water,  and  it  will  remain
unclean  until  evening.
If  a  man  lies  with  a
woman and there is an emission of semen, both
must bathe with water, and they will remain un-
The Uncleanness of Women
clean until evening.
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
20
who  touches  her  will  be  unclean  until  evening.
Anything on which she lies or sits during her
menstruation will be unclean,
and anyone who
touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe
22
with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

21

Whoever touches any furniture on which she
was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with
23
water,  and  he  will  be  unclean  until  evening.
And whether it is a bed or furniture on which
she  was  sitting,  whoever  touches  it  will  be  un-
the Holy Place
living water
a 13
clean until evening.
cover
Or
 or
; here and throughout this chapter

flowing water

b 2

Or

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  un-
25
clean.

26

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
Any  bed  on  which  she  lies  or
menstruation.
any furniture on which she sits during the days
of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed dur-
Anyone who touches
ing her menstrual period.
these  things  will  be  unclean;  he  must  wash  his
clothes and bathe with water, and he will be un-
The Cleansing of Women
clean until evening.
28

27

29

When  a  woman  is  cleansed  of  her  discharge,
she must count off seven days, and after that she
On the eighth day
will be ceremonially clean.
she  is  to  take  two  turtledoves  or  two  young
30
pigeons and bring them to the priest at the en-
The priest is to
trance to the Tent of Meeting.
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 un-
31
clean discharge.

You must keep the children of Israel separate
from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by
32
defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.

33

This is the law of him who has a discharge, of
the man who has an emission of semen whereby
he is unclean,
of a woman in her menstrual pe-
riod, of any male or female who has a discharge,
The Day of Atonement
”
and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’
(Leviticus 23:26–32 ;  Numbers 29:7–11)

16

2

Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the
death of two of Aaron’s sons when they
approached the presence of the LORD.
And the
 b
LORD  said  to  Moses:  “Tell  your  brother  Aaron
 c
not  to  enter  freely  into  the  Most  Holy  Place
behind the veil in front of the mercy seat
 on the
ark,  or  else  he  will  die,  because  I  appear  in  the
3
cloud above the mercy seat.

This  is  how  Aaron  is  to  enter  the  Holy  Place:
with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for
He is to wear the sacred linen
a burnt offering.

atonement

c 2

4

; also in verses 16, 17, 20, 23, and 27

Or

Leviticus 16:31    |    111

18

tunic,  with  linen  undergarments.  He  must  tie  a
linen sash around him and put on the linen tur-
ban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe
And
himself with water before he wears them.
he shall take from the congregation of Israel two
male  goats  for  a  sin  offering  and  one  ram  for  a
6
burnt offering.

5

19

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 al-
He  is  to  sprinkle  some  of  the  blood  on  it
tar.
with his finger seven times to cleanse it and con-
20
secrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

7

Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering
and make atonement for himself and his house-
hold.
Then he shall take the two goats and pre-
sent them before the LORD at the entrance to the
8
Tent of Meeting.

a

9

After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for
the LORD and the other for the scapegoat,
he
shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD
But the  goat
and  sacrifice  it  as  a  sin  offering.
chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented
alive  before  the  LORD  to  make  atonement  by
11
sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

10

13

12

When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offer-
ing  and  makes  atonement  for  himself  and  his
household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own
Then he must take a censer full of
sin offering.
burning  coals  from  the  altar  before  the  LORD,
and  two  handfuls  of  finely  ground  fragrant  in-
He  is  to
cense,  and  take  them  inside  the  veil.
put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and
the  cloud  of  incense  will  cover  the  mercy  seat
14
  so  that  he  will  not  die.
above  the  Testimony,
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
15
his finger seven times before the mercy seat.

b

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
16
the mercy seat and in front of it.

17

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 in the midst of their impuri-
No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from
ties.
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
a 8
the whole assembly of Israel.

the other to Azazel

21

When  Aaron  has  finished  purifying  the  Most
Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he
Then he is to
is to bring forward the live goat.
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
22
into  the  wilderness  by  the  hand  of  a  man  ap-
The  goat  will  carry  on
pointed  for  the  task.
itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and
23
the man will release it into the wilderness.

Then  Aaron  is  to  enter  the  Tent  of  Meeting,
take off the linen garments he put on before en-
24
tering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.
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
He is also to burn
himself and for the people.
26
the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

25

The man who released the goat as the scape-
goat  must  wash  his  clothes  and  bathe  himself
27
with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

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,
The  one  who
and  dung  must  be  burned  up.
burns  them  must  wash  his  clothes  and  bathe
himself  with  water,  and  afterward  he  may
29
reenter the camp.

28

 c

30

This is to be a permanent statute for you: On
the  tenth  day  of  the  seventh  month,  you  shall
  and  not  do  any  work—
humble  yourselves
whether the native or the foreigner who resides
because on this day atonement
among you—
will  be  made  for  you  to  cleanse  you,  and  you
31
will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
It  is  a  Sabbath  of  complete  rest  for  you,  that
you  may  humble  yourselves;  it  is  a  permanent
statute.

b 13 The Testimony
c 29

afflict your souls

deny
 refers to the
or

Literally

; similarly twice in verse 10 and once in verse 26
yourselves
stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

Or

; also in verse 31

112    |    Leviticus 16:32

32

33

The  priest  who  is  anointed  and  ordained  to
succeed  his  father  as  high  priest  shall  make
atonement. He will put on the sacred linen gar-
 a
and make atonement for the Most Holy
ments
Place,
 the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for
34
the  priests  and  all  the  people  of  the  assembly.
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  com-
The Place of Sacrifice
manded Moses.

2

17

b

“Speak to
Then the LORD said to Moses,
Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and
3
tell them this is what the LORD has commanded:
‘Anyone  from  the  house  of  Israel  who  slaugh-
4
ters an ox,
 a lamb, or a goat in the camp or out-
instead of bringing it to the entrance to
side of it
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
5
cut off from among his people.

6

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 offerings to the
LORD.
The priest will then splatter the blood on
the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma
7
to the LORD.
 c

They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the
goat  demons
  to  which  they  have  prostituted
themselves. This will be a permanent statute for
8
them for the generations to come.’

9

Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel
or  any  foreigner  living  among  them  offers  a
burnt offering or a sacrifice
but does not bring
it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacri-
fice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from
Laws against Eating Blood
his people.
10

11

If  anyone  from  the  house  of  Israel  or  a  for-
eigner  living among  them eats  any  blood,  I  will
set My face against that person and cut him off
from  among  his  people.
  of  the
flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to
a 33
make  atonement  for  your  souls  upon  the  altar;
e 5
Or

the Holy Sanctuary       b 3

For  the  life

a cow

a bull

c 7

Or

 d

12

for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of
soul.
you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living
13
among you eat blood.’

14

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
For  the  life  of  all  flesh  is  its  blood.
with  dirt.
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
15
cut off.’

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
But  if  he  does  not  wash  his
he  will  be  clean.
clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his
Unlawful Sexual Relations  (Matthew 5:27–30)
iniquity.”

16

2

18

3

“Speak to
Then the LORD said to Moses,
the  Israelites  and  tell  them:  I  am  the
You must not follow the prac-
LORD your God.
tices 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
4
must not walk in their customs.

5

You are to practice My judgments and keep My
statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your
e
God.
Keep  My  statutes  and  My  judgments,  for
the man who does these things will live by them.
6
I am the LORD.

f
None of you are to approach any close relative

7
to have sexual relations.

 I am the LORD.

You must not expose the nakedness of your fa-
ther  by  having  sexual  relations  with  your
mother. She is your mother; you must not have
8
sexual relations with her.

You  must  not  have  sexual  relations  with  your

9
father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.

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
10
same home or elsewhere.

goat idols

You must not have sexual relations with your
son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for
that would shame your family.
f 6
Literally

to uncover (their) nakedness

; also in verse 14

the soul

d 11

Literally

;

 or
Cited in Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12; see also Ezekiel 20:11, 13, and 21.

Or

here and throughout this chapter

11

You  must  not  have  sexual  relations  with  the
daughter  of  your  father’s  wife,  born  to  your
12
father; she is your sister.

You must not have sexual relations with your
13
father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.

You must not have sexual relations with your
mother’s  sister,  for  she  is  your  mother’s  close
14
relative.

You  must  not  dishonor  your  father’s  brother
by approaching his wife to have sexual relations
15
with her; she is your aunt.

You must not have sexual relations with your
daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are
16
not to have sexual relations with her.

You must not have sexual relations with your
17
brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.

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
18
close relatives; it is depraved.

You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival
wife  and  have  sexual  relations  with  her  while
19
your wife is still alive.

You must not approach a woman to have sex-
ual relations with her during her menstrual pe-
20
riod.

You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s

21
wife and thus defile yourself with her.

 a

You must not give any of your children to be
 to Molech, for you must not profane

sacrificed
22
the name of your God. I am the LORD.

You must not lie with a man as with a woman;

23
that is an abomination.

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 perver-
24
sion.

Do not defile yourselves by any of these prac-
tices, for by all these things the nations I am driv-
25
ing  out  before  you  have  defiled  themselves.
Even  the  land  has  become  defiled,  so  I  am
punishing  it  for  its  sin,  and  the  land  will  vomit
26
out its inhabitants.

19

Leviticus 19:14    |    113

27

28

For  the  men
foreigner  who  lives  among  you.
who were in the land before you committed all
these abominations, and the land has become de-
filed.
So if you defile the land, it will vomit you
29
out as it spewed out the nations before you.

30

Therefore  anyone  who  commits  any  of  these
abominations  must  be  cut  off  from  among  his
people.
You must keep My charge not to prac-
tice  any  of  the  abominable  customs  that  were
practiced  before  you,  so  that  you  do  not  defile
Commandments for Holiness
yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”

2

b

“Speak to
Then the LORD said to Moses,
the whole congregation of Israel and tell
them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am
3
holy.

Each of you must respect his mother and father,
and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD
4
your God.

Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves mol-

5
ten gods. I am the LORD your God.

6

7

When  you  sacrifice  a  peace  offering  to  the
LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance.
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.
If any of it is eaten on the
8
third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted.
Whoever eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has
profaned what is holy to the LORD. That person
Love Your Neighbor  (Romans 13:8–10)
must be cut off from his people.
9

10

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.
You must
not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen
grapes.  Leave  them  for  the  poor  and  the  for-
11
eigner. I am the LORD your God.

You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive

12
one another.

You must not swear falsely by My name and so

13
profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

You  must  not  defraud  your  neighbor  or  rob

him.

You must not withhold until morning the wages
14
due a hired hand.

But  you  are  to  keep  My  statutes  and  ordi-
nances,  and  you  must  not  commit  any  of  these
to make them pass through (the fire)
a 21
abominations—neither your native-born nor the

b 2

You must not curse the deaf or place a stum-
bling  block  before  the  blind,  but  you  shall  fear
your God. I am the LORD.

Hebrew

Cited in 1 Peter 1:16

114    |    Leviticus 19:15

15

29

You  must  not  pervert  justice;  you  must  not
show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the
16
rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

You must not defile your daughter by making
her  a  prostitute,  or  the  land  will  be  prostituted
30
and filled with depravity.

You  must  not  go  about  spreading  slander

 a

among your people.

You  must  not  endanger  the  life
17
bor. I am the LORD.

  of  your  neigh-

18

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.
Do not seek revenge or bear a
grudge against any of your people, but love your
Keep My Statutes
neighbor as yourself.
19

 I am the LORD.

b

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
20
kinds of material.

21

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 punish-
ment. But they are not to be put to death, because
The  man,  however,
she  had  not  been  freed.
must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of
The
Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD.
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
23
the sin he has committed.

22

c

When you enter the land and plant any kind of
tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbid-
24
den.
 For three years it will be forbidden to you
and must not be eaten.
In the fourth year all its
25
fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to
But in the fifth year you may eat its
the LORD.
fruit;  thus  your  harvest  will  be  increased.  I  am
26
the LORD your God.

You must not eat anything with blood still in it.

27
You must not practice divination or sorcery.

You  must  not  cut  off  the  hair  at  the  sides  of

28
your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

You must not make any cuts in your bodies for
the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am
a 16
the LORD.

blood

b 18

c 23

as uncircumcised

You  must  keep  My  Sabbaths  and  have  rever-

31
ence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do
not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them.
32
I am the LORD your God.

You are to rise in the presence of the elderly,
honor  the  aged,  and  fear  your  God.  I  am  the
33
LORD.

34

When  a  foreigner  resides  with  you  in  your
You  must
land,  you  must  not  oppress  him.
treat  the  foreigner  living  among  you  as  native-
born and love him as yourself, for you were for-
eigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your
35
God.

36

e

You  must  not  use  dishonest  measures  of
You shall maintain
 and
  I  am  the  LORD  your  God,  who

length, weight, or volume.
honest scales and weights, an honest ephah,
an  honest  hin.
37
brought you out of the land of Egypt.

d

You must keep all My statutes and all My ordi-

Punishments for Disobedience
nances and follow them. I am the LORD.”
(Leviticus 26:14–39 ;  Deuteronomy 28:15–68)

2

20

Then the LORD said to Moses,
Israelites,

“Tell the
‘Any  Israelite  or  foreigner
living  in Israel who gives any  of  his  children  to
3
Molech must be put to death. The people of the
And  I  will  set  My  face
land  are  to  stone  him.
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
4
name.

And if the people of the land ever hide their eyes
5
and fail to put to death the man who gives one of
then  I  will  set  My  face
his  children  to  Molech,
against that man and his family and cut off from
among their people both him and all who follow
6
him in prostituting themselves with Molech.

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.

d 36 An ephah

Literally

Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8
approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters.

Cited in Matthew 5:43, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9,
; twice in this verse

 is a dry measure of
 is a liquid measure of approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters.

e 36 A hin

Hebrew

7

8

 a

Consecrate  yourselves,  therefore,  and  be  holy,
because I am the LORD your God.
And you shall
keep  My  statutes  and  practice  them.  I  am  the
9
LORD who sanctifies you.

b
If anyone curses
be  put  to  death.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
mother; his blood shall be upon him.
(Proverbs 5:1–23 ;  1 Corinthians 5:1–8)

 his father or mother, he must
  He  has  cursed  his  father  or

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
11
to death.

If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has un-
covered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely
12
be put to death; their blood is upon them.

If  a  man  lies  with  his  daughter-in-law,  both
must surely be put to death. They have acted per-
13
versely; their blood is upon them.

If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they
have both committed an abomination. They must
14
surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

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  de-
15
pravity among you.

If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must
be put to death. And you are also to kill the ani-
16
mal.

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
17
blood is upon them.

c

If a man marries his sister, whether the daugh-
ter of his father or of his mother, and they have
sexual  relations,
  it  is  a  disgrace.  They  must  be
cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncov-
ered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his
18
iniquity.

d

If a man lies with a menstruating woman and
has  sexual  relations  with  her,
  he  has  exposed
the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the
source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off
19
from among their people.

You  must  not  have  sexual  relations  with  the
b 9
reviles
a 9
sister  of  your  mother  or  your  father,  for  it  is
sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness

dishonors

d 18

Or

 or

; similarly again in this verse

Leviticus 21:6    |    115

exposing  one’s  own  kin;  both  shall  bear  their
20
iniquity.

If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has un-
covered  the  nakedness  of  his  uncle.  They  will
21
bear their sin; they shall die childless.

If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act
of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of
Distinguish between Clean and Unclean
his brother; they shall be childless.
22

23

You are therefore to keep all My statutes and
ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing
You must not
you to live will not vomit you out.
follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out
before  you.  Because  they  did  all  these  things,  I
24
abhorred them.

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
25
peoples.

You are therefore to distinguish between clean
and  unclean  animals  and  birds.  Do  not  become
contaminated by any animal or bird, or by any-
thing that crawls on the ground; I have set these
You are to be holy to
apart as unclean for you.
Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set
27
you apart from the nations to be My own.

26

A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist
must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned;
Holiness Required of Priests
their blood is upon them.’

”

21

2

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
except for his imme-
person among his people,
3
diate family—his mother, father, son, daughter,
or brother,
or his unmarried sister who is near
He is not to
to him, since she has no husband.
defile  himself  for  those  related  to  him  by  mar-
5
riage, and so profane himself.

4

6

Priests  must  not  make  bald  spots  on  their
heads,  shave  off  the  edges  of  their  beards,  or
They must be holy to
make cuts in their bodies.
their God and not profane the name of their God.
Because they present to the LORD the food offer-
and he
ings, the food of their God, they must be holy.

c 17

uncovers her nakedness
Cited in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10

Literally

Literally

; similarly in verse 19

116    |    Leviticus 21:7

7

A  priest  must  not  marry  a  woman  defiled  by
8
prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the
You are to regard him
priest is holy to his God.
as holy, since he presents the food of your God.
He  shall  be  holy  to  you,  because  I  the  LORD
If  a  priest’s
am  holy—I  who  set  you  apart.
daughter  defiles  herself  by  prostituting  herself,
she profanes her father; she must be burned in
10
the fire.

9

 a

11

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 gar-
 or tear
ments, must not let his hair hang loose
He  must  not  go  near  any  dead
his  garments.
body; he must not defile himself, even for his fa-
He must not leave or desecrate
ther or mother.
the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of
the  anointing  oil  of  his  God  is  on  him.  I  am  the
13
LORD.

14

12

15

The woman he marries must be a virgin.

He
is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or
one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a vir-
so  that  he does  not
gin  from his own  people,
defile his offspring among his people, for I am the
Restrictions against Those with Blemishes
LORD who sanctifies him.”
16

17

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Say to Aaron,
‘For  the  generations  to  come,  none  of  your  de-
scendants  who  has  a  physical  defect  may  ap-
18
proach to offer the food of his God.

19

No man who has any defect may approach—
no  man  who  is  blind,  lame,  disfigured,  or  de-
20
no  man  who  has  a  broken  foot  or
formed;
hand,
or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who
has  an  eye  defect,  a  festering  rash,  scabs,  or  a
21
crushed testicle.

23

22

No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a
defect shall approach to present the food offer-
ings to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not
He
to come near to offer the food of his God.
may eat the most holy food of his God as well as
but because he has a defect, he
the holy food,
must not go near the veil or approach the altar,
so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am
24
the LORD who sanctifies them.’

”

Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all

a 10
the Israelites.

must not uncover his head

b 4

Restrictions against the Unclean

2

22

“Tell Aa-
Then the LORD said to Moses,
ron and his sons to treat with respect the
sacred  offerings  that  the  Israelites  have  conse-
crated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy
3
name. I am the LORD.

Tell  them  that  for  the  generations  to  come,  if
any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness
approaches the sacred offerings that the Israel-
ites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be
4
cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.

 b

5

If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease

 or
a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings
until he is clean. Whoever touches anything de-
filed by a corpse or by a man who has an emis-
sion of  semen,
or  whoever  touches  a crawling
creature  or  a  person  that  makes  him  unclean,
whatever  the  uncleanness  may  be—
the  man
who  touches  any  of  these  will  remain  unclean
until evening. He must not eat from the sacred of-
7
ferings unless he has bathed himself with water.

6

8

When the sun has set, he will become clean, and
then  he  may  eat  from  the  sacred  offerings,  for
they  are  his  food.
He  must  not  eat  anything
found dead or torn by wild animals, which would
make him unclean. I am the LORD.
The priests
must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and
die because they profane it. I am the LORD who
10
sanctifies them.

9

11

No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sa-
cred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his
hired  hand  eat  it.
But  if  a  priest  buys  a  slave
with his own money, or if a slave is born in his
12
household, that slave may eat his food.

13

If  the  priest’s  daughter  is  married  to  a  man
other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred
contributions.
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
14
share it.

15

16

If  anyone  eats  a  sacred  offering  in  error,  he
must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred
offering to the priest.
The priests must not pro-
fane the sacred offerings that the Israelites pre-
sent to the LORD
by allowing the people to eat
the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punish-
ment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies
them.”

leprosy

tzaraath

Or

Forms of the Hebrew

, traditionally translated as

, were used for

various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

Worthy Offerings

Feasts and Sabbaths  (Exodus 23:14–19)

Leviticus 23:14    |    117

17

18

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“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
19
offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or
must  offer  an  unblem-
as  a  freewill  offering,
ished  male  from  the  cattle,  sheep,  or  goats  in
You
order for it to be accepted on your behalf.
must not present anything with a defect, because
21
it will not be accepted on your behalf.

20

When a man presents a peace offering to the
LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as
22
a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or
You are not to present
defect to be acceptable.
to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or
maimed, or anything with a running sore, a fes-
tering  rash,  or  a  scab;  you  must  not  put  any  of
 a
23
these on the altar as a food offering to the LORD.

24

You may present as a freewill offering an ox
or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but
You
it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow.
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.
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  de-
b
26
formed and flawed.’

”

25

27

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“When an ox,

28

a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its
mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it
 c
will be acceptable as a food offering presented to
the LORD.
29
or a sheep on the same day as its young.

But you must not slaughter an ox

30

When  you  sacrifice  a  thank  offering  to  the
LORD,  offer  it  so  that  it  may  be  acceptable  on
It must be eaten that same day. Do
your behalf.
31
not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.

32

33

You are to keep My commandments and prac-
You  must  not  pro-
tice  them.  I  am  the  LORD.
fane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as
holy  among  the  Israelites.  I  am  the  LORD  who
who brought you out of the land
sanctifies you,
of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
b 27
a 23
e 6
f 13 Two-tenths of an ephah

a cow

a cow

a bull

a calf

c 28

d 5

 or

Or

Or

Or

23

2

“Speak to
Then the LORD said to Moses,
the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are
My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that
3
you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

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
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.
(Ex. 12:14–28 ;  Num. 28:16–25 ;  De. 16:1–8)

4

 d

5

7

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sa-
cred assemblies you are to proclaim at their ap-
The Passover to the LORD begins
pointed times.
6
  day  of  the  first
at  twilight  on  the  fourteenth
 e
On the fifteenth day of the same month
month.
  to  the
begins  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread
LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened
On the first day you are to hold a sacred
bread.
8
assembly;  you  are  not  to  do  any  regular  work.
For seven days you are to present a food offer-
ing to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall
be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regu-
The Feast of Firstfruits
lar work.’
9

10

”

11

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Is-
raelites 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
And he shall wave the sheaf be-
your harvest.
fore the LORD so that it may be accepted on your
behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the
12
Sabbath.

13

On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer
a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offer-
along with its grain offering of
ing to the LORD,
 mixed with
two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour
oil—a  food  offering  to  the  LORD,  a  pleasing
aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of
14
wine.

g

 f

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.

begins between the two evenings of the fourteenth

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20.

g 13 A quarter hin

 is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of

flour); also in verse 17.

 is approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters of wine.

Hebrew

118    |    Leviticus 23:15

The Feast of Weeks  (Acts 2:1–13)

28

15

16

From  the  day  after  the  Sabbath,  the  day  you
brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to
count off seven full weeks.
You shall count off
fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath,
and then present an offering of new grain to the
17
LORD.

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
18
firstfruits to the LORD.

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—a food offering, a pleasing
19
aroma to the LORD.

20

You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin
offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace
offering.
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
21
lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

On  that  same  day  you  are  to  proclaim  a
sacred assembly, and you must not do any regu-
lar work. This is to be a permanent statute wher-
22
ever you live for the generations to come.

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
The Feast of Trumpets
LORD your God.’
”
(Numbers 29:1–6)

23

24

The LORD also said to Moses,

“Speak to the
Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh
month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred as-
sembly  announced  by  trumpet  blasts.
You
must not do any regular work, but you are to pre-
The Day of Atonement
sent a food offering to the LORD.’
(Leviticus 16:1–34 ;  Numbers 29:7–11)

25

”

a

26

27

b

Again  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“The  tenth
day  of  this  seventh  month  is  the  Day  of  Atone-
ment. You shall hold a sacred assembly and hum-
ble  yourselves,
  and  present  a  food  offering  to
a 24
the LORD.
c 34
ters

a sacred assembly, a memorial of shouting

b 27

Or

29

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.
If anyone
does not humble himself on this day, he must be
cut  off  from  his  people.
I  will  destroy  from
among his people anyone who does any work on
31
this day.

30

32

You  are  not  to  do  any  work  at  all.  This  is  a
permanent statute for the generations to come,
wherever you live.
It will be a Sabbath of com-
plete  rest  for  you,  and  you  shall  humble  your-
selves. From the evening of the ninth day of the
month  until  the  following  evening  you  are  to
The Feast of Tabernacles
keep your Sabbath.”
(Nehemiah 8:13–18 ;  Zechariah 14:16–21)

33

34

 c

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the
Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the sev-
enth  month  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles
  to  the
35
LORD  begins,  and  it  continues  for  seven  days.
36
On the first day there shall be a sacred assem-
bly.  You  must  not  do  any  regular  work.
For
seven days you are to present a food offering to
the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sa-
cred assembly and present a food offering to the
LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do
37
any regular work.

These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which
you  are  to  proclaim  as  sacred  assemblies  for
presenting food offerings to the LORD—burnt of-
ferings and grain offerings, sacrifices  and drink
offerings,  each  on  its  designated  day.
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
39
offerings you give to the LORD.

38

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, af-
ter  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
40
day and also on the eighth day.

 d

41

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
  of
the  brook.  And  you  are  to  rejoice  before  the
LORD your God for seven days.
You are to cel-
ebrate 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.

deny yourselves

afflict your souls

the Feast of Booths
d 40

; also in verse 32
poplars
 or

the Feast of Shel-

Or
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as
 and originally called

the Feast of Ingathering

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

or

Or

42

 a

You are to dwell in booths

 for seven days. All
43
the  native-born  of  Israel  must  dwell  in  booths,
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
44
LORD your God.’

”

So  Moses  announced  to the  Israelites  the  ap-

The Oil for the Lamps  (Exodus 27:20–21)
pointed feasts of the LORD.

2

24

“Com-
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
mand the Israelites to bring you pure oil
of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps
3
burning continually.

 b

4

Outside the veil of the Testimony

 in the Tent
of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continu-
ally before the LORD from evening until morning.
This is to be a permanent statute for the genera-
tions  to  come.
He  shall  tend  the  lamps  on
the  pure  gold  lampstand  before  the  LORD
The Showbread  (Exodus 25:23–30 ;  37:10–16)
continually.
5

c

6

You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve
loaves,  using  two-tenths  of  an  ephah  for  each
loaf,
and set them in two rows—six per row—
on the table of pure gold before the LORD.
And
you  are  to  place  pure  frankincense  near  each
row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion
8
for the bread, a food offering to the LORD.

7

9

Every  Sabbath  day  the  bread  is  to  be  set  out
before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a
permanent  covenant.
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 food offerings to
Punishment for Blasphemy
the LORD—his portion forever.”
10

11

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.
The son of the Israelite woman
blasphemed  the  Name  with  a  curse.  So  they
brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was
12
Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

They placed him in custody until the will of the

14
13
LORD should be made clear to them.

 d

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“Take  the
 outside the camp, and have all who

a 42
blasphemer

tabernacles

shelters

Leviticus 25:7    |    119

heard him lay their hands on his head; then have
15
the whole assembly stone him.

16

And  you  are  to  tell  the  Israelites,  ‘If  anyone
curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of
his sin.
Whoever blasphemes the name of the
LORD must surely be put to death; the whole as-
sembly  must  surely  stone  him,  whether  he  is  a
foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the
An Eye for an Eye  (Matthew 5:38–48)
Name, he must be put to death.
17

18

19

And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he
Whoever kills an
must surely be put to death.
animal  must  make  restitution—life  for  life.
If
anyone  injures  his  neighbor,  whatever  he  has
done  must  be  done  to  him:
fracture  for  frac-
ture,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth.
  Just  as  he
injured  the  other  person,  the  same  must  be  in-
21
flicted on him.

20

e

22

Whoever  kills  an  animal  must  make  restitu-
tion,  but  whoever  kills  a  man  must  be  put  to
death.
You  are  to  have  the  same  standard  of
law for the foreign resident and the native; for I
23
am the LORD your God.’
”

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
The Seventh Year  (Ex. 23:10–13 ;  De. 15:1–6)
commanded Moses.

25

2

Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount
“Speak to the Israelites and say to
Sinai,
them: When you enter the land that I am giving
you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the
3
LORD.

4

For six years you may sow your field and prune
But  in  the
your  vineyard  and  gather  its  crops.
seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete
rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD.

5

6

You are not to sow your field or prune your vine-
You  are  not  to  reap  the  aftergrowth  of
yard.
your  harvest  or  gather  the  grapes  of  your  un-
tended vines. The land must have a year of com-
Whatever the land yields during the
plete rest.
Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself,
your  manservant  and  maidservant,  the  hired
and for
hand or foreigner who stays with you,
your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
All its growth may serve as food.

7

b 3 The Testimony
c 5 Two-tenths of an ephah
the one

Or
refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
who cursed
is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).

; twice in this verse, and also in verse 43; see the footnote for verse 34.
  d 14

e 20

 or

Literally

; also in verse 23

Cited in Matthew 5:38

120    |    Leviticus 25:8

The Year of Jubilee

8

9

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.
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
10
your land.

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 re-
11
turn to his property and to his clan.

12

The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you
are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or
For it is a Jubilee;
harvest the untended vines.
it shall be holy to you. You may eat only the crops
Return of Property
taken directly from the field.
13

In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return

14
to his own property.

15

If you make a sale to your neighbor or a pur-
chase from him, you must not take advantage of
each other.
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 num-
ber  of  harvest  years  remaining.
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
17
given number of harvests.

16

Do not take advantage of each other, but fear

The Blessing of Obedience  (De. 28:1–14)
your God; for I am the LORD your God.
18

19

You are to keep My statutes and carefully ob-
serve  My  judgments,  so  that  you  may  dwell  se-
curely in the land.
Then the land will yield its
fruit,  so  that  you  can  eat  your  fill  and  dwell  in
20
safety in the land.

21

22

Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the
seventh year if we do not sow or gather our pro-
duce?’
But I will send My blessing upon you in
the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop
sufficient for three years.
While you are sow-
ing in the eighth year, you will be eating from the
previous  harvest,  until  the  ninth  year’s  harvest
The Law of Redemption
comes in.
23

property you possess, you must provide for the
25
redemption of the land.

27

If  your  brother  becomes  impoverished  and
sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may
26
come  and  redeem  what  his  brother  has  sold.
Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but
he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his
land,
he shall calculate the years since its sale,
repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it,
and  return  to  his  property.
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
29
released, so that he may return to his property.

28

30

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.
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.
But  houses  in  villages  with  no  walls
around them are to be considered as open fields.
They  may  be  redeemed,  and  they  shall  be  re-
32
leased in the Jubilee.

31

33

As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites al-
ways have the right to redeem their houses in the
cities they possess.
So whatever belongs to the
Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city
they possess—and must be released in the Jubi-
lee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites
are their possession among the Israelites.
But
the open pastureland around their cities may not
Redemption of the Poor
be sold, for this is their permanent possession.
35

34

36

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.
Do  not  take  any  interest  or  profit  from
37
him,  but  fear  your  God,  that  your  countryman
may  live  among  you.
You  must  not  lend  him
your silver at interest or sell him your food for
profit.
I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land
Redemption of Bondmen
of Canaan and to be your God.
39

38

The  land  must  not  be  sold  permanently,  be-
cause it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and
residents  with  Me.
Thus  for  every  piece  of

24

40

If a countryman among you becomes destitute
and sells himself to you, then you must not force
him into slave labor.
Let him stay with you as
a  hired  worker  or  temporary  resident;  he  is  to

41

2

Leviticus 26:19    |    121

Then he
work for you until the Year of Jubilee.
and his children are to be released, and he may
return  to  his  clan  and  to  the  property  of  his
42
fathers.

43

Because the Israelites are My servants, whom
I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to
be sold as slaves.
You are not to rule over them
44
harshly, but you shall fear your God.

45

Your  menservants  and  maidservants  shall
come from the nations around you, from whom
you  may  purchase  them.
You  may  also  pur-
chase them from the foreigners residing among
you or their clans living among you who are born
46
in your land. These may become your property.
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
Redemption of Servants
man may rule harshly over his brother.
47

You  must  keep  My  Sabbaths  and  have  rever-

3
ence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.

4

If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My
I  will  give  you  rains  in  their
commandments,
season,  and  the  land  will yield  its  produce,  and
Your
the trees of the field will bear their fruit.
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
6
dwell securely in your land.

5

7

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
You  will  pursue  your  ene-
through  your  land.
8
mies, and they will fall by the sword before you.
Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hun-
dred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your
9
enemies will fall by the sword before you.

48

If  a  foreigner  residing  among  you  prospers,
but  your  countryman  dwelling  near  him  be-
comes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner
or to a member of his clan,
he retains the right
of redemption after he has sold himself. One of
his brothers may redeem him:
either his uncle
or cousin or any close relative from his clan may
redeem  him.  Or  if  he  prospers,  he  may  redeem
50
himself.

49

51

52

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.
If many years remain, he must
pay for his redemption in proportion to his pur-
chase price.
If only a few years remain until the
Year of Jubilee, he is to calculate and pay his re-
demption according to his remaining years.
He
shall  be  treated  like  a  man  hired  from  year  to
year, but a foreign owner must not rule over him
54
harshly in your sight.

53

55

Even  if  he  is  not  redeemed  in  any  of  these
ways,  he  and  his  children  shall  be  released  in
the  Year  of  Jubilee.
For  the  Israelites  are  My
servants. They are My servants, whom I brought
Additional Blessings of Obedience
out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

26

 b

 a

10

I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and
multiply  you,  and  I  will  establish  My  covenant
with you.
You will still be eating the old supply
of  grain  when  you  need  to  clear  it  out  to  make
11
room for the new.

And  I  will  make  My  dwelling  place

12
  among
you, and My soul will not despise
I will
13
walk among you and be your God, and you will
I am the LORD your God, who
be My people.
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
Punishments for Disobedience
walk in uprightness.
(Leviticus 20:1–9 ;  Deuteronomy 28:15–68)

 you.

c

14

15

If,  however,  you  fail  to  obey  Me  and  to  carry
and if you reject
out all these commandments,
My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect
16
to carry out all My commandments, and so break
then this is what I will do to you:
My covenant,
I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting dis-
ease, and fever that will destroy your sight and
drain  your  life.  You  will  sow  your  seed  in  vain,
And I will set
because your enemies will eat it.
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
18
you.

17

“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
a 11
to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.
; also in verse 30

My tabernacle

reject

b 11

Or

Or

c 12

And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will
19
proceed  to  punish  you  sevenfold  for  your  sins.
I  will  break  down  your  stubborn  pride  and
make  your  sky  like  iron  and  your  land  like
Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:16

122    |    Leviticus 26:20

20

and your strength will be spent in vain.
bronze,
For your land will not yield its produce, and the
21
trees of the land will not bear their fruit.

22

If you walk in hostility toward Me and refuse
to  obey  Me,  I  will  multiply  your  plagues  seven
times, according to your sins.
I will send wild
animals against you to rob you of your children,
destroy  your  livestock,  and  reduce  your  num-
23
bers, until your roads lie desolate.

24

25

And  if  in  spite  of  these  things  you  do  not
accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hos-
tility toward Me,
then I will act with hostility
toward  you,  and  I  will  strike  you  sevenfold  for
your sins.
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.
When I cut off your
supply
  of  bread,  ten  women  will  bake  your
bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by
27
weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.

26

 a

28

But if in spite of all this you do not obey Me, but
continue to walk in hostility toward Me,
then I
29
will  walk  in  fury  against  you,  and  I,  even  I,  will
30
punish  you  sevenfold  for  your  sins.
You  will
eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters.
I
will destroy your high places, cut down your in-
cense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the
lifeless  remains  of  your  idols;  and  My  soul  will
31
despise you.

32

I  will  reduce  your  cities  to  rubble  and  lay
waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell
the  pleasing  aroma  of  your  sacrifices.
And  I
will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who
dwell  in  it  will  be  appalled.
But  I  will  scatter
you among the nations and will draw out a sword
after  you  as  your  land  becomes  desolate  and
34
your cities are laid waste.

33

35

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.
As long as it lies desolate,
the land will have the rest it did not receive dur-
36
ing the Sabbaths when you lived in it.

As for those of you who survive, I will send a
faintness into their hearts in the lands of their en-
emies,  so  that  even  the  sound  of  a  windblown
leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as
a 26
one  flees  the  sword,  and  fall  when  no  one

b 3 50 shekels

staff

37

pursues them.
They will stumble over one an-
other as before the sword, though no one is be-
hind  them.  So  you  will  not  be  able  to  stand
38
against your enemies.

39

You  will  perish  among  the  nations,  and  the
Those
land of your enemies will consume you.
of you who survive in the lands of your enemies
will waste away in their iniquity and will decay
God Remembers Those Who Repent
in the sins of their fathers.
40

41

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
and  I  acted
walked  in  hostility  toward  Me—
with  hostility  toward  them  and  brought  them
into the land of their enemies—and if their uncir-
cumcised  hearts  will  be  humbled  and  they  will
then  I  will
make  amends  for  their  iniquity,
remember My covenant with Jacob and My cove-
nant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham,
43
and I will remember the land.

42

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 in-
iquity, because they rejected My ordinances and
44
abhorred My statutes.

45

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
But for their
them; for I am the LORD their God.
sake I will remember the covenant with their fa-
thers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in
the sight of the nations, that I might be their God.
46
I am the LORD.”

These  are  the  statutes,  ordinances,  and  laws
that the LORD established between Himself and
Rules about Valuations
the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.

2

b

3

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to
the  Israelites  and  say  to  them,  ‘When
someone  makes  a  special  vow  to  the  LORD  in-
volving  the  value  of  persons,
if  the  valuation
concerns  a  male  from  twenty  to  sixty  years  of
age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of
silver,
 according to the sanctuary shekel.
Or if
d
it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty
And  if  the  person  is  from  five  to
shekels.
twenty years of age, then your valuation for the

c 3 A shekel

5

4

c

d 4 30 shekels

27

Hebrew

 is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver; also in verse 16.

weighed approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams; also in verse 25.
grams of silver.

 is approximately 12 ounces or 342

a

20

Leviticus 27:34    |    123

b

male shall be twenty shekels,
6
ten shekels.

 and for the female

c

7

Now  if  the  person  is  from  one  month  to  five
years  of  age,  then  your  valuation  for  the  male
d
 and for the female
shall be five shekels of silver,
three  shekels  of  silver.
And  if  the  person  is
 e
sixty  years  of  age  or  older,  then  your  valuation
8
shall  be  fifteen  shekels
  for  the  male  and  ten
But if the one making the
shekels for the female.
vow is too poor to pay the valuation, he is to pre-
sent the person
 before the priest, who shall set
the value according to what the one making the
9
vow can afford.

 f

If he vows an animal that may be brought as an
10
offering  to  the  LORD,  any  such  animal  given  to
He must not replace it
the LORD shall be holy.
or  exchange  it,  either  good  for  bad  or  bad  for
good. But if he does substitute one animal for an-
other, both that animal and its substitute will be
11
holy.

12

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.
The priest shall set its value,
whether high or low; as the priest values it, the
price  will  be  set.
If,  however,  the  owner  de-
cides to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to
14
its value.

13

15

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.
But if he who consecrated his
house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the as-
16
sessed value, and it will belong to him.

If  a  man  consecrates  to  the  LORD  a parcel  of
his  land,  then  your  valuation  shall  be  propor-
tional to the seed required for it—fifty shekels of
silver  for  every  homer  of  barley  seed.
If  he
consecrates  his  field  during  the  Year  of  Jubilee,
18
the price will stand according to your valuation.

17

g

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.
And if the
one who consecrated the field decides to redeem
it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and
a 5 20 shekels
it shall belong to him.

19

c 6 5 shekels

21

If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if
he has sold it to another man, it may no longer be
redeemed.
When the field is released in the Ju-
bilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to
22
the LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.

23

Now if a man consecrates to the LORD a field
he has purchased, which is not a part of his own
then  the  priest  shall  calculate  for
property,
him the value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the
24
man shall pay the assessed value on that day as a
In the Year of Ju-
sacred offering to the LORD.
bilee the field shall return to the one from whom
25
it  was  bought—the  original  owner  of  the  land.
Every valuation will be according to the sanc-

26
tuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.

h

27

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.
But if it is among the unclean animals,
then he may redeem it according to your valua-
tion  and  add  a  fifth  of  its  value.  If  it  is  not  re-
deemed,  then  it  shall be sold  according  to  your
28
valuation.

 i

Nothing  that  a  man  sets  apart

  to  the  LORD
from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or
his  inherited  land—can  be  sold  or  redeemed;
29
everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.

No  person  set  apart  for  destruction  may  be

Instruction on Tithes
ransomed; he must surely be put to death.
(De. 14:22–29 ; 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.
If  a  man
wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he must add a
32
fifth to its value.

31

33

Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that
passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to
the  LORD.
He  must  not  inspect  whether  it  is
good or bad, and he shall not make any substitu-
tion. But if he does make a substitution, both the
animal and its substitute shall become holy; they
34
cannot be redeemed.’

”

These are the commandments that the LORD
gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

b 5 10 shekels

d 6 3 shekels

 is approximately 8 ounces or 228 grams of silver.
e 7 15 shekels

 is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.

 is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of
f 8
 is approximately 1.2

present himself

cherem
barley seed).
Hebrew

 is a dry measure of approximately 6.24 bushels or 220 liters (probably about 291 pounds or 132 kilograms of
 is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).

Forms of the

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD; similarly in verse 29.

 is approximately 6 ounces or 171 grams of silver.

Or

i 28

silver; also in verse 7.
g 16 A homer
ounces or 34.2 grams of silver.

h 25 20 gerahs

Numbers

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
2
the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He
“Take a census of the whole congregation
said:
of Israel by their clans and families, listing every
3
man by name, one by one.

You  and  Aaron  are  to  number  those  who  are
twenty years of age or older by their divisions—
And
everyone  who  can  serve  in  Israel’s  army.
one man from each tribe, the head of each family,
The Leaders of the Tribes
must be there with you.
5

4

These are the names of the men who are to as-

sist you:

From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of
6
Shedeur;

from Simeon, Shelumiel son of

7
Zurishaddai;
8

from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

from the sons of Joseph:

from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud,

and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of
Pedahzur;

from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;

from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

16

and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

These men were appointed from the congrega-
tion; they were the leaders of the tribes of their
The Number of Every Tribe
fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
17

18

So Moses and Aaron took these men who had
and on the first day
been designated by name,
of the second month they assembled the whole

congregation  and  recorded  their  ancestry  by
clans  and  families,  counting  one  by  one  the
19
names  of  those  twenty  years  of  age  or  older,

just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

So  Moses  numbered  them  in  the  Wilderness  of
20
Sinai:

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
those regis-
who could serve in the army,
tered  to  the  tribe  of  Reuben  numbered
22
46,500.

21

23

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
those registered to the tribe of Sim-
army,
24
eon numbered 59,300.

From the sons of Gad, according to the rec-
ords of their clans and families, counting the
names  of  all  those  twenty  years  of  age  or
those
older who could serve in the army,
registered  to  the  tribe  of  Gad  numbered
26
45,650.

25

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
those
older who could serve in the army,
registered  to  the  tribe  of  Judah  numbered
28
74,600.

27

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
those
older who could serve in the army,
registered to the tribe of Issachar numbered
30
54,400.

29

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
those
older who could serve in the army,
registered to the tribe of Zebulun numbered
57,400.

31

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,
those registered to the tribe
34
of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

33

And  from  the  sons  of  Manasseh,  ac-
cording to the records of their clans and
families, counting the names of all those
35
twenty  years  of  age  or  older  who  could
serve in the army,
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, count-
ing the names of all those twenty years of age
37
or  older  who  could  serve  in  the  army,
those  registered  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin

38
numbered 35,400.

From the sons of Dan, according to the rec-
ords of their clans and families, counting the
names  of  all  those  twenty  years  of  age  or
older who could serve in the army,
those
registered  to  the  tribe  of  Dan  numbered
40
62,700.

39

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,
those
registered  to  the  tribe  of  Asher  numbered
42
41,500.

41

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,
those
registered to the tribe of Naphtali numbered
53,400.

43

44

45

These were the men numbered by Moses and
Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders
of Israel, each one representing his family.
So
all the Israelites twenty years of age or older who
could  serve  in  Israel’s  army  were  counted  ac-
cording to their families.
And all those counted
The Exemption of the Levites
totaled 603,550.
47

46

The  Levites,  however,  were  not  numbered
48
along  with  them  by  the  tribe  of  their  fathers.
“Do  not
number the tribe of Levi in the census with the
a 14
other Israelites.
Instead, you are to appoint the

For  the  LORD  had  said  to  Moses:

50

49

Numbers 2:15    |    125

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
51
it, and camp around it.

Whenever  the  tabernacle  is  to  move,  the  Le-
vites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be
pitched, the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider
52
who goes near it must be put to death.

53

The  Israelites  are  to  camp  by  their  divisions,
each  man  in  his  own  camp  and  under  his  own
But the Levites are to camp around
standard.
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
54
tabernacle of the Testimony.”

Thus  the  Israelites  did  everything  just  as  the

The Order of the Camps
LORD had commanded Moses.

2

2
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron:
“The Israelites are to camp around the Tent
of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under
3
his standard, with the banners of his family.

On  the  east  side,  toward  the  sunrise,  the  divi-
sions of Judah are to camp under their standard:

4

The leader of the Judahites is Nahshon son of
Amminadab,
and  his  division  numbers
5
74,600.

6

The  tribe  of  Issachar  will  camp  next  to  it.
The  leader  of  the  Issacharites  is  Nethanel
son  of  Zuar,
and  his  division  numbers
7
54,400.

8

Next will be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader
and

of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon,
9
his division numbers 57,400.

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:

11

The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of
12
Shedeur,
and his division numbers 46,500.

13

The  tribe  of  Simeon  will  camp  next  to  it.
The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son
of  Zurishaddai,
and  his  division  numbers
14
59,300.

a

15

Next will be the tribe of Gad. The leader of
and

the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel,
his division numbers 45,650.

Reuel

Many MT manuscripts, SP, and Vulgate (see also Numbers 1:14); most MT manuscripts

126    |    Numbers 2:16

16

2

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
18
own place under his standard.

On the west side, the divisions of Ephraim are

to camp under their standard:

19

The  leader  of  the  Ephraimites  is  Elishama
and his division numbers
son of Ammihud,
20
40,500.

21

The  tribe  of  Manasseh  will  be  next  to  it.
The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son
and  his  division  numbers
of  Pedahzur,
22
32,200.

23

Next  will  be  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  The
leader  of  the  Benjamites  is  Abidan  son  of
24
and his division numbers 35,400.
Gideoni,
The total number of men in the divisions
of the camp of Ephraim is 108,100; they shall
set out third.
On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to

25

camp under their standard:

26

The  leader  of  the  Danites  is  Ahiezer  son  of
and  his  division  numbers
Ammishaddai,
27
62,700.

The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The
28
leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ocran,
29

and his division numbers 41,500.
Next  will  be  the  tribe  of  Naphtali.  The
leader  of  the  Naphtalites  is  Ahira  son  of
31
Enan,

and his division numbers 53,400.

30

32

The  total  number  of  men  in  the  camp  of
Dan is 157,600; they shall set out last, under
their standards.”
These are the Israelites, numbered according
to their families. The total of those counted in the
camps, by their divisions, was 603,550.
But the
Levites were not counted among the other Isra-
34
elites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

33

So the Israelites did everything the LORD com-
manded Moses; they camped under their stand-
ards in this way and set out in the same way, each
The Sons of Aaron  (Leviticus 10:1–7)
man with his clan and his family.

3

This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the
time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount

a 4
Sinai.

strange

b 9

3

These  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Aaron:
Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ith-
amar.
These  were  Aaron’s  sons,  the  anointed
4
priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

 a

Nadab  and  Abihu,  however,  died  in  the  pres-
ence  of  the  LORD  when  they  offered  unauthor-
ized
 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
The Duties of the Levites
of their father Aaron.
5

6

7

8

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Bring the tribe
of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to
They are to perform duties for him
assist him.
and for the whole congregation before the Tent
of Meeting, attending to the service of the taber-
They shall take care of all the furnishings
nacle.
of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for
the  Israelites  by  attending  to  the  service  of  the
9
tabernacle.

 b

10

Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they
have been given exclusively to him
 from among
So you shall appoint Aaron and
the Israelites.
his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood;
but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle
11
must be put to death.”

12

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Be-
hold,  I  have  taken  the  Levites  from  among  the
children of Israel in place of every firstborn Isra-
13
elite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,
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
The Numbering of the Levites
LORD.”
14

15

Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilder-
ness  of  Sinai,  saying,
“Number  the  Levites  by
their families and clans. You are to count every
16
male a month old or more.”

So  Moses  numbered  them  according  to  the
17
word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.

18

19

These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.
These were the names of
the  sons  of  Gershon  by  their  clans:  Libni  and
Shimei.
The sons of Kohath by their clans were
And  the
Amram,  Izhar,  Hebron,  and  Uzziel.
sons  of  Merari  by  their  clans  were  Mahli  and
Mushi.  These  were  the  clans  of  the  Levites,  ac-
cording to their families.

to Me

20

Or

Most MT manuscripts; some MT manuscripts, SP, and LXX (see also Numbers 8:16)

The Gershonites (Num. 4:21-28 ;  1 Chr. 23:7-11)

Moses and Aaron

21

38

Numbers 4:3    |    127

From  Gershon  came  the  Libnite  clan  and  the
22
Shimeite  clan;  these  were  the  Gershonite  clans.
The  number  of  all  the  males  a  month  old  or

23
more was 7,500.

24

The  Gershonite  clans  were  to  camp  on  the
west, behind the tabernacle,
and the leader of
the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son
25
of Lael.

26

The  duties  of  the  Gershonites  at  the  Tent  of
Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its cover-
ing,  the  curtain  for  the  entrance  to  the  Tent  of
Meeting,
the curtains of the courtyard, the cur-
tain  for  the  entrance  to  the  courtyard  that  sur-
rounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—
The Kohathites  (Num. 4:1–20 ;  1 Chr. 23:12–20)
all the service for these items.
27

a

From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites,
the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites;
The
these  were  the  clans  of  the  Kohathites.
number of all the males a month old or more was
 They were responsible for the duties of
8,600.
29
the sanctuary.

28

30

The  clans of  the  Kohathites  were  to  camp  on
 b
and the leader

the south side of the tabernacle,
of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan
31
son of Uzziel.

Their  duties  were  the  ark,  the  table,  the
lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctu-
ary used with them, and the curtain—all the ser-
32
vice for these items.

The  chief  of  the  leaders  of  the  Levites  was
Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those
The Merarites  (Num. 4:29–33 ;  1 Chr. 23:21–23)
responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
33

From  Merari  came  the  clans  of  the  Mahlites
34
and  Mushites;  these  were  the  Merarite  clans.
The  number  of  all  the  males  a  month  old  or

35
more was 6,200.

The leader of the families of the Merarites was
Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the
36
north side of the tabernacle.

37

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,
as well as the posts of the surrounding
a 28
courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

8,300

c 47 5 shekels

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

6:22 and Leviticus 10:4.
shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).

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  per-
form the duties of the sanctuary as a service on
behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who ap-
39
proached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

The  total  number  of  Levites  that  Moses  and
Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s com-
mand,  including  all  the  males  a  month  old  or
The Redemption of the Firstborn
more, was 22,000.
40

41

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every
firstborn  male  of  the  Israelites  a  month  old  or
more, and list their names.
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 Le-
vites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock
42
of the Israelites.”

So  Moses  numbered  all  the  firstborn  of  the
43
Israelites,  as  the  LORD  had  commanded  him.
The  total  number  of  the  firstborn  males  a
44
month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
45

46

Again  the  LORD  spoke  to  Moses,  saying,
“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
47
LORD.
To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites
who outnumber the Levites,
you are to collect
five shekels
 for each one, according to the sanc-
Give  the
tuary  shekel  of  twenty  gerahs.
money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption
49
price for the excess among the Israelites.”

48

d

 c

e

50

So  Moses  collected  the  redemption  money
from those in excess of the number redeemed by
the  Levites.
He  collected  the  money  from  the
firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels,
 accord-
And  Moses  gave
ing  to  the  sanctuary  shekel.
the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in
obedience  to  the  word  of  the  LORD,  just  as  the
The Duties of the Kohathites
LORD had commanded him.
(Numbers 3:27–32 ;  1 Chronicles 23:12–20)

51

4

2
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,
“Take a census of the Kohathites among the
men  from
Levites  by  their  clans  and  families,
thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is quali-
fied to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

b 30 Elizaphan

Elzaphan

3

d 47 20 gerahs

; see the total in verse 39.
e 50 1,365 shekels
 is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams.

 is a variant of

; see Exodus

 is equivalent to one

 is approximately 34.3 pounds or 15.6 kilograms.

128    |    Numbers 4:4

4

5

This  service  of  the  Kohathites  at  the  Tent  of
When-
Meeting  regards  the  most  holy  things.
ever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to
go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover
They  are  to
the  ark  of  the  Testimony
place over this a covering of fine leather,
 spread
7
a solid blue cloth over it, and insert its poles.

 with  it.

6

 a

b

8

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
And  they  shall  spread  a  scarlet
remain  on  it.
cloth  over  them,  cover  them  with  fine  leather,
9
and insert the poles.

They  are  to  take  a  blue  cloth  and  cover  the
lampstand used for light, together with its lamps,
10
wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil
Then they shall wrap
with which to supply it.
it  and  all  its  utensils  inside  a  covering  of  fine
11
leather and put it on the carrying frame.

12

Over  the  gold  altar  they  are  to  spread  a  blue
cloth,  cover  it  with  fine  leather,  and  insert
They are to take all the utensils for
the poles.
serving  in  the  sanctuary,  place  them  in  a  blue
cloth, cover them with fine leather, and put them
13
on the carrying frame.

14

Then  they  shall  remove  the  ashes  from  the
bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,
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 in-
15
sert the poles.

When Aaron and his sons have finished cover-
ing  the  holy objects  and  all  their  equipment,  as
soon  as  the  camp  is  ready  to  move,  the  Koha-
thites  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 Koha-
16
thites regarding the Tent of Meeting.

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 over-
sight of the entire tabernacle and everything in
17
it, including the holy objects and their utensils.”

18

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

“Do
19
not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be cut off
In order that they may
from among the Levites.
a 5
live and not die when they come near the most

the ark of the covenant

b 6

That is,

see Exodus 25:5.

20

holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons
are  to  go  in  and  assign  each  man  his  task  and
But the Kohathites are not
what he is to carry.
to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a
The Duties of the Gershonites
moment, or they will die.”
(Numbers 3:21–26 ;  1 Chronicles 23:7–11)

21

22

23

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Take a census
of the Gershonites as well, by their families and
from  thirty  to  fifty  years  old,  counting
clans,
everyone who comes to serve in the work at the
24
Tent of Meeting.

25

This is the service of the Gershonite clans re-
They are to carry
garding work and transport:
the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meet-
ing with the covering of fine leather over it, the
26
curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
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 ser-
vice. The Gershonites will do all that needs to be
27
done with these items.

28

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
This  is  the  service  of  the  Gershonite
carry.
clans  at  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  and  their  duties
shall be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aa-
The Duties of the Merarites
ron the priest.
(Numbers 3:33–37 ;  1 Chronicles 23:21–23)

29

30

As for the sons of Merari, you are to number
from thirty to
them by their clans and families,
fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to
31
serve in the work of the Tent of Meeting.

32

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,
and  the
posts of the surrounding courtyard with their ba-
ses,  tent  pegs,  and  ropes,  including  all  their
equipment  and  everything  related  to  their  use.
You shall assign by name the items that they are
33
responsible to carry.

This is the service of the Merarite clans accord-
ing to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under
the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 25;

The Numbering of the Levite Clans

Confession and Restitution  (Luke 19:1–10)

34

5

6

Numbers 5:19    |    129

35

So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congre-
gation  numbered  the  Kohathites  by  their  clans
everyone  from  thirty  to  fifty
and  families,
36
years old who came to serve in the work at the
37
And those numbered by their
Tent of Meeting.
These were counted from
clans totaled 2,750.
the Kohathite clans, everyone who could serve at
the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron numbered
them  according  to  the  command  of  the  LORD
38
through Moses.

39

Then the Gershonites were numbered by their
clans and families,
everyone from thirty to fifty
40
years old who came to serve in the work at the
41
And those numbered by their
Tent of Meeting.
These  were
clans  and  families  totaled  2,630.
counted from the Gershonite clans who served at
the  Tent  of  Meeting,  whom  Moses  and  Aaron
42
counted at the LORD’s command.

43

And  the  Merarites  were  numbered  by  their
everyone from thirty to fifty
clans and families,
44
years old who came to serve in the work at the
The men registered by their
Tent of Meeting.
clans  numbered  3,200.
These  were  counted
from the Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron
numbered  at  the  LORD’s  command  through
46
Moses.

45

48

47

So  Moses,  Aaron,  and  the  leaders  of  Israel
numbered by their clans and families all the Le-
from thirty to fifty years old who came to
vites
do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of
49
And  the  number  of  men  was  8,580.
Meeting.
At  the  LORD’s  command  through Moses  they
were numbered, and each one was assigned his
work and burden, as the LORD had commanded
Cleansing the Camps  (Leviticus 13:1–46)
Moses.

2

a

3

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
“Command
the  Israelites  to  send  away  from  the  camp
 anyone who has a
anyone with a skin disease,
bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a
You  must  send  away  male  and  fe-
dead  body.
male alike; send them outside the camp so they
will not defile their camp, where I dwell among
4
them.”

So  the  Israelites  did  this,  sending  such  people
outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had
tzaraath
a 2
instructed Moses.
b 15 A tenth of an ephah

Forms of the Hebrew

, traditionally translated as

5

7

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell the Israel-
ites that when a man or woman acts unfaithfully
against the LORD by committing any sin against
and must confess
another, that person is guilty
the sin he has committed. He must make full res-
titution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to
8
the one he has wronged.

But if the man has no relative to whom restitu-
tion 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
9
the atonement is made for him.

10

Every  sacred  contribution  the  Israelites  bring
Each  man’s
to  the  priest  shall  belong  to  him.
sacred gifts are his own, but whatever he gives to
The Adultery Test
the priest will belong to the priest.”
12
11

14

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the
13
Israelites  and  tell  them  that  if  any  man’s  wife
by sleeping
goes astray and is unfaithful to him
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
and if a feeling of jealousy
caught in the act),
comes over her husband and he suspects his wife
who  has  defiled  herself—or  if  a  feeling  of  jeal-
ousy comes over him and he suspects her even
then he is
though she has not defiled herself—
to bring his wife to the priest.

15

b

He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth
of an ephah of barley flour.
 He is not to pour oil
over it or put frankincense on it, because it is a
grain offering for jealousy, an offering of memo-
16
rial as a reminder of iniquity.

17

The  priest  is  to  bring  the  wife  forward  and
Then he is to
have her stand before the LORD.
take some holy water in a clay jar and put some
of the dust from the tabernacle floor into the wa-
18
ter.

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
And
hold the bitter water that brings a curse.
he is to put the woman under oath and say to her,
‘If no other man has slept with you and you have
, were used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

19

leprosy

kilograms of barley flour).

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 3.5 pounds or 1.6

130    |    Numbers 5:20

20

not gone astray and become defiled while under
your husband’s authority, may you be immune to
But if you
this bitter water that brings a curse.
have  gone  astray  while  under  your  husband’s
authority  and  have  defiled  yourself  and  lain
21
carnally with a man other than your husband’—
and the priest shall have the woman swear un-
der 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
May this water that brings a curse enter
swell.
your stomach and cause your belly to swell and
your thigh to shrivel.’
23
Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

22

25

And  the  priest  shall  write  these  curses  on  a
24
scroll  and  wash  them  off  into  the  bitter  water.
He is to have the woman drink the bitter water
that brings a curse, and it will enter her and may
The priest shall take
cause her bitter suffering.
from  her  hand  the  grain  offering  for  jealousy,
26
wave it before the LORD, and bring it to the altar.
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
27
water.

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 be-
But  if  the
come  accursed  among  her  people.
woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she
29
will be unaffected and able to conceive children.

28

30

This  is  the  law  of  jealousy  when  a  wife  goes
astray  and  defiles  herself  while  under  her  hus-
band’s authority,
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,
31
and the priest is to apply to her this entire law.
The  husband  will  be  free  from  guilt,  but  the

The Nazirite Vow  (Judges 13:1–25)
woman shall bear her iniquity.”

2

3

 to separate himself to the LORD,

“Speak to the
And the LORD said to Moses,
Israelites  and  tell  them  that  if  a  man  or
a
woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazi-
rite,
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
b 11
one separated
a 2 Nazirite
All  the  days  of  his
fresh  grapes  or  raisins.
 or
 means

one consecrated

.

4

6

separation, he is not to eat anything that comes
5
from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

For the entire period of his vow of separation,
no  razor  shall  touch  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
6
long.

7

Throughout  the  days  of  his  separation  to  the
LORD, he must not go near a dead body.
Even if
his father or mother or brother or sister should
die, he is not to defile himself, because the sym-
8
bol of consecration to his God is upon his head.
Throughout  the  time  of  his  separation,  he  is

9
holy to the LORD.

10

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
On the eighth day he must bring
seventh day.
two  turtledoves  or  two  young  pigeons  to  the
 b
11
priest  at  the  entrance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
And the priest is to offer one as a sin offering
and the other as a burnt offering to make atone-
ment for him, because he has sinned by being in
the  presence  of  the  dead  body.  On  that  day  he
He  must  re-
must  consecrate  his  head  again.
dedicate 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
13
his separation was defiled.

12

Now  this  is  the  law  of  the  Nazirite  when  his
time  of  separation  is  complete:  He  must  be
14
brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
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
together with their grain of-
peace offering—
ferings and drink offerings—and a basket of un-
leavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with
16
oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil.

15

17

The  priest  is  to  present  all  these  before  the
LORD  and  make  the  sin  offering  and  the  burnt
He shall also offer the ram as a peace
offering.
offering  to  the  LORD,  along  with  the  basket  of
unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the
18
accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

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
purification offering
And  the  priest  is  to  take  the
peace  offering.

19

Or

; here and throughout Numbers

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
20
has  just  shaved  the  hair  of  his  consecration.
The priest shall then wave them as a wave of-
fering 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
21
that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his of-
fering 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
Aaron’s Blessing
his separation.”
22

23

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“Tell  Aaron
and  his  sons:  This  is  how  you  are  to  bless  the
24
Israelites. Say to them:

25

‘May the LORD bless you

and keep you;

may the LORD cause His face to shine

26

upon you

and be gracious to you;

may the LORD lift up His countenance

27

toward you
and give you peace.’

So  they  shall  put  My  name  on  the  Israelites,

Offerings of Dedication
and I will bless them.”

7

3

2

On the day Moses finished setting up the tab-
ernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and
all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its
utensils.
And the leaders of Israel, the heads of
their families, presented an offering. These men
were the tribal leaders who had supervised the
They brought as their offering be-
registration.
fore  the  LORD  six  covered  carts  and  twelve
oxen—an  ox  from  each  leader  and  a  cart  from
every two leaders—and presented them before
4
the tabernacle.

5

And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“Accept  these
gifts  from  them,  that  they  may  be  used  in  the
work of the Tent of Meeting. And give them to the
6
Levites, to each man according to his service.”

7

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them
He  gave  the  Gershonites  two
to  the  Levites.
a 13 130 shekels
carts  and  four  oxen,  as  their  service  required,

Numbers 7:28    |    131

8

and he gave the Merarites four carts and eight
oxen, as their service required, all under the di-
But
rection of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they
were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects
10
for which they were responsible.

9

11

When the altar was anointed, the leaders ap-
proached  with  their  offerings  for  its  dedication
and presented them before the altar.
And the
LORD said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to
present  his  offering  for  the  dedication  of  the
12
altar.”

a

14

13

On  the  first  day  Nahshon  son  of  Amminadab
from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offer-
ing.
His offering was one silver platter weigh-
b
ing 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;
one  gold
15
dish  weighing  ten  shekels,
  filled  with  incense;
16
one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a
17
one male goat for
year old for a burnt offering;
and a peace offering of two oxen,
a sin offering;
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a
year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of
18
Amminadab.

c

19

20

On  the  second  day  Nethanel  son  of  Zuar,  the
The offering he
leader of Issachar, drew near.
presented was one silver platter weighing a hun-
dred  and  thirty  shekels,  and  one  silver  bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the
sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed
one  gold  dish
with  oil  for  a  grain  offering;
one
weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
22
young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year
one male goat for a sin
old for a burnt offering;
offering;
and a peace offering of two oxen, five
rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year
24
old. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

21

23

25

26

On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader
of the Zebulunites, drew near.
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
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
grain  offering;
one  young  bull,
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
offering;
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
c 14 10 shekels
 is ap-
 is approximately 4 ounces or

b 13 70 shekels

28

27

 is approximately 3.3 pounds or 1.48 kilograms; here and throughout this chapter.

proximately 1.76 pounds or 797.8 grams; here and throughout this chapter.
114 grams; here and throughout this chapter.

132    |    Numbers 7:29

29

and  a  peace  offering  of  two  oxen,  five  rams,
five male goats, and five male lambs a year old.
30
This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

31

32

On  the  fourth  day  Elizur  son  of  Shedeur,  the
His offer-
leader of the Reubenites, drew near.
ing  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
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
a  grain  offering;
one  young  bull,
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
35
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
offering;
and  a  peace  offering  of  two  oxen,  five  rams,
five male goats, and five male lambs a year old.
36
This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

33

34

37

38

On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,
the leader of the Simeonites, drew near.
His of-
fering 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;
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one  young  bull,
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
41
offering;
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
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  Zur-
42
ishaddai.

39

40

43

44

On  the  sixth  day  Eliasaph  son  of  Deuel,  the
leader of the Gadites, drew near.
His offering
was  one  silver  platter  weighing  a  hundred  and
thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing sev-
enty  shekels,  both  according  to  the  sanctuary
shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for
a  grain  offering;
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one  young  bull,
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
47
offering;
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
and  a  peace  offering  of  two  oxen,  five  rams,
five male goats, and five male lambs a year old.
48
This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

45

46

49

On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud,
the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near.
His
offering  was  one  silver  platter  weighing  a  hun-
dred  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;
one  gold  dish
weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
one
young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year

51

50

52

53

old for a burnt offering;
one male goat for a sin
offering;
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 Am-
54
mihud.

55

56

On  the  eighth  day  Gamaliel  son  of  Pedahzur,
the leader of the Manassites, drew near.
His of-
fering 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;
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one  young  bull,
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
59
offering;
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
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 Pedah-
60
zur.

58

57

61

62

On  the  ninth  day  Abidan  son  of  Gideoni,  the
His
leader  of  the  Benjamites,  drew  near.
offering  was  one  silver  platter  weighing  a  hun-
dred  and  thirty  shekels,  and  one  silver  bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the
sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed
one  gold  dish
with  oil  for  a  grain  offering;
one
weighing ten shekels, filled with incense;
young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year
old  for  a  burnt  offering;
one  male  goat  for  a
and a peace offering of two oxen,
sin offering;
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a
year old. This was the offering of Abidan son of
66
Gideoni.

63

65

64

67

68

On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai,
the leader of the Danites, drew near.
His offer-
ing  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;
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one  young  bull,
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
71
offering;
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
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
72
Ammishaddai.

70

69

73

On  the  eleventh  day  Pagiel  son  of  Ocran,  the
His offering
leader of the Asherites, drew near.
was  one  silver  platter  weighing  a  hundred  and
thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing sev-
enty  shekels,  both  according  to  the  sanctuary

74

76

75

shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
a  grain  offering;
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one  young  bull,
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
77
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
offering;
and  a  peace  offering  of  two  oxen,  five  rams,
five male goats, and five male lambs a year old.
78
This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

79

80

On  the  twelfth  day  Ahira  son  of  Enan,  the
His offer-
leader of the Naphtalites, drew near.
ing  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
one  gold  dish  weighing  ten
a  grain  offering;
one  young  bull,
shekels,  filled  with  incense;
one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt
83
one  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering;
offering;
and  a  peace  offering  of  two  oxen,  five  rams,
five male goats, and five male lambs a year old.
84
This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

82

81

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
85
bowls, and twelve gold dishes.

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,
  ac-
86
cording to the sanctuary shekel.

a

The  twelve  gold  dishes  filled  with  incense
weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanc-
tuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes
87
was a hundred and twenty shekels.

b

All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled
twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs
a year old—together with their grain offerings—
88
and twelve male goats for the sin offering.

All  the  livestock  sacrificed  for  the  peace
offering  totaled  twenty-four  bulls,  sixty  rams,
sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old.
for  the
This  was  the  dedication  offering
89
altar after it was anointed.

8

Numbers 8:17    |    133

The Lampstand  (Exodus 25:31–40 ; 37:17–24)

2

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
“Speak  to
Aaron  and  tell  him:  ‘When  you  set  up  the
seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of
3
the lampstand.’

”

And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing to-
ward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD
4
had commanded Moses.

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
Cleansing the Levites
LORD had shown Moses.
5

6

7

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Take
the Levites from among the Israelites and make
them ceremonially clean.
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
8
themselves.

11

Then have them take a young bull with its grain
offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are
9
to  take  a  second  young  bull  for  a  sin  offering.
Bring  the  Levites  before  the  Tent  of  Meeting
10
and  assemble  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel.
You are to present the Levites before the LORD
and  have  the  Israelites  lay  their  hands  upon
Aaron  is  to  present  the  Levites  before
them.
the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Is-
rael, so that they may perform the service of the
And the Levites are to lay their hands on
LORD.
the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one
as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,
13
to make atonement for the Levites.

12

14

You  are  to  have  the  Levites  stand  before
Aaron and his sons and then present them before
the LORD as a wave offering.
In this way you
shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Is-
Af-
raelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.
ter you have cleansed them and presented them
as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the
16
Tent of Meeting.

15

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
17
womb,  the  firstborn  of  all  the  sons  of  Israel.
For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both
man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the

b 86 120 shekels

 is approximately 3 pounds or 1.4

 c

When  Moses  entered  the  Tent  of  Meeting  to
speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speak-
d
ing to him from between the two cherubim above
the  mercy  seat
Thus the LORD spoke to him.
a 85 2,400 shekels
atonement cover
c 89

  on  the  ark  of  the  Testimony.

kilograms.

d 89
 is approximately 60.3 pounds or 27.4 kilograms.
Or

That is,

the ark of the covenant

134    |    Numbers 8:18

18

19

day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of
But I have taken the Levites in place of
Egypt.
And
all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
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
20
they approach the sanctuary.”

So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation
of Israel did with the Levites everything that the
21
LORD  had  commanded  Moses  they  should  do.
The  Levites  purified  themselves  and  washed
their  clothes,  and  Aaron  presented  them  as  a
wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made
After
atonement  for  them  to  cleanse  them.
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
Retirement for Levites
the LORD had commanded Moses.
23

24

22

25

And the LORD said to Moses,

“This applies to
the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older
shall enter to perform the service in the work at
But at the age of fifty, they
the Tent of Meeting.
must  retire  from  performing  the  work  and  no
26
longer serve.

After that, they may assist their brothers in ful-
filling  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 Le-
The Second Passover  (Exodus 12:1–13)
vites.”

9

3

In the first month of the second year after Is-
rael had come out of the land of Egypt, the
2
LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai:
“The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its
appointed time.
You are to observe it at the ap-
pointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth
 day
of this month, in accordance with its statutes and
4
ordinances.”
5

 a

So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Pass-
and they did so in the Wilderness of Sinai,
over,
at  twilight  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first
month. The Israelites did everything just as the
6
LORD had commanded Moses.

But  there  were  some  men  who  were  unclean
a 3
due to a dead body, so they could not observe the

between the two evenings of the fourteenth

by day

7

Passover on that day. And they came before Mo-
and said to Moses,
ses and Aaron that same day
“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
8
appointed time?”

“Wait here until I find out what the LORD com-

10
9
mands concerning you,” Moses replied.

11

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,

“Tell  the
Israelites: ‘When any one of you or your descend-
ants is unclean because of a dead body, or is away
on a journey, he may still observe the Passover to
Such people are to observe it at twi-
the LORD.
light on the fourteenth day of the second month.
They are to eat the lamb, together with unleav-
they  may  not
ened  bread  and  bitter  herbs;
leave any of it until morning or break any of its
bones. They must observe the Passover accord-
13
ing to all its statutes.

12

But if a man who is ceremonially clean and is
not on a journey still fails to observe the Passo-
ver, 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  conse-
14
quences of his sin.

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  ordi-
nances. You are to apply the same statute to both
The Cloud above the Tabernacle
the foreigner and the native of the land.’
(Exodus 40:34–38)

”

15

b

On the day that the tabernacle, the Tent of the
Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it and
16
appeared  like  fire  above  the  tabernacle  from
It  remained  that  way
evening  until  morning.
continually;  the  cloud  would  cover  the  taber-
17
nacle by day,
 and at night it would appear like
Whenever the cloud was lifted from above
fire.
the Tent, the Israelites would set out, and wher-
18
ever the cloud settled, there the Israelites would
At  the  LORD’s  command  the  Israelites
camp.
set  out,  and  at  the  LORD’s  command  they
camped. As long as the cloud remained over the
19
tabernacle, they remained encamped.

Even when the cloud lingered over the taber-
nacle  for  many  days,  the  Israelites  kept  the
 b 16
Sometimes
LORD’s charge and did not set out.

20

Hebrew
does not include

; also in verses 5 and 11

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew

the cloud remained over the tabernacle for only
a few days, and they would camp at the LORD’s
21
command  and  set  out  at  the  LORD’s  command.
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,
22
they would set out.

23

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
They  camped  at  the  LORD’s  command,
out.
and  they  set  out  at  the  LORD’s  command;  they
carried  out  the  LORD’s  charge  according  to  His
The Two Silver Trumpets
command through Moses.

2

10

3

“Make
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
two trumpets of hammered silver to be
used for calling the congregation and for having
When both are sounded, the
the camps set out.
whole congregation is to assemble before you at
But if only
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
one is sounded, then the leaders, the heads of the
5
clans of Israel, are to gather before you.

4

6

7

When you sound short blasts, the camps that lie
on the east side are to set out.
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.
To convene the assembly,
you are to sound long blasts, not short ones.
The
sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trum-
pets.  This  shall  be  a  permanent  statute  for  you
9
and the generations to come.

8

10

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.
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 peace offerings to serve as a
reminder for you before your God. I am the LORD
From Sinai to Paran
your God.”
11

On the twentieth day of the second month of
the second year, the cloud was lifted from above
the tabernacle of the Testimony,
and the Isra-
elites set out from the Wilderness of Sinai, trav-
Jethro
a 29 Reuel
eling from place to place until the cloud settled in

12

 was also called

; see Exodus 3:1.

Numbers 10:33    |    135

13

They set out this first
the Wilderness of Paran.
time according to the LORD’s command through
14
Moses.

15

16

First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out
their  standard,  with  Nahshon  son
under
Nethanel  son  of
of  Amminadab  in  command.
Zuar  was  over  the  division  of  the  tribe  of  Issa-
17
and  Eliab  son  of  Helon  was  over  the
char,
division of the tribe of Zebulun.
Then the tab-
ernacle  was  taken  down,  and  the  Gershonites
18
and the Merarites set out, transporting it.

20

Then  the  divisions  of  the  camp  of  Reuben
19
set out under their standard, with Elizur son of
Shedeur  in  command.
Shelumiel  son  of  Zur-
ishaddai  was  over  the  division  of  the  tribe  of
Simeon,
and  Eliasaph  son  of  Deuel  was  over
the division of the tribe of Gad.
Then the Koha-
thites set out, transporting the holy objects; the
22
tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.

21

24

Next, the divisions of the camp of Ephraim set
23
out  under  their  standard,  with  Elishama  son  of
Gamaliel son of Pedah-
Ammihud in command.
zur was over the division of the tribe of Manas-
seh,
and  Abidan  son  of  Gideoni  was  over  the
25
division of the tribe of Benjamin.

26

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
27
Pagiel  son  of  Ocran  was  over  the
command.
and  Ahira  son
division  of  the  tribe  of  Asher,
of  Enan  was  over  the  division  of  the  tribe  of
28
Naphtali.

This  was  the  order  of  march  for  the  Israelite

29
divisions as they set out.

 a

Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’
father-in-law Reuel
 the Midianite, “We are set-
ting 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
30
things to Israel.”

“I will not go,” Hobab replied. “Instead, I am go-

31
ing back to my own land and my own people.”

32

“Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you
know where we should camp in the wilderness,
and you can serve as our eyes.
If you come with
us, we will share with you whatever good things
33
the LORD gives us.”

So they set out on a three-day journey from the
mountain  of  the  LORD,  with  the  ark  of  the

136    |    Numbers 10:34

covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for
34
those three days to seek a resting place for them.
And the cloud of the LORD was over them by

35
day when they set out from the camp.

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,

The Complaints of the People

to the countless thousands of Israel.”

11

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
2
them  and  consumed  the  outskirts  of  the  camp.
And  the  people  cried  out  to  Moses,  and  he
So
 because the fire

prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.
that place was called Taberah,
4
of the LORD had burned among them.

3

a

Meanwhile,  the  rabble  among  them  had  a
strong craving for other food, and again the Isra-
5
elites  wept  and  said,  “Who  will  feed  us  meat?
We  remember  the  fish  we  ate  freely  in  Egypt,
along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions,
and garlic.
But now our appetite is gone; there
7
is nothing to see but this manna!”

6

8

Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and
its appearance was like that of gum resin.
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.
When
the  dew  fell  on  the  camp  at  night,  the  manna
The Complaint of Moses
would fall with it.
10

9

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,
11
and Moses was also displeased.

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
Did I
upon me the burden of all these people?
conceive all these people? Did I give them birth,
a 3 Taberah
so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your

burning

12

 means

.

bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land
13
that You swore to give their fathers?

Where can I get meat for all these people? For
14
they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’

15
I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is
too burdensome for me.
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
Seventy Elders Anointed
see my own wretchedness.”
16

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me sev-
enty of the elders of Israel known to you as lead-
ers and officers of the people. Bring them to the
Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with
17
you.

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
18
not have to bear it by yourself.

19

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,
You will eat it not for one or
and you will eat.
20
two  days,  nor  for  five  or  ten  or  twenty  days,
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
21
we ever leave Egypt?’

”

22

But Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000
men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat,
If all our flocks
and they will eat for a month.’
and  herds  were  slaughtered  for  them,  would
they  have  enough?  Or  if  all  the  fish  in  the  sea
23
were caught for them, would they have enough?”

The  LORD  answered  Moses,  “Is  the  LORD’s
arm too short? Now you will see whether or not
24
My word will come to pass.”

25

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
Then the LORD came down in
around the tent.
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.

Numbers 13:4    |    137

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,
A young man
and they prophesied in the camp.
ran  and  reported  to  Moses,  “Eldad  and  Medad
28
are prophesying in the camp.”

27

6

came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the en-
trance  to  the  Tent,  and  summoned  Aaron  and
Miriam.  When  both  of  them  had  stepped  for-
ward,

He said, “Hear now My words:

If there is a prophet among you,

I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him

7

in a vision;

Joshua  son  of  Nun,  the  attendant  to  Moses
since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord,
29
stop them!”

I will speak to him in a dream.

d

But this is not so with My servant Moses;

8

he is faithful in all My house.

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
30
Spirit on them!”

Then Moses returned to the camp, along with

The Quail and the Plague
the elders of Israel.
31

a

32

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
  for  a  day’s  journey  in  every  direction
ground,
around the camp.
All that day and night, and all
b
the next day, the people stayed up gathering the
quail.  No  one  gathered  less  than  ten  homers,
33
and they spread them out all around the camp.

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
So  they
struck  them  with  a  severe  plague.
called  that  place  Kibroth-hattaavah,
  because
there  they  buried  the  people  who  had  craved
35
other food.

34
c

From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on
The Complaint of Miriam and Aaron
to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.

12

Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses
because  of  the  Cushite  woman  he  had
“Does
married, for he had taken a Cushite wife.
the LORD speak only through Moses?” they said.
“Does  He  not  also  speak  through  us?”  And  the
3
LORD heard this.

2

Now  Moses  was  a  very  humble  man,  more  so

4
than any man on the face of the earth.

And  suddenly  the  LORD said  to  Moses,  Aaron,
and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of
a 31
and the LORD
Meeting.” So the three went out,

up to two cubits deep

5

I speak with him face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.

9

Why then were you unafraid to speak against My
So  the  anger  of  the  LORD
servant  Moses?”
10
burned against them, and He departed.

e

11

As  the  cloud  lifted  from  above  the Tent,  sud-
  white  as  snow.
denly  Miriam  became  leprous,
Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was lep-
and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not
rous,
12
hold against us this sin we have so foolishly com-
mitted.
Please do not let her be like a stillborn
infant  whose  flesh  is  half  consumed  when  he
13
comes out of his mother’s womb.”

So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, please

14
heal her!”

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
15
may be brought back in.”

So Miriam was confined outside the camp for
16
seven days, and the people did not move on until
After that, the people
she was brought in again.
set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilder-
The Spies Explore Canaan  (De. 1:19–25)
ness of Paran.

2

“Send out
And the LORD said to Moses,
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
3
a leader among them.”

 f

So  at  the  command

  of  the  LORD,  Moses  sent
them  out  from  the  Wilderness  of  Paran.  All  the
men  were  leaders  of  the  Israelites,
and  these
b 32 10 homers
were their names:

4

13

c 34 Kibroth-hattaavah

graves of craving

d 7

e 10

Or

; that is, approximately 3 feet or 91.4 centimeters

leprous

f 3

els or 2,200 liters.
traditionally translated as

 means

.

Cited in Hebrews 3:5

 was used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

Literally

 is approximately 62.4 bush-
according to the mouth
The Hebrew word

138    |    Numbers 13:5

From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of
5
Zaccur;

from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of

6
Hori;

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of

7
Jephunneh;

from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of

8
Joseph;

from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of

9
Nun;

from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of

10
Raphu;

from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of

11
Sodi;

from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of

12
Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of

13
Gemalli;

from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of

14
Michael;

from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of

15
Vophsi;

and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of

16

Machi.

These were the names of the men Moses sent
to  spy  out  the  land;  and  Moses  gave  to  Hoshea
17
son of Nun the name Joshua.

19

18

When Moses sent them to spy out the land of
Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev
See what the land is
and into the hill country.
like and whether its people are strong or weak,
Is the land where they live good
few or many.
or  bad?  Are  the  cities  where  they  dwell  open
Is  the  soil  fertile  or
camps  or  fortifications?
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
21
grapes.)

20

22

So they went up and spied out the land from
the  Wilderness  of  Zin  as  far  as  Rehob,  toward
Lebo-hamath.
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
23
Zoan in Egypt.

a

When they came to the Valley of Eshcol,

 they
cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes,
a 23 Eshcol
which they carried on a pole between two men.

cluster

 means

; also in verse 24.

24
They  also  took  some  pomegranates  and  figs.
Because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites
cut  there,  that  place  was  called  the  Valley  of
The Reports of the Spies
Eshcol.
25

26

After forty days the men returned from spying
and  they  went  back  to  Moses,
out  the  land,
Aaron,  and  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel  in
the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought
back  a  report  for  the  whole  congregation  and
27
showed them the fruit of the land.

28

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
Nevertheless, the people living in the
its fruit!
land are strong, and the cities are large and forti-
29
fied. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.
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
30
and along the Jordan.”

Then  Caleb  quieted  the  people  before  Moses
and said, “We must go up and take possession of
31
the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”

But  the  men  who  had  gone  up  with  him  re-
plied,  “We  cannot  go  up  against  the  people,  for
32
they are stronger than we are!”

33

So they gave the Israelites a bad report about
the land that they had spied out: “The land we ex-
plored devours its inhabitants, and all the people
We even saw
we saw there are great in stature.
the  Nephilim  there—the  descendants  of  Anak
that  come  from  the  Nephilim!  We  seemed  like
grasshoppers  in  our  own  sight,  and  we  must
Israel’s Rebellion  (Deuteronomy 1:26–33)
have seemed the same to them!”

14

2

Then  the  whole  congregation  lifted  up
their voices and cried out, and that night
All  the  Israelites  grumbled
the  people  wept.
against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congre-
gation said to them, “If only we had died in the
land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wil-
Why is the LORD bringing us into this
derness!
land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children
will become plunder. Would it not be better for
4
us to go back to Egypt?”

3

So  they  said  to  one  another,  “Let  us  appoint  a

leader and return to Egypt.”

5

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the

6
whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.

devotion,  just  as  You  have  forgiven  them  ever
God’s Forgiveness and Judgment
since they left Egypt.”
(Deuteronomy 1:34–40)

Numbers 14:35    |    139

8

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh,
7
who  were  among  those  who  had  spied  out  the
land,  tore  their  clothes
and  said  to  the  whole
congregation  of  Israel,  “The  land  we  passed
through  and  explored  is  an  exceedingly  good
land.
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.
Only do not re-
bel 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
10
LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”

9

But  the  whole  congregation  threatened  to

stone Joshua and Caleb.

11

Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the
And the LORD
Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.
said  to  Moses,  “How  long  will  this  people  treat
Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to
12
believe  in  Me,  despite  all  the  signs  I  have  per-
formed among them?
I will strike them with a
plague  and  destroy  them—and  I  will make  you
Moses Intercedes for Israel
into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”
13

14

But  Moses  said  to  the  LORD,  “The  Egyptians
will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought
this  people  from  among  them.
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
15
by day and a pillar of fire by night.

16

If You kill this people as one man, the nations
who have heard of Your fame will say,
‘Because
the  LORD  was  unable  to  bring  this  people  into
the land He swore to give them, He has slaugh-
17
tered them in the wilderness.’

18

a

So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be
magnified,  just  as  You  have  declared:
‘The
LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving
devotion,
  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression.
Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpun-
ished;  He  will  visit  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers
upon  their  children  to  the  third  and  fourth
19
generation.’

Pardon,  I  pray,  the  iniquity  of  this  people,
a 18
in  keeping  with  the  greatness  of  Your  loving
goodness

faithfulness

kindness

chesed

love

20

21

“I have pardoned them as you requested,” the
“Yet  as  surely  as  I  live  and  as
LORD  replied.
22
surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory
not one of the men who have seen
of the LORD,
My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and
in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and diso-
not one will ever
beyed Me these ten times—
see  the  land  that  I  swore  to  give  their  fathers.
None  of  those  who  have  treated  Me  with  con-
24
tempt will see it.

23

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
25
descendants will inherit it.

b

Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are
living  in  the  valleys,  turn  back  tomorrow  and
head  for  the  wilderness  along  the  route  to  the
26
Red Sea.
27

”

28

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,
“How  long  will  this  wicked  congregation
grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints
So
that  the  Israelites  are  making  against  Me.
29
tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I
will do to you exactly as I heard you say.
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
30
against Me.

31

Surely none of you will enter the land in which
I  swore  to  settle  you,  except  Caleb  son  of
But  I  will
Jephunneh  and  Joshua  son  of  Nun.
bring  your  children,  whom  you  said  would  be-
come plunder, into the land you have rejected—
As  for  you,  however,
and  they  will  enjoy  it.
33
your bodies will fall in this wilderness.

32

34

Your children will be shepherds in the wilder-
ness for forty years, and they will suffer for your
unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in
In keeping with the forty days
the wilderness.
you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt
forty  years—a  year  for  each  day—and  you  will
35
experience My alienation.

I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do
these things to this entire wicked congregation,
Sea of Reeds
mercy
; the range

loving devotion
b 25

loyalty to a covenant

Forms of the Heb.

 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as

of meaning includes

,

,

,

, and

, as well as

.

Or

140    |    Numbers 14:36

which has conspired against Me. They will meet
their end in the wilderness, and there they will
The Plague on the Ten Spies
die.”
36

tenth  of  an  ephah  of  fine  flour
  mixed  with  a
quarter hin of olive oil.
With the burnt offering
or  sacrifice  of  each  lamb,  you  are  to  prepare  a
6
quarter hin of wine as a drink offering.

 c

 a

b

5

So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land,
who had returned and made the whole congre-
37
gation grumble against him by bringing out a bad
report  about  the  land—
those  men  who  had
brought out the bad report about the land—were
struck down by a plague before the LORD.
Of
those men who had gone to spy out the land, only
Joshua  son  of  Nun  and  Caleb  son  of  Jephunneh
39
remained alive.

38

And when Moses relayed these words to all the
The Defeat at Hormah  (Deuteronomy 1:41–46)
Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.
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
41
place the LORD has promised.”

43

42

But  Moses  said,  “Why  are  you  transgressing
the  commandment  of  the  LORD?  This  will  not
succeed!
Do not go up, lest you be struck down
by your enemies, because the LORD is not among
you.
For there the Amalekites and Canaanites
will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Be-
cause you have turned away from the LORD, He
44
will not be with you.”

But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill
country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the
45
covenant  of  the  LORD  moved  from  the  camp.
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
Laws about Offerings
Hormah.

2

“Speak to
Then the LORD said to Moses,
3
the Israelites and tell them: After you en-
ter the land that I am giving you as a home
and
you present a food offering 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
then the one presenting his offering to
feast—
a 4 A tenth of an ephah
the LORD shall also present a grain offering of a
b 4

a quarter hin of oil

4

15

d

With a ram you are to prepare a grain offering
of  two-tenths  of  an  ephah
  of  fine  flour  mixed
with a third of a hin of olive oil,
and a third of a
hin of wine as a drink offering, a pleasing aroma
8
to the LORD.

7

 e

When  you  prepare  a  young  bull  as  a  burnt
9
offering or sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace
offering  to  the  LORD,
present  with  the  bull  a
grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine
flour
Also
present half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It is
11
a  food  offering,  a  pleasing  aroma  to  the  LORD.
This is to be done for each bull, ram, lamb, or
This is how you must prepare each one,

 mixed with half a hin of olive oil.

10

12

f

goat.
13
no matter how many.

15

14

Everyone  who  is  native-born  shall  prepare
these things in this way when he presents a food
offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
And
for the generations to come, if a foreigner resid-
ing with you or someone else among you wants
to prepare a food offering as a pleasing aroma to
the LORD, he is to do exactly as you do.
The as-
sembly 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
16
foreigner  shall  be  the  same  before  the  LORD.
The same law and the same ordinance will ap-
ply both to you and to the foreigner residing with
17
you.”

18

20

Then the LORD said to Moses,
19

“Speak to the
Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land
and  you  eat  the
to  which  I  am  bringing  you
food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the
LORD.
From the first of your dough, you are to
lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an
Throughout
offering from the threshing floor.
your generations, you are to give the LORD an of-
Offerings for Unintentional Sins
fering from the first of your dough.
22

21

Now  if  you  stray  unintentionally  and  do  not
23
obey  all  these  commandments  that  the  LORD
has spoken to Moses—
all that the LORD has
c 6 Two-tenths of an ephah
 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
a third of a hin of

d 6

Or

oil
e 9 Three-tenths of an ephah
is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).

; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters; similarly in verse 5
half a hin of oil

f 9

Or

; that is, approximately 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters; similarly in verse 7

quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour).
quarts or 1.8 liters; similarly in verse 10

Or

 is approximately 6 dry
; that is, approximately 1.9

commanded  you  through  Moses  from  the  day
24
the LORD gave them and continuing through the
and if it was done unin-
generations to come—
tentionally without the knowledge of the congre-
gation, 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
25
one male goat as a sin offering.

The priest is to make atonement for the whole
congregation  of  Israel,  so that  they  may  be  for-
given;  for  the  sin  was  unintentional  and  they
have brought to the LORD a food offering and a
sin offering, presented before the LORD for their
Then  the  whole  congrega-
unintentional  sin.
tion of Israel and the foreigners residing among
them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the
27
people unintentionally.

26

Also, if one person sins unintentionally, he is to
28
present a year-old female goat as a sin offering.
And  the  priest  shall  make  atonement  before
the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by
sinning  unintentionally;  and  when  atonement
You
has been made for him, he will be forgiven.
shall have the same law for the one who acts in
error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a
30
foreigner residing among you.

29

But the person who sins defiantly, whether a
native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That
31
person  shall  be  cut  off  from  among  his  people.
He  shall  certainly  be  cut  off,  because  he  has
despised the word of the LORD and broken His
A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned  (Exodus 31:12–17)
commandment; his guilt remains on him.”
32

34

33

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a
man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath
Those who found the man gathering wood
day.
brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole con-
and  because  it  had  not  been  de-
gregation,
clared what should be done to him, they placed
35
him in custody.

And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must
surely be put to death. The whole congregation is
36
to stone him outside the camp.”

So the whole congregation took the man out-
side  the  camp  and  stoned  him  to  death,  as  the
LORD had commanded Moses.
You have gone too far
a 3
b 5

God has visited and knows those who are His

Numbers 16:11    |    141

The Law of Tassels

37

38

39

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the
Israelites and tell them that throughout the gen-
erations to come they are to make for themselves
tassels for the corners of their garments, with a
blue  cord  on  each  tassel.
These  will  serve  as
tassels for you to look at, so that you may remem-
ber all the commandments of the LORD, that you
may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by
40
following your own heart and your own eyes.

41
Then you will remember and obey all My com-
mandments, and you will be holy to your God.
I
am the LORD your God who brought you out of
the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD
Korah’s Rebellion
your God.”

16

2

Now  Korah  son  of  Izhar,  the  son  of  Ko-
hath  son  of  Levi,  along  with  some  Reu-
benites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and
a  rebellion
On  son  of  Peleth—conducted
against  Moses,  along  with  250  men  of  Israel
3
renowned  as  leaders  of  the  congregation  and
They came to-
representatives in the assembly.
gether against Moses and Aaron and told them,
 For
“You have taken too much upon yourselves!
everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and
the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt
4
yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

5

 a

 b

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.

Then
he  said  to  Korah  and  all  his  followers,  “Tomor-
row morning the LORD will reveal who belongs
 and who is holy, and He will bring that
to Him
6
person near to Himself. The one He chooses He
You,  Korah,  and  all
will  bring  near  to  Himself.
7
your followers are to do as follows: Take censers,
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
8
much upon yourselves!”

9

Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you sons
Is it not enough for you that the God of
of Levi!
Israel has separated you from the congregation
of Israel and brought you near to Himself to per-
form the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to
stand  before  the  congregation  to  minister  to
He  has  brought  you  near,  you  and  all
them?
your  fellow  Levites,  but  you  are  seeking  the
Therefore, it is you and all
priesthood as well.

11

10

You have appropriated too much authority to yourselves

Figuratively
LXX

 or

; cited in 2 Timothy 2:19

; similarly in verse 7

142    |    Numbers 16:12

your  followers  who  have  conspired  against  the
LORD!  As  for  Aaron,  who  is  he  that  you  should
12
grumble against him?”

13

Then  Moses  summoned  Dathan  and  Abiram,
the  sons  of  Eliab,  but  they  said,  “We  will  not
Is it not enough that you have brought
come!
us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey
to  kill  us  in  the  wilderness?  Must  you  also  ap-
Moreover, you
point yourself as ruler over us?
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
15
these men? No, we will not come!”

14

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 sin-
16
gle one of them.”

And  Moses  said  to  Korah,  “You  and  all  your
followers  are  to  appear  before  the  LORD
Each
tomorrow—you  and  they  and  Aaron.
man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and
present  it  before  the  LORD—250  censers.  You
18
and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”

17

19

So  each  man  took  his  censer,  put  fire  and
incense  in  it,  and  stood  with  Moses  and  Aaron
When
at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
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
20
congregation.
21

And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,
“Separate  yourselves  from  this  congregation

22
so that I may consume them in an instant.”

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
Moses Separates the People
congregation?”
23

24

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell the con-
gregation  to  move  away  from  the  dwellings  of
25
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

26

So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abi-
And
ram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
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
27
swept away because of all their sins.”

So  they  moved  away  from  the  dwellings  of
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan

and  Abiram  had  come  out  and  stood  at  the  en-
trances  to  their  tents  with  their  wives  and
The Earth Swallows Korah
children and infants.
28

29

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:
If these men die a
30
natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men,
then the LORD has not sent me.
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
31
have treated the LORD with contempt.”
32

33

As soon as Moses had finished saying all this,
the  ground  beneath  them  split  open,
and  the
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and
their households—all Korah’s men and all their
possessions.
They went down alive into Sheol
with all they owned. The earth closed over them,
34
and they vanished from the assembly.

35

At their cries, all the people of Israel who were
around them fled, saying, “The earth may swal-
low us too!”
And fire came forth from the LORD
and  consumed  the  250  men  who  were  offering
The Censers Reserved for Holy Use
the incense.
36

37

Then the LORD said to Moses,
38

“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.
As  for  the  cen-
sers of those who sinned at the cost of their own
lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the al-
tar,  for  these  were  presented  before  the  LORD,
and  so  have  become  holy.  They  will  serve  as  a
39
sign to the Israelites.”

So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers
brought by those who had been burned up, and
40
he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,
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
Murmuring and Plague  (1 Cor. 10:1–13)
followers.
41

The next day the whole congregation of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You
have killed the LORD’s people!”
But when the
congregation gathered against them, Moses and

42

Aaron  turned  toward  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  and
suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the
43
LORD appeared.

44

45
Tent of Meeting,

Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the
and the LORD said to Moses,
“Get away from this congregation so that I may
consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aa-
46
ron fell facedown.

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
47
LORD; the plague has begun.”

So  Aaron  took  the  censer  as  Moses  had  or-
dered  and  ran  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly.
And seeing that the plague had begun among the
48
people, he offered the incense and made atone-
ment  for  the  people.
He  stood  between  the
49
living  and  the  dead,  and  the  plague was  halted.
But those who died from the plague numbered
14,700, in addition to those who had died on ac-
50
count of Korah.

Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been
Aaron’s Staff Buds
halted.

2

17

3

“Speak to
And the LORD said to Moses,
the Israelites and take from them twelve
staffs,  one  from  the  leader  of  each  tribe.  Write
and write Aaron’s
each man’s name on his staff,
name on the staff of Levi, because there must be
Place  the
one  staff  for  the  head  of  each  tribe.
staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testi-
The staff belong-
mony,
ing to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid
Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites
6
against you.”

 where I meet with you.

4

5

a

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.
Then  Moses
placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of
8
the Testimony.

7

The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Tes-
timony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing
the house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds,
Then Moses
blossomed, and produced almonds.
brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s pres-
ence  to  all  the  Israelites.  They  saw  them,  and
a 4 The Testimony
each man took his own staff.

9

Numbers 18:9    |    143

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
11
end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.”
So  Moses  did  as  the  LORD  had  commanded

12
him.

Then  the  Israelites  declared  to  Moses,  “Look,
13
we  are  perishing!  We  are  lost;  we  are  all  lost!
Anyone who comes near the tabernacle of the

Duties of Priests and Levites
LORD will die. Are we all going to perish?”

18

3

So  the  LORD  said  to  Aaron,  “You  and
your sons and your father’s house must
bear  the  iniquity  involving  the  sanctuary.  And
2
you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity
But  bring  with  you
involving  your  priesthood.
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
And they shall attend to your duties
Testimony.
and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must
not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary
They
or the altar, or both they and you will die.
are  to  join  you  and  attend  to  the  duties  of  the
Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent;
5
but no outsider may come near you.

4

7

6

And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctu-
ary and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on
Behold,  I  Myself  have  se-
the  Israelites  again.
lected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a
gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to perform the
But  only  you
service  for  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for
everything  concerning  the  altar  and  what  is in-
side 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 sanc-
Offerings for Priests and Levites
tuary must be put to death.”
8

9

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 per-
A portion of the most holy of-
manent statute.
ferings 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

 refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments; also v. 10.

144    |    Numbers 18:10

10

a

your  sons.
offering,
11
regard it as holy.

You  are  to  eat  it  as  a  most  holy
  and  every  male  may  eat  it.  You  shall

12

And this is yours as well: the offering of their
gifts, along with all the wave offerings of the Is-
raelites.  I  have  given  this  to  you  and  your  sons
and daughters as a permanent statute. Every cer-
emonially  clean  person  in  your  household  may
eat it.
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.
The
firstfruits  of  everything  in  their  land  that  they
bring to the LORD will belong to you. Every cere-
monially clean person in your household may eat
14
them.
15

13

Every  devoted  thing  in  Israel  belongs  to  you.
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
16
and  every  firstborn  male  of  unclean  animals.
You  are  to  pay  the  redemption  price  for  a
month-old male according to your valuation: five
shekels  of  silver,
  according  to  the  sanctuary
17
shekel, which is twenty gerahs.

b

c

18

But  you

  must  not  redeem  the  firstborn  of
an  ox,  a  sheep,  or  a  goat;  they  are  holy.  You
are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn
their fat as  a food offering, a pleasing aroma to
the LORD.
And their meat belongs to you, just
as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering
19
belong to you.

All  the  holy  offerings  that  the  Israelites  pre-
sent to the LORD I give to you and to your sons
 d
and daughters as a permanent statute. It is a per-
manent  covenant  of  salt
  before  the  LORD  for
20
you and your offspring.”

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
21
your inheritance among the Israelites.

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.
No
longer may the Israelites come near to the Tent
23
of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.

22

The  Levites  are  to  perform  the  work  of  the
Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniq-
uity. This is a permanent statute for the genera-
b 16 5 shekels
a 10
tions  to  come.  The  Levites  will  not  receive  an
c 16 20 gerahs
Or

You are to eat it in a most holy place

24

inheritance  among  the  Israelites.
For  I  have
given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe
that the Israelites present to the LORD as a con-
tribution. That is why I told them that they would
25
not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”

26

28

And  the  LORD  instructed  Moses,

“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
27
as an offering to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe.
Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain
from the threshing floor or juice from the wine-
press.
So you are to present an offering to the
LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Is-
raelites,  and  from  these  you  are  to  give  the
You must
LORD’s offering to Aaron the priest.
present  the  offering  due  the  LORD  from  all  the
30
best of every gift, the holiest part of it.’

29

31

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
And you and your households may
winepress.
eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation
for your work at the Tent of Meeting.
Once you
have presented the best part of it, you will not in-
cur guilt because of it. But you must not defile the
sacred offerings of the Israelites, or else you will
The Red Heifer
die.’

”

32

19

2

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and
“This  is  the  statute  of  the  law
Aaron,
that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Isra-
elites  to  bring  you  an  unblemished  red  heifer
that has no defect and has never been placed un-
Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he
der a yoke.
will have it brought outside the camp and slaugh-
4
tered in his presence.

3

5

Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on
his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the
Then  the  heifer
front  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting.
must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and
6
its blood are to be burned, along with its dung.
The  priest  is  to  take  cedar  wood,  hyssop,  and
scarlet  wool  and  throw  them  onto  the  burning
7
heifer.

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
The  one  who  burned  the  heifer
until  evening.

8

d 19

 is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).

That is, a perpetual covenant

 is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.

must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in
water,  and  he  too  will  be  ceremonially  unclean
9
until evening.

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
10
for preparing the water of purification; this is for
The man who has gath-
purification from sin.
ered 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 Isra-
Purification of the Unclean
elites and for the foreigner residing among them.
11

12

13

Whoever  touches  any  dead  body  will  be  un-
He  must  purify  himself
clean  for  seven  days.
with the water on the third day and on the sev-
enth day; then he will be clean. But if he does not
purify himself on the third and seventh days, he
Anyone  who  touches  a  hu-
will  not  be  clean.
man 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
14
him, and his uncleanness is still on him.

This  is  the  law  when  a  person  dies  in  a  tent:
Everyone who enters the  tent and everyone al-
15
ready in the tent will be unclean for seven days,
and any open container without a lid fastened

16
on it is unclean.

Anyone  in  the  open  field  who  touches  some-
one who has been killed by the sword or has died
of natural causes, or anyone who touches a hu-
man  bone or  a  grave,  will  be  unclean  for  seven
17
days.

 a

For the purification of the unclean person, take
some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, put
18
them in a jar, and pour fresh water
 over them.
Then  a  man  who  is  ceremonially  clean  is  to
take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprin-
kle  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
19
died or been slain.

The man who is ceremonially clean is to sprin-
kle 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 wa-
living water
a 17
ter, and that evening he will be clean.
But if a

flowing water

20

Or

 or

Numbers 20:12    |    145

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
21
is unclean.

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
22
of  purification  will  be  unclean  until  evening.
Anything the unclean person touches will be-
come unclean, and anyone who touches it will be
Water from the Rock  (Exodus 17:1–7)
unclean until evening.”

20

In  the  first  month,  the  whole  congrega-
tion  of  Israel  entered  the Wilderness  of
Zin and stayed in Kadesh. There Miriam died and
2
was buried.

3

4

Now there was no water for the congregation,
so they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
The
people  quarreled  with  Moses  and  said,  “If  only
we  had  perished  with  our  brothers  before  the
LORD!
Why  have  you  brought  the  LORD’s
assembly  into  this  wilderness  for  us  and  our
livestock to die here?
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 pomegran-
6
ates—and there is no water to drink!”

5

8

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence
of  the  assembly  to  the  entrance  to  the  Tent  of
7
Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the
LORD appeared to them.
And the LORD said to
Moses,
“Take the staff and assemble the congre-
gation. 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
9
livestock.”

10

11

So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s pres-
Then
ence,  just  as  he  had  been  commanded.
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?”
Then Moses raised his hand and struck
the  rock  twice  with  his  staff,  so  that  a  great
amount of water gushed out, and the congrega-
12
tion and their livestock were able to drink.

But  the  LORD  said  to  Moses  and  Aaron,  “Be-
cause 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.”

146    |    Numbers 20:13

13

a

28

These were the waters of Meribah,

 where the
Israelites  quarreled  with  the  LORD,  and  He
Edom Refuses Passage
showed His holiness among them.
14

15

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
how  our  fathers  went  down  to
befallen  us,
Egypt,  where  we  lived  many  years.  The  Egyp-
tians mistreated us and our fathers,
and when
we  cried  out  to  the  LORD,  He  heard  our  voice,
sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt.

16

17

Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of
Please let us pass through your
your territory.
land.  We  will  not  go  through  any  field  or  vine-
yard, 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
18
your territory.”

But  Edom  answered,  “You  may  not  travel
through our land, or we will come out and con-
19
front you with the sword.”

“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
20
let us pass through on foot.”

But  Edom

insisted,  “You  may  not  pass
through.” And they came out to confront the Is-
21
raelites  with  a  large  army  and  a  strong  hand.
So  Edom  refused  to  allow  Israel  to  pass
through  their  territory,  and  Israel  turned  away
The Death of Aaron
from them.
22

23

24

After they had set out from Kadesh, the whole
congregation of Israel came to Mount Hor.
And
at  Mount  Hor,  near  the  border  of  the  land  of
“Aa-
Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
ron  will  be  gathered  to  his  people;  he  will  not
enter the land that I have given the Israelites, be-
cause both of you rebelled against My command
Take Aaron and his
at the waters of Meribah.
Re-
son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor.
move Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on
his  son  Eleazar.  Aaron  will  be  gathered  to  his
27
people and will die there.”

26

25

29

whole congregation.
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
When the whole congregation saw
mountain.
that  Aaron  had  died,  the  entire  house  of  Israel
The Defeat of Arad
mourned for him thirty days.

21

When  the  Canaanite  king  of  Arad,  who
lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was
coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Is-
So  Israel
rael  and  captured  some  prisoners.
made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this
people into our hands, we will devote their cities
3
to destruction.

”

2

b

c

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
The Bronze Serpent
Hormah.
4

d

5

Then  they  set  out  from  Mount  Hor  along  the
route to the Red Sea,
 in order to bypass the land
of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the
and spoke against God and against Mo-
journey
ses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die
in  the  wilderness?  There  is  no  bread  or  water,
6
and we detest this wretched food!”

So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the
people,  and  many  of  the  Israelites  were  bitten
7
and died.

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 inter-
8
ceded for the people.

9

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery ser-
pent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who
is bitten looks at it, he will live.”
So Moses made
a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If any-
one who was bitten looked at the bronze snake,
The Journey to Moab
he would live.
10

11

They

Then  the  Israelites  set  out  and  camped  at
journeyed  from  Oboth  and
Oboth.
12
camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite
From there they set out and
Moab to the east.
cherem
camped in the Valley of Zered.
From there they
Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving

13

So  Moses  did  as  the  LORD  had  commanded,
a 13 Meribah
and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the
c 3 Hormah
over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verse 3.

; also in verse 24; see Exodus 17:7.

the Sea of Reeds

destruction

quarreling

 means

d 4

b 2

 means

.

Or

moved  on  and  camped  on  the  other  side  of  the
Arnon,  in  the  wilderness  that  extends  into  the
Amorite territory.

14
Now the Arnon is the border between the Moab-
Therefore it is stated in
ites and the Amorites.
the Book of the Wars of the LORD:

“Waheb in Suphah

15

and the wadis of the Arnon,

even the slopes of the wadis

16

that extend to the site of Ar
a
and lie along the border of Moab.”

From  there  they  went  on  to  Beer,
17

  the  well
where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the peo-
ple so that I may give them water.”
Then Israel
sang this song:

“Spring up, O well,

18

all of you sing to it!
The princes dug the well;

the nobles of the people hollowed it out

with their scepters

and with their staffs.”

19

20

From  the  wilderness  the  Israelites  went  on  to
Mattanah,
and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and
and from Bamoth to
from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah over-
The Defeat of Sihon  (Deuteronomy 2:24–37)
looks the wasteland.
21

b

22
Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of
“Let  us  pass  through
the  Amorites,  saying,
your land. We will not turn aside into any field or
vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will
stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed
23
through your territory.”

But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his
territory.  Instead,  he  gathered  his  whole  army
c
and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness.
24
 he fought against Israel.
When he came to Jahaz,
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 Ammo-
25
nites, because it was fortified.

d

26

Israel  captured  all  the  cities  of  the  Amorites
and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its
villages.
Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of
the Amorites, who had fought against the former
27
king of Moab and taken all his land as far as the
Arnon.
a 16 Beer
was rugged

That is why the poets say:

c 23 Jahaz

Jeshimon
because it was strong
.
Or

 means

b 20

e 30

well

Numbers 22:5    |    147

28

“Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt;
let the city of Sihon be restored.
For a fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.

It consumed Ar of Moab,

29

the rulers of Arnon’s heights.

Woe to you, O Moab!

You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh!

He gave up his sons as refugees,

30

and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon king of the Amorites.

But we have overthrown them;

Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon.

e

We demolished them as far as Nophah,
The Defeat of Og  (Deuteronomy 3:1–11)

which reaches to Medeba.

”

31
32

So  Israel  lived  in  the  land  of  the  Amorites.
After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel cap-
tured its villages and drove out the Amorites who
33
were there.

Then they turned and went up the road to Ba-
shan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army
34
came out to meet them in battle at Edrei.

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
35
Heshbon.”

So  they  struck  down  Og,  along  with  his  sons
and  his  whole  army,  until  no  remnant  was  left.
Balak Summons Balaam
And they took possession of his land.

22

Then  the  Israelites  traveled  on  and
camped  in  the  plains  of  Moab  near  the

2
Jordan, across from Jericho.

3

4

Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had
and Moab was terrified of
done to the Amorites,
the people because they were numerous. Indeed,
Moab  dreaded  the  Israelites.
So  the  Moabites
said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will de-
vour everything around us, as an ox licks up the
grass of the field.”

5

Since  Balak  son  of  Zippor  was  king  of  Moab  at
he  sent  messengers  to  summon
that  time,
Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Eu-
phrates

 in the land of his people.

 f

; literally

Or

Hebrew

d 24
We demolished them until fire spread to Medeba
 is a variant of

; see 1 Chr. 6:78.

Jahzah

Or

because the territory
the River
f 5

148    |    Numbers 22:6

6

“Behold,  a  people  has  come  out  of  Egypt,”  said
Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have
settled next to me.
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
7
curse are cursed.”

The elders of Moab and Midian departed with
the fees for divination in hand. They came to Ba-
8
laam and relayed to him the words of Balak.

“Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and I
will give you the answer that the LORD speaks to
9
me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Then God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are

10
these men with you?”

11

And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor,
‘Behold, a
king of Moab, sent me this message:
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
12
against them and drive them away.’

”

But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them.
You  are  not  to  curse  this  people,  for  they  are
13
blessed.”

So Balaam got up the next morning and said to
Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, be-
cause  the  LORD  has  refused  to  let  me  go  with
14
you.”

And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Ba-
15
lak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

16

Then  Balak  sent  other  princes,  more  numer-
ous  and  more  distinguished  than  the  first
messengers.
They  came  to  Balaam  and  said,
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let
nothing  hinder  you  from  coming  to  me,
for  I
will honor you richly and do whatever you say.
So please come and put a curse on this people for
18
me!’

17

”

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
So
beyond the command of the LORD my God.
now, please stay here overnight as the others did,
that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell
20
me.”

19

That  night  God  came  to  Balaam  and  said,
a 22
“Since these men have come to summon you, get

Angel

21

up and go with them, but you must only do what
I  tell  you.”
So  in  the  morning  Balaam  got  up,
saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of
The Angel and Balaam’s Donkey
Moab.
22

 a

Then God’s anger was kindled because Balaam
was  going  along,  and  the  angel
  of  the  LORD
stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was rid-
ing his donkey, and his two servants were with
23
him.

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
24
path.

25

Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow
passage  between  two  vineyards,  with  walls  on
either  side.
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
26
once again.

27

And  the  angel  of  the  LORD  moved  on  ahead
and stood in a narrow place where there was no
When the don-
room to turn to the right or left.
key saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down un-
der Balaam, and he became furious and beat her
28
with his staff.

Then  the  LORD  opened  the  donkey’s  mouth,
and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you
29
that you have beaten me these three times?”

Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made
a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would
30
kill you right now!”

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?”
31
“No,” he replied.

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
32
bowed low and fell facedown.

 b

The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have
you beaten your donkey these three times? Be-
hold,  I  have  come  out  to  oppose  you,  because
The donkey
your way is perverse
saw  me  and  turned  away  from  me  these  three
times. If she had not turned away, then by now I
contrary
would surely have killed you and let her live.”

 before me.

reckless

b 32

33

Or

; here and the rest of ch. 22; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.

Or

 or

34

“I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the
LORD, “for I did not realize that you were stand-
ing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is
35
displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”

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 Ba-
36
lak.

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.
And
he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent
summons?  Why  did  you  not  come  to  me?  Am  I
38
really not able to reward you richly?”

37

“See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but
can  I  say  just  anything?  I  must  speak  only  the
39
word that God puts in my mouth.”

40

So Balaam accompanied Balak, and they came
to  Kiriath-huzoth.
Balak  sacrificed  cattle  and
sheep,  and  he  gave  portions  to  Balaam  and  the
41
princes who were with him.

The  next  morning,  Balak  took  Balaam  and
brought  him up  to  Bamoth-baal.  From there  he
Balaam’s First Oracle
could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.

23

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me
seven  altars  here,  and  prepare  for  me

2
seven bulls and seven rams.”

So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Ba-
lak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each
3
altar.

“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.”

4

So Balaam went off to a barren height,
and God
met  with  him.  “I  have  set  up  seven  altars,”  Ba-
laam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull
5
and a ram.”

Numbers 23:21    |    149

‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me;

8

come and denounce Israel!’

How can I curse those whom God has not

cursed?

9

How can I denounce those whom the

LORD has not denounced?
For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.

Behold, a people dwelling apart,

10

not reckoning themselves among the

nations.

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 ene-
12
mies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”

But  Balaam  replied,  “Should  I  not  speak  ex-

Balaam’s Second Oracle
actly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
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
14
of them. And from there, curse them for me.”

So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the
top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and of-
15
fered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam  said  to  Balak,  “Stay  here  beside  your
16
burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”

And the LORD met with Balaam and put a mes-
sage in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and
17
speak what I tell you.”

So  he  returned  to  Balak,  who  was  standing
there  by  his  burnt  offering  with  the  princes  of
Moab.
18
“What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.

Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:

Then  the  LORD  put  a  message  in  Balaam’s
mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this
6
message.”

19

“Arise, O Balak, and listen;

give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that He should lie,

So  he  returned  to  Balak,  who  was  standing
there  beside  his  burnt  offering,  with  all  the
7
princes of Moab.

And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:

“Balak brought me from Aram,

the king of Moab from the mountains

of the east.

or a son of man, that He should change His

mind.

20

Does He speak and not act?

Does He promise and not fulfill?

21

I have indeed received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot change it.

He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.

150    |    Numbers 23:22

7

The LORD their God is with them,

22

Water will flow from his buckets,

and the shout of the King is among them.

and his seed will have abundant

23

God brought them out of Egypt
with strength like a wild ox.
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!’
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.”

24

25

Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse

26
them at all nor bless them at all!”

But  Balaam  replied,  “Did  I  not  tell  you  that

27
whatever the LORD says, I must do?”

“Please  come,”  said  Balak,  “I  will  take  you  to
another place. Perhaps it will please God that you
28
curse them for me from there.”
a

And  Balak  took  Balaam  to  the  top  of  Peor,

29
which overlooks the wasteland.

Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars
here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven
30
rams.”

So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he

Balaam’s Third Oracle
offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

24

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the
LORD  to  bless  Israel,  he  did  not  seek
omens  as  on  previous  occasions,  but  he  turned
When  Balaam
his  face  toward  the  wilderness.
3
looked  up  and  saw  Israel  encamped  tribe  by
and he
tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him,
lifted up an oracle, saying:

2

water.

His king will be greater than Agag,

8

and his kingdom will be exalted.

God brought him out of Egypt

with strength like a wild ox,

to devour hostile nations and crush their

9

bones,

to pierce them with arrows.
He crouches, he lies down like a lion,

like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

Blessed are those who bless you

Balak Dismisses Balaam

and cursed are those who curse you.”

10

Then  Balak’s  anger  burned  against  Balaam,
and he struck his hands together and said to Ba-
laam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but
behold,  you  have  persisted  in  blessing  them
Therefore,  flee  at  once  to
these  three  times.
your home! I said I would reward you richly, but
12
instead the LORD has denied your reward.”

11

13

Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not already tell
the messengers you sent me
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?
Now I
I must speak whatever the LORD says.
am  going  back  to  my  people,  but  come,  let  me
warn you what this people will do to your people
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
in the days to come.”
15

14

Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying,

“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are

16

“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are

4

open,

open,

the prophecy of one who hears the

words of God,

the prophecy of one who hears the words of

b

who has knowledge from the Most High,

God,

5

who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,

c

6

your dwellings, O Israel!
They spread out like palm groves,
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes the LORD has planted,
b 4
Jeshimon
like cedars beside the waters.
princes

Shaddai

a 28
the head)

who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide

17

open:

I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near.
A star will come forth from Jacob,

 d

and a scepter will arise from Israel.

He will crush the skulls
like valleys

d 17

and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
foreheads

corners (of

 of Moab

c 6

Or

; LXX

Hebrew

; also in verse 16

Or

SP

; Hebrew

18

Edom will become a possession,

19

as will Seir, his enemy;
but Israel will perform with valor.

A ruler will come from Jacob
Balaam’s Final Three Oracles

and destroy the survivors of the city.”

20

Then  Balaam  saw  Amalek  and  lifted  up  an

oracle, saying:

21

“Amalek was first among the nations,

but his end is destruction.”

Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle,

saying:

22

“Your dwelling place is secure,
and your nest is set in a cliff.
 a

Yet Kain will be destroyed

23

when Asshur

 takes you captive.”

Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:

24

“Ah, who can live

unless God has ordained it?

 b

Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus;
they will subdue Asshur and Eber,
but they too will perish forever.”

25

Then Balaam arose and returned to his home-

Moab Seduces Israel  (1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
land, and Balak also went on his way.

c

2

 the
While Israel was staying in Shittim,
men began to indulge in sexual immoral-
who also invited
ity with the daughters of Moab,
them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the peo-
So Israel
ple ate and bowed down to these gods.
joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger
4
of the LORD burned against them.

3

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the lead-
ers of the people and execute them in broad day-
light  before  the  LORD,  so  that  His  fierce  anger
5
may turn away from Israel.”

So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you
must kill all of his men who have joined in wor-
The Zeal of Phinehas
shiping Baal of Peor.”
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
7
weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son
of  Aaron  the  priest,  got  up  from  the  assembly,
followed the Israelite
took a spear in his hand,
b 24
a 22
into his tent, and drove the spear through both of

Assyria

Kittim

c 1

8

25

Numbers 26:6    |    151

them—through the Israelite and on through the
belly of the woman.
9
So  the  plague  against  the  Israelites  was  halted,
but  those  who  died  in  the  plague  numbered

11

10
24,000.

12

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“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
Declare,
consume  the  Israelites  in  My  zeal.
therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of
It  will  be  a  covenant  of  permanent
peace.
priesthood for him and his descendants, because
he was zealous for his God and made atonement
14
for the Israelites.”

13

15

The name of the Israelite who was slain with
the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the
And the name of
leader of a Simeonite family.
the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daugh-
16
ter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

17
18

“Attack  the
And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
For they as-
Midianites and strike them dead.
sailed 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
The Second Census of Israel  (Numbers 1:1–4)
Peor.”

26

2

After  the  plague  had  ended,  the  LORD
said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron
“Take a census of the whole congre-
the priest,
gation of Israel by the houses of their fathers—
all  those  twenty  years  of  age  or  older  who  can
3
serve in the army of Israel.”

4

So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across
from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued
“Take  a  census  of  the  men
the  instruction,
twenty  years  of  age  or  older,
  as  the  LORD  has
commanded Moses.”

d

And  these  were  the  Israelites  who  came  out  of
The Tribe of Reuben
the land of Egypt:
5

Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were

the descendants of Reuben:

The Hanochite clan from Hanoch,
6
the Palluite clan from Pallu,

the Hezronite clan from Hezron,

Or

; also v. 24

Hebrew

Or

 is implied; see verse 2.

Acacia Grove

d 4 Take a census of the men
and the Carmite clan from Carmi.

152    |    Numbers 26:7

7

22

These were the clans of Reuben, and their reg-

8
istration numbered 43,730.

9

Now the son of Pallu was Eliab,

and the sons of

10

Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram.
It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congre-
gation,  who  rebelled  against  Moses  and  Aaron
with the followers of Korah who rebelled against
the LORD.
And the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed  them  along  with  Korah,  whose  fol-
lowers  died  when  the  fire  consumed  250  men.
They  serve  as  a  warning  sign.
However,  the
The Tribe of Simeon
line of Korah did not die out.
12

11

These  were  the  descendants  of  Simeon  by

a

their clans:

The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel,
the Jaminite clan from Jamin,
13
the Jachinite clan from Jachin,
the Zerahite clan from Zerah,
and the Shaulite clan from Shaul.
These  were  the  clans  of  Simeon,  and  there

b

14

The Tribe of Gad
were 22,200 men.
15

These  were  the  descendants  of  Gad  by  their

clans:

The Zephonite clan from Zephon,
the Haggite clan from Haggi,
16
the Shunite clan from Shuni,
the Oznite clan from Ozni,

17
the Erite clan from Eri,

c

These were the clans of Judah, and their regis-

The Tribe of Issachar
tration numbered 76,500.
23

These  were  the  descendants  of  Issachar  by

their clans:

d
The Tolaite clan from Tola,
24
the Punite clan from Puvah,

e

the Jashubite clan from Jashub,

25

and the Shimronite clan from Shimron.
These were the clans of Issachar, and their reg-

The Tribe of Zebulun
istration numbered 64,300.
26

These  were  the  descendants  of  Zebulun  by

their clans:

27

The Seredite clan from Sered,
the Elonite clan from Elon,
and the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.
These were the clans of Zebulun, and their reg-

The Tribe of Manasseh
istration numbered 60,500.
28

The descendants of Joseph included the clans

29
of Manasseh and Ephraim.

These were the descendants of Manasseh:
The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of
Gilead,
30
and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.

f

These were the descendants of Gilead:
the Iezerite clan from Iezer,
31
the Helekite clan from Helek,

18

the Arodite clan from Arod,
and the Arelite clan from Areli.

These  were  the  clans  of  Gad,  and  their  regis-

The Tribe of Judah
tration numbered 40,500.
19

20

The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they
These were the de-

died in the land of Canaan.
scendants of Judah by their clans:

34

the Asrielite clan from Asriel,
32
the Shechemite clan from Shechem,

the Shemidaite clan from Shemida,
33
and the Hepherite clan from Hepher.

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no
sons but only daughters. The names of his
daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah,
Milcah, and Tirzah.

The Shelanite clan from Shelah,
the Perezite clan from Perez,
21
and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.

These  were  the  clans  of  Manasseh,  and  their

The Tribe of Ephraim
registration numbered 52,700.
35

And these were the descendants of

These  were  the  descendants  of  Ephraim  by

Perez:

their clans:

a 12 Nemuel

the Hezronite clan from Hezron
and the Hamulite clan from Hamul.

Jemuel

c 17
 is another name for
e 24 Jashub
SP and Syriac

Arodi

dus 6:15.
1 Chronicles 7:1.

b 13 Zerah

The Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah,
Zohar

the Becherite clan from Becher,

the Puite clan from Puah

d 23

; see Genesis 46:10.

Job
; see Genesis 46:16.

 is a variant of

f 30 Iezer

SP, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac

 is a variant of

; see Genesis 46:13.

 is a variant of

Abiezer

; see Genesis 46:10 and Exo-
; see
; see Joshua 17:2.

36
and the Tahanite clan from Tahan.

And the descendants of Shuthelah were

37

the Eranite clan from Eran.

These  were  the  clans  of  Ephraim,  and  their

registration numbered 32,500.
The Tribe of Benjamin
These clans were the descendants of Joseph.
38

These  were  the  descendants  of  Benjamin  by

their clans:

The Belaite clan from Bela,

the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel,
39
the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram,

a

the Shuphamite clan from Shupham,

40
and the Huphamite clan from Hupham.

 b

And the descendants of Bela from Ard
and Naaman were the Ardite clan from Ard
and the Naamite clan from Naaman.

41

These  were  the  clans  of  Benjamin,  and  their

The Tribe of Dan
registration numbered 45,600.
42

These  were  the  descendants  of  Dan  by  their

clans:

The Shuhamite clan from Shuham.

43

All of them were
These were the clans of Dan.
Shuhamite  clans,  and  their  registration  num-
The Tribe of Asher
bered 64,400.
44

These were the descendants of Asher by their

clans:

The Imnite clan from Imnah,

the Ishvite clan from Ishvi,
45
and the Beriite clan from Beriah.

And these were the descendants of

Beriah:

the Heberite clan from Heber

46

and the Malchielite clan from Malchiel.

And the name of Asher’s daughter was

47

Serah.

These were the clans of Asher, and their regis-

The Tribe of Naphtali
tration numbered 53,400.
48

These  were  the  descendants  of  Naphtali  by

their clans:
a 39

Numbers 26:62    |    153

The Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel,
49
the Gunite clan from Guni,

the Jezerite clan from Jezer,

50

and the Shillemite clan from Shillem.

These  were  the  clans  of  Naphtali,  and  their

51
registration numbered 45,400.
Inheritance by Lot

These men of Israel numbered 601,730 in all.

52

53

54

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“The land is to
be  divided  among  the  tribes  as  an  inheritance,
according  to  the  number  of  names.
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
55
registered.

Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they
shall  receive  their  inheritance  according  to  the
Each
names  of  the  tribes  of  their  fathers.
inheritance  is  to  be  divided  by  lot  among  the
The Levites Numbered
larger and smaller tribes.”
57

56

Now these were the Levites numbered by their

clans:

The Gershonite clan from Gershon,

the Kohathite clan from Kohath,

58

and the Merarite clan from Merari.

These were the families of the Levites:

The Libnite clan,

the Hebronite clan,

the Mahlite clan,

the Mushite clan,

and the Korahite clan.

59

60

and
Now  Kohath  was  the  father  of  Amram,
Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also
a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Am-
ram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Mir-
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were
iam.
but Nadab and Abihu died when
born to Aaron,
62
 fire before the LORD.
they offered unauthorized

61

 c

The registration of the Levites totaled 23,000,
every  male  a  month  old  or  more;  they  were
not  numbered  among  the  other  Israelites,  be-
cause  no  inheritance  was  given  to  them  among
the Israelites.

Shephupham

b 40

A few MT manuscripts, SP, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also LXX); most MT manuscripts

SP and Vul-

gate (see also LXX); MT does not include

.

Or

from Ard

c 61

strange

154    |    Numbers 26:63

Only Caleb and Joshua Remain

63

These were the ones numbered by Moses and
Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israel-
ites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across
64
from Jericho.

65

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
For  the  LORD  had  told
Wilderness  of  Sinai.
them  that  they  would  surely  die  in  the  wilder-
ness.  Not  one  was  left  except  Caleb  son  of
The Daughters of Zelophehad  (Num. 36:1–13)
Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

27

2

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,
the
Milcah,  and  Tirzah.  They  approached
entrance  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  stood  before
Moses,  Eleazar  the  priest,  the  leaders,  and  the
“Our father died
whole congregation, and said,
in the wilderness, but he was not among the fol-
lowers of Korah who gathered together against
4
the  LORD.  Instead,  he  died  because  of  his  own
Why should the name
sin, and he had no sons.
of  our  father  disappear  from  his  clan  because
he  had  no  sons?  Give  us  property  among  our
5
father’s brothers.”
6

3

7

So Moses brought their case before the LORD,
“The daughters
and the LORD answered him,
of  Zelophehad  speak  correctly.  You  certainly
must  give  them  property  as  an  inheritance
among their father’s brothers and transfer their
8
father’s inheritance to them.

9

11

Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a
man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer
his  inheritance  to  his  daughter.
If  he  has  no
10
daughter,  give  his  inheritance  to  his  brothers.
If  he  has  no  brothers,  give  his  inheritance  to
his father’s brothers.
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 Israel-
Moses Requests a Successor  (De. 3:23–29)
ites, as the LORD has commanded Moses.’
”
12

 a

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Go  up  this
 and see the land

Go up Mount Nebo beyond the Jordan       b 14 Meribah
d 4

a 12
mountain of the Abarim range
Lights

between the two evenings

LXX

13

that I have given the Israelites.
After you have
14
seen it, you too will be gathered to your people,
as your brother Aaron was;
for when the con-
gregation  contended  in  the  Wilderness  of  Zin,
both  of  you  rebelled  against  My  command  to
show My holiness in their sight regarding the wa-
ters.”  Those  were  the  waters  of  Meribah
  in
15
Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.

16

 b

17

So  Moses  appealed  to  the  LORD,

“May  the
LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a
who will go out and
man over the congregation
come in before them, and who will lead them out
and bring them in, so that the congregation of the
Joshua to Succeed Moses  (De. 31:1–8)
LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18

19

And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua
son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay
your  hands  on  him.
Have  him  stand  before
20
Eleazar  the  priest  and  the  whole  congregation,
and commission him in their sight.
Confer on
21
him  some  of  your  authority,  so  that  the  whole
congregation of Israel will obey him.
He shall
stand  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  who  will  seek
counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment
of the Urim.
 At his command, he and all the Isra-
elites  with  him—the  entire  congregation—will
22
go out and come in.”

c

Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the
priest and the whole congregation,
and laid his
hands  on  him  and  commissioned  him,  as  the
The Daily Offerings  (Exodus 29:38–44)
LORD had instructed through Moses.

23

2

28

“Com-
Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
mand the Israelites and say to them: See
that you present to Me at its appointed time the
food for My food offerings, as a pleasing aroma to
3
Me.

4

And tell them that this is the food offering you
are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt of-
fering each day: two unblemished year-old male
Offer  one  lamb  in  the  morning  and  the
lambs.
other  at  twilight,
along  with  a  tenth  of  an
ephah  of  fine  flour
  as  a  grain  offering,  mixed
6
with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives.

5
 e

d

f

7

This  is  a  regular  burnt  offering  established  at
Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, a food offering
c 21
quarreling
The drink offering accompanying
to the LORD.
e 5 A tenth of an ephah
; see Exodus 17:7.
 means

a quarter hin of pure

Literally

the

f 5

olive oil
liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour); also in verses 13, 21, and 29.

a quarter hin of pressed oil

; also in verse 8

Hebrew

Or

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2

; Hebrew

; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters; similarly in verses 7 and 14

Numbers 29:3    |    155

20

two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs
The grain offering
a year old, all unblemished.
shall  consist  of  fine  flour  mixed  with  oil;  offer
three-tenths  of  an  ephah  with  each  bull,  two-
and a tenth of
tenths of an ephah with the ram,
Include
an ephah with each of the seven lambs.
one  male  goat  as  a  sin  offering  to  make  atone-
23
ment for you.

21

22

24

You are to present these in addition to the reg-
ular  morning  burnt  offering.
Offer  the  same
food each day for seven days as a food offering, a
pleasing  aroma  to  the  LORD.  It  is  to  be  offered
with its drink offering and the regular burnt of-
25
fering.

On the seventh day you shall hold a sacred as-

The Feast of Weeks  (Deuteronomy 16:9–12)
sembly; you must not do any regular work.
26

e

On the day of firstfruits, when you present an
offering  of  new  grain  to  the  LORD  during  the
Feast of Weeks,
 you are to hold a sacred assem-
27
bly; you must not do any regular work.

28

Present  a  burnt  offering  of  two  young  bulls,
one  ram,  and  seven  male  lambs  a  year  old  as  a
pleasing  aroma  to  the  LORD,
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,
and a tenth of
30
an ephah with each of the seven lambs.

29

31

Include one male goat to make atonement for
you.
Offer  them  with  their  drink  offerings
in  addition  to  the  regular  burnt  offering  and
its grain offering. The animals must be unblem-
The Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25)
ished.

29

“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
2
day for you to sound the trumpets.

8

each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the of-
fering  of  fermented  drink  to  the  LORD  in  the
And  offer  the  second  lamb  at
sanctuary  area.
twilight, with the same grain offering and drink
offering as in the morning. It is a food offering, a
The Sabbath Offerings
pleasing aroma to the LORD.
9

On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished
 a
year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain of-
fering  of  two-tenths  of  an  ephah  of  fine  flour
10
mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering.

This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in
addition  to  the  regular  burnt  offering  and  its
The Monthly Offerings
drink offering.
11

12

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
 b
along  with  three-
year  old,  all  unblemished,
 mixed with oil as
tenths of an ephah of fine flour
a grain offering with each bull, two-tenths of an
ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offer-
and  a  tenth  of  an  ephah  of
ing  with  the  ram,
fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with
each  lamb.  This  is  a  burnt  offering,  a  pleasing
14
aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

13

 d

 c

 with  each  bull,  a  third  of  a hin

Their  drink  offerings  shall  be  half  a  hin  of
 with  the
wine
ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the
monthly burnt offering to be made at each new
15
moon throughout the year.

In addition to the regular burnt offering with
its  drink  offering,  one  male  goat  is  to  be  pre-
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
sented to the LORD as a sin offering.
(Ex. 12:14–28 ;  Lev. 23:4–8 ;  De. 16:1–8)

16

17

The  fourteenth  day  of  the  first  month  is  the
On  the  fifteenth day  of  this
LORD’s  Passover.
month, there shall be a feast; for seven days un-
18
leavened bread is to be eaten.

On the first day there is to be a sacred assem-
Present
bly; you must not do any regular work.
a 9 Two-tenths of an ephah
to the LORD a food offering, a burnt offering of
b 12 Three-tenths of an ephah

3

19

As a pleasing aroma to the LORD, you are to pre-
sent a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram,
and  seven  male  lambs  a  year  old,  all  unblem-
 f
ished,
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
 is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour);
c 14 Half a hin
 is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6

 g

e 26

also in verses 12, 20, and 28.
d 14 A third of a hin
pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour); also in verses 20 and 28.
wine.
f 3 Three-tenths of an ephah
pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as

g 3 Two-tenths of an ephah

the Feast of Harvest

 is approximately 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters of wine.

That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of

 (see Exodus 23:16) or
 is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kg of flour); also
 is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or

 (see Acts 2:1).

 is approximately 1.9 quarts or 1.8 liters of
the Feast of Pentecost

in verses 9 and 14.
2.3 kilograms of flour); also in verses 9 and 14.

156    |    Numbers 29:4

4

 a

20

and a tenth of an ephah

ram,
5
seven male lambs.

6

 with each of the

Include one male goat as a sin offering to make
These are in addition to the
atonement for you.
monthly and daily burnt offerings with their pre-
scribed grain offerings and drink offerings. They
The Day of Atonement  (Lev. 16:1-34 ; 23:26-32)
are a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
7

 b

On the tenth day of this seventh month, you are
to hold a sacred assembly, and you shall humble
8
yourselves;

 you must not do any work.

9

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,
to-
gether  with  their  grain  offerings  of  fine  flour
mixed  with  oil—three-tenths  of  an  ephah  with
10
the  bull,  two-tenths  of  an  ephah  with  the  ram,
and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven

11
lambs.

Include one male goat for a sin offering, in ad-
dition  to  the  sin  offering  of  atonement  and  the
regular burnt offering with its grain offering and
The Feast of Tabernacles  (De. 16:13–17)
drink offerings.
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
13
to the LORD for seven days.

14

As  a  pleasing  aroma  to  the  LORD,  you  are
to present a food offering, a burnt offering of thir-
teen  young  bulls,  two  rams,  and  fourteen  male
along with
lambs a year old, all unblemished,
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
and a tenth of an ephah with each of
two rams,
Include one male goat as a
the fourteen lambs.
sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt of-
17
fering with its grain offering and drink offering.

16

15

18

On the second day you are to present twelve
young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs
along  with  the
a  year  old,  all  unblemished,
grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and
lambs, according to the number prescribed.
In-
clude one male goat as a sin offering, in addition
to the regular burnt offering with its grain offer-
ing and drink offering.
a 4 A tenth of an ephah
b 7

afflict your souls

19

21

On  the  third  day  you  are  to  present  eleven
bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year
along with the grain and
old, all unblemished,
22
drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, ac-
Include one
cording to the number prescribed.
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the reg-
ular  burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and
23
drink offering.

24

On the fourth day you are to present ten bulls,
two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all
along  with  the  grain  and  drink
unblemished,
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, accord-
ing  to  the  number  prescribed.
Include  one
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the reg-
ular  burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and
26
drink offering.

25

27

On the fifth day you are to present nine bulls,
two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all
along  with  the  grain  and  drink
unblemished,
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, accord-
Include  one
ing  to  the  number  prescribed.
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the reg-
ular  burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and
29
drink offering.

28

30

On the sixth day you are to present eight bulls,
two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all
unblemished,
along  with  the  grain  and  drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, accord-
Include  one
ing  to  the  number  prescribed.
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the reg-
ular  burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and
32
drink offering.

31

33

On  the  seventh  day  you  are  to  present  seven
bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year
along with the grain and
old, all unblemished,
34
drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, ac-
Include one
cording to the number prescribed.
male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the reg-
ular  burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and
35
drink offering.

36

37

On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn as-
As
sembly; you must not do any regular work.
a pleasing aroma to the LORD, you are to present
a food offering, a burnt offering of one bull, one
ram,  and  seven  male  lambs  a  year  old,  all  un-
along with the grain and drink of-
blemished,
ferings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according
Include  one  male
to  the  number  prescribed.
goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular

38

also in verses 10 and 15.

Or

or

 is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour);

deny yourselves

burnt  offering  with  its  grain  offering  and  drink
39
offering.

You are to present these offerings to the LORD
at  your  appointed  times,  in  addition  to  your
vow and freewill offerings, whether burnt offer-
ings,  grain  offerings,  drink  offerings,  or  peace
40
offerings.”

So Moses spoke all this to the Israelites just as

Laws about Vows  (Matthew 5:33–37)
the LORD had commanded him.

30

2

Then  Moses  said  to  the  heads  of  the
tribes  of  Israel,  “This  is  what  the  LORD
If a man makes a vow to the
has commanded:
LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a
pledge, he must not break his word; he must do
3
everything he has promised.

a

4

5

And if a woman in her father’s house during her
youth makes a vow to the LORD or obligates her-
self by a pledge,
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 her-
self shall stand.
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
6
her father has prohibited her.

7

If a woman marries while under a vow or rash
promise  by  which  she  has  bound  herself,
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.
But if her hus-
band prohibits her when he hears of it, he nulli-
fies the vow that binds her or the rash promise
9
she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.

8

Every vow a widow or divorced woman pledges

10
to fulfill is binding on her.

11

12

If a woman in her husband’s house has made a
vow  or  put  herself  under  an  obligation  with  an
oath,
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 her-
But  if  her  husband  nullifies
self  shall  stand.
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
13
them, and the LORD will absolve her.

b

14

Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow
or any sworn pledge to deny herself.
But if her
to fast
a 2
husband  says  nothing  to  her  from  day  to  day,

b 13

Cited in Matthew 5:33

Or

31

Numbers 31:16    |    157

then  he  confirms  all  the  vows  and  pledges  that
bind her. He has confirmed them, because he said
15
nothing to her on the day he heard about them.
But if he nullifies them after he hears of them,

16
then he will bear her iniquity.”

These  are  the  statutes  that  the  LORD  com-
manded  Moses  concerning  the  relationship  be-
tween a man and his wife, and between a father
Vengeance on Midian
and a young daughter still in his home.

2

“Take
And  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
vengeance on the Midianites for the Isra-
elites.  After  that,  you  will  be  gathered  to  your
3
people.”

4

So  Moses  told  the  people,  “Arm  some  of  your
men for war, that they may go against the Midi-
anites  and  execute  the  LORD’s  vengeance  on
Send  into  battle  a  thousand  men  from
them.
5
each tribe of Israel.”

So  a  thousand  men  were  recruited  from  each
6
tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
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
7
sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

8

Then  they  waged  war  against  Midian,  as  the
LORD  had  commanded  Moses,  and  they  killed
every male.
Among the slain were Evi, Rekem,
Zur,  Hur,  and  Reba—the  five  kings  of  Midian.
They  also  killed  Balaam  son  of  Beor  with  the
9
sword.

The  Israelites  captured  the  Midianite  women
10
and their children, and they plundered all their
herds, flocks, and goods.
Then they burned all
the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well
as all their encampments,
and carried away all
12
the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

11

They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder
to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congre-
gation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab,
And Moses,
by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the con-
14
 camp.
gregation went to meet them outside the

13

15

But  Moses  was  angry  with  the  officers  of  the
army—the commanders of thousands and com-
manders  of  hundreds—who  were  returning
“Have  you  spared  all  the
from  the  battle.
“Look, these women
women?” he asked them.
caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of

16

158    |    Numbers 31:17

17

Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at
Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation
So now, kill all the boys, as well as
of the LORD.
18
every woman who has had relations with a man,
but  spare  for  yourselves  every  girl  who  has

19
never had relations with a man.

20

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 cap-
And  purify  every  garment  and  leather
tives.
good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every
21
article of wood.”

23

Then  Eleazar  the  priest  said  to  the  soldiers
who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of
22
the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:
Only  the  gold,  silver,  bronze,  iron,  tin,  and
lead—
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 with-
On
stand the fire must pass through the water.
the  seventh  day  you  are  to  wash  your  clothes,
and you will be clean. After that you may enter
Division of the Spoils
the camp.”
25

24

26

The  LORD said  to  Moses,

“You  and  Eleazar
the priest and the family heads of the congrega-
tion  are  to  take  a  count  of  what  was  captured,
Then  divide  the  cap-
both  of  man  and  beast.
tives between the troops who went out to battle
28
and the rest of the congregation.

27

Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what be-
longs  to  the  soldiers  who  went  into  battle:  one
29
out of every five hundred, whether persons, cat-
Take it from their half
tle, donkeys, or sheep.
and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to
30
the LORD.

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
31
keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”

32

So  Moses  and  Eleazar  the  priest  did  as  the
and  this  plun-
LORD  had  commanded  Moses,
der  remained  from  the  spoils  the  soldiers  had
taken:
33
675,000 sheep,

a 52 16,750 shekels

72,000 cattle,

34

35

61,000 donkeys,

and 32,000 women who had not slept

36

with a man.

This  was  the  half  portion  for  those  who  had

37

gone to war:

337,500 sheep,
38
LORD of 675,

including a tribute to the

36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the

39
LORD of 72,

30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the

40
LORD of 61,

and 16,000 people, including a tribute to

41

the LORD of 32.

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as
an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had com-
42
manded Moses.

43

From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set
this

apart from the men who had gone to war,
half belonged to the congregation:

44
337,500 sheep,
45

36,000 cattle,

46

30,500 donkeys,

47

and 16,000 people.

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 Voluntary Offering
the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.
48

49

Then  the officers  who were  over  the  units of
the army—the commanders of thousands and of
hundreds—approached Moses
and said, “Your
50
servants  have  counted  the  soldiers  under  our
So we
command, and not one of us is missing.
have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold
articles  each  man  acquired—armlets,  bracelets,
rings,  earrings,  and  necklaces—to  make  atone-
51
ment for ourselves before the LORD.”

52

53

So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from
them all the articles made out of gold.
All the
gold  that  the  commanders  of  thousands  and  of
a
hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD
Each of the soldiers
weighed 16,750 shekels.
And Moses and
had taken plunder for himself.
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.

54

 is approximately 420.8 pounds or 190.9 kilograms.

The Tribes East of the Jordan
(Deuteronomy 3:12–22 ;  Joshua 13:8–14)

32

3

2

Now  the  Reubenites  and  Gadites,  who
had  very  large  herds  and  flocks,  sur-
veyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw
So the
that the region was suitable for livestock.
Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar
the  priest,  and  the  leaders  of  the  congregation,
“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Hesh-
and said,
bon,  Elealeh,  Sebam,
which
the LORD conquered before the congregation of
Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your serv-
5
ants have livestock.”

  Nebo,  and  Beon,

4

a

“If we have found favor in your sight,” they said,
“let this land be given to your servants as a pos-
6
session. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

But  Moses  asked  the  Gadites  and  Reubenites,
7
“Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
Why  are  you  discouraging  the  Israelites  from
crossing  into  the  land  that  the  LORD  has  given
This is what your fathers did when I sent
them?
9
them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.

8

10

For when your fathers went up to the Valley of
Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Is-
raelites from entering the land that the LORD had
So the anger of the LORD was kin-
given them.
11
dled  that  day,  and  He  swore  an  oath,  saying,
‘Because  they  did  not  follow  Me  wholeheart-
edly, not one of the men twenty years of age or
older  who  came  out  of  Egypt  will  see  the  land
12
that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—
not  one  except  Caleb  son  of  Jephunneh  the
Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they
The an-
did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’
ger  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
14
His sight was gone.

13

Now  behold,  you,  a  brood  of  sinners,  have
risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke
15
the  burning  anger  of  the  LORD  against  Israel.
For  if  you  turn  away  from  following  Him,  He
will  once  again  leave  this  people  in  the  wilder-
ness, and you will be the cause of their destruc-
16
tion.”

17

Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached
Moses  and  said,  “We  want  to  build  sheepfolds
 b
here  for  our  livestock  and  cities  for  our  little
ones.
Sibmah
a 3
to  go  ahead  of  the  Israelites  until  we  have

But we will arm ourselves and be ready

Numbers 32:33    |    159

18

brought  them  into  their  place.  Meanwhile,  our
little  ones  will  remain  in  the  fortified  cities  for
We
protection from the inhabitants of the land.
will not return to our homes until every Israelite
has taken possession of his inheritance.
Yet we
will not have an inheritance with them across the
Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has
20
come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”

19

21

Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will
arm yourselves before the LORD for battle,
and
if every one of your armed men crosses the Jor-
22
dan before the LORD, until He has driven His en-
then  when  the  land  is
emies  out  before  Him,
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 be-
But  if  you  do  not  do  this,  you
fore  the  LORD.
will certainly sin against the LORD—and be as-
Build cit-
sured that your sin will find you out.
ies for your little ones and folds for your flocks,
25
but do what you have promised.”

24

23

26

The  Gadites  and  Reubenites  said  to  Moses,
“Your  servants  will  do  just  as  our  lord  com-
Our children, our wives, our livestock,
mands.
27
and all our animals will remain here in the cities
of Gilead.
But your servants are equipped for
war, and every man will cross over to the battle
28
before the LORD, just as our lord says.”

29

So  Moses  gave  orders  about  them  to  Eleazar
the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family
And Moses said
leaders of the tribes of Israel.
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
But if they do not arm them-
as a possession.
selves and go across with you, then they must ac-
cept  their  possession  among  you  in  the  land  of
31
Canaan.”

30

The  Gadites  and  Reubenites  replied,  “As  the
32
LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.
We  will  cross  over  into  the  land  of  Canaan
armed before the LORD, that we may have our in-
33
heritance on this side of the Jordan.”

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 in-
cluding  its  cities  and  the  territory  surrounding
b 17
them.

we will arm ourselves for battle

Hebrew; see verse 38, and similarly in SP and LXX

LXX

160    |    Numbers 32:34

34
35

36

e

11

And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
Beth-nim-
Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
rah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they
37
built folds for their flocks.

38

The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kir-
as  well  as  Nebo  and  Baal-meon
iathaim,
(whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And
39
they renamed the cities they rebuilt.

40

41

The  descendants  of  Machir  son  of  Manasseh
went  to  Gilead,  captured  it,  and  drove  out  the
So Moses gave Gil-
Amorites who were there.
ead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and
they settled there.
Jair, a descendant of Manas-
42
seh, went and captured their villages and called
And Nobah went and cap-
them Havvoth-jair.
tured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah,
Forty-Two Journeys of the Israelites
after his own name.

a

33

2

These  are  the  journeys  of  the  Israelites
when they came out of the land of Egypt
by their divisions under the leadership of Moses
At the LORD’s command, Moses rec-
and Aaron.
orded the stages of their journey. These are the
stages listed by their starting points:

3

 b

4

On the fifteenth day of the first month, on
the day after the Passover, the Israelites set
out  from  Rameses.  They  marched  out  defi-
antly
who
 in full view of all the Egyptians,
were  burying  all  their  firstborn,  whom  the
LORD had struck down among them; for the
LORD  had  executed  judgment  against  their
The  Israelites  set  out  from  Rameses
gods.
6
and camped at Succoth.

5

They  set  out  from  Succoth  and  camped  at

7
Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.

They set out from Etham and turned back
to  Pi-hahiroth,  opposite  Baal-zephon,  and
8
they camped near Migdol.

 c

They set out from Pi-hahiroth

 and crossed
through  the  sea,  into  the  wilderness,  and
they  journeyed  three  days  into  the  Wilder-
9
ness of Etham and camped at Marah.

They set out from Marah and came to Elim,
where  there  were  twelve  springs  and  sev-
10
enty palm trees, and they camped there.

d

They set out from the Red Sea and camped

12
in the Desert of Sin.

They  set  out  from  the  Desert  of  Sin  and

13
camped at Dophkah.

They set out from Dophkah and camped at

14
Alush.

They set out from Alush and camped at Re-
phidim,  where  there  was  no  water  for  the
15
people to drink.

They set out from Rephidim and camped

16
in the Wilderness of Sinai.

They  set  out  from  the  Wilderness  of

17
Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and

18
camped at Hazeroth.

They set out from Hazeroth and camped at

19
Rithmah.

They set out from Rithmah and camped at

20
Rimmon-perez.

They  set  out  from  Rimmon-perez  and

21
camped at Libnah.

They set out from Libnah and camped at

22
Rissah.

They  set  out  from  Rissah  and  camped  at

23
Kehelathah.

They set out from Kehelathah and camped

24
at Mount Shepher.

They  set  out  from  Mount  Shepher  and

25
camped at Haradah.

They set out from Haradah and camped at

26
Makheloth.

They set out from Makheloth and camped

27
at Tahath.

They set out from Tahath and camped at

28
Terah.

They  set  out  from  Terah  and  camped  at

29
Mithkah.

They set out from Mithkah and camped at

30
Hashmonah.

They  set  out
31
camped at Moseroth.

from  Hashmonah  and

They  set  out  from  Moseroth  and  camped

32
at Bene-jaakan.

They set out from Elim and camped by the

They  set  out  from  Bene-jaakan  and

Red Sea.

a 41 Havvoth-jair
c 8

the villages of Jair

b 3

marched out boldly

camped at Hor-haggidgad.

marched out with an upraised hand

Hahiroth      d 10

the Sea of Reeds

e 11

 means

Sin

.

Or

Sinai

; literally

Some Heb. manuscripts, SP, and Vulgate; see verse 7; most MT manuscripts

Or

v. 11

The geographical name

 is related to

 and should not be mistaken for the English word

sin

; also in
; also v. 12.

33

They  set  out  from  Hor-haggidgad  and

34
camped at Jotbathah.

land,  destroy  all  their  carved  images  and  cast
53
idols, and demolish all their high places.

Numbers 34:12    |    161

They set out from Jotbathah and camped

35
at Abronah.

They set out from Abronah and camped at

36
Ezion-geber.

They set out from Ezion-geber and camped

37
at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.

38

They set out from Kadesh and camped at
Mount  Hor,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  land  of
At the LORD’s command, Aaron the
Edom.
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
Aaron  was  123  years  old
land  of  Egypt.
40
when he died on Mount Hor.

39

41

Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived
in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that
And the Israel-
the Israelites were coming.
ites set out from Mount Hor and camped at
42
Zalmonah.

They set out from Zalmonah and camped

43
at Punon.

They  set  out  from  Punon  and  camped  at

44
Oboth.

They  set  out  from  Oboth  and  camped  at

45
Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.

 a

They  set  out  from  Iyim

46
Dibon-gad.

  and  camped  at

They set out from Dibon-gad and camped

47
at Almon-diblathaim.

 b

They  set  out  from  Almon-diblathaim  and
 facing

camped in the mountains of Abarim
48
Nebo.

They set out from the mountains of Aba-
rim and camped on the plains of Moab by the
49
Jordan across from Jericho.

And  there  on  the  plains  of  Moab  they
camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth
to Abel-shittim.

Instructions for Occupying Canaan

c

50

51

You are to take possession of the land and set-
54
tle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
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
55
tribes of your fathers.

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.
And then I will do to you what I had
The Boundaries of Canaan  (Genesis 15:8–21)
planned to do to them.”

56

2

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
“Com-
mand  the  Israelites  and  say  to  them:
When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be al-
lotted to you as an inheritance with these bound-
3
aries:

34

d

4

Your southern border will extend from the
Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom.
On  the  east,  your  southern  border  will  run
e
from the end of the Salt Sea,
cross south of
the  Ascent  of  Akrabbim,
  continue  to  Zin,
and go south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it will
5
go on to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon,
where  it  will  turn  from  Azmon,  join  the

f

6
Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea.

Your western border will be the coastline of
the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on
7
the west.

8

9

Your  northern  border  will  run  from  the
and from
Great Sea directly to Mount Hor,
Mount  Hor  to  Lebo-hamath,  then  extend  to
continue  to  Ziphron,  and  end  at
Zedad,
Hazar-enan.  This  will  be  your  boundary  on
10
the north.

11

And your eastern border will run straight
then  go
from  Hazar-enan  to  Shepham,
down  from  Shepham  to  Riblah  on  the  east
side of Ain and continue along the slopes east
of the Sea of Chinnereth.
Then the border
will go down along the Jordan and end at the
the mountains beyond the river
Salt Sea.

12

g

d 3

On  the  plains  of  Moab  by  the  Jordan  across
from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,
“Speak
52
to  the  Israelites  and  tell  them:  When  you  cross
the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
you must
a 45 Iyim
drive  out  before  you  all  the  inhabitants  of  the
c 49
the Ascent of Scorpions

; see verse 44.
Scorpion Pass

the Meadow of the Acacias
 is another name for
g 11

Iye-abarim

e 4

b 47

Or
verse 12
also in verses 6 and 7

Or

; that is, an area in the lowlands of Moab

That is, the Dead Sea; also in

 or
That is, the Sea of Galilee

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea;

Or

f 5

; also in verse 48

162    |    Numbers 34:13

This will be your land, defined by its borders on
13
all sides.”

14

So  Moses  commanded  the  Israelites,  “Appor-
tion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD
has commanded that it be given to the nine and a
For the tribes of the Reubenites and
half tribes.
Gadites,  along  with  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh,
These
have already received their inheritance.
two and a half tribes have received their inher-
itance across the Jordan from Jericho, toward the
Leaders to Divide the Land
sunrise.”
16

17

15

18

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“These are the
names of the men who are to assign the land as
an  inheritance  for  you:  Eleazar  the  priest  and
19
Appoint  one  leader  from
Joshua  son  of  Nun.
These  are
each  tribe  to  distribute  the  land.
their names:

Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Ju-
20
dah;

Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe

21
of Simeon;

Elidad son of Chislon from the tribe of

22
Benjamin;

Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe

23
of Dan;

Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the

24
tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;

Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader from the

25
tribe of Ephraim;

Eli-zaphan son of Parnach, a leader from

26
the tribe of Zebulun;

Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader from the

27
tribe of Issachar;

Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader from the

28
tribe of Asher;

and Pedahel son of Ammihud, a leader

29

from the tribe of Naphtali.”

These  are  the  ones  whom  the  LORD  com-
manded to apportion the inheritance to the Isra-
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
elites in the land of Canaan.
(Joshua 21:1–45 ;  1 Chronicles 6:54–81)

35

Again  the  LORD  spoke  to  Moses  on  the
2
plains of Moab by the Jordan across from
“Command the Israelites to give, from

a 4 1,000 cubits
Jericho:

3

the  inheritance  they  will  possess,  cities  for  the
Levites  to  live  in  and  pasturelands  around  the
The cities will be for them to live in, and
cities.
the  pasturelands  will  be  for  their  herds,  their
4
flocks, and all their other livestock.

 a
The  pasturelands  around  the  cities  you  are  to

5
give  the  Levites  will  extend  a  thousand  cubits
 b
You  are  also  to
from  the  wall  on  every  side.
measure  two  thousand  cubits
  outside  the  city
on the east, two thousand on the south, two thou-
sand on the west, and two thousand on the north,
with the city in the center. These areas will serve
6
as larger pasturelands for the cities.

7

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
The total number
Levites forty-two other cities.
8
of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight,
with their corresponding pasturelands.
The cit-
ies that you apportion from the territory of the
Israelites should be given to the Levites in pro-
portion  to  the  inheritance  of  each  tribe:  more
Six Cities of Refuge
from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”
(Deuteronomy 4:41–43 ;  19:1–14 ;  Joshua 20:1–9)

9

10

11

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the
Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jor-
designate cities to
dan into the land of Canaan,
serve  as  your  cities  of  refuge,  so  that  a  person
who  kills  someone  unintentionally  may  flee
You are to have these cities as a refuge
there.
from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not
13
die until he stands trial before the assembly.

12

14

The cities you select will be your six cities of
Select  three  cities  across  the  Jordan
refuge.
15
and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.
These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Is-
raelites and for the foreigner or stranger among
them, so that anyone who kills a person uninten-
16
tionally may flee there.

17

If,  however,  anyone  strikes  a  person  with  an
iron  object  and  kills  him,  he  is  a  murderer;  the
Or if an-
murderer must surely be put to death.
yone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and
he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the
If any-
murderer must surely be put to death.
one has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and
he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the
b 5 2,000 cubits
murderer must surely be put to death.

18

 is approximately 1,500 feet or 457.2 meters.

 is approximately 3,000 feet or 914.4 meters.

19

The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to

20
death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.

21

Likewise,  if  anyone  maliciously  pushes  an-
other  or  intentionally  throws  an  object  at  him
and  kills him,
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  mur-
derer.  When  the  avenger  of  blood  finds  the
22
murderer, he is to kill him.

24

23

But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, with-
out hostility, or throws an object at him uninten-
tionally,
or  without  looking  drops  a  heavy
stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and
did not intend to harm him,
then the congrega-
tion  must  judge  between  the  slayer  and  the
25
avenger of blood according to these ordinances.
The assembly is to protect the manslayer from
the  hand  of  the  avenger  of  blood.  Then  the  as-
sembly  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
26
the holy oil.

27

28

But if the manslayer ever goes outside the lim-
its of the city of refuge to which he fled
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,
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.
This
will be a statutory ordinance for you for the gen-
30
erations to come, wherever you live.

29

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 tes-
31
timony of a lone witness.

32

You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a
murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be
put to death.
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 be-
33
fore the death of the high priest.

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
34
shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Do  not  defile  the  land  where  you  live  and
where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the
Israelites.”

Numbers 36:13    |    163

Zelophehad’s Daughters Marry
(Numbers 27:1–11)

36

3

2

Now the family heads of the clan of Gil-
ead 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,
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
But if they
brother Zelophehad to his daughters.
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
And  when
inheritance  would  be  taken  away.
the Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inher-
itance  will  be  added  to  the  tribe  into  which
they marry and taken away from the tribe of our
5
fathers.”

4

7

6

So at the word of the LORD, Moses commanded
the  Israelites:  “The  tribe  of  the  sons  of  Joseph
This  is  what  the  LORD  has
speaks  correctly.
commanded  concerning  the  daughters  of  Zelo-
phehad:  They  may  marry  anyone  they  please,
provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of
No  inheritance  in  Israel  may  be
their  father.
transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of
the  Israelites  is  to  retain  the  inheritance  of  the
Every  daughter  who  pos-
tribe  of  his  fathers.
sesses  an  inheritance  from  any  Israelite  tribe
must marry within a clan of the tribe of her fa-
9
ther,  so  that  every  Israelite  will  possess  the  in-
No inheritance may be
heritance of his fathers.
transferred  from  one  tribe  to  another,  for  each
10
tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.”

8

11

12

So  the  daughters  of  Zelophehad  did  as
Mahlah, Tir-
the LORD had commanded Moses.
zah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of
Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their fa-
They  married  within  the  clans  of
ther’s  side.
the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and
their  inheritance  remained  within  the  tribe  of
13
their father’s clan.

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

The Command to Leave Horeb  (Ex. 33:1–6)

14

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
2
and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

 a

3

It  is  an  eleven-day  journey  from  Horeb

  to
In the for-
Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
tieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month,
Moses  proclaimed  to  the  Israelites  all  that  the
4
LORD  had  commanded  him  concerning  them.
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
5
in Ashtaroth.

 b

On  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan  in  the  land  of

6
Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:

7

The  LORD  our  God  said  to  us  at  Horeb:  “You
Re-
have stayed at this mountain long enough.
sume your journey and go to the hill country of
c
the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in
 in
the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills,
the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of
the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great
8
River Euphrates.

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,
Moses Appoints Leaders  (Exodus 18:13–27)
and to their descendants after them.”
9

10

11

At  that  time  I  said  to  you,  “I  cannot  carry  the
burden for you alone.
The LORD your God has
multiplied you, so that today you are as numer-
May the LORD, the
ous as the stars in the sky.
God  of  your  fathers,  increase  you  a  thousand
12
times  over  and  bless  you  as  He  has  promised.
13
But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and
Choose for yourselves
disputes all by myself?
wise,  understanding,  and  respected  men  from
each  of  your  tribes,  and  I  will  appoint  them  as
a 2
your leaders.”

And  you  answered  me  and  said,  “What  you

15
propose to do is good.”

So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and
respected  men,  and  appointed  them  as  leaders
over you—as commanders of thousands, of hun-
dreds,  of  fifties,  and  of  tens,  and  as  officers  for
16
your tribes.

17

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 resi-
dent.
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
18
it.”

And  at  that  time  I  commanded  you  all  the

Twelve Spies Sent Out  (Numbers 13:1–33)
things you were to do.
19

20

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,
I said: “You have
21
reached the hill country of the Amorites, which
the LORD our God is giving us.
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
22
discouraged.”

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
23
which cities to enter.”

25

24

The  plan  seemed  good  to  me,  so  I  selected
twelve  men  from  among  you,  one  from  each
tribe.
They left and went up into the hill coun-
try,  and  came  to  the  Valley  of  Eshcol  and  spied
out the land.
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.”

b 5

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai; also in verses 6 and 19

c 7

Shephelah

Note that

Deuteronomy 1:6 through Deuteronomy 4:40 may be presented as a continuous section of unbroken speech by Moses. In
lowlands
place of multiple levels of nested quotes, this section has been set apart with a double space.

Hebrew

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

Israel’s Rebellion  (Numbers 14:1–12)

42

    Deuteronomy 2:12    |    165

26

But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled
27
against  the  command  of  the  LORD  your  God.
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
Where can we go?
Amorites to be annihilated.
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
29
”
even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’

28

30

31

So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid
The LORD your God, who goes before
of them!
you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for
and in the wilderness, where the
you in Egypt
LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his
son, all the way by which you traveled until you
32
reached this place.”
33

But  in  spite  of  all  this,  you  did  not  trust  the
LORD your God,
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
Israel’s Penalty  (Numbers 14:20–35)
show you the road to travel.
34

35

36

When  the  LORD  heard  your  words,  He  grew
“Not one of
angry and swore an oath, saying,
the men of this evil generation shall see the good
except Caleb
land I swore to give your fathers,
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
37
wholeheartedly.”

38

The LORD was also angry with me on your ac-
count, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the
Joshua  son  of  Nun,  who  stands  before
land.
39
you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will ena-
And the little ones
ble Israel to inherit the land.
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
But  you  are  to  turn  back  and
will  possess  it.
a
head  for  the  wilderness  along  the  route  to  the
The Defeat at Hormah  (Numbers 14:40–45)
Red Sea.
41

40

”

But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go
up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you
43
from defeat by your enemies.”

So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You
rebelled against the command of the LORD and
44
presumptuously went up into the hill country.

45

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
And  you  returned  and  wept  before
Hormah.
the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice
46
or give ear to you.

For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long

Wanderings in the Wilderness
time—a very long time.

2

b

Then we turned back and headed for the wil-
 as the LORD
derness by way of the Red Sea,
had instructed me, and for many days  we wan-
2
dered around Mount Seir.

3

4

5

At  this  time  the  LORD  said  to  me,

“You  have
been  wandering  around  this  hill  country  long
enough;  turn  to  the  north
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.
Do not provoke them, for I will not
give you any of their land, not even a footprint,
6
because  I  have  given  Mount  Seir  to  Esau  as  his
possession.
You are to pay them in silver for the
7
food you eat and the water you drink.’

”

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
8
years, and you have lacked nothing.

9

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
Then the LORD said to me,
Wilderness of Moab.
“Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to
war, for I will not give you any of their land, be-
cause I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot
10
as their possession.”

11

“We  have  sinned  against  the  LORD,”  you  re-
plied. “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
a 40
the hill country.

the Sea of Reeds

the Sea of Reeds

b 1

(The Emites used to live there, a people great
Like the Ana-
and many, as tall as the Anakites.
kites,  they  were  also  regarded  as  Rephaim,
though the Moabites called them Emites.
The
Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants

12

Or

Or

166    |    Deuteronomy 2:13

28

of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Ho-
rites from before them and settled in their place,
just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave
13
them as their possession.)

“Now arise and cross over the Brook of Zered.”

14
So we crossed over the Brook of Zered.

29

You can sell us
turn to the right or to the left.
food to eat and water to drink in exchange for sil-
ver. Only let us pass through on foot,
just as the
descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Mo-
abites  who  live  in  Ar  did  for  us,  until  we  cross
the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is
30
giving us.”

The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-bar-
nea 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
Indeed, the LORD’s
LORD had sworn to them.
hand was against them, to eliminate them from
16
the camp, until they had all perished.

15

17

18

the  LORD  said  to  me,

Now when all the fighting men among the peo-
“Today
ple  had  died,
19
you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar.
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 posses-
20
sion.”

22

21

(That  too  was  regarded  as  the  land  of  the
Rephaim,  who  used  to  live  there,  though  the
They
Ammonites  called  them  Zamzummites.
were a people great and many, as tall as the Ana-
kites. But the LORD destroyed them from before
the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled
just as He had done for the de-
in their place,
scendants  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
And the Avvim, who lived in villages
this day.
as  far  as  Gaza,  were  destroyed  by  the  Caph-
torites, who came out of Caphtor
 and settled in
The Defeat of Sihon  (Numbers 21:21–30)
their place.)
24

23

 a

“Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See,
I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amo-
rite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take
This
possession of it and engage him in battle.
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
26
because of you.”

25

27

So  from  the  Wilderness  of  Kedemoth  I  sent
messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king
of Heshbon, saying,
“Let us pass through your
a 23
land; we will stay on the main road. We will not

cherem

b 34

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
31
case this day.

Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun
to  deliver  Sihon  and  his  land  over  to  you.  Now
32
begin to conquer and possess his land.”

33

So Sihon and his whole army came out for bat-
And the LORD our God
tle against us at Jahaz.
delivered  him  over  to  us,  and  we  defeated  him
34
and his sons and his whole army.

 b

35

At  that  time  we  captured  all  his  cities  and
devoted to destruction
 the people of every city,
including women and children. We left no survi-
We  carried  off  for  ourselves  only  the
vors.
livestock  and  the  plunder  from  the  cities  we
36
captured.

37

From  Aroer  on  the  rim  of  the  Arnon  Valley,
along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gil-
ead, not one city had walls too high for us. The
But you did
LORD our God gave us all of them.
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
The Defeat of Og  (Numbers 21:31–35)
LORD our God had forbidden.

3

2

Then we turned and went up the road to Ba-
shan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole
But
army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
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
3
king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”

So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of
Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We
4
struck them down until no survivor was left.

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
All these cities were fortified with high
Bashan.

5

That is, Crete

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by

destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

    Deuteronomy 4:5    |    167

6

walls and gates and bars, and there were many
a
We  devoted  them  to
more  unwalled  villages.
destruction,
  as  we  had  done  to  Sihon  king  of
Heshbon,  utterly  destroying  the  men,  women,
7
and children of every city.

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
21
to the possession I have given you.”

But all the livestock and plunder of the cities we

8
carried off for ourselves.

9

10

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—
which
the  Sidonians  call  Sirion  but  the  Amorites  call
Senir—
all the cities of the plateau, all of Gil-
ead,  and  all  of  Bashan  as  far  as  the  cities  of
11
Salecah and Edrei in the kingdom of Og.

(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,
 is still in Rab-
Land Division East of the Jordan
bah of the Ammonites.)
(Numbers 32:1–42 ;  Joshua 13:8–14)

b

12

So at that time we took possession of this land.
To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land be-
yond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the
13
hill country of Gilead, along with its cities.

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 Ba-
14
shan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.)
Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole
region  of  Argob  as  far  as  the  border  of  the  Ge-
shurites  and  Maacathites.  He  renamed  Bashan
after himself, Havvoth-jair,
 by which it is called
15
to this day.

16

c

To Machir I gave Gilead,

and to the Reubeni-
tes and Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead
to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was
17
the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the bor-
der of the Ammonites.
The Jordan River in the
Arabah  bordered  it  from  Chinnereth  to  the  Sea
of the Arabah (the Salt Sea
) with the slopes of
18
Pisgah to the east.

 d

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
19
battle,  ahead  of  your  brothers,  the  Israelites.
But  your wives,  your  children,  and your  live-
stock—I  know  that  you  have  much  livestock—
cherem
a 6
may remain in the cities I have given you,
until
b 11
the villages of Jair

c 14

20

Forms of the Hebrew
giving them as an offering.
wide).
Or

That is, the Dead Sea

22

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 en-
ter.
Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
God Himself will fight for you.”
(Numbers 27:12–17)

23

24

At that time I also pleaded with the LORD:
“O
Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your great-
ness and power to Your servant. For what god in
25
heaven or on earth can perform such works and
mighty acts as Yours?
Please let me cross over
and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that
26
pleasant hill country as well as Lebanon!”

27

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.
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.
But commission
Joshua, encourage him, and strengthen him, for
he will cross over ahead of the people and enable
29
them to inherit the land that you will see.”
An Exhortation to Obedience  (De. 11:1–7)

So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

28

4

2

Hear  now,  O  Israel,  the  statutes  and  ordi-
nances 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,
You must not add to or subtract
is giving you.
from what I command you, so that you may keep
the commandments of the LORD your God that I
3
am giving you.

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.
But
you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive
5
to this day, every one of you.

4

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

d 17

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by
Og’s bed was approximately 14 feet long and 6 feet wide (4.3 meters long and 1.8 meters

168    |    Deuteronomy 4:6

6

20

Observe them care-
about to enter and possess.
fully, for this will show your wisdom and under-
standing in the sight of the peoples, who will hear
of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great na-
7
tion is a wise and understanding people.”

8

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?
And  what  nation
is  great  enough  to  have  righteous  statutes  and
ordinances  like  this  entire  law  I  set  before  you
9
today?

Yet the LORD has taken
nations under heaven.
you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out
of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as
21
you are today.

The LORD, however, was angry with me on ac-
count of you, and He swore that I would not cross
the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD
For I
your God is giving you as an inheritance.
will  not  be  crossing  the  Jordan,  because  I  must
die in this land. But you shall cross over and take
23
possession of that good land.

22

10

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
a
The  day
to  your  children  and  grandchildren.
you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb,
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
11
that they may teach them to their children.”

You  came  near  and  stood  at  the  base  of  the
mountain,  a  mountain  blazing  with  fire  to  the
12
heavens,  with  black  clouds  and  deep  darkness.
And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You
13
heard the sound of the words but saw no form;
He declared to you His
there was only a voice.
 b
covenant, which He commanded you to follow—
 that He wrote on two
the Ten Commandments
14
tablets of stone.

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
A Warning against Idolatry
possess.
(Deuteronomy 12:29–32 ;  Ezekiel 6:1–7)

15

16

So  since  you  saw no  form  of  any  kind  on  the
day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Ho-
reb,  be  careful
that  you  do  not  act  corruptly
and make an idol for yourselves of any form or
17
shape,  whether  in  the  likeness  of  a  male  or  fe-
male,
of any beast that is on the earth or bird
that  flies  in  the  air,
or  of  any  creature  that
crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters
19
below.

18

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
a 10
the  LORD  your  God  has  apportioned  to  all  the
b 13

the Ten Words

c 24

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 an-
For  the  LORD
ything  He  has  forbidden  you.
25
your God is a consuming fire,

 a jealous God.

24

c

26

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—do-
ing  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  LORD  your  God  and
provoking  Him  to  anger—
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
27
long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Then  the  LORD  will  scatter  you  among  the
peoples, and only a few of you will survive among
28
the  nations  to  which  the  LORD  will  drive  you.
And  there  you  will  serve  man-made  gods  of
wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat
29
or smell.

30

But if from there you will seek the LORD your
God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all
When  you
your  heart  and  with  all  your  soul.
are  in  distress  and  all  these  things  have  hap-
pened to you, then in later days you will return
31
to  the  LORD  your  God  and  listen  to  His  voice.
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
The LORD Alone Is God
them by oath.
32

33

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
Has  a  people  ever  heard  the
been  reported?
voice  of  God
  speaking  out  of  the  fire,  as  you
Or has any god tried to take as
have, and lived?
of a god
d 33

34

 d

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai; also in verse 15
Hebrew

Cited in Hebrews 12:29

Or

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
35
eyes?

You  were  shown  these  things  so  that  you
would  know  that  the  LORD  is  God;  there  is  no
36
other besides Him.

He let you hear His voice from heaven to disci-
pline you, and on earth He showed you His great
37
fire,  and  you  heard  His  words  out  of  the  fire.
Because He loved your fathers, He chose their
descendants after them and brought you out of
Egypt  by  His  presence  and  great  power,
to
drive out before you nations greater and might-
ier than you, and to bring you into their land and
39
give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day.

38

40

Know therefore this day and take to heart that
the  LORD  is  God  in  heaven  above  and  on  the
Keep His stat-
earth below; there is no other.
utes 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
Cities of Refuge
time.
(Num. 35:9–34 ;  De. 19:1–14 ;  Josh. 20:1–9)

41

42

Then  Moses  set  aside  three  cities  across  the
Jordan to the east
to which a manslayer could
flee  after  killing  his  neighbor  unintentionally
without prior malice.

43

To  save  one’s  own  life,  he  could  flee  to  one  of
Bezer  in  the  wilderness  on  the
these  cities:
plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in
Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Ba-
Introduction to the Law
shan belonging to the Manassites.
44

45

This is the law that Moses set before the Isra-
These are the testimonies, statutes, and
elites.
46
ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after
they had come out of Egypt,
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
c 1
b 49
a 48
Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.

Sirion

Sion

    Deuteronomy 5:12    |    169

47

48

They took possession of the land belonging to
Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amo-
ex-
rite  kings  across  the  Jordan  to  the  east—
tending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Val-
49
  (that  is,  Hermon),
ley  as  far  as  Mount  Siyon
including all the Arabah on the east side of the
 below

Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah,
The Covenant at Horeb
the slopes of Pisgah.

 a

b

5

 c

Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to
them:

Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I
declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and
The  LORD  our  God
observe  them  carefully.
3
made a covenant with us at Horeb.

2

d

4

He did not make this covenant with our fathers,
The
but with all of us who are alive here today.
LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire
The Ten Commandments  (Exodus 20:1–17)
on the mountain.
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
“I  am  the
go  up  the  mountain.  And  He  said:
LORD your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7

6

e

8

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You  shall  not  make  for  yourself  an  idol  in
the  form  of  anything  in  the  heavens  above,
9
on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
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
but
generations  of  those  who  hate  Me,
showing loving devotion to a thousand gen-
erations
 of those who love Me and keep My
11
commandments.

10

 f

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
12
vain.

Observe  the  Sabbath  day  by  keeping  it
holy, as the LORD your God has commanded

Or

e 7

; Syriac

besides Me

That is, the Dead Sea

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.
faithful-
kindness
Sinai
Hebrew
 are translated here and
ness
loyalty to a covenant
in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, as well as

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount

d 2
loving devotion to thousands

; the range of meaning includes

; forms of the Hebrew

loving devotion

goodness

Or
mercy

chesed

, and

f 10

love

.

,

,

,

170    |    Deuteronomy 5:13

13

14

Six  days  you  shall  labor  and  do  all
you.
but  the  seventh  day  is  a  Sab-
your  work,
bath  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
Re-
and maidservant may rest as you do.
member 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  Sab-
16
bath day.

15

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
17
God is giving you.
18

a

b

c

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

19

20

You shall not steal.

e

21
your neighbor.

d

 f

You  shall  not  bear  false  witness  against

You shall not covet

 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 moun-
tain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them
23
on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

24

And when you heard the voice out of the dark-
ness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all
the  heads  of  your  tribes  and  your  elders  ap-
and you said, “Behold, the LORD
proached me,
our  God  has  shown us  His  glory  and  greatness,
and we have heard His voice out of the fire. To-
day we have seen that a man can live even if God
a 16
But now, why should we die?
speaks with him.

25

26

27

For this great fire will consume us, and we will
die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any
For who of all flesh has heard the voice
longer.
of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we
have,  and  survived?
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
28
listen and obey.”

29

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.
If only
they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My
30
commandments always, so that it might be well
with them and with their children forever.
Go
and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’
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
32
am giving them to possess.”

31

33

So be careful to do as the LORD your God has
commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the
You  must  walk  in  all  the
right  or  to  the  left.
ways  that  the  LORD  your  God  has  commanded
you, so that you may live and prosper and pro-
The Greatest Commandment
long your days in the land that you will possess.
(Matthew 22:34–40 ;  Mark 12:28–34)

6

2

These are the commandments and statutes
and ordinances that the LORD your God has
instructed me to teach you to follow in the land
so that
that you are about to enter and possess,
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 pro-
Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe
longed.
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
4
promised you.
5

3

g

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is
One.
And  you  shall  love  the  LORD  your  God
with  all  your  heart  and  with  all  your  soul  and
6
with all your strength.
7

h

These words I am commanding you today are to
b 17
And you shall teach them
Cited in Matthew 5:21,

be upon your hearts.
c 18

Cited in Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, and Ephesians 6:2–3

d 19

e 20

The LORD our God is One LORD

Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
The LORD is our God, the LORD is One
mans 13:9
Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, and Luke 18:20
Or
Mark 12:29

Cited in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27

h 5

 or

 or

f 21

Cited in Matthew 5:27, Matthew 19:18,
Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and Ro-
The LORD is our God, the LORD alone
Cited in Romans 7:7 and Romans 13:9

g 4

; cited in

8

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.
Tie  them  as  reminders  on  your hands  and
bind  them  on  your  foreheads.
Write  them  on
10
the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

9

11

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,
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,
be careful not to forget the LORD
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
13
the house of slavery.

12

a

14

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and
take  your  oaths  in  His  name.
Do  not  follow
15
other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.
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
16
wipe you off the face of the earth.
17

b

18

Do not test the LORD your God as you tested
Him at Massah.
You are to diligently keep the
commandments  of  the  LORD  your  God  and  the
Do
testimonies and statutes He has given you.
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,
driving
out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has
Teach Your Children
said.
20

19

21

22

In the future, when your son asks, “What is the
meaning  of  the  decrees  and  statutes  and  ordi-
nances that the LORD our God has commanded
you?”
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.
Before our eyes
the  LORD  inflicted  great  and  devastating  signs
and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his
household.
But He brought us out from there
to  lead  us  in  and  give  us  the  land  that  He  had
24
sworn to our fathers.

23

And  the  LORD  commanded  us  to  observe  all
serve Him, and take your oaths only in His name
a 13
these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that
c 2

    Deuteronomy 7:11    |    171

25

we may always be prosperous and preserved, as
we are to this day.
And if we are careful to ob-
serve every one of these commandments before
the  LORD  our  God,  as  He  has  commanded  us,
Drive Out the Nations
then that will be our righteousness.”

7

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,  Per-
izzites,  Hivites,  and  Jebusites,  seven  nations
and  when  the
larger  and  stronger  than  you—
LORD your God has delivered them over to you
 d
to  defeat  them,  then  you  must  devote  them  to
  with
complete  destruction.
3
them and show them no mercy.

  Make  no  treaty

2

c

4

Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your
daughters  to  their  sons  or  take  their  daughters
for your sons,
because they will turn your sons
away  from  following  Me  to  serve  other  gods.
Then  the  anger  of  the  LORD  will  burn  against
5
you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

6

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
For you are a people holy to the LORD
the fire.
your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to
be  a  people  for  His  prized  possession  out  of  all
7
peoples on the face of the earth.

8

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
But because the LORD loved you
of all peoples.
and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He
brought  you  out  with  a  mighty  hand  and  re-
deemed you from the house of slavery, from the
9
hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

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
10
who  love  Him  and  keep  His  commandments.
But  those  who  hate  Him  He  repays  to  their
faces with destruction; He will not hesitate to re-
11
pay to his face the one who hates Him.

So keep the commandments and statutes and
ordinances  that  I  am  giving  you  to  follow  this
day.

b 16 Massah

testing

cherem

Or

; cited in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8

berit

see Exodus 17:7; cited in Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12.
or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also twice in verse 26.
the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

Forms of the Hebrew

covenant

.

;
 refer to the giving over of things
Forms of

 means
d 2

172    |    Deuteronomy 7:12

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
13
His  covenant  and  the  loving  devotion  that  He
He  will  love  you  and
swore  to  your  fathers.
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
You
that He swore to your fathers to give you.
will  be  blessed  above  all  peoples;  among  you
there  will  be  no barren  man  or  woman  or  live-
15
stock.

14

16

And the LORD will remove from you all sick-
ness.  He  will  not  lay  upon  you  any  of  the
terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will
You must de-
inflict them on all who hate you.
stroy  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
17
you.

18

19

You  may  say  in  your  heart,  “These  nations
are  greater  than  we  are;  how  can  we  drive
But  do  not  be  afraid  of  them.  Be
them  out?”
sure to remember what the LORD your God did
to Pharaoh and all Egypt:
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
20
will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.

21

Moreover,  the  LORD  your  God  will  send  the
hornet against them until even the survivors hid-
Do not be terrified
ing from you have perished.
by them, for the LORD your God, who is among
22
you, is a great and awesome God.

23

The  LORD  your  God  will  drive  out  these  na-
tions before you little by little. You will not be en-
abled  to  eliminate  them  all  at  once,  or the  wild
But  the
animals  would  multiply  around  you.
LORD  your  God  will  give  them  over  to you  and
throw them into great confusion, until they are
He  will  hand  their  kings  over  to
destroyed.
you, and you will wipe out their names from un-
der heaven. No one will be able to stand against
25
you; you will annihilate them.

24

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
26
it;  for  it  is  detestable  to  the  LORD  your  God.
a 3
And  you  must  not  bring  any  detestable  thing
Cited in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4

into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart
for destruction. You are to utterly detest and ab-
Remember the LORD Your God
hor it, because it is set apart for destruction.

8

2

You must carefully follow every command-
ment I am giving you today, so that you may
live and multiply, and enter and possess the land
Re-
that  the  LORD  swore  to  give  your  fathers.
member  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
3
would keep His commandments.

He  humbled  you,  and  in  your  hunger  He  gave
you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fa-
thers 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.
Your clothing did not wear out and your
5
feet did not swell during these forty years.

4

a

6

So  know  in  your  heart  that  just  as  a  man
disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disci-
plines  you.
Therefore  you  shall  keep  the  com-
mandments of the LORD your God, walking in His
7
ways and fearing Him.

9

8

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;
a
land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pome-
granates;  a  land  of  olive  oil  and  honey;
a  land
where you will eat food without scarcity, where
you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron
10
and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.
When  you  eat  and  are  satisfied,  you  are  to
bless the LORD your God for the good land that
11
He has given you.

12

Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by
failing  to  keep  His  commandments  and  ordi-
nances and statutes, which I am giving you this
day.
Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied,
13
when  you  build  fine  houses  in  which  to  dwell,
and  when  your  herds  and  flocks  grow  large
and your silver and gold increase and all that you
have is multiplied,
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
15
the house of slavery.

14

He led you through the vast and terrifying wil-
derness  with  its  venomous  snakes  and  scorpi-
ons, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you

16

He fed you in the
water from the rock of flint.
wilderness with manna that your fathers had not
known, in order to humble you and test you, so
17
that in the end He might cause you to prosper.

18

You might say in your heart, “The power and
strength of my hands have made this wealth for
But  remember  that  it  is  the  LORD  your
me.”
God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in
order to confirm His covenant that He swore to
19
your fathers even to this day.

20

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
Like the nations that the LORD
surely perish.
has  destroyed  before  you,  so  you  will  perish  if
Assurance of Victory
you do not obey the LORD your God.

9

Hear, O Israel: Today you are about to cross
the  Jordan  to  go  in  and  dispossess  nations
2
greater and stronger than you, with large cities
The people are strong
fortified to the heavens.
and  tall,  the  descendants  of  the  Anakim.  You
know  about  them,  and  you  have  heard  it  said,
But un-
“Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?”
derstand  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
4
swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.

3

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
5
wickedness.

It  is  not  because  of  your  righteousness  or  up-
rightness 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 na-
tions before you, to keep the promise He swore
6
to  your  fathers,  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.
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-
The Golden Calf  (Ex. 32:1–35 ;  Acts 7:39–43)
necked people.
7

Remember this, and never forget how you pro-
a 8
voked  the  LORD  your  God  in  the  wilderness.

    Deuteronomy 9:21    |    173

 a

At Horeb

From the day you left the land of Egypt until you
reached  this  place,  you  have  been  rebelling
8
against the LORD.

9
 you provoked the LORD, and He was
angry enough to destroy you.
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
10
forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.

12

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
11
on  the  mountain  on  the  day  of  the  assembly.
And at the end of forty days and forty nights,
the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tab-
lets of the covenant.
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
13
image.”

14

The  LORD  also  said  to  me,  “I  have  seen  this
people,  and  they  are  indeed  a  stiff-necked  peo-
Leave Me alone, so that I may destroy them
ple.
and blot out their name from under heaven. Then
I  will  make  you  into  a  nation  mightier  and
15
greater than they are.”

16

So I went back down the mountain while it was
blazing with fire, with the two tablets of the cov-
enant  in  my  hands.
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
So I took the two tablets and
commanded you.
threw them out of my hands, shattering them be-
18
fore your eyes.

17

19

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
 b
in  the  sight  of  the  LORD  and  provoking  Him  to
 of the anger and wrath
anger.
that the LORD had directed against you, enough
to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this
20
time as well.

For I was afraid

21

The  LORD  was  angry  enough  with  Aaron  to
destroy  him,  but  at  that  time  I  also  prayed  for
And I took that sinful thing, the calf you
Aaron.

And I am greatly terrified

b 19

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

LXX

;

cited in Hebrews 12:21

174    |    Deuteronomy 9:22

a

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
22
from the mountain.

c
You continued to provoke the LORD at Tabe-
  and  at  Kibroth-hattaavah.
And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-
barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that
I have given you.”

  at  Massah,

23
rah,

b

24

But  you  rebelled  against  the  command  of  the
LORD  your  God.  You  neither  believed  Him  nor
You have been rebelling against
obeyed Him.
So
the LORD since the day I came to know you.
I  fell  down  before  the  LORD  for  forty  days  and
forty  nights,  because  the  LORD  had  said  He
26
would destroy you.

25

27

And  I  prayed  to  the  LORD  and  said,  “O  Lord
GOD,  do  not  destroy  Your  people,  Your  inher-
itance, whom You redeemed through Your great-
ness  and  brought  out  of  Egypt  with  a  mighty
Remember  Your  servants  Abraham,
hand.
Isaac,  and  Jacob.  Overlook  the  stubbornness  of
28
this  people  and  the  wickedness  of  their  sin.
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 prom-
ised  them,  and  because  He  hated  them,  He  has
29
brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’
But  they  are  Your  people,  Your  inheritance,
whom You brought out by Your great power and
New Stone Tablets  (Exodus 34:1–9)
outstretched arm.”

10

2

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
And  I  will  write  on  the  tablets  the
of  wood.
words that were on the first tablets, which you
3
broke; and you are to place them in the ark.”

 d

So  I  made  an  ark  of  acacia  wood,  chiseled  out
two stone tablets like the originals, and went up
4
the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.
And  the  LORD  wrote  on  the  tablets  what  had
been  written  previously,  the  Ten  Command-
 that He had spoken to you on the moun-
ments
tain  out  of  the  fire  on  the  day  of  the  assembly.
and  I  went  back
The  LORD  gave  them  to  me,
down the mountain and placed the tablets in the
ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me;
a 22 Taberah
and there they have remained.

burning

5

b 22 Massah

6

 e

The  Israelites  traveled  from  Beeroth  Bene-
jaakan
 to Moserah, where Aaron died and was
7
buried,  and  Eleazar  his  son  succeeded  him  as
priest.
From  there  they  traveled  to  Gudgodah,
and  from  Gudgodah  to  Jotbathah,  a  land  with
8
streams of water.

9

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 pro-
nounce blessings in His name, as they do to this
That is why Levi has no portion or inher-
day.
itance among his brothers; the LORD is his inher-
10
itance, as the LORD your God promised him.

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
11
you.

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
A Call to Obedience  (Joshua 24:14–28)
fathers to give them.”
12

13

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
and to keep the commandments and
your soul,
statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day
14
for your own good?

15

Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heav-
ens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and
everything in it.
Yet the LORD has set His affec-
tion on your fathers and loved them. And He has
chosen you, their descendants after them, above
16
all the peoples, even to this day.

17

18

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen
your necks no more.
For the LORD your God is
God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty,
and awesome God, showing no partiality and ac-
He executes justice for the fa-
cepting no bribe.
therless and widow, and He loves the foreigner,
So you also must
giving him food and clothing.
love the foreigner, since you yourselves were for-
20
eigners in the land of Egypt.

19

21

You are to fear the LORD your God and serve
Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His
He  is  your  praise  and  He  is  your  God,
name.
who has done for you these great and awesome

c 22 Kibroth-hattaavah

testing

graves of craving

 means

   d 4
; see Numbers 11:3.

the Ten Words
 means

from the wells of the Bene-jaakan

e 6
; see Exodus 17:7.

means

; see Numbers 11:34.

Hebrew

Or

22

14

 b

    Deuteronomy 11:29    |    175

Your  fa-
wonders  that  your  eyes  have  seen.
thers  went  down  to  Egypt,  seventy  in  all,  and
now the LORD your God has made you as numer-
Obedience and Discipline  (De. 4:1–14)
ous as the stars in the sky.

11

You  shall  therefore  love  the  LORD  your
God  and  always  keep  His  charge,  His
statutes,  His  ordinances,  and  His  command-
2
ments.

 a

4

Know this day that it is not your children who
have known and seen the discipline of the LORD
3
your  God:  His  greatness,  His  mighty  hand,  and
the signs and works He
His outstretched arm;
did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his
land;
what  He  did  to  the  Egyptian  army  and
horses and chariots when He made the waters of
  engulf  them  as  they  pursued  you,
the  Red  Sea
and how He destroyed them completely, even to
6
what He did for you in the wilderness
this day;
until you reached this place;
and what He did in
the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abi-
ram,  the  sons  of  Eliab  the  Reubenite,  when  the
earth  opened  its  mouth  and  swallowed  them,
their  households,  their  tents,  and  every  living
7
thing that belonged to them.

5

For  it  is  your  own  eyes  that  have  seen  every

God’s Great Blessings  (Joshua 1:1–9)
great work that the LORD has done.
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
and so that
are crossing the Jordan to possess,
you  may  live  long  in  the  land  that  the  LORD
swore to your fathers to give them and their de-
10
scendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

9

11

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
But  the land
on foot, like a vegetable garden.
that you are crossing the Jordan to possess is a
land of mountains and valleys that drinks in the
It  is  a  land  for  which  the
rain  from  heaven.
LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your
God are always on it, from the beginning to the
13
end of the year.

12

then  I  will  provide

  rain  for  your
your  soul,
land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that
15
you  may  gather  your  grain,  new  wine,  and  oil.
And I will provide grass in the fields for your

16
livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied.

But be careful that you are not enticed to turn
17
aside  to  worship  and  bow  down  to  other  gods,
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
Remember God’s Words
land that the LORD is giving you.
18

19

Fix  these  words  of  mine  in  your  hearts  and
minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and
Teach  them  to
bind  them  on  your  foreheads.
your children, speaking about them when you sit
20
at home and when you walk along the road, when
Write them
you lie down and when you get up.
on  the  doorposts  of  your  houses  and  on  your
gates,
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
22
swore to give your fathers.

21

23

For  if  you  carefully  keep  all  these  command-
ments  I  am  giving  you  to  follow—to  love  the
LORD  your  God,  to  walk  in  all  His  ways,  and  to
then  the  LORD  will  drive
hold  fast  to  Him—
out all these nations before you, and you will dis-
24
possess  nations  greater  and  stronger  than  you.
Every place where the sole of your foot treads
will be yours. Your territory will extend from the
c
wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates
River to the Western Sea.
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, wher-
A Blessing and a Curse
ever you set foot, as He has promised you.
26

25

27

28

See,  today  I  am  setting  before  you  a  blessing
and a curse—
a blessing if you obey the com-
mandments of the LORD your God that I am giv-
but  a  curse  if  you  disobey  the
ing  you  today,
commandments of the LORD your God and turn
aside from the path I command you today by fol-
29
lowing other gods, which you have not known.

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
a 4

the Sea of Reeds

b 14

When the LORD your God brings you into the
land you are entering to possess, you are to pro-
claim  the  blessing  on  Mount  Gerizim  and  the

c 24

He will provide

Or

Hebrew; SP, LXX, and Vulgate

; also in verse 15

That is, the Mediterra-

nean Sea, also called the Great Sea

176    |    Deuteronomy 11:30

30

Are not these mountains
curse on Mount Ebal.
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
  of
31
Moreh?

 a

32

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
be careful to follow all the statutes
settle in it,
and ordinances that I am setting before you to-
day.  One Place for Worship
12

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
2
your fathers, has given you to possess.

Destroy completely all the places where the na-
tions  you  are  dispossessing  have  served  their
3
gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and
Tear down their altars,
under every green tree.
smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah
poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe
You shall not
out their names from every place.
5
worship the LORD your God in this way.

4

6

Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your
God will choose from among all your tribes to es-
tablish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you
To  that  place  you  are  to  bring  your
must  go.
burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices,  your  tithes  and
heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill
offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds
There, in the presence of the LORD
and flocks.
your God, you and your households shall eat and
rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God
8
has blessed you.

7

9

You are not to do as we are doing here today,
where  everyone  does  what  seems  right  in  his
For you have not yet come to the rest-
own eyes.
ing place and the inheritance that the LORD your
10
God is giving you.

11

When you cross the Jordan and live in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you as an inher-
itance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies
then  the
around  you  and  you  dwell  securely,
LORD  your  God  will  choose  a  dwelling  for  His
Name.  And  there  you  are  to  bring  everything  I
command  you:  your  burnt  offerings  and  sacri-
fices,  your  tithes  and  special  gifts,  and  all  the
Oaks
a 30
And you
choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

12

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
13
you.

14
Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in
you  must  offer  them
just  any  place  you  see;
only in the place the LORD will choose in one of
your tribal territories, and there you shall do all
15
that I command you.

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
but you must
it as they would a gazelle or deer,
not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like wa-
17
ter.

16

18

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
Instead, you must eat them in the
special gifts.
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
and be careful
the LORD your God in all you do,
not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in
20
your land.

19

21

22

When the LORD your God expands your terri-
tory as He has promised, and you crave meat and
say, “I want to eat meat,”  you may eat  it when-
If  the  place  where  the  LORD
ever  you  want.
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 when-
Indeed, you may eat it as you
ever you want.
would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremoni-
ally unclean and the clean may eat it.
Only be
sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the
24
life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
You  must  not  eat  the  blood;  pour  it  on  the
Do not eat it, so that it may
ground like water.
go well with you and your children after you, be-
cause you will be doing what is right in the eyes
26
of the LORD.

25

23

27

But you are to take your holy things and your
vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will
Present  the  meat  and  blood  of  your
choose.

Great Trees

Terebinths

SP, LXX, and Syriac (see Genesis 12:6); Hebrew

 or

 or

28

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
Be  careful  to
God,  but  you  may  eat  the  meat.
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
A Warning against Idolatry
and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
(Deuteronomy 4:15–31 ;  Ezekiel 6:1–7)

29

30

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,
be
careful  not  to  be  ensnared  by  their  ways  after
they have been destroyed before you. Do not in-
quire about their gods, asking, “How do these na-
31
tions serve their gods? I will do likewise.”

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
32
sacrifices to their gods.

See that you do everything I command you; do

Idolaters to Be Put to Death
not add to it or subtract from it.

13

2

3

If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises
among you and proclaims a sign or won-
der to you,
and if the sign or wonder he has spo-
ken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us fol-
low other gods (which you have not known) and
you must not listen to the
let us worship them,”
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
You are to follow the LORD your God and
soul.
fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to
5
His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.

4

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  com-
manded you to walk. So you must purge the evil
6
from among you.

a

b

    Deuteronomy 14:2    |    177

7

worship other gods” (which neither you nor your
the  gods  of  the  peoples
fathers  have  known,
around you, whether near or far, whether from
you must not
one end of the earth or the other),
yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity,
9
and do not spare him or shield him.

8

10

Instead,  you  must  surely  kill  him.  Your  hand
must be the first against him to put him to death,
Stone him
and then the hands of all the people.
to  death  for  trying  to  turn  you  away  from  the
11
LORD your God, who brought you out of the land
Then all
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again
Idolatrous Cities to Be Destroyed
do such a wicked thing among you.
12

14

If,  regarding  one  of  the  cities  the  LORD  your
13
God  is  giving  you  to  inhabit,  you  hear  it  said
that wicked men have arisen from among you
and have led the people of their city astray, say-
ing, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you
then  you  must  inquire,  in-
have  not  known),
vestigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is
established with certainty that this abomination
you  must
has  been  committed  among  you,
surely  put  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  to  the
 all its people and
sword. Devote to destruction
16
livestock.

15

 c

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 offer-
ing to the LORD your God. The city must remain
17
a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.

18

Nothing  devoted  to  destruction  shall  cling  to
your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His
fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compas-
sion,  and  multiply  you  as  He  swore  to  your
because you obey the LORD your God,
fathers,
keeping all His commandments I am giving you
today and doing what is right in the eyes of the
Clean and Unclean Animals
LORD your God.
(Leviticus 11:1–47 ;  Acts 10:9–16)

14

You are sons of the LORD your God; do
2
not  cut  yourselves  or  shave  your  fore-
for you are a people
heads on behalf of the dead,
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.

cherem

c 15

If your very own brother, or your son or daugh-
ter,  or  the  wife  you  embrace,
  or  your  closest
friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and
b 6
a 5

the wife of your bosom

Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13

 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.

Forms of the Hebrew

Hebrew

   178    |    Deuteronomy 14:3

3

4

 a

You must not eat any detestable thing.

These

are the animals that you may eat:

5
The ox, the sheep, the goat,

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 di-

7
vided in two and that chews the cud.

But of those that chew the cud or have a com-
pletely  divided  hoof,  you  are  not  to  eat  the
following:

the camel,

the rabbit,

b

or the rock badger.

8

Although  they  chew  the  cud,  they  do  not
have  a  divided  hoof.  They  are  unclean  for
as  well  as  the  pig;  though  it  has  a
you,
divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is
unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or
touch its carcass.

10

9

Of  all  the  creatures  that  live  in  the  water,  you
but you
may eat anything with fins and scales,
may not eat anything that does not have fins and
11
scales; it is unclean for you.

12

You  may  eat  any  clean  bird,

but  these  you

may not eat:

the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black
13
vulture,
14

the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite,

15

c

any kind of raven,

the ostrich,
16
kind of hawk,

 the screech owl, the gull, any

the little owl, the great owl, the white

17
owl,
18

the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,

the stork, any kind of heron,

19

the hoopoe, or the bat.
20

All flying insects are unclean for you; they may
But you may eat any clean bird.

21
not be eaten.

You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s
Giving Tithes
milk.
(Lev. 27:30–34 ;  De. 26:1–15 ;  Neh. 13:10–14)

22

23

You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the
produce  brought  forth  each  year  from  your
fields.
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
24
your God always.

26

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
25
will  choose  to  put  His  Name  is  too  far  away,
then exchange it for money, take the money in
your  hand,  and  go  to  the  place  the  LORD  your
God  will  choose.
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
And do
God and rejoice with your household.
not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he
28
has no portion or inheritance among you.

27

29

At the end of every three years, bring a tenth
of  all  your  produce  for  that  year  and  lay  it  up
within your gates.
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
The Seventh Year  (Ex. 23:10–13 ;  Lev. 25:1–7)
work of your hands.

15

2

At the end of every seven years you must
This is the manner of re-
cancel debts.
mission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has
loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect any-
thing from his neighbor or brother, because the
3
LORD’s  time  of  release  has  been  proclaimed.
You may collect something from a foreigner, but
you  must  forgive  whatever  your  brother  owes
4
you.

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.
a 4
c 15

the daughter of the ostrich

the daughter of the owl

There will be no poor among you, however, be-
cause the LORD will surely bless you in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you to possess
if  only  you  obey  the  LORD
as  an  inheritance,
your  God  and  are  careful  to  follow  all  these
b 7

the coney

the hyrax

5

The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
Literally

 or

Or

 or

6

When
commandments  I  am  giving  you  today.
the LORD your God blesses you as He has prom-
ised, you will lend to many nations but borrow
from none; you will rule over many nations but
Generosity in Lending and Giving
be ruled by none.
(Matthew 6:1–4)

7

 a

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
 your heart or shut your hand from your
harden
Instead,  you  are  to  open  your
poor  brother.
hand  to  him  and  freely  loan  him  whatever  he
9
needs.

8

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in
your  heart:  “The  seventh  year,  the  year  of  re-
lease, 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
10
be guilty of sin.

11

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
For there will never cease to be poor in
hand.
the  land;  that  is  why  I  am  commanding  you  to
open wide your hand to your brother and to the
Hebrew Servants  (Exodus 21:1–11)
poor and needy in your land.
12

 b

If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold
to you and serves you six years, then in the sev-
13
enth year you must set him free.

14

And  when  you  release  him,  do  not  send  him
You  are  to  furnish  him
away  empty-handed.
liberally  from  your  flock,  your  threshing  floor,
15
and your winepress. You shall give to him as the
Remember
LORD  your  God  has  blessed  you.
that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the
LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am
16
giving you this command today.

17

But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want
to  leave  you,’  because  he  loves  you  and  your
then take
household and is well off with you,
an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door,
and  he  will  become  your  servant  for  life.  And
18
treat your maidservant the same way.

Do not regard it as a hardship to set your serv-
make courageous
a 7
ant  free,  because  his  six  years  of  service  were

make strong

sells himself

b 12

16

Deuteronomy 16:8    |    179

worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the
Firstborn Animals  (Exodus 13:1–16)
LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
19

20

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
Each year you and your house-
of your flock.
hold are to eat it before the LORD your God in the
21
place the LORD will choose.

But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind,
22
or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it
to the LORD your God.
Eat it within your gates;
both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat
But  you
it  as  they  would  a  gazelle  or  a  deer.
must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
water.
(Ex. 12:14–28 ;  Lev. 23:4–8 ;  Num. 28:16–25)

23

 c

Observe  the  month  of  Abib
  and  cele-
brate  the  Passover  to  the  LORD  your
God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your
2
God brought you out of Egypt by night.

You are to offer to the LORD your God the Pass-
over sacrifice from the herd or flock in the place
3
the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name.
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 remem-
ber for the rest of your life the day you left the
4
land of Egypt.

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
5
morning.

6

You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in
any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving
you.
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.
And  you  shall  roast  it  and  eat  it  in  the
place the LORD your God will choose, and in the
8
morning you shall return to your tents.

7

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.

c 1 Abib

Or

 or

Or

 was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lu-

nar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April; twice in this verse.

180    |    Deuteronomy 16:9

The Feast of Weeks  (Numbers 28:26–31)

20

9

 a

You are to count off seven weeks from the time
10
you  first  put  the  sickle  to  the  standing  grain.
And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks
 to
the LORD your God with a freewill offering that
11
you  give  in  proportion  to  how  the  LORD  your
and you shall rejoice be-
God has blessed you,
fore  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
12
widows among you.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and
The Feast of Tabernacles  (Numbers 29:12–40)
carefully follow these statutes.
13

 b

You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles
for seven days after you have gathered the pro-
14
duce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your
sons  and  daughters,  your  menservants  and
maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the for-
eigner,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widows  among
15
you.

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,
16
so that your joy will be complete.

c

d

17

Three times a year all your men are to appear
before  the  LORD  your  God  in  the  place  He  will
e
  the
choose:  at  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread,
Feast of Weeks,
 and the Feast of Tabernacles.
No  one  should  appear  before  the  LORD  empty-
Everyone  must  appear  with  a  gift  as
handed.
he  is  able,  according  to  the  blessing  the  LORD
Judges and Justice
your God has given you.
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
19
righteous judgment.

Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not
accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the
a 10
wise and twists the words of the righteous.

b 13

Booths

Pursue  justice,  and  justice  alone,  so  that  you
may live, and you may possess the land that the
Forbidden Forms of Worship
LORD your God is giving you.
21

Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next
22
to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
and do not set up for yourselves a sacred pillar,

Detestable Sacrifices
which the LORD your God hates.

17

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
Purge the Idolater
your God.
2

3

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
and  going  to  wor-
transgressing  His  covenant
ship other gods, bowing down to them or to the
sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which
and if it is reported and you
I have forbidden—
hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly.

4

5

If the report is true and such an abomination has
you must bring out to your
happened in Israel,
gates the man or woman who has done this evil
6
thing, and you must stone that person to death.
On  the  testimony  of  two  or  three  witnesses  a
man shall be put to death, but he shall not be ex-
ecuted on the testimony of a lone witness.
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
Courts of Law
you.
8

7

f

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.
You
are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge
who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and
10
they will give you a verdict in the case.

9

You must abide by the verdict they give you at
the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do
everything they instruct you,
according to the

Shelters

c 16

11

d 16

That is, Shavuot; see footnotes for v. 16.

day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14-20.
e 16
spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as
Feast of Shelters
Acts 2:1).

That is, the seven-
the Feast of Pentecost
That is, Shavuot, the late
the
the Feast of Booths
 (see Ex. 23:16) or
 (see
f 7
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as
 (see Exodus 23:16 and 34:22).
 and originally called

 or
Cited in 1 Cor. 5:13

; see footnotes for v. 16.

the Feast of Ingathering

the Feast of Harvest

 or

Or

terms of law they give and the verdict they pro-
claim. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left
12
from the decision they declare to you.

13

But the man who acts presumptuously, refus-
ing 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 Is-
rael.
Then  all  the  people  will  hear  and  be
Guidelines for a King  (1 Samuel 8:1–9)
afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.
14

15

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,”
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
16
brothers.

But the king must not acquire many horses for
himself or send the people back to Egypt to ac-
quire  more  horses,  for  the  LORD  has  said,  ‘You
are never to go back that way again.’
He must
not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go
astray. He must not accumulate for himself large
18
amounts of silver and gold.

17

19

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.
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
20
words  of  this  instruction  and  these  statutes.
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
Provision for Priests and Levites  (1 Cor. 9)
his kingdom in Israel.

18

The Levitical priests—indeed the whole
tribe  of  Levi—shall  have  no  portion  or
inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food
2
offerings  to  the  LORD;  that  is  their  inheritance.
Although they have no inheritance among their
brothers,  the  LORD  is  their  inheritance,  as  He
3
promised them.

    Deuteronomy 18:20    |    181

4

5

jowls, and the stomach.
You are to give them the
firstfruits  of  your  grain,  new  wine,  and  oil,  and
the first wool sheared from your flock.
For the
LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out
of  all  your  tribes  to  stand  and  minister  in  His
6
name for all time.

8

7

Now  if  a  Levite  moves  from  any  town  of  resi-
dence  throughout  Israel  and  comes  in  all  ear-
nestness to the place the LORD will choose,
then
he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God
like all his fellow Levites who stand there before
the  LORD.
They  shall  eat  equal  portions,  even
though he has  received  money  from  the  sale  of
Sorcery Forbidden  (Acts 8:9–25)
his father’s estate.
9

a

10

When  you  enter  the  land  that  the  LORD  your
God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable
ways of the nations there.
Let no one be found
among  you  who  sacrifices  his  son  or  daughter
in the fire,
 practices divination or conjury, inter-
casts  spells,
prets  omens,  practices  sorcery,
12
consults  a  medium  or  spiritist,  or  inquires  of
the  dead.
For  whoever  does  these  things  is
detestable to the LORD. And because of these de-
testable things, the LORD your God is driving out
13
the nations before you.

11

14

You must be blameless before the LORD your
Though these nations, which you will dis-
God.
possess,  listen  to  conjurers  and  diviners,  the
A Prophet Like Moses  (Acts 3:11–26)
LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
15

 c

b

16

The  LORD  your  God  will  raise  up  for  you  a
prophet like me from among your brothers. You
This is what you asked of
must listen to him.
 on the day of the
the LORD your God at Horeb
assembly,  when  you  said,  “Let  us  not  hear  the
voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire
17
anymore, so that we will not die!”

18

19

Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken
well.
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.
And I will hold accountable an-
d
yone  who  does  not  listen to  My  words  that  the
prophet  speaks  in  My  name.
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
c 16
must be put to death.”

b 15

20

This shall be the priests’ share from the people
who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep:
a 10
the  priests  are  to  be  given  the  shoulder,  the

makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire

d 19

Literally

Cited in Acts 3:22

That is, Mount Sinai, or

possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

See Acts 3:23.

182    |    Deuteronomy 18:21

21

You may ask in your heart, “How can we rec-
22
ognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”
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  presumptu-
Cities of Refuge
ously. Do not be afraid of him.
(Num. 35:9–34 ;  De. 4:41–43 ;  Josh. 20:1–9)

19

When the LORD your God has cut off the
nations whose land He is giving you, and
2
when  you  have  driven  them  out  and  settled  in
their cities and houses,
then you are to set apart
for  yourselves  three  cities  within  the  land  that
 a
You
the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
are  to  build  roads  for  yourselves
  and  divide
into  three  regions  the  land  that  the  LORD  your
God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any
4
manslayer can flee to these cities.

3

5

Now  this

is  the  situation  regarding  the
manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save
his  life,  having  killed  his  neighbor  accidentally,
If he goes into
without intending to harm him:
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 neigh-
bor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his
6
life.

7

Otherwise,  the  avenger  of  blood  might  pursue
the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the dis-
tance is great, and strike him dead though he did
not  deserve  to  die,  since  he  did  not  intend  any
This is why I am commanding you to set
harm.
8
apart for yourselves three cities.

9

And if the LORD your God enlarges your terri-
tory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you
and if you care-
all the land He promised them,
fully keep all these commandments I am giving
you today, loving the LORD your God and walk-
ing in His ways at all times, then you are to add
10
three more cities to these three.

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
11
bloodshed.

12

If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies
in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees
to one of these cities,
the elders of his city must
a 3
d 21

You are to survey the way

b 15

Or

Cited in Matthew 5:38

13

send for him, bring him back, and hand him over
You must show
to the avenger of blood to die.
him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt
of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well
14
with you.

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
The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses
that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
(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
16
three witnesses.

b

17

If a false witness testifies against someone, ac-
both  parties  to  the
cusing  him  of  a  crime,
dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD,
18
before the priests and judges who are in office at
The  judges  shall  investigate  thor-
that  time.
oughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar
who has falsely accused his brother,
you must
c
do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So
20
you  must  purge  the  evil  from  among  you.

19

21

Then  the  rest  of  the  people  will  hear  and  be
afraid, and they will never again do anything so
d
evil among you.
You must show no pity: life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
 hand for hand,
Laws of Warfare
and foot for foot.

20

2

When you go out to war against your en-
emies  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
When  you  are
the  land  of  Egypt,  is  with  you.
3
about to go into battle, the priest is to come for-
ward  and  address  the  army,
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
For the LORD your God goes with you to
them.
fight  for  you  against  your  enemies,  to  give  you
5
the victory.”

4

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.
c 19

Cited in Matthew 18:16 and 2 Corinthians 13:1

Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13

6

Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

    Deuteronomy 21:15    |    183

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.
Has
any  man  become  pledged  to  a  woman  and  not
married her? Let him return home, or he may die
8
in battle and another man marry her.”

7

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
9
brothers will not melt like his own.”

When the officers have finished addressing the
10
army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.

11

When  you  approach  a  city  to  fight  against  it,
If they ac-
you are to make an offer of peace.
cept your offer of peace and open their gates, all
the people there will become forced laborers to
12
serve you.

14

But if they refuse to make peace with you and
13
wage  war  against  you,  lay  siege  to  that  city.
When the LORD your God has delivered it into
your  hand,  you  must  put  every  male  to  the
sword.
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
This is how you are to treat all the cities
you.
that are far away from you and do not belong to
16
the nations nearby.

15

 a

However,  in  the  cities  of  the  nations  that  the
LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance,
17
you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
For  you  must  devote  them  to  complete  de-
struction
—the  Hittites,  Amorites,  Canaanites,
Perizzites,  Hivites,  and  Jebusites—as  the  LORD
so  that  they
your  God  has  commanded  you,
cannot teach you to do all the detestable things
they  do  for  their  gods,  and  so  cause  you  to  sin
19
against the LORD your God.

18

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 hu-
But  you
man,  that  you  should  besiege  them?
may destroy the trees that you know do not pro-
duce fruit. Use them to build siege works against
the  city  that  is  waging  war  against  you,  until  it
falls.
cherem
a 17

20

21

2

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
your elders and judges must come out and
him,
measure  the  distance  from  the  victim  to  the
3
neighboring cities.

4

Then  the  elders  of  the  city  nearest  the  victim
shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or
used for work,
bring the heifer to a valley with
running water that has not been plowed or sown,
5
and break its neck there by the stream.

6

And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come for-
ward, 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.
Then  all  the  elders  of  the  city  nearest
the victim shall wash their hands by the stream
7
over  the  heifer  whose  neck  has  been  broken,
and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed
Accept this
this blood, nor did our eyes see it.
atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel whom
You  have  redeemed,  and  do  not  hold  the  shed-
ding of innocent blood against them.”

9

8

And  the  bloodshed  will  be  atoned  for.
So  you
shall purge from among you the guilt of shedding
innocent blood, since you have done what is right
Marrying a Captive Woman
in the eyes of the LORD.
10

11

When you go to war against your enemies and
the LORD your God delivers them into your hand
and you take them captive,
if you see a beauti-
ful woman among them, and you desire her and
want to take her as your wife,
then you shall
bring  her  into  your  house.  She  must  shave  her
head, trim her nails,
and put aside the clothing
of her captivity.

12

13

14

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
And if you are not pleased
shall be your wife.
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
Inheritance Rights of the Firstborn
her.
15

If  a  man  has  two  wives,  one  beloved  and  the
other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying

them or by giving them as an offering.

184    |    Deuteronomy 21:16

16

6

when that
unloved wife has the firstborn son,
man assigns his inheritance to his sons he must
not  appoint  the  son  of  the  beloved  wife  as  the
17
firstborn over the son of the unloved wife.

Instead,  he  must  acknowledge  the  firstborn,
the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a dou-
ble portion of all that he has. For that son is the
firstfruits of his father’s strength; the right of the
A Rebellious Son  (Luke 15:11–32)
firstborn belongs to him.
18

19

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who
does not obey his father and mother and does not
his father and
listen to them when disciplined,
mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to
20
the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown,
and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stub-
born and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a
21
glutton and a drunkard.”

a

Then all the men of his city will stone him to
death.  So  you  must  purge  the  evil  from  among
Cursed Is Anyone Hung on a Tree
you,
 and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
22

b

23

If a man has committed a sin worthy of death,
and he is executed, and you hang his body on a
tree,
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.
  You  must  not  defile  the
land that the LORD your God is giving you as an
Various Laws
inheritance.

c

22

 d

If  you  see  your  brother’s  ox  or  sheep
2
straying, you must not ignore it;
 be sure
If your brother does
to return it to your brother.
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;
And you shall do
then you can return it to him.
the  same  for  his  donkey,  his  cloak,  or  anything
your  brother  has  lost  and  you  have  found.  You
4
must not ignore it.

3

If you see your brother’s donkey or ox fallen on
the road, you must not ignore it; you must help
5
him lift it up.

7

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
You may take the young, but be sure
the young.
to let the mother go, so that it may be well with
8
you and that you may prolong your days.

If you build a new house, you are to construct a
railing around your roof, so that you do not bring
9
bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.

 e

Do  not  plant  your  vineyard  with  two  types
of  seed;  if  you  do,  the  entire  harvest  will  be
—both the crop you plant and the fruit of
defiled
10
your vineyard.

Do  not  plow  with  an  ox  and  a  donkey  yoked

11
together.

Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven

12
together.

You are to make tassels on the four corners of

Marriage Violations
the cloak you wear.
13

14

Suppose a man marries a woman, has relations
and he then
with her, and comes to hate her,
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
15
a virgin.”

17

16

Then  the  young  woman’s  father  and  mother
shall  bring  the  proof  of her  virginity  to  the  city
and say to the elders, “I gave
elders at the gate
my daughter in marriage to this man, but he has
And now he has accused her
come to hate 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
18
the cloth before the city elders.

19

Then the elders of that city shall take the man
 f
They  are  also  to  fine  him  a
and  punish  him.
hundred shekels of silver
 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
20
as he lives.

A woman must not wear men’s clothing, and a
man must not wear women’s clothing, for who-
ever does these things is detestable to the LORD
a 21
your God.
is hanged is under God’s curse
f 19 100 shekels

Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13

b 22

d 1

Or
; cited in Gal. 3:13

Or

impale his body on a pole

21

If,  however,  this  accusation  is  true,  and  no
proof  of  the  young  woman’s  virginity  can  be
she shall be brought to the door of her
found,
anyone who
c 23
father’s house, and there the men of her city will
will be forfeited to the sanctuary

e 9

you must not hide yourself

; similarly in verse 23
Or

LXX; Hebrew

 is approximately 2.5 pounds or 1.1 kilograms of silver.

Deuteronomy 23:21    |    185

stone her to death. For she has committed an out-
rage  in  Israel  by  being  promiscuous  in  her  fa-
ther’s  house.  So  you  must  purge  the  evil  from
22
among you.

a

6

the LORD your God turned the curse into a bless-
ing  for  you,  because  the  LORD  your  God  loves
You  are  not  to  seek  peace  or  prosperity
you.
7
from them as long as you live.

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
23
Israel.

If  there  is  a  virgin  pledged  in  marriage  to  a
24
man, and another man encounters her in the city
you  must  take  both  of
and  sleeps  with  her,
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
25
the evil from among you.

26

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
Do nothing to the young woman, be-
must die.
cause she has committed no sin worthy of death.
This case is just like one in which a man attacks
When he found
his neighbor and murders him.
her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out,
28
but there was no one to save her.

27

29

If  a  man  encounters  a  virgin  who  is  not
pledged  in marriage,  and he  seizes  her  and  lies
with her, and they are discovered,
then the man
who  lay with  her must  pay  the  young woman’s
father  fifty  shekels  of  silver,
  and  she  must  be-
come  his  wife  because  he  has  violated  her.  He
30
must not divorce her as long as he lives.

b

c

A man is not to marry his father’s wife, so that

Exclusion from the Congregation
he will not dishonor his father’s marriage bed.

23

2

No man with crushed or severed genitals
may enter the assembly of the LORD.

No  one  of  illegitimate  birth  may  enter  the
assembly  of  the  LORD,  nor  may  any  of  his
3
descendants, even to the tenth generation.

4

No  Ammonite  or  Moabite  or  any  of  their  de-
scendants may enter the assembly of the LORD,
For they did not
even to the tenth generation.
meet you with food and water on your way out of
5
Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from
Pethor in Aram-naharaim
Yet the
a 21
LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and

 to curse you.

 d

c 30

uncover his father’s skirt

d 4

Here and in verse 24; cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13

8

Do  not  despise  an  Edomite,  for  he  is  your
brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you
The third gener-
lived as a foreigner in his land.
ation of children born to them may enter the as-
Uncleanness in the Camp  (Leviticus 15:1–12)
sembly of the LORD.
9

10

When you are encamped against your enemies,
then you shall keep yourself from every wicked
If any man among you becomes unclean
thing.
11
because  of  a  nocturnal  emission,  he  must  leave
the camp and stay outside.
When evening ap-
proaches,  he  must  wash  with  water,  and  when
12
the sun sets he may return to the camp.

13

You must have a place outside the camp to go
And you must have a dig-
and relieve yourself.
ging tool in your equipment so that when you re-
lieve  yourself  you  can  dig  a  hole  and  cover  up
14
your excrement.

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  any-
thing  unclean  among  you  and  turn  away  from
you.  Miscellaneous Laws
15

16

Do  not  return  a  slave  to  his  master  if  he  has
Let him live among you
taken refuge with you.
wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing.
17
Do not oppress him.

18

e

No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine
You must not bring the wages of a
prostitute.
  into  the
prostitute,  whether  female  or  male,
house  of  the  LORD  your  God  to  fulfill  any  vow,
because  both  are  detestable  to  the  LORD  your
19
God.

20

Do not charge your brother interest on money,
You may charge
food, or any other type of loan.
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
21
are entering to possess.

silver.
the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.

That is, Mesopotamia;

Or

b 29 50 shekels

If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do
not  be  slow  to  keep  it,  because  He  will  surely

Aram-naharaim

Aram of the two rivers

 is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of

or a dog

, likely

e 18
 means

Hebrew

186    |    Deuteronomy 23:22

22
require  it  of  you,  and  you  will  be  guilty  of  sin.
23
But if you refrain from making a vow, you will
Be  careful  to  follow
not  be  guilty  of  sin.
through on what comes from your lips, because
you  have  freely  vowed  to  the  LORD  your  God
24
with your own mouth.

When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you
may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put
25
any in your basket.

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
Marriage and Divorce Laws
grain.
(Matthew 5:31–32 ;  Luke 16:18)

24

If  a  man  marries  a  woman,  but  she  be-
comes  displeasing  to  him  because  he
finds some indecency in her, he may write her a
  hand  it  to  her,  and  send
certificate  of  divorce,
2
her away from his house.

a

3

4

If, after leaving his house, she goes and becomes
another man’s wife,
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,
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
5
God is giving you as an inheritance.

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
Additional Laws
he has married.
6

Do not take a pair of millstones or even an up-
per millstone as security for a debt, because that
7
would be taking one’s livelihood as security.

If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite
brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells
b
him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge
8
the evil from among you.

c

9

In cases of infectious skin diseases,

 be careful
to  diligently  follow  everything  the  Levitical
priests  instruct  you.  Be  careful  to  do  as  I  have
Remember  what  the  LORD
commanded  them.
your God did to Miriam on the journey after you
a 1
came out of Egypt.

 b 7

leprosy
Cited in Matthew 5:31; see also Mark 10:4.

10

11

12

When you lend anything to your neighbor, do
not enter his house to collect security.
You are
to stand outside while the man to whom you are
lending brings the security out to you.
If he is a
poor man, you must not go to sleep with the se-
curity in your possession;
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
14
you as righteousness before the LORD your God.

13

15

Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and
needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner re-
You are to pay his
siding in one of your towns.
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
16
sin.

d

Fathers shall not be put to death for their chil-
dren, nor children for their fathers; each is to die
17
for his own sin.

18

Do  not  deny  justice  to  the  foreigner  or  the
fatherless,  and  do  not  take  a  widow’s  cloak  as
Remember  that  you  were  slaves  in
security.
Egypt,  and  the  LORD  your  God  redeemed  you
from that place. Therefore I am commanding you
19
to do this.

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
20
the work of your hands.

When you beat the olives from your trees, you
must  not  go  over  the  branches  again.  What  re-
mains  will  be  for  the  foreigner,  the  fatherless,
21
and the widow.

22

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard,
you must not go over the vines again. What re-
mains  will  be  for  the  foreigner,  the  fatherless,
Remember  that  you  were
and  the  widow.
slaves in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am com-
Fairness and Mercy
manding you to do this.

25

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
2
condemned.

If  the  guilty  man  deserves  to  be  beaten,  the
judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in

tzaraath

c 8

d 16

ditionally translated as
2 Chronicles 25:4

, were used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

Cited in 2 Kings 14:6 and

Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13

Forms of the Hebrew

, tra-

3

his presence with the number of lashes his crime
He  may  receive  no  more  than  forty
warrants.
lashes,  lest  your  brother  be  beaten  any  more
4
than that and be degraded in your sight.

a

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the

Widowhood and Marriage
grain.
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
6
take  her  as  his  wife  and  fulfill  the  duty  of  a
brother-in-law for her.
The first son she bears
will  carry  on  the  name  of  the  dead  brother,  so
7
that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

b

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
8
for me.”

9

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,”
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.”
And  his  family
name  in  Israel  will  be  called  “The  House  of  the
11
Unsandaled.”

10

12

If  two  men  are  fighting,  and  the  wife  of  one
comes to rescue her husband from the one strik-
ing him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs
his  genitals,
you  are  to  cut  off  her  hand.  You
Standard Weights and Measures
must show her no pity.
(Proverbs 11:1–3 ;  Ezekiel 45:10–12)

13

14

You  shall  not  have  two  differing  weights  in
your  bag,  one  heavy  and  one  light.
You  shall
not have two differing measures in your house,
15
one large and one small.

You  must  maintain  accurate  and  honest
weights and measures, so that you may live long
16
in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
For everyone who behaves dishonestly in re-
gard  to  these  things  is  detestable  to  the  LORD
Revenge on the Amalekites
your God.
17

18

Remember  what  the  Amalekites  did  to  you
how they met you

a 4
along your way from Egypt,

b 5

    Deuteronomy 26:12    |    187

on your journey when you were tired and weary,
and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no
19
fear of God.

When the LORD your God gives you rest from
the enemies around you in the land that He is giv-
ing you to possess as an inheritance, you are to
blot  out  the  memory  of  Amalek  from  under
Offering Firstfruits and Tithes
heaven. Do not forget!
(Lev. 27:30–34 ;  De. 14:22–29 ;  Neh. 13:10–14)

26

2

When you enter the land that the LORD
your God is giving you as an inheritance,
you
and you take possession of it and settle in it,
are to take some of the firstfruits of all your pro-
duce 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
to  the  priest  who  is
a  dwelling  for  His  Name,
serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare to-
day to the LORD your God that I have entered the
land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give
4
us.”

3

7

5

6

Then the priest shall take the basket from your
hands and place it before the altar of the LORD
and  you  are  to  declare  before  the
your  God,
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 na-
But  the Egyptians
tion, mighty and  numerous.
mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard
So we called out to the LORD, the God of
labor.
our  fathers;  and  the  LORD  heard  our voice  and
Then the
saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.
LORD  brought  us  out  of  Egypt  with  a  mighty
hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror,
And He brought us to this
signs, and wonders.
10
place and gave us this land, a land flowing with
And  now,  behold,  I  have
milk  and  honey.
brought  the  firstfruits  of  the  land  that  You,  O
LORD, have given me.”

9

8

11

Then you are to place the basket before the LORD
So  you
your  God  and  bow  down  before  Him.
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 house-
12
hold.

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  for-
eigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they
may eat and be filled within your gates.

Cited in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18

Cited in Matthew 22:24, Mark 12:19, and Luke 20:28

 188    |    Deuteronomy 26:13

13

14

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, ac-
cording to all the commandments You have given
me.  I  have  not  transgressed  or  forgotten  Your
I have not eaten any of the sa-
commandments.
cred 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
Look
done  everything  You  commanded  me.
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
Obey the LORD’s Commands
land flowing with milk and honey.”
16

15

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
17
with all your soul.

Today  you  have  proclaimed  that  the  LORD is
your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep
His  statutes  and  commandments  and  ordi-
18
nances, and listen to His voice.

19

And today the LORD has proclaimed that you
are  His  people  and  treasured  possession  as  He
promised, that you are to keep all His command-
that He will set you high in praise and
ments,
name  and  honor  above  all  the  nations  He  has
made, and that you will be a holy people to the
The Altar on Mount Ebal  (Joshua 8:30–35)
LORD your God, as He has promised.

27

Then Moses and the elders of Israel com-
manded  the  people:  “Keep  all  the  com-

2
mandments I am giving you today.

3

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.
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 fa-
And  when  you  have
thers,  has  promised  you.
crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones
on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today,
5
and you are to coat them with plaster.

4

Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the
LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not
uncovered his father’s skirt
a 20
You  shall  build  the
use  any iron tool  on  them.

6

Or

7

altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and
offer  upon  it  burnt  offerings  to  the  LORD  your
There you are to sacrifice your peace offer-
God.
ings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of
the  LORD  your  God.
And  you  shall  write  dis-
tinctly  upon  these  stones  all  the  words  of  this
9
law.”

8

10

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
You shall therefore obey the
LORD your God.
voice of the LORD your God and follow His com-
Curses Pronounced from Ebal
mandments and statutes I am giving you today.”
11
12

On  that  day  Moses  commanded  the  people:
“When  you  have  crossed  the  Jordan,  these
tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the
people:  Simeon,  Levi,  Judah,  Issachar,  Joseph,
And these tribes shall stand on
and Benjamin.
Mount  Ebal  to  deliver  the  curse:  Reuben,  Gad,
14
Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

13

Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice
15

to every Israelite:

‘Cursed  is  the  man  who  makes  a  carved
idol  or  molten  image—an  abomination  to
the LORD, the work of the hands of a crafts-
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
man—and sets it up in secret.’
16

‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

mother.’
17

‘Cursed  is  he  who  moves  his  neighbor’s
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

boundary stone.’
18

‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

in the road.’
19

‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’
20

 a

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s
wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
bed.’
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
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
his mother.’
23

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

in-law.’
24

‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neigh-
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

bor in secret.’
25

‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

innocent person.’
26

 a

‘Cursed is he who does not put the words
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

of this law into practice.’

The Blessings of Obedience  (Lev. 25:18–22)

28

“Now  if  you  faithfully  obey  the  voice  of
the LORD your God and are careful to fol-
low  all  His  commandments  I  am  giving  you  to-
2
day, the LORD your God will set you high above
And all these bless-
all the nations of the earth.
ings will come upon you and overtake you, if you
3
will obey the voice of the LORD your God:

4

You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.

The fruit of your womb will be blessed,
as well as the produce of your land

and the offspring of your livestock—

5

the calves of your herds
and the lambs of your flocks.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be

6

blessed.

7

You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out.

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
8
from you in seven.

9

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
The LORD will establish you as His
is giving you.
holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you
10
keep the commandments of the LORD your God
a 26
Then all the peoples of
and walk in His ways.

    Deuteronomy 28:23    |    189

the earth will see that you are called by the name
11
of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.

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
12
you.

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
13
lend to many nations, but borrow from none.

14

The LORD will make you the head and not the
tail; you will only move upward and never down-
ward,  if  you hear  and  carefully  follow the  com-
mandments  of  the  LORD  your  God,  which  I  am
Do not turn aside to the right
giving you today.
or to the left from any of the words I command
you today, and do not go after other gods to serve
The Curses of Disobedience
them.
(Leviticus 20:1–9 ;  Leviticus 26:14–39)

15

If,  however,  you  do  not  obey  the  LORD  your
God  by  carefully  following  all  His  command-
ments  and  statutes  I  am  giving  you  today,  all
these  curses  will  come  upon  you  and  overtake
16
you:

17

You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.

18

19

Your basket and kneading bowl will be

cursed.

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.

20

You will be cursed when you come in
and cursed when you go out.

The  LORD  will  send  curses  upon  you,  confu-
sion  and  reproof  in  all  to  which  you  put  your
hand,  until  you  are  destroyed  and  quickly
b
perish because of the wickedness you have com-
21
mitted in forsaking Him.

22

The  LORD  will  make  the  plague  cling  to  you
until He has exterminated you from the land that
The  LORD  will
you  are  entering  to  possess.
c
strike you with wasting disease, with fever and
inflammation, with scorching heat and drought,
23
and  with  blight  and  mildew;  these  will  pursue
The sky over your head
you until you perish.
sword
will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

b 20

c 22

Me

Cursed is every man who does not continue in all the words of this law

LXX

; cited Gal. 3:10

Heb.

Or

190    |    Deuteronomy 28:24

24

The LORD will turn the rain of your land into
dust and powder; it will descend on you from the
25
sky until you are destroyed.

26

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.
Your corpses will be food for all the
birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no
27
one to scare them away.

The  LORD  will  afflict  you  with  the  boils  of
Egypt,  with  tumors  and  scabs  and  itch  from
28
which you cannot be cured.

29

The LORD will afflict you with madness, blind-
ness, and confusion of mind,
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
30
one to save you.

31

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 vine-
yard but will not enjoy its fruit.
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
32
enemies, and no one will save you.

33

Your sons and daughters will be given to an-
other nation, while your eyes grow weary look-
ing for them day after day, with no power in your
hand.
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.
You
35
will be driven mad by the sights you see.

34

The LORD will afflict you with painful, incura-
ble boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles
36
of your feet to the top of your head.

The LORD will bring you and the king you ap-
point  to  a  nation  neither  you  nor  your  fathers
have  known,  and  there  you  will  worship  other
gods—gods  of  wood  and  stone.
You  will  be-
come  an  object  of  horror,  scorn,  and  ridicule
among  all  the  nations  to  which  the  LORD  will
38
drive you.

37

39

You will sow much seed in the field but harvest
little, because the locusts will consume it.
You
will  plant  and  cultivate  vineyards,  but  will  nei-
ther  drink  the  wine  nor  gather  the  grapes,  be-
You will have olive
cause worms will eat them.
b 55
the wife of his bosom
a 54

40

within all your cities

41

trees  throughout  your  territory  but  will  never
anoint  yourself  with  oil,  because  the  olives  will
You  will  father  sons  and  daughters,
drop  off.
but they will not remain yours, because they will
Swarms  of  locusts  will  con-
go  into  captivity.
43
sume all your trees and the produce of your land.

42

44

The foreigner living among you will rise higher
and  higher  above  you,  while  you  sink  down
He will lend to you, but you
lower and lower.
will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you
45
will be the tail.

All these curses will come upon you. They will
pursue  you  and  overtake  you  until  you  are  de-
stroyed,  since  you  did  not  obey  the  LORD  your
God  and  keep  the  commandments  and  statutes
These curses will be a sign and a
He gave you.
47
wonder upon you and your descendants forever.

46

48

Because you did not serve the LORD your God
with joy and gladness of heart in all your abun-
dance,
you will serve your enemies the LORD
will  send  against  you  in  famine,  thirst,  naked-
ness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke
49
on your neck until He has destroyed you.

50

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
a  ruthless  nation  with  no
not  understand,
51
respect  for  the  old  and  no  pity  for  the  young.
They  will  eat  the  offspring  of  your  livestock
and  the  produce  of  your  land  until  you  are  de-
stroyed.  They  will  leave  you  no  grain  or  new
wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of
52
your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.
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
53
God has given you.

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
54
that your enemy will inflict on you.

a
The most gentle and refined man among you

will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces,
55
and the rest of his children who have survived,
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.

b

Hebrew

Or

; similarly in verse 57

56

The Covenant in Moab

    Deuteronomy 29:17    |    191

 a

57

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 be-
grudge the husband she embraces
 and her son
the  afterbirth  that  comes  from
and  daughter
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
58
enemy will inflict on you within your gates.

If you are not careful to observe all the words
of  this  law  which  are  written  in  this  book,  that
59
you may fear this glorious and awesome name—
He will bring upon you
the LORD your God—
and  your  descendants  extraordinary  disasters,
severe  and  lasting  plagues,  and  terrible  and
He  will  afflict  you  again
chronic  sicknesses.
with all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and
61
they will cling to you.

60

62

The LORD will also bring upon you every sick-
ness and plague not recorded in this Book of the
You who were as
Law, until you are destroyed.
numerous as the stars in the sky will be left few
in number, because you would not obey the voice
63
of the LORD your God.

Just as it pleased the LORD to make you pros-
per  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
64
possess.

65

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 fa-
Among  those  nations  you
thers  have  known.
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 despair-
66
ing soul.

67

So your life will hang in doubt before you, and
you will be afraid night and day, never certain of
survival.
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
68
your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see.

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.”
a 56

the husband of her bosom

b 1

29

These are the words of the covenant that
the  LORD  commanded  Moses  to  make
with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addi-
tion to the covenant He had made with them at
2
Horeb.

b

3

Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to
them, “You have seen with your own eyes every-
thing the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his
officials, and to all his land.
You saw with your
own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous
signs and wonders.
Yet to this day the LORD has
not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see,
5
or ears to hear.

4

For forty years I led you in the wilderness,
yet your clothes and sandals did not

6

wear out.

You ate no bread and drank no wine or

strong drink,

7

so that you might know that I am the

LORD your God.

8

When  you  reached  this  place,  Sihon  king  of
Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against
us  in  battle,  but  we  defeated  them.
We  took
their  land  and  gave  it  as  an  inheritance  to  the
Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Ma-
nasseh.
So  keep  and  follow  the  words  of  this
10
covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.

9

c

12

All of you are standing today before the LORD
11
your  God—you  leaders  of  tribes,
  elders,  offi-
your  children
cials,  and  all  the  men  of  Israel,
and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who
cut your wood and draw your water—
so that
you  may  enter  into  the  covenant  of  the  LORD
13
your  God,  which  He  is  making  with  you  today,
and into His oath,
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 fa-
14
thers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
15

I  am  making  this  covenant  and  this  oath  not
but  also  with  those  who  are
only  with  you,
standing  here  with  us  today  in  the  presence  of
the LORD our God, as well as with those who are
16
not here today.

For you yourselves know how we lived in the
17
land of Egypt and how we passed through the na-
tions on the way here.
You saw the abomina-
tions and idols among them made of wood and
stone, of silver and gold.

c 10

Hebrew
Mount Sinai

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

you leaders, tribes
That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing

192    |    Deuteronomy 29:18

18

a

19

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,
because when such a person hears the
words of this oath,
 he invokes a blessing on him-
self, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk
in the stubbornness of my own heart.’
20

b

This  will  bring  disaster  on  the  watered  land
as well as the dry.
The LORD will never be will-
ing  to  forgive  him.  Instead,  His  anger  and  jeal-
ousy 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
and
single him out from all the tribes of Israel for dis-
aster, according to all the curses of the covenant
22
written in this Book of the Law.

21

23

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
All
the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it.
its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt,
unsown and unproductive, with no plant grow-
ing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD
24
overthrew in His fierce anger.

So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD
done  such  a  thing  to  this  land?  Why  this  great
25
outburst of anger?’

26

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
They
brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.
went and served other gods, and they worshiped
27
gods they had not known—gods that the LORD
Therefore the anger of
had not given to them.
the  LORD  burned  against  this  land,  and  He
28
brought upon it every curse written in this book.
The  LORD  uprooted  them  from  their  land  in
His  anger,  rage,  and  great  wrath,  and  He  cast
29
them into another land, where they are today.’

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
The Promise of Restoration  (Neh. 1:1–11)
words of this law.

30

 c

3

2
to which the LORD your God has banished you,
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
then  He  will  restore  you
am  giving  you  today,
from captivity
 and have compassion on you and
4
gather  you  from  all  the  nations  to  which  the
Even if you
LORD your God has scattered you.
e
have been banished to the farthest horizon,
 He
5
will gather you and return you from there.

d

6

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
The  LORD
multiply  more  than  your  fathers.
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
7
that you may live.

9

8

Then  the  LORD  your  God  will  put  all  these
curses upon your enemies who hate you and per-
secute you.
And you will again obey the voice of
the LORD and follow all His commandments I am
So  the  LORD  your  God  will
giving  you  today.
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. In-
deed, the LORD will again delight in your pros-
if
perity, as He delighted in that of your fathers,
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
The Choice of Life or Death
all your heart and with all your soul.
11

10

12

13

For this commandment I give you today is not
too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
It is
 f
not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who
will ascend into heaven
 to get it for us and pro-
And it is not be-
claim it, that we may obey it?’
yond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who
will cross the sea
 to get it for us and proclaim it,
that we may obey it?’
But the word is very near
you;  it  is  in  your  mouth  and  in  your  heart,
  so
15
that you may obey it.

14

 g

h

16

See, I have set before you today life and pros-
For I am
perity, as well as death and disaster.
commanding  you  today  to  love  the  LORD  your
God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His com-
mandments,  statutes,  and  ordinances,  so  that
you  may  live  and  increase,  and  the  LORD  your

“When all these things come upon you—
the blessings and curses I have set before
b 19
a 18
you—and you call them to mind in all the nations
e 4

curse

c 3

See Hebrews 12:15
Cited in Nehemiah 1:8–9

Or
Cited in Romans 10:6

f 12
Or

g 13

restore your fortunes

d 4

to the extremity of the heavens

h 14

Or

See Romans 10:7.

Cited in Romans 10:8

31

God may bless you in the land that you are enter-
17
ing to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you do not lis-
18
ten, but are drawn away to bow down to other
gods and worship them,
I declare to you today
that you will surely perish; you shall not prolong
your  days  in  the  land  that  you  are  crossing  the
19
Jordan to possess.

I  call  heaven  and  earth  as  witnesses  against
you  today  that  I  have  set  before  you  life  and
death,  blessing  and  cursing.  Therefore  choose
20
life, so that you and your descendants may live,
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 Abra-
Joshua to Succeed Moses  (Numbers 27:18–23)
ham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

 a

2

When  Moses  had  finished  speaking
these  words  to  all  Israel,

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
3
has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’

The  LORD  your  God  Himself  will  cross  over
ahead  of  you.  He will  destroy  these  nations be-
fore  you,  and  you  will  dispossess  them.  Joshua
4
will  cross  ahead  of  you,  as  the  LORD  has  said.
And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon
and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He de-
5
stroyed them along with their land.

6

The  LORD  will  deliver  them  over  to  you,  and
you  must  do  to  them  exactly  as  I  have  com-
manded you.
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
7
you nor forsake you.”

 b

8

Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in
the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and coura-
geous,  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 inher-
itance.
The LORD Himself goes before you; He
will be with you. He will never leave you nor for-
The Reading of the Law  (Nehemiah 8:1–8)
sake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
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
a 1
Israel.

When Moses went out and spoke

b 6

DSS and LXX; MT

the Feast of Ingathering

    Deuteronomy 31:21    |    193

10

c

11

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
when all Israel comes before the
Tabernacles,
LORD your God at the place He will choose, you
12
are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.

13

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
Then their children who do not know the
law.
law  will listen  and  learn  to  fear  the  LORD  your
God, as long as you live in the land that you are
God Commissions Joshua
crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,  “Behold,  the
time of your death is near. Call Joshua and pre-
sent yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I
may commission him.”

15

So Moses and Joshua went and presented them-
Then the LORD
selves at the Tent of Meeting.
appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the
16
cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.

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 for-
sake  Me  and  break  the  covenant  I  have  made
17
with them.

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 disas-
ters come upon us because our God is no longer
18
with us?’

And on that day I will surely hide My face be-
cause of all the evil they have done by turning to
19
other gods.

20

Now therefore, write down for yourselves this
song and teach it to the Israelites; have them re-
cite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against
When I have brought them into the land
them.
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
And when many troubles and af-
My covenant.
flictions  have  come  upon  them,  this  song  will
the Feast of Shelters
the Feast of Booths
That is, Sukkot,
Cited in Hebrews 13:5; here and in verse 8

c 10

21

the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as
called

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

 or

 and originally

194    |    Deuteronomy 31:22

testify against them, because it will not be forgot-
ten from the lips of their descendants. For I know
their  inclination,  even  before  I  bring  them  into
22
the land that I swore to give them.”

So that very day Moses wrote down this song

23
and taught it to the Israelites.

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
The Law Placed in the Ark
to give them, and I will be with you.”
24

25

26

When Moses had finished writing in a book the
he
words  of  this  law  from  beginning  to  end,
gave  this  command  to  the  Levites  who  carried
“Take this
the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the
covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may re-
For  I
main  there  as  a  witness  against  you.
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
28
after my death!

27

29

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.
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
Moses Begins His Song
hands.”
30

Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assem-
bly of Israel the words of this song from begin-
The Song of Moses  (Revelation 15:1–4)
ning to end:

32

2

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Let my teaching fall like rain

and my speech settle like dew,

like gentle rain on new grass,
3

like showers on tender plants.

For I will proclaim the name of the LORD.

4

Ascribe greatness to our God!
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;

all His ways are just.

A God of faithfulness without injustice,

a 5
sons of Israel
e 15 Jeshurun

righteous and upright is He.

c 10
Cited in Philippians 2:15

b 8
the pupil

DSS; LXX

the upright one
Literally

d 11 Pinions

5

His people have acted corruptly toward Him;
the blemish on them is not that of His

children,

a
but of a perverse and crooked

6

generation.

Is this how you repay the LORD,

O foolish and senseless people?
Is He not your Father and Creator?
7

Has He not made you and established

you?

Remember the days of old;

consider the years long past.
Ask your father, and he will tell you,
8

your elders, and they will inform you.
When the Most High gave the nations their

inheritance,

when He divided the sons of man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
9

according to the number of the sons of

b

God.

10

But the LORD’s portion is His people,
Jacob His allotted inheritance.

He found him in a desert land,

in a barren, howling wilderness;
He surrounded him, He instructed him,

 c

11

He guarded him as the apple

 of His eye.

As an eagle stirs up its nest

12

and hovers over its young,
He spread His wings to catch them
and carried them on His pinions.

d

13

The LORD alone led him,

and no foreign god was with him.

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

14

and oil from the flinty crag,

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

15

 e
you drank the wine.

But Jeshurun

 grew fat and kicked—

becoming fat, bloated, and gorged.
He abandoned the God who made him

16

and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
They provoked His jealousy with foreign

gods;

according to the number of the angels of God

they enraged Him with abominations.

according to the number of the

 are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers.

; MT

 means

, a term of endearment for Israel.

17

29

They sacrificed to demons, not to God,

If only they were wise, they would

to gods they had not known,

30

understand it;

    Deuteronomy 32:42    |    195

to newly arrived gods,

18

which your fathers did not fear.

19

You ignored the Rock who brought you forth;
you forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, He rejected them,

20

provoked to anger by His sons and

daughters.

He said: “I will hide My face from them;
I will see what will be their end.
For they are a perverse generation—

21

children of unfaithfulness.

They have provoked My jealousy by that

which is not God;

they have enraged Me with their
 a

worthless idols.

So I will make them jealous by those who are

not a people;

b

22

I will make them angry by a nation

without understanding.

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

23

mountains.

I will heap disasters upon them;

24

I will spend My arrows against them.

They will be wasted from hunger

and ravaged by pestilence and bitter

plague;

I will send the fangs of wild beasts against

them,

25

with the venom of vipers that slither in

the dust.

Outside, the sword will take their children,

and inside, terror will strike

26

the young man and the young woman,
the infant and the gray-haired man.
I would have said that I would cut them to

27

pieces

and blot out their memory from mankind,

if I had not dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest their adversaries misunderstand and

say:

‘Our own hand has prevailed;

28

it was not the LORD who did all this.’

”

Israel is a nation devoid of counsel,

they would comprehend their fate.
How could one man pursue a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

31

unless the LORD had given them up?

c

32

For their rock is not like our Rock,
even our enemies concede.
But their vine is from the vine of

Sodom

and from the fields of Gomorrah.

33

Their grapes are poisonous;
their clusters are bitter.

Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.

34

35

“Have I not stored up these things,
d
sealed up within My vaults?
Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.

In due time their foot will slip;

36

for their day of disaster is near,

 e
and their doom is coming quickly.”

For the LORD will vindicate His people

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,

38

the rock in which they took refuge,

which ate the fat of their sacrifices

and drank the wine of their drink

offerings?

39

Let them rise up and help you;
let them give you shelter!

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

40

who can deliver from My hand.

For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare:

41

As surely as I live forever,

when I sharpen My flashing sword,

and My hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance on My adversaries

42

and repay those who hate Me.

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.”

c 31

but our enemies are void of under-

not a nation
with no understanding among them.
d 35

Vengeance is Mine, and recompense

b 21

a 21
standing
Or
e 36

will judge His people

; see also LXX.

Cited in Romans 10:19

Hebrew; LXX

LXX; Hebrew

; cited in Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30

Or

; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30

196    |    Deuteronomy 32:43

43

a

Rejoice, O heavens, with Him,

 b

and let all God’s angels worship Him.

Rejoice, O nations, with His people;

c

for He will avenge the blood of His

children.

 d

 h

4

and they sit down at Your feet;

each receives Your words—

5

the law that Moses gave us,

 i

the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

So the LORD became King in Jeshurun

He will take vengeance on His adversaries

6

and repay those who hate Him;

44

He will cleanse His land
and His people.

 e

45

47

 son of Nun and
Then Moses came with Joshua
recited all the words of this song in the hearing
46
of the people.
When Moses had finished recit-
ing all these words to all Israel,
he said to them,
“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly de-
clared to you this day, so that you may command
your children to carefully follow all the words of
this law.
For they are not idle words to you, be-
cause they are your life, and by them you will live
long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan
Moses’ Death Foretold
to possess.”
48
49

On  that  same  day  the  LORD  said  to  Moses,
“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 Isra-
50
elites as their own possession.

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
51
gathered to his people.

For  at  the  waters  of  Meribah-kadesh  in  the
Wilderness  of  Zin,  both  of  you  broke  faith  with
52
Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as
holy in their presence.
Although you shall see
from a distance the land that I am giving the Isra-
Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes
elites, you shall not enter it.”

33

when the leaders of the people gathered,
when the tribes of Israel came together.

 j

7

Let Reuben live and not die,

nor

 his men be few.”

And concerning Judah he said:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah
and bring him to his people.

8

With his own hands he defends his cause,

but may You be a help against his foes.”

Concerning Levi he said:
“Give Your Thummim to Levi

 l

k

and Your Urim to Your godly one,

m

whom You tested at Massah
9

and contested at the waters of Meribah.

He said of his father and mother,
‘I do not consider them.’
He disregarded his brothers

 n

and did not know his own sons,

10

for he kept

 Your word

and maintained Your covenant.
He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob

and Your law to Israel;
he will set incense before You

11

and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

Bless his substance, O LORD,

and accept the work of his hands.
Smash the loins of those who rise against

12

him,

and of his foes so they can rise no more.”

Concerning Benjamin he said:
“May the beloved of the LORD

 o
rest secure in Him;

This is the blessing that Moses the man
of  God  pronounced  upon  the  Israelites

2

13

God shields

 him all day long,

and upon His shoulders he rests.”

before his death.

He said:
 f

“The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned upon us

 from Seir;

He shone forth from Mount Paran

g

3

and came with myriads of holy ones,
with flaming fire at His right hand.

Concerning Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by the LORD

14

15

with the precious dew from heaven above
and the deep waters that lie beneath,
with the bountiful harvest from the sun

and the abundant yield of the seasons,

a 43

Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him.

Surely You love the people;

all the holy ones are in Your hand,
d 43
f 2

c 43
See DSS, LXX; MT lacks

Hoshea
DSS and LXX; MT
Rom. 15:10
from the south, from His mountain slopes
and Vulgate; Heb.
j 6
and Your Lights be to Your godly one
dearment for Israel; also v. 26.
they kept
n 9

, a variant of

servants
Joshua
h 3
but let
Or
l 8 Massah

LXX, Vulgate; MT lacks

they follow in Your steps
LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Heb.
k 8

testing

Or
.

DSS and LXX; MT does not include

 means

; see Ex. 17:7.

with the best of the ancient mountains
b 43

and repay those who hate Him

and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
e 44
 Cited in Heb. 1:6
g 2
the upright one
Or

Cited in
with myriads of holy ones
LXX, Syriac,

i 5 Jeshurun

upon them

to Levi
 means
m 8 Meribah

quarreling

Let Your Perfections
, a term of en-
He shields
; see Ex. 17:7.

; literally
o 12
 means

Hebrew

, most likely referring to Levi in the plural; similarly twice in verse 10

LXX; Hebrew

    Deuteronomy 34:12    |    197

16

with the choice gifts of the land and

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

everything in it,

28

He drives out the enemy before you,

and with the favor of Him who dwelt in

giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

the burning bush.

So Israel dwells securely;

May these rest on the head of Joseph

the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled

17

and crown the brow of the prince of his

29

in a land of grain and new wine,

brothers.

where even the heavens drip with dew.

His majesty is like a firstborn bull,

Blessed are you, O Israel!

and his horns are like those of a wild ox.

Who is like you, a people saved by the

With them he will gore the nations,
even to the ends of the earth.
Such are the myriads of Ephraim,

18

and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

Concerning Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,

19

and Issachar, in your tents.

They will call the peoples to a mountain;

there they will offer sacrifices of

righteousness.

For they will feast on the abundance of

20

the seas

and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

Concerning Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges

the domain of Gad!
He lies down like a lion

21

and tears off an arm or a head.
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,

23

leaping out of Bashan.”
Concerning Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with favor,
full of the blessing of the LORD;

 a
he shall take possession

24

of the sea

 and the south.”
And concerning Asher he said:
“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;
may he be the most favored among his

25

brothers

and dip his foot in oil.

May the bolts of your gate be iron and

26

bronze,

and may your strength match your days.”

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
and the clouds in His majesty.
the west

The eternal God is your dwelling place,

b 2

27

a 23

c 6

LORD?

He is the shield that protects you,
the sword in which you boast.
Your enemies will cower before you,

The Death of Moses

and you shall trample their high places.”

34

Then Moses went up from the plains of
Moab  to  Mount  Nebo,  to  the  top  of  Pis-
gah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed
2
him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan,
all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manas-
seh,  all  the  land  of  Judah  as  far  as  the  Western
the Negev, and the region from the Valley
Sea,
4
of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.

3

b

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
5
cross into it.”

6

 c

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in
And He
the land of Moab, as the LORD had said.
buried him
 in a valley in the land of Moab facing
Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the lo-
7
cation of his grave.

8

Moses  was  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  old
when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his
vitality  had  not  diminished.
The  Israelites
grieved  for  Moses  in  the  plains  of  Moab  thirty
days, until the time of weeping and mourning for
9
Moses came to an end.

11

10

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
Since that time,
LORD had commanded Moses.
no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom
no prophet who
the LORD knew face to face—
did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent
12
Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and
and  no
to  all  his  officials  and  all  his  land,
prophet  who  performed  all  the  mighty  acts  of
power  and  awesome  deeds
  that  Moses  did  in
the sight of all Israel.

they buried him

terrifying deeds

d 12

 d

Or

That is, the Med. Sea or Great Sea

SP and some LXX

Or

Joshua

God Instructs Joshua  (Deuteronomy 11:8–17)

1

2

Now  after  the  death  of  His  servant  Moses,
the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’
“Moses  My  servant  is  dead.
assistant,  saying,
Now  therefore  arise,  you  and  all  these  people,
and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am
3
giving to the children of Israel.

I have given you every place where the sole of
4
your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.
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
5
Great Sea.

a

No  one  shall  stand  against  you  all  the  days  of
your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with
6
you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

b

Be  strong  and  courageous,  for  you  shall  give
these  people  the  inheritance  of  the  land  that  I
7
swore to their fathers I would give them.

8

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.
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 suc-
9
ceed in all you do.

Have  I  not  commanded  you  to  be  strong  and
courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discour-
aged, for the LORD your God is with you wher-
Joshua Takes Charge
ever you go.”
10

11

Then  Joshua  commanded  the  officers  of  the
people:
“Go through the camp and tell the peo-
ple,  ‘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
12
giving you to possess.’
”

13

But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-
tribe  of  Manasseh,  Joshua  said,
“Remember
b 5
a 4
what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded

14

you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give
you rest, and He will give you this land.’
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,
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
16
Jordan.”

15

18

So  they  answered  Joshua,  “Everything  you
17
have commanded us we will do, and everywhere
Just as we obeyed Mo-
you send us we will go.
ses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the
LORD  your  God  be  with  you,  as  He  was  with
Anyone who rebels against your order
Moses.
and does not obey your words, all that you com-
mand  him,  will  be  put  to  death.  Above  all,  be
Rahab Welcomes the Spies  (Heb. 11:30–31)
strong and courageous!”

2

c

Then  Joshua  son  of  Nun  secretly  sent  two
 saying, “Go, inspect the
spies from Shittim,
land,  especially  Jericho.”  So  they  went  and  en-
tered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and
2
stayed there.

And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Be-
hold, some men of Israel have come here tonight
3
to spy out the land.”

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
4
whole land.”

5

But the woman had taken the two men and hid-
den them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to
me,  but  I  did  not  know  where  they  had  come
At dusk, when the gate was about to close,
from.
the men went out, and I do not know which way
they  went.  Pursue  them  quickly,  and  you  may
(But Rahab had taken them up to
catch them!”
Or

Acacia Grove

c 1

6

That is, the Mediterranean Sea

Cited in Hebrews 13:5

the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax
7
that she had laid out there.)

will  be  released  from  the  oath  you  made  us
21
swear.”

Joshua 3:10    |    199

So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies
along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as
The Promise to Rahab
soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.
8

9

 a

10

Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab
and said to them, “I know
went up on the roof
that  the  LORD  has given you  this  land  and  that
the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who
For
dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.
we have heard how the LORD dried up the wa-
ters of the Red Sea
 before you when you came
out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og,
b
the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan,
When we
whom you devoted to destruction.
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
12
below.

11

13

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
that you will spare the lives of
me a sure sign
my father and mother, my brothers and sisters,
and all who belong to them, and that you will de-
14
liver us from death.”

“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
15
us the land.”

16

Then Rahab let them down by a rope through
the window, since the house where she lived was
“Go  to  the  hill
built  into  the  wall  of  the  city.
country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not
find  you.  Hide  yourselves  there  for  three  days
17
until they have returned; then go on your way.”

18

The men said to her, “We will not be bound by
unless, when we
this oath you made us swear
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
19
and brothers and all your family into your house.
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 any-
one with you in the house, his blood will be on
cherem
b 10
a 10
And if you report our mission, we
our heads.
Or

Forms of the Hebrew

the Sea of Reeds

20

either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
3,000 feet or 914.4 meters.

“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent
them away. And when they had gone, she tied the
22
scarlet cord in the window.

23

So the spies went out into the hill country and
stayed there three days, until their pursuers had
returned without finding them, having searched
Then  the  two men  started
all  along  the road.
back,  came  down  from  the  hill  country,  and
crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of
24
Nun and reported all that had happened to them.

“The LORD has surely delivered the entire land
into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all
Crossing the Jordan
who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”

3

 c

Early  the  next  morning  Joshua  got  up  and
  with  all  the  Israelites.  They
left  Shittim
went as far as the Jordan, where they camped be-
2
fore crossing over.

3

After three days the officers went through the
and commanded the people: “When you
camp
see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God
being carried by the Levitical priests, you are to
 d
But
set  out  from  your  positions  and  follow  it.
keep  a  distance  of  about  two  thousand  cubits
between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near
it,  so  that  you  can  see  the  way  to  go,  since  you
5
have never traveled this way before.”

4

6

Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate your-
selves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders
And  he  said  to  the  priests,  “Take
among  you.”
the  ark  of  the  covenant  and  go  on  ahead  of  the
people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant
7
and went ahead of them.

8

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
Command the priests carrying the ark of
Moses.
the  covenant:  ‘When  you  reach  the  edge  of  the
9
waters, stand in the Jordan.’

”

10

So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and lis-
ten  to  the  words  of  the  LORD  your  God.”
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
d 4 2,000 cubits
c 1

Acacia Grove

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD,
 is approximately

Or

200    |    Joshua 3:11

11

8

Behold,  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of
Jebusites.
the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into
12
the Jordan.

13

Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Is-
rael, one from each tribe.
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
14
stand up in a heap.”

So  when  the  people  broke  camp  to  cross  the
Jordan,  the  priests  carried  the  ark  of  the  cove-
15
nant ahead of them.

 a

16

Now the Jordan overflows its banks through-
out the harvest season. But as soon as the priests
carrying  the  ark  reached  the  Jordan  and  their
the flowing wa-
feet touched the water’s edge,
ter  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
) was completely cut off. So the people
Salt Sea
The priests car-
crossed over opposite Jericho.
rying 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
Twelve Stones from the Jordan
the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.

17

4

2

3

When the whole nation had finished cross-
ing  the  Jordan,  the  LORD  said  to  Joshua,
“Choose  twelve  men  from  among  the  people,
and command them: ‘Take
one from each tribe,
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
4
place where you spend the night.’

”

6

5

So  Joshua  summoned  the  twelve  men  he  had
appointed  from  the  Israelites,  one  from  each
and said to them, “Cross over before the
tribe,
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
to serve as a sign among you. In
tribes of Israel,
the  future,  when  your  children  ask,  ‘What  do
you are to tell them,
these stones mean to you?’
‘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
b 9
a 16
forever.”
Jordan

the ark of the covenant

c 16

7

That is, the Dead Sea

Some translators

That is,

Thus  the  Israelites  did  as  Joshua  had  com-
manded them. They took up twelve stones from
the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Is-
rael, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they
carried them to the camp, where they set them
9
down.

 b

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle
of the Jordan,
 in the place where the priests who
carried  the  ark  of  the  covenant  stood.  And  the
10
stones are there to this day.

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
11
had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,
and after everyone had finished crossing, the
12
priests  with  the  ark  of  the  LORD  crossed  in
The  Reubenites,  the
the  sight  of  the  people.
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed
over  before  the  Israelites,  armed  for  battle  as
About  40,000
Moses  had  instructed  them.
troops armed for battle crossed over before the
14
LORD into the plains of Jericho.

13

On  that  day  the  LORD  exalted  Joshua  in  the
sight  of  all  Israel,  and  they  revered  him  all  the
15
days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.
 c
“Command

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Joshua,

16

the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony
17
to come up from the Jordan.”

So  Joshua  commanded  the  priests,  “Come  up

18
from the Jordan.”

When the priests carrying the ark of the cove-
nant 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
The Camp at Gilgal
all the banks as before.
19

20

On the tenth day of the first month the people
went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on
And there at Gil-
the eastern border of Jericho.
gal  Joshua  set  up  the  twelve  stones  they  had
21
taken from the Jordan.

22

Then  Joshua  said  to  the  Israelites,  “In  the  fu-
ture, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What
you are to tell
is the meaning of these stones?’
23
them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
For the LORD your God dried up the waters of
the Jordan before you until you had crossed over,

And Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the

a

12

Joshua 6:8    |    201

24
 which He dried up
just as He did to the Red Sea,
He  did
before  us  until  we  had  crossed  over.
this so that all the peoples of the earth may know
that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that
The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal
you may always fear the LORD your God.”

5

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the
 b
Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the
 heard how the LORD had dried up the wa-
coast
ters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they
 their hearts melted and their
had crossed over,
2
spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

c

d

3

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint
knives  and  circumcise  the  sons  of  Israel  once
again.
So Joshua made flint knives and circum-
4
cised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

”

e

5

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
Though  all  who  had
after  they  had  left  Egypt.
come out were circumcised, none of those born
in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had
6
been circumcised.

7

For the Israelites had wandered in the wilder-
ness 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
And  He  raised  up  their  sons  in  their
honey.
place,  and  these  were  the  ones  Joshua  circum-
cised.  Until  this  time  they  were  still  uncircum-
cised, since they had not been circumcised along
8
the way.

And after all the nation had been circumcised,
they  stayed  there  in  the  camp  until  they  were
9
healed.

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Joshua,  “Today  I  have
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So
10
that place has been called Gilgal

 to this day.

 f

And the day after they had eaten from the pro-
duce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no
more manna for the Israelites, so that year they
The Commander of the LORD’s Army
began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.
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  ene-
14
mies?”

“Neither,”  He  replied.  “I  have  now  come  as

 g

Commander of the LORD’s army.”

Then  Joshua  fell  facedown  in  reverence
  and
asked  Him,  “What  does  my  Lord  have  to  say  to
15
His servant?”

The  Commander  of  the  LORD’s  army  replied,
“Take off your sandals, for the place where you
are standing is holy.”
The Walls of Jericho
And Joshua did so.

6

2
came in.

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of
the  Israelites.  No  one  went  out  and  no one

3

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have de-
livered Jericho into your hand, along with its king
and its mighty men of valor.
March around the
4
city with all the men of war, circling the city one
time.  Do  this  for  six  days.
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.
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 col-
lapse
  and  all  your  people  will  charge  straight
6
into the city.

”

5

 h

i

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
7
the ark of the LORD.”

And  he  told  the  people,  “Advance  and  march
around  the  city,  with  the  armed  troops  going
8
ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

On  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth  day  of  the
month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal
11
on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.
The day after the Passover, on that very day,
they  ate  unleavened  bread  and  roasted  grain
b 1
a 23
from the produce of the land.
over

the Sea of Reeds
d 2

again the second time

e 3 Gibeath-haaraloth

Or

roll
Literally
and the people will go up, every man straight ahead

That is, along the Mediterranean coast; literally
and paid homage

and worshiped

g 14

.

Or

 or

i 5
the Hebrew for
Literally

After  Joshua  had  spoken  to  the  people,  seven
priests  carrying  seven  rams’  horns  before  the
LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark

until we had crossed

c 1

f 9 Gilgal

along the sea
the hill of the foreskins
fall under itself

Or

fall flat
.

 or

; similarly in verse 20

 sounds like

h 5
 means
Or

; similarly in verse 20

202    |    Joshua 6:9

9
of  the  covenant  of  the  LORD  followed  them.
While the horns continued to sound, the armed
troops  marched  ahead  of  the  priests  who  blew
10
the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.

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
11
the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”
So he had the ark of the LORD carried around
the city, circling it once. And the people returned
12
to the camp and spent the night there.

13

Joshua got up early the next morning, and the
priests took the ark of the LORD.
And the seven
priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept march-
ing 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.
So on the sec-
ond day they marched around the city once and
15
returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

14

a

Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn
and marched around the city seven times in the
16
same manner. That was the only day they circled
the  city  seven  times.
After  the  seventh  time
around,  the  priests  blew  the  horns,  and  Joshua
17
commanded  the  people,  “Shout!  For  the  LORD
has given you the city!
Now the city and every-
thing  in  it  must  be  devoted  to  the  LORD  for
destruction.
  Only  Rahab  the  prostitute  and  all
those with her in her house will live, because she
hid the spies we sent.
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 de-
struction and bring disaster upon it.
For all the
silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and
iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His
20
treasury.”

18

19

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 col-
lapsed. Then all the people charged straight into
the city and captured it.
With the edge of the
sword they devoted to destruction everything in
the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen,
22
sheep, and donkeys.

21

Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had
cherem
a 17
spied  out  the  land,  “Go  into  the  house  of  the

b 26

23

prostitute and bring out the woman and all who
So the
are with her, just as you promised her.”
young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her
father and mother and brothers, and all who be-
longed to her. They brought out her whole family
24
and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

25

Then the Israelites burned up the city and eve-
rything  in  it.  However,  they  put  the  silver  and
gold  and  articles  of  bronze  and  iron  into  the
And  Joshua
treasury  of  the  LORD’s  house.
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 Jeri-
cho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this
26
day.

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;

 b
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.”

27

So  the  LORD  was  with  Joshua,  and  his  fame

The Defeat at Ai
spread throughout the land.

7

 d

The  Israelites,  however,  acted  unfaithfully
c
regarding  the  things  devoted  to  destruc-
 the
 Achan
tion.
son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of
what  was  set  apart.  So  the  anger  of  the  LORD
2
burned against the Israelites.

 son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi,

e

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
3
men went up and spied out Ai.

On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is
no need to send all the people; two or three thou-
sand  men  are  enough  to  go  up  and  attack  Ai.
Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not
4
wear out all our people there.”

5

So about three thousand men went up, but they
fled  before  the  men  of  Ai.
And  the  men  of  Ai
struck  down  about  thirty-six  of  them,  chasing
  and
them  from  the  gate  as  far  as  the  quarries
cherem

c 1

 f

Forms of the Hebrew

 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.
to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in
Zimri
verses 11, 12, 13, and 15.
 is a variant of

 in 1 Chronicles 2:7.

See 1 Kings 16:34.

Forms of the Hebrew

as far as Shebarim

; also called

d 1 Achan

e 1 Zabdi

troubler

 means

Achar

f 5

 refer

; also in verses 17 and 18; see LXX and 1 Chronicles 2:6.

Or

Joshua 8:2    |    203

18

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.
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
19
tribe of Judah, was selected.

So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to
the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confes-
sion to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have
20
done; do not hide it from me.”

a

21

“It  is  true,”  Achan  replied,  “I  have  sinned
against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what
I did:
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful
b
cloak from Shinar,
 two hundred shekels of sil-
 I
 and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels,
ver,
coveted them and took them. They are hidden in
the ground inside my tent, with the silver under-
22
neath.”

c

23

So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent,
and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the
silver underneath.
They took the things from
inside  the  tent,  brought  them  to  Joshua  and  all
the  Israelites,  and  spread  them  out  before  the
24
LORD.

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 don-
keys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he
25
owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.

26

“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.
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
  to  this
The Conquest of Ai
day.

 d

striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts
6
of the people melted and became like water.

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
7
their heads.

8

“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
O Lord, what can I say, now
side of the Jordan!
9
that Israel has turned its back and run from its
When the Canaanites and all who live
enemies?
in the land hear about this, they will surround us
and  wipe  out  our  name  from  the  earth.  Then
10
what will You do for Your great name?”

11

12

But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why
have you fallen on your face?
Israel has sinned;
they have transgressed My covenant that I com-
manded them, and they have taken some of what
was  devoted  to  destruction.  Indeed,  they  have
stolen  and  lied,  and  they  have  put  these  things
This is why the Is-
with their own possessions.
raelites 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  de-
13
voted to destruction.

14

Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Con-
secrate 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
In  the  morning  you  must  pre-
remove  them.
sent 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 for-
ward  family  by  family,  and  the  family  that  the
15
LORD  selects  shall  come  forward  man  by  man.
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 out-
The Sin of Achan
rage in Israel.’
16

”

8

2

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 de-
livered into your hand the king of Ai, his people,
And you shall do to Ai and
his city, and his land.
its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except
that  you  may  carry  off  their  plunder  and  live-
stock  for  yourselves.  Set  up  an  ambush  behind
the city.”
 is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.

c 21 50 shekels

trouble

 is ap-

So  Joshua  arose  early  the  next  morning  and
had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the
a 21
tribe  of  Judah was  selected.
He  had  the  clans
d 26 Achor

b 21 200 shekels

17

That is, Babylonia

proximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.

 means

.

204    |    Joshua 8:3

3

6

4

5

So  Joshua  and  the  whole  army  set  out  to
attack  Ai.  Joshua  chose  30,000  mighty  men  of
with these or-
valor and sent them out at night
ders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush be-
hind the city, not too far from it. All of you must
be ready.
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
They will pursue us until we have drawn
them.
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,
you are to rise
from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD
And
your  God  will  deliver  it  into  your  hand.
when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as
the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you
9
orders.”

8

7

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
10
night among the people.

11

Joshua got up early the next morning and mo-
bilized  his  men,  and  he  and  the  elders  of  Israel
Then  all  the
marched  before  them  up  to  Ai.
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
12
between them and the city.

13

Now  Joshua  had  taken  about  five  thousand
men and set up an ambush between Bethel and
Ai, to the west of the city.
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.
14
And that night Joshua went into the valley.

15

When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hur-
ried 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
Joshua  and  all  Israel  let
him  behind  the  city.
themselves be beaten back before them, and they
Then all the men
fled toward the wilderness.
of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they
followed Joshua and were drawn away from the
city.
Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did
not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open
a 18
while they pursued Israel.

javelin

16

17

b 26

18

 a

19

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your
battle lance
 toward Ai, for into your hand I will
deliver  the  city.”  So  Joshua  held  out  his  battle
and as soon as he did so, the
lance toward Ai,
men in ambush rose quickly from their position.
They rushed forward, entered the city, captured
20
it, and immediately set it on fire.

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
21
who  had  fled  to  the  wilderness  now  turned
against their pursuers.
When Joshua and all Is-
rael  saw  that  the  men  in  ambush  had  captured
the city and that smoke was rising from it, they
22
turned  around  and  struck  down  the  men  of  Ai.
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 survi-
vor  or  fugitive  remained.
But  they  took  the
24
king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

23

25

26

When Israel had finished killing all the men of
Ai who had pursued them into the field and wil-
derness,  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.
A  total  of
twelve thousand men and women fell that day—
all the people of Ai.
Joshua did not draw back
 b
the  hand  that  held  his  battle  lance  until  he had
devoted to destruction
Is-
rael took for themselves only the cattle and plun-
der  of  that  city,  as  the  LORD  had  commanded
28
Joshua.

 all who lived in Ai.

27

 c

29

So Joshua burned Ai
 d

 and made it a permanent
He hung
heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
the king of Ai on a tree
 until evening, and at sun-
set Joshua commanded that they take down the
body from the tree and throw it down at the en-
trance of the city gate. And over it they raised a
Joshua Renews the Covenant  (De. 27:1–10)
large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
30

31

At  that  time  Joshua  built  an  altar  on  Mount
Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
just as Mo-
ses the servant of the LORD had commanded the
Israelites. He built it according to what is written
 e
in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of un-
cut stones on which no iron tool has been used.”
And  on  it  they  offered  burnt  offerings  to  the
LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.
Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of

cherem

c 28 Ai

ruin

 means

.

Or

e 31
d 29
things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

He impaled the king of Ai on a pole

; twice in this verse, and also in verse 26

Or

Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5

Joshua 9:24    |    205

32

33

And  there  in  the  presence  of  the  Israelites,
Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law
All Israel, for-
of Moses, which he had written.
eigners  and  citizens  alike,  with  their  elders,
officers,  and  judges,  stood  on  both  sides  of  the
ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levit-
ical  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
34
people of Israel.

35

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
There  was  not  a  word  of  all  that  Moses
Law.
had commanded that Joshua failed to read before
the  whole  assembly  of  Israel,  including  the
women,  the  little  ones,  and  the  foreigners  who
The Deceit of the Gibeonites
lived among them.

11

He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond
the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king
So the el-
of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
ders  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
12
a treaty with us.’

13

This bread of ours was warm when we packed
it at home on the day we left to come to you. But
These wineskins
look, it is now dry and moldy.
were new when we filled them, but look, they are
cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn
14
out from our very long journey.”

Then  the  men  of  Israel  sampled  their  provi-
15
sions but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.
And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them
to let them live, and the leaders of the congrega-
16
tion swore an oath to them.

9

a

 b

Now  when  news  of  this  reached  all  the
kings  west  of  the  Jordan—those  in  the  hill
 and all along the coast of
country, the foothills,
the  Great  Sea
  toward  Lebanon  (the  Hittites,
2
Amorites,  Canaanites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  and
they  came  together  to  wage  war
Jebusites)—
3
against Joshua and Israel.

4

 c

5

But  the  people  of  Gibeon,  having  heard  what
acted decep-
Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
tively  and  set  out  as  envoys,
  carrying  on  their
donkeys  worn-out  sacks  and  old  wineskins,
cracked  and  mended.
They  put  worn,  patched
sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on
their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was
They went to Joshua in the camp
dry and moldy.
at  Gilgal  and said  to him  and  the  men  of  Israel,
 d
“We have come from a distant land; please make
7
a treaty

 with us.”

6

But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Per-
haps  you  dwell  near  us.  How  can  we  make  a
8
treaty with you?”

“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.

Then  Joshua  asked  them,  “Who  are  you  and
9
where have you come from?”

“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
lowlands
Shephelah
a 1
and all that
about Him: all that He did in Egypt,
berit
d 6
set out with provisions

10

18

17

Three days after they had made the treaty with
the  Gibeonites,  the  Israelites  learned  that  they
So the Is-
were neighbors, living among them.
raelites  set  out  and  on  the  third  day  arrived  at
their  cities—Gibeon,  Chephirah,  Beeroth,  and
But the Israelites did not attack
Kiriath-jearim.
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
19
against the leaders.

21

20

All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an
oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and
This is how we will
now we cannot touch them.
treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath
will  fall  on  us  because  of  the  oath  we  swore  to
They continued, “Let them live, but let
them.”
them be woodcutters and water carriers for the
whole  congregation.”  So  the  leaders  kept  their
22
promise.

23

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?
Now  therefore  you  are  under  a
curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters
24
and water carriers for the house of my God.”

The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were
told  clearly  that  the  LORD  your  God  had  com-
manded  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,
covenant
That is, the Mediterranean Sea

b 1

c 4

Or

Hebrew

 or

16.

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

Forms of the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

; also in vv. 7, 11, 15,

206    |    Joshua 9:25

25

Now we are
and that is why we have done this.
in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and
26
right to you.”

27

So Joshua did this and delivered them from the
hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the
On that day he made them wood-
Gibeonites.
cutters and water carriers, as they are to this day
for the congregation of the LORD and for the al-
The Day the Sun Stood Still
tar at the place He would choose.

10

 a

Now  Adoni-zedek  king  of  Jerusalem
heard  that  Joshua  had  captured  Ai  and
—doing  to  Ai  and  its
devoted  it  to  destruction
king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and
2
that the people of Gibeon had made peace with
So  Adoni-
Israel  and  were  living  near  them.
zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, be-
cause  Gibeon  was  a  great  city,  like  one  of  the
royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men
3
were mighty.

4

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
“Come  up  and  help  me.  We  will
Eglon,  saying,
attack  Gibeon,  because  they  have  made  peace
5
with Joshua and the Israelites.”

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
6
war against it.

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in
the camp at  Gilgal: “Do not abandon your serv-
ants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because
all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country
7
have joined forces against us.”

So Joshua and his whole army, including all the

8
mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.

The  LORD  said  to  Joshua,  “Do  not  be  afraid  of
them, for I have delivered them into your hand.
9
Not one of them shall stand against you.”

10

After  marching  all  night  from  Gilgal,  Joshua
And the LORD threw
caught them by surprise.
them into confusion before Israel, who defeated
them  in  a  great  slaughter  at  Gibeon,  pursued
them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck
cherem
a 1
As
them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

11

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
12
swords of the Israelites.

On  the  day  that  the  LORD  gave  the  Amorites
over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD
in the presence of Israel:

 b

“O sun, stand still over Gibeon,

13

O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still
c

and the moon stopped

until the nation took vengeance

upon its enemies.

 d

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?

“So the sun stopped
 e

in the middle of the sky

14

and delayed going down
about a full day.”

There has been no day like it before or since,
when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, be-
15
cause the LORD fought for Israel.

Then  Joshua  returned  with  all  Israel  to  the

The Victory at Makkedah
camp at Gilgal.
16

17

Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the
And Joshua was informed:
cave at Makkedah.
“The five kings have been found; they are hiding
18
in the cave at Makkedah.”

19

So  Joshua  said,  “Roll  large  stones  against  the
mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard
But you, do not stop there. Pursue your
them.
enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let
them  reach  their  cities,  for  the  LORD  your  God
20
has delivered them into your hand.”

21

So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict
a terrible slaughter until they had finished them
off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the
The  whole  army  returned
fortified  cities.
safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no
22
one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.

23

Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave
and bring those five kings out to me.”
So they
brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings
of  Jerusalem,  Hebron,  Jarmuth,  Lachish,  and
Eglon.
b 12

triumphed over its ene-

c 13

Forms of the Hebrew

mies
giving them as an offering; also in verses 28, 35, 37, 39, and 40.

the Book of the Upright One

d 13

Jasher

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by

e 13

See Jasher 88:63.

Or

Or

, commonly cited as

See Jasher 88:64.

24

36

Joshua 11:6    |    207

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
25
feet on their necks.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said.
“Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do
26
this to all the enemies you fight.”

 a

27

After  this,  Joshua  struck  down  and  killed  the
 and
kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees
At sunset Joshua
left them there until evening.
ordered that they be taken down from the trees
and thrown into the cave in which they had hid-
den.  Then  large  stones  were  placed  against  the
mouth  of  the  cave,  and  the  stones  are  there  to
28
this day.

On  that  day  Joshua  captured  Makkedah  and
put  it  to  the  sword,  along  with  its  king.  He  de-
voted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving
no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah
Conquest of the Southern Cities
as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29

30

Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on
from  Makkedah  to  Libnah  and  fought  against
And the LORD also delivered that city
Libnah.
and  its  king  into  the  hand  of  Israel,  and  Joshua
put all the people to the sword, leaving no survi-
vors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had
31
done to the king of Jericho.

32

And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on
from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and
And  the  LORD  delivered
fought  against  it.
Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua cap-
tured it on the second day. He put all the people
33
to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.

At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help
Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with
34
his people, leaving no survivors.

35

So  Joshua  moved  on  from  Lachish  to  Eglon,
and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and
That day they captured Eglon
fought against it.
and  put  it  to  the  sword,  and  Joshua  devoted  to
destruction  everyone  in  the  city,  just  as  he  had
a 26
done to Lachish.

impaled their bodies on five poles

Or

the heights of Dor
foothills of Judea

Naphoth-dor
Hebrew

c 2

Shephelah

lowlands
; similarly in verse 27
Naphath-dor

Then  Joshua  and  all  Israel  with  him  went  up
37
from  Eglon  to  Hebron  and  fought  against  it.
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  de-
38
voted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it.

39

Finally  Joshua  and  all  Israel  with  him  turned
And  they
toward  Debir  and  fought  against  it.
captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They
put them to the sword and devoted to  destruc-
tion  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
40
king.

b

So  Joshua  conquered  the  whole  region—the
hill  country,  the  Negev,  the  foothills,
  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,
Joshua  conquered  the  area
had  commanded.
from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole re-
42
gion of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

41

And  because  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,
fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings
Then  Joshua
and  their  land  in  one  campaign.
Conquest of the Northern Cities
returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

43

11

c

2

Now  when  Jabin  king  of  Hazor  heard
about these things, he sent word to Jobab
king  of  Madon;  to  the  kings  of  Shimron  and
to the kings of the north in the moun-
Achshaph;
 d
tains,  in  the Arabah  south  of  Chinnereth, in  the
to
foothills,
the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amo-
rites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill
country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon
4
in the land of Mizpah.

 and in Naphoth-dor

 to the west;

3

5

So these kings came out with all their armies, a
multitude  as  numerous  as  the  sand  on  the  sea-
shore, along with a great number of horses and
All  these  kings  joined  forces  and  en-
chariots.
camped at the waters of Merom to fight against
6
Israel.

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  ham-
string their horses and burn up their chariots.”
in
; that is, the western

Shephelah

lowlands

Hebrew

b 40

d 2

 or

;

 or
 is a variant of

; that is, the western foothills of Judea; also in verse 16

Or

; see Joshua 12:23.

208    |    Joshua 11:7

7

21

8

So  by  the  waters  of  Merom,  Joshua  and  his
whole  army  came  upon  them  suddenly  and  at-
tacked them,
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, leav-
ing  no  survivors.
Joshua  treated  them  as  the
LORD  had  told  him;  he  hamstrung  their  horses
10
and burned up their chariots.

9

11

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  king-
doms.
The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to
the sword, devoting them to destruction.
 Noth-
ing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned
12
down Hazor itself.

a

13

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.
Yet Israel did not burn any of the
cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which
14
Joshua burned.

15

The Israelites took for themselves all the plun-
der and livestock of these cities, but they put all
the  people  to  the  sword  until  they  had  com-
pletely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who
breathed.
As  the  LORD  had  commanded  His
servant  Moses,  so  Moses  commanded  Joshua.
That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone
Joshua Takes the Whole Land
of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
16

17

So Joshua took this entire region: the hill coun-
try, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the west-
ern  foothills,  the  Arabah,  and  the  mountains  of
Israel  and  their  foothills,
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
18
down, putting them to death.

19

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  destruc-
No  Anakim were
tion,  along  with  their  cities.
left  in  the  land  of  the  Israelites;  only  in  Gaza,
23
Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.

22

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 accord-
ing  to  the  allotments  to  their  tribes.  Then  the
The Kings Defeated East of the Jordan
land had rest from war.

12

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, in-
cluding 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 val-
ley, up to the Jabbok River (the border of the
 c
as well
Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead,
 d
as the Arabah east of the Sea of Chinnereth
to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea
), east-
ward  through  Beth-jeshimoth,  and  south-
4
ward below the slopes of Pisgah.

3

e

5

And Og king of Bashan,

 one of the remnant
of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and
He  ruled  over  Mount  Hermon,
Edrei.
Salecah, all of Bashan up to the border of the
Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gil-
ead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6

Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israel-
ites had struck them down and given their land
as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites,
The Kings Defeated West of the Jordan
and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
7

 b

20

Joshua waged war against all these kings for a
long period of time.
No city made peace with
the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon;
all others were taken in battle.
For it was of the
LORD to harden
 their hearts to engage Israel in
battle,  so  that  they  would  be  set  apart  for  de-
struction and would receive no mercy, being an-
cherem
a 11
nihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.

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 Leba-
non to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (ac-
cording to the allotments to the tribes of Israel,
the  hill
Joshua  gave  them  as  an  inheritance
country, the foothills,
 the Arabah, the slopes, the
wilderness,  and  the  Negev—the  lands  of  the
c 3
b 20
And the territory of Og king of Bashan

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or
 or

d 3
by giving them as an offering; also in verses 12, 20, and 21.

Shephelah
That is, the Sea of Galilee

Forms of the Hebrew

strengthen

lowlands

stiffen

e 4

Or

f 8

8

f

That is, the Dead Sea

LXX; Hebrew

that is, the western foothills of Judea

Hebrew

 or

;

Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites,
and Jebusites):

9

the king of Jericho, one;

10
the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;

the king of Jerusalem, one;

11
the king of Hebron, one;

the king of Jarmuth, one;

12
the king of Lachish, one;
the king of Eglon, one;

13
the king of Gezer, one;

the king of Debir, one;

14
the king of Geder, one;

the king of Hormah, one;

15
the king of Arad, one;

the king of Libnah, one;
16
the king of Adullam, one;

the king of Makkedah, one;

17
the king of Bethel, one;

the king of Tappuah, one;

18
the king of Hepher, one;

the king of Aphek, one;
19
the king of Lasharon, one;
the king of Madon, one;

20
the king of Hazor, one;

the king of Shimron-meron, one;

21
the king of Achshaph, one;
the king of Taanach, one;

22
the king of Megiddo, one;
the king of Kedesh, one;

23
the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

a

b

the king of Dor in Naphath-dor,
 one;

24
the king of Goiim in Gilgal,

 one;

and the king of Tirzah, one.

Lands Yet Unconquered  (Judges 1:1–7)
So there were thirty-one kings in all.

13

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
This is the land
land remains to be possessed.
that remains:

2

3

Joshua 13:14    |    209

the territory of Ekron on the north (consid-
ered  to  be  Canaanite  territory)—that  of
the  five  Philistine  rulers  of  Gaza,  Ashdod,
Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of
4
the Avvites;

 c

to the south, all the land of the Canaanites,
 of the Sidonians to Aphek, as

from Mearah
5
far as the border of the Amorites;

 d

the land of the Gebalites;

and  all  Lebanon  to  the  east,  from  Baal-gad
below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.

6

All the inhabitants of the hill country from Leb-
anon 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,
Now  therefore  di-
as  I  have  commanded  you.
vide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes
The Inheritance East of the Jordan
and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
(Numbers 32:1–42 ;  Deuteronomy 3:12–22)

7

8

The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reu-
benites 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

10

The area from Aroer on the rim of the Ar-
non Valley, along with the city in the middle
of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as
far as Dibon,
and all the cities of Sihon king
of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as
11
far as the border of the Ammonites;

also  Gilead  and  the  territory  of  the
Geshurites  and  Maacathites,  all  of  Mount
12
Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah—
the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who
had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had
remained as a remnant of the Rephaim.

13

Moses had struck them down and dispossessed
them,
but  the  Israelites  did  not  drive  out  the
Geshurites  or  the  Maacathites.  So  Geshur  and
14
Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day.

To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given
no inheritance. The food offerings to the LORD,
the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He
had promised them.
Goyim in Galilee

b 23

All the territory of the Philistines and the Ge-
from  the  Shihor  east  of  Egypt  to
shurites,
d 5
Arah

in the heights of Dor

the area of Byblos

Naphath-dor

a 23
c 4

Naphoth-dor

Or

Or

Or

;

 is a variant of

; see Joshua 11:2.

Hebrew; LXX

210    |    Joshua 13:15

Reuben’s Inheritance

15

This is what Moses had given to the clans of the
16

tribe of Reuben:

17

19

20

18

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
to Heshbon and all its cit-
beyond Medeba,
ies on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-
Jahaz,  Kedemoth,
baal,  Beth-baal-meon,
Mephaath,
Kiriathaim,  Sibmah,  Zereth-
Beth-peor,
shahar on the hill in the valley,
21
the  slopes  of  Pisgah,  and  Beth-jeshimoth—
all the cities of the plateau and all the king-
dom  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
22
lived in the land.

23

The  Israelites  also  killed  the  diviner  Ba-
laam son of Beor along with the others they
And  the  border  of  the
put  to  the  sword.
Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan.

This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reu-
Gad’s Inheritance
benites, including the cities and villages.
24

This is what Moses had given to the clans of the
25

tribe of Gad:

The territory of Jazer, all the cities of Gil-
ead,  and  half  the  land  of  the  Ammonites  as
26
far as Aroer, near Rabbah;

the  territory  from  Heshbon  to  Ramath-
mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to
27
the border of Debir;

 a

and  in  the  valley,  Beth-haram,  Beth-nim-
rah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the
kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the terri-
tory on the east side of the Jordan up to the
edge of the Sea of Chinnereth

).

 b

28

This  was  the  inheritance  of  the  clans  of  the

Manasseh’s Eastern Inheritance
Gadites, including the cities and villages.
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

31

Bashan,  including  all  the  towns  of  Jair  that
half  of  Gilead;
are  in  Bashan,  sixty  cities;
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 de-
32
scendants of Machir.

These  were  the  portions  Moses  had  given
them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan,
33
east of Jericho.

To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given
no  inheritance.  The  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,  is
Land Division West of the Jordan
their inheritance, just as He had promised them.

14

2

Now these are the portions that the Isra-
elites 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
Their inheritance was assigned by lot for
Israel.
the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had com-
For  Moses  had  given
manded  through  Moses.
the  inheritance  east  of  the  Jordan  to  the  other
two  and  a  half  tribes.  But  he  granted  no  inher-
4
itance among them to the Levites.

3

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
5
flocks and herds.

So  the  Israelites  did  as  the  LORD  had  com-

Caleb Requests Hebron
manded Moses, and they divided the land.
6

7

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
I was forty years old when Moses
you and me.
the  servant  of  the  LORD  sent  me  from  Kadesh-
barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to
8
him an honest report.

9

Although my brothers who went with me made
the  hearts  of  the  people  melt  with  fear,  I  re-
On that day
mained loyal to the LORD my God.
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.’

The territory from Mahanaim through all
Bashan—all  the  kingdom  of  Og  king  of

Li-debir

a 26
b 27

Lo-debar

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew
That is, the Sea of Galilee

, a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 9:4, 2 Samuel 17:27, and Amos 6:13.

10

11

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,
still as strong today as I was the day
Moses sent me out. As my strength was then, so
12
it is now for war, for going out, and for coming in.

Now  therefore  give  me  this  hill  country  that
the LORD promised me on that day, for you your-
self 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
13
has spoken.”

15

14
and  gave  him  Hebron  as  his

Then  Joshua  blessed  Caleb  son  of  Jephunneh
inheritance.
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.
(Hebron  used  to  be  called  Kir-
iath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the
Anakim.)
Judah’s Inheritance
Then the land had rest from war.

15

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

a

3
b

Their southern border started at the bay on
the southern tip of the Salt Sea,
proceeded
 continued
south of the Ascent of Akrabbim,
on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-
barnea,  ran  past  Hezron  up  to  Addar,  and
curved  toward  Karka.
It  proceeded  to
 d
Azmon, joined the Brook of Egypt, and ended
5
at the Sea.
 southern border.

 This was their

4

c

The eastern border was the Salt Sea as far

as the mouth of the Jordan.

6

7

The northern border started from the bay of
the sea at the mouth of the Jordan,
went up
to  Beth-hoglah,  proceeded  north  of  Beth-
arabah,  and  went  up  to  the  Stone  of  Bohan
son of Reuben.
Then the border went up to
Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north
to  Gilgal,  which  faces  the  Ascent  of  Adum-
mim south of the ravine. It continued along
the  waters  of  En-shemesh  and  came  out  at
En-rogel.
From  there  the  border  went  up
a 2
the Valley of Ben-hinnom along the southern

b 3

8

That is, the Dead Sea; also in verse 5

Or
and he urged her

Joshua 15:21    |    211

9

10

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 north-
ern end of the Valley of Rephaim.
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 to-
ward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
The
border  curled  westward  from  Baalah  to
Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of
Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down
11
to  Beth-shemesh,  and  crossed  to  Timnah.
Then it went out to the northern slope of
Ekron, curved toward Shikkeron, proceeded
to  Mount  Baalah,  went  on  to  Jabneel,  and
12
ended at the Sea.

And the western border was the coastline

of the Great Sea.

These are the boundaries around the clans of the
Caleb’s Portion and Conquest  (Judges 1:8–26)
descendants of Judah.
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,
14
Hebron.  (Arba  was  the  forefather  of  Anak.)
And Caleb drove out from there the three sons
of  Anak—the  descendants  of  Sheshai,  Ahiman,
15
and Talmai, the children of Anak.

16

From  there  he  marched  against  the  inhabit-
ants  of  Debir  (formerly  known  as  Kiriath-
And  Caleb  said,  “To  the  man  who
sepher).
strikes  down  Kiriath-sepher  and  captures  it,  I
So
will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”
Othniel  son  of  Caleb’s  brother  Kenaz  captured
the  city,  and  Caleb  gave  his  daughter  Acsah  to
 e
18
him in marriage.

17

One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him
to ask her father for a field. When she got off her
19
donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

“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
The Cities of Judah
springs.
20

21

Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verses 11, 12, and 47
scripts; other LXX manuscripts

; see Judges 1:14.

LXX; Hebrew

Hebrew and some LXX manu-

the Ascent of Scorpions

This is the inheritance of the clans of the tribe
c 4
These were the southernmost cities
your
That is, the Mediterranean

of Judah.
d 4
 or

Scorpion Pass

e 18

212    |    Joshua 15:22

60

22

24

27

25

Kedesh,  Hazor,  Ithnan,

of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the bor-
der of Edom:
23
Kabzeel,  Eder,  Jagur,
Adadah,
Telem,  Bealoth,
hezron  (that  is,  Hazor),
28
Moladah,
29
pelet,
Baalah,
32
Hormah,

Kinah,  Dimonah,
Ziph,
26
Hazor-hadattah,  Kerioth-
Amam,  Shema,
Hazar-gaddah,  Heshmon,  Beth-
30
Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
31
Iim,  Ezem,
Eltolad,  Chesil,
Ziklag,  Madmannah,  Sansannah,
Lebaoth,  Shilhim,  Ain,  and  Rimmon—
twenty-nine  cities  in  all,  along  with  their
villages.

33

 a

These were in the foothills:

34
35

36

Eshtaol,
Zorah,  Ashnah,
Zanoah,
Jarmuth,
En-gannim,  Tappuah,  Enam,
Shaaraim,
Adullam,  Socoh,  Azekah,
Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim)—
37
fourteen cities, along with their villages.

40
Mizpeh, Joktheel,

39
Zenan,  Hadashah,  Migdal-gad,
Dilan,
41
Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
Gederoth,
Beth-dagon,  Naamah,  and  Makkedah—
42
sixteen cities, along with their villages.

Cabbon,  Lahmas,  Chitlish,

38

43

44

Libnah,  Ether,  Ashan,

Iphtah,  Ashnah,
Keilah,  Achzib,  and  Mareshah—

Nezib,
45
nine cities, along with their villages.

46

47

Ekron, with its towns and villages;

from
Ekron to the sea, all the cities near Ashdod,
Ashdod, with its
along with their villages;
towns and villages; Gaza, with its towns and
villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the
coastline of the Great Sea.

48

49

51

These were in the hill country:

50
Dannah, Kiriath-san-
Anab,  Eshtemoh,
Goshen,  Holon,  and  Giloh—eleven

Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
nah  (that  is,  Debir),
Anim,
52
cities, along with their villages.

53

54

Arab,  Dumah,  Eshan,

Janim,  Beth-
Humtah,  Kiriath-arba
tappuah,  Aphekah,
(that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along
55
with their villages.

56

57

Maon,  Carmel,  Ziph,  Juttah,

Jezreel,
Jokdeam,  Zanoah,
Kain,  Gibeah,  and
59
58
Timnah—ten cities, along with their villages.

Halhul,  Beth-zur,  Gedor,

Maarath,
Beth-anoth,  and  Eltekon—six  cities,  along
lowlands
with their villages.
 or

a 33
Bethel to Luz
Hebrew

Shephelah
c 3

Kiriath-baal  (that  is,  Kiriath-jearim),
and  Rabbah—two  cities,  along  with  their
villages.

61

These were in the wilderness:

62

Beth-arabah,  Middin,  Secacah,
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 descend-
Ephraim’s Inheritance
ants of Judah.

16

 b

2

The allotment for the descendants of Jo-
seph 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.
It went on from Bethel (that
3
is, Luz)
 and proceeded to the border of the Ar-
Then it descended westward
chites in Ataroth.
to the border of the Japhletites as far as the bor-
c
der of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it
4
ended at the Sea.

5

So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph,
received  their  inheritance.
This  was  the  terri-
tory  of  the  descendants  of  Ephraim  by  their
clans:

7

6

The  border  of  their  inheritance  went  from
Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-ho-
and out toward the Sea. From Michme-
ron
thath on the north it turned eastward toward
Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on
From Janoah it went down to Ata-
the east.
roth  and  Naarah,  and  then  reached  Jericho
From Tappuah
and came out at the Jordan.
the  border  went  westward  to  the  Brook  of
Kanah and ended at the Sea.

8

9

This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe
along with all the cities and villages
of Ephraim,
10
set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within
But they did not
the inheritance of Manasseh.
drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So
the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to
Manasseh’s Western Inheritance
this day, but they are forced laborers.

17

Now this was the allotment for the tribe
of  Manasseh  as  Joseph’s  firstborn  son,
namely for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and
from
father of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead

b 2

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

LXX (See also Joshua 18:13); Hebrew

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verses 6 and 8

2
and  Bashan  because  Machir  was  a  man  of  war.
a
So  this  allotment  was  for  the  rest  of  the  de-
scendants  of  Manasseh—the  clans  of  Abiezer,
Helek,  Asriel,  Shechem,  Hepher,  and  Shemida.
These  are  the  other  male  descendants  of  the
3
clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.

4

But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gil-
ead, 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.
They approached Eleazar the priest,
Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The
LORD  commanded  Moses  to  give  us  an  inher-
itance among our brothers.”

5

6

So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their
father’s brothers, in keeping with the command
of the LORD.
Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh,
in  addition  to  the  land  of  Gilead  and  Bashan
beyond  the  Jordan,
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

8

Now  the  border  of  Manasseh  went  from
Asher  to  Michmethath  near  Shechem,  then
southward to include the inhabitants of En-
The  region  of  Tappuah  belonged
tappuah.
to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the bor-
9
der  of  Manasseh,  belonged  to  Ephraim.
From  there  the  border  continued  south-
ward  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
Ephraim’s territory was to the
at the Sea.
south, and Manasseh’s was to the north, hav-
ing the Sea as its border and adjoining Asher
11
on the north and Issachar on the east.

10

b

Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was
assigned  Beth-shean,  Ibleam,  Dor  (that  is,
Naphath),  Endor,  Taanach,  and  Megiddo,
each with their surrounding settlements.

12

13

But the descendants of Manasseh were unable
to  occupy  these  cities,  because  the  Canaanites
However,
were determined to stay in this land.
when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the
Canaanites  to  forced  labor;  but  they  failed  to
14
drive them out completely.

Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why
have you given us only one portion as an inher-
itance? We have many people, because the LORD
a 2 Abiezer
has blessed us abundantly.”
 is a variant of

; see Num. 26:30.

Iezer

b 9

Joshua 18:8    |    213

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 your-
self an area in the land of the Perizzites and the
16
Rephaim.”

“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
17
with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”

18

So  Joshua  said  to  the  house  of  Joseph—to
Ephraim  and  Manasseh—“You  have  many  peo-
ple  and  great  strength.  You  shall  not  have  just
because the hill country will be
one allotment,
yours  as  well.  It is  a  forest;  clear  it,  and  its  far-
thest limits will be yours. Although the Canaan-
ites  have  iron  chariots  and  although  they  are
The Remainder Divided
strong, you can drive them out.”

18

Then  the  whole  congregation  of  Israel
assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent
2
of  Meeting  there.  And  though  the  land  was
there  were  still  seven
subdued  before  them,
tribes  of  Israel  who  had  not  yet  received  their
3
inheritance.

5

So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will
you put off entering and possessing the land that
4
the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
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
and divide the land into seven
will return to me
portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in
the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain
When you have
in their territory in the north.
mapped  out  the  seven  portions  of  land  and
brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in
7
the presence of the LORD our God.

6

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  inher-
itance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave
8
them beyond the Jordan to the east.”

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.”

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in v. 10

214    |    Joshua 18:9

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
10
at the camp in Shiloh.

And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence
of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the
Benjamin’s Inheritance
land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
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

13

On the north side their border began at the
Jordan,  went  up  past  the  northern  slope  of
Jericho, headed west through the hill coun-
try, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-
From there the border crossed over
aven.
to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel)
and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill
14
south of Lower Beth-horon.

On the west side the border curved south-
ward 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.
15
This was the western side.

17

16

On the south side the border began at the
outskirts  of  Kiriath-jearim  and  extended
westward  to  the  spring  at  the  Waters  of
Then it went down to the foot
Nephtoah.
of  the  hill  that  faces  the  Valley  of  Ben-
hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of
Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom
toward  the  southern  slope  of  the  Jebusites
From there it
and downward to En-rogel.
curved  northward  and  proceeded  to  En-
shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent
of  Adummim,  and  continued  down  to  the
Then  it
Stone  of  Bohan  son  of  Reuben.
went  on  to  the  northern  slope  of  Beth-
19
  and  went  down  into  the  valley.
arabah
The  border  continued  to  the  northern
slope  of  Beth-hoglah  and  came  out  at  the
 at the mouth of
northern bay of the Salt Sea,
20
the Jordan. This was the southern border.

18

 a

b

On the east side the border was the Jordan.

These were the borders around the inheritance
21
of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.

These were the cities of the clans of the tribe

of Benjamin:
a 18
d 28
site

slope facing the Arabah

b 19

Gibeath

e 28

LXX; Hebrew

Hebrew

LXX; Hebrew

22

23

24

Jericho,  Beth-hoglah,  Emek-keziz,
Beth-
Avvim,  Parah,
arabah,  Zemaraim,  Bethel,
Chephar-ammoni,  Ophni,  and
Ophrah,
Geba—twelve  cities,  along  with  their  vil-
25
lages.

26

27

Gibeon,  Ramah,  Beeroth,

 c

28
Chephirah, Mozah,

d

Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus

Gibeah,
  and  Kiriath-jearim
ies, along with their villages.

 e

Mizpeh,
Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
 (that is, Jerusalem),
—fourteen  cit-

This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe
Simeon’s Inheritance
of Benjamin.

19

The second lot came out for the clans of
the tribe of Simeon:
2

3

Their inheritance lay within the territory of
and included Beersheba (or Sheba),
Judah
5
4
Hazar-shual,  Balah,  Ezem,
Moladah,
6
Ziklag,  Beth-
Beth-lebaoth, and
marcaboth, Hazar-susah,
Sharuhen—thirteen  cities,  along  with  their
7
villages.

Eltolad,  Bethul,  Hormah,

8

Ain,  Rimmon,  Ether,  and  Ashan—four  cit-
and  all  the
ies,  along  with  their  villages,
villages  surrounding  these  cities  as  far  as
Baalath-beer (Ramah of the Negev).

9

This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe
The  inheritance  of  the  Simeonites
of  Simeon.
was  taken  from  the  territory  of  Judah,  because
the share for Judah’s descendants was too large
for  them.  So  the  Simeonites  received  an  inher-
Zebulun’s Inheritance
itance within Judah’s portion.
10

The third lot came up for the clans of the tribe

of Zebulun:

11

13

12

The border of their inheritance stretched as
far  as  Sarid.
It  went  up  westward  to
Maralah,  reached  Dabbesheth,  and  met  the
From  Sarid  it
brook  east  of  Jokneam.
turned  eastward  along
the  border  of
Chisloth-tabor and went on to Daberath and
From  there  it  crossed
up  to  Japhia.
eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it
extended  to  Rimmon  and  curved  around
Then  the  border  circled
toward  Neah.
around the north side of Neah to Hannathon
It also
and ended at the Valley of Iphtah-el.
the Jebu-

c 28

15

14

Kiriath
That is, the Dead Sea

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew

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
Issachar’s Inheritance
villages.
17

The  fourth  lot  came  out  for  the  clans  of  the
18

tribe of Issachar:

19

22

20

Their

territory
Chesulloth, Shunem,
21
Anaharath,

included
Jezreel,
Hapharaim, Shion,
Rabbith,  Kishion,  Ebez,
Remeth,  En-gannim,  En-haddah,  and
The  border  reached  Tabor,
Beth-pazzez.
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
Asher’s Inheritance
villages.
24

The fifth lot came out for the clans of the tribe
25

of Asher:

26

28

27

Their  territory  included  Helkath,  Hali,
Allammelech, Amad, and
Beten, Achshaph,
Mishal.  On  the  west  the  border  touched
then  turned
Carmel  and  Shihor-libnath,
eastward
touched
toward  Beth-dagon,
Zebulun  and  the  Valley  of  Iphtah-el,  and
a
went north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing
Cabul  on  the  left.
29
Rehob,  Hammon,  and  Kanah,  as  far  as
The  border  then  turned
Greater  Sidon.
back  toward  Ramah  as  far  as  the  fortified
city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came
30
out  at  the  Sea
  in  the  region  of  Achzib,
Ummah,  Aphek,  and  Rehob.  There  were
twenty-two cities, along with their villages.

It  went  on  to  Ebron,

 b

31

This  was  the  inheritance  of  the  clans  of  the
tribe  of  Asher,  including  these  cities  and  their
Naphtali’s Inheritance
villages.
32

The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe
33

of Naphtali:

Their  border  started  at  Heleph  and  the
great  tree  of  Zaanannim,  passing  Adami-
Abdon
west, and the Jordan

a 28
c 34

Joshua 19:51    |    215

34

 c

35

nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum and end-
Then the border turned
ing at the Jordan.
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
The fortified cit-
ies  were  Ziddim,  Zer,  Hammath,  Rakkath,
37
Adamah,  Ramah,  Hazor,
Chinnereth,
Iron, Migdal-el,
Horem,  Beth-anath,  and  Beth-shemesh.
There were nineteen cities, along with their
villages.

Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,

 on the east.
36

38

39

This  was  the  inheritance  of  the  clans  of  the
tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their
Dan’s Inheritance
villages.
40

The seventh lot came out for the clans of the
41

tribe of Dan:

42

43

Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
44
Aijalon,  Ithlah,

The territory of their inheritance included
Shaalabbin,
Elon,  Timnah,  Ekron,
Jehud,
Me-jarkon, and
Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,
Rakkon, including the territory across from
Joppa.

Eltekeh,  Gibbethon,  Baalath,

45

46

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,
48
and renamed it after their father Dan.)

This  was  the  inheritance  of  the  clans  of  the
tribe of Dan, including these cities and their vil-
Joshua’s Inheritance
lages.
49

50

When they had finished distributing the land
into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son
as  the
of  Nun  an  inheritance  among  them,
LORD had commanded. They gave him the city of
 in the hill country of Ephraim, as
Timnath-serah
51
he requested. He rebuilt the city and settled in it.

 d

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.

b 29

Some Hebrew manuscripts
Hebrew; LXX

d 50 Timnath-serah
; see Joshua 21:30.

Timnath-heres

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

 is also known as

; see Judges 2:9.

2

lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Ben-
5
jamin.

216    |    Joshua 20:1

Six Cities of Refuge
(Num. 35:9–34 ;  De. 4:41–43 ;  19:1–14)

20

“Tell the
Then the LORD said to Joshua,
3
Israelites  to  designate  the  cities  of  ref-
so that
uge, as I instructed you through Moses,
anyone  who  kills  another  unintentionally  or
accidentally  may  flee  there.  These  will  be  your
When some-
refuge from the avenger of blood.
one flees to one of these cities, stands at the en-
trance of the city gate, and states his case before
its elders, they are to bring him into the city and
5
give him a place to live among them.

4

6

Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they
must not surrender the manslayer into his hand,
because  that  man  killed  his  neighbor  acci-
He  is  to  stay  in
dentally  without  prior  malice.
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
7
own home in the city from which he fled.”

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
8
the hill country of Judah.

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
9
of Manasseh.

These are the cities appointed for all the Israel-
ites 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
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
prior to standing trial before the assembly.
(Numbers 35:1–8 ;  1 Chronicles 6:54–81)

21

Now the family heads of the Levites ap-
proached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son
2
of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel
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 pas-
3
turelands for our livestock.”

So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites
gave  the  Levites  these  cities  and  their  pas-
turelands 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

The  remaining  descendants  of  Kohath
received  ten  cities  by  lot  from  the  tribes
of  Ephraim,  Dan,  and  the  half-tribe  of
6
Manasseh.

The descendants of Gershon received thir-
teen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar,
Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manas-
7
seh in Bashan.

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
9
LORD had commanded through Moses.

10

From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they des-
to  the  descend-
ignated  these  cities  by  name
ants  of  Aaron  from  the  Kohathite  clans  of  the
Levites, because the first lot fell to them:

11

12

They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Heb-
ron),  with  its  surrounding  pasturelands,  in
the  hill  country  of  Judah.  (Arba  was  the  fa-
But they had given the fields
ther of Anak.)
and villages around the city to Caleb son of
13
Jephunneh as his possession.

14

So to the descendants of Aaron the priest
they  gave  these  cities,  together  with  their
pasturelands:  Hebron,  a  city  of  refuge  for
15
Jattir, Eshtemoa,
the manslayer, Libnah,
Ain,  Juttah,  and  Beth-
shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes,
17
together with their pasturelands.

Holon,  Debir,

16

18

And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave
Anathoth,  and
them  Gibeon,  Geba,
Almon—four  cities,  together  with  their
19
pasturelands.

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:

21

From the tribe of Ephraim
they were given
Shechem  in  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  (a
22
city  of  refuge  for  the  manslayer),  Gezer,
Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities, to-

gether with their pasturelands.

23

24

From  the  tribe  of  Dan  they  were  given
Aijalon,  and  Gath-rim-
Elteke,  Gibbethon,
mon—four  cities,  together  with  their  pas-
25
turelands.

And from the half-tribe of Manasseh they
were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two
26
cities, together with their pasturelands.

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,
28
together with their pasturelands.

29

From  the  tribe  of  Issachar  they  were
Jarmuth,  and
given  Kishion,  Daberath,
En-gannim—four  cities,  together  with  their
30
pasturelands.

31

From  the  tribe  of  Asher  they  were  given
Helkath, and Rehob—four

Mishal, Abdon,
32
cities, together with their pasturelands.

And from the tribe of Naphtali they were
given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for
the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—
33
three cities, together with their pasturelands.

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:

35

From  the  tribe  of  Zebulun  they  were  given
Jokneam,  Kartah,
Dimnah,  and  Nahalal—
36
four cities, together with their pasturelands.

37

From the tribe of Reuben they were given
Kedemoth,  and  Mephaath—
Bezer,  Jahaz,
38
four cities, together with their pasturelands.

39

And from the tribe of Gad they were given
Ramoth  in  Gilead,  a  city  of  refuge  for  the
Heshbon,  and
manslayer,  Mahanaim,
Jazer—four  cities  in  all,  together  with  their
40
pasturelands.

41

In  all,  twelve  cities  were  allotted  to  the
clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.

For  the  Levites,  then,  there  were  forty-eight
cities  in  all,  together  with  their  pasturelands,

Joshua 22:10    |    217

42

Each
within  the  territory  of  the  Israelites.
of  these  cities  had  its  own  surrounding  pas-
43
turelands; this was true for all the cities.

Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had
sworn to give their fathers, and they took posses-
44
sion of it and settled in it.

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
45
LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

Not  one  of  all  the  LORD’s  good  promises  to
the  house  of  Israel  had  failed;  everything  was
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
fulfilled.

22

2

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites,
the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manas-
and told them, “You have done all that Mo-
seh
ses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and
you  have  obeyed  my  voice  in  all  that  I  com-
All this time you have not deserted
manded you.
your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept
4
the charge given you by the LORD your God.

3

5

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
But be very careful to observe the com-
Jordan.
mandment 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  command-
ments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with
6
all your heart and with all your soul.”

7

8

So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their
(To the half-
way, and they went to their homes.
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  broth-
ers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he
saying,  “Return  to  your  homes
blessed  them,
with your great wealth, with immense herds of
livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very
many  clothes.  Divide  with  your  brothers  the
The Altar of Witness
spoil of your enemies.”
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
And
command  of  the  LORD  through  Moses.

10

218    |    Joshua 22:11

 a

 near the Jordan in
when they came to Geliloth
the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing
11
altar there by the Jordan.

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.”
And  when
they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel
13
assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

12

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.
With
him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from
each  tribe  of  Israel,  each  the  head  of  a  family
15
among the clans of Israel.

14

16

They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead
and said to them,
“This is what the whole con-
gregation 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
17
rebel against the LORD this day?

18

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 congre-
gation of the LORD.
And now, would you turn
away from the LORD? If you rebel today against
the  LORD,  tomorrow  He  will  be  angry  with  the
19
whole congregation of Israel.

If  indeed  the  land  of  your  inheritance  is  un-
clean, 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
20
LORD our God.

c
  son  of  Zerah  unfaithful  re-
garding  what  was  set  apart  for  destruction,
bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of
Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished
21
because of his sin!’

Was  not  Achan

”

 b

22

Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-
tribe  of  Manasseh  answered  the  leaders  of  the
“The LORD, the Mighty One, is
clans of Israel:
a 10
God!  The  LORD,  the  Mighty  One,  is  God!  He

to the circle of stones

to the region

c 20

cherem

23

knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in
rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do
If  we  have  built  for  our-
not  spare  us  today.
selves an altar to turn away from Him and to of-
fer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to
sacrifice  peace  offerings  on  it,  may  the  LORD
24
Himself hold us accountable.

But in fact we have done this for fear that in the
future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What
25
have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
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
26
could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

27

That  is  why  we  said,  ‘Let  us  take  action  and
build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt of-
ferings or sacrifices.
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 of-
ferings.’  Then  in  the  future,  your  descendants
cannot  say  to  ours,  ‘You  have  no  share  in  the
28
LORD!’

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 fa-
thers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
29
but as a witness between us and you.’

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
30
stands before His tabernacle.”

31

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
Phinehas  son  of  Eleazar  the  priest
satisfied.
said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Ma-
nasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among
us, because you have not committed this breach
of faith against Him. Consequently, you have de-
32
livered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”

Then  Phinehas  son  of  Eleazar  the  priest,  to-
gether with the other leaders, returned to the Is-
raelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a
report  regarding  the  Reubenites  and Gadites  in
b 20 Achan
The Israelites were satisfied
the land of Gilead.

troubler

Achar

33

Or

 or

; similarly in verse 11

 means

; also called

 in

1 Chronicles 2:7.
destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by

23

34

with the report, and they blessed God and spoke
no more about going to war against them to de-
stroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites
So  the  Reubenites  and  Gadites  named
lived.
the altar Witness, for they said,
 “It is a witness
Joshua’s Charge to Leaders
between us that the LORD is God.”

a

2

A long time after the LORD had given Is-
rael  rest  from  all  the  enemies  around
them,  when  Joshua  was  old  and  well  along  in
he summoned all Israel, including its el-
years,
3
ders, leaders, judges, and officers. “I am old and
“and you have seen
well along in years,” he said,
everything that the LORD your God has done to
all these nations for your sake, because it was the
4
LORD your God who fought for you.

b

5

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.
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
6
you.

7

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
So you are not to associate with these
the left.
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
Instead, you shall hold fast to the LORD
them.
9
your God, as you have done to this day.

8

11

12

10

The  LORD  has  driven  out  great  and  powerful
nations  before  you,  and  to  this  day  no  one  can
One of you can put a thou-
stand against you.
sand to flight, because the LORD your God fights
Therefore watch
for you, just as He promised.
yourselves  carefully,  that  you  love  the  LORD
your God.
For if you turn away and cling to the
rest of these nations that remain among you, and
13
if  you  intermarry  and  associate  with  them,
know for sure that the LORD your God will no
longer  drive  out  these  nations  before  you.  In-
stead,  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
14
the LORD your God has given you.

Now behold, today I am going the way of all the
  c 2
b 4
a 34
earth, and you know with all your heart and soul

named the altar, for

Joshua 24:10    |    219

15

that not one of the good promises the LORD your
God made to you has failed. Everything was ful-
filled for you; not one promise has failed.
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
If you transgress
good land He has given you.
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
Joshua Reviews Israel’s History
perish from this good land He has given you.”

16

24

Then Joshua assembled  all  the  tribes  of
Israel at Shechem. He summoned the el-
ders,  leaders,  judges,  and  officers  of  Israel,  and
2
they presented themselves before God.

 c

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
3
  and
and  Nahor,  lived  beyond  the  Euphrates
But  I  took  your  father
worshiped  other  gods.
Abraham  from  beyond  the  Euphrates  and  led
him through all the land of Canaan, and I multi-
and to
plied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,
Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount
Seir  to  possess,  but  Jacob  and  his  sons  went
5
down to Egypt.

4

d

6

Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the
Egyptians  by  what  I  did  there,  and  afterward  I
When I brought your fathers
brought you out.
out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea,
 the
Egyptians  pursued  them  with  chariots  and
So your fathers
horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness be-
tween  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
8
lived in the wilderness for a long time.

7

9

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  de-
Then  Balak  son  of
stroyed  them  before  you.
Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against
Israel.  He  sent  for  Balaam  son  of  Beor  to  curse
but  I  would  not  listen  to  Balaam.  So  he
you,
blessed you again and again, and I delivered you
the Sea of Reeds
from his hand.

the River

d 6

10

Lit.

That is, the Med. Sea

Heb.

; also in vv. 3, 14, and 15

Or

220    |    Joshua 24:11

11

22

12

After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to
Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you,
as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hit-
tites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I de-
I sent the hornet
livered them into your hand.
ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite
kings before you, but not by your own sword or
So I gave you a land on which you did not
bow.
toil and cities that you did not build, and now you
live  in  them  and  eat  from  vineyards  and  olive
Choose Whom You Will Serve
groves that you did not plant.’
(Deuteronomy 10:12–22)

13

14

15

Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him
in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fa-
thers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt,
But if it is unpleasing in
and serve the LORD.
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
16
will serve the LORD!”

17

The  people  replied,  “Far  be  it  from  us  to  for-
For  the
sake  the  LORD  to  serve  other  gods!
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  trav-
And the LORD drove out before us all the
eled.
nations, including the Amorites who lived in the
land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is
19
our God!”

18

20

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
If  you  forsake  the  LORD  and  serve
your  sins.
foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on
you  and  consume  you,  even  after  He  has  been
21
good to you.”

“No!”  replied  the  people.  “We  will  serve  the

LORD!”

Then  Joshua  told  them,  “You  are  witnesses
against yourselves that you have chosen to serve
the LORD.”
23
“We are witnesses!” they said.

“Now,  therefore,”  he  said,  “get  rid  of  the  for-
eign gods among you and incline your hearts to
24
the LORD, the God of Israel.”

So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the

25
LORD our God and obey His voice.”

 a

26

On  that  day  Joshua  made  a  covenant  for  the
people, and there at Shechem he established for
Joshua recorded
them a statute and ordinance.
these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then
he took a large stone and set it up there under the
27
oak
  that  was  near  the  sanctuary  of  the  LORD.
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
28
deny your God.”

Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his

Joshua’s Death and Burial  (Judges 2:6–9)
own inheritance.
29

30

 b

Some time later, Joshua son of Nun, the servant
And they
of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
buried  him  in  the  land  of  his  inheritance,  at
31
  in  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim,
Timnath-serah
Israel  had  served  the
north  of  Mount  Gaash.
LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the
elders  who  outlived  him  and  who  had  experi-
enced all the works that the LORD had done for
32
Israel.

And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites
had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at She-
chem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased
c
from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a
hundred pieces of silver.
 So it became an inher-
33
itance for Joseph’s descendants.

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.

a 26

terebinth

b 30 Timnath-serah

Timnath-heres

c 32

a hundred kesitahs

Or

 is also known as

; see Judges 2:9.

Hebrew

;

the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.

Judges

The Conquest of Canaan Proceeds
(Joshua 13:1–7)

1

After  the  death  of  Joshua,  the  Israelites  in-
quired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to

2
go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”

“Judah  shall  go  up,”  answered  the  LORD.  “In-
3
deed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”

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 terri-
4
tory.” So the Simeonites went with them.

When  Judah  attacked,  the  LORD  delivered  the
Canaanites  and  Perizzites  into  their  hands,  and
5
they  struck  down  ten  thousand  men  at  Bezek.
And  there  they  found  Adoni-bezek  and  fought
against  him,  striking  down  the  Canaanites  and
6
Perizzites.

7

As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized
him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
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 Je-
The Capture of Jerusalem and Hebron
rusalem, where he died.
(Joshua 15:13–19)

8

9

Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem
and  captured  it.  They  put the  city  to  the  sword
Afterward, the men of Judah
and set it on fire.
marched  down  to  fight  against  the  Canaanites
a
living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the
10
foothills.

Judah  also  marched  against  the  Canaanites
who were living in Hebron (formerly known as
Kiriath-arba),  and  they  struck  down  Sheshai,
11
Ahiman, and Talmai.

12

From  there  they  marched  against  the
inhabitants  of  Debir  (formerly  known  as
lowlands
a 9
And  Caleb  said,  “To  the  man
Kiriath-sepher).
d 17
c 16

Shephelah

cherem
; the western foothills of Judea
e 17 Hormah

Heb.
 or
That is, Jericho

Forms of the Heb.

destroying or by giving as an offering.

13

who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it,
So
I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.”
Othniel  son  of  Caleb’s  younger  brother  Kenaz
captured  the  city,  and  Caleb  gave  his  daughter
 b
14
Acsah to him in marriage.

One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him
to ask her father for a field. When she got off her
15
donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

“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
16
springs.

 c

Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law,
the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from
 to the Wilderness of Judah in
the City of Palms
the  Negev  near  Arad.  They  went  to  live  among
17
the people.

 f

e

d

19

18

 So it was called Hormah.

Then the men of Judah went with their broth-
ers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites liv-
ing in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruc-
And Judah also
tion.
 Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with
captured
its  territory.
The  LORD  was  with  Judah,  and
they took possession of the hill country; but they
could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains
20
because they had chariots of iron.

Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Heb-
ron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of
21
the three sons of Anak.

The  Benjamites,  however,  failed  to  drive  out
the  Jebusites  living  in  Jerusalem.  So  to  this  day
22
the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.

23

24

The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and
They  sent  spies  to
the  LORD  was  with  them.
Bethel (formerly known as Luz),
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,
b 14
and we will treat you kindly.”

and he urged her

destruction

Heb.; LXX and Vulgate

f 18

But Judah did not capture

; see Josh. 15:18.

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by
 means

Heb.; LXX

.

222    |    Judges 1:25

25

26

So the man showed them the entrance to the
city,  and  they  put  the  city  to  the  sword  but  re-
leased that man and all his family.
And the man
went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and
The Failure to Complete the Conquest
called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
27

At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the
inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam,
Megiddo,  and  their  villages;  for  the  Canaanites
When
were determined to dwell in that land.
Israel  became  stronger,  they  pressed  the  Ca-
naanites into forced labor, but they never drove
29
them out completely.

28

Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites
living  in  Gezer;  so  the  Canaanites  continued  to
30
dwell among them in Gezer.

Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of
Kitron  and  Nahalol;  so  the  Canaanites  lived
31
among them and served as forced laborers.

32

Asher  failed  to  drive  out  the  inhabitants
of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and
Rehob.
So  the  Asherites  lived  among  the  Ca-
naanite inhabitants of the land, because they did
33
not drive them out.

Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of
Beth-shemesh  and  Beth-anath.  So  the  Naphta-
lites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants
of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh
34
and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.

35

The  Amorites  forced  the  Danites  into  the  hill
country  and  did  not  allow  them  to  come  down
And  the  Amorites  were  deter-
into  the  plain.
mined  to  dwell  in  Mount  Heres,  Aijalon,  and
Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in
strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced
And  the  border  of  the  Amorites  ex-
labor.
tended from the Ascent of Akrabbim
 to Sela and
Israel Rebuked at Bochim
beyond.

36

 a

 b

2

  of  the LORD went  up  from
Now  the  angel
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
and you are not to
break My covenant with you,
make a covenant with the people of this land, but
you shall tear down their altars.’
3

2

the Ascent of Scorpions

Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this
Scorpion Pass
a 36
So now I tell you that I will not
you have done?
d 9 Timnath-heres
who plundered them

Timnath-serah
leaders

 or
governors

b 1

Or

Or

Angel

f 16
 is also known as

drive  out  these  people  before  you;  they  will  be
thorns  in  your  sides,  and  their  gods  will  be  a
4
snare to you.”

 c

When the angel of the LORD had spoken these
5
words  to  all  the  Israelites,  the  people  lifted  up
So they called that place
their voices and wept.
Bochim
  and  offered  sacrifices  there  to  the
Joshua’s Death and Burial  (Joshua 24:29–33)
LORD.
6

7

After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Isra-
elites  went  out  to  take  possession  of  the  land,
each  to  his  own  inheritance.
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
8
Israel.

9
And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD,
They buried him in the
 in the

died at the age of 110.
land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
(Isaiah 43:22–28 ;  Jeremiah 2:23–37)

 d

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
And the Israelites
that He had done for Israel.
did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the
12
Baals.

11

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
13
down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,
for they forsook Him and served Baal and the

14
Ashtoreths.

e

Then the anger of the LORD burned against Is-
rael,  and  He  delivered  them  into  the  hands  of
those  who  plundered  them.
  He  sold  them  into
the  hands  of  their  enemies  all  around,  whom
they  were  no  longer  able to  resist.
Wherever
Israel  marched  out,  the  hand  of  the  LORD  was
against  them  to  bring  calamity,  just  as  He  had
Judges Raised Up
sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
16

15

f

Then the LORD raised up judges,

 who saved
them  from  the  hands  of  those  who  plundered
them.
; also in verse 4

of plunderers
.

c 5 Bochim

weepers

 means

e 14

Or

 or

; see Joshua 19:50 and Joshua 24:30.
; here and throughout the book of Judges

Literally

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  command-
18
ments; they did not do as their fathers had done.

19

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.
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
20
give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

21

So  the  anger  of  the  LORD  burned  against
Israel,  and  He  said,  “Because  this  nation  has
transgressed the covenant I laid down for their
I will no
fathers and has not heeded My voice,
longer drive out before them any of the nations
In this way I will test
Joshua left when he died.
whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by
23
walking in it as their fathers did.”

22

That is why the LORD had left those nations in
place and had not driven them out immediately
Nations Left to Test Israel
by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.

3

3

2

These are the nations that the LORD left to
test  all  the  Israelites  who  had  not  known
any  of  the  wars  in  Canaan,
if  only  to  teach
warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel,
especially  to  those  who  had  not  known  it  for-
the five rulers of the Philistines, all the
merly:
Canaanites,  the  Sidonians,  and  the  Hivites  who
lived  in  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  from  Mount
4
Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to
find out whether they would keep the command-
5
ments  of  the  LORD,  which  He  had  given  their
Thus the Israelites con-
fathers through Moses.
tinued  to  live  among  the  Canaanites,  Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
And
they took the daughters of these people in mar-
riage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and
Othniel
served their gods.
7

6

Judges 3:21    |    223

8

Then  the
served  the  Baals  and  the  Asherahs.
anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He
sold  them  into  the  hand  of  Cushan-rishathaim
king  of  Aram-naharaim,
  and  the  Israelites
9
served him eight years.

a

10

But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD,
He  raised  up  Othniel  son  of  Caleb’s  younger
The
brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
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
11
against him.

So the land had rest for forty years, until Oth-

Ehud
niel son of Kenaz died.
12

13

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
After  enlisting  the  Ammo-
sight  of  the  LORD.
nites  and  Amalekites  to  join  forces  with  him,
Eglon  attacked  and  defeated  Israel,  taking  pos-
14
session of the City of Palms.
15

b

The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eight-
And  again  they  cried  out  to  the
een  years.
LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-
handed  Benjamite,  as  their  deliverer.  So  they
16
sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

c
Now  Ehud  had  made  for  himself  a  double-
 He strapped it to his
edged sword a cubit long.
and  brought  the
right  thigh  under  his  cloak
tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese
18
man.

17

19

After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute,
But
he ushered out those who had carried it.
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
20
him.

Then Ehud approached him while he was sit-
ting alone in the coolness of his upper  room. “I
have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and
21
the king rose from his seat.

So  the  Israelites  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the
a 8
LORD;  they  forgot  the  LORD  their  God  and

Aram-naharaim

Aram of the two rivers

That is, Mesopotamia;

b 13
 means

And  Ehud  reached  with  his  left  hand,  pulled
the  sword  from  his  right  thigh,  and  plunged  it
c 16 A cubit
, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih

Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.

That is, Jericho

 is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.

224    |    Judges 3:22

22

Even  the  handle  sank  in
into  Eglon’s  belly.
after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it,
so  that  Ehud  did not withdraw  the  sword  from
Then
his  belly.  And  Eglon’s  bowels  emptied.
Ehud  went  out  through  the  porch,  closing  and
24
locking the doors of the upper room behind him.

23

25

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,”
So  they  waited  until  they  became
they  said.
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
26
lying dead on the floor.

Ehud,  however,  had  escaped  while  the  serv-
ants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped
27
to Seirah.

On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn
throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Isra-
28
elites came down with him from the hills, and he
“Follow  me,”  he  told
became  their  leader.
them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies
the Moabites into your hand.”

29

So they followed him down and seized the fords
of the Jordan leading to Moab, and they did not
At that time they
allow anyone to cross over.
struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all ro-
30
bust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.

So  Moab  was  subdued  under  the  hand  of
Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty
Shamgar
years.
31

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he
too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Phil-
Deborah and Barak
istines with an oxgoad.

4

2

After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil
in the sight of the LORD.
So the LORD sold
them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who
reigned  in  Hazor.  The  commander  of  his  forces
3
was  Sisera,  who  lived  in  Harosheth-hagoyim.
Then  the  Israelites  cried  out  to  the  LORD,  be-
cause  Jabin  had  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron,
and he had harshly oppressed the Israelites for
4
twenty years.

5

Now  Deborah,  a  prophetess,  the  wife  of
And
Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
a 11
she  would  sit  under  the  Palm  of  Deborah

brother-in-law

Or

between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of
Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her
6
for judgment.

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
And  I
thousand  men  of  Naphtali  and  Zebulun.
will  draw  out  Sisera  the  commander  of  Jabin’s
army,  his  chariots,  and  his  troops  to  the  River
8
Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’

”

7

Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will
9
go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

“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
where  he
and  went  with  Barak  to  Kedesh,
summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand
men followed him, and Deborah also went with
11
him.

10

 a

Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from
the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-
 of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the
in-law
12
great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.

13

When  Sisera  was  told  that  Barak  son  of
he  sum-
Abinoam had  gone up  Mount  Tabor,
moned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and
all  the  men  with  him,  from  Harosheth-hagoyim
14
to the River Kishon.

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?”

15

So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten
And  in  front  of
thousand  men  following  him.
him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all
his  charioteers,  and  all  his  army.  Sisera  aban-
16
doned his chariot and fled on foot.

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
Jael Kills Sisera
left.
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
Jael went out to
the house of Heber the Kenite.
greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord.

18

Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he entered
19
her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

until I, Deborah, arose,
8
a mother in Israel.

Judges 5:18    |    225

Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water
to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a con-
tainer of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him
20
again.

“Stand  at  the  entrance  to  the  tent,”  he  said,
“and  if  anyone  comes  and  asks  you,  ‘Is  there  a
21
man here?’ say, ‘No.’

”

But  as  he  lay  sleeping  from  exhaustion,
Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a ham-
mer,  and  went  silently  to  Sisera.  She  drove  the
peg through his temple and into the ground, and
22
he died.

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,
23
with a tent peg through his temple.

24

On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan
And the hand of the Isra-
before the Israelites.
elites  grew  stronger  and  stronger  against  Jabin
The Song of Deborah and Barak  (Ex. 15:1–21)
king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

5

2

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abi-
noam sang this song:

“When the princes take the lead in Israel,

3

when the people volunteer,
bless the LORD.

Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes!

I will sing to the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD,

4

the God of Israel.

O LORD, when You went out from Seir,
when You marched from the land

of Edom,

When they chose new gods,

then war came to their gates.
Not a shield or spear was found
9

among forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with the princes of Israel,

10

with the volunteers among the people.
Bless the LORD!

You who ride white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and you who travel the road,

11

 a

ponder

the voices of the singers

at the watering places.

There they shall recount the righteous acts of

 b

the LORD,

the righteous deeds of His villagers

in Israel.

12

Then the people of the LORD
went down to the gates:
‘Awake, awake, O Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Arise, O Barak,

13

and take hold of your captives, O son

of Abinoam!’

Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the people of the LORD came down to me

14

against the mighty.

Some came from Ephraim, with their roots

in Amalek;

Benjamin came with your people

after you.

The commanders came down from Machir,

15

the bearers of the marshal’s staff

from Zebulun.

The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,

and Issachar was with Barak,
rushing into the valley at his heels.

c

the earth trembled, the heavens poured

5

out rain,

16

In the clans of Reuben

there was great indecision.

and the clouds poured down water.
The mountains quaked before the LORD,

Why did you sit among the sheepfolds
to hear the whistling for the flocks?

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

7

In the clans of Reuben

17

there was great indecision.

Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.

Dan, why did you linger by the ships?

18

Asher stayed at the coast

and remained in his harbors.

and the travelers took the byways.

Zebulun was a people who risked their lives;

a 11

archers

Life in the villages ceased;
it ended in Israel,
 or
Or

those who divide the sheep

b 11

warriors

c 15

Naphtali, too, on the heights of the

much searching of heart
battlefield.

Or

Or

; also in verse 16

226    |    Judges 5:19

19

Kings came and fought;

then the kings of Canaan fought at

Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo,

20

but they took no plunder of silver.

From the heavens the stars fought;

21

from their courses they fought against

Sisera.

The River Kishon swept them away,

the ancient river, the River Kishon.

22

March on, O my soul, in strength!

23

Then the hooves of horses thundered—
the mad galloping of his stallions.
‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD.

‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants;

24

for they did not come to help the LORD,
to help the LORD against the mighty.’

Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought him

25

26

curds.

She reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workman’s

hammer.

27

She struck Sisera and crushed his skull;

she shattered and pierced his temple.

At her feet he collapsed, he fell,

there he lay still;

at her feet he collapsed, he fell;

28

where he collapsed, there he fell dead.

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

29

chariots?’
Her wisest ladies answer;

30

indeed she keeps telling herself,

‘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
b 11

Angel
worship
shine like the sun at its brightest.”
terebinth

a 10
c 11

great tree
Or

Midian Oppresses Israel
And the land had rest for forty years.

6

2

Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the
LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of
and the hand of Midian
Midian for seven years,
prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midian-
ites,  the  Israelites  prepared  shelters  for  them-
3
selves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

4

Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the
Midianites,  Amalekites,  and  other  people  of  the
encamp-
east would come up and invade them,
ing  against  them  as  far  as  Gaza  and  destroying
the produce of the land. They left Israel with no
5
sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys.
For  the  Midianites  came  with  their  livestock
and  their  tents  like  a  great  swarm  of  locusts.
They  and  their  camels  were  innumerable,  and
6
they entered the land to ravage it.

Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and

7
the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
8

9

Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD
He sent them a prophet, who
because of Midian,
told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Is-
rael, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of
I delivered you out of the
the house of slavery.
hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove
10
them  out  before  you  and  gave  you  their  land.
And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You
 the gods of the Amorites, in whose

must not fear
The Call of Gideon
land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”
11

 a

 b

 c
Then  the  angel
  of  the  LORD  came  and  sat
 in Ophrah that belonged to
down under the oak
Joash  the  Abiezrite,  where  his  son  Gideon  was
threshing  wheat  in  a  winepress  to  hide  it  from
And the angel of the LORD ap-
the Midianites.
peared  to  Gideon  and  said,  “The  LORD  is  with
13
you, O mighty man of valor.”

12

“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
14
and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

 d

The LORD

 turned to him and said, “Go in the
strength you have and save Israel from the hand
of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
The Angel of the LORD

d 14

The angel of the LORD

Or
Or

; also in verses 12, 20, 21, and 22; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.

 or

; also in verse 19

LXX

 or

; also in verse 16

Judges 6:39    |    227

15

“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I
save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Ma-
nasseh,  and  I  am  the  youngest  in  my  father’s
16
house.”

“Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied,
“and  you  will  strike  down  all  the  Midianites  as
17
one man.”

of the city, he did it by night rather than in the
28
daytime.

When the men of the city got up in the morn-
ing,  there  was  Baal’s  altar  torn  down,  with  the
Asherah pole cut down beside it and the second
“Who
bull offered up on the newly built altar.
did this?” they said to one another.

29

18

Gideon  answered,  “If  I  have  found  favor  in
Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking
with me.
Please do not depart from this place
until  I  return  to  You.  Let  me  bring  my  offering
and set it before You.”
19
And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”

a

So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat
and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour.
 He
placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot
and  brought them  out  to present  to  Him  under
20
the oak.

And  the  angel  of  God  said  to  him,  “Take  the
meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this
21
rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.

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
22
vanished from his sight.

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of
the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen
23
the angel of the LORD face to face!”

But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you.

24
Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”

b

So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and
 To this day it stands

called it The LORD Is Peace.
Gideon Destroys Baal’s Altar
in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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
26
Baal,  and  cut  down  the  Asherah  pole  beside  it.
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
27
second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”

So  Gideon  took  ten  of  his  servants  and  did
as  the  LORD  had  told  him.  But  because  he  was
a 19 An ephah
too afraid of his father’s household and the men
b 24

c 32 Jerubbaal

And after they had investigated thoroughly, they
30
were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”

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
31
beside it.”

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 con-
tend for himself with the one who has torn down
c
32
his altar.”

So  on  that  day  Gideon  was  called  Jerubbaal,
that  is  to  say,  “Let  Baal  contend  with  him,”
The Sign of the Fleece
because he had torn down Baal’s altar.
33

Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other
people  of  the  east  gathered  together,  crossed
over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jez-
34
reel.

So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon,
35
who  blew  the  ram’s  horn  and  rallied  the  Abi-
Calling  them  to  arms,
ezrites  behind  him.
Gideon  sent  messengers  throughout  Manasseh,
as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that
36
they came up to meet him.

37

Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to
then
save Israel by my hand, as You have said,
behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the thresh-
ing 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
38
said.”

And  that  is  what  happened.  When  Gideon
arose  the  next  morning, he  squeezed  the  fleece
39
and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

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.”

YHWH Shalom
 is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 25.5 pounds or 11.6 kilograms of flour).

let Baal contend

Hebrew

 probably means

.

228    |    Judges 6:40

40

12

7

And that night God did so. Only the fleece was

Gideon’s Army of Three Hundred
dry, and dew covered the ground.

 a

 (that is, Gid-
Early in the morning Jerubbaal
eon)  and  all the  men  with  him  camped  be-
side the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian
was  north  of  them  in  the valley  near  the  hill  of
2
Moreh.

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Gideon,  “You  have  too
many  men  for  Me  to  deliver  Midian  into  their
hands,  lest  Israel  glorify  themselves  over  Me,
saying,  ‘My  own  hand  has  saved  me.’
Now,
therefore,  proclaim  in  the  hearing  of  the  men:
‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back
and leave Mount Gilead.’
”

3

So  twenty-two  thousand  of  them  turned  back,
4
but ten thousand remained.

Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still
too many men. 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,
5
‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

6

So Gideon brought the men 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.”
And the number of
those who lapped the water with their hands to
their mouths was three hundred men; all the oth-
7
ers knelt to drink.

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.
8
But all the others are to go home.”

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 Sword of Gideon
the valley.
9

13

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
And as
countless as the sand on the seashore.
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
14
that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

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
Gideon Defeats Midian
into his hand.”
15

16

When  Gideon  heard  the  dream  and  its  inter-
pretation, 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
And he divided the three hundred men
hand.”
into three companies and gave each man a ram’s
horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, con-
17
taining a torch.

b

18

“Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon said. “When
I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as
When I and all who are with me blow our
I do.
horns, then you are also to blow your horns from
all  around  the  camp  and  shout,  ‘For  the  LORD
19
and for Gideon!’

”

20

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
The three companies
that were in their hands.
blew their horns and shattered their jars. Hold-
ing the torches in their left hands and the horns
in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for
21
the LORD and for Gideon!”

22

11

10

Each  Israelite  took  his  position  around  the
camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying
And when the three hundred
out as they ran.
That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and
rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in
go down against the camp, for I have delivered it
the camp against one another with their swords.
into your hand.
But if you are afraid to do so,
 as
The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah
then go down to the camp with your servant Pu-
23
far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
rah
and  listen  to  what  they  are  saying.  Then
Then  the  men  of  Israel  were  called  out  from
your  hands  will  be  strengthened  to  attack  the
Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pur-
camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the
sued the Midianites.
outposts  where  armed  men  were  guarding  the
let Baal contend
a 1 Jerubbaal
camp.
rams’ horns and empty jars—large jars with torches inside—into the hand of all

and put

Zeredah

Gideon

b 16

c 22

 c

 is another name for

 and probably means

; see Judges 6:32.

Literally

Some Hebrew manuscripts

24

25

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  cap-
tured  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  as  far  as  Beth-
They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the
barah.
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
Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna
side of the Jordan.

8

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 Mid-
2
ian?” And they contended with him violently.

3

But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I
accomplished  compared  to  you?  Are  not  the
gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape har-
God  has  delivered  Oreb  and
vest  of  Abiezer?
Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand.
What was I able to do compared to you?” When
  against  him  sub-
he  had  said  this,  their  anger
4
sided.

 a

5

Then Gideon and his three hundred men came
to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in
So Gideon said to the men of Succoth,
pursuit.
“Please give my troops some bread, for they are
exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zal-
6
munna, the kings of Midian.”

But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands
of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your posses-
7
sion, that we should give bread to your army?”

“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
8
of the wilderness!”

 b

From  there  he  went  up  to  Penuel

  and  asked
the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave
So
the  same  response  as  the  men  of  Succoth.
Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in
10
triumph, I will tear down this tower!”

9

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  swords-
And  Gideon  went  up
men  had  already  fallen.
Peniel
b 8 Penuel
a 3
by  way  of  the  caravan  route  east  of  Nobah  and

their spirit

11

Judges 8:25    |    229

12

Jogbehah,  and  he  attacked  their  army,  taking
When Zebah and Zalmunna
them by surprise.
fled,  Gideon  pursued  and  captured  these  two
13
kings of Midian, routing their entire army.

14

After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from
There he
the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
captured  a  young  man  of  Succoth  and  interro-
gated him. The young man wrote down for him
the  names  of  the  seventy-seven  leaders  and  el-
15
ders of Succoth.

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,
16
”
that we should give bread to your weary men?’
Then he took the elders of the city, and using
the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disci-
He  also  pulled
plined  the  men  of  Succoth.
down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of
18
the city.

17

Next,  Gideon  asked  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,

“What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one resem-
19
bling the son of a king.”

“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the
sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives,
20
if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

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
21
youth.

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
Gideon’s Ephod
from the necks of their camels.
22

Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over
us—you  and  your  son  and  grandson—for  you
23
have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

But  Gideon  replied,  “I  will  not  rule  over  you,
24
nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”

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
25
because they were Ishmaelites.)

“We will give them gladly,” they replied.

Or

 is a variant of

; also in verses 9 and 17; see Genesis 32:30.

230    |    Judges 8:26

26

4

a

So  they  spread  out  a  garment,  and  each  man
threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
The
weight of the gold earrings he had requested was
1,700 shekels,
 in addition to the crescent orna-
ments, the pendants, the purple garments of the
kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of
27
their camels.

From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he
placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Is-
rael  prostituted  themselves  by  worshiping  it
there,  and  it  became  a  snare  to  Gideon  and  his
Forty Years of Peace
household.
28

 e

5

follow  Abimelech,  for  they  said,  “He  is  our
So  they  gave  him  seventy  shekels  of
brother.”
silver
  from  the  temple  of  Baal-berith,  with
which  Abimelech  hired  some  worthless  and
reckless  men  to  follow  him.
He  went  to  his
father’s house in Ophrah, and on one stone mur-
dered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal.
But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, sur-
6
vived, because he hid himself.

 f
Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo
 at the pillar in Shechem

gathered beside the oak
Jotham’s Parable
and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
7

29

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,
  son  of  Joash—
c
30
returned home and settled down.

and  he—Jerubbaal

 b

31

Gideon had seventy sons of his own,

 since he
had many wives.
His concubine, who dwelt in
Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him
Gideon’s Death
Abimelech.
32

Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age
and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in
33
Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites
turned  and  prostituted  themselves  with  the
34
Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.

The  Israelites  failed  to  remember  the  LORD
their  God  who  had  delivered  them  from  the
hands of all their enemies on every side.
They
did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal
(that  is,  Gideon)  for  all  the  good  things  he  had
Abimelech’s Conspiracy
done for Israel.

35

 d

  went  to
Now  Abimelech  son  of  Jerubbaal
2
his  mother’s  brothers  at  Shechem  and  said
“Please
to them and to all the clan of his mother,
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
3
your own flesh and blood.”

And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these
words about him in the presence of all the lead-
a 26 1,700 shekels
ers  of  Shechem,  their  hearts  were  inclined  to

let Baal contend

9

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,
8

and may God listen to you.

One day the trees set out

to anoint a king for themselves.

They said to the olive tree,

9

‘Reign over us.’

But the olive tree replied,

‘Should I stop giving my oil
that honors both God and man,
to hold sway over the trees?’

10

11

Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘Come and reign over us.’

But the fig tree replied,

‘Should I stop giving my sweetness

and my good fruit,

to hold sway over the trees?’

Then the trees said to the grapevine,

‘Come and reign over us.’

But the grapevine replied,

‘Should I stop giving my wine

that cheers both God and man,

to hold sway over the trees?’

12

13

14

15

Finally all the trees said to the thornbush,

‘Come and reign over us.’

But the thornbush replied,

‘If you really are anointing me as king over

you,

come and find refuge in my shade.

c 30

But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush

b 29 Jerubbaal
and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
who came from his own loins
 is another name for
great tree

terebinth

Gideon

Hebrew
f 6

 and proba-
 is

d 1 Jerubbaal

bly means
e 4 70 shekels
another name for

 is approximately 42.7 pounds or 19.4 kilograms.
Gideon

let Baal contend
; also in verse 35; see Judges 6:32.

 and probably means

; here and throughout this chapter; see Judges 6:32.

 is approximately 1.76 pounds or 797.8 grams of silver.

Or

 or

Judges 9:44    |    231

The Fall of Shechem

30

 d

32

When Zebul the governor of the city heard the
 c
31
words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.
So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech
to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers
have come to Shechem and are stirring up
 the
city  against  you.
Now  then,  tonight  you  and
the people with you are to come and lie in wait in
the fields.
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
34
you are able.”

33

So  Abimelech  and  all  his  troops  set  out  by
night  and  lay  in  wait  against  Shechem  in  four
35
companies.

Now  Gaal son  of Ebed went  out  and  stood  at
the  entrance  of  the  city  gate  just  as  Abimelech
36
and his men came out from their hiding places.

When  Gaal  saw  the  people,  he  said  to  Zebul,
“Look, people are coming down from the moun-
tains!”

But  Zebul  replied,  “The  shadows  of  the  moun-
37
tains look like men to you.”

e

f

Then  Gaal  spoke  up  again,  “Look,  people  are
coming  down  from  the  center  of  the  land,
  and
one company is coming by way of the Diviners’
38
Oak.

”

“Where  is  your  gloating  now?”  Zebul  replied.
“You  said,  ‘Who  is  Abimelech  that  we  should
serve  him?’  Are  these  not  the  people  you  ridi-
39
culed? Go out now and fight them!”

40

So  Gaal  went  out  before  the  leaders  of
but
Shechem  and  fought  against  Abimelech,
Abimelech  pursued  him,  and  Gaal  fled  before
him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the
way  to  the  entrance  of  the  gate.
Abimelech
stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his
42
brothers out of Shechem.

41

43

The next day the people of Shechem went out
into  the  fields,  and  this  was  reported  to
Abimelech.
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,
44
he rose up against them and attacked them.

16

18

Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly
in making Abimelech king, if you have done well
17
by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done
to him as he deserves—
for my father fought
for you and risked his life to deliver you from the
hand of Midian,
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—
if you have acted faithfully and hon-
estly  toward  Jerubbaal  and  his  house  this  day,
20
then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.

19

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
21
and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and
Gaal Conspires with the Shechemites
he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
22

23

 a

God sent a spirit of animosity

After  Abimelech  had  reigned  over  Israel  for
three years,
 be-
tween  Abimelech  and  the  leaders  of  Shechem
24
and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
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
25
him murder his brothers.

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
26
this was reported to Abimelech.

Meanwhile,  Gaal  son  of  Ebed  came  with  his
brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the lead-
27
ers  of  Shechem  put  their  confidence  in  him.
And  after  they  had  gone  out  into  the  fields,
gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trod-
den them, they held a festival and went into the
house  of  their  god;  and  as  they  ate  and  drank,
28
they cursed Abimelech.

29

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?
If only this people were under my
authority,  I  would  remove  Abimelech;  I  would
b 29
a 23
say to him, ‘Muster your army and come out!’
”
out!”   c 31
he sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah
Or
navel of the earth

LXX; Hebrew
the Diviners’ Terebinth

a harmful spirit

f 37

 b

I would remove Abimelech.” And he said to him, “Muster your army and come

Then Abimelech and the companies with him
rushed  forward  and  took  their  stand  at  the  en-
trance of the city gate. The other two companies
the

closing up

besieging

d 31

e 37

the diviners’ tree

Or

; see verse 41.

Or

 or

Literally

Or

 or

232    |    Judges 9:45

45

rushed  against  all  who  were  in  the  fields  and
struck them down.
And all that day Abimelech
fought  against  the  city  until  he  had  captured  it
and killed its people. Then he demolished the city
46
and sowed it with salt.

a

47

On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower
of  Shechem  entered  the  inner  chamber  of  the
And when Abimelech was
temple of El-berith.
48
told that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem
were gathered there,
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,
49
“Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”

So each man also cut his own branch and fol-
lowed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches
against the inner chamber and set it on fire above
them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem,
Abimelech’s Punishment
about a thousand men and women.
50

51

Then  Abimelech  went  to  Thebez,  encamped
against  it,  and  captured  it.
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
52
the tower.

53

When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he
approached  its  entrance  to  set  it  on  fire.
But
a  woman  dropped  an  upper  millstone  on
He
Abimelech’s  head,  crushing  his  skull.
quickly  called  his  armor-bearer,  saying,  “Draw
your  sword  and  kill  me,  lest  they  say  of  me,  ‘A
woman killed him.’

54

”

55

So  Abimelech’s  armor-bearer  ran  his  sword
through him, and he died.
And when the Isra-
elites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went
56
home.

57

In  this  way  God  repaid  the  wickedness  that
Abimelech  had  done  to  his  father  in  murdering
And God also brought all
his seventy brothers.
the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon
their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Je-
Tola
rubbaal came upon them.

10

After the time of Abimelech, a man of Is-
sachar,  Tola  son  of  Puah,  the  son
of  Dodo,  rose  up  to  save  Israel.  He  lived  in
Baal-berith
a 46 El-berith
Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
c 4
 was another name for

the villages of Jair

d 12

; see verse 4.
Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

Or

2

 b

Tola  judged

  Israel  twenty-three  years,  and

Jair
when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
3

4

Tola  was  followed  by  Jair  the  Gileadite,  who
He  had  thirty
judged  Israel  twenty-two  years.
sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had
thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this
5
day are called Havvoth-jair.
Oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites

When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

c

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 for-
7
sook the LORD and did not serve Him.

8

So  the  anger  of  the  LORD  burned  against
Israel,  and  He  sold  them  into  the  hands  of
who  that  very
the  Philistines  and  Ammonites,
year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and
they did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites
on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land
9
of the Amorites.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight
against  Judah,  Benjamin,  and  the  house  of
10
Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.

Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, say-
ing, “We have sinned against You, for we have in-
11
deed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”

12

 d

13

The  LORD  replied,  “When  the  Egyptians,
Sidonians,
Amorites,  Ammonites,  Philistines,
  oppressed  you  and
Amalekites,  and  Maonites
you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their
But you have forsaken Me and served
hands?
Go and
other gods, so I will no longer save you.
cry  out  to  the  gods  you  have  chosen.  Let  them
15
save you in your time of trouble.”

14

16

“We  have  sinned,”  the  Israelites  said  to  the
LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please de-
So  they  put  away  the  foreign
liver  us  today!”
gods  from  among  them  and  served  the  LORD,
17
and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

Then the Ammonites were called to arms and
18
camped  in  Gilead,  and  the  Israelites  assembled
and camped at Mizpah.
And the rulers of Gil-
ead  said  to  one  another,  “Whoever  will  launch
the  attack  against  the  Ammonites  will  be  the
led
b 2
head of all who live in Gilead.”
Midianites
Or

; here and throughout Judges

governed

 or

Jephthah Delivers Israel

17

Judges 11:29    |    233

11

2

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty
man of valor; he was the son of a prosti-
tute,  and  Gilead  was  his  father.
And  Gilead’s
wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah
out,  and  said  to  him,  “You  shall  have  no  inher-
itance in our father’s house, because you are the
3
son of another woman.”

So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled
in  the  land  of  Tob,  where  worthless  men  gath-
4
ered around him and traveled with him.

5

6

Some  time  later,  when  the  Ammonites  fought
against Israel
and made war with them, the el-
ders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land
of Tob.
“Come,” they said, “be our commander,
7
so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”

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,
8
when you are in distress?”

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
9
who live in Gilead.”

But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back
to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them
10
to me, will I really be your leader?”

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The
11
LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”

So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and
the  people  made  him  their  leader  and  com-
mander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in
12
the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of
the  Ammonites,  saying,  “What  do  you  have
against  me  that  you  have  come  to  fight  against
13
my land?”

The  king  of  the  Ammonites  answered  Jeph-
thah’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, there-
14
fore, restore it peaceably.”

15

Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of
the Ammonites
to tell him, “This is what Jeph-
thah  says:  Israel  did  not  take  away  the  land  of
But  when  Israel
Moab  or  of  the  Ammonites.
came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the
the Sea of Reeds
a 16
 and came to Kadesh.
wilderness to the Red Sea

16

 a

Or

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
18
would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

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
19
Arnon was its border.

20

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
But Sihon would not trust Is-
our own place.’
rael to pass through his territory. So he gathered
all  his  people,  encamped  in  Jahaz,  and  fought
21
with Israel.

22

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
seizing  all  the  land  from  the  Arnon
country,
to  the  Jabbok  and  from  the  wilderness  to  the
23
Jordan.

24

Now  since  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,  has
driven  out  the  Amorites  from  before  His
Do
people  Israel,  should  you  now  possess  it?
you  not  possess  whatever  your  god  Chemosh
grants  you?  So  also,  we  possess  whatever  the
Are you now so
LORD our God has granted us.
much  better  than  Balak  son  of  Zippor,  king  of
Moab?  Did  he  ever  contend  with  Israel  or  fight
26
against them?

25

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
I
you  not  take  them  back  during  that  time?
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 Isra-
28
elites and the Ammonites.”

27

But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to

Jephthah’s Tragic Vow
the message Jephthah sent him.
29

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jeph-
thah, and he passed through Gilead and Manas-
seh,  then  through  Mizpah  of  Gilead.  And  from
there he advanced against the Ammonites.

234    |    Judges 11:30

30

31

Jephthah  made  this  vow  to  the  LORD:  “If  in-
deed  You  will  deliver  the  Ammonites  into  my
hand,
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
32
will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

33

So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to
fight against them, and the LORD delivered them
into his hand.
With a great blow he devastated
twenty  cities  from  Aroer  to  the  vicinity  of  Min-
nith, as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites
34
were subdued before the Israelites.

And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah,
there was his daughter coming out to meet him
with tambourines and dancing! She was his only
35
child; he had no son or daughter besides her.

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
36
LORD and cannot take it back.”

37

“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.”
She  also  said  to  her  father,  “Let
me  do  this  one  thing:  Let  me  wander  for  two
months through the mountains with my friends
38
and mourn my virginity.”

“Go,”  he  said.  And  he  sent  her  away  for  two

months.

39

So she left with her friends and mourned her vir-
ginity upon the mountains.
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.

40

So it has become a custom in Israel
that each
year the young women of Israel go out for four
days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gil-
Jephthah Defeats Ephraim
eadite.

12

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?
2
We will burn your house down with you inside!”

But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a se-
rious  conflict  with  the  Ammonites,  and  when  I
3
called,  you  did  not  save  me  out  of  their  hands.
b 3
a 7
When I saw that you would not save me, I risked

in his city in Gilead

Angel

my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and
the  LORD  delivered  them  into  my  hand.  Why
4
then have you come today to fight against me?”

Jephthah  then  gathered  all  the  men  of  Gilead
and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gil-
ead struck them down because the Ephraimites
had  said,  “You  Gileadites  are
in
Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and
5
Manasseh.”

fugitives

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 Ephraim-
ite?”

6

If he answered, “No,”
Shibboleth.”

they told him, “Please say

If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pro-
nounce  it  correctly,  they  seized  him  and  killed
him  at  the  fords  of  the  Jordan.  So  at  that  time
7
42,000 Ephraimites were killed.

a
Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
8

9

After  Jephthah,  Ibzan  of  Bethlehem  judged  Is-
He had thirty sons, as well as thirty daugh-
rael.
ters  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.
Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in
11
Bethlehem.
12

10

After Ibzan, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel
ten years.
Then Elon the Zebulunite died, and
13
he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

14

15

After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon,
judged  Israel.
He  had  forty  sons  and  thirty
grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he
judged  Israel  eight  years.
Then  Abdon  son  of
Hillel, from Pirathon, died, and he was buried at
Pirathon  in  Ephraim,  in  the  hill  country  of  the
The Birth of Samson  (Numbers 6:1–21)
Amalekites.

13

Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of
the LORD, so He delivered them into the

2
hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Now  there  was  a  man  from  Zorah  named
Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife
 of
was barren and had no children.
the  LORD  appeared  to  the  woman  and  said  to

The angel

3

 b

LXX

Or

; here and throughout chapter 13; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.

4

her, “It is true that you are barren and have no
children; but you will conceive and give birth to
Now please be careful not to drink wine
a son.
5
or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to
 a
a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because
 to God from the womb,
the boy will be a Nazirite
and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from
6
the hand of the Philistines.”

7

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.
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
8
his death.’

”

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
9
be born.”

10

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.
The  woman  ran  quickly  to
tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to
11
me the other day has reappeared!”

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?”
12
“I am,” he said.

Then Manoah asked, “When your words come
to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mis-
13
sion?”

14

So  the  angel  of  the  LORD  answered  Manoah,
“Your wife is to do everything I told her.
She
must not eat anything that comes from the vine,
nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat any-
thing  unclean.  She  must  do  everything  I  have
15
commanded her.”

“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of
the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for
16
you.”

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.
a 5

set apart       b 25 Mahaneh-dan

camp of Dan

Or

 means

.

Judges 14:5    |    235

17

Then  Manoah  said  to  the  angel  of  the  LORD,
“What is your name, so that we may honor you
18
when your word comes to pass?”

“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of

19
the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”

Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain of-
fering and offered them on a rock to the LORD.
20
And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD
When  the  flame  went
did  a  marvelous  thing.
up  from  the  altar  to  the  sky,  the  angel  of  the
LORD ascended in the flame.

21

When  Manoah  and  his  wife  saw  this,  they  fell
And when the angel
facedown to the ground.
of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and
his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the an-
22
gel of the LORD.

“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for

23
we have seen God!”

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
24
spoken to us this way.”

25

So the woman gave birth to a son and named
him  Samson.  The  boy  grew,  and  the  LORD
And the Spirit of the LORD began
blessed him.
to stir him at Mahaneh-dan,
 between Zorah and
Samson’s Marriage
Eshtaol.

b

14

2

One day Samson went down to Timnah,
where he saw a young Philistine woman.
So he returned and told his father and mother,
“I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Tim-
3
nah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

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?”

4

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for
(Now his father and
she is pleasing to my eyes.”
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
5
ruling over Israel.)

Then Samson went down to Timnah with his fa-
ther  and  mother  and  came  to  the  vineyards  of
Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at

236    |    Judges 14:6

6

7

and  the  Spirit  of  the  LORD  came  power-
him,
fully 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
Then Samson continued on his way down
done.
and spoke to the woman, because she was pleas-
Samson’s Riddle
ing to his eyes.
8

9

When Samson returned later to take her, he left
the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a
So  he
swarm  of  bees,  along  with  their  honey.
scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as
he went along. And when he returned to his fa-
ther and mother, he gave some to them and they
ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken
10
the honey from the lion’s carcass.

11

Then his father went to visit the woman, and
Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary
a
And when the Philistines
for the bridegroom.
saw him,
 they selected thirty men to accompany
12
him.

13

“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
But  if  you  cannot
and  thirty  sets  of  clothes.
solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments
and thirty sets of clothes.”
14
“Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”

So he said to them:

“Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something

sweet.”

15

 b

So on the fourth

For  three  days  they  were  unable  to  explain  the
riddle.
 day they said to Sam-
son’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
16
us?”

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
17
to you?”

pressed  him  so  much,  he  told  her  the  answer.
And  in  turn  she  explained  the  riddle  to  her
18
people.

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:

19

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,

you would not have solved my riddle!”

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
and his wife was given to one of
father’s house,
Samson’s Revenge
the men who had accompanied him.

20

15

Later  on,  at  the  time  of  the  wheat  har-
vest, 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
2
enter.

“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
3
beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”

Samson said to them, “This time I will be blame-

4
less in doing harm to the Philistines.”

5

Then  Samson  went  out  and  caught  three  hun-
dred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes
tail-to-tail,  and  fastened  a  torch  between  each
pair of tails.
Then he lit the torches and released
the  foxes  into  the  standing  grain  of  the  Philis-
tines, burning up the piles of grain and the stand-
ing  grain,  as  well  as  the  vineyards  and  olive
6
groves.

“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
7
her father to death.

8

And Samson told them, “Because you have done
this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance
b 15
upon you.”
 with

And he struck them ruthlessly

seventh

 c

She  wept  the  whole  seven  days  of  the  feast,
a 11
and finally on the seventh day, because she had
c 8

when the bride’s parents saw him
he struck them hip and thigh

when they saw him

Or

Literally

; literally

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

a  great  slaughter,  and  then  went  down  and
9
stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.

a
Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah,

10
and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi.

“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
11
to us.”

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 Phil-
istines rule over us? What have you done to us?”

“I  have  done  to  them  what  they  did  to  me,”  he
12
replied.

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
13
kill me yourselves.”

“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
14
and led him up from the rock.

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
He found the fresh
broke loose from his hands.
jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and
Then
took it, and struck down a thousand men.
Samson said:

15

16

b

“With the jawbone of a donkey
I have piled them into heaps.

17

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have slain a thousand men.”

And  when  Samson  had  finished  speaking,  he
c
cast  the  jawbone  from  his  hand;  and  he  named
18
that place Ramath-lehi.

And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the
LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliv-
erance through Your servant. Must I now die of
thirst  and  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  uncircum-
19
cised?”

Judges 16:11    |    237

d

why he named it En-hakkore,
20
Lehi to this day.

 and it remains in

And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in

Samson Escapes Gaza
the days of the Philistines.

16

2
night with her.

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he
saw a prostitute and went in to spend the

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
3
dawn; then we will kill him.”

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
Samson and Delilah
Hebron.
4

5

Some  time  later,  Samson  fell  in  love  with  a
woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was
Delilah.
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
6
silver.

”

e

So  Delilah  said  to  Samson,  “Please  tell  me  the
source of your great strength and how you can be
7
tied up and subdued.”

Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven
fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will
8
become as weak as any other man.”

9

So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven
fresh  bowstrings  that  had  not  been  dried,  and
While the men were
she tied him up with them.
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
10
strength remained unknown.

Then  Delilah  said  to  Samson,  “You  have
mocked  me  and lied  to me!  Now  please  tell  me
11
how you can be tied up.”

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
a 9
d 19 En-hakkore
Literally

the spring of him who calls

and spread out in Lehi

b 16

Or

e 5 1,100 shekels

I have made them into donkeys

He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes
the hill of the jawbone

c 17 Ramath-lehi

 means

.

 is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kg of silver.

 means

.

238    |    Judges 16:12

that have never been used, I will become as weak
12
as any other man.”

free.” But he did not know that the LORD had de-
21
parted from him.

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
13
threads.

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
14
pin, I will become as weak as any other man.

”

a

b

So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids
  Then
of  his  hair  and  wove  them  into  the  web.
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
Delilah Learns the Secret
pin with the loom and the web.
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
16
me the source of your great strength!”

Finally,  after  she  had  pressed  him  daily  with
17
her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,
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 be-
18
come as weak as any other man.”

When Delilah realized that he had revealed to
her all that was in his heart, she  sent  this mes-
sage  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,
19
bringing the money in their hands.

And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she
called a man to shave off the seven braids of his
20
 and
head. In this way she began to subdue him,
Then  she  called  out,
his  strength  left  him.
“Samson, the Philistines are here!”

c

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
22
grind grain in the prison.

However,  the  hair  of  his  head  began  to  grow

Samson’s Vengeance and Death
back after it had been shaved.
23

Now  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  gathered  to-
gether  to  offer  a  great  sacrifice  to  their  god
Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has de-
24
livered Samson our enemy into our hands.”

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
26
they stationed him between the pillars.

Samson said to the servant who held his hand,
“Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting
27
the temple, so I can lean against them.”

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
28
the roof watching Samson entertain them.

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
29
eyes.”

And  Samson  reached  out  for  the  two  central
pillars  supporting  the  temple.  Bracing  himself
against  them  with  his  right  hand  on  one  pillar
Samson  said,
and  his  left  hand  on  the  other,
“Let me die with the Philistines.”

30

Then he pushed with all his might, and the tem-
ple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in
his death he killed more than he had killed in his
31
life.

When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought,
“I  will  escape  as  I  did  before  and  shake  myself
a 13
b 14
wove them into the web.

See LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include
c 19
See LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family
came  down,  carried  him  back,  and  buried  him

and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.
So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and

he began to grow weak

between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his fa-
ther  Manoah.  And  he  had  judged  Israel  twenty
Micah’s Idolatry
years.

Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be
good  to  me,  because  a  Levite  has  become  my
The Danites Settle in Laish
priest.”

Judges 18:13    |    239

17

2
Now  a  man  named  Micah  from  the  hill
said to his mother,
country of Ephraim
 that were
“The eleven hundred shekels of silver
taken from you and about which I heard you ut-
ter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took
it.”

 a

Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the
3
LORD!”

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 ben-
efit, to make a graven image and a molten idol.
4
Therefore I will now return it to you.”
 b

So he returned the silver to his mother, and she
took  two  hundred  shekels  of  silver
  and  gave
them  to  a  silversmith,  who  made  them  into  a
graven image and a molten idol. And they were
5
placed in the house of Micah.

 c

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made
an  ephod  and  some  household  idols,  and  or-
dained
In  those
  one  of  his  sons  as  his  priest.
days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel;  everyone  did
7
what was right in his own eyes.

6

8

And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem
in Judah who had been residing within the clan
This man left the city of Bethlehem in
of Judah.
Judah to settle where he could find a place. And
as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the
9
hill country of Ephraim.

“Where are you from?” Micah asked him.

“I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he re-
plied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I
10
can find a place.”

 d

“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my
father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels
 per year, a suit of clothes, and your pro-
of silver
visions.”

11

and agreed to stay with
So the Levite went in
him,  and  the  young  man  became  like  a  son  to
12
Micah.

13

a 2 1,100 shekels
became his priest and lived in his house.
c 5

Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man
Then
e 12 Mahaneh-dan

18

2

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
So the Danites sent out five men
tribes of Israel.
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.

3

The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and
came to the house of Micah, where they spent the
And while they were near Micah’s house,
night.
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
4
are you here?”

“Micah  has  done  this  and  that  for  me,”  he  re-

5
plied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to
determine  whether  we  will  have  a  successful
6
journey.”

And  the  priest  told  them,  “Go  in  peace.  The

7
LORD is watching over your journey.”

So  the  five  men  departed  and  came  to  Laish,
where  they  saw  that  the  people  were  living
securely, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspect-
ing. There was nothing lacking in the land and no
oppressive  ruler.  And  they  were  far  away  from
8
the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol,
9
their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

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
10
to  go  there  and  take  possession  of  the  land!
When  you  enter,  you  will  come  to  an  unsus-
pecting people and a spacious land, for God has
delivered  it  into  your  hand.  It  is  a  place  where
11
nothing on earth is lacking.”

12

So  six  hundred  Danites  departed  from  Zorah
They
and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah.
 e
That  is  why  the  place  west  of  Kiriath-jearim  is
called  Mahaneh-dan
And  from

b 4 200 shekels
  to  this  day.
d 10 10 shekels

13

 is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver; also in verse 3.

camp of Dan

mately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.
mately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.

Hebrew

; also in verse 12

 means

.

 is approxi-

 is approxi-

filled the hand of

240    |    Judges 18:14

26

there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim
The Danites Take Micah’s Idols
and came to Micah’s house.
14

So the Danites went on their way, and Micah
turned  to  go  back  home,  because  he  saw  that
27
they were too strong for him.

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
15
idol? Now think about what you should do.”

So  they  turned  aside  there  and  went  to  the
home  of  the  young  Levite,  the  house  of  Micah,
16
and greeted him.

The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance
17
of  the  gate,  armed  with  their  weapons  of  war.
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
18
with the six hundred armed men.

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,
19
“What are you doing?”

“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
20
family in Israel?”

21

So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the
household idols, and the graven image, and went
Putting  their  small  children,
with  the  people.
their livestock, and their possessions in front of
22
them, they turned and departed.

23

After  they  were  some  distance  from  Micah’s
house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house
When
mobilized  and  overtook  the  Danites.
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  com-
24
pany?”

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
25
you?’

”

The  Danites  said  to  him,  “Do  not  raise  your
voice  against  us,  or  angry  men  will  attack  you,
a 30
and you and your family will lose your lives.”
b 2

became angry with him

28

After  they  had  taken  Micah’s  idols  and  his
priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsus-
pecting people, and they struck them with their
There was
swords and burned down the city.
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.
29
And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan,
who was born to Israel—though the city was for-
30
merly named Laish.

a

The  Danites  set  up  idols  for  themselves,  and
Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses,
 and
his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the
31
day of the captivity of the land.

So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven
image, and it was there the whole time the house
The Crime of the Benjamites
of God was in Shiloh.
(Genesis 19:1–11)

19

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
But she
a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
was unfaithful to him
 and left him to return to
her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah.

2

3

 b

her hus-
After she had been there four months,
band 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
4
father’s house, and when her father saw him, he
His  father-in-law,  the
gladly  welcomed  him.
girl’s  father,  persuaded  him  to  stay,  so  he  re-
mained  with  him  three  days,  eating,  drinking,
5
and lodging there.

6

On the fourth day, they got up early in the morn-
ing and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father
said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a
So they
morsel of bread, and then you can go.”
sat down and the two of them ate and drank to-
gether.  Then  the  girl’s  father  said  to  the  man,
“Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart
The  man  got  up  to  depart,  but  his
be  merry.”
father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there
that night.

the son of Manasseh

7

Some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts and Vulgate; other Hebrew and LXX manuscripts

LXX

8

9

On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning
to  depart,  but  the  girl’s  father  said,  “Please  re-
fresh your heart.” So they waited until late after-
When  the  man
noon  and  the  two  of  them  ate.
got up to depart with his concubine and his serv-
ant,  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
10
your journey home.”

11

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
When  they  were
donkeys  and  his  concubine.
near  Jebus  and  the  day  was  almost  gone,  the
servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at
12
this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”

But his master replied, “We will not turn aside
to the city of foreigners, where there are no Isra-
He continued,
elites. We will go on to Gibeah.”
“Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to
14
spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”

13

So  they  continued  on  their  journey,  and  the
15
sun  set  as  they  neared  Gibeah  in  Benjamin.
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
16
night.

17

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
When he looked up and saw
work in the field.
the traveler in the city square, the old man asked,
“Where are you going, and where have you come
18
from?”

 a

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
19
 but no one has taken me into his home,
LORD;
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
20
nothing that we, your servants, lack.”

“Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me sup-
ply everything you need. Only do not spend the
night in the square.”
So he brought him to his
a 18

I am going to my home

21

LXX

; see verse 29.

Judges 20:3    |    241

house  and  fed  his  donkeys.  And  they  washed
22
their feet and ate and drank.

While  they  were  enjoying  themselves,  sud-
denly 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  rela-
23
tions with him!”

24

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.
Look, let me bring
Do not commit this outrage.
out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine,
and you can use them and do with them as you
25
wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”

But the men would not listen to him. So the Le-
vite took his concubine and sent her outside to
them,  and  they  raped  her  and  abused  her
26
throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
Early that morning, the woman went back to
the  house  where  her  master  was  staying,  col-
lapsed at the doorway, and lay there until it was
27
light.

28

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
“Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.” But
threshold.
there was no response. So the man put her on his
29
donkey and set out for home.

When  he  reached  his  house,  he  picked  up  a
knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by
30
limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout
And everyone who saw
the territory of Israel.
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 coun-
The Decree of the Assembly
sel, and speak up!”

20

2

Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beer-
sheba and from the land of Gilead came
out, and the congregation assembled as one man
The  leaders  of  all
before  the  LORD  at  Mizpah.
the people and all the tribes of Israel presented
themselves  in  the  assembly  of  God’s  people:
3
400,000  men  on  foot,  armed  with  swords.
(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Isra-
elites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites
asked,  “Tell  us,  how  did  this  wicked  thing
happen?”

242    |    Judges 20:4

4

6

5

So  the  Levite,  the  husband  of  the  murdered
woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to
Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
And dur-
ing 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
Then  I  took  my  concubine,  cut  her  into
died.
pieces,  and  sent  her  throughout  the  land  of  Is-
rael’s inheritance, because they had committed a
Behold,  all
lewd  and  disgraceful  act  in  Israel.
you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here
8
and now.”

7

9

10

Then all the people stood as one man and said,
“Not  one  of  us  will  return  to  his  tent  or  to  his
Now this is what we will do to Gibeah:
house.
We will
We will go against it as the lot dictates.
take ten men out of every hundred from all the
tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thou-
sand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand,
to supply provisions for the army when they go
to  Gibeah
  in  Benjamin  to  punish  them  for  the
11
atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

 a

12

13

So all the men of Israel gathered as one man,
And the tribes of Israel
united against the city.
sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, say-
ing, “What is this wickedness that has occurred
Hand  over  the  wicked  men  of
among  you?
Gibeah  so  we  can  put  them  to  death  and  purge
Israel of this evil.”

14
But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of
their  fellow  Israelites.
And  from  their  cities
15
they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight
On  that  day  the  Benja-
against  the  Israelites.
mites  mobilized  26,000  swordsmen  from  their
16
cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
Among all these soldiers there were 700 select
left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at
17
a hair without missing.

The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized
400,000  swordsmen,  each  one  an  experienced
Civil War against Benjamin
warrior.
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?”
19
“Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.

20

The  next  morning  the  Israelites  set  out  and
And  the  men  of  Israel
charged from their positions in Maareh-geba

a 10
camped  near  Gibeah.

Geba

went out to fight against Benjamin and took up
21
their battle positions at Gibeah.

And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut
down  22,000  Israelites  on  the  battlefield  that
22
day.

23

But the Israelite army took courage and again
took  their  battle  positions  in  the  same  place
where they had arrayed themselves on the first
They went up and wept before the LORD
day.
until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again
draw  near  for  battle  against  our  brothers  the
Benjamites?”
24
And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

25

On  the  second  day  the  Israelites  advanced
That  same  day  the
against  the  Benjamites.
Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah
and  cut  down  another  18,000  Israelites,  all  of
26
them armed with swords.

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
27
burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
And  the  Israelites  inquired  of  the  LORD.  (In
those  days  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  God  was
and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of
there,
Aaron,  served  before  it.)  The  Israelites  asked,
“Should  we  again  go  out  to  battle  against  our
brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?”

28

The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will
29
deliver them into your hand.”
30

31

So  Israel  set  up  an  ambush  around  Gibeah.
On the third day the Israelites went up against
the  Benjamites  and  arrayed  themselves  against
The  Benja-
Gibeah  as  they  had  done  before.
mites  came  out  against  them  and  were  drawn
away from the city. They began to attack the peo-
ple as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in
the fields and on the roads, one of which led up
32
to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

“We  are  defeating  them  as  before,”  said  the

Benjamites.

But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw
33
them away from the city onto the roads.”

So all the men of Israel got up from their places
and  arrayed  themselves  at  Baal-tamar,  and  the
34
Israelites  in  ambush  charged  from  their  posi-
Gibeah      b 33
tions west of Gibeah.
Then 10,000 select men
charged from their positions into the open space of Geba

b

One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts

, a variant of

Some LXX manuscripts and

Vulgate; Hebrew

 or

35

from  all  Israel  made  a  frontal  assault  against
Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benja-
mites  did  not  realize  that  disaster  was  upon
The  LORD  defeated  Benjamin  in  the
them.
presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites
36
slaughtered  25,100  Benjamites,  all  armed  with
Then the Benjamites realized they had
swords.
been defeated.

37

Now the men of Israel had retreated before Ben-
jamin because they were relying on the ambush
they  had  set  against  Gibeah.
The  men  in  am-
bush  rushed  suddenly  against  Gibeah;  they  ad-
38
vanced and put the whole city to the sword.

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,
the men of Israel
would turn in the battle.

39

40

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.”
But when the column of smoke began
to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked be-
hind  them  and  saw  the  whole  city  going  up  in
41
smoke.

Then the men of Israel turned back on them,
and  the  men  of  Benjamin  were  terrified  when
42
they realized that disaster had come upon them.
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
They surrounded the Benjamites,
down there.
pursued  them,  and  easily  overtook  them  in  the
And 18,000 Ben-
vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
45
jamites fell, all men of valor.

44

43

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 over-
took  them  at  Gidom  and  struck  down  2,000
46
more.

47

48

That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all
But 600 men turned and fled into
men of valor.
the  wilderness  to  the  rock  of  Rimmon,  where
And the men of Israel
they stayed four months.
turned  back  against  the  other  Benjamites  and
put to the sword all the cities, including the ani-
mals  and  everything  else  they  found.  And  they
burned down all the cities in their path.
cherem
a 11

Judges 21:15    |    243

Wives for the Benjamites

21

Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath
at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give

2
his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

3

So the people came to Bethel and sat there be-
fore God until evening, lifting up their voices and
weeping bitterly.
“Why, O LORD God of Israel,”
they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? To-
4
day in Israel one tribe is missing!”

5

The  next  day  the  people  got  up  early,  built  an
altar  there,  and  presented  burnt  offerings  and
The  Israelites  asked,  “Who
peace  offerings.
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
6
to death.

7

And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the
Benjamites,  and  said,  “Today  a  tribe  is  cut  off
What should we do about wives for
from Israel.
the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD
8
not to give them our daughters in marriage?”

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
For  when  the
to  the  camp  for  the  assembly.
people  were  counted,  none  of  the  residents  of
10
Jabesh-gilead were there.

9

So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most
valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put
11
to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, includ-
 a
This is what you are
ing women and children.
to do: Devote to destruction
 every male, as well
as  every  female  who  has  had  relations  with  a
12
man.”

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
13
Canaan.

14

Then the whole congregation sent a message
of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock
And at that time the Benjamites re-
of Rimmon.
turned  and  were  given  the  women  who  were
spared  from  Jabesh-gilead.  But  there  were  not
15
enough women for all of them.

The people grieved for Benjamin, because the

LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

Forms of the Hebrew
by giving them as an offering.

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or

244    |    Judges 21:16

16

17

Then  the  elders  of  the  congregation  said,
“What should we do about wives for those who
remain, since the women of Benjamin have been
They added, “There must be heirs
destroyed?”
18
for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of
But  we  cannot
Israel  will  not  be  wiped  out.
give them our daughters as wives.”

For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who
19
gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

“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,
20
and south of Lebonah.”

21

So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide
and watch. When you see the
in the vineyards
daughters  of  Shiloh  come  out  to  perform  their

dances,  each  of  you  is  to  come  out  of  the  vine-
yards,  catch  for  himself  a  wife  from  the  daugh-
22
ters  of  Shiloh,  and  go  to  the  land  of  Benjamin.
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
23
them your daughters, you have no guilt.’

”

24

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.
And at that time, each of the Israelites
returned  from  there  to  his  own  tribe  and  clan,
25
each to his own inheritance.

In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel;

everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Ruth

Naomi Becomes a Widow
(1 Timothy 5:3–16)

1

2

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,
The man’s
went to reside in the land of Moab.
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
3
settled there.

4

Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she
was left with her two sons,
who took Moabite
women as their wives, one named Orpah and the
other named Ruth.
5
And after they had lived in Moab about ten years,
both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi
was  left  without  her  two  sons  and  without  her
Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi
husband.
6

7

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
Accompanied  by  her
leave  the  land  of  Moab.
two  daughters-in-law,  she  left  the  place  where
she had been living and set out on the road lead-
8
ing back to the land of Judah.

a

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law,
“Go  back,  each  of  you  to  your  mother’s  home.
9
 as you
May the LORD show you loving devotion,
have  shown  to  your  dead  and  to  me.
May  the
LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home
of your new husband.”

10

and
And  she  kissed  them  as  they  wept  aloud
said, “Surely we will return with you to your peo-
11
ple.”

But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daugh-
ters. Why would you go with me? Are there still
12
sons  in  my  womb  to  become  your  husbands?
Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too
chesed
a 8
love

kindness

13

old  to  have  another  husband.  Even  if  I  thought
there was hope for me to have a husband tonight
would you wait for them to
and to bear sons,
grow  up?  Would  you  refrain  from  having  hus-
bands? No, my daughters, it is much more bitter
for  me  than  for  you,  because  the  hand  of  the
14
LORD has gone out against me.”

Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her

15
mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

“Look,”  said  Naomi,  “your  sister-in-law  has
gone back to her people and her gods; follow her
16
back home.”

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,

17

and your God will be my God.

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
The Return to Bethlehem
go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
19

So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to
Bethlehem.  When  they  entered  Bethlehem,  the
whole  town  was  stirred  because  of  them,  and
the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be
20
Naomi?”

b

c

 d

21

 because the Almighty

“Do not call me Naomi,

” she replied. “Call me
 has dealt quite bit-
Mara,
I went away full, but the LORD
terly with me.
has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi?
After all, the LORD has testified against me, and
the Almighty has afflicted me.”

loving devotion

Forms of the Hebrew
pleasant
b 20 Naomi
range of meaning includes

 means

.

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
c 20 Mara
, and
,
Hebrew

faithfulness
d 20

; also in verse 21

,
 means

, as well as

bitter
,

Shaddai

mercy

.

loyalty to a covenant

; the

.

246    |    Ruth 1:22

22

12

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
Boaz Meets Ruth
barley harvest.

May  the  LORD  repay  your  work,  and
before.
may  you  receive  a  rich  reward  from  the  LORD,
the  God  of  Israel,  under  whose  wings  you  have
13
taken refuge.”

2

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s
side,  a  prominent  man  of  noble  character
from  the  clan  of  Elimelech,  whose  name  was
2
Boaz.

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.”
3
“Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.

So  Ruth  departed  and  went  out  into  the  field
and  gleaned  after  the  harvesters.  And  she  hap-
pened to come to the part of the field belonging
4
to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said

to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.”
5
“The LORD bless you,” they replied.

And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters,

6
“Whose young woman is this?”

The  foreman  answered,  “She  is  the  Moabitess
7
who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
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
8
shelter.”

9

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
Let your eyes be on the field they
servant girls.
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
10
drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

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
11
me, even though I am a foreigner?”

“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find fa-
vor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spo-
ken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not
14
like one of your servant girls.”

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
15
was satisfied and had some left over.

16

When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his
young  men,  “Even  if  she  gathers  among  the
sheaves, do not insult her.
Rather, pull out for
her some stalks from the bundles and leave them
17
for her to gather. Do not rebuke her.”

a

18

So Ruth gathered grain in the field until even-
ing.  And  when  she  beat  out  what  she  had
gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.
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
19
from her meal and gave it to Naomi.

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 to-
20
day is Boaz,” she said.

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May
he  be  blessed  by  the  LORD,  who  has  not  with-
drawn His kindness from the living or the dead.”
Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He
21
is one of our kinsman-redeemers.

”

b

Then  Ruth  the  Moabitess  said,  “He  also  told
me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have fin-
22
ished gathering all my harvest.’

”

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
23
in another field.”

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.

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 fa-
ther and mother and the land of your birth, and
a 17 An ephah
how  you  came  to  a  people  you  did  not  know
b 20

kinsman-redeemer

guardian-redeemer

The Hebrew word for

 is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 29 pounds or 13.2 kilograms of barley).
 is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or

 or

vindicates a relative; see Leviticus 25:25–55.

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

14

Ruth 4:5    |    247

3

3

One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to
her, “My daughter, should I not seek a rest-
2
ing place for you, that it may be well with you?
Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you
have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, to-
night  he  is  winnowing  barley  on  the  threshing
Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume,
floor.
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 drink-
When he lies down, note the place where he
ing.
lies.  Then  go  in  and  uncover  his  feet,  and  lie
down, and he will explain to you what you should
5
do.”
6

4

“I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.
So she went down to the threshing floor and did
everything her mother-in-law had instructed her
7
to do.

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 se-
8
cretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

At  midnight,  Boaz  was  startled,  turned  over,

9
and there lying at his feet was a woman!

So she lay down at his feet until morning, but
she  got  up  before  anyone  else  could  recognize
her.

15

Then  Boaz  said,  “Do  not  let  it  be  known  that  a
And  he
woman  came  to  the  threshing  floor.”
told  her,  “Bring  the  shawl  you  are  wearing  and
 d
hold  it  out.”  When  she  did  so,  he  poured  in  six
 and placed it on her. Then
measures of barley
16
he went

 into the city.

 e

When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Na-

omi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”
17
Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her.
And she said, “He gave me these six measures
of  barley,  for  he  said,  ‘Do  not  go  back  to  your
18
mother-in-law empty-handed.’

”

“Wait,  my  daughter,”  said  Naomi,  “until  you
find out how things go, for he will not rest unless
Boaz Redeems Ruth
he has resolved the matter today.”

4

 f

Meanwhile,  Boaz  went  to  the  gate  and  sat
 of
down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer
whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said,
“Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he
2
went over and sat down.

“Who are you?” he asked.
 a

Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and

3
said, “Sit here,” and they did so.

“I  am  your  servant  Ruth,”  she  replied.  “Spread
the corner of your garment
 over me, for you are
10
a kinsman-redeemer.

”

b

11

12

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.
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
Yes,  it  is  true  that  I  am  a
noble  character.
13
kinsman-redeemer,  but  there  is  a  redeemer
nearer  than  I.
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 re-
deem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now
lie here until morning.”
a 9
Spread your wing
kinsman-redeemer

wing

c

guardian-redeemer
; the word for

Or

4

And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi,
who has returned from the land of Moab, is sell-
ing the piece of land that belonged to our brother
I  thought  I  should  inform  you  that
Elimelech.
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
 will not redeem it, tell me so I may know,
you
because there is no one but you to redeem it, and
I am next after you.”
5
“I will redeem it,” he replied.

 g

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.”

b 9

corner of a garment

 or

c 12

 can also mean

The Hebrew word for
 is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; similarly in
Possibly six seahs (two ephahs), or
guard-

; see Ruth 2:12.

kinsman-redeemer

d 15

e 15

f 1

verses 12 and 13; see Leviticus 25:25–55.
approximately 39.6 dry quarts or 43.8 liters (about 58 pounds or 26.3 kilograms of barley)
ian-redeemer
scripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac

That is, more closely related

The Hebrew word for

she went

g 4

Most Hebrew manu-

he

 or

 is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; also in verses 3, 6, 8, and 14; see Leviti-

cus 25:25–55.

Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts

248    |    Ruth 4:6

6

The  kinsman-redeemer  replied,  “I  cannot  re-
deem it myself, or I would jeopardize my own in-
heritance. Take my right of redemption, because
7
I cannot redeem it.”

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
So the kinsman-re-
was a confirmation in Israel.
deemer  removed  his  sandal  and  said  to  Boaz,
9
“Buy it for yourself.”

8

10

At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the peo-
ple,  “You  are  witnesses  today  that  I  am  buying
from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chil-
ion,  and  Mahlon.
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
11
home. You are witnesses today.”

“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
And  may  your  house  become
in  Bethlehem.
like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Ju-
dah, because of the offspring the LORD will give
you by this young woman.”

12

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
14
son.

15

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
He  will  renew  your  life  and
famous  in  Israel.
sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-
in-law, who loves you and is better to you than
16
seven sons, has given him birth.”

17

And Naomi took the child, placed him on her
The neighbor
lap, and became a nurse to him.
women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and
they named him Obed. He became the father of
The Line of David  (Matt. 1:1–17 ;  Luke 3:23–38)
Jesse, the father of David.
18

Now these are the generations of Perez:
19
Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron was the father of Ram,
20
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
a

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon,

21
Nahshon was the father of Salmon,
Salmon was the father of Boaz,

22
Boaz was the father of Obed,

Obed was the father of Jesse,
and Jesse was the father of David.

a 20

Salma

A few Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Vulgate (see also verse 21 and LXX of 1 Chronicles 2:11);

most Hebrew manuscripts

1 Samuel

Elkanah and His Wives  (Psalm 113:1–9)

12

1

 a

b

Now there was a man named Elkanah who
  in  the  hill
was  from  Ramathaim-zophim
country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham,
2
  the  son  of  Tohu,  the  son  of
the  son  of  Elihu,
He  had  two  wives,  one
Zuph,  an  Ephraimite.
named  Hannah  and  the  other  Peninnah.  And
3
Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

4

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
And when-
Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.
ever  the  day  came  for  Elkanah  to  present  his
sacrifice,  he  would  give  portions  to  his  wife
But
Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
to Hannah he would give a double portion,
 for
he  loved her even  though the  LORD had  closed
6
her womb.

5
c

7

Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb,
her  rival  would  provoke  her  viciously  to  taunt
her.
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
8
eat.

“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
Hannah Prays for a Son
sons?”
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
10
the LORD.

11

In  her  bitter  distress,  Hannah  prayed  to  the
LORD  and  wept  with  many  tears.
And  she
made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You
will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant
and remember me, not forgetting Your maidser-
vant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him
to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor
from Ramathaim, a Zuphite
a 1
shall ever touch his head.”
e 22
1 Chronicles 6:27 and 34.

I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.

c 5

Or

Or

MT; DSS include

13
As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD,
Hannah was praying in
Eli watched her mouth.
her heart, and though her lips were moving, her
voice could not be heard.

14

So Eli thought she was drunk
and said to her,
“How  long  will  you  be  drunk?  Put  away  your
15
wine!”

16

“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman
troubled  in  spirit.  I  have  not  had  any  wine  or
strong  drink,  but  I  have  poured  out  my  soul
before the LORD.
Do not take your servant for
a  wicked  woman,  for  all  this  time  I  have  been
17
praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”

“Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of
18
Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”

“May  your  maidservant  find  favor  with  you,”
said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she
began to eat, and her face was no longer down-
The Birth of Samuel
cast.
19

The next morning they got up early to bow in
worship  before  the  LORD,  and  then  they  re-
turned home to Ramah.

20

And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
So  in  the
and  the  LORD  remembered  her.
d
course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth
to  a  son.  She  named  him  Samuel,
  saying,  “Be-
21
cause I have asked for him from the LORD.”

22

Then  Elkanah  and  all  his  house  went  up  to
make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to ful-
but Hannah did not go. “After the
fill his vow,
boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will
take him to appear before the LORD and to stay
23
there permanently.”

 e

 f

“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.”

a choice portion
; see LXX and 1 Chronicles 6:26 and 35.

So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she
had weaned him.
d 20 Samuel
f 23

Eliab
heard of God

 is also called

your word

b 1 Elihu

; see

 and

Eliel

 sounds like the Hebrew for
MT; DSS, LXX, and Syriac

.

250    |    1 Samuel 1:24

24

9

a
Once  she  had  weaned  him,  Hannah  took  the

b

boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull,
an  ephah  of  flour,
  and  a  skin  of  wine.  Though
the boy was still young, she brought him to the
And  when  they
house  of  the  LORD  at  Shiloh.
had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to
26
Eli.

25

27

28

“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.
I prayed
for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me
I now dedicate the boy to
what I asked of Him,
the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated
to the LORD.”
Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
 the LORD there.
So they worshiped
(Luke 1:46–56)

 c

2

At that time Hannah prayed:

 d

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
my horn

 is exalted in the LORD.

My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
2

for I rejoice in Your salvation.
There is no one holy like the LORD.

3

Indeed, there is no one besides You!
And there is no Rock like our God.

Do not boast so proudly,

or let arrogance come from your mouth,

for the LORD is a God who knows,
4

and by Him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty are broken,

5

but the feeble are equipped with strength.

The well-fed hire themselves out for food,
but the starving hunger no more.
The barren woman gives birth to seven,
6

but she who has many sons pines away.

The LORD brings death and gives life;

7

He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

The LORD sends poverty and wealth;

8

He humbles and He exalts.
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,

a 24

and upon them He has set the world.

three bulls

b 24 An ephah

c 28

He guards the steps of His faithful ones,
but the wicked perish in darkness;
for by his own strength shall no man

10

prevail.

Those who oppose the LORD will be

shattered.

He will thunder from heaven against

them.

The LORD will judge the ends of the earth

11

and will give power to His king.
He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

Then  Elkanah  went  home  to  Ramah,  but  the
boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the
Eli’s Wicked Sons
priest.
12

13

Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had
or for the custom of the

no regard for the LORD
priests with the people.

14

When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of
the  priest  would  come  with  a  three-pronged
meat  fork  while  the  meat  was  boiling
and
plunge  it  into  the  pan  or  kettle  or  cauldron  or
cooking pot. And the priest would claim for him-
self whatever the meat fork brought up. This is
how they treated all the Israelites who came to
15
Shiloh.

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
16
from you, but only raw.”

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
17
by force!”

 e

Thus the sin of these young men was severe in
 were treating the

the sight of the LORD, for they
18
LORD’s offering with contempt.

19

20

Now  Samuel  was  ministering  before  the
LORD—a  boy  wearing  a  linen  ephod.
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.
And  Eli  would
bless  Elkanah  and  his  wife,  saying,  “May  the
f
LORD give you children by this woman in place
of  the  one  she  dedicated  to  the  LORD.
”  Then
they would go home.

he worshiped

d 1

strength

DSS, LXX, and Syriac; MT

e 17
pounds or 11.6 kilograms of flour).

men

f 20

in place of the one requested from the LORD
One DSS manuscript; MT

 is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 25.5
Or

; also in verse 10

DSS and LXX; MT

DSS; MT

21

So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she con-
ceived  and  gave  birth  to  three  sons  and  two
daughters.

Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the pres-
22
ence of the LORD.

Now Eli was very old, and he heard about eve-
rything his sons were doing to all Israel and how
they were sleeping with the women who served
23
at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

25

24

“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to
his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from
all these people.
No, my sons; it is not a good
 a
report I hear circulating among the LORD’s peo-
ple.
If  a  man  sins  against  another  man,  God
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
26
the LORD intended to put them to death.

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stat-

A Prophecy against the House of Eli
ure and in favor with the LORD and with man.
27

28

Then a man of God came to Eli and told him,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly re-
veal  Myself  to  your  father’s  house  when  they
were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?
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 pres-
ence. I also gave to the house of your father all
29
the food offerings of the Israelites.

 b

Why then do you kick at

 My sacrifice and of-
fering  that  I  have  prescribed  for  My  dwelling
place?  You  have  honored  your  sons  more  than
Me  by  fattening  yourselves  with  the  best  of  all
30
the offerings of My people Israel.’

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!

1 Samuel 3:8    |    251

32
house,  so  that  no  one  in  it  will  reach  old  age.
You will see distress in My dwelling place. De-
spite  all  that  is  good  in  Israel,  no  one  in  your
And every
house will ever again reach old age.
one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I
will  cause  your  eyes  to  fail  and  your  heart  to
grieve.
  will  die  by  the
34
sword of men.

  All  your  descendants

33

 d

e

c

And  this  sign  shall  come  to  you  concerning
your  two  sons  Hophni  and  Phinehas:  They  will
35
both die on the same day.

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
36
walk before My anointed one for all time.

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
The LORD Calls Samuel
”
priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”

’

3

And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD
before Eli.

2

Now  in  those  days  the  word  of  the  LORD  was
And at that time
rare, and visions were scarce.
Eli,  whose  eyesight  had  grown  so  dim  that  he
3
could not see, was lying in his room.

Before  the  lamp  of  God  had  gone  out,  Samuel
was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where
4
the ark of God was located.

Then  the  LORD  called  to  Samuel,  and  he  an-

5
swered, “Here I am.”

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.”
6
So he went and lay down.

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
7
lie down.”

For I will honor those who honor Me,
but those who despise Me will be

31

disdained.

Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off
scorn
a 25
your  strength  and  the  strength  of  your  father’s
will die as mortals
e 33

the judges       b 29

c 33

will die in the prime of life

Or
DSS and LXX; MT

Or

Hebrew; LXX

 or

Or

8

Now  Samuel  did  not  yet  know  the  LORD,  be-
cause the word of the LORD had not yet been re-
vealed to him.
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.”

increase

d 33

his eyes will fail and his heart will grieve

252    |    1 Samuel 3:9

9

Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was
“Go  and  lie  down,”  he  said  to
calling  the  boy.
Samuel,  “and  if  He  calls  you,  say,  ‘Speak,  LORD,
for Your servant is listening.’
10
So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

”

Then the LORD came and stood there, calling

as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant
11
is listening.”

Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to
12
do  something  in  Israel  at  which  the  ears  of  all
On that day I will carry
who hear it will tingle.
13
out  against  Eli  everything  I  have  spoken  about
I  told  him
his  house,  from  beginning  to  end.
that I would judge his house forever for the iniq-
uity  of  which  he  knows,  because  his  sons  blas-
14
phemed  God
  and  he  did  not  restrain  them.
Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The
iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for
 Samuel Shares the Vision
”
by sacrifice or offering.’
15

 a

16

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,
but Eli called to
him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
17
“Here I am,” answered Samuel.

“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 an-
18
ything He said to you.”

So  Samuel  told  him  everything  and  did  not

hide a thing from him.

 “He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what
19
is good in His eyes.”

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him,
and  He  let  none  of  Samuel’s  words  fall  to  the
20
ground.

So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that
21
Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.
And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh,
because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by
The Philistines Capture the Ark
His word.

4

Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

2

The Philistines
the Philistines camped at Aphek.
arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the bat-
tle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who  struck  down  about  four  thousand  men  on
3
the battlefield.

When the troops returned to the camp, the el-
ders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought
defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us
 b
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from
Shiloh, so that it may go
 with us to save us from
4
the hand of our enemies.”

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 cheru-
bim.  And  the  two  sons  of  Eli,  Hophni  and
Phinehas,  were  there  with  the  ark  of  the  cove-
5
nant of God.

When the ark of the covenant of the LORD en-
tered  the  camp,  all  the  Israelites  raised  such  a
6
great shout that the ground shook.

On  hearing  the  noise  of  the  shout,  the  Philis-
tines  asked,  “What  is  this  loud  shouting  in  the
camp of the Hebrews?”

7

 c

And when they realized that the ark of the LORD
the  Philistines  were
had  entered  the  camp,
afraid. “The gods have entered
 their camp!” they
8
said.  “Woe  to  us,  for  nothing  like  this  has  hap-
Woe  to  us!  Who  will  deliver  us
pened  before.
from the hand of these mighty gods? These are
the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds
Take courage and
of plagues in the wilderness.
be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve
the  Hebrews  just  as  they  served  you.  Now  be
10
men and fight!”

9

11

So  the  Philistines  fought,  and  Israel  was  de-
feated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaugh-
ter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers
The ark of God was captured, and
of Israel fell.
The Death of Eli
Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle
13
line  all  the  way  to  Shiloh,  with  his  clothes  torn
and  dirt  on  his  head.
When  he  arrived,  there
was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and
watching, because his heart trembled for the ark
of God.

Now the Israelites went out to meet the Phil-
made themselves contemptible
a 13
istines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while

b 3

When the man entered the city to give a report,
A god has entered
the whole city cried out.

c 7

He may go

LXX; Hebrew

Or

Or

1 Samuel 6:4    |    253

5

off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso re-
That is why, to this day, the priests of
mained.
Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in
6
Ashdod do not step on the threshold.

e

7

Now  the  hand  of  the  LORD  was  heavy  on  the
people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them
and afflicting them with tumors.
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
8
and upon our god Dagon.”

So they called together all the rulers of the Phil-
istines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark
of the God of Israel?”

“It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they
9
carried away the ark of the God of Israel.

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
10
tumors.

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
11
kill us and our people!”

Then the Ekronites called together all the rul-
ers 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

 kill us and our people!”

 f

12

For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the
hand  of  God  was  very  heavy  upon  it.
Those
who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and
The Ark Returned to Israel
the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

6

2

When the ark of the LORD had been in the
the
land  of  the  Philistines  seven  months,
Philistines  summoned  the  priests  and  diviners,
saying,  “What  shall  we  do  with  the  ark  of  the
3
LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”

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
4
His hand has not been lifted from you.”

14

Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this com-

motion?”
15
So  the  man  hurried  over  and  reported  to  Eli.
Now  Eli  was  ninety-eight  years  old,  and  his

16
gaze was fixed because he could not see.

“I have just come from the battle,” the man said

to Eli. “I fled from there today.”
17
“What happened, my son?” Eli asked.

The messenger answered, “Israel has fled be-
fore  the  Philistines,  and  there  has  been  a  great
slaughter  among  the  people.  Your  two  sons,
Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark
18
of God has been captured.”

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.
19
And Eli had judged

 Israel forty years.

 a

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
20
overtook her.

As she was dying, the women attending to her
said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth
to a son!”

21

b

And
But she did not respond or pay any heed.
 c
she named the boy Ichabod,
 saying, “The glory
  from  Israel,”  because  the  ark  of
has  departed
God had been captured and her father-in-law and
22
her husband had been killed.

“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said,

The Ark Afflicts the Philistines
“for the ark of God has been captured.”

5

2

After the Philistines had captured the ark of
God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it be-

d

3
side his statue.

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
4
and returned him to his place.

But  when  they  got  up  early  the  next  morning,
there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark
a 18
of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken
Dagon
Or
the city.

 or
He will not

 means
Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate include

b 21 Ichabod

governed

f 11

e 6

.

led

Or

no glory
And rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout

Him?” asked the Philistines.

“What  guilt  offering  should  we  send  back  to
set it beside
gone into exile

c 21

d 2

Or

; also in verse 22

Literally

254    |    1 Samuel 6:5

5

“Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said,
“according to the number of rulers of the Philis-
tines, since the same plague has struck both you
Make  images  of  your  tumors
and  your  rulers.
and  of  the  rats  that  are  ravaging  the  land.  Give
glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift
6
His hand from you and your gods and your land.

 a

Why harden

 your hearts as the Egyptians and
Pharaoh  hardened  theirs?  When  He  afflicted
them,  did  they  not  send  the  people  out  so  they
7
could go on their way?

8

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
Take the ark of the LORD, set
and pen them up.
it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold
objects  you  are  sending  back  to  Him  as  a  guilt
offering.

9

but keep watching
Then send the ark on its way,
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
10
us and that it happened by chance.”

11

So  the  men  did  as  instructed.  They  took  two
milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned
Then  they  put  the  ark  of  the
up  their  calves.
LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing
12
the gold rats and the images of the tumors.

And the cows headed straight up the road to-
ward 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-
13
shemesh.

Now  the  people  of  Beth-shemesh  were
harvesting  wheat  in  the  valley,  and  when  they
looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed
14
at the sight.

15

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
And
cows  as  a  burnt  offering  to  the  LORD.
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
a 6
made sacrifices to the LORD.
70 men and 5,000 men

; similarly again in this verse

make heavy

        b 18

Or

Or

16

And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw

17
this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

18

As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines
had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ash-
dod,  Gaza,  Ashkelon,  Gath,  and  Ekron.
The
number  of  gold  rats  also  corresponded  to  the
number of Philistine cities belonging to the five
 b
rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying vil-
lages. And the large rock
 on which they placed
the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field
19
of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

But  God  struck  down  some  of  the  people  of
c
Beth-shemesh  because  they  looked  inside  the
ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men,
and the people mourned because the LORD had
20
struck them with a great slaughter.

The  men  of  Beth-shemesh  asked,  “Who  can
stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?
21
To whom should the ark go up from here?”

So  they  sent  messengers  to  the  people  of
Kiriath-jearim,  saying,  “The  Philistines  have  re-
turned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take
Samuel Subdues the Philistines
it up with you.”

7

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
2
Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD.

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  mournfully
3
sought the LORD.

Then  Samuel  said  to  all  the  house  of  Israel,
“If you are returning to the LORD with all your
hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ash-
toreths among you, prepare your hearts for the
LORD,  and  serve  Him  only.  And  He  will  deliver
4
you from the hand of the Philistines.”

So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashto-

5
reths and served only the LORD.

Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah,

6
and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”

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
great meadow
judged

Abel-haggedolah

 the Israelites at Mizpah.
70 men and 50,000 men of the people
; Heb.

c 19

 d

governed

led

A few late Heb. mss.
; Syriac and

Or

 or

; similarly in vv. 15, 16, 17

70 men and 50,000 men

70 men and 50 oxen      d 6

and Josephus; most Hebrew manuscripts
Arabic

; alternately, possibly

; LXX

7

8

When  the  Philistines  heard  that  the  Israelites
had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up
toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of
and said to Sam-
this, they feared the Philistines
uel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God
for us, that He may save us from the hand of the
9
Philistines.”

10

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
As  the  Philistines
the  LORD  answered  him.
drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was of-
fering  up  the  burnt  offering.  But  that  day  the
LORD  thundered  loudly  against  the  Philistines
and  threw  them  into  such  confusion  that  they
11
fled before Israel.

Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah
and pursued the Philistines, striking them down
12
all the way to an area below Beth-car.

a

b

Afterward,  Samuel  took  a  stone  and  set  it
  He  named  it
  saying,  “Thus  far  the  LORD  has

up  between  Mizpah  and  Shen.
Ebenezer,
13
helped us.”

So  the  Philistines  were  subdued,  and  they
stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the
14
hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all
The  cities  from  Ekron
the  days  of  Samuel.
to  Gath,  which  the  Philistines  had  taken,  were
restored  to  Israel,  who  also  delivered  the  sur-
rounding  territory  from  the  hand  of  the  Philis-
tines. And there was peace between the Israelites
15
and the Amorites.
16

17

So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
Every  year  he  would  go  on  a  circuit  from
Bethel  to  Gilgal  to  Mizpah,  judging  Israel  in  all
these places.
Then he would return to Ramah
because his home was there, and there he judged
Israel Demands a King  (De. 17:14–20)
Israel and built an altar to the LORD.

8

 c

2

3

  over  Israel.

When  Samuel  grew  old,  he  appointed  his
The  name
sons  as  judges
of  his  firstborn  son  was  Joel,  and  the  name  of
his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-
But  his  sons  did  not  walk  in  his  ways;
sheba.
they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accept-
4
ing bribes and perverting justice.

5

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and
b 12 Ebenezer
a 12
came  to  Samuel  at  Ramah.
“Look,”  they  said,
your best young men
 means

d 16
Hebrew; LXX and Syriac

Jeshanah

verses 2, 5, 6, and 20

LXX; Hebrew

1 Samuel 8:20    |    255

“you are old, and your sons do not walk in your
ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the
6
other nations.”

But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,”
their  demand  was  displeasing  in  the  sight  of
7
Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.

And  the  LORD  said  to  Samuel,  “Listen  to  the
voice of the people in all that they say to you. For
8
it is not you they have rejected, but they have re-
Just as they have done
jected Me as their king.
from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until
9
this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so
Now listen to their voice;
they are doing to you.
but  you  must  solemnly  warn  them  and  show
them the manner of the king who will reign over
Samuel’s Warning
them.”
10

11

So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to
He
the people who were asking him for a king.
said,  “This  will  be  the  manner  of  the  king  who
will reign over you: He  will take your sons and
appoint  them  to  serve  his  own  chariots  and
12
horses, and to run in front of his chariots.

He will appoint some for himself as command-
ers of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow
his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his
13
weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be perfum-

14
ers, cooks, and bakers.

16

15

He  will  take  the  best  of  your  fields  and
vineyards and olive groves and give them to his
servants.
He will take a tenth of your grain and
grape  harvest  and  give  it  to  his  officials  and
And  he  will  take  your  menservants
servants.
 and don-
and maidservants and your best cattle
17
keys and put them to his own use.

 d

18

He  will  take  a  tenth  of  your  flocks,  and  you
When that
yourselves will become his slaves.
day comes, you will beg for relief from the king
you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer
God Grants the Request
you on that day.”
19

20

Nevertheless,  the  people  refused  to  listen  to
Samuel.  “No!”  they  said.  “We  must  have  a  king
Then we will be like all the other na-
over us.
tions, with a king to judge us, to go out before us,
governors
c 1
stone of help
and to fight our battles.”

leaders

.

Or

 or

; similarly in

256    |    1 Samuel 8:21

21

12

Samuel listened to all the words of the people

22
and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.

“Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Sam-

uel. “Appoint a king for them.”

Then  Samuel  told  the  men  of  Israel,  “Everyone
Saul Chosen as King
must go back to his city.”

9

2

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
And  he  had  a  son  named  Saul,
of  Benjamin.
choice and handsome, without equal among the
3
Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.

One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wan-
dered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one
4
of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”

So  Saul  passed  through  the  hill  country  of
Ephraim and then through the land of Shalishah,
but  they  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
5
land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.

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
6
worrying about us.”

“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.
7
Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.”

“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
8
we have?”

a

The  servant  answered  him  again.  “Look,”  he
said, “I have here in my hand a quarter shekel of
 I will give it to the man of God, and he will
silver.
9
tell us our way.”

(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
10
seer.)

11

“Good,” said Saul to his servant. “Come, let us
go.” So they set out for the city where the man of
God was.
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?”
a 8 A quarter shekel

13

“Yes,  he  is  ahead  of  you,”  they  answered.
“Hurry now, for today he has come to the city be-
cause  the  people  have  a  sacrifice  on  the  high
As  soon  as  you  enter  the  city,  you  will
place.
find him before he goes up to the high place to
eat.  The  people  will  not  eat  until  he  comes,  be-
cause he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the
14
guests will eat. Go up at once; you will find him.”

So  Saul  and  his  servant  went  up  toward  the
city, and as they were entering it, there was Sam-
uel  coming  toward  them  on  his  way  up  to  the
15
high place.

16
Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD
“At  this  time  tomor-
had  revealed  to  Samuel,
row I will send you a man from the land of Ben-
jamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My
people Israel; he will save them from the hand of
the Philistines. For I have looked upon My peo-
17
ple, because their cry has come to Me.”

When  Samuel  saw  Saul,  the  LORD  told  him,
“Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule
18
over My people.”

Saul  approached  Samuel  in  the  gateway  and
asked,  “Would  you  please  tell  me  where  the
19
seer’s house is?”

20

“I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up before
me to the high place, for you shall eat with me to-
day.  And  when  I  send  you  off  in  the  morning,  I
As for the
will tell you all that is in your heart.
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
21
and all your father’s house?”

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
22
you say such a thing to me?”

Then  Samuel  took  Saul  and  his  servant,
brought  them  into  the  hall,  and  seated  them
in the place of honor among those who were in-
And Samuel said to
vited—about thirty in all.
the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told
24
you to set aside.”

23

So the cook picked up the leg and what was at-
tached 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.

 is approximately 0.1 ounces or 2.85 grams of silver.

25

And after they had come down from the high
place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the
26
roof of his house.

They got up early in the morning, and just be-
fore dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get
ready, and I will send you on your way!” So Saul
got ready, and both he and Samuel went outside
27
together.

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
Samuel Anoints Saul
went on.

10

Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it
on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has
 a
2
not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inher-
When you leave me today, you will find
itance?
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 don-
keys  and  started  worrying  about  you,  asking,
3
“What should I do about my son?”

’

 b

Then you will go on from there until you come
to the Oak
 of Tabor. Three men going up to God
at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three
young  goats,  another  carrying  three  loaves  of
4
bread,  and  another  carrying  a  skin  of  wine.
They will greet you and give you two loaves of
c

5
bread, which you will accept from their hands.

After  that  you  will  come  to  Gibeah  of  God,
where the Philistines have an outpost. As you ap-
proach the city, you will meet a group of proph-
ets coming down from the high place, preceded
by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they
6
will be prophesying.

Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you,
and you will prophesy with them; and you will be
7
transformed into a different person.

8

1 Samuel 10:22    |    257

Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled

9

As  Saul  turned  to  leave  Samuel,  God  changed
10
Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that
d
day.
When  Saul  and  his  servant  arrived  at
Gibeah,
 a group of prophets met him. Then the
Spirit  of  God  rushed  upon  him,  and  he  prophe-
11
sied along with them.

When all those who had formerly known Saul
saw  him  prophesying  with  the  prophets,  they
asked  one  another,  “What  has  happened  to  the
12
son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Then a man who lived there replied, “And who
is their father?” So the saying became a proverb:
13
“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

And  when  Saul  had  finished  prophesying,  he

14
went up to the high place.

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
15
Samuel.”

“Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel

16
say to you?”

And Saul replied, “He assured us that the don-
keys  had  been  found.”  But  Saul  did  not  tell  his
Saul Proclaimed King
uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17

18

After this, Samuel summoned the people to the
LORD  at  Mizpah
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
19
kingdoms that oppressed you.’

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
20
LORD by your tribes and clans.”

When these signs have come, do as the occasion
demands, for God is with you.
And you shall go
before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you
to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace of-
ferings. Wait seven days until I come to you and
a 1
show you what you are to do.”
from their enemies around them. This will be the sign to you that the LORD has appointed you to be leader over His inheritance.
b 3
e 21

Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come
21
forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.
Then  he  had  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  come  for-
ward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was se-
lected.
 Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But
22
when  they  looked  for  him,  they  could  not  find
So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has
him.
the man come here yet?”

“Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over Israel? And you will rule over the LORD’s people and save them

And he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man.

Hebrew; LXX
Terebinth

Gibeath-Elohim

the hill of God

d 10 Gibeah

Great Tree

the hill

c 5

e

Or
LXX includes

 or

Hebrew

, meaning

 means

.

258    |    1 Samuel 10:23

And  the  LORD  replied,  “Behold,  he  has  hidden
23
himself among the baggage.”

done to the oxen of anyone who does not march
behind Saul and Samuel.”

8

24

So  they  ran  and  brought  Saul,  and  when  he
stood  among  the  people,  he  was  a  head  taller
Samuel  said  to  all
than  any  of  the  others.
the  people,  “Do  you  see  the  one  the  LORD  has
chosen? There is no one like him among all the
people.”
25
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

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
26
the people away, each to his own home.

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the
men of valor whose hearts God had touched went
27
with him.

But  some  worthless  men  said,  “How  can  this
man save us?” So they despised him and brought
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.
 b

a

11

Then  Nahash
  the  Ammonite  came  up
and  laid  siege  to  Jabesh-gilead.  All  the
 with

men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty
2
us, and we will serve you.”

 c

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
3
upon all Israel.”

“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 sur-
4
render to you.”

When  the  messengers  came  to  Gibeah  of  Saul
and  relayed  these  words  in  the  hearing  of  the
5
people, they all wept aloud.

Just then Saul was returning from the field, be-
hind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked
Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed
6
to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

 d

Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people,
And
and  they  came  out  together  as  one  man.
9
when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were
So
300,000 Israelites and 30,000
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.’

 men of Judah.

”

And  when  the  messengers  relayed  this  to  the
10
men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.

Then  the  men  of  Jabesh  said  to  Nahash,  “To-
morrow we will come out, and you can do with
11
us whatever seems good to you.”

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
Saul Confirmed as King
two of them were left together.
12

Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that
Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men
13
here so we can kill them!”

But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death
this day, for today the LORD has worked salva-
14
tion in Israel.”

Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us

15
go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”

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,
Samuel’s Farewell Address
and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

12

Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have lis-
tened to your voice in all that you have
Now
said to me, and I have set over you a king.
here is the king walking before you, and I am old
and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have
3
walked before you from my youth until this day.

2

7

When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God
rushed upon him, and he burned with great an-
He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces,
ger.
and  sent  them  by  messengers  throughout  the
a 27
land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be
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.
About a month later Nahash

Here I am. Bear witness against me before the
LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or don-
key  have  I  taken?  Whom  have  I  cheated  or  op-
pressed?  From  whose  hand  have  I  accepted  a

Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had viciously oppressed the people of Gad

MT and LXX; one DSS manuscript includes

berit

c 1

70,000

Forms of the Hebrew

 are trans-

lated in most passages as

b 1
covenant

d 8
DSS and LXX
.

DSS and LXX

 a

bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will re-
4
store it

 to you.”

“You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they
replied,  “nor have  you  taken  anything  from  the
5
hand of man.”

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.”
6
“He is a witness,” they replied.

 b

7

Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is
the One who
 appointed Moses and Aaron, and
who  brought  your  fathers  up  out  of  the  land of
Now  present  yourselves,  so  that  I  may
Egypt.
confront you before the LORD with all the right-
8
eous acts He has done for you and your fathers.

c

When Jacob went to Egypt,
9

 your fathers cried
out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aa-
ron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and
But  they  forgot  the
settled  them  in  this  place.
d
LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand
of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor,
and into the hands of the Philistines and the king
10
of Moab, who fought against them.

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
11
serve You.’

e

f

g

 Barak,

So the LORD sent Jerubbaal,
12

 Jephthah,
and  Samuel,
  and  He  delivered  you  from  the
hands  of  your  enemies  on  every  side,  and  you
But when you saw that Nahash
dwelt securely.
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
13
your king.

Now here is the king you have chosen, the one
you  requested.  Behold,  the  LORD  has  placed  a
14
king over you.

1 Samuel 13:2    |    259

LORD and rebel against His command, then the
hand  of  the  LORD  will  be  against  you  as  it  was
16
against your fathers.

i

17

Now,  therefore,  present  yourselves  and  see
this great thing that the LORD will do before your
eyes.
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 ask-
18
ing for a king.”

So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day

the LORD sent thunder and rain.

19

As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD
They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray
and Samuel.
to the LORD your God for your servants so that
we will not die! For we have added to all our sins
20
the evil of asking for a king.”

21

“Do  not  be  afraid,”  Samuel  replied.  “Even
though you have committed all this evil, do not
turn  aside  from  following  the  LORD,  but  serve
Do not turn aside
the LORD with all your heart.
22
after worthless things that cannot profit you or
deliver you, for they are empty.
Indeed, for the
sake of His great name, the LORD will not aban-
don His people, because He was pleased to make
23
you His own.

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
24
way.

25

Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faith-
fully  with  all  your  heart;  consider  what  great
But if you persist
things He has done for you.
in  doing  evil,  both  you  and  your  king  will  be
War with the Philistines
swept away.”

 j

k

2

Saul  was  thirty  years  old
  when  he  be-
came  king,  and  he  reigned  over  Israel
He  chose  for  himself  three
forty-two  years.
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.
Hebrew; LXX

the army of Jabin king of Hazor

The LORD is the witness who

e 11 Jerubbaal
Bedan

g 11

f 11

b 6

13

If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey
His voice, and if you do not rebel against the com-
mand of the LORD, and if both you and the king
15
who  rules  over  you  follow  the  LORD  your  God,
And I will restore it
a 3
then  all  will  be  well.
But  if  you  disobey  the
c 8
Heb.
let Baal contend
Gideon
Heb.; LXX includes

and the Egyptians oppressed them

; LXX

h

d 9

Testify against me, and I will restore it

Samson

name for
do not rebel against the command of the LORD, (then) both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your
Syriac
God.
i 15
years

 is another
If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you
LXX and
over Israel forty

h 14 then all will be well
 and probably means
against your king

LXX
; see Judges 6:32.

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

 is implied; Literally
j 1

Saul was a son of a year

over Israel two years

k 1

Heb.; LXX
 (see Acts 13:21); MT

A few late LXX manuscripts; MT

Or

260    |    1 Samuel 13:3

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,
4
saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

And  all  Israel  heard  the  news:  “Saul  has  at-
tacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Is-
rael  has  become  a  stench  to  the  Philistines!”
Then the people were summoned to join Saul at
5
Gilgal.

 a

Now the Philistines assembled to fight against
Israel  with  three  thousand
  chariots,  six  thou-
sand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the
sand on the seashore. They went up and camped
6
at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

Seeing that they were in danger because their
troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid
7
in  caves  and  thickets,  among  the  rocks,  and  in
cellars  and  cisterns.
Some  Hebrews  even
crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gil-
ead. Saul, however, remained at Gilgal, and all his
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
troops were quaking in fear.
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.
So
he  said,  “Bring  me  the  burnt  offering  and
the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt
10
offering.

9

Just as he finished offering the burnt offering,
11
Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

“What have you done?” Samuel asked.

12

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 gath-
ering at Michmash,
I thought, ‘Now the Philis-
tines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have
not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt com-
13
pelled to offer the burnt offering.”

because you have not kept the command of the
15
LORD.”

b

Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up
 And Saul numbered the
to Gibeah in Benjamin.
troops  who  were  with  him,  about  six  hundred
Israel without Weapons
men.
16

Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the troops
with  them  were  staying  in  Geba  of  Benjamin,
17
while  the  Philistines  camped  at  Michmash.
And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in
three  divisions.  One  headed  toward  Ophrah  in
another toward Beth-horon,
the land of Shual,
and the third down the border road overlooking
19
the Valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness.

18

20

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
Instead,  all  the  Israelites
swords  or  spears.”
would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their
The
plowshares,  mattocks,  axes,  and  sickles.
 for sharpening a plowshare or
charge was a pim
mattock,  a  third  of  a  shekel  for  sharpening  a
pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for re-
22
pointing an oxgoad.

21

 d

e

c

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  Jona-
23
than had weapons.

And a garrison of the Philistines had gone out

Jonathan’s Victory over the Philistines
to the pass at Michmash.

14

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
2
other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

 f

14

“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.
But now your kingdom will not endure;
the LORD has sought a man after His own heart
a 5
and  appointed  him  ruler  over  His  people,
Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

thirty thousand

b 15

3

Meanwhile,  Saul  was  staying  under

the
pomegranate tree
 in Migron on the outskirts of
Gibeah. And the troops who were with him num-
including Ahijah,
bered about six hundred men,
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
Then Samuel set out, and the rest of the people went up after
troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

c 20

and plowshares

Some LXX mss. and Syriac; Heb.

d 21 A pim

LXX

; (plowshare appears
 possibly refers to a polished stone weighing approx. 0.25 ounces or 7 grams found in excavations. This
a

twice).
is equiv. to about two-thirds of a shekel and likely refers to the price charged by the Philistines for these services.
third of a pim
Heb. does not include the currency unit
 for each.

 charged for sharpening a pitchfork, an axe, or an oxgoad; alt., possibly

of a shekel
around the rock of Rimmon

; see Judges 20:45, 20:47, and 21:13.

in the pomegranate cave

LXX; Heb.

e 21

 or

Or

f 2

4

5

Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass
that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Phil-
istine  outpost.  One  was  named  Bozez  and  the
One cliff stood to the north toward
other Seneh.
Michmash,  and  the  other  to  the  south  toward
6
Geba.

Jonathan said to the young man bearing his ar-
mor,  “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
7
from saving, whether by many or by few.”

His armor-bearer replied, “Do all that is in your

8
heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

“Very well,” said Jonathan, “we will cross over
9
toward these men and show ourselves to them.
If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we
10
will stay where we are and will not go up to them.
But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we will go
up, because this will be our sign that the LORD
11
has delivered them into our hands.”

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
12
they were hiding!”

So the men of the outpost called out to Jona-
than 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
13
of Israel.”

So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet,
with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Phil-
istines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer
In  that  first
followed  and  finished  them  off.
assault,  Jonathan  and  his  armor-bearer  struck
 of
down about twenty men in about half an acre
15
land.

14

 a

Then panic struck the Philistines in the camp,
in the field, and among all the people. Even those
in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. In-
deed,  the  earth  quaked,  and  panic  spread  from
16
God.

b

1 Samuel 14:30    |    261

And when they had called the roll, they saw that
18
Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

 d

19

Then  Saul  said  to  Ahijah,  “Bring  the  ark  of
God.”  (For  at  that  time  it  was  with  the  Israel-
While Saul was talking to the priest, the
ites.)
commotion  in  the  Philistine  camp  continued  to
increase.  So  Saul  said  to  the  priest,  “Withdraw
20
your hand.”

21

Then  Saul  and  all  his  troops  assembled  and
marched to the battle, and they found the Philis-
tines in total confusion, with each man wielding
And  the  He-
the  sword  against  his  neighbor.
brews who had previously gone up into the sur-
rounding camps to join the Philistines now went
over  to  the  Israelites  who  were  with  Saul  and
When all the Israelites who had been
Jonathan.
hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that
the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the
23
battle in close pursuit.

22

So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the bat-

Jonathan Eats the Honey
tle moved on beyond Beth-aven.
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 be-
fore evening, before I have taken vengeance on
my  enemies.”  So  none  of  the  troops  tasted  any
25
food.

26

Then  all  the  troops  entered  the  forest,  and
And  when
there  was  honey  on  the  ground.
they  entered  the  forest  and  saw  the  flowing
honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth,
27
because they feared the oath.

Jonathan, however, had not heard that his fa-
ther had bound 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.
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
29
people are faint.”

28

e

c

17

Now when Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Ben-
jamin  looked  and  saw  the  troops  melting  away
Saul said to
and scattering in every direction,
the troops who were with him, “Call the roll and
half a yoke
yoke
a 14
see who has left us.”
panic spread
c 16
Hebrew
wore the ephod before the Israelites.

“My  father  has  brought  trouble  to  the  land,”
Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have
30
brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
How  much  better  it  would  have  been  if  the
troops had eaten freely today from the plunder
d 18
 was the amount of land plowed by a pair of yoked oxen in one day.

melting away and going here and there

“Bring the ephod.” For at that time he

his strength was renewed

and a terrible

b 15

e 27

Or

. A

Or

Or

Hebrew; LXX

; similarly in verse 29

262    |    1 Samuel 14:31

 a

they  took  from  their  enemies!  Would  not  the
slaughter  of  the  Philistines  have  been  much
31
greater?”

men  of  Israel,  respond  with  Thummim.”
  And
Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people
42
were cleared of the charge.

That day, after the Israelites had struck down
32
the  Philistines  from  Michmash  to  Aijalon,  the
people were very faint.
So they rushed greed-
ily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves.
They  slaughtered  them  on  the  ground  and  ate
33
meat with the blood still in it.

Then  someone  reported  to  Saul:  “Look,  the
troops  are  sinning  against  the  LORD  by  eating
meat with the blood still in it.”

34

“You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large
stone  over  here  at  once.”
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.’
”

35

So  that  night  everyone  brought  his  ox  and
slaughtered it there.
Then Saul built an altar to
the LORD; it was the first time he had built an al-
36
tar to the LORD.

And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philis-
tines by night and plunder them until dawn, leav-
ing no man alive!”

“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.
The People Save Jonathan
But the priest said, “We must consult God here.”
37

So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after
the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand
of Israel?”
38
But God did not answer him that day.

Therefore Saul said, “Come here, all you lead-
39
ers of the troops, and let us investigate how this
sin has occurred today.
As surely as the LORD
who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jona-
than, he must die!”
40
But not one of the troops said a word.

Then Saul said to all Israel, “You stand on one
side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on the
other side.”
41
“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.

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,
a 41
respond  with  Urim,  but  if  the  fault  is  with  the
c 47
LXX and Vulgate; MT contains only the short quotation,
Or

he inflicted punishment on them

 from Hebrew; LXX

Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and

43
my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.

“Tell  me  what  you  have  done,”  Saul  com-

manded him.

So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey
with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And
44
now I must die?”

And  Saul  declared,  “May  God  punish  me,  and
ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely
45
die!”

But  the  people  said  to  Saul,  “Must  Jonathan
die—he who accomplished such a great deliver-
ance  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 to-
day.”
46

So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not
die.
Then Saul gave up his pursuit of the Philis-
tines,  and  the  Philistines  returned  to  their  own
Saul’s Victories
land.
47

 b

After  Saul had  assumed  the  kingship  over  Is-
rael, he fought against all his enemies on every
side—the  Moabites,  the  Ammonites,  the  Edom-
ites,  the  kings
  of  Zobah,  and  the  Philistines.
He
Wherever  he  turned,  he  routed  them.
fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, de-
49
livering Israel from the hands of its plunderers.

48

c

50

Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and
Malchishua. His two daughters were named Me-
rab  (his  firstborn)  and  Michal  (his  younger
His  wife’s  name  was  Ahinoam
daughter).
daughter  of  Ahimaaz.  The  name  of  the  com-
mander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul’s
Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father
uncle Ner.
52
Ner were sons of Abiel.

51

And the war with the Philistines was fierce for
all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any
Saul’s Disobedience
strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.

15

Then  Samuel  said  to  Saul,  “The  LORD
sent me to anoint you king over His peo-
ple Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of
“Give a perfect (lot).”
This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
the LORD.
he was victorious

b 47

king

2

MT; DSS and LXX

 a

3

‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Isra-
elites when they opposed them on their way up
Now go and attack the Amalekites
from Egypt.
and  devote  to  destruction
  all  that  belongs  to
them. Do not spare them, but put to death men
and  women,  children  and  infants,  oxen  and
4
sheep, camels and donkeys.’

”

6

So  Saul  summoned  the  troops  and  numbered
5
them  at  Telaim—200,000  foot  soldiers  and
10,000  men  of  Judah.
Saul  came  to  the  city  of
And
Amalek  and  lay  in  wait  in  the  valley.
he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kind-
ness to all the Israelites when they came up out
of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalek-
ites.  Otherwise  I  will  sweep  you  away  with
them.”
7
So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

Then  Saul  struck  down  the  Amalekites  all  the
8
way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
He  captured  Agag  king  of  Amalek  alive,  but
devoted  all  the  others  to  destruction  with  the
9
sword.

 b

Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the
best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves
 and
lambs, and the best of everything else. They were
unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they
devoted to destruction all that was despised and
Samuel Denounces Saul
worthless.
10

11

Then  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  Samuel,
saying,
“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
12
LORD all that night.

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 him-
13
self and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”

When  Samuel  reached  him,  Saul  said  to  him,
“May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the
14
LORD’s instructions.”

But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating

15
of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul  answered,  “The  troops  brought  them
from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep
cherem
a 3
and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but

b 9

1 Samuel 15:28    |    263

16
the rest we devoted to destruction.”

“Stop!”  exclaimed  Samuel.  “Let  me  tell  you

what the LORD said to me last night.”
17
“Tell me,” Saul replied.

18

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
and sent you on a mission,
you king over Israel
saying,  ‘Go  and  devote  to  destruction the  sinful
19
Amalekites.  Fight  against  them  until  you  have
So why did you not obey the
wiped them out.’
LORD? Why did you rush upon the plunder and
20
do evil in the sight of the LORD?”

“But I did obey the LORD,” Saul replied. “I went
on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought
21
back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Ama-
The  troops  took  sheep
lekites  to  destruction.
and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things
devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them
22
to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

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

23

of rams.

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,

Saul’s Confession

He has rejected you as king.”

24

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have
transgressed  the  LORD’s  commandment  and
25
your  instructions,  because  I  feared  the  people
Now therefore, please
and obeyed their voice.
forgive my sin and return with me so I can wor-
26
ship the LORD.”

“I  will  not  return  with  you,”  Samuel  replied.
“For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and
27
He has rejected you as king over Israel.”

28
As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem
So Samuel said to him,
of his robe, and it tore.
“The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from
you today and has given it to your neighbor who

the grown bulls

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying or by giving

as an offering; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, and 21.

Or

264    |    1 Samuel 15:29

29

Moreover,  the  Glory  of  Is-
is  better  than  you.
rael does not lie or change His mind, for He is not
30
a man, that He should change His mind.”

“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
31
the LORD your God.”

So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul wor-

32
shiped the LORD.

Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the

a

Amalekites.”

Agag  came  to  him  cheerfully,
33
“Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

 b
  for  he  thought,

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
34
LORD at Gilgal.

35

Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up
And to the day of
to his home in Gibeah of Saul.
his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Sam-
uel  mourned  for  Saul,  and  the  LORD  regretted
Samuel Anoints David
that He had made Saul king over Israel.

16

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
2
king for Myself.”

“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of

it and kill me!”

3

The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and
say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Then
invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you
what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the
4
one I indicate.”

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
5
in peace?”

“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice
to  the  LORD.  Consecrate  yourselves  and  come
a 32
with me to the sacrifice.”
c 9 Shammah
Or
d 14

Shimea
; see DSS and LXX.

a harmful spirit

b 32
Shimei

cautiously

in chains

Shimeah

Or

; similarly in verses 15, 16, and 23

6

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and in-
When they arrived,
vited them to the sacrifice.
Samuel  saw  Eliab  and  said,  “Surely  here  before
7
the LORD is His anointed.”

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
8
heart.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him
to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen
9
this one either.”

c

Next  Jesse  presented  Shammah,

  but  Samuel
10
said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”

Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before
Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not
11
chosen any of these.”

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
12
sit down to eat until he arrives.”

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
13
and anoint him, for he is the one.”

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
David Serves Saul
Ramah.
14

 d

16

Now  the  Spirit  of  the  LORD  departed  from
15
Saul,  and  a  spirit  of  distress
  from  the  LORD
Saul’s servants said to
began to torment him.
him,  “Surely  a  spirit  of  distress  from  God  is
tormenting  you.
Let  our  lord  command  your
servants here to seek out someone who can skill-
fully  play  the  harp.  Whenever  the  spirit  of
distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and
17
you will be well.”

And  Saul  commanded  his  servants,  “Find  me
18
someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”

 or
 is a variant of

,

, and

Or
; see 2 Samuel 13:3, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.

 See DSS and LXX.

“Surely this is the bitterness of death.”

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 war-
rior,  eloquent  and  handsome,  and  the  LORD  is
19
with him.”

So  Saul  sent  messengers  to  Jesse  and  said,
20
“Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”

21

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.
When David came
to  Saul  and  entered  his  service,  Saul  loved  him
22
very much, and David became his armor-bearer.

23

Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let Da-
vid remain in my service, for I am pleased with
him.”
And whenever the spirit from God came
upon  Saul,  David  would  pick  up  his  harp  and
play. Then Saul would find relief and feel better,
Goliath’s Challenge
and the spirit of distress would depart from him.

17

2

Now the Philistines gathered their forces
for  war  at  Socoh  in  Judah,  and  they
camped  between  Socoh  and  Azekah  in  Ephes-
Saul and the men of Israel assembled
dammim.
and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying them-
3
selves for battle against the Philistines.

The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israel-
ites  stood  on  another,  with  the  valley  between
4
them.

a

5

Then a champion named Goliath, who was from
Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was
six  cubits  and  a  span  in  height,
and  he  had  a
b
bronze  helmet  on  his  head.  He  wore  a  bronze
6
coat  of  mail  weighing  five  thousand  shekels,
and  he  had  armor  of  bronze  on his  legs  and  a
7
javelin  of  bronze  slung  between  his  shoulders.
c
The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam,

and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.
8
In addition, his shield bearer went before him.

And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of
Israel,  “Why  do  you  come  out  and  array  your-
selves  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.
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,
10
then you shall be our servants and work for us.”

9

Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Is-

a 4
rael this day! Give me a man to fight!”
height

1 Samuel 17:25    |    265

11

On  hearing  the  words  of  the  Philistine,  Saul
and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly
David Accepts the Challenge
afraid.
12

Now David was the son of a man named Jesse,
an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had
d
13
eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old
The three older sons
and well along in years.
of  Jesse  had  followed  Saul  into  battle:  The
firstborn  was  Eliab,  the  second  was  Abinadab,
And  David  was
and  the  third  was  Shammah.
the youngest.

15

14

but David
The three oldest had followed Saul,
went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s
16
sheep in Bethlehem.

For  forty  days  the  Philistine  came  forward

17
every morning and evening to take his stand.
 e

One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this
ephah of roasted grain
 and these ten loaves of
18
bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
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
They  are  with  Saul  and  all  the  men  of
them.
Israel  in  the  Valley  of  Elah,  fighting  against  the
20
Philistines.”

19

f

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
21
the  army  was  marching  out  to  its  position  and
And Israel and the Phil-
shouting the battle cry.
22
istines arrayed in formation against each other.

23

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
And as he was speaking with them, sud-
doing.
denly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine
from Gath, came forward from  the ranks of the
Philistines  and  shouted  his  usual  words,  which
24
David also heard.

When  all  the  men  of  Israel  saw  Goliath,  they

25
fled from him in great fear.

Now  the  men  of  Israel  had  been  saying,  “Do
you see how this man keeps coming out to defy
Israel?  To  the  man  who  kills  him  the  king  will
b 5 5,000 shekels
d 12

four cubits and a span in

 is approximately 125.6 pounds or 57 kil-
f 18
LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

he had become
some token

Goliath was approximately 9 feet 9 inches or 297 centimeters tall; LXX, DSS, and Josephus

c 7 600 shekels

advanced among men
ograms.
from them

 (approximately 6 feet 9 inches or 206 centimeters tall).

e 17 An ephah

some pledge from them

 is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms.

 or

 is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters of roasted grain.

Or

266    |    1 Samuel 17:26

give great riches. And he will give him his daugh-
ter  in  marriage  and  exempt  his  father’s  house
26
from taxation in Israel.”

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 Is-
rael?  Just  who  is  this  uncircumcised  Philistine,
27
that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

The  people  told  him  about  the  offer,  saying,
“That is what will be done for the man who kills
28
him.”

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
29
to see the battle!”

30

“What  have  I  done  now?”  said  David.  “Was it
Then he turned from him
not just a question?”
toward  another  and  asked  about  the  offer,  and
those people answered him just as the first ones
31
had answered.

Now  David’s  words  were  overheard  and

32
reported to Saul, who sent for him.

And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail
on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go
33
and fight him!”

But  Saul  replied,  “You  cannot  go  out  against
this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and
34
he has been a warrior from his youth.”

35

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,
I
went  after  it,  struck  it  down,  and  delivered  the
lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I
36
would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
Your  servant  has  killed  lions  and  bears;  this
uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them,
37
for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

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.”
David Slays Goliath
“Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
38

39

Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a
bronze  helmet  on  his  head,  and  dressed  him  in
a 52
David  strapped  his  sword  over  the
armor.

of the valley

of Gai

LXX; Hebrew

; that is,

tunic  and  tried  to  walk,  but  he  was  not  accus-
tomed to them.

“I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am
40
not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
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
41
sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.

43

Now  the  Philistine  came  closer  and  closer  to
42
David,  with  his  shield-bearer  before  him.
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he
despised  him  because  he  was  just  a  boy,  ruddy
and handsome.
“Am I a dog,” he said to David,
44
“that you come at me with sticks?” And the Phil-
istine cursed David by his gods.
“Come here,”
he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to
45
the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

46

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
This day the LORD will deliver you
have defied.
into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut
off your head, and give the carcasses of the Phil-
istine army to the birds of the air and the crea-
tures  of  the  earth.  Then  the  whole  world  will
And all those
know that there is a God in Israel.
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
48
hands.”

47

49

As the Philistine started forward to attack him,
David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet
him.
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
50
he fell facedown on the ground.

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with
a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand
51
he  struck  down  the  Philistine  and  killed  him.
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.

52

When  the  Philistines  saw  that  their  hero  was
Then the men of Is-
dead, they turned and ran.
 a
rael and Judah charged forward with a shout and
pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath
and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the
Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road
to Gath and Ekron.

53

54

When  the  Israelites  returned  from  their  pur-
suit  of  the  Philistines,  they  plundered  their
camps.
David  took  the  head  of  the  Philistine
and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s
55
weapons in his own tent.

As  Saul had  watched  David  going  out  to  con-
front  the  Philistine,  he  said  to  Abner  the  com-
mander  of  the  army,  “Abner,  whose  son  is  this
young man?”

“As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I
56
do not know.”

“Find out whose son this young man is!” said

57
the king.

So when David returned from killing the Phil-
istine,  still  holding  his  head  in  his  hand,  Abner
58
took him and brought him before Saul.

“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul.

“I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,”
Jonathan Befriends David
David replied.

18

After  David  had  finished  speaking  with
Saul,  the  souls  of  Jonathan  and  David
2
were  knit  together,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as
And from that day Saul kept David with
himself.
him  and  did  not  let  him  return  to  his  father’s
3
house.

4

Then  Jonathan  made  a  covenant  with  David
And Jonathan
because he loved him as himself.
removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to
David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow,
Saul Envies David
and his belt.
5

So David marched out and prospered in every-
thing Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over
the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight
6
of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.

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 sing-
ing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tam-
bourines  and  other  instruments.
And  as  the
women danced, they sang out:

7

a

8

“Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands.”

1 Samuel 18:24    |    267

9

can  he  have  but  the  kingdom?”
10
day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

And  from  that
 b

The next day a spirit of distress

 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,
and  he  hurled  it,
thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David
12
eluded him twice.

11

So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD
13
was  with  David  but  had  departed  from  Saul.
Therefore Saul sent David away and gave him
command  of  a  thousand  men.  David  led  the
troops out to battle and back,
and he continued
to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was
15
with him.

14

16

When Saul saw that David was very successful,
But all Israel and Judah
he was afraid of him.
loved David, because he was leading them out to
David Marries Michal
battle and back.
17

Then  Saul  said  to  David,  “Here  is  my  older
daughter  Merab.  I  will  give  her  to  you  in  mar-
riage. 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 Philis-
18
tines be against him.”

 c

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?”
So
when it was time
 to give Saul’s daughter Merab
to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of
20
Meholah.

19

Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and
21
when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.
“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
22
son-in-law.”

Then Saul ordered his servants, “Speak to Da-
vid  privately  and  tell  him,  ‘Behold,  the  king  is
pleased with you, and all his servants love you.
23
Now therefore, become his son-in-law.’

”

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
24
man and lightly esteemed.”

And  the  servants  told  Saul  what  David  had
But when it was time

a harmful spirit      c 19

b 10

Or

Or

And  Saul  was  furious  and  resented  this  song.
“They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,”
a 6
he  said, “but only  thousands  to  me.  What  more
 or

three-stringed instruments

Possibly

cymbals

lutes

 or

 or

lyres

said.

268    |    1 Samuel 18:25

25

Saul  replied,  “Say  to  David,  ‘The  king  desires
no  other  dowry  but  a  hundred  Philistine  fore-
skins  as  revenge  on  his  enemies.’
”  But  Saul
intended to cause David’s death at the hands of
26
the Philistines.

When  the  servants  reported  these  terms  to
David,  he  was  pleased  to  become  the  king’s
27
son-in-law.  Before  the  wedding  day  arrived,
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 daugh-
28
ter Michal to David in marriage.

29

When  Saul  realized  that  the  LORD  was  with
David  and  that  his  daughter  Michal  loved
David,
he grew even more afraid of David. So
30
from then on Saul was David’s enemy.

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
Saul Tries to Kill David  (Psalm 59:1–17)
esteemed.

19

Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and
all his servants to kill David.

2

3

so he
But  Jonathan  delighted  greatly  in  David,
warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to
kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a
secret  place  and  hide  there.
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,
4
I will tell you.”

5

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.
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
6
innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”

Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore
an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will
7
not be put to death.”

So Jonathan summoned David and told him all
these  things.  Then  Jonathan  brought  David  to
8
Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

9

 a

10

But  as  Saul  was  sitting  in  his  house  with  his
spear  in  his  hand,  a  spirit  of  distress
  from
the LORD came upon him. While David was play-
Saul tried to pin him to the wall
ing the harp,
with  his  spear.  But  David  eluded  him  and  the
spear  struck  the  wall.  And  David  fled  and  es-
11
caped that night.

Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to
watch him and kill him in the morning. But Da-
vid’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run
12
for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
So  Michal  lowered  David  from  the  window,

13
and he ran away and escaped.

 b

Then Michal took a household idol

 and laid it
in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and
When Saul sent the
covered it with a garment.
15
messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

14

16

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.”
And when the messengers en-
tered, there was the idol in the bed with the goat
17
hair on its head.

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,
18
or I will kill you!’

”

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
19
and stayed there.

20

When Saul was told that David was at Naioth
in Ramah,
he sent messengers to seize him. But
when they saw the group of prophets prophesy-
ing, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God
came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also be-
21
gan to prophesy.

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
22
time, and even they began to prophesy.

Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came
to  the  large  cistern  at  Secu,  where  he  asked,
“Where are Samuel and David?”
23
“At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.

When war broke out again, David went out and
fought the Philistines and struck them with such
a 9
a mighty blow that they fled before him.

a household god

a harmful spirit

b 13

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.

teraphim

Or

Or

; Hebrew

; also in verse 16

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
Jonathan Helps David
said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

20

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
2
my life?”

“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
3
this matter from me? This cannot be true!”

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 be-
4
tween me and death.”

Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you de-

5
sire, I will do for you.”

a

7

6

So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New
Moon,
 and I am supposed to dine with the king.
Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the
If  your  father  misses
third  evening  from  now.
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.’
If he says, ‘Good,’ then your
servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know
he has evil intentions.
Therefore show kindness
to your servant, for you have brought me into a
covenant with you before the LORD. If there is in-
iquity  in  me,  then  kill  me  yourself;  why  should
9
you bring me to your father?”

8

“Never!”  Jonathan  replied.  “If  I  ever  found  out
that  my  father  had  evil  intentions  against  you,
Jonathan and David Renew Their
would I not tell you?”
Covenant

10

Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me

11
if your father answers you harshly?”

“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.”

12

So the two of them went out into the field,
and
a 5
Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I

loving devotion

1 Samuel 20:27    |    269

13

14

will sound out my father by this time tomorrow
or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will
But if my father
I not send for you and tell you?
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
And as long as I live, treat me with the
father.
15
  that  I  may  not  die,
LORD’s  loving  devotion,
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
16
face of the earth.”

 b

17

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house
of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s en-
And  Jonathan  had  David
emies  accountable.”
reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan
18
loved David as he loved himself.

21

19

20

Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the
New Moon, and you will be missed, because your
When  you  have  stayed
seat  will  be  empty.
three days, hurry down to the place you hid on
c
the day this trouble began, and remain beside the
I  will  shoot  three  arrows  to  the
stone  Ezel.
side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.
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
But if I say to the
you, and there is no danger.
young  man,  ‘Look,  the  arrows  are  beyond  you,’
then  you  must  go,  for  the  LORD  has  sent  you
And as for the matter you and I have dis-
away.
cussed, the LORD is a witness between you and
24
me forever.”

23

22

25

d

26

So  David  hid  in  the  field,  and  when  the  New
He
Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.
sat  in  his  usual  place  by  the  wall,  opposite
  but  David’s  place
Jonathan  and  beside  Abner,
Saul said nothing that day because
was empty.
he thought, “Something has happened to David to
make  him  ceremonially  unclean—surely  he  is
27
unclean.”

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
chesed
b 14
come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
faithful-
 are translated here and in
by the wall. Jonathan

Forms of the Hebrew

goodness

kindness

love

That is, the New Moon feast; also in verses 18, 24, and 27

loyalty to a covenant

c 19 Ezel

mercy

ness
most cases throughout the Scriptures as
arose and Abner sat down by Saul’s side,
, as well as

, and

departure
; the range of meaning includes

d 25

.

 means

.

,
LXX; Hebrew

,

,

270    |    1 Samuel 20:28

28

Jonathan  answered,  “David  urgently  re-
29
quested  my  permission  to  go  to  Bethlehem,
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  has  not  come  to  the
Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan
king’s table.”
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
For
to the shame of the mother who bore you?
as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, nei-
ther you nor your kingdom shall be established.
Now  send  for  him  and  bring  him  to  me,  for  he
32
must surely die!”

31

“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan re-

33
plied. “What has he done?”

34

Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill
him. So Jonathan knew that his father was deter-
mined to kill David.
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
35
his father’s shameful treatment of David.

36

In the morning Jonathan went out to the field
for the appointment with David, and a small boy
He said to the boy, “Run and find
was with him.
the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan
37
shot an arrow beyond him.

38

When the boy reached the place where Jona-
than’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him,
Then Jonathan
“Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So
the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his
39
master.

40

LORD,  saying,  ‘May  the  LORD  be  a  witness
between  you  and  me,  and  between  your  de-
” Then David got up
scendants and mine forever.’
and  departed,  and  Jonathan  went  back  into  the
city.  David Takes the Consecrated Bread
(Matthew 12:1–8 ;  Mark 2:23–28 ;  Luke 6:1–5)

21

Then  David  came  to  Nob,  to  Ahimelech
the priest. And when Ahimelech met Da-
vid,  he  trembled  and  asked  him,  “Why  are  you
2
alone? Why is no one with you?”

3

“The  king  has  given  me  a  mission,”  David
replied. “He told me no one is to know about the
mission on which I am sending you. And I have
directed my young men to meet me at a certain
Now  then,  what  do  you  have  on  hand?
place.
Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be
4
found.”

“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest
replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—
provided  that  the  young  men  have  kept  them-
5
selves from women.”

David  answered,  “Women  have  indeed  been
kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the
bodies of the young men are holy even on com-
6
mon missions. How much more so today!”

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 be-
fore  the  LORD  and  replaced  with  hot  bread  on
7
the day it was taken away.

Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day,
detained  before  the  LORD.  And  his  name  was
David Flees to Gath
Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
(Psalm 34:1–22 ;  Psalm 56:1–13)

8

But the boy did not know anything; only Jona-
Then
than  and  David  knew  the  arrangement.
Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said,
41
“Go, take it back to the city.”

a

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, be-
9
cause the king’s mission was urgent.”

When the young man had gone, David got up
 fell facedown,
from the south side of the stone,
and  bowed  three  times.  Then  he  and  Jonathan
kissed  each  other  and  wept  together—though
42
David wept more.

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 here.”

And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for
a 41
the  two  of  us  have  sworn  in  the  name  of  the

from beside the stone

from the south side

And David said, “There is none like it; give it to
me.”

Hebrew

; LXX

1 Samuel 22:20    |    271

10

11

That  day  David  fled  from  Saul  and  went  to
But the servants of Achish
Achish king of Gath.
said  to  him,  “Is  this  not  David,  the  king  of  the
land? Did they not sing about him in their dances,
saying:

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
9
me, as is the case today.”

‘Saul has slain his thousands,

12

and David his tens of thousands’?”

13

Now David took these words to heart and was
very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
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
14
beard.

15

Then  Achish  said  to  his  servants,  “Look,  you
can  see  that  the  man  is  insane!  Why  have  you
Am I in need of madmen,
brought him to me?
that  you  have  brought  this  man  to  rave  in  my
David Flees to Adullam and Mizpeh
presence? Must this man come into my house?”
(Psalm 57:1–11 ;  Psalm 142:1–7)

22

2

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,
And all who were
they went down to him there.
distressed  or  indebted  or  discontented  rallied
around him, and he became their leader. About
3
four hundred men were with him.

From  there  David  went  to  Mizpeh  of  Moab,
 a
where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my
4
  with  you  until  I  learn
father  and  mother  stay
what God will do for me.”
So he left them in the
care  of  the  king  of  Moab,  and  they  stayed  with
5
him the whole time David was in the stronghold.

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 for-
Saul Slays the Priests of Nob  (Psalm 52:1–9)
est of Hereth.
6

Soon Saul learned that David and his men had
been discovered. At that time Saul was sitting un-
der the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with
his  spear  in  hand  and  all  his  servants  standing
7
around him.

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 command-
Is that why all of
ers of thousands or hundreds?
a 3
you have conspired against me? Not one of you

go forth

8

Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew

10

But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed him-
self  with  Saul’s  servants,  answered:  “I  saw  the
son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at
Nob.
Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him
and  gave  him  provisions.  He  also  gave  him  the
11
sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

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.
“Listen now,
son of Ahitub,” said Saul.
13
“Here I am, my lord,” he replied.

12

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,
14
as he is doing today.”

Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all
your  servants  is  as  faithful  as  David,  the  king’s
15
son-in-law,  the  captain  of  your  bodyguard  and
honored in your house?
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 noth-
16
ing of this whole affair—not in part or in whole.”

But  the  king  replied,  “You  will  surely  die,

17
Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”

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
18
strike the priests of the LORD.

So the king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike

down the priests!”

19

And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down
the priests himself. On that day he killed eighty-
five  men  who  wore  the  linen  ephod.
He  also
put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, with
its men and women, children and infants, oxen,
20
donkeys, and sheep.

But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub
escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to

272    |    1 Samuel 22:21

21

David.
22
killed the priests

 of the LORD.

And Abiathar told David that Saul had

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
Stay
lives of everyone in your father’s house.
 do not be afraid, for he who seeks your
with me;
life is seeking mine as well. You will be safe with
David Delivers Keilah
me.”

23

23

Now it was reported to David, “Look, the
Philistines  are  fighting  against  Keilah

2
and looting the threshing floors.”

So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and

attack these Philistines?”

And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the
3
Philistines and save Keilah.”

But  David’s  men  said  to  him,  “Look,  we  are
afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to
4
Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”

Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the
LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I
5
will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought
against the Philistines, and carried off their live-
stock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David
6
saved the people of Keilah.

(Now  Abiathar  son  of  Ahimelech  had  brought
the  ephod  with  him  when  he  fled  to  David  at
Saul Pursues David  (Psalm 54:1–7)
Keilah.)
7

When Saul was told that David had gone to Kei-
lah,  he  said,  “God  has  delivered  him  into  my
hand,  for  he  has  trapped  himself  by  entering  a
8
town with gates and bars.”

Then Saul summoned all his troops to go to war

9
at Keilah and besiege David and his men.

When David learned that Saul was plotting evil
against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring
10
the ephod.”

 a

11

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.
Will
the  citizens  of  Keilah  surrender  me  into  his
hand?
 Will Saul come down, as Your servant has
heard?  O  LORD,  God  of  Israel,  please  tell  Your
a 11
servant.”

Some manuscripts omit this question.

12
“He will,” said the LORD.

So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah sur-
render me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
13
 “They will,” said the LORD.

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 Da-
vid  had  escaped  from  Keilah,  he  declined  to  go
14
forth.

And  David  stayed  in  the  wilderness  strong-
holds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of
Ziph.  Day  after  day  Saul  searched  for  him,  but
15
God would not deliver David into his hand.

16

While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness
of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his
And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in
life.
Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
say-
ing,  “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.
18
Even my father Saul knows this is true.”

17

So the two of them made a covenant before the
LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jon-
19
athan went home.

20

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
Now,  O  king,  come  down
south  of  Jeshimon?
whenever  your  soul  desires,  and  we  will  be  re-
21
sponsible for delivering him into your hand.”

23

“May  you  be  blessed  by  the  LORD,”  replied
22
Saul,  “for  you  have  had  compassion  on  me.
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 cun-
Observe and find out all the places where
ning.
he hides. Then come back to me with certainty,
and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will
24
search him out among all the clans of Judah.”

25

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,
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
26
heard of this, he pursued David there.

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
27
and his men to capture them.

Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come
28
quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went
to  meet  the  Philistines.  That  is  why  that  place
And David went
is called Sela-hammahlekoth.
up  from  there  and  lived  in  the  strongholds  of
David Spares Saul
En-gedi.

29

a

24

After  Saul  had  returned  from  pursuing
2
the Philistines, he was told, “David is in
So  Saul  took  three
the  wilderness  of  En-gedi.”
thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to
look for David and his men in the region of the
3
Rocks of the Wild Goats.

b

4

Soon  Saul  came  to  the  sheepfolds  along  the
road, where there was a cave, and he went in to
relieve  himself.
  And  David  and  his  men  were
hiding  in  the  recesses  of  the  cave.
So  David’s
men said to him, “This is the day about which the
LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your en-
emy into your hand, that you may do with him as
you wish.’

”

Then David crept up and stealthily cut off a cor-
5
ner of Saul’s robe.

6

Afterward, David’s conscience was stricken be-
cause he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
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,
7
since he is the LORD’s anointed.”

With  these  words  David  restrained  his  men,
and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then
8
Saul left the cave and went on his way.

After  that,  David  got  up,  went  out  of  the  cave,

and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!”

10

9
When  Saul  looked  behind  him,  David  bowed
facedown  in reverence
and  said  to  Saul, “Why
do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look,
David intends to harm you’?
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
a 28 Sela-hammahlekoth
LORD’s anointed.’
c 1

Rock of Escape

b 3

1 Samuel 25:2    |    273

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.
Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in
my  hands.  I  have  not  sinned  against  you,  even
12
though you are hunting me down to take my life.

May the LORD judge between you and me, and
may  the  LORD  take  vengeance  on  you,  but  my
hand  will  never  be  against  you.
As  the  old
proverb  says,  ‘Wickedness  proceeds  from  the
14
wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.

13

Against whom has the king of Israel come out?
15
Whom  are  you  pursuing?  A  dead  dog?  A  flea?
May  the  LORD  be  our  judge  and  decide  be-
tween you and me. May He take notice and plead
David’s Oath to Saul
my case and deliver me from your hand.”
16

When David had finished saying these things,
Saul  called  back,  “Is  that  your  voice,  David  my
17
son?”

18

and said to David, “You
Then Saul wept aloud
are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded
me with good, though I have rewarded you with
And you have declared this day how you
evil.
have treated me well, for when the LORD deliv-
19
ered  me  into  your  hand,  you  did  not  kill  me.
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
20
day.

21

Now I know for sure that you will be king and
that the kingdom of Israel will be established in
So now, swear to me by the LORD
your hands.
that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe
22
out my name from my father’s house.”

So  David  gave  his  oath to  Saul. Then  Saul  re-
turned home, but David and his men went up to
The Death of Samuel
the stronghold.

25

When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to
mourn  for  him;  and  they  buried  him  at

his home in Ramah.

c

Then  David  set  out  and  went  down  to  the
David, Nabal, and Abigail
Wilderness of Paran.
2

Now there was a man in Maon whose business
cover his feet
was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with
Maon

Literally
Hebrew and some LXX manuscripts; other LXX manuscripts

 means

.

, a euphemism for relieving oneself

274    |    1 Samuel 25:3

3

a  thousand  goats  and  three  thousand  sheep,
His name was
which he was shearing in Carmel.
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
4
dealings.

5

6

While  David  was  in  the  wilderness,  he  heard
So  David  sent
that  Nabal  was  shearing  sheep.
ten  young  men  and  instructed  them,  “Go  up  to
Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name
and say
7
to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and to
Now I
your house and to all that belongs to you.
hear that it is time for shearing. When your shep-
herds were with us, we did not harass them, and
nothing  of  theirs  was  missing  the  whole  time
Ask your young men, and
they were in Carmel.
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 spare to your serv-
9
ants and to your son David.’

”

8

When David’s young men arrived, they relayed
all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then
10
they waited.

But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is
this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are
Why
breaking  away  from  their  masters.
should I take my bread and water and the meat I
have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them
12
to these men whose origin I do not know?”

11

So David’s men turned around and went back,

13
and they relayed to him all these words.

And  David  said  to  his  men,  “Strap  on  your
swords!”  So  David  and  all  his  men  strapped  on
their  swords,  and  about  four  hundred  men
followed David, while two hundred stayed with
14
the supplies.

15

16

Meanwhile,  one  of  Nabal’s  young  men  in-
formed  Nabal’s  wife  Abigail,  “Look,  David  sent
messengers  from  the  wilderness  to  greet  our
Yet  these
master,  but  he  screamed  at  them.
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
They  were  a  wall  around  us,  both  day
them.
and night, the whole time we were herding our
sheep near them.
Now consider carefully what
you  must  do,  because  disaster  looms  over  our
master  and  all  his  household.  For  he  is  such  a
a 18 5 seahs
scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”
mies

c 25 Nabal

d 29

fool

17

Abigail Intercedes for Nabal

18

a

Then  Abigail  hurried  and  took  two  hundred
loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered
sheep,  five  seahs  of  roasted  grain,
  a  hundred
clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs.
She  loaded  them  on  donkeys
and  said  to  her
young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right be-
20
hind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

19

As  Abigail  came  riding  her  donkey  into  a
mountain  ravine,  she  saw  David  and  his  men
21
coming down toward her, and she met them.

Now  David  had  just  said,  “In  vain  I  have
protected all that belonged to this man in the wil-
derness.  Nothing  that  belongs  to  him  has  gone
22
missing,  yet  he  has  paid  me  back  evil  for  good.
 and ever so severely,
if I let one male belonging to Nabal survive until
23
morning.”

May God punish David,

b

24

25

When  Abigail  saw  David,  she  quickly  got  off
the  donkey,  fell  facedown,  and  bowed  before
She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may
him.
the  blame  be  on  me  alone,  but  please  let  your
servant  speak  to  you;  hear  the  words  of  your
My  lord  should  pay  no  attention  to
servant.
this scoundrel Nabal,
 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
26
men whom you sent.

c

Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and
you  yourself  live,  since  the  LORD  has  held  you
back from bloodshed and from avenging yourself
with  your  own  hand,  may  your  enemies  and
27
those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.

28

Now  let  this  gift  your  servant  has  brought  to
my lord be given to the young men who follow
Please forgive your servant’s offense, for
you.
the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for
my  lord,  because  he  fights  the  LORD’s  battles.
29
May no evil be found in you as long as you live.

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
30
your enemies like stones from a sling.

d

When  the  LORD  has  done  for  my  lord  all  the
good He promised, and when He has appointed
then my lord will have no
you ruler over Israel,

David’s ene-

31

b 22
fling away the souls of your enemies as from the pocket of a sling
Some LXX manuscripts; MT

 is approximately 33 dry quarts or 36.5 liters of roasted grain.

 means

.

Literally

remorse  or  guilt  of  conscience  over  needless
bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has
dealt well with my lord, may you remember your
32
servant.”

33

34

Then  David  said  to  Abigail,  “Blessed  be  the
LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me
Blessed  is  your  discernment,  and
this  day!
blessed are you, because today you kept me from
bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own
Otherwise,  as  surely  as  the  LORD,  the
hand.
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
35
would have been left alive by morning light.”

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
36
your request.”

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
37
until morning light.

In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife
told him about these events, and his heart failed
About
within him, and he became like a stone.
David Marries Abigail
ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.
39

38

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.”

40

Then  David  sent  word  to  Abigail,  asking  her  to
When  his  servants  came  to
become  his  wife.
Abigail  at  Carmel,  they  said,  “David  has  sent  us
41
to take you as his wife.”

She arose, bowed facedown, and said, “Here is
your servant, ready to serve and to wash the feet
42
of my lord’s servants.”

So  Abigail  hurried  and  got  on  a  donkey,  and
attended  by  five  of  her  maidens,  she  followed
43
David’s messengers and became his wife.

44

 a

David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So
But Saul
she and Abigail were both his wives.
had  given  his  daughter  Michal,  David’s  wife,  to
 son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
a 44 Palti
Palti

Paltiel

 is a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 3:15.

1 Samuel 26:13    |    275

David Again Spares Saul

26

2

Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah
and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill
of  Hachilah,  opposite  Jeshimon?”
So  Saul,  ac-
companied  by  three  thousand  chosen  men  of
Israel,  went  down  to  the  Wilderness  of  Ziph  to
3
search for David there.

Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Ha-
chilah opposite Jeshimon, but David was living in
the  wilderness.  When he realized  that Saul had
David sent out spies to ver-
followed him there,
5
ify that Saul had arrived.

4

6

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 cir-
cle of the camp, with the troops camped around
And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and
him.
Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will
go down with me to Saul in the camp?”
7
“I will go with you,” answered Abishai.

That  night  David  and  Abishai  came  to  the
troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the in-
ner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the
ground  by  his  head.  And  Abner  and  the  troops
8
were lying around him.

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
9
strike him twice!”

10

But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him,
for  who  can  extend  a  hand  against  the  LORD’s
anointed  and  be  guiltless?”
David  added,  “As
surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will
strike him down; either his day will come and he
But
will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
the  LORD  forbid  that  I  should  extend  my  hand
against  the  LORD’s  anointed.  Instead,  take  the
12
spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”

11

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
David Reproves Abner
LORD had fallen on them.
13

Then David crossed to the other side and stood
atop the mountain at a distance; there was a wide

276    |    1 Samuel 26:14

14

And David shouted to the
gulf between them.
troops and to Abner son of Ner, “Will you not an-
swer me, Abner?”

 “Who are you who calls to the king?” Abner re-
15
plied.

16

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
This thing
of the people came to destroy him?
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
17
that were by his head?”

Then Saul recognized David’s voice and asked,

“Is that your voice, David my son?”
18
“It is my voice, my lord and king,” David said.

19

And  he  continued,  “Why  is  my  lord  pursuing
his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my
hand?
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 offer-
ing. 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
So
of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
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
Saul Acknowledges His Sin
partridge in the mountains.”
21

20

Then Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back,
David  my  son.  I  will  never  harm  you  again,  be-
cause  today  you  considered  my  life  precious.  I
have played the fool and have committed a grave
22
error!”

“Here  is  the  king’s  spear,”  David  answered.
23
“Let one of the young men come over and get it.
May  the  LORD  repay  every  man  for  his
righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD de-
livered you into my hand today, but I would not
24
extend  my  hand  against  the  LORD’s  anointed.
As  surely  as  I  valued  your  life  today,  so  may
the  LORD  value  my  life  and  rescue  me  from  all
25
trouble.”

Saul  said  to  him,  “May  you  be  blessed,  David
my son. You will accomplish great things and will
surely prevail.”
a 2 Maoch

Maacah

 is a variant of

; see 1 Kings 2:39.

So  David  went  on  his  way,  and  Saul  returned
David and the Philistines
home.

27

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,
2
and I will slip out of his hand.”
a

3
went to Achish son of Maoch,

So David set out with his six hundred men and
 the king of Gath.
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.
And  when  Saul
learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer
5
searched for him.

4

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
6
you?”

7

That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day
And  the
it  still  belongs  to  the  kings  of  Judah.
time  that  David  lived  in  Philistine  territory
8
amounted to a year and four months.

Now David and his men went up and raided the
Geshurites,  the  Girzites,  and  the  Amalekites.
(From ancient times these people had inhabited
When-
the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)
ever 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.

10

9

Then  he  would  return  to  Achish,
ask him, “What have you raided today?”

who  would

And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or
“The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the
11
Kenites.”

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
12
lived in Philistine territory.

So  Achish  trusted  David,  thinking,  “Since  he
has  made  himself  an  utter  stench  to  his  people
Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

1 Samuel 28:25    |    277

The Philistines Gather against Israel

 b

28

Now  in  those  days  the  Philistines  gath-
ered  their  forces  for  warfare  against
Israel. So Achish said to David, “You must under-
stand  that  you  and  your  men  are  to  go  out  to
2
battle with me.”

David  replied,  “Then  you  will  come  to  know

what your servant can do.”

“Very  well,”  said  Achish.  “I  will  make  you  my
3
bodyguard for life.”

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
4
and spiritists from the land.

“I  see  a  god
14
woman answered.

  coming  up  out  of  the  earth,”  the

“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
15
facedown in reverence.

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you dis-

turbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Phil-
istines  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
16
on you to tell me what to do.”

5

The Philistines gathered together and camped
at  Shunem,  while  Saul  gathered  all  Israel  and
When Saul saw the Philistine
camped at Gilboa.
He
army, he was afraid and trembled violently.
inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not an-
Saul and the Medium of Endor
swer him by dreams or Urim
7

 or prophets.

6

 a

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
8
replied.

So Saul disguised himself by putting on differ-
ent 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
9
I name.”

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
10
to get me killed?”

Then  Saul  swore  to  her  by  the  LORD:  “As
surely  as  the  LORD  lives,  no  punishment  shall
11
come upon you for this.”

“Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman

asked.
12
“Bring up Samuel,” he replied.

But  when  the  woman  saw  Samuel,  she  cried
out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have
13
you deceived me? You are Saul!”

17

“Why do you consult me,” asked Samuel, “since
the LORD has turned away from you and become
He  has  done  exactly  what  He
your  enemy?
spoke through me: The LORD has torn the king-
18
dom out of your hand and given it to your neigh-
Because you did not obey the LORD
bor David.
or  carry  out  His  burning anger  against  Amalek,
Moreo-
the LORD has done this to you today.
ver, 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
20
Philistines.”

19

Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground, terri-
fied  by  the  words  of  Samuel.  And  his  strength
was gone, because he had not eaten anything all
21
that day and night.

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
Now
life in my hands and did as you told me.
please  listen  to  your  servant  and  let  me  set  a
morsel of bread before you so you may eat and
23
have the strength to go on your way.”

22

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
24
and sat on the bed.

The  woman  had  a  fattened  calf  at  her  house,
and  she  quickly  slaughtered  it.  She  also  took
25
flour,  kneaded  it,  and  baked  unleavened  bread.
She served it to Saul and his servants, and they

“Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do

ate. And that night they got up and left.

a 6
you see?”

Lights

b 13

I see a spirit

I see a divine being

Literally

Or

 or

278    |    1 Samuel 29:1

The Philistines Reject David

The Amalekites Raid Ziklag

29

2

Now  the  Philistines  brought  all  their
forces  together  at  Aphek,  while  Israel
camped by the spring in Jezreel.
As the Philis-
tine  leaders  marched  out  with  their  units  of
hundreds  and  thousands,  David  and  his  men
3
marched behind them with Achish.

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
4
until today I have found no fault in him.”

But the commanders of the Philistines were an-
gry  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
Is this
master than with the heads of our men?
not  the  David  about  whom  they  sing  in  their
dances:

5

‘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,
and  it  seems  right  in  my  sight  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 are not good in the
Therefore  turn  back  now
sight  of  the  leaders.
and go in peace, so that you will not do anything
8
to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”

7

“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
9
lord the king?”

10

Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing
in my sight as an angel of God. But the command-
ers of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go
Now then, get up early in
into battle with us.’
the morning, along with your master’s servants
11
who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”

So David and his men got up early in the morn-
ing  to  return  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  And
the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
and all
a 2

LXX; Hebrew does not include

.

30

On the third day David and his men ar-
rived  in  Ziklag,  and  the  Amalekites  had
2
raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it
 a
They had taken captive the women and
down.
all
  who  were  there,  both  young  and  old.  They
had not killed anyone, but had carried them off
3
as they went on their way.

4

When David and his men came to the city, they
found it burned down and their wives and sons
and daughters taken captive.
So David and the
troops with him lifted up their voices and wept
5
until they had no strength left to weep.

6

David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abi-
gail  the  widow  of  Nabal  of  Carmel,  had  been
taken captive.
And David was greatly distressed
because  the  people  spoke  of  stoning  him,  be-
cause the soul of every man grieved for his sons
and daughters. But David found strength in the
David Destroys the Amalekites
LORD his God.
7

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son

8

of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”

So  Abiathar  brought  it  to  him,
and  David  in-
quired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raid-
ers? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue  them,”  the  LORD  replied,  “for  you  will
9
surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

10

So David and his six hundred men went to the
Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
be-
cause two hundred men were too exhausted to
cross the brook. But David and four hundred men
11
continued in pursuit.

12

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—
a piece of a fig cake
and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was re-
vived, for he had not had any food or water for
13
three days and three nights.

Then David asked him, “To whom do you be-

long, and where are you from?”

14

“I  am  an  Egyptian,”  he  replied,  “the  slave  of  an
Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days
ago when I fell ill.
We raided the Negev of the
Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev
15
of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”

“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
16
of my master, and I will lead you to them.”

So he led David down, and there were the Am-
alekites  spread  out  over  all  the  land,  eating,
drinking,  and  celebrating  the  great  amount  of
plunder they had taken from the land of the Phil-
istines and the land of Judah.
And David struck
them down from twilight until the evening of the
next  day.  Not  a  man  escaped,  except  four  hun-
18
dred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

17

19

20

So David recovered everything the Amalekites
had  taken,  including  his  two  wives.
Nothing
was  missing,  young  or  old,  son  or  daughter,  or
any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. Da-
vid  brought  everything  back.
And  he  took  all
the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead
of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s
The Spoils Are Divided
plunder!”
21

When  David  came  to  the  two  hundred  men
who had been too exhausted to follow him  and
who were left behind at the Brook of Besor, they
came out to meet him and the troops with him.
22
As David approached the men, he greeted them,
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
23
and go.”

24

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.
Who will listen to
your proposal? The share of the one who went to
battle will match the share of the one who stayed
25
with the supplies. They will share alike.”

And  so  it  has  been  from  that  day  forward.
David established this statute and ordinance for
26
Israel to this very day.

When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of
the  plunder  to  his  friends,  the  elders  of  Judah,
27
saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of
28
the  LORD’s  enemies.”
He  sent  gifts  to  those
to those in
in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;
Aroer,  Siphmoth,  and  Eshtemoa;
to  those  in
Racal  and  in the  cities  of  the  Jerahmeelites  and
Kenites;
to  those  in  Hormah,  Bor-ashan,  and
Athach;
and to those in Hebron and in all the
places where David and his men had roamed.

30
31

29

1 Samuel 31:13    |    279

Saul’s Overthrow and Death
(2 Samuel 1:1–16 ;  1 Chronicles 10:1–6)

31

Now the Philistines fought against Israel,
and  the  men  of  Israel  fled  before  them,

2
and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

3

The Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons,
and  they  killed  Saul’s  sons  Jonathan,  Abinadab,
When  the  battle  intensified
and  Malchishua.
against  Saul,  the  archers  overtook  him  and
4
wounded him critically.

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your
sword and run me through with it, or these un-
circumcised men will come and run me through
and torture me!”

But  his  armor-bearer  was  terrified  and  refused
5
to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead,
6
he too fell on his own sword and died with him.

So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all

The Philistines Possess the Towns
his men died together that same day.
(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.
8
So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip
9
the  dead,  they  found  Saul  and  his  three  sons
They cut off Saul’s head,
fallen on Mount Gilboa.
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
They put his armor in the temple
their people.
of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul
of Beth-shan.
(1 Chronicles 10:11–14)

10

11

12

When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what
all their men
the Philistines had done to Saul,
of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved
the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of
Beth-shan.

13

When  they  arrived  at  Jabesh,  they  burned  the
bodies there.
Then they took their bones and
buried  them under  the  tamarisk  tree  in  Jabesh,
and they fasted seven days.

2 Samuel

Saul’s Death Reported to David
(1 Samuel 31:1–6 ;  1 Chronicles 10:1–6)

1

2

After the death of Saul, David returned from
the  slaughter  of  the  Amalekites  and  stayed
On the third day a man with
in Ziklag two days.
torn  clothes  and  dust  on  his  head  arrived  from
Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the
3
ground to pay him homage.

“Where have you come from?” David asked.

“I  have  escaped  from  the  Israelite  camp,”  he
4
replied.

“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
5
Jonathan are also dead.”

Then  David  asked  the  young  man  who  had
brought him the report, “How do you know that
6
Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied,
“and  there  was  Saul,  leaning  on  his  spear,  with
7
the  chariots  and  the  cavalry  closing  in  on  him.
When he turned around and saw me, he called

8
out to me, and I answered, ‘Here I am!’

‘Who are you?’ he asked.

9
So I told him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me,
10
for agony has seized me, but my life still lingers.’

So I stood over him and killed him, because I
knew  that  after  he  had  fallen  he  could  not  sur-
vive. And I took the crown that was on his head
and  the  band  that  was  on  his  arm,  and  I  have
11
brought them here to my lord.”

12

Then David took hold of his own clothes and
tore  them,  and  all  the  men  who  were  with  him
They  mourned  and  wept  and
did  the  same.
fasted  until  evening  for  Saul  and  his  son  Jona-
a 18
than,  and  for  the  people  of  the  LORD  and  the
Jasher
c 21

be taught the use of the bow
the Song of the Bow
no showers falling on your terraced fields
; note that

Or

be taught the bow

house  of  Israel,  because  they  had  fallen  by  the
13
sword.

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
14
an Amalekite.”

So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid
15
to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
Then David summoned one of the young men
and  said,  “Go,  execute  him!”  So  the  young  man
struck him down, and he died.
For David had
said  to  the  Amalekite,  “Your  blood  be  on  your
own head because your own mouth has testified
David’s Song for Saul and Jonathan
”
against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’
17

16

18

Then  David  took  up  this  lament  for  Saul  and
and he ordered that the sons
 b
 It is writ-

his son Jonathan,
of Judah be taught the Song of the Bow.
19
ten in the Book of Jashar:

a

“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your

20

heights.

How the mighty have fallen!

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

21

exult.

O mountains of Gilboa,

c

may you have no dew or rain,
no fields yielding offerings of grain.
For there the shield of the mighty was

defiled,

22

the shield of Saul, no longer anointed

with oil.

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

b 18

the Book of the Upright One
empty.

Or

; LXX

; Hebrew

; literally
Or
no fields of firstfruits
 that follows is not found in known manuscripts attributed to Jasher.

no fields of offerings

, commonly cited as

23

Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel

2 Samuel 2:21    |    281

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

25

ornaments of gold.

How the mighty have fallen in the thick

26

of battle!

Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

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

David Anointed King of Judah
perished!”

2

Some time later, David inquired of the LORD,
“Should  I  go  up  to  one  of  the  towns  of  Ju-

dah?”

“Go up,” the LORD answered.

Then David asked, “Where should I go?”
2
“To Hebron,” replied the LORD.

3

So  David  went  there  with  his  two  wives,
Ahinoam  of  Jezreel  and  Abigail  the  widow  of
David also took the men who
Nabal of Carmel.
were with him, each with his household, and they
4
settled in the towns near Hebron.

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
5
Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”

6

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
 a
Now may the LORD show you
you buried him.
loving devotion
 and faithfulness, and I will also
show you the same favor because you have done
Now  then,  be  strong  and  courageous,  for
this.
though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah
has anointed me as their king.”
a 6

7

chesed
love

8

b
Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander

9

of  Saul’s  army,  took  Saul’s  son  Ish-bosheth,
moved  him  to  Mahanaim,
and  made  him  king
over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benja-
10
min—over all Israel.

Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when
he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for
two years.
11
The  house  of  Judah,  however,  followed  David.
And the length of time that David was king in
Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years
The Battle of Gibeon
and six months.
12

13

One day Abner son of Ner and the servants of
Ish-bosheth  son  of  Saul  marched  out  from  Ma-
So Joab son of Zeruiah and
hanaim to Gibeon.
the servants of David marched out and met them
by the pool of Gibeon. And the two groups took
14
up positions on opposite sides of the pool.

Then  Abner  said  to  Joab,  “Let  us  have  the

young men get up and compete before us.”
15
“Let them get up,” Joab replied.

16

So they got up and were counted off—twelve
for  Benjamin  and  Ish-bosheth  son  of  Saul,  and
Then each man grabbed his
twelve for David.
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-
17
hazzurim.

c

The battle that day was intense, and Abner and
the men of Israel were defeated by the servants
18
of David.

19

The  three  sons  of  Zeruiah  were  there:  Joab,
Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot
and  he  chased  Abner,  not
like  a  wild  gazelle,
20
turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you,

Asahel?”
21
“It is,” Asahel replied.

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.
loving devotion

Forms of the Hebrew
b 8 Ish-bosheth
range of meaning includes

 is also called

Esh-baal

kindness

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
c 16 Helkath-hazzurim
, and
, as well as
,

faithfulness

mercy

,

loyalty to a covenant

the Field of Swords

; the

 means

.

.

,
; see 1 Chronicles 8:33.

282    |    2 Samuel 2:22

22

Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chas-
ing me. Why should I strike you to the ground?
23
How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”

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.
But
Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they
had  gone  as  far  as  the  hill  of  Ammah  opposite
25
Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

24

26

The Benjamites rallied to Abner, formed a sin-
gle unit, and took their stand atop a hill.
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
27
to stop pursuing their brothers?”

“As  surely  as  God  lives,”  Joab  replied,  “if  you
had not spoken up, the troops would have con-
28
tinued pursuing their brothers until morning.”

29

So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops
stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or contin-
ued to fight.
And all that night Abner and his
a
men marched through the Arabah. They crossed
the Jordan, marched all morning,
 and arrived at
30
Mahanaim.

When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he

gathered all the troops.

31

In  addition  to  Asahel,  nineteen  of  David’s
but  they  had  struck
servants  were  missing,
32
down  360  Benjamites  who  were  with  Abner.
And  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
The House of David Strengthened
daybreak.
(1 Chronicles 3:1–9)

3

Now the war between the house of Saul and
the house of David was protracted. And Da-
vid grew stronger and stronger, while the house
2
of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

And sons were born to David in Hebron:

His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of
3
Jezreel;

b

his second was Chileab,
widow of Nabal of Carmel;

 by Abigail the

a 29
c 15 Paltiel

his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah
Palti

marched all through Bithron

 b 3

4
daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;

his fourth was Adonijah, the son of

Haggith;
5
his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

and his sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife

Eglah.

Abner Joins David
These sons were born to David in Hebron.
6

During the war between the house of Saul and
the  house  of  David,  Abner  had  continued  to
7
strengthen  his  position  in  the  house  of  Saul.
Now  Saul  had  a  concubine  named  Rizpah,
the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned
Abner,  “Why  did  you  sleep  with  my  father’s
8
concubine?”

Abner  was  furious  over  Ish-bosheth’s  accusa-
tion. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Ju-
dah?” 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
9
hand of David, but now you accuse me of wrong-
doing with this woman!
May God punish Abner,
and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what
the  LORD  has  sworn  to  him:
to  transfer  the
kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish
the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from
11
Dan to Beersheba.”

10

And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare

12
to say another word to him.

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf 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
13
you.”

“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
14
daughter Michal when you come to see me.”

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  hun-
15
dred Philistine foreskins.”

 c

16

 son of Laish.

So Ish-bosheth sent and took Michal from her
husband Paltiel
Her husband fol-
lowed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then
Abner  said  to  him,  “Go  back.”  So  he  returned
home.

Daniel

Daluia

See LXX; Hebrew

LXX

; some translators

; see 1 Chronicles 3:1.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Samuel 25:44.

17

18

Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel
and said, “In the past you sought David as your
king.
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 Phil-
19
istines and of all their enemies.’

”

Abner also spoke to the Benjamites.  Then he
went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good
20
to  Israel  and  to  the  whole  house  of  Benjamin.
When  Abner  and  twenty  of  his  men  came  to

21
David at Hebron, David held a feast for them.

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.”
Joab Murders Abner
So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.
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,  be-
23
cause  David  had  sent  him  on  his  way  in  peace.
When Joab and all his troops arrived, he was
informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king,
24
who sent him on his way in peace.”

25

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!
Surely
you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive
you  and  to  track  your  movements  and  all  that
26
you are doing.”

As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messen-
gers after Abner, who brought him back from the
27
well of Sirah. But David was unaware of it.

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
28
of Joab’s brother Asahel.

Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I
and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the
29
LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.
May it whirl over the head of Joab and over 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
30
by the sword or lacks food.”

(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner
because he had killed their brother Asahel in the
battle at Gibeon.)

2 Samuel 4:4    |    283

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 him-
32
self walked behind the funeral bier.

33

When  they  buried  Abner  in  Hebron,  the  king
wept  aloud  at  Abner’s  tomb,  and  all  the  people
And the king sang this lament for Abner:
wept.

“Should Abner die

34

the death of a fool?

Your hands were not bound,

your feet were not fettered.
As a man falls before the wicked,

so also you fell.”

35
And all the people wept over him even more.

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
36
before the sun sets!”

37

All the people took note and were pleased. In
fact, everything the king did pleased them.
So
on that day all the troops and all Israel were con-
vinced that the king had no part in the murder of
38
Abner son of Ner.

39

Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not
realize that a great prince has fallen today in Is-
rael?
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 evil-
The Murder of Ish-bosheth
doer according to his evil!”

4

2

Now  when  Ish-bosheth  son  of  Saul  heard
that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost cour-
Saul’s son had
age, and all Israel was dismayed.
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
because  the  Beerothites  fled  to
of  Benjamin,
Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this
4
day.

3

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  Jez-
reel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she
was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame.
His name was Mephibosheth.

284    |    2 Samuel 4:5

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
They entered
king was taking his midday nap.
the interior of the house as if to get some wheat,
and  they  stabbed  him  in  the  stomach.  Then
7
Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

6

8

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
They
traveled  all  night  by  way  of  the  Arabah.
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
The Execution of Rechab and Baanah
his offspring.”
9

10

But  David  answered  Rechab  and  his  brother
Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As
surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my
when someone told me,
life from all distress,
‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer
of good news, I seized him and put him to death
11
at  Ziklag.  That  was  his  reward  for  his  news!
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
12
hands and remove you from the earth!”

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
David Anointed King of All Israel
and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
(1 Chronicles 11:1–3)

5

2

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at
Hebron  and  said,  “Here  we  are,  your  own
Even in times past, while Saul
flesh and blood.
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
3
you will be ruler over them.’

”

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
4
him king over Israel.

5

reigned over Judah seven years and six months,
and  in  Jerusalem  he  reigned  thirty-three  years
David Conquers Jerusalem  (1 Chron. 11:4–9)
over all Israel and Judah.
6

Now the king and his men marched to Jerusa-
lem 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.”
7
For they thought, “David cannot get in here.”

8

Nevertheless,  David  captured  the  fortress  of
Zion  (that  is,  the  City  of  David).
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.
”  That  is  why  it  is
said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the
9
palace.”

a

10

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
  in-
ward.
And David became greater and greater,
11
for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.

 b

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David,
along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonema-
David’s Family Grows  (1 Chron. 14:1–7)
sons, and they built a palace for David.
12

And David realized that the LORD had estab-
lished him as king over Israel and had exalted his
13
kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

After he had arrived from Hebron, David took
more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and
14
more  sons  and  daughters  were  born  to  him.
These  are  the  names  of  the  children  born  to
  Shobab,  Nathan,
Eli-

him  in  Jerusalem:  Shammua,
Solomon,
Two Victories over the Philistines
shama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
(1 Chronicles 14:8–17)

Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

15

16

c

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
18
down to the stronghold.

19
Now the Philistines had come and spread out
So David inquired of
in the Valley of Rephaim.
the LORD, “Should I go up against the Philistines?
Will You deliver them into my hand?”

David  was  thirty  years  old  when  he  became
the Millo
a 8
In Hebron he
king, and he reigned forty years.

who are enemies of David

b 9

“Go up,” replied the LORD, “for I will surely de-
liver the Philistines into your hand.”

Shimea

c 14 Shammua

Or

Hebrew

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 3:5.

20

9

2 Samuel 6:20    |    285

a

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
There  the  Philistines  aban-
Baal-perazim.
doned their idols, and David and his men carried
22
them away.

21

23

Once again the Philistines came up and spread
So David inquired
out in the Valley of Rephaim.
of  the  LORD,  who  answered,  “Do  not  march
straight  up,  but  circle  around  behind  them  and
attack  them  in  front  of  the  balsam  trees.
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 gone out before
25
you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

24

b

So  David  did  as  the  LORD  had  commanded
him,  and  he  struck  down  the  Philistines  all  the
David Fetches the Ark  (1 Chronicles 13:1–7)
 to Gezer.
way from Gibeon

 c

6

2

 d

David again assembled the chosen men of Is-
And he and all
rael, thirty thousand in all.
his troops set out for Baale of Judah
 to bring up
from there the ark of God, which is called by the
Name—
the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is
3
enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.

 e

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
bringing
Abinadab, were guiding the new cart,
with it the ark of God.
 And Ahio was walking in
Uzzah Touches the Ark  (1 Chronicles 13:8–14)
front of the ark.
5

4

f

g

David and all the house of Israel were celebrat-
ing  before  the  LORD  with  all  kinds  of  wood
instruments,
 harps, stringed instruments, tam-
6
bourines, sistrums, and cymbals.

h

When  they  came  to  the  threshing  floor  of
Nacon,
 Uzzah reached out and took hold of the
And
ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled.
the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and
God struck him down on the spot for his irrever-
8
ence,

 and he died there beside the ark of God.

7

i

That  day  David  feared  the  LORD  and  asked,
10
“How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?”
So  he  was  unwilling  to  move  the  ark  of  the
LORD  to  the  City  of  David;  instead,  he  took  it
11
aside  to  the  house  of  Obed-edom  the  Gittite.
Thus  the  ark  of  the  LORD  remained  in  the
house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months,
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
and the LORD blessed him and all his household.
(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.”

13

So David went and had the ark of God brought up
from the house of Obed-edom into the City of Da-
vid with rejoicing.
When those carrying the ark
of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed
14
an ox and a fattened calf.

15

And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with
all  his  might  before  the  LORD,
while  he  and
all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the
LORD  with  shouting  and  the  sounding  of  the
Michal’s Contempt for David
ram’s horn.
(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 leap-
ing  and  dancing  before  the  LORD,  and  she  des-
17
pised him in her heart.

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
18
peace offerings before the LORD.

19

When David had finished sacrificing the burnt
offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the peo-
ple in the name of the LORD of Hosts.
Then he
k
distributed to every man and woman among the
multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake,
and  a  raisin  cake.  And  all  the  people  departed,
20
each to his own home.

Then  David  became  angry  because  the  LORD
had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that
a 20 Baal-perazim
place Perez-uzzah,

The Lord Bursts Out

b 23

j

 as it is called to this day.
Or

Geba

d 2

.

 means
the Name—      f 4

aspen trees

When  David  returned  home  to  bless  his  own
household,  Saul’s  daughter  Michal  came  out  to
meet  him.  “How  the  king  of  Israel  has  distin-
guished  himself  today!”  she  said.  “He  has

poplar trees

c 25

e 2

 or

from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill

LXX (see also 1
Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate do not
playing before the Lord on well-tuned instruments mightily, and
.
h 6 Nacon

; also in verse 24

before the LORD with all woods of cypress

That is, Kiriath-jearim; see 1 Chronicles 13:6.

Chronicles 14:16); Hebrew
g 5
include
with songs

Literally

DSS and some LXX manuscripts; MT includes
i 7

j 8 Perez-uzzah

for this

; LXX

outbreak against Uzzah

k 19

Chidon
a portion of meat

; some of the instruments in this verse are uncertain; see 1 Chronicles 13:8.

 is a variant of

;

see 1 Chronicles 13:9.

MT; DSS

 means

.

Or

286    |    2 Samuel 6:21

uncovered himself today in the sight of the maid-
servants  of  his  subjects,  like  a  vulgar  person
21
would do.”

22

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,
and I will humiliate and humble myself
even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the
23
maidservants of whom you have spoken.”

And  Michal  the  daughter  of  Saul  had  no  chil-
God’s Covenant with David  (1 Chron. 17:1–15)
dren to the day of her death.

7

2

After the king had settled into his palace and
the LORD had given him rest from all his en-
he  said  to  Nathan  the
emies  around  him,
prophet,  “Here  I  am,  living  in  a  house  of  cedar,
3
while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all

4
that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

5

6

But that night the word of the LORD came to Na-
than, saying,
“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?
For I have not
dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Isra-
7
elites  up  out  of  Egypt  until  this  day,  but  I  have
moved about with a tent as My dwelling.
In all
My  journeys  with  all  the  Israelites,  have  I  ever
asked  any  of  the  leaders
  I  appointed  to  shep-
herd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me
8
a house of cedar?’

 a

9

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.
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 that of the greatest in
10
the land.

12

13

The  LORD  declares  to  you  that  He  Himself  will
establish a house for you.
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.
He  will  build  a  house  for  My
Name, and I will establish the throne of his king-
dom forever.
I will be his Father, and he will be
My  son.
  When  he  does  wrong, I  will  discipline
him with the rod of men and with the blows of
15
the sons of men.

14

b

But My loving devotion will never be removed
16
from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I re-
c
Your house and king-
moved from before you.
dom  will  endure  forever  before  Me,
  and  your
17
throne will be established forever.”

So  Nathan  relayed  to  David  all  the  words  of

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
this entire revelation.
(1 Chronicles 17:16–27)

18

19

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?
And
as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord
GOD,  You  have  also  spoken  about  the  future  of
 d
the  house  of  Your  servant.  Is  this  Your  custom
with man, O Lord GOD?
What more can David
say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord
For the sake of Your word and according
GOD.
to Your own heart, You have accomplished this
22
great thing and revealed it to Your servant.

20

21

23

How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is
none like You, and there is no God but You, ac-
cording  to  everything  we  have  heard  with  our
And  who  is  like  Your  people
own  ears.
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
For
You  redeemed  for  Yourself  from  Egypt.
You have established Your people Israel as Your
very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become
25
their God.

24

e

11

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
and  have
And  now,  O  LORD  God,  confirm  forever  the
done  since  the  day  I  appointed  judges  over
word You have spoken concerning Your servant
My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your
you
tribes
a 7
and  his  house.  Do  as  You  have  promised,
so
enemies.
d 19
You performed
e 23
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.

Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts

And this is Your instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD.

See LXX and 1 Chronicles 17:21; Hebrew

Cited in Hebrews 1:5

b 14

c 16

Or

Or

26

9

 e

2 Samuel 9:3    |    287

10

When  King  Toi

  of  Hamath  heard  that  David
 f
he
had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,
sent his son Joram
 to greet King David and bless
him  for  fighting  and  defeating  Hadadezer,  who
had  been  at  war  with  Toi.  Joram  brought  with
and
him articles of silver and gold and bronze,
King  David  dedicated  these  to  the  LORD,  along
 g
with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all
the  nations  he  had  subdued—
and  Moab,  from  the  Ammonites  and  Philistines
and Amalekites, and from the spoil of Hadadezer
13
son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

from  Edom

11

12

 h

14

 in the Valley of Salt.

And David made a name for himself when he
returned from striking down eighteen thousand
He placed gar-
Edomites
risons  throughout  Edom,  and  all  the  Edomites
were subject to David. So the LORD made David
David’s Officers  (1 Chronicles 18:14–17)
victorious wherever he went.
15

Thus David reigned over all Israel and admin-
istered  justice  and  righteousness  for  all  his
16
people:

Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;

17
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of

 i

Abiathar were priests;
18
Seraiah

 was the scribe;

Benaiah  son  of  Jehoiada  was  over  the

j

Cherethites and Pelethites;

David and Mephibosheth

and David’s sons were priestly leaders.

9

Then David asked, “Is there anyone left from
the house of Saul to whom I can show kind-

2
ness for the sake of Jonathan?”

And  there  was  a  servant  of  the  house  of  Saul
named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and
the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?”
3
“I am your servant,” he replied.

that Your name will be magnified forever when
it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’
27
And the house of Your servant David will be es-
tablished  before  You.
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
28
courage to offer this prayer to You.

29

And  now,  O  Lord  GOD,  You  are  God!  Your
words  are  true,  and  You  have  promised  this
goodness to Your servant.
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
David’s Triumphs  (1 Chr. 18:1–13 ;  Ps. 60:1–12)
forever.”

8

 a

Some  time  later,  David  defeated  the  Philis-
tines,  subdued  them,  and  took  Metheg-

2
ammah

 from the hand of the Philistines.

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 sub-
3
ject to David and brought him tribute.

b

4

David  also  defeated  Hadadezer  son  of  Rehob,
king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore
his dominion along the Euphrates River.
David
captured  from  him  a  thousand  chariots,  seven
thousand charioteers,
 and twenty thousand foot
soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except
5
a hundred he kept for the chariots.

c

6

When the Arameans of Damascus came to help
King  Hadadezer  of  Zobah,  David  struck  down
Then  he
twenty-two  thousand  of  their  men.
placed  garrisons  in  Aram of  Damascus,  and  the
Arameans became subject to David and brought
him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious
7
wherever he went.

 d

8

And from Betah

And David took the gold shields that belonged
to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to
Jerusalem.
 and Berothai, cities
of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of
a 1 Metheg-ammah
bronze.
along the River
from him seventeen hundred charioteers
, or an alternate reading

bridle of the mother city

along the Euphrates

 means

.

b 3

d 8

Tou

So  the  king  asked,  “Is  there  anyone  left  of  the
house of Saul to whom I can show the kindness
of God?”
c 4

captured
e 9 Toi

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also 1 Chronicles 18:3); Hebrew
LXX (see also DSS and 1 Chronicles 18:4); MT
f 10 Joram
; see 1 Chronicles 18:8.
Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

Hadoram

Tebah

 is a

g 12
variant of
Aram

h 13

; also in verse 10; see 1 Chronicles 18:9.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 18:10.

Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also verse 14 and 1 Chronicles 18:11); most Hebrew manuscripts

Shavsha
A few Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also verse 14 and 1 Chronicles 18:12); most Hebrew manu-

Sheva
chief officials

i 17 Seraiah
priests

Arameans
j 18

Shisha

scripts
18:16.

Literally

, or possibly

; see LXX, Targum Yonaton, and 1 Chronicles 18:17.

 is also called

,

, and

; see 2 Samuel 20:25, 1 Kings 4:3, and 1 Chronicles

288    |    2 Samuel 9:4

Ziba  answered,  “There  is  still  Jonathan’s  son,
4
who is lame in both feet.”

“Where is he?” replied the king.

And Ziba said, “Indeed, he is in Lo-debar at the
5
house of Machir son of Ammiel.”

6

 a

So King David had him brought from the house
And when
 son of Jonathan, the son of Saul,

of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
Mephibosheth
came to David, he fell facedown in reverence.

Then David said, “Mephibosheth!”
7
“I am your servant,” he replied.

“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
8
table.”

Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is
your servant, that you should show regard for a
9
dead dog like me?”

10

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.
You and your sons and servants are to
work  the  ground  for  him  and  bring  in  the  har-
vest,  so  that  your  master’s  grandson  may  have
food  to  eat.  But  Mephibosheth,  your  master’s
grandson, is always to eat at my table.”
11
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
And Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do

all that my lord the king has commanded.”
12
So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table
 like one of
c
the king’s own sons.
And Mephibosheth had a
young son named Mica,
 and all who dwelt in the
13
house  of  Ziba  were  servants  of  Mephibosheth.
So  Mephibosheth  lived  in  Jerusalem,  because
he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame
David’s Messengers Disgraced
in both feet.
(1 Chronicles 19:1–9)

 b

10

Some time later, the king of the Ammo-
2
nites died and was succeeded by his son
Hanun.
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 Ha-
nun concerning his father. But when they arrived
a 6 Mephibosheth
the princes of the
in the land of the Ammonites,

Merib-baal

3

Micah

Ammonites  said  to  Hanun  their  lord,  “Just  be-
cause  David  has  sent  you  comforters,  do  you
really  believe  he  is  showing  respect  for  your
father? Has not David instead sent his servants to
4
explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”

So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half
of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the
5
hips, and sent them away.

When this was reported to David, he sent mes-
sengers  to  meet  the  men,  since  they  had  been
thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay
in  Jericho  until  your  beards  have  grown  back,
6
and then return.”

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
7
from Tob.

8

On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire
army of mighty men.
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
David Defeats Ammon and Aram
Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
(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
10
Israel  and  arrayed  them  against  the  Arameans.
And he placed the rest of the troops under the
command  of  his  brother  Abishai,  who  arrayed
11
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
Be strong and let us fight
come to your rescue.
bravely  for  our  people  and  for  the  cities  of  our
13
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.
When the Am-
monites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too
fled before Abishai, and they entered the city. So
Joab  returned  from  fighting  against  the  Ammo-
15
nites and came to Jerusalem.

16

When  the  Arameans  saw  that  they  had  been
defeated by Israel, they regrouped.
Hadadezer
c 12 Mica
sent  messengers  to  bring  more  Arameans  from

my table

b 11

of

; see 1 Chronicles 8:34.

 is also called

; see 1 Chronicles 8:34.

LXX; Hebrew

 is a variant

a

 b

beyond the Euphrates,
with  Shobach
17
army leading them.

 and they came to Helam
  the  commander  of  Hadadezer’s

18

When this was reported to David, he gathered
all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam.
Then the Arameans arrayed themselves against
But the Arame-
David and fought against him.
ans  fled  before  Israel,  and  David  killed  seven
hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot sol-
diers.
  He  also  struck  down  Shobach  the  com-
19
mander of their army, who died there.

c

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.
David and Bathsheba

11

d

In  the  spring,
  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
2
Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

3

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
So  David  sent  and  inquired
beautiful  woman.
about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bath-
  and  the  wife  of
sheba,  the  daughter  of  Eliam
4
Uriah the Hittite.”

 e

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  unclean-
And the woman
ness.) Then she returned home.
conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am
6
pregnant.”

5

At  this,  David  sent  orders  to  Joab:  “Send  me

7
Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.

8

When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab
and the troops were doing and how the war was
going.
Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your
house and wash your feet.”
9

2 Samuel 11:24    |    289

“Haven’t you just arrived from a journey?” David
11
asked Uriah. “Why didn’t you go home?”

f

Uriah answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah
are  dwelling  in  tents,
  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
12
soul lives, I will not do such a thing!”

“Stay here one more day,” David said to Uriah,
“and  tomorrow  I  will  send  you  back.”  So  Uriah
13
stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

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
David Arranges Uriah’s Death
master’s servants, but he did not go home.
14

15
The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab
In the letter he wrote:
and sent it with Uriah.
“Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then
withdraw  from  him,  so  that  he  may  be  struck
16
down and killed.”

17

So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah
to  a  place  where  he  knew  the  strongest  enemy
soldiers  were.
And  when  the  men  of  the  city
came  out  and  fought  against  Joab,  some  of  Da-
18
vid’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.
19

20

Joab sent to David a full account of the battle
and  instructed  the  messenger,  “When  you
have finished giving the king a full account of the
battle,
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
Who  struck  Abimelech  son  of  Je-
the  wall?
rubbesheth
? 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?’

21
 g

If he asks you this, then you are to say, ‘Your serv-
22
ant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’

”
23

So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king
But Uriah slept at the door of the
followed him.
palace with all his master’s servants; he did not
10
go down to his house.
a 16

      b 16 Shobach
And David was told, “Uriah did not go home.”

the River

Shophach

Hebrew

f 11

also 1 Chronicles 19:18); Hebrew
Chronicles 3:5.

Or

horsemen
staying at Sukkoth

 is a variant of

d 1
g 21 Jerubbesheth
Literally

So the messenger set out and reported to Da-
The mes-
vid all that Joab had sent him to say.
senger said to David, “The men overpowered us
and came out against us in the field, but we drove
Then the
them back to the entrance of the gate.
archers shot at your servants from the wall, and
some of the king’s servants were killed. And your
c 18
servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.”
Ammiel
e 3 Eliam
; see 1 Chronicles 19:16.

24

Jerubbaal

At the turn of the year

Some LXX manuscripts (see
 is a variant of
; see 1
, that is, Gideon.

 is also known as

290    |    2 Samuel 11:25

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  de-
David Marries Bathsheba
molish it.’ Encourage him with these words.”
26

27

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was
dead, she mourned for him.
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
Nathan Rebukes David  (Psalm 51:1–19)
sight of the LORD.

12

3

2

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
The rich man had a great number of
other poor.
but the poor man had nothing
sheep and cattle,
except one small ewe lamb that he had bought.
He raised it, and it grew up with him and his chil-
dren. It shared his food and drank from his cup;
 and was like a daughter to
it slept in his arms
4
him.

 a

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
5
prepared it for his guest.”

David burned with anger against the man and
said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the
Because  he
man  who  did  this  deserves  to  die!
has  done  this  thing  and  has  shown  no  pity,  he
7
must pay for the lamb four times over.”

6

8

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
I gave your master’s
you from the hand of Saul.
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
9
you even more.

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. You have slain him with the sword
Now, therefore, the sword
of the Ammonites.
in his bosom
a 3
will never depart from your house, because you
c 16

b 14
in sackcloth

10

Hebrew
DSS and LXX; MT does not include

; also in verse 8

DSS; MT
.

have  despised  Me  and  have  taken  the  wife  of
11
Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

12

This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up ad-
versity 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
You  have  acted  in  secret,  but
broad  daylight.
I  will  do  this  thing  in  broad  daylight  before  all
David’s Loss and Repentance
Israel.’
13

”

Then  David  said  to  Nathan,  “I  have  sinned

against the LORD.”

14
“The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan re-
Nevertheless, because
plied. “You will not die.
b
by this deed you have shown utter contempt for
the word of the LORD,
 the son born to you will
15
surely die.”

16

After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck
the  child  that  Uriah’s  wife  had  borne  to  David,
and he became ill.
David pleaded with God for
the boy. He fasted and went into his house and
17
spent the night lying in sackcloth
 on the ground.
The elders of his household stood beside him
to help him up from the ground, but he was un-
18
willing and would not eat anything with them.

 c

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
19
may even harm himself.”

When David saw that his servants were whis-
pering to one another, he perceived that the child
was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child
dead?”
20
“He is dead,” they replied.

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  re-
21
quest they set food before him, and he ate.

“What  is  this  you  have  done?”  his  servants
asked. “While the child was alive, you fasted and
22
wept, but when he died, you got up and ate.”

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.’

you have brought utter contempt from the enemies of the LORD

23

5

2 Samuel 13:17    |    291

But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can
I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he
Solomon’s Birth
will not return to me.”
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

 named him Solomon.

25

 a

Now the LORD loved the child
and sent word
through  Nathan  the  prophet  to  name  him  Je-
The Capture of Rabbah  (1 Chronicles 20:1–3)
didiah because the LORD loved him.
26

b

Meanwhile, Joab fought against Rabbah of the
27
Ammonites  and  captured  the  royal  fortress.
Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I
have  fought  against  Rabbah  and  have  captured
the water supply of the city.
Now, therefore,
assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the
city, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the
29
city, and it will be named after me.”

28

c

d

So David assembled all the troops and went to
30
Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it.
Then he took the crown from the head of their
king.
  and  was  set
with  precious  stones,  and  it  was  placed  on  Da-
vid’s  head.  And  David  took  a  great  amount  of
31
plunder from the city.

  It  weighed  a  talent  of  gold

 e

f

David brought out the people who were there
g
 iron picks, and

and put them to work with saws,
axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns.
He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then
Amnon and Tamar
David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

13

2

After some time, David’s son Amnon fell
in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of
Amnon  was  sick  with
David’s  son  Absalom.
frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a
virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do
3
anything to her.

h

4

Now  Amnon  had  a  friend  named  Jonadab,  the
son of David’s brother Shimeah.
 Jonadab was a
and he asked Amnon, “Why
very shrewd man,
are you, the son of the king, so depressed morn-
ing after morning? Won’t you tell me?”

b 25

she
and have captured the city of waters

Amnon  replied,  “I  am  in  love  with  Tamar,  my
he
a 24
brother Absalom’s sister.”
c 27
Literally
put them under saws
Shimei
Shimea

Or
Or

d 30

 or

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 pre-
pare it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it
6
from her hand.’

”

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
7
hand.”

Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace:
“Please go to the house of Amnon your brother
8
and prepare a meal for him.”

9

So Tamar went to the house of her brother Am-
non, who was lying down. She took some dough,
kneaded  it,  made  cakes  in  his  sight,  and  baked
Then she brought the pan and set it down
them.
before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone
10
away!” said Amnon. And everyone went out.

Then  Amnon  said  to  Tamar,  “Bring  the  food
into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your
hand.”

11

Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to
And when she
her brother Amnon’s bedroom.
had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of
12
her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!”

13

“No,  my  brother!”  she  cried.  “Do  not  violate
me, for such a thing should never be done in Is-
rael.  Do  not  do  this  disgraceful  thing!
Where
could I ever take my shame? And you would be
like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the
14
king, for he will not withhold me from you.”

But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being

15
stronger, he violated her and lay with her.

Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity
that his hatred was greater than the love he pre-
16
viously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”

“No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse
than this great wrong you have already done to
me!”

17

Instead,  he
But  he  refused  to  listen  to  her.
called  to  his  attendant  and  said,  “Throw  this
woman out and bolt the door behind her!”

to name him Jedidiah because of the LORD

Jedidiah

beloved of the LORD

from the head of Milcom
;
e 30 A talent

 means

Or
and he made them pass through the brick kilns.
f 31
Ammonites; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7.

g 31

. Milcom, also called Molech, was god of the

h 3 Shimeah

 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
 is a variant

Literally

, and

; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.

Shammah
Literally
,

of

292    |    2 Samuel 13:18

18

31

a

So  Amnon’s  attendant  threw  her  out  and
bolted  the  door  behind  her.  Now  Tamar  was
 because this is
wearing a robe of many colors,
And
  king’s  virgin  daughters  wore.
what  the
Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe.
And  putting  her  hand  on  her  head,  she  went
20
away crying aloud.

19

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
21
of her brother Absalom.

b

22

When  King  David  heard  all  this,  he  was  furi-
ous.
And Absalom never said a word to Am-
non, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon
Absalom’s Revenge on Amnon
for violating his sister Tamar.
23

Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshear-
24
ers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited
And he went to the king
all the sons of the king.
and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers.
Will the king and his servants please come with
25
me?”

“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
26
gave him his blessing.

“If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother

Amnon go with us.”
27
“Why should he go with you?” the king asked.

c

But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Am-

28
non and the rest of his sons.

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  val-
29
iant!”

So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon just as
Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of
30
the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.

Then  the  king  stood  up,  tore  his  clothes,  and
lay  down  on  the  ground.  And  all  his  servants
32
stood by with their clothes torn.

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 Am-
non  is  dead.  In  fact,  Absalom  has  planned  this
33
since  the  day  Amnon  violated  his  sister  Tamar.
So now, my lord the king, do not take to heart
the report that all the sons of the king are dead.
Absalom Flees to Geshur
Only Amnon is dead.”
34

Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young
d
man  standing  watch  looked  up,  he  saw  many
people  coming  down  the  road  west  of  him,
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
35
hill.”

 e

So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of
the king have arrived! It is just as your  servant
36
said.”

And  as  he  finished  speaking,  the  sons  of  the
king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and
37
all his servants also wept very bitterly.

Now  Absalom  fled  and  went  to  Talmai  son
of  Ammihud,  the  king  of  Geshur.  But  David
38
mourned for his son every day.

 f
After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he
g
stayed  there  three  years.
longed to go to Absalom,
Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem
soled over Amnon’s death.

And  King  David
 for he had been con-

39

14

2

Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that
the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
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
Then go
has mourned for the dead a long time.
to the king and speak these words to him.” And
4
Joab put the words in her mouth.

3

While they were on the way, a report reached
David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of
b 21
a robe with long sleeves
a 18
the king; not one of them is left!”
because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.
d 34
e 34
king

ceased to go out after Absalom

behind him
g 39

; see also Genesis 37:3.

c 27

Or

When the woman from Tekoa went to the king,
she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me,
O king!”

But he would not punish his son Amnon,
And Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king.
And the spirit of the

DSS and LXX include
And the watchman . . . .     f 39

LXX and Vulgate include

Or

Or

LXX; Hebrew does not include

MT; DSS and LXX

5

17

2 Samuel 14:29    |    293

“What troubles you?” the king asked her.

6

“Indeed,”  she  said,  “I  am  a  widow,  for  my  hus-
band  is  dead.
And  your  maidservant  had  two
sons who were fighting in the field with no one
7
to separate them, and one struck the other and
Now  the  whole  clan  has  risen  up
killed  him.
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 remain-
ing ember by not preserving my husband’s name
8
or posterity on the earth.”

“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I

9
will give orders on your behalf.”

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
10
be guiltless.”

“If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring

11
him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”

“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
12
hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

Then the woman said, “Please, may your serv-

ant speak a word to my lord the king?”
13
“Speak,” he replied.

14

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
For we will surely die and be like water
son?
poured  out  on  the  ground,  which  cannot  be  re-
covered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He
devises ways that the banished one may not be
15
cast out from Him.

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
For  the  king  will
request  of  his  maidservant.
hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand
of  the  man  who  would  cut  off  both  me  and  my
a 17
son from God’s inheritance.’

b 26 200 shekels

Angel

16

 a

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
 of God. May the LORD your God be with
18
you.’

”

Then the king said to the woman, “I am going
to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!”
19
“Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.

So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind

all this?”

20

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 or-
ders;  he  told  your  maidservant  exactly  what  to
say.
Joab  your  servant  has  done  this  to  bring
about this change of affairs, but my lord has wis-
dom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know
21
everything that happens in the land.”

Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this
22
request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the
king.  “Today,”  said  Joab,  “your  servant  knows
that he has found favor in your eyes, my lord the
23
king, because the king has granted his request.”
24

So  Joab  got  up,  went  to  Geshur,  and  brought
Absalom to Jerusalem.
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
25
he did not see the face of the king.

26

Now there was not a man in all Israel as hand-
some  and  highly  praised  as  Absalom.  From  the
sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not
have a single flaw.
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,
  according  to  the  royal
27
standard.

b

Three  sons  were  born  to  Absalom,  and  a
daughter  named  Tamar,  who  was  a  beautiful
Absalom Reconciled to David
woman.
28

29

Now  Absalom  lived  in  Jerusalem  two  years
Then  he
without  seeing  the  face  of  the  king.
sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab re-
fused to come to him.

So  Absalom  sent  a  second  time,  but  Joab  still
would not come.

Or

; also in verse 20

 is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of hair.

294    |    2 Samuel 14:30

30

10

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!”
31
And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

a

Then  Joab  came  to  Absalom’s  house  and  de-
manded, “Why did your servants set my field on
32
fire?”

“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,
33
let him kill me.”

So Joab went and told the king, and David sum-
moned  Absalom,  who  came  to  him  and  bowed
facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absa-
Absalom’s Conspiracy
lom.

15

Some  time  later,  Absalom  provided  for
himself  a  chariot  with  horses  and  fifty
He would get up early
men to run ahead of him.
and stand beside the road leading to the city gate.

2

Whenever  anyone  had  a  grievance  to  bring  be-
fore 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
Absalom  would  say,  “Look,
tribes  of  Israel,”
your claims are good and right, but the king has
4
no deputy to hear you.”

3

And he would add, “If only someone would ap-
point me judge in the land, then everyone with a
grievance  or  dispute  could  come  to  me,  and  I
5
would give him justice.”

Also, when anyone approached to bow down to
6
him,  Absalom  would  reach  out  his  hand,  take
hold of him, and kiss him.
Absalom did this to all
the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In
7
this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

 b

After  four

 years  had  passed,  Absalom  said  to
8
the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a
vow I have made to the LORD.
For your servant
made  a  vow  while  dwelling  in  Geshur  of  Aram,
saying: ‘If indeed the LORD brings me back to Je-
9
”
rusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.’

 c

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
11
reigns in Hebron!’

”

12

Two  hundred  men  from  Jerusalem  accompa-
nied  Absalom.  They  had  been  invited  as  guests
and  they  went  along  innocently,  for  they  knew
While Absalom was
nothing about the matter.
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  Absa-
David Flees Jerusalem
lom’s following kept increasing.
(Psalm 3:1–8)

13

Then a messenger came to David and reported,
“The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absa-
14
lom.”

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
15
put the city to the sword.”

The  king’s  servants  replied,  “Whatever  our

16
lord the king decides, we are your servants.”

Then the king set out, and his entire household
followed him. But he left behind ten concubines
17
to take care of the palace.

18

So the king set out with all the people follow-
and all
ing him. He stopped at the last house,
his  servants  marched  past  him—all  the  Chere-
thites  and  Pelethites,  and  six  hundred  Gittites
19
who had followed him from Gath.

20

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
In fact, you
and an exile from your homeland.
arrived only yesterday; should I make you wan-
der  around  with  us  today  while  I  do  not  know
where I am going? Go back and take your broth-
ers  with  you.  May  the  LORD  show  you  loving
21
devotion and faithfulness.

”

d

But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the
LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wher-
ever my lord the king may be, whether it means
life or death, there will your servant be!”

“Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom got up
and went to Hebron.
a 30
b 7
set your field on fire.”
LXX includes
in Hebron
d 20

May loving devotion and faithfulness be with you.

forty

c 8

So the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes torn and said to him, “The servants of Absalom have

include

.

Syriac and some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew
LXX; Hebrew

Some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew does not

22

35

2 Samuel 16:8    |    295

“March on then,” said David to Ittai. So Ittai the
Gittite marched past with all his men and all the
23
little ones who were with him.

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
24
passed toward the way of the wilderness.

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
 until all the people had passed
offered sacrifices
25
out of the city.

 a

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
But  if  He
it  and  His  dwelling  place  again.
should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I
am;  let  Him  do  to  me  whatever  seems  good  to
27
Him.”

26

 b

28

The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you
not  a  seer?
  Return  to  the  city  in  peace—you
c
with  your  son  Ahimaaz,  and  Abiathar  with  his
son  Jonathan.
See,  I  will  wait  at  the  fords  of
the wilderness until word comes from you to in-
29
form me.”

So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God

David Weeps at the Mount of Olives  (Ps. 63)
to Jerusalem and stayed there.
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, weep-
31
ing as they went.

Now  someone  told  David:  “Ahithophel  is

among the conspirators with Absalom.”

So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the coun-
32
sel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

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
33
his head.

34
David said to him, “If you go on with me, you
But you can thwart the
will be a burden to me.
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,
c 27
b 27
a 24
but now I will be your servant.’
two sons with you

Abiathar went up

Behold,

36

Will  not  Zadok  and  Abiathar  the  priests  be
there with you? Report to them everything you
Indeed, their two
hear from the king’s palace.
sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of
Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me
37
with everything you hear.”

So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem

David and Ziba
just as Absalom was entering the city.

16

When  David  had  gone  a  little  beyond
the  servant  of
the  summit,  Ziba
Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a
pair  of  saddled  donkeys  loaded  with  two  hun-
dred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of rai-
2
sins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

“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 wil-
3
derness.”

“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
4
grandfather.’

”

So  the  king  said  to  Ziba,  “All  that  belongs  to

Mephibosheth is now yours!”

“I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find
Shimei Curses David
favor in your eyes, my lord the king!”
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.
He
threw stones at David and at all the servants of
the  king,  though  the  troops  and  all  the  mighty
7
men were on David’s right and left.

6

8

And  as he  yelled  curses, Shimei  said, “Get  out,
get  out,  you worthless  man  of  bloodshed!
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!”

your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your

Or

Hebrew; LXX

Literally

296    |    2 Samuel 16:9

9

Then  Abishai  son  of  Zeruiah  said  to  the  king,
“Why  should  this  dead  dog  curse  my  lord  the
10
king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”

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,
11
‘Why did you do this?’

”

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
Perhaps the
me, for the LORD has told him so.
LORD  will  see  my  affliction  and  repay  me  with
13
good for the cursing I receive today.”

12

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,
a
Finally,
threw stones, and flung dust at David.
the  king  and  all  the  people  with  him  arrived,
The Counsel of Ahithophel and Hushai
exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
15

14

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel came
16
to  Jerusalem,  and  Ahithophel  was  with  him.
And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to
Absalom  and  said  to  him,  “Long  live  the  king!
17
Long live the king!”

“Is  this  the  loyalty  you  show  your  friend?”
Absalom replied. “Why did you not go with your
18
friend?”

19

“Not  at  all,”  Hushai  answered.  “For  the  one
chosen by the LORD, by this people, and by all the
men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will
Furthermore, whom should I serve if
remain.
not his son? As I served in your father’s presence,
20
so also I will serve in yours.”

Then  Absalom  said  to  Ahithophel,  “Give  me

21
counsel. What should we do?”

Ahithophel  replied,  “Sleep  with  your  father’s
concubines, whom he has left to take care of the
palace.  When  all  Israel  hears  that  you  have  be-
come a stench to your father, then the hands of
22
all who are with you will be strengthened.”

Such was the regard that both David and Absa-
Hushai Counters Ahithophel’s Advice
lom had for Ahithophel’s advice.

17

Furthermore,  Ahithophel  said  to  Absa-
2
lom,  “Let  me  choose  twelve  thousand
I
men  and  set  out  tonight  in  pursuit  of  David.
will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will
throw him into a panic, and all the people with
3
him  will  flee;  I  will  strike  down  only  the  king
and bring all the people back to you as a bride
returning  to  her  husband.  You  seek  the  life  of
  then  all  the  people  will  be  at
only  one  man;
4
peace.”

 b

This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all

5
the elders of Israel.

Then  Absalom  said,  “Summon  Hushai  the
Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has
6
to say.”

So  Hushai  came  to  Absalom,  who  told  him,
“Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we
7
carry it out? If not, what do you say?”

Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahitho-

8
phel is not sound.”

9

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
Surely by now he is hiding in a cave
the troops.
c
or some other location. If some of your troops fall
first,
  whoever  hears  of  it  will  say,  ‘There  has
been  a  slaughter  among  the  troops  who  follow
Absalom.’
Then even the most valiant soldier
with  the  heart  of  a  lion  will  melt  with  fear,  be-
cause  all  Israel  knows  that  your  father  is  a
11
mighty man who has valiant men with him.

10

Instead,  I  advise  that  all  Israel  from  Dan  to
Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the sea-
12
shore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself
Then we will attack Da-
lead them into battle.
vid wherever we find him, and we will descend
on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men
13
with him, not even one will remain.

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof,
and he slept with his father’s concubines in the
23
sight of all Israel.

If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes
to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley
14
until not even a pebble can be found there.”

Now  in  those  days  the  advice  of  Ahithophel
a 14
was  like  the  consultation  of  the  word  of  God.
everyone returns except the man you seek,

arrived at the Jordan
c 9

b 3

If he should attack your troops first

Then  Absalom  and  all  the  men  of  Israel  said,
“The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than

and bring all the people back to you. When

Some LXX manuscripts

LXX; see also DSS; MT

Or

that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed
to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in or-
Hushai’s Warning Saves David  (Ps. 55:1–23)
der to bring disaster on Absalom.
15

16

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
Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do
advised.
not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness,
but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and
17
all the people with him will be swallowed up.’

”

18

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
But a young man
not be seen entering the city.
did  see  them  and  told  Absalom.  So  the  two  left
quickly  and  came  to  the  house  of  a  man  in  Ba-
hurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they
Then the man’s wife took
climbed down into it.
a covering, spread it over the mouth of the well,
and  scattered  grain  over  it  so  nobody  would
20
know a thing.

19

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
21
returned to Jerusalem.

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
22
against you.”

So  David  and  all  the  people  with  him  got  up
and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was
23
no one left who had not crossed the Jordan.

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
24
buried in his father’s tomb.

Then  David  went  to  Mahanaim,  and  Absalom
25
crossed  the  Jordan  with  all  the  men  of  Israel.
Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army

b 25

2 Samuel 18:8    |    297

a

 b

c

 the Ishmaelite
  the  daughter  of  Nahash

in  place  of  Joab.  Amasa  was  the  son  of  a  man
 who had married
named Ithra,
26
  and  sister  of
Abigail,
So  the  Israelites
Zeruiah  the  mother  of  Joab.
27
and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

 d

e

28

When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by
Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammo-
nites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and
They
Barzillai  the  Gileadite  from  Rogelim.
brought  beds,  basins,  and  earthen  vessels,  as
well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans,
honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from
lentils,
the herd for David and his people to eat. For they
said,  “The  people  have  become  hungry,  ex-
Absalom Killed
hausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

29

18

2

Then David reviewed his troops and ap-
pointed over them commanders of thou-
sands and of hundreds.
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
3
surely march out with you as well.”

But the people pleaded, “You must not go out!
For if we have to flee, they will not care about us.
Even if half of us die, they will not care. But you
 It is better now if
are worth ten thousand of us.
4
you support us from the city.”

f

“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
5
thousands.

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
6
Absalom.

7

So  David’s  army  marched  into  the  field  to
engage Israel, and the battle took place in the for-
There the people of Israel were
est of Ephraim.
defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter
The
was great that day—twenty thousand men.
battle  spread  over  the  whole  countryside,  and
that  day  the  forest  devoured  more  people  than
the sword.

8

a 25 Ithra

Jether

Israelite

e 28
LXX manuscripts

 is a variant of

c 25

Abigal
; see 1 Kings 2:5.

Abigail
d 25
roasted seeds

of Jesse
f 3

Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 2:17); MT and other

, a variant of
Most LXX manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew includes

Or

care; for now there are ten thousand like us

Or
.

; see DSS and 1 Chronicles 2:13–16
Two Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manu-

scripts, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts

298    |    2 Samuel 18:9

9

21

a

Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he
met the servants of David, and as the mule went
 Absa-
under the thick branches of a large oak,
lom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule
under him kept going, so that he was suspended
When  one  of  the  men  saw  this,  he
in  midair.
told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak
11
tree!”

10

“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did
you  not  strike  him  to  the  ground  right  there?  I
 and
would have given you ten shekels of silver
12
a warrior’s belt!”
 c

 b

The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels
of  silver
  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 Absa-
lom for my sake.
If I had jeopardized my own
—and nothing is hidden from the king—you
life
14
would have abandoned me.”

13

’

 e

d

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 Absa-
And
lom while he was still alive in the oak tree.
ten  young  men  who  carried  Joab’s  armor  sur-
16
rounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

15

17

Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops
broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had
They took Absalom, cast him
restrained them.
into  a  large  pit  in  the  forest,  and  piled  a  huge
mound  of  stones  over  him.  Meanwhile,  all  the
18
Israelites fled, each to his home.

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
David Mourns for Absalom
this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.
19

Then  Ahimaaz  son  of  Zadok  said,  “Please  let
me run and tell the king the good news that the
20
LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”

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.”
a 9

large terebinth

very great tree

Or

c 12 1,000 shekels

 or

So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what
you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and
22
took off running.

Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however, persisted and
said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also
run behind the Cushite!”

“My son,” Joab replied, “why do you want to run,
23
since you will not receive a reward?”

“No matter what, I want to run!” he replied.

“Then run!” Joab told him.

  f

So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain
24
the Cushite.

 and outran

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
So  he  called  out  and  told  the
running  alone.
king.

25

“If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good
news.”

26

the  watchman
As  the  first  runner  drew near,
saw  another  man  running,  and  he  called  out  to
the  gatekeeper,  “Look!  Another  man  is  running
alone!”
27
“This one also brings good news,” said the king.

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
28
with good news.”

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
29
hands against my lord the king.”

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,
30
but I do not know what it was.”

“Move aside,” said the king, “and stand here.”

31
So he stepped aside.

Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my
lord  the  king  hear  the  good  news:  Today  the

b 11 10 shekels

d 12

grams of silver.
one touch the young man Absalom.
scripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts

 is approximately 25.1 pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver.
e 13

If I had dealt treacherously against his life

; similarly in verses 10 and 14

Whoever you may be, protect the young man Absalom.

 is approximately 4 ounces or 114
Let no
A few Hebrew manu-
f 23

That is, the plain of the Jordan

 or

Or

2 Samuel 19:22    |    299

LORD has avenged you of all who rose up against
32
you!”

The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man

Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died
in  battle.  So  why  do  you  say  nothing  about  re-
11
storing the king?”

Absalom all right?”

And the Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my
lord the king and all who rise up against you to
33
harm you be like that young man.”

The king was shaken and went up to the cham-
ber over the gate 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 Ab-
Joab Reproves David
salom, my son, my son!”

19

2

Then it was reported to Joab, “The king is
weeping  and  mourning  over  Absalom.”
And that day’s victory was turned into mourn-
ing  for  all  the  people,  because  on  that day  they
3
were told, “The king is grieving over his son.”

4

So they returned to the city quietly that day, as
people  steal  away  in  humiliation  after  fleeing  a
But the king covered his face and cried
battle.
out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O
5
Absalom, my son, my son!”

6

Then Joab went into the house and said to the
king,  “Today  you  have  disgraced  all  your  serv-
ants  who  have  saved  your  life  and  the  lives  of
your  sons  and  daughters,  of  your  wives,  and  of
your concubines.
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 Absa-
lom were alive and all of us were dead, it would
7
have pleased you!

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
David Restored as King
until now!”
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.

9

Meanwhile,  the  Israelites  had  fled,  each  man  to
And  all  the  people  throughout  the
his  home.
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
But
has  fled  the  land  because  of  Absalom.

10

12

Then  King  David  sent  this  message  to  Zadok
and Abiathar, the priests: “Say to the elders of Ju-
dah, ‘Why should you be the last to restore the
king to his palace, since the talk of all Israel has
You are my
reached the king at his quarters?
13
brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should
you be the last to restore the king?’
And say to
Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God
punish me, and ever so severely, if from now on
you are not the commander of my army in place
14
of Joab!’

”

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
15
servants.”

So the king returned, and when he arrived at
the  Jordan,  the  men  of  Judah  came  to  Gilgal  to
Shimei Pardoned
meet him and escort him across the Jordan.
16

17

Then Shimei son of Gera, a Benjamite from Ba-
hurim,  hurried  down  with  the  men  of  Judah  to
along with a thousand men
meet King David,
of  Benjamin,  as  well  as  Ziba  the  steward  of  the
house  of  Saul  and  his  fifteen  sons  and  twenty
servants.
18
They rushed down to the Jordan before the king
and crossed at the ford to carry over the king’s
household and to do what was good in his sight.

19

20

When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he
and said, “My lord, do
fell down before the king
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
For  your  servant  knows  that  I  have
heart.
sinned, so here I am today as the first of all the
house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord
21
the king.”

But  Abishai  son  of  Zeruiah  said,  “Shouldn’t
Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed
22
the LORD’s anointed?”

And David replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, what have
I  to  do  with  you,  that  you  should  be  my  adver-
saries today? Should any man be put to death in
Israel today? Am I not indeed aware that today I
am king over Israel?”

300    |    2 Samuel 19:23

23

So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.”

Mephibosheth Excused
And the king swore an oath to him.
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
25
clothes  from  the  day  the  king  had  left  until  the
day he returned safely.
And he came from Je-
rusalem  to  meet  the  king,  who  asked  him,
26
“Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”

 a

“My  lord  the  king,”  he  replied,  “because  I  am
lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled
 so
that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my
and  he  has  slan-
servant  Ziba  deceived  me,
dered your servant to my lord the king.

27

 b

28

 of God, so
Yet my lord the king is like the angel
For all the house
do what is good in your eyes.
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,
29
then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”

The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby
30
declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”

And  Mephibosheth  said  to  the  king,  “Instead,
since my lord the king has safely come to his own
David’s Kindness to Barzillai
house, let Ziba take it all!”
31

32

Now  Barzillai  the  Gileadite  had  come  down
from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king
and send him on his way from there.
Barzillai
was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he
was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the
33
king while he stayed in Mahanaim.

The  king  said  to  Barzillai,  “Cross  over  with
me,  and  I  will  provide  for  you  at  my  side  in
34
Jerusalem.”

35

But Barzillai replied, “How many years of my
life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with
I am now eighty years old. Can I dis-
the king?
cern what is good and what is not? Can your serv-
ant 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
36
lord the king?

Your servant will go with the king only a short
distance past the Jordan; why should the king re-
Please  let  your
pay  me  with  such  a  reward?
a 26
servant return, that I may die in my own city near

Saddle a donkey for me

37

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
38
your sight.”

The  king  replied,  “Chimham  will  cross  over
with  me,  and  I  will  do  for  him  what  is  good  in
your sight, and I will do for you whatever you de-
39
sire of me.”

So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then
the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai
40
and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.

Then the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Chim-
ham  crossed  over  with  him.  All  the  troops  of
Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the
Contention over the King
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
42
David’s men?”

And all the men of Judah replied to the men of
Israel, “We did this because the king is our rela-
tive.  Why  does  this  anger  you?  Have  we  ever
eaten at the king’s expense or received anything
43
for ourselves?”

“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  spoke  more  fiercely  than
Sheba’s Rebellion
the men of Israel.

20

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
3
Jerusalem.

When  David  returned  to  his  palace  in  Jerusa-
lem,  he  took  the  ten  concubines  he  had  left  to
take care of the palace, and he placed them in a

I will saddle a donkey for myself

Angel

b 27

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate

; Hebrew

Or

house under guard. He provided for them, but he
no  longer  slept  with  them.  They  were  confined
4
until the day of their death, living as widows.

Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men
of Judah to come to me within three days, and be
5
here yourself.”

So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took

6
longer than the time allotted him.

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
7
will find fortified cities and elude us.

”

a

So  Joab’s  men,  along  with  the  Cherethites,  the
Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out
8
of  Jerusalem  in  pursuit  of  Sheba  son  of  Bichri.
And while they were at the great stone in Gib-

eon, Amasa joined them.

Now Joab was dressed in military attire, with a
b
dagger  strapped  to  his  belt.  And  as  he  stepped
9
forward, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.

“Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa.
And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by
10
the beard to kiss him.

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 pur-
11
sued Sheba son of Bichri.

12

One  of  Joab’s  young  men  stood  near  Amasa
and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is
for David, let him follow Joab!”
But Amasa wal-
lowed in his blood in the middle of the road, and
when the man saw that all the troops were stop-
ping there, he dragged the body off the road into
a field and threw a garment over it.
As soon as
Amasa’s body was removed from the road, all the
men  went  on  with  Joab  to  pursue  Sheba  son  of
14
Bichri.

13

 c

Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to
d
  and  through  the  entire  re-
 who gathered together and

Abel-beth-maacah
gion of the Berites,
15
followed him.

2 Samuel 21:1    |    301

16

As  all  the  troops  with  Joab  were  battering  the
a wise woman called out from
wall to topple it,
the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come
17
here so that I may speak with him.”

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.
18
“I am listening,” he answered.

19

Then the woman said, “Long ago they used to
say, ‘Seek counsel at Abel,’ and that is how dis-
I am among the peaceable
putes were settled.
and  faithful  in  Israel,  but  you  are  trying  to  de-
stroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would
20
you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”

21
“Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to
That  is  not  the  case.
swallow  up  or  destroy!
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
22
thrown to you over the wall.”

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
23
to the king in Jerusalem.

25

24

Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel;
 e
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites
 was in charge of the
and Pelethites;
forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the
26
  was  the  scribe;  Zadok  and
recorder;
 was
and Ira the Jairite
Abiathar were priests;
David Avenges the Gibeonites
David’s priest.

Adoram
   f

Sheva

  g

21

During  the  reign  of  David  there  was  a
famine  for  three  successive  years,  and

David sought the face of the LORD.

And Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in
Abel-beth-maacah and built a siege ramp against
and do us serious harm
and snatch away our eyes
a 6
the outer rampart of the city.
was a belt around his waist with a dagger in its sheath. And as he stepped forward, it fell out.
Or
maacah

And  the  LORD  said,  “It  is  because  of  the  blood
shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the
Now Joab was dressed in military attire, and over it
Gibeonites.”
to Abel and Beth-
Literally
e 24 Adoram

c 14
Adoniram

Hadoram

Bicrites

d 14

b 8

 or

; see verse 15.

f 25 Sheva
Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate

g 26

Seraiah

Shisha

Ithrite

Shavsha
 is a variant of
, and

; see
; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 1 Kings 4:3,

 and

Hebrew

 is also called

,

1 Kings 4:6 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.
and 1 Chronicles 18:16.

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts and Syriac

; see 2 Samuel 23:38.

302    |    2 Samuel 21:2

2

13

At  this,  David  summoned  the  Gibeonites  and
spoke  to  them.  (Now  the  Gibeonites  were  not
Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Is-
raelites had taken an oath concerning them, but
in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought
3
to kill them.)

So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jon-
athan brought from there, and they also gathered
And
the bones of those who had been hanged.
they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jona-
than in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb
of Saul’s father Kish.

14

So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do
for you? How can I make amends so that you may
4
bless the inheritance of the LORD?”

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.”
5
“Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.

6

And  they  answered  the  king,  “As  for  the  man
who consumed us and plotted against us to ex-
terminate us from existing within any border of
Israel,
let seven of his male descendants be de-
livered to us so that we may hang them
 before
the  LORD  at  Gibeah  of  Saul,  the  chosen  of  the
LORD.”
7
“I will give them to you,” said the king.

 a

8

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.
But  the  king  took  Armoni  and
Mephibosheth,  the  two  sons  whom  Rizpah
 b
daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the
five  sons  whom  Merab
  daughter  of  Saul  had
9
borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
And  he  delivered  them  into  the  hands  of  the
Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill be-
fore the LORD. So all seven of them fell together;
they were put to death in the first days of the har-
10
vest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

And  Rizpah  the  daughter  of  Aiah  took  sack-
cloth 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,
11
nor the beasts of the field by night.

12

When  David  was  told  what  Saul’s  concubine
Rizpah,  daughter  of  Aiah,  had  done,
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
b 8
execute them
a 6
struck down Saul at Gilboa.
d 16 300 shekels
(see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and LXX manuscripts
f 19
 is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms.
Shammah
h 21 Shimei
See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew
 is a variant of

; similarly in verse 9
Jaare-oregim
Shimeah

g 19
Shimea

expose them

, and

 or

Or

,

After  they  had  done  everything  the  king  had
commanded, God answered their prayers for the
Four Battles against the Philistines
land.
(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 be-
c
16
came exhausted.

 d

Then  Ishbi-benob,  a  descendant  of  Rapha,
whose  bronze  spear  weighed  three  hundred
17
 and who was bearing a new sword, re-
shekels
But  Abishai  son  of
solved  to  kill  David.
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
18
Israel may not be extinguished.”

Some time later at Gob, there was another bat-
e
tle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the
19
Hushathite killed Saph,
 a descendant of Rapha.
 f

Once again there was a battle with the Philis-
 g
tines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair
 the Bethle-
 the Gittite,
hemite killed the brother of Goliath
20
the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

And  there  was  also  a  battle  at  Gath,  where
there was a man of great stature with six fingers
on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-
21
four  in  all.  He  too  was  descended  from  Rapha,
 h
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son

22
of David’s brother Shimei

 killed him.

So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell

David’s Song of Deliverance
at the hands of David and his servants.
(Psalm 18:1–50)

22

2

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.
Michal
e 18 Saph

Two Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac

He said:
Sippai
; also in verses 18, 20, and 22
; see 1 Chronicles 20:4.
.

 is a variant of

the brother of

the giant

c 16

Or

See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew does not include

; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 13:3, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.

2 Samuel 22:37    |    303

20

“The LORD is my rock,

3

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, my refuge, and my Savior,

4

You save me from violence.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be

5

praised;

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

He brought me out into the open;

21

He rescued me because He delighted

in me.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my

righteousness;

22

He has repaid me according to the

cleanness of my hands.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD

23

and have not wickedly departed from

For the waves of death engulfed me;

6

the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

The cords of Sheol entangled me;

7

the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD;

my God.

24

For all His ordinances are before me;

25

I have not disregarded His statutes.
And I have been blameless before Him
and kept myself from iniquity.

I cried out to my God.

So the LORD has repaid me according to my

And from His temple He heard my voice,
8
and my cry for help reached His ears.

 a
Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens
 trembled;
they were shaken because He burned with

9

anger.

Smoke rose from His nostrils,

10

and consuming fire came from His mouth;
glowing coals blazed forth.

11

He parted the heavens and came down
with dark clouds beneath His feet.

 b

12

He mounted a cherub and flew;

13

He soared

 on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness a canopy around Him,
a gathering of water and thick clouds.

 c

14

From the brightness of His presence

coals of fire

 blazed forth.

15

The LORD thundered from heaven;

16

the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;
He hurled lightning and routed them.

The channels of the sea appeared,

righteousness,

d

according to my cleanness in His

sight.

26

To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless You show Yourself

27

blameless;

to the pure You show Yourself pure,

28

but to the crooked You show Yourself

shrewd.

You save an afflicted people,

29

but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring

them down.

30

For You, O LORD, are my lamp;

the LORD lights up my darkness.

31

For in You I can charge an army;

with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;

the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield to all

32

who take refuge in Him.

33

For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is the Rock except our God?

and the foundations of the world were

34

God is my strong fortress,

exposed

at the rebuke of the LORD,

17

at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

and He makes my way clear.

35

He makes my feet like those of a deer
and stations me upon the heights.

He reached down from on high and took hold

18

of me;

36

He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

He drew me out of deep waters.

You have given me Your shield of
e

19

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

37

salvation,

from foes too mighty for me.

a 8

They confronted me in my day of calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

Most Hebrew sources; Vulgate, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:7)

according to the cleanness of my hands

e 36

brew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts
stoop down to make me great
LXX and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24)

and Your gentleness exalts me.
You broaden the path beneath me

so that my ankles do not give way.
d 25
He was seen

c 13

b 11

mountains
bolts of lightning
and Your help exalts me
Or

Or

 or

Many He-

and You
Hebrew;

304    |    2 Samuel 22:38

38

2

I pursued my enemies and destroyed them;

The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;

3

39

I did not turn back until they were

consumed.

I devoured and crushed them so they could

40

not rise;

they have fallen under my feet.

41

You have armed me with strength for battle;
You have subdued my foes beneath me.
You have made my enemies retreat before

42

me;

I destroyed those who hated me.

They looked, but there was no one to save

43

them—

to the LORD, but He did not answer.
I ground them as the dust of the earth;

44

I crushed and trampled them like mud in

the streets.

You have delivered me from the strife of my

people;

You have preserved me as the head

of nations;

45

a people I had not known shall

serve me.

46

Foreigners cower before me;

when they hear me, they obey me.

 a

Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling
strongholds.

47

 from their

The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock!

48

And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be

exalted—
the God who avenges me

49

and brings down nations beneath me,
who frees me from my enemies.

50

You exalt me above my foes;

You rescue me from violent men.
b

Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among

51

the nations;

I will sing praises to Your name.

Great salvation He brings to His king.

David’s Last Song

He shows loving devotion to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”

23

These are the last words of David:

“The oracle of David son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man raised on high,

 c

His word was on my tongue.

The God of Israel spoke;

the Rock of Israel said to me,
‘He who rules the people with justice,

4

who rules in the fear of God,

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.’

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?

5

6

But the worthless are all like thorns raked

7

aside,

for they can never be gathered by hand.
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)

in the place where they lie.”

8

 d

 f

These are the names of David’s mighty men:

e
Josheb-basshebeth  the  Tahchemonite
chief  of  the  Three.
against
9
at one time.

  was
  He  wielded  his  spear
 eight hundred men, whom he killed
 g

10

Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo
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.
but  Eleazar
The  men  of  Israel  retreated,
stood  his  ground  and  struck  the  Philistines
until  his  hand  grew  weary  and  stuck  to  his
sword. The LORD brought about a great vic-
tory  that  day.  Then  the  troops  returned  to
11
him, but only to plunder the dead.

12

And after him was Shammah son of Agee
the  Hararite.  When  the  Philistines  had
banded together near a field full of lentils, Is-
But  Sham-
rael’s  troops  fled  from  them.
mah took his stand in the middle of the field,
defended it, and struck down the Philistines.
b 50
So the LORD brought about a great victory.
d 8 Tahchemonite

and arm themselves

Dodai

Cited in Romans 15:9
 is probably a variant of

a 46
c 1
Hachmonite

the one anointed by the God of Jacob,
and the sweet psalmist of Israel:
the hero of the songs of Israel

Some LXX manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); MT
chief among the captains
 or
He was called Adino the Eznite because of
g 9 Dodo

Or

the favorite of the Strong One of Israel
f 8

e 8

; see 1 Chronicles 11:11.

Or

11:11); Hebrew

Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 27:4.

13

2 Samuel 24:2    |    305

14

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.
At that time David was in
the  stronghold,  and  the  garrison  of  the  Philis-
tines was at Bethlehem.
David longed for wa-
ter and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a
drink  of  water  from  the  well  near  the  gate  of
16
Bethlehem!”

15

17

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 Da-
vid. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured
it out to the LORD,
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.
18
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

a

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Ze-
ruiah, was chief of the Three,
 and he wielded his
19
spear  against  three  hundred  men,  killed  them,
Was he
and won a name along with the Three.
not more honored than the Three?
 And he be-
came their commander, even though he was not
20
included among the Three.

 b

 c

 d

21

And  Benaiah  son  of  Jehoiada  was  a  man  of
valor
 from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He
 of Moab, and on a
struck down two champions
snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a
lion.
He also struck down 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.
These were the
23
exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a
name along with the three mighty men.
He was
most honored among the Thirty, but he did not
become one of the Three. And David appointed
24
him over his guard.

22

 e

Now these were members of the Thirty:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
25
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

27
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
 the Hushathite,

28
Mebunnai

 f

Zalmon the Ahohite,
29
Maharai the Netophathite,

 g

 son of Baanah the Netophathite,

 son of Ribai from Gibeah of the

 h
Heled

Ittai
30
Benjamites,
 i

 of Gaash,

 j

31
Hiddai

Benaiah the Pirathonite,
 from the brooks
Abi-albon the Arbathite,
32
Azmaveth the Barhumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

k

33

the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan
Hararite,
34
Ahiam son of Sharar

son of Shammah
 m

 l

 the

 the Hararite,

Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite,

35
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

Hezro the Carmelite,

36
Paarai the Arbite,

Igal son of Nathan of Zobah,

37
Bani the Gadite,

Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of
38
Joab son of Zeruiah,
Ira the Ithrite,
39
Gareb the Ithrite,

and Uriah the Hittite.
David’s Military Census
There were thirty-seven in all.
(Exodus 30:11–16 ;  1 Chronicles 21:1–6)

24

Again  the  anger  of  the  LORD  burned
against  Israel,  and  He  stirred  up  David
against  them,  saying,  “Go  and  take  a  census  of
2
Israel and Judah.”

n

So the king said to Joab the commander of his
army, who was with him,
 “Go now throughout
the  tribes  of  Israel  from  Dan  to  Beersheba  and
register  the  troops,  so  that  I  may  know  their
number.”
d 20

two sons of Ariel

b 19

In the Thirty
Heb.; Syr-

Shammah the Harodite,

a 18

26
Elika the Harodite,
Helez the Paltite,
Most Heb. manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of Ishhai
Sibbecai

the Thirty
f 27

c 20

the Thirty
     e 24
g 29

(were):
iac

Or
Heb.; some LXX manuscripts
i 30 Hiddai

Hurai

scripts and Vulgate (see also 1 Chronicles 11:30); most MT manuscripts
Hashem
l 33
cles 11:31.
 is a variant of
m 33

; see 1 Chronicles 11:32.

Sachar
Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 11:34); Hebrew

n 2

Or

; see 1 Chronicles 11:34.
Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

; see 1 Chronicles 11:35.

LXX

; see 2 Samuel 21:18 and 1 Chronicles 11:29.
j 30

from the ravines

Or
Heleb

h 29 Ittai

Literally
Ithai
Some Hebrew manu-
; see 1 Chroni-
Jonathan, 33 Shammah
 is a variant of
to Joab and the army commanders with him

 is a variant of

k 32 Jashen

306   |    2 Samuel 24:3

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
4
thing?”

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  register  the
5
troops of Israel.

a

7

They  crossed  the  Jordan  and  camped  near
Aroer,  south  of  the  town  in  the  middle  of  the
6
valley,  and  proceeded  toward  Gad  and  Jazer.
Then  they  went  to  Gilead  and  the  land  of
Tahtim-hodshi,
 and on to Dan-jaan and around
They went toward the fortress of Tyre
to Sidon.
and  all  the  cities  of  the  Hivites  and  Canaanites.
 to
Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah,
8
Beersheba.

b

9

At the end of nine months and twenty days, hav-
ing gone through the whole land, they returned
And Joab reported to the king the
to Jerusalem.
total number of the troops. In Israel there were
800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and
Judgment for David’s Sin  (1 Chron. 21:7–13)
in Judah there were 500,000.
10

After David had numbered the troops, his con-
science 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
11
servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

12

When David got up in the morning, the word of
the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s
“Go  and  tell  David  that  this  is  what  the
seer:
LORD  says:  ‘I  am  offering  you  three  options.
Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against
13
you.’

”

 c

So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose
to  endure  three
  years  of  famine  in  your  land,
three months of fleeing the pursuit of your ene-
mies,  or  three  days  of  plague  upon  your  land?
Now then, think it over and decide how I should
14
reply to Him who sent me.”

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 sev-
enty  thousand  of  the  people  from  Dan  to  Beer-
16
sheba died.

d

But when the angel stretched out his hand to
destroy  Jerusalem,  the  LORD  relented  from  the
calamity and said to the angel who was destroy-
ing  the  people,  “Enough!  Withdraw  your  hand
now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by
17
the threshing floor of Araunah

 the Jebusite.

 e

f

When David saw the angel striking down the
people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shep-
 have sinned and acted wickedly. But these
herd,
sheep,  what  have  they  done?  Please,  let  Your
David Builds an Altar  (1 Chronicles 21:18–30)
hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
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.”
So
David  went  up  at  the  word  of  Gad,  just  as  the
20
LORD had commanded.

19

When  Araunah  looked  out  and  saw  the  king
and his servants coming toward him, he went out
and  bowed  facedown  before  the  king.
“Why
has  my  lord  the  king  come  to  his  servant?”
Araunah said.

21

“To  buy  your  threshing  floor,”  David  replied,
“that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the
22
plague upon the people may be halted.”

Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king
take whatever seems good to him and offer it up.
Here  are  the  oxen  for  a  burnt  offering  and  the
O
threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also
said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept
24
you.”

23

“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.”

g
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen
for fifty shekels of silver.
And there he built an
altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings.

25

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
a 6
the hands of men.”

Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf
of  the  land,  and  the  plague  upon  Israel  was
to the south of Judah
to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites
halted.

and of the people from Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand men

d 15

c 13

b 7

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

e 16 Araunah
the shepherd

died
also 1 Chronicles 21:12); Hebrew
 is a variant of
.

include

g 24 50 shekels

Literally

Or

f 17

LXX (see

; see 1 Chronicles 21:15 and 2 Chronicles 3:1.

DSS and LXX; MT does not

 is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.

seven
Ornan

1 Kings

Abishag Cares for David

1

2

Now  King  David  was  old  and  well  along  in
years,  and  though  they  covered  him  with
So his serv-
blankets, he could not keep warm.
ants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin
for our lord the king, to attend to him and care
3
for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

4

Then  they  searched  throughout  Israel  for  a
beautiful  girl,  and  they  found  Abishag  the
The
Shunammite and  brought her  to  the  king.
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
6
men to run ahead of him.

(His father had never once reprimanded him by
saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was
7
also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)

8

So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah
and  with  Abiathar  the  priest,  who  supported
him.
But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoi-
ada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s
9
mighty men would not join Adonijah.

a

10

And  Adonijah  sacrificed  sheep,  oxen,  and  fat-
tened calves near the stone of Zoheleth,
 which
is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal broth-
ers and all the men of Judah who were servants
But  he  did  not  invite  Nathan  the
of  the  king.
prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother
Nathan and Bathsheba before David
Solomon.
11

12

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
Now please, come and let me
does not know it?
advise you. Save your own life and the life of your
Go at once to King David and say,
son Solomon.
b 25
a 9
‘My  lord  the  king,  did  you  not  swear  to  your

the Serpent’s Stone

13

Joab the commander

Or

Hebrew; LXX

maidservant,  “Surely  your  son  Solomon  will
reign  after  me,  and  he  will  sit  on  my  throne”?
Then,
Why  then  has  Adonijah  become  king?’
while you are still there speaking with the king, I
15
will come in after you and confirm your words.”

14

16

So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bed-
room.  Since  the  king  was  very  old,  Abishag  the
And Bathsheba
Shunammite was serving him.
bowed down in homage to the king, who asked,
17
“What is your desire?”

19

18

“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.’
But  now,  behold,  Adonijah
has become king, and you, my lord the king, do
not  know  it.
And  he  has  sacrificed  an  abun-
dance  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 has not invited your servant
Solomon.
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.
Otherwise,  when  my  lord  the  king  rests
with  his  fathers,  I  and  my  son  Solomon  will  be
22
counted as criminals.”

21

20

And just then, while Bathsheba was still speak-
23
ing  with  the  king,  Nathan  the  prophet  arrived.
So  the  king  was  told,  “Nathan  the  prophet  is
here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown
24
before the king.

 b

25

“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say,
‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on
my throne’?
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
 of the army, and Abiathar
the priest. And behold, they are eating and drink-
26
ing before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
But me your servant he has not invited, nor Za-
27
dok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor
your servant Solomon.
Has my lord the king let
this happen without informing your servant who
should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”

308    |    1 Kings 1:28

David Renews His Oath to Bathsheba

42

28

Then  King  David  said,  “Call  in  Bathsheba  for
me.”  So  she  came  into  the  king’s  presence  and
29
stood before him.

30

And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely
as  the  LORD  lives,  who  has  redeemed  my  life
I will carry out this very day
from all distress,
exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God
of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign af-
31
ter me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the
king and said, “May my lord King David live for-
Solomon Anointed King  (1 Chron. 29:21–25)
ever!”
32

Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the
priest,  Nathan  the  prophet,  and  Benaiah  son  of
33
Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.

34

“Take  my  servants  with  you,”  said  the  king.
“Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take
There Zadok the priest and
him down to Gihon.
Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over
Israel.  You  are  to  blow  the  ram’s  horn  and  de-
Then you shall
clare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my
throne  and  reign  in  my  place.  For  I  have  ap-
36
pointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

35

“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May
37
the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare
Just as the LORD was with my lord the king,
it.
so may He be with Solomon and make his throne
38
even greater than that of my lord King David.”

39

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
Zadok the priest took the horn of
him to Gihon.
oil  from  the  tabernacle  and  anointed  Solomon.
Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people
40
proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

All the people followed him, playing flutes and
rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was
Adonijah Learns of Solomon’s Kingship
split by the sound.
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  up-
a 48
roar?” asked Joab.

one of my offspring

LXX

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
43
be bringing good news.”

44

“Not  at  all,”  Jonathan  replied.  “Our  lord  King
David has made Solomon king.
And with Solo-
mon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan
the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along
with  the  Cherethites  and  Pelethites,  and  they
Zadok  the
have  set  him  on  the  king’s  mule.
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.
46
That is the noise you hear.

45

Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the

47
royal throne.

The king’s servants have also gone to congrat-
ulate 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.’
48
And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,
saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel!
 to sit on my throne,

Today He has provided one
49
”
and my eyes have seen it.’

 a

50

At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in ter-
But Adonijah, in fear of Sol-
ror and scattered.
omon, got up and went to take hold of the horns
51
of the altar.

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
52
”
swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’

And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of charac-
ter, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground.
53
But if evil is found in him, he will die.”

So  King  Solomon  summoned  Adonijah  down
from the altar, and he came and bowed down be-
fore King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your
David Instructs Solomon  (Psalm 37:1–40)
home.”

2

2

As  the  time  drew  near  for  David  to  die,  he
“I am about to go
charged his son Solomon,
3
the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove
And  keep  the  charge  of  the
yourself  a  man.
LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep
His  statutes,  commandments,  ordinances,  and
decrees, as written in the Law of Moses, so that

4

you may prosper in all you do and wherever you
and so that the LORD may fulfill His prom-
turn,
ise 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
5
Israel.’

a

Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah
did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and
Amasa son of Jether,
 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.
So  act  according  to  your
wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to
7
Sheol in peace.

6

b

 c

But show loving devotion

 to the sons of Barzil-
lai  the  Gileadite,  and  let  them  be  among  those
who eat at your table, because they stood by me
8
when I fled from your brother Absalom.

Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Ben-
jamite 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.’
Now therefore,
do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man.
You know what you ought to do to him to bring
David’s Reign and Death  (1 Chron. 29:26–30)
his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
10

9

11

Then  David  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
buried  in  the  City  of  David.
The  length  of
David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven
years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusa-
12
lem.

So Solomon sat on the throne of his father Da-

The Execution of Adonijah
vid, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13

1 Kings 2:27    |    309

16

come to him from the LORD.
one request of you; do not deny me.”
17
“State your request,” she told him.

So now I have just

Adonijah  replied,  “Please  speak  to  King  Solo-
mon,  since  he  will  not  turn  you  down.  Let  him
18
give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to

19
the king for you.”

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
20
mother, who sat down at his right hand.

“I have just one small request of you,” she said.

“Do not deny me.”

“Make  your  request,  my  mother,”  the  king  re-
21
plied, “for I will not deny you.”

So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunam-
mite  be  given  to  your  brother  Adonijah  as  his
22
wife.”

King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do
you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adoni-
jah? Since he is my older brother, you might as
well  request  the  kingdom  for  him  and  for  Abi-
23
athar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

24

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.
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
25
shall be put to death today!”

So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of
Jehoiada,  and  he  struck  down  Adonijah  and  he
26
died.

“Yes, in peace,” he replied.
something to tell you.”
15
“Say it,” she answered.

Now  Adonijah  son  of  Haggith  went  to  Bath-
sheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do
you come in peace?”

14

Then he said, “I have

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.”
So  Solo-
mon  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.
; also in verse 32; see 2 Samuel 17:25.
loving devotion

He stained with innocent blood the

chesed
Hebrew; LXX
love

b 5

27

kindness

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases
,

faithfulness

, and

,

,

“You  know  that  the  kingship  was  mine,”  he
said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but
a 5 Jether
the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has
belt around my waist and the sandals on my feet.

Ithra

c 7

 is a variant of

mercy
throughout the Scriptures as

loyalty to a covenant

, as well as

.

Forms of the Hebrew
; the range of meaning includes

310    |    1 Kings 2:28

The Execution of Joab

28

When  the  news  reached  Joab,  who  had  con-
spired  with  Adonijah  but  not  with  Absalom,  he
fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the
29
horns of the altar.

It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled
to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the al-
tar.”

So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying,
30
“Go, strike him down!”

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, say-
31
ing, “This is how Joab answered me.”

32

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
The LORD will bring his
blood that Joab shed.
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
Their
Jether,  commander  of  Judah’s  army.
blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and
his  descendants  forever;  but  for  David,  his  de-
scendants, his house, and his throne, there shall
34
be peace from the LORD forever.”

33

35

So  Benaiah  son  of  Jehoiada  went  up,  struck
down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his
And the king ap-
own home in the wilderness.
pointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place
over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest
The Execution of Shimei
in Abiathar’s place.
36

37

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.
On the
day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know
for sure that you will die; your blood will be on
38
your own head.”

“The  sentence  is  fair,”  Shimei  replied.  “Your
servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.”
39
And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

a

After  three  years,  however,  two  of  Shimei’s
 king of
Maoch

slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah,
a 39 Maacah

 is a variant of

; see 1 Samuel 27:2.

Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are
40
in Gath.”

So  Shimei  saddled  his  donkey  and  set  out  to
Achish  at  Gath  in  search  of  his  slaves,  and  he
41
brought them back from Gath.

42

When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone
from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
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 sen-
So  why  have  you
tence  is  fair;  I  will  comply.’
not  kept  your  oath  to  the  LORD  and  the  com-
44
mand that I gave you?”

43

45

The king also said, “You know in your heart all
the evil that you did to my father David. There-
fore  the  LORD  will  bring  your  evil  back  upon
But  King  Solomon  will  be  blessed
your  head.
and David’s throne will remain secure before the
46
LORD forever.”

Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Je-
hoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down,
and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly estab-
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
lished in the hand of Solomon.
(2 Chron.1:1–13 ;  Ps. 45:1–17 ;  Ps. 72:1–20)

3

Later,  Solomon  formed  an  alliance  with
Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  by  marrying  his
daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of Da-
vid until he had finished building his palace and
the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around
2
Jerusalem.

3

The  people,  however,  were  still  sacrificing  on
the high places because a house for the Name of
And Solomon
the LORD had not yet been built.
loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his
father  David,  except  that  he  sacrificed  and
4
burned incense on the high places.

Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,
for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a
5
thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.

One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Sol-
omon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will
6
give it to you!”

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
7
him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

him,  I  realized  that  he  was  not  the  son  I  had
22
borne.”

1 Kings 4:6    |    311

8

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
Your servant is here among the people
come in.
You have chosen, a people too numerous to count
9
or number.

Therefore give Your servant an understanding
heart  to  judge  Your  people  and  to  discern  be-
tween good and evil. For who is able to govern
 a
10
this great people of Yours?”

11

Now  it  pleased  the  Lord

  that  Solomon  had
made this request.
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
behold, I will do what you
administer justice—
have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning
heart, so that there will never have been another
13
like you, nor will there ever be.

12

14

Moreover, I will give you what you did not re-
quest—both  riches  and  honor—so  that  during
all your days no man in any kingdom will be your
equal.
So if you walk in My ways and keep My
statutes and commandments, just as your father
15
David did, I will prolong your days.”

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
Solomon Judges Wisely
he held a feast for all his servants.

16

At that time two prostitutes came to the king

17
and stood before him.

19

18

One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman
and  I  live  in  the  same  house,  and  I  gave  birth
On  the  third  day
while  she  was  in  the  house.
after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We
were alone, with no one in the house but the two
During the night this woman’s son died
of us.
So she got up
because she rolled over on him.
in the middle of the night and took my son from
my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her
The
bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.
next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I
a 10
discovered  he  was  dead.  But  when  I  examined

b 3 Shisha

Adonai

20

21

“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
23
before the king.

Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My
son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman
24
says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’

”

25

The  king  continued,  “Bring  me  a  sword.”  So
and  the  king  de-
they  brought  him  a  sword,
clared, “Cut the living child in two and give half
26
to one and half to the other.”

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
27
mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living
baby to the first woman. By no means should you
28
kill him; she is his mother.”

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
Solomon’s Princes
justice.

4

So  King  Solomon  ruled  over  Israel,
these were his chief officials:

3
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

2

and

b

Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha,

were secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the
4
recorder;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of

the army;
5
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of

the governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and
6
adviser to the king;

 c

Ahishar was in charge of the palace;

Hebrew

; also in verse 15

c 6 Adoniram

Adoram
 is also called

20:25, and 1 Chron. 18:16.

 is a variant of

 and

Seraiah

and Adoniram
Sheva
Shavsha
of the forced labor.
Hadoram

 son of Abda was in charge

,

, and
; see 2 Samuel 20:24 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.

; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2  Samuel

312    |    1 Kings 4:7

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
and these were their names:
the year,

8

9
Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-

10
shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the

 a
11
land of Hepher belonged to him);

Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor

12
a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

 (Taphath,

Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in
Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to
Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to
13
Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

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
14
and bronze bars);
15

Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married

16
Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);
17

Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

18

19

Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;

Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead,
including the territories of Sihon king of the
Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.

b

There  was  also  one  governor  in  the  land  of
Solomon’s Prosperity
Judah.
20

 c

21

The people of Judah and Israel were as numer-
ous as the sand on the seashore, and they were
eating  and  drinking  and  rejoicing.
And  Solo-
mon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Eu-
  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines, as  far  as
phrates
the  border  of  Egypt.  These  kingdoms  offered
tribute  and  served  Solomon  all  the  days  of  his
22
life.

d

e

23

 f

24

fat  oxen,  twenty  range  oxen,  and  a  hundred
sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fat-
tened  poultry.
For  Solomon  had  dominion
over everything west of the Euphrates
—over all
25
the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had
peace on all sides.
Throughout the days of Sol-
omon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan
to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and
 g
26
his own fig tree.

h

27

  stalls  for  his  chariot
Solomon  had  4,000
horses  and  12,000  horses.
Each  month  the
governors  in  turn  provided  food  for  King  Solo-
28
mon and all who came to his table. They saw to
Each  one  also
it  that  nothing  was  lacking.
brought  to  the  required  place  their  quotas  of
barley and straw for the chariot horses and other
Solomon’s Wisdom
horses.
29

30

And  God  gave  Solomon  wisdom,  exceedingly
deep  insight,  and  understanding  beyond  meas-
Solomon’s
ure, like the sand on the seashore.
wisdom was greater than that of all the men of
31
the  East,  greater  than  all  the  wisdom  of  Egypt.
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
32
throughout the surrounding nations.

Solomon composed three thousand proverbs,
33
and  his  songs  numbered  a  thousand  and  five.
He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon
to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught
34
about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

So  men  of  all  nations  came  to  listen  to  Solo-
mon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth,
Preparations for the Temple  (2 Chr. 2:1–10)
who had heard of his wisdom.

5

Now  when  Hiram  king  of  Tyre  heard  that
Solomon  had  been  anointed  king  in  his
father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hi-
2
ram had always been a friend of David.

3
And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:

“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
b 19
the LORD his God until the LORD had put his
d 22 30 cors

Solomon’s  provisions  for  a  single  day  were
ten

in all the heights of Dor
And he was the one governor in the land.

a 11
thirty cors of fine flour,

 sixty cors of meal,

Naphath-dor

c 21

Naphoth-dor
the River

;

Or
Hebrew
187 bushels or 6,600 liters (probably about 5.5 tons or 5 metric tons of flour).
40,000
or 13,200 liters (probably about 11 tons or 10 metric tons of meal).
(see also 2 Chronicles 9:25); Hebrew

Hebrew
horsemen

 is a variant of

charioteers

h 26

f 24

 or

Or

Or

; see Joshua 11:2.
e 22 60 cors
; also in verse 24
beyond the River

Some LXX manuscripts;
g 26

 is approximately
 is approximately 375 bushels
Some LXX manuscripts

4

But now the LORD
enemies under his feet.
my God has given me rest on every side, and
5
there is no adversary or crisis.

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,
6
and he will build the house for My Name.’

Now  therefore,  order  that  cedars  of  Leba-
non be cut down for me. My servants will be
with your servants, and I will pay your serv-
ants whatever wages you set, for you know
that  there  are  none  among  us  as  skilled  in
Hiram’s Reply to Solomon  (2 Chron. 2:11–18)
logging as the Sidonians.”

7

8

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
Then Hiram sent a reply to Solo-
great people!”
mon, saying:

b

9

 a
“I  have  received  your  message;  I  will do  all
you desire regarding the cedar and cypress
My servants will haul the logs from
timber.
 and I will float them as
Lebanon to the Sea,
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

11

 c

So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar
and year after
and cypress timber he wanted,
year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000
d
cors of wheat
 as food for his household, as well
12
as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.

e

And  the  LORD  gave  Solomon  wisdom,  as  He
had promised him. There was peace between Hi-
ram and Solomon, and the two of them made a
Solomon’s Labor Force
treaty.
13

14

Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force
He sent them to

juniper
a 8
of 30,000 men from all Israel.

pine

b 9

fir

6

1 Kings 6:7    |    313

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
15
charge of the forced labor.

16

 f

Solomon  had  70,000  porters  and  80,000
not  including
 foremen who supervised the workers.

stonecutters  in  the  mountains,
17
his 3,300

18

And  the  king  commanded  them  to  quarry
large,  costly stones  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the
temple with dressed stones.
So Solomon’s and
Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quar-
ried the stone and prepared the timber and stone
Temple Construction Begins  (2 Chron. 3:1–2)
for the construction of the temple.

 g

In the four hundred and eightieth
 year after
the  Israelites  had  come  out  of  the  land  of
h
Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over
 the second month, he
Israel, in the month of Ziv,
2
began to build the house of the LORD.

i

3

The house that King Solomon built for the LORD
was  sixty  cubits  long,  twenty  cubits  wide,  and
 j
thirty  cubits  high.
The  portico  at  the  front  of
the  main  hall  of  the  temple  was  twenty  cubits
long,  extending  across  the  width  of  the  temple
and  projecting  out  ten  cubits
  in  front  of  the
4
temple.

 k

He also had narrow windows framed high in the

The Chambers
temple.
5

6

Against  the  walls  of  the  temple  and  the  inner
sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure
around the temple, in which he constructed the
l
The  bottom  floor  was  five  cubits
side  rooms.
 and the third
wide,
floor seven cubits.
 He also placed offset ledges
around the outside of the temple, so that nothing
7
would be inserted into its walls.

n
 the middle floor six cubits,

m

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
c 11 20,000 cors
temple while it was being built.

Or

 or

 or

d 11
is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat).
twenty cors of pure oil
covenant
h 1 Ziv

 is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of olive oil; Hebrew
four hundred and fortieth

; also in verse 10
20,000 baths
twenty cors of pressed oil

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

LXX (see also 2 Chronicles 2:10);

berit
g 1

3,600

e 12

f 16

 or

Forms of the Hebrew
; see 2 Chronicles 2:18.

 are translated in most passages as
Hebrew; LXX

.

 was the second month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of April and May;

k 3 10
The house was approximately 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (27.4 meters long, 9.1 me-

l 6 5 cubits

i 2

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts
j 3 20 cubits

also in verse 37.
cubits
ters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
m 6 6 cubits

 is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters; also in verses 16 and 20.
n 6 7 cubits

 is approximately 15 feet or 4.6 meters; also in verses 23–26.

 is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters;

also in vv. 10 and 24.

 is approximately 9 feet or 2.7 meters.

 is approx. 10.5 feet or 3.2 meters.

314    |    1 Kings 6:8

8

 a

The Cherubim  (2 Chronicles 3:10–13)

The  entrance  to  the  bottom

  floor  was  on  the
south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the
9
middle level, and from there to the third floor.

10

So  Solomon  built  the  temple  and  finished  it,
He
roofing it with beams and planks of cedar.
built chambers all along the temple, each five cu-
bits high and attached to the temple with beams
God’s Promise to Solomon
of cedar.
11

12

Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon,
“As for this temple you are building, if
saying:
you  walk  in  My  statutes,  carry  out  My  ordi-
nances,  and  keep  all  My  commandments  by
walking  in  them,  I  will  fulfill  through  you  the
And I will
promise I made to your father David.
dwell among the Israelites and will not abandon
The Temple’s Interior  (2 Chronicles 3:5–9)
My people Israel.”
14
15

13

So  Solomon  built  the  temple  and  finished  it.
He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling
from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he
16
covered the floor with cypress

 boards.

 b

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 sanc-
And the main hall
tuary, the Most Holy Place.
18
in front of this room was forty cubits long.

17

d

c

The  cedar  paneling  inside  the  temple  was
carved  with  gourds  and  open  flowers.  Every-
19
thing was cedar; not a stone could be seen.

20

Solomon  also  prepared  the  inner  sanctuary
within the temple to set the ark of the covenant
The  inner  sanctuary  was
of  the  LORD  there.
twenty  cubits  long,  twenty  cubits  wide,  and
twenty  cubits  high.  He  overlaid  the  inside  with
pure  gold,  and  he  also  overlaid  the  altar  of
21
cedar.

 f
So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple

e

22

with  pure  gold,  and  he  extended  gold  chains
across  the  front  of  the  inner  sanctuary,  which
So  he  overlaid  with
was  overlaid  with  gold.
gold the whole interior of the temple, until eve-
rything was completely finished. He also overlaid
with gold the entire altar that belonged to the in-
ner sanctuary.
a 8
d 17 40 cubits
tains)

LXX and Targum; Hebrew

g38 Bul

middle

b 15

pine

 or

Or

juniper
e 20

 is approximately 60 feet or 18.3 meters.

23

24

In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim,
each  ten  cubits  high,  out  of  olive  wood.
One
wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and
the other wing was five cubits long as well. So the
The  second
full  wingspan  was  ten  cubits.
cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim
and the height of
had the same size and shape,
27
each cherub was ten cubits.

26

25

And he placed the cherubim inside the inner-
most 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
He also overlaid
room their wingtips touched.
29
the cherubim with gold.

28

30

Then he carved the walls all around the tem-
ple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with
carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and
And he overlaid the temple floor
open flowers.
The Doors
with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
31

32

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solo-
mon constructed doors of olive wood with five-
The double doors were made
sided doorposts.
of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim,
palm  trees,  and  open  flowers  and  overlaid  the
33
cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

34

In the same way he made four-sided doorposts
The
of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance.
35
two doors were made of cypress wood, and each
had  two  folding  panels.
He  carved  into  them
cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he
overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over
The Courtyard
the carvings.
36

Solomon built the inner courtyard with three
rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed
37
cedar beams.

38

The foundation of the house of the LORD was
laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the
g
In  the  eleventh  year,  in  the
month  of  Ziv.
month of Bul,
 the eighth month, the temple was
finished  in  every  detail  and  according  to  every
specification.  So  he  built  the  temple  in  seven
years.
fir
with cedar

made gold chains to draw (the cur-

the Holy of Holies

c 16

f 21

 or
Or

; also in verse 34

Or

Or

 was the eighth month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of Octo-

ber and November.

Solomon’s Palace Complex

1 Kings 7:26    |    315

7

2
palace.

Solomon,  however,  took  thirteen  years  to
complete  the  construction  of  his  entire

a

He  built  the  House  of  the  Forest  of  Lebanon  a
hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty
cubits high,
 with four rows of cedar pillars sup-
3
porting the cedar beams.

5

The  house  was  roofed  with  cedar  above  the
4
beams  that  rested  on  the  pillars—forty-five
beams, fifteen per row.
There were three rows
 b
of  high  windows  facing  one  another  in  three
tiers.
 had rectangular frames,
with  the  openings  facing  one  another  in  three
6
tiers.

All the doorways

c

Solomon  made  his  colonnade  fifty  cubits  long
and thirty cubits wide,
 with a portico in front of
7
it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.

In  addition,  he  built  a  hall  for  the  throne,  the
Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was pan-
8
eled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

d

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 daugh-
9
ter, whom he had married.

All  these  buildings  were  constructed  with
costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws
inside and out from the foundation to the eaves,
10
and  from  the  outside  to  the  great  courtyard.
The  foundations  were  laid  with  large,  costly
 and some eight cu-
Above these were costly stones, cut

stones, some ten cubits long
bits long.
12
to size, and cedar beams.

11

 e

f

The great courtyard was surrounded by three
rows  of  dressed  stone  and  a  row  of  trimmed
cedar  beams,  as  were  the  inner  courtyard  and
The Pillars and Capitals  (2 Chr. 3:14–17)
portico of the house of the LORD.
13

 g

14

Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram

 from
He was the son of a widow from the tribe

Tyre.
a 2

b 5

doorways and doorposts

c 6

of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a
craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, un-
derstanding,  and  knowledge  for  every  kind  of
bronze  work.  So  he  came  to  King  Solomon  and
15
carried out all his work.

h
He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cu-
16
bits  high  and  twelve  cubits  in  circumference.
i
He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set
17
on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high.
For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a
network  of  lattice,  with  wreaths  of  chainwork,
18
seven for each capital.

j

k

20

Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of
19
pomegranates around each grating to cover each
And  the  capitals  atop
capital  atop  the  pillars.
the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies,
On  the  capitals  of  both  pil-
four  cubits  high.
lars,  just  above  the  rounded  projection  next  to
the network, were the two hundred pomegran-
21
ates in rows encircling each capital.

l
Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the
m
temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin,
22
and  the  pillar  to  the  north  he  named  Boaz.

And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lil-

The Molten Sea
ies. So the work of the pillars was completed.
(2 Chronicles 4:1–5)

23

n

24

He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was cir-
cular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to
rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in cir-
Below the rim, ornamental buds
cumference.
encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the
25
Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

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
o
It was a
their hindquarters toward the center.
  and  its  rim  was  fashioned
handbreadth  thick,
like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could
hold two thousand baths.

26

p

d 7

Literally

f 10 8 cubits

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).
(22.9 meters long and 13.7 meters wide).
Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew
feet or 4.6 meters.
, a variant of
 is approximately 12 feet or 3.7 meters.
verses 40 and 45; see 2 Chronicles 4:11. Note that this is not Hiram king of Tyre mentioned in 1 Kings 5:1.
bits
was approximately 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference (8.2 meters high and 5.5 meters in circumference).
Hebrew; LXX
n 23
or 1.8 meters; also in verse 38.

from floor to floor
The colonnade was approximately 75 feet long and 45 feet wide
Hiram
g 13
 is approx. 15
; also in
i 16 5 cu-
Each pillar
in Him is strength
 is approximately 6 feet

 is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.

one for each capital

 probably means

 probably means

Huram
h 15

He establishes

e 10 10 cubits

k 19 4 cubits

l 21 Jachin

m 21 Boaz

Hebrew

j 17

.

o 26 A handbreadth

.

The Sea was approximately 15 feet from rim to rim, 7.5 feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference (4.6 meters from

p 26 2,000 baths

rim to rim, 2.3 meters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference).
centimeters.

 is approximately 11,600 gallons or 44,000 liters; LXX does not include this sentence.

 is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4

316    |    1 Kings 7:27

The Ten Bronze Stands

27

In  addition,  he  made  ten  movable  stands  of
bronze,  each  four  cubits  long,  four  cubits  wide,
28
and three cubits high.

a

29

This  was  the  design  of  the  stands:  They  had
and  on  the
side  panels  attached  to  uprights,
panels  between  the  uprights  were  lions,  oxen,
and  cherubim.  On  the  uprights  was  a  pedestal
above,  and  below  the  lions  and  oxen  were
30
wreaths of beveled work.

b

31

Each  stand  had  four  bronze  wheels  with
bronze  axles  and  a  basin  resting  on  four  sup-
The opening
ports, with wreaths at each side.
to each stand inside the crown at the top was one
c
cubit deep,
 with a round opening like the design
of  a  pedestal,  a  cubit  and  a  half  wide.
  And
around  its  opening  were  engravings,  but  the
32
panels of the stands were square, not round.

33

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 diam-
The  wheels  were  made  like  chariot
eter.
wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were
34
all of cast metal.

35

Each stand had four handles, one for each cor-
d
At  the  top  of

ner,  projecting  from  the  stand.
each stand was a circular band half a cubit high.
The supports and panels were cast as a unit with
36
the top of the stand.

He  engraved  cherubim,  lions,  and  palm  trees
on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wher-
37
ever  each  had  space,  with  wreaths  all  around.
In this way he made the ten stands, each with

The Ten Bronze Basins
the same casting, dimensions, and shape.
(2 Chronicles 4:6–8)

38

 e

He also made ten bronze basins, each holding
  and  measuring  four  cubits  across,

forty  baths
39
one basin for each of the ten stands.

He set five stands on the south side of the tem-
ple  and  five  on  the  north,  and  he  put  the  Sea
on the south side, at the southeast corner of the
a 27
temple.

b 31 One cubit

Completion of the Bronze Works
(2 Chronicles 4:11–18)

40

f

Additionally,  Huram  made  the  pots,

  shovels,

and sprinkling bowls.

So  Huram  finished  all  the  work  that  he  had
undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the
41
LORD:

the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the
pillars;

the two sets of network covering both
42
bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

the four hundred pomegranates for the

two sets of network (two rows of pome-
granates for each network covering both the
43
bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

the ten stands;

44
the ten basins on the stands;

the Sea;

45
the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling

bowls.

46

47

All the articles that Huram made for King Solo-
mon in the house of the LORD were made of bur-
nished bronze.
The king had them cast in clay
g
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth
and  Zarethan.
Solomon  left  all  these  articles
unweighed,  because  there  were  so  many.  The
Completion of the Gold Furnishings
weight of the bronze could not be determined.
(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
49
Bread of the Presence;

the lampstands of pure gold in front of
the inner sanctuary, five on the right side
and five on the left;
50
the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;

the pure gold basins, wick trimmers,
sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers;

c 31 A cubit and a half

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

e 38 40 baths

 is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.

meters high).
2.25 feet or 68.6 centimeters wide; similarly in verse 32.
high.
(see also verse 45 and 2 Chronicles 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts
see 2 Chronicles 4:17.

 is approximately 232 gallons or 880 liters.

 is approximately
 is approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters
basins
Zeredah
Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate
;

 is a variant of

g 46 Zarethan

d 35 Half a cubit
f 40

and the gold hinges for the doors of the
inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place
as well as for the doors of the main hall of
the temple.

51

)

 a

So  all  the  work  that  King  Solomon  had  per-
formed  for  the  house  of  the  LORD  was  com-
pleted.

Then Solomon brought in the items his father Da-
vid had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the
furnishings—and he placed them in the treasur-
The Ark Enters the Temple  (2 Chron. 5:1–14)
ies of the house of the LORD.

8

b

2

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
And all the men of
from Zion, the City of David.
Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast
3
in the seventh month,

 the month of Ethanim.
4
When  all  the  elders  of  Israel  had  arrived,  the
and they brought up the
priests took up the ark,
ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting with all
its sacred furnishings. So the priests and Levites
5
carried them up.

c

There,  before  the  ark,  King  Solomon  and  the
whole congregation of Israel who had assembled
with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that
6
they could not be counted or numbered.

d

Then  the  priests  brought  the  ark  of  the  cove-
nant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctu-
ary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,
 beneath
For  the  cherubim
the  wings  of  the  cherubim.
spread their wings over the place of the ark and
8
overshadowed the ark and its poles.

7

 e

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
9
Place;

 and they are there to this day.

f

There  was  nothing  in  the  ark  except  the  two
stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Ho-
 where the LORD had made a covenant with
reb,
the Israelites after they had come out of the land
10
of Egypt.

11

1 Kings 8:23    |    317

because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD
Solomon Blesses the LORD  (2 Chron. 6:1–11)
filled the house of the LORD.
12

Then Solomon declared:

 g

“The LORD

13

 has said that He would dwell

in the thick cloud.

14

I have indeed built You an exalted house,
a place for You to dwell forever.”

And  as  the  whole  assembly  of  Israel  stood
15
there, the king turned around and blessed them
all

and said:

16

“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,
‘Since the day I brought My people
saying,
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
17
Israel.’

18

Now  it  was  in  the  heart  of  my  father
David  to  build  a  house  for  the  Name  of  the
But the LORD said
LORD, the God of Israel.
to  my  father  David,  ‘Since  it  was  in  your
heart to build a house for My Name, you have
Nev-
done well to have this in your heart.
ertheless, you are not the one to build it; but
your son, your own offspring, will build the
20
house for My Name.’

19

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
And
Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
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)

21

22

Then  Solomon  stood  before  the  altar  of  the
LORD  in  front  of  the  whole  assembly  of  Israel,
spread out his hands toward heaven,
and said:

23

And  when  the  priests  came  out  of  the  Holy
so
Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD
b 2
a 50
that the priests could not stand there to minister

the Holy of Holies
c 2 Ethanim

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like
You  in  heaven  above  or  on  earth  below,
keeping  Your  covenant  of  loving  devotion

Or
23:33–36.
of September and October.
mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

d 6

Or

That is, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters); similarly in verse 65; see Leviticus
 was the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months
That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a

The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but

the Holy of Holies
g 12

not from outside

Literally

e 8

f 9

Some LXX manuscripts

318    |    1 Kings 8:24

24
with  Your  servants  who  walk  before  You
You  have  kept  Your
with  all  their  hearts.
promise  to  Your  servant,  my  father  David.
What You spoke with Your mouth You have
25
fulfilled with Your hand this day.

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
And  now,  O  God  of  Israel,
have  done.’
please  confirm  what  You promised  to  Your
27
servant, my father David.

26

28

But will God indeed dwell upon the earth?
The heavens, even the highest heavens, can-
not contain You, much less this temple I have
  and  plea  of
built.
Your  servant,  O  LORD  my  God,  so  that  You
may  hear  the  cry  and  the  prayer  that  Your
29
servant is praying before You today.

Yet  regard  the  prayer

36
their  sins  because  You  have  afflicted  them,
then may You hear from heaven and for-
give  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
37
people as an inheritance.

38

When  famine  or  plague  comes  upon  the
land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grass-
hoppers, or when their enemy besieges them
in  their  cities,  whatever  plague  or  sickness
then  may  whatever  prayer  or
may  come,
petition  Your  people  Israel  make—each
knowing  his  own  afflictions  and  spreading
be
out  his  hands  toward  this  temple—
heard  by  You  from  heaven,  Your  dwelling
place. And may You forgive and act, and re-
pay each man according to all his ways, since
40
You know his heart—for You alone know the
so that they may fear
hearts of all men—
You all the days they live in the land that You
41
gave to our fathers.

39

30

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
Hear  the  plea  of  Your
toward  this  place.
servant and of Your people Israel when they
pray  toward  this  place.  May  You  hear  from
heaven,  Your  dwelling  place.  May  You  hear
31
and forgive.

When a man sins against his neighbor and
is required to take an oath, and he comes to
32
take an oath before Your altar in this temple,
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 accord-
33
ing to his righteousness.

When Your people Israel are defeated be-
fore  an  enemy  because  they  have  sinned
against You, and they return to You and con-
34
fess  Your  name,  praying  and  pleading  with
then  may  You  hear
You  in  this  temple,
from heaven and forgive the sin of Your peo-
ple Israel. May You restore them to the land
35
You gave to their fathers.

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

42

And as for the foreigner who is not of Your
people  Israel  but  has  come  from  a  distant
land because of Your name—
for they will
hear  of  Your  great  name  and  mighty  hand
43
and outstretched arm—when he comes and
prays  toward  this  temple,
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
44
Name.

When Your people go to war against their
enemies,  wherever  You  send  them,  and
in  the
when  they  pray  to  the  LORD
45
direction of the city You have chosen and the
house  I  have  built  for  Your  Name,
then
may You hear from heaven their prayer and
46
their plea, and may You uphold their cause.

When they sin against You—for there is no
one who does not sin—and You become an-
gry with them and deliver them to an enemy
47
who takes them as captives to his own land,
and when they come
whether far or near,
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 wick-
and when they return to You with all
edly,’

48

49

their  heart  and  soul  in  the  land  of  the  ene-
mies 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
then  may  You  hear  from  heaven,
Name,
Your  dwelling  place,  their  prayer  and  peti-
tion, and may You uphold their cause.
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
51
captors to show them mercy.

50

52

For  they  are  Your  people  and  Your
inheritance; You brought them out of Egypt,
May Your eyes
out of the furnace for iron.
be open to the pleas of Your servant and of
Your  people  Israel,  and  may  You  listen  to
them whenever they call to You.
For You,
O Lord GOD, have set them apart from all the
peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as
You  spoke  through  Your  servant  Moses
when You brought our fathers out of Egypt.”

53

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
And  he  stood  and  blessed  the  whole
heaven.
56
assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

55

“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
57
Moses.

58

May the LORD our God be with us, as He
was with our fathers. May He never leave us
May He incline our hearts to
or forsake us.
Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep
the  commandments  and  statutes  and  ordi-
59
nances He commanded our fathers.

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
so
His people Israel as each day requires,
that  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth  may  know
that the LORD is God. There is no other!

60

On the eighth day

a 66

61

1 Kings 9:5    |    319

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

63

Then the king and all Israel with him offered
And  Solomon  of-
sacrifices  before  the  LORD.
fered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen
and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israel-
64
ites dedicated the house of the LORD.

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 offer-
ings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace
offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD
65
was too small to contain all these offerings.

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
 a
66
and seven more days—fourteen days in all.

On the fifteenth day

 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
The LORD’s Response to Solomon
and for His people Israel.
(2 Chronicles 7:11–22)

9

Now  when  Solomon  had  finished  building
the house of the LORD and the royal palace,
2
and  had  achieved  all  that he  had  desired  to  do,
the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He
And the LORD

had appeared to him at Gibeon.
said to him:

3

“I  have  heard  your  prayer  and  petition  be-
fore  Me.  I  have  consecrated  this  temple,
which  you  have  built,  by  putting  My  Name
there forever; My eyes and My heart will be
4
there for all time.

5

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
then  I  will  establish  your
and  ordinances,
royal throne over Israel forever, as I prom-
ised your father David when I said, ‘You will
never  fail  to  have  a  man  on  the  throne  of
Israel.’

Hebrew

, probably referring to the day following the seven-day feast; see 2 Chronicles 7:9–10.

320    |    1 Kings 9:6

6

7

But  if  indeed  you  or  your  sons  turn  away
from following Me and do not keep the com-
mandments  and  statutes  I  have  set  before
you, and if you go off to serve and worship
then I will cut off Israel from the
other gods,
land that I have given them, and I will banish
from My presence this temple I have sancti-
fied  for  My  Name.  Then  Israel  will  become
an  object  of  scorn  and  ridicule  among  all
8
peoples.
a

And when this temple has become a heap of
rubble,
  all  who  pass  by  it  will  be  appalled
and  will  hiss  and  say,  ‘Why  has  the  LORD
9
done  such  a  thing  to  this  land  and  to  this
And others will answer, ‘Because
temple?’
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

11

Now  at  the  end  of  the  twenty  years  during
which Solomon built these two houses, the house
King  Solo-
of  the  LORD  and  the  royal  palace,
mon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to
Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with
12
cedar  and  cypress
  logs  and  gold  for  his  every
So Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect
desire.
the  towns  that  Solomon  had  given  him,  but  he
13
was not pleased with them.

 b

c

“What are these towns you have given me, my
brother?”  asked  Hiram,  and  he  called  them  the
14
Land of Cabul,

 as they are called to this day.

d

And  Hiram  had  sent  the  king  120  talents  of

15
gold.

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,
 and the
wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and
16
Gezer.

e

Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  had  attacked  and
a 8
captured  Gezer.  He  had  set  it  on  fire,  killed  the
b 11

c 13 Cabul

juniper

pine

fir

17

 f

g

19

Baalath,  and  Tamar

Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a
dowry  to  his  daughter,  Solomon’s  wife.
So
18
Solomon  rebuilt  Gezer,  Lower  Beth-horon,
  in  the  Wilderness  of  Ju-
 h
dah,
as  well  as  all  the  store  cities  that  Solo-
mon had for his chariots and horses
—whatever
he  desired  to  build  in  Jerusalem,  Lebanon,  and
20
throughout the land of his dominion.

21

As for all the people who remained of the Amo-
rites,  Hittites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  and  Jebusites
their
(the  people  who  were  not  Israelites)—
descendants  who  remained  in  the  land,  those
whom  the  Israelites  were  unable  to  devote  to
destruction
—Solomon  conscripted  these  peo-
22
ple to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

 i

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
23
the  commanders  of  his  chariots  and  cavalry.
They  were  also  the  chief  officers  over  Solo-
mon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people
24
who did the work.

As  soon  as  Pharaoh’s  daughter  had  come  up
from the City of David to the palace that Solomon
25
had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

Three times a year Solomon offered burnt of-
ferings  and  peace  offerings  on  the  altar  he  had
built  for  the  LORD,  burning  incense  with  them
26
before the LORD. So he completed the temple.

 j

27

King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at
k
  in  Edom,  on
Ezion-geber,  which  is  near  Eloth
the shore of the Red Sea.
And Hiram sent his
28
servants,  sailors  who  knew  the  sea,  to  serve  in
They sailed
the fleet with Solomon’s servants.
to  Ophir  and  imported  gold  from  there—420
The Queen of Sheba  (2 Chronicles 9:1–12)
talents

—and delivered it to Solomon.

 l

10

2

Now  when  the  queen  of  Sheba  heard
about  the  fame  of  Solomon  concerning
the name of the LORD, she came to test him with
She  arrived  in  Jerusalem
difficult  questions.
with a very large caravan—with camels bearing
spices,  gold  in  great  abundance,  and  precious
stones.

good-for-nothing

d 14 120 talents

And though this temple is now exalted

Or
cherem

Some LXX manuscripts, Syriac, and Arabic; Hebrew

 or
Tadmor

e 15

 or
g 18

; see also 2 Chronicles 7:21.
 is approximately
i 21
Alternate MT reading; the other alter-
Forms of the He-
 or
l 28 420
 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an

the Millo
 sounds like the Hebrew for

in the wilderness in the land

f 18
horsemen

; also in verse 24

the Sea of Reeds

.
charioteers

Hebrew

Hebrew

Elath

h 19

k 26

Or

4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.
nate reads
brew
talents
offering.

 is a variant of

j 26 Eloth

; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.

Or

 is approximately 15.8 tons or 14.4 metric tons of gold.

3
And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all
that was on her mind.
And Solomon answered
all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the
4
king to explain.

5

When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of
the food at his
Solomon, the palace he had built,
table, the seating of his servants, the service and
attire of his attendants, his cupbearers, and the
burnt offerings he presented at the house of the
6
LORD, it took her breath away.

 a

7

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my
own  country  about  your  words  and  wisdom  is
true.
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 pros-
8
perity  have  far  exceeded  the  report  I  heard.
  How  blessed  are
these  servants  of  yours  who  stand  continually
before you and hear your wisdom!
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
b
10
king to carry out justice and righteousness.”

How  blessed  are  your  men!

9

Then  she  gave  the  king  120  talents  of  gold,
a  great  quantity  of  spices,  and  precious  stones.
Never  again  were  spices  in  such  abundance
brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to
11
King Solomon.

 c

12

  wood  and  precious  stones.

(The  fleet  of  Hiram  that  brought  gold  from
Ophir  also  brought  from  Ophir  a  great  cargo  of
almug
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
13
seen again to this day.)

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
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
her servants.
(2 Chronicles 1:14–17 ;  2 Chronicles 9:13–28)

14

d
The weight of gold that came to Solomon each
not  including  the

a 8
year  was  666  talents,

your wives

b 10 120 talents

15

algum
e 16 600 shekels

1 Kings 10:29    |    321

revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the
16
Arabian kings and governors of the land.

 e
King Solomon made two hundred large shields

17
of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold
He also made three hun-
went into each shield.
 f
dred small shields of hammered gold; three mi-
nas of gold
 went into each shield. And the king
18
put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

19

Additionally, the king made a great throne of
The
ivory  and  overlaid  it  with  pure  gold.
throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded
top.  There  were  armrests  on  both  sides  of  the
20
seat,  with  a  lion  standing  beside  each  armrest.
Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at ei-
ther end of each step. Nothing like this had ever
21
been made for any kingdom.

22

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, be-
cause it was accounted as nothing in the days of
 g
For  the  king  had  the  ships  of  Tar-
Solomon.
shish
 at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every
three  years  the  ships  of  Tarshish  would  arrive
23
bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

h

24

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the
earth in riches and wisdom.
The whole world
25
sought  an  audience  with  Solomon  to  hear  the
wisdom that God had put in his heart.
Year af-
ter  year,  each  visitor  would  bring  his  tribute:
articles  of  silver  and  gold,  clothing,  weapons,
 i
26
spices, horses, and mules.

j
Solomon  accumulated

  1,400  chariots  and
27
 which he stationed in the chariot
12,000 horses,
The king
cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
made  silver as  common in Jerusalem as  stones,
and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foot-
28
hills.

k

 l

29

Solomon’s  horses  were  imported  from  Egypt
and  Kue;
  the  royal  merchants  purchased  them
from  Kue.
A  chariot  could  be  imported  from
n
Egypt  for  six  hundred  shekels  of  silver,
  and  a
horse for a hundred and fifty.
 Likewise, they ex-
ported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to
the kings of Aram.
d 14 666 talents
 is approx. 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.

c 11 Almug

 is

m

LXX, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate

probably a variant of
metric tons of gold.
mately 3.77 pounds or 1.71 kilograms of gold; possibly a reference to double minas, that is, approximately 7.54 pounds or
lated chariots and horses; he had
charioteers
3.42 kilograms.

 is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.

a fleet of trading ships
j 26

; also in verse 12; see 2 Chronicles 2:8.

i 26
Shephelah

h 22
k 27

horsemen

lowlands

baboons

g 22

m 29 600 shekels

Or
l 28

f 17 3 minas
 is approximately 25.1 tons or 22.8
 is approxi-
Solomon accumu-

Or

; twice in this verse
n 29 150 shekels

 or

Or
Hebrew

Literally
 or

ern foothills of Judea
proximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver.

Probably an area in Cilicia, a province in the southeast of Asia Minor

 is approx. 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.

; that is, the west-
 is ap-

322    |    1 Kings 11:1

Solomon’s Foreign Wives

15

11

2

King Solomon, however, loved many for-
eign women along with the daughter of
Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and
These women
Sidon, as well as Hittite 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
He had seven hundred wives of
women in love.
royal birth and three hundred concubines—and
4
his wives turned his heart away.

3

For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned
his heart after other gods, and he was not whole-
5
heartedly  devoted  to  the  LORD  his  God,  as  his
 a
father David had been.
Solomon followed Ash-
6
toreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom
So Solomon
the abomination of the Ammonites.
did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father
7
David, he did not follow the LORD completely.

8

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
He did the same for all his foreign
Ammonites.
wives,  who  burned  incense  and  sacrificed  to
God’s Anger against Solomon
their gods.
9

Now  the  LORD  grew  angry  with  Solomon,  be-
cause his heart had turned away from the LORD,
10
the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Although  He  had  warned  Solomon  explicitly
not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep
11
the LORD’s command.

12

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
Nevertheless, for the sake of
to your servant.
your father David, I will not do it during your life-
13
time;  I  will  tear  it  out  of  the  hand  of  your  son.
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 Je-
Hadad’s Return
rusalem, which I have chosen.”
14

Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an
adversary,  Hadad  the  Edomite,  from  the  royal
Molech
a 5 Milcom
line of Edom.

Earlier,  when  David  was  in  Edom,  Joab  the
commander  of  the  army  had  gone  to  bury  the
16
dead and had struck down every male in Edom.
Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months,
until  he  had  killed  every  male  in  Edom.
But
Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt,
along with some Edomites who were servants of
18
his father.

17

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
19
provided him with food.

There  Hadad  found  such  great  favor  in  the
sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage
20
the  sister  of  Queen  Tahpenes,  his  own  wife.
And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son
named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him
in  Pharaoh’s  palace,  and  Genubath  lived  there
21
among the sons of Pharaoh.

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
22
country.”

But  Pharaoh  asked  him,  “What  have  you
lacked here with me that you suddenly want to
go back to your own country?”
Rezon’s Hostility
“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”
23

24

And  God  raised  up  against  Solomon  another
adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled
and
from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,
had gathered men to himself. When David killed
the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders
and  went  to  Damascus,  where  they  settled  and
25
gained control.

Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days
of  Solomon,  adding  to  the  trouble  caused  by
Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility
Jeroboam’s Rebellion
toward Israel.
26

Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraim-
ite  from  Zeredah  whose  mother  was  a  widow
named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solo-
and this
mon, but he rebelled against the king,
is the account of his rebellion against the king.

27

 is a variant of

; also in verse 33; see verse 7 and Leviticus 18:21.

 a

28

 and
Solomon had built the supporting terraces
repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his fa-
ther David.
Now Jeroboam was a mighty man
of  valor.  So  when  Solomon  noticed  that  the
young man was industrious, he put him in charge
29
of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shi-
lonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going
out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped him-
self  in  a  new  cloak,  and  the  two  of  them  were
30
alone in the open field.

31

And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was
wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,
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 Solo-
mon,  and  I  will  give  you  ten  tribes.
But  one
tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David
and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have cho-
 b
33
sen out of all the tribes of Israel.

32

For they have

 forsaken Me to worship Ashto-
reth 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
34
David did.

36

35

Nevertheless,  I  will  not  take  the  whole  king-
dom 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.
But  I  will
take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of
his  son  and  give  them  to  you.
I  will  give  one
tribe to his son, so that My servant David will al-
ways  have  a  lamp  before  Me  in  Jerusalem,  the
city where I chose to put My Name.
But as for
you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all
that your heart desires, and you will be king over
38
Israel.

37

If you listen to all that I command you, walk in
My ways, and do what is right in My sight in or-
der 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.
Because of
this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not
40
forever.’

39

”

Solomon  therefore  sought  to  kill  Jeroboam.
a 27
But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak

the Millo

b 33

1 Kings 12:11    |    323

king of Egypt, where he remained until the death
The Death of Solomon  (2 Chronicles 9:29–31)
of Solomon.
41

As for the rest of the acts of Solomon—all that
he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not writ-
ten in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?
Thus
the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over
43
all Israel was forty years.

42

And Solomon rested with his fathers and was
buried in the city of his father David. And his son
Rebellion against Rehoboam  (2 Chr. 10:1–15)
Rehoboam reigned in his place.

12

 c

2

3

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all
Israel had gone there to make him king.
When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this,
he  was  still
  in  Egypt  where  he  had  fled  from
King Solomon and had been living ever since.
So
they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole as-
4
sembly  of  Israel  came  to  Rehoboam  and  said,
“Your  father  put  a  heavy  yoke  on  us.  But  now
you must lighten the burden of your father’s ser-
vice and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will
5
serve you.”

Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days
6
and then return to me.” So the people departed.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders
who  had  served  his  father  Solomon  during  his
lifetime.  “How  do  you  advise  me  to  respond  to
7
these people?” he asked.

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
8
will be your servants forever.”

9

But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders;
instead,  he  consulted  the  young  men  who  had
He  asked
grown  up  with  him  and  served  him.
them, “What message do you advise that we send
back  to  these  people  who  have  spoken  to  me,
10
saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

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 must make it lighter.’ This is
what  you  should  tell  them:  ‘My  little  finger  is
Whereas my fa-
thicker than my father’s waist!
ther burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add
to  your  yoke.  Whereas  my  father  scourged  you
c 2
he has
”
with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’

he remained

11

Hebrew

Hebrew; LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate

; twice in this verse

Or

324    |    1 Kings 12:12

12

13

After three days, Jeroboam and all the people
returned to  Rehoboam, since the king had said,
And the
“Come back to me on the third day.”
14
king  answered  the  people  harshly.  He  rejected
the advice of the elders
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
15
whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”

So the king did not listen to the people, and in-
deed this turn of events was from the LORD, to
fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son
The Kingdom Divided  (2 Chronicles 10:16–19)
of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
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!”

17

but  Rehoboam
So  the  Israelites  went  home,
still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities
18
of Judah.

a

19

Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram,

 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
So  to  this  day  Israel  has  been  in
Jerusalem.
Shemaiah’s Prophecy  (2 Chronicles 11:1–4)
rebellion against the house of David.
20

When  all  Israel  heard  that  Jeroboam  had  re-
turned, they summoned him to the assembly and
made  him  king  over  all  Israel.  Only  the  tribe  of
21
Judah followed the house of David.

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
22
kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

23

But  the  word  of  God  came  to  Shemaiah  the
“Tell  Rehoboam  son  of  Solomon
man  of  God:
24
king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benja-
min, and the rest of the people
that this is what
the  LORD  says:  ‘You  are  not  to  go  up  and  fight
against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you
a 18
must return home, for this is My doing.’
Peniel
to them
Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts and Syriac
to the one as far as Dan

Adoniram
”
d 30

; see Genesis 32:30.
; LXX

Hebrew

So  they  listened  to  the  word  of  the  LORD  and
Jeroboam’s Idolatry
turned back according to the word of the LORD.
25

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill coun-
try of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he
26
went out and built Penuel.

b

27

Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom
might  revert  to  the  house  of  David.
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 Ju-
28
dah.”

c

After  seeking  advice,  the  king  made  two
golden calves and said to the people,
 “Going up
to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel,
are  your  gods,  who  brought  you  up  out  of  the
29
land of Egypt.”

30

One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in
And  this  thing  became  a  sin;  the  people
Dan.
d
walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the
31
calves.

Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places
32
and appointed from every class of people priests
e
who were not Levites.
And Jeroboam ordained
a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month,
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
33
he had set up.

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 sac-
Jeroboam’s Hand Withers
rifices on the altar, and burned incense.
(2 Kings 23:4–20 ;  2 Chronicles 34:3–7)

13

2

Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing be-
side the altar to burn incense, there came
a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of
And he cried out against the altar by
the LORD.
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.’

b 25 Penuel

”

 f

c 28
the people went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan

; see 1 Kings 4:6 and 1 Kings 5:14.
Likely reading of the original Hebrew text; MT

e 32

f 2

the people walked
 is a variant of

This feast was exactly

one month after the annual Feast of Tabernacles in Judah; see Leviticus 23:34.

See 2 Kings 23:16.

3

15

1 Kings 13:28    |    325

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
4
be poured out.’

”

5

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
And the altar was split apart, and
pull it back.
the ashes poured out, according to the sign that
the  man  of  God  had  given  by  the  word  of  the
6
LORD.

So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come

16
home with me and eat some bread.”

17

But  the  man  replied,  “I  cannot  go  home  with
you, and I will not eat bread or drink water with
For I have been told by the
you in this place.
word  of  the  LORD:  ‘You  must  not  eat  bread  or
drink  water  there  or  return  by  the  way  you
18
came.’

”

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.’

”

19

Then the king responded to the man of God, “In-
tercede with the LORD your God and pray for me
that my hand may be restored.”

The old prophet was lying to him,
but the man
of  God  went  back  with  him,  ate  bread  in  his
20
house, and drank water.

So  the  man  of  God  interceded  with  the  LORD,
and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was
7
before.

Then  the  king  said  to  the  man  of  God,  “Come
home  with  me  and  refresh  yourself,  and  I  will
8
give you a reward.”

9

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
For this is what I was commanded by
this place.
the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or
10
drink water or return by the way you came.’

”

So the man of God went another way and did

The Old Prophet and the Man of God
not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
11

 a

Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel,
and  his  sons
  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
12
man had spoken to the king.

“Which way did he go?” their father asked.

 b

13

 the way taken by the
And his sons showed him
man of God, who had come from Judah.
So the
prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for
me.”

14

Then  they  saddled  the  donkey  for  him,  and  he
and went after the man of God. He
mounted it
found him sitting under an oak tree
 and asked,
“Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

 c

son
a 11
“I am,” he replied.

b 12

had seen

c 14

21

While they were sitting at the table, the word
of  the  LORD  came  to  the  prophet  who  had
and the prophet cried out to
brought him back,
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 com-
22
mandment  that  the  LORD  your  God  gave  you,
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
23
fathers.’

”

24

And after the man of God had finished eating
and drinking, the old prophet who had brought
As  he
him  back  saddled  the  donkey  for  him.
went on his way, a lion met him on the road and
killed him, and his body was left lying in the road,
25
with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

And there were men passing by who saw the
body lying in the road with the lion standing be-
side it, and they went and reported this in the city
26
where the old prophet lived.

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,  ac-
cording to the word that the LORD had spoken to
27
him.”

28

Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Sad-
and
dle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,
he  went  and  found  the  body  lying  in  the  road,
with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
a terebinth
The  lion  had  not  eaten  the  body  or  mauled  the

a great tree

LXX; Hebrew

LXX; Hebrew

Or

 or

326    |    1 Kings 13:29

29

30

So the old prophet lifted up the body
donkey.
of  the  man  of  God,  laid  it  on  the  donkey,  and
brought it back to his own city to mourn for him
Then he laid the body in his own
and bury him.
tomb,  and  they  lamented  over  him,  “Oh,  my
31
brother!”

After  he  had  buried  him,  the  prophet  said  to
his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the
32
tomb  where  the  man  of  God  is  buried.  Lay  my
for  the  message  that
bones  beside  his  bones,
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
33
come to pass.”

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
And  this  was  the
a  priest  of  the  high  places.
sin  of  the  house  of  Jeroboam  that  led  to  its
extermination  and  destruction  from  the  face  of
Ahijah’s Prophecy against Jeroboam
the earth.

34

14

2

At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam be-
and Jeroboam said to his wife,
came ill,
“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
Take with
about my kingship over this people.
you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of
honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will
4
become of the boy.”

3

5

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
But  the  LORD  had  said  to
because  of  his  age.
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 ar-
6
rives, she will be disguised.”

7

So  when  Ahijah  heard  the  sound  of  her  feet
entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jero-
boam!  Why  are  you  disguised?  For  I  have  been
Go,  tell  Jeroboam
sent  to  you  with  bad  news.
that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I raised you up from among the people and ap-
I tore
pointed you ruler over My people Israel.
the kingdom away from the house of David and
gave  it  to  you.  But  you  have  not  been  like  My
a 10
servant David, who kept My commandments and

(all) those who urinate against a wall

b 13

8

followed Me with all his heart, doing only what
9
was right in My eyes.

You have done more evil than all who came be-
fore you. You have proceeded to make for your-
self  other  gods  and  molten  images  to  provoke
10
Me,  and  you  have  flung  Me  behind  your  back.
Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disas-

a

ter on the house of Jeroboam:

I will cut off from Jeroboam every male,

both slave and free,
in Israel;

I will burn up the house of Jeroboam

11

as one burns up dung until it is gone!
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

13

As for you, get up and go home. When your feet
All Israel will
enter the city, the child will die.
mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only
b
one  belonging  to  Jeroboam  who  will  receive  a
  because  only  in  him  has  the
proper  burial,
LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,  found  any  good  in  the
14
house of Jeroboam.

15

Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a
king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jer-
For
oboam. This is the day—yes, even today!
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 scat-
  because  they
ter  them  beyond  the  Euphrates,
16
have  made  their  Asherah  poles,  provoking  the
So He will give Israel over on
LORD to anger.
account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and
17
has caused Israel to commit.”

c

18

Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for
Tirzah,  and  as  soon  as  she  stepped  over  the
And they
threshold of the house, the boy died.
buried  him,  and  all  Israel  mourned  for him,  ac-
cording  to  the  word  that  the  LORD  had  spoken
Nadab Succeeds Jeroboam
through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
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.

who will come to the grave

the River

c 15

Literally

Literally

Hebrew

20

And  the  length  of  Jeroboam’s  reign  was
twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers,
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah  (2 Chr. 12:13–14)
and his son Nadab reigned in his place.
21

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned
in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he be-
came king, and he reigned seventeen years in Je-
rusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all
the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His
22
mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

23

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
They  also  built  for  themselves  high
done.
places,  sacred  pillars,  and  Asherah  poles  on
24
every  high  hill  and  under  every  green  tree.
There  were  even  male  shrine  prostitutes  in
the  land.  They  imitated  all  the  abominations  of
the nations the LORD had driven out before the
Shishak Raids Jerusalem  (2 Chr. 12:1–12)
Israelites.
25

26

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak
He  seized
king  of  Egypt  attacked  Jerusalem.
the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the
royal palace. He took everything, including all the
27
gold shields that Solomon had made.

28

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
And  whenever  the  king  en-
the  royal  palace.
tered the house of the LORD, the guards would
bear  the  shields,  and  later  they  would  return
29
them to the guardroom.

As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along
with  all  that  he  did,  are  they  not  written  in  the
30
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

31

There was war between Rehoboam and Jero-
boam  throughout  their  days.
And  Rehoboam
rested with his fathers and was buried with them
 a
in  the  City  of  David;  his  mother’s  name  was
Naamah  the  Ammonite.  And  his  son  Abijam
Abijam Reigns in Judah  (2 Chr. 13:1–3)
reigned in his place.

15

In  the  eighteenth  year  of  the  reign
of  Jeroboam  son  of  Nebat,  Abijam
  be-
Abijah
and he reigned in Jerusalem
Abijah

a 31 Abijam
came king of Judah,
Abijah

2

 b

1 Kings 15:15    |    327

c
three  years.  His  mother’s  name  was  Maacah
3
daughter of Abishalom.

4

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
Nevertheless,
of David his forefather had been.
for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him
a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to suc-
For Da-
ceed him and to make Jerusalem strong.
vid  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, ex-
6
cept in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

5

 d

And  there  was  war  between  the  houses
 and Jeroboam all the days of Abi-

e

of Rehoboam
7
jam’s life.

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  Jero-
8
boam.

And  Abijam  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
buried  in  the  City  of  David,  and  his  son  Asa
Asa Reigns in Judah
reigned in his place.
(2 Chronicles 14:1–15 ;  2 Chronicles 15:8–19)

9

10

 f

In  the  twentieth  year  of  Jeroboam’s  reign
and
over  Israel,  Asa  became  king  of  Judah,
he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  forty-one  years.  His
  name  was  Maacah  daughter  of
grandmother’s
11
Abishalom.

12

13

And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the
He  ban-
LORD,  as  his  father  David  had  done.
ished the male shrine prostitutes from the land
and  removed  all  the  idols  that  his  fathers  had
made.
He  also  removed  his  grandmother
Maacah  from  her  position  as  queen  mother  be-
cause  she  had  made  a  detestable  Asherah  pole.
Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the
14
Kidron Valley.

The high places were not removed,  but Asa’s
15
heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.
And he brought into the house of the LORD the
silver  and  gold  and  the  articles  that  he  and  his
father had dedicated.

b 1 Abijam

Abijah

c 2 Abishalom

Absalom

 is a variant of

; some Heb. manuscripts and LXX

war between Rehoboam

; see 2 Chron. 12:16.

d 6

; some Heb. manuscripts and LXX

; also in verse 10; see 2 Chron. 11:20.

war between Abijam
The queen mother’s

of
e 6
Heb. manuscripts and Syriac

of his life

f 10

Literally

Or

; also in verses 3, 6, 7, and 8; see 2 Chron. 12:16.

Literally

His mother’s

 (most Heb. manuscripts); some

 (that is, Abijah); most LXX texts do not contain this verse.
; Hebrew

; see verses 2 and 13.

 is a variant of

 is a variant

328    |    1 Kings 15:16

War between Asa and Baasha
(2 Chronicles 16:1–6)

16

17

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha
Baasha
king  of  Israel  throughout  their  days.
king of Israel went to war against Judah and for-
tified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or
18
entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that re-
mained  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,
 a
19
the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
 between me and you as
there  was  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 Is-
20
rael, so that he will withdraw from me.”

“Let there be a treaty

22
b

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, includ-
21
ing the region of Chinnereth.

When Baasha learned of this, he stopped forti-
Then
fying  Ramah  and  withdrew  to  Tirzah.
 with
King Asa summoned all the men of Judah,
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
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.
(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,
24
however, he became diseased in his feet.

27

Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issa-
char conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck
him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while
In
Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city.
the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha
29
killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

28

30

As  soon  as  Baasha  became  king,  he  struck
down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did
not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but
destroyed  them  all  according  to  the  word  that
the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah
the Shilonite,
because of the sins Jeroboam had
committed and had caused Israel to commit, and
because he had provoked the LORD, the God of
31
Israel, to anger.

As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, along with
all his accomplishments, are they not written in
32
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
And  there  was  war  between  Asa  and  Baasha

Baasha Reigns in Israel
king of Israel throughout their days.
33

In  the  third  year  of  Asa’s  reign  over  Judah,
Baasha  son  of  Ahijah  became  king  of  all  Israel,
34
and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.

And  Baasha  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  LORD
and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin,
Jehu’s Prophecy against Baasha
which he had caused Israel to commit.

16

2

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu
son  of  Hanani  against  Baasha,  saying:
“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 an-
So now I will consume Baasha
ger by their sins.
and  his  house,  and  I  will  make  your  house  like
4
that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

3

And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried
with them in the city of his father David, and his
Nadab Reigns in Israel
son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
25

5

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.”

In  the  second  year  of  Asa’s  reign  over  Judah,
26
Nadab  son  of  Jeroboam  became  king  of  Israel,
And he did evil in the
and he reigned two years.
sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his
father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel
berit
a 19
to commit.
made a proclamation throughout all Judah

6

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
And  Baasha  rested  with  his  fathers
of  Israel?
and  was  buried  in  Tirzah,  and  his  son  Elah
reigned in his place.

Then King Asa

covenant

b 22

Forms of the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

; twice in this verse.

Or

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
 the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger
in
with the work of his hands and becoming like the
house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had
Elah Reigns in Israel
struck down the house of Jeroboam.
8

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s reign over Ju-
dah,  Elah  son  of  Baasha  became  king  of  Israel,
9
and he reigned in Tirzah two years.

10

However,  while  Elah  was  in  Tirzah  getting
drunk  in  the  house  of  Arza  the  steward  of  his
household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the com-
mander  of  half  his  chariots,  conspired  against
So  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  Asa’s
him.
reign  over  Judah,  Zimri  went  in,  struck  Elah
down,  and  killed  him.  And  Zimri  reigned  in  his
11
place.

12

As soon as Zimri began to reign and was seated
on the throne, he struck down the entire house-
hold  of  Baasha.  He  did  not  leave  a  single  male,
So  Zimri  de-
whether  a  kinsman  or  friend.
stroyed the entire household of Baasha, accord-
ing  to  the  word  that  the  LORD  had  spoken
This
against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.
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,
14
to anger with their worthless idols.

13

As for the rest of the acts of Elah, along with all
his accomplishments, are they not written in the
Zimri Reigns in Israel
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
15

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over
Judah,  Zimri  reigned  in  Tirzah  for  seven  days.
16
Now  the  troops  were  encamped  against  Gib-
and the people in the
bethon of the Philistines,
camp heard that Zimri had conspired against the
king and struck him down. So there in the camp
that  very  day,  all  Israel  proclaimed  Omri,  the
17
commander of the army, king over Israel.
18

Then  Omri  and  all  the  Israelites  marched  up
from  Gibbethon  and  besieged  Tirzah.
When
Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered
the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down
because of the sins he
upon himself. So he died
a 24 2 talents
had  committed,  doing  evil  in  the  sight  of  the

19

1 Kings 16:33    |    329

LORD  and  following  the  example  of  Jeroboam
and the sin he had committed and had caused Is-
20
rael to commit.

As for the rest of the acts of Zimri and the trea-
son  he  committed,  are  they  not  written  in  the
Omri Reigns in Israel
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
21

22

At that time the people of Israel were divided:
Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath
as king, and half supported Omri.
But the fol-
lowers  of  Omri  proved  stronger  than  those  of
Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri be-
23
came king.

 a

24

In  the  thirty-first  year  of  Asa’s  reign  over  Ju-
dah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned
twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
He bought
the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents
 and built a city there, calling it Samaria
of silver
after  the  name  of  Shemer,  who  had  owned  the
25
hill.

26

But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and
acted  more  wickedly  than  all  who  were  before
him.
For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam
son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Is-
rael to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of
27
Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

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
28
of the Kings of Israel?

And Omri rested with his fathers and was bur-
ied in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his
Ahab Reigns in Israel, Marries Jezebel
place.
29

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Ju-
dah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and
30
he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.

However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight
31
of the LORD, more than all who were before him.
And as if it were not enough for him to walk in
the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even mar-
ried Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the
Sidonians,  and  he  then  proceeded  to  serve  and
32
worship Baal.

33

First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the tem-
Then
ple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.
he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more

 is approximately 151 pounds or 68.4 kilograms of silver.

330    |    1 Kings 16:34

to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger
34
than all the kings of Israel before him.

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 young-
est he set up its gates, according to the word that
the  LORD  had  spoken  through  Joshua  son  of
The Ravens Feed Elijah
Nun.

a

17

b

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among
the settlers of Gilead,
 said to Ahab, “As
surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before
whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain
2
in these years except at my word!”

3

c

Then  a  revelation  from  the  LORD  came  to
Elijah:
“Leave  here,  turn  eastward,  and  hide
4
yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jor-
dan.
And you are to drink from the brook, and
5
I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

6

So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and
he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of
The ravens would bring him bread
the Jordan.
7
and  meat  in  the  morning  and  evening,  and  he
Some  time  later,
would  drink  from  the  brook.
however, the brook dried up because there had
The Widow of Zarephath
been no rain in the land.
8
9

Then  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  Elijah:
“Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay
there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there
10
to provide for you.”

11

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
And as she was going to get it, he
may drink.”
called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of
12
bread.”

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
13
may eat it and die.”

“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and
do  as  you  have  said.  But  first  make  me  a  small
who was from Tishbe in Gilead
a 34
cake of bread from what you have, and bring it
d 1
Or

And the days were many, and in the third year,

See Joshua 6:26.

b 1

Literally

14

out  to  me.  Afterward,  make  some  for  yourself
for  this  is  what  the  LORD,  the
and  your  son,
God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be ex-
hausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until
the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the
15
earth.’

”

16

So she went and did according to the word of
Elijah,  and  there  was  food  every  day  for  Elijah
The jar of
and the woman and her household.
flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not
run dry, according to the word that the LORD had
Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son
spoken through Elijah.
17

18

Later,  the  son  of  the  woman  who  owned  the
house  became  ill,  and  his  sickness  grew  worse
“O
and worse, until no breath remained in him.
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
19
son?”

But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”

20

So he took him from her arms, carried him to the
upper room where he was staying, and laid him
Then he cried out to the LORD,
on his own bed.
“O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy
on this widow who has opened her home to me,
Then he stretched
by causing her son to die?”
himself out over the child three times and cried
out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this
22
boy’s life return to him!”

21

And  the  LORD  listened  to  the  voice  of  Elijah,
23
and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived.
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
24
declared.

Then  the woman  said to  Elijah,  “Now  I  know
that you are a man of God and that the word of
Elijah’s Message to Ahab
the LORD from your mouth is truth.”

18

d

After a long time, in the third year of the
 the word of the LORD came to
drought,
Elijah:  “Go  and  present  yourself  to  Ahab,  and  I
2
will send rain upon the face of the earth.”

3

So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The
c 3
and  Ahab
famine  was  severe  in  Samaria,

the Cherith Ravine, near the Jordan

Or

; also in verse 5

summoned  Obadiah,  who  was  in  charge  of  the
palace.

4

for
(Now  Obadiah  greatly  feared  the  LORD,
when  Jezebel  had  slaughtered  the  prophets  of
the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred proph-
ets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, provid-
5
ing them with food and water.)

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 live-
6
stock.”

So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went
one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other
7
way by himself.

Now  as  Obadiah  went  on  his  way,  Elijah  sud-
denly  met  him.  When  Obadiah  recognized  him,
he  fell  facedown  and  said,  “Is  it  you,  my  lord
8
Elijah?”

“It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Eli-

9
jah is here!’

”

10

But  Obadiah  replied,  “How  have  I  sinned,  that
you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put
As surely as the LORD your God
me to death?
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
And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that
you.
12
Elijah is here!’

11

13

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
Was it not reported to my lord
from my youth.
what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the proph-
ets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the
LORD,  fifty  men  per  cave,  and  I  provided  them
And now you say, ‘Go tell
with food and water.
15
your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”

14

Then  Elijah  said,  “As  surely  as  the  LORD  of
Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present
Elijah on Mount Carmel
myself to Ahab today.”
16

17

So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to
When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to

meet Elijah.
18
him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but
you and your father’s house have, for  you have

1 Kings 18:30    |    331

19

forsaken  the  commandments  of  the  LORD  and
Now summon all Is-
have followed the Baals.
rael 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 Jez-
20
ebel’s table.”

21

So  Ahab  summoned  all  the  Israelites  and  as-
Then
sembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
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, fol-
low him.”
22
But the people did not answer a word.

23

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only
remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four
hundred and fifty prophets.
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.
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.”

24

And  all  the  people  answered,  “What  you  say  is
25
good.”

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
26
your god, but do not light the fire.”

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
27
they leaped around the altar they had made.

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
28
he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

So  they  shouted  louder  and  cut  themselves
with knives and lances, as was their custom, until
29
the blood gushed over them.

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
30
attention.

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.

332    |    1 Kings 18:31

31

32

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
And with the stones, Elijah built an al-
name.”
tar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench
around the altar large enough to hold two seahs
33
of seed.

a

34

Next,  he  arranged  the  wood,  cut  up  the  bull,
and said, “Fill four wa-
placed it on the wood,
terpots  and pour  the water  on  the  offering  and
on the wood.”

 b

“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
35
time.

So  the  water  ran  down  around  the  altar  and

Elijah’s Prayer
even filled the trench.
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
Answer me, O LORD! Answer
Your command.
me,  so  that  this  people  will  know  that  You,  the
LORD,  are  God,  and  that  You  have  turned  their
38
hearts back again.”

37

Then  the  fire  of  the  LORD  fell  and  consumed
the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust,
39
and it licked up the water in the trench.

When  all  the  people  saw  this,  they  fell
facedown  and  said,  “The  LORD,  He  is  God!  The
40
LORD, He is God!”

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 LORD Sends Rain
the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
41

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,

42
for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

So  Ahab went  up  to  eat  and  drink.  But  Elijah
climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on
43
the ground, and put his face between his knees.
“Go  and  look  toward  the  sea,”  he  said  to  his

a 32 2 seahs
servant.
b 34

c 46

So  the  servant  went  and  looked,  and  he  said,
“There is nothing there.”
44
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

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
45
you.’

”

Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and
wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode
46
away and went to Jezreel.

 c

And  the  hand  of  the  LORD  came  upon  Elijah,
  and  ran

and  he  tucked  his  cloak  into  his  belt
Elijah Flees from Jezebel
ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

19

2

Now  Ahab  told  Jezebel  everything  that
Elijah had done and how he had killed all
the prophets with the sword.
So Jezebel sent a
messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal
with me, and ever so severely, if by this time to-
morrow I have not made your life like the lives of
3
those you killed!”

4

And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When
he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant
while  he  himself  went  a  day’s  journey
there,
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
5
better than my fathers.”

Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell

asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up
6
and eat.”

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
7
again.

A second time the angel of the LORD returned
and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the
8
journey will be too much for you.”

So he got up and ate and drank. And strength-
ened by that food, he walked forty days and forty
 the mountain of
nights until he reached Horeb,
God.
he girded up his loins

d 8

d

 is approximately 13.2 dry quarts or 14.6 liters (probably about 25.4 pounds or 11.5 kilograms of seed).

Some texts continue verse 33 to this point.
a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

Hebrew

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly

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,
10
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

“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
11
well.”

 a

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 moun-
tains  and  shattered  the  rocks  before  the  LORD,
but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the
12
LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was a fire, but the

LORD was not in the fire.
13
And  after  the  fire  came  a  still,  small  voice.
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,
14
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

“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
15
well.”

16

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.
 of
Nimshi  as  king  over  Israel  and  Elisha  son  of
Shaphat  from  Abel-meholah  to  succeed  you  as
17
prophet.

You are also to anoint Jehu son

 b

Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes
the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death
18
whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.

 c

Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand
in  Israel—all  whose  knees  have  not  bowed  to
The Call of Elisha
Baal
19

 and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

1 Kings 20:10    |    333

oxen,  and  he  was  with  the  twelfth  team.  Elijah
20
passed by him and threw his cloak around him.

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
21
to you?”

So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair
of oxen, and slaughtered them. Using the oxen’s
equipment for fuel, he cooked the meat and gave
it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to
Ben-hadad Attacks Samaria
follow and serve Elijah.

20

2

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
Then he sent messengers into the city
against it.
 d
saying, “This is what Ben-
to Ahab king of Israel,
 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and
hadad says:
4
your best wives and children are mine!’

”

3

And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say,
my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I
5
have.”

6

The  messengers  came  back  and  said,  “This  is
what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to de-
mand  your  silver,  your  gold,  your  wives,  and
But about this time tomorrow I
your children.
will send my servants to search your palace and
the houses of your servants. They will seize and
7
carry away all that is precious to you.’

”

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
8
my gold, I did not deny him.”

And the elders and the people all said, “Do not

9
listen to him or consent to his terms.”

So  Ahab  answered  the  messengers  of  Ben-
hadad,  “Tell  my  lord  the  king,  ‘All  that  you  de-
manded of your servant the first time I will do,
but this thing I cannot do.’

”

So  the  messengers  departed  and  relayed  the
10
message to Ben-hadad.

So  Elijah  departed  and  found  Elisha  son  of
a 10
Shaphat.  He  was  plowing  with  twelve  teams  of
d 3

b 16

grandson

Then  Ben-hadad  sent  another  message  to
Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so

c 18

Cited in Romans 11:3; here and in verse 14

Or

; see 2 Kings 9:14.

Cited in Romans 11:4

Some texts break verse 2 and begin verse 3 at this point.

334    |    1 Kings 20:11

severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for
11
each of my men to have a handful.”

And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The
one  putting  on  his  armor  should  not  boast  like
12
one taking it off.’

”

a

Ben-hadad received this message while he and
the  kings  were  drinking  in  their  tents,
  and  he
said  to  his  servants,  “Take  your  positions.”  So
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad
they stationed themselves against the city.
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
14
will know that I am the LORD.’

”

“By whom?” Ahab asked.

And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘By the young officers of the district gover-
nors.’

”

“Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab.
15
“You will,” answered the prophet.

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
16
troops, 7,000 in all.

17

They  marched  out  at  noon  while  Ben-hadad
and  the  32  kings  allied  with  him  were  in  their
tents getting drunk.
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
18
Samaria.”

“If  they  have  marched  out  in  peace,”  he  said,
“take them alive. Even if they have marched out
19
for war, take them alive.”

20

Meanwhile, these young officers of the district
governors marched out of the city, with the army
and each one struck down his op-
behind them,
ponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites
in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped
21
on horseback with the cavalry.

Then  the  king  of  Israel  marched  out  and  at-
tacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great
22
slaughter on the Arameans.

 b

and  take  note  what  you  must  do,  for  in  the
  the  king  of  Aram  will  come  up  against
spring
23
you.”

24

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 pre-
So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their
vail.
25
positions  and  replace  them  with  other  officers.
And you must raise an army like the one you
have lost—horse for horse and chariot for char-
iot—so  we  can  fight  the  Israelites  on  the  plain,
where we will surely prevail.”

And the king approved their plan and acted ac-
Another War with Ben-hadad
cordingly.
26

In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arame-
27
ans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
The  Israelites  also  mobilized,  gathered  sup-

plies, and marched out to meet them.

The Israelites camped before them like two small
flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the
28
countryside.

Then the man of God approached the king of
Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Be-
cause the Arameans have said that the LORD is a
god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will de-
liver all this great army into your hand. Then you
29
will know that I am the LORD.’

”

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
30
one day.

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
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
city and hid in an inner room.
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
32
spare your life.”

Afterward, the prophet approached the king of
Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position,
a 12

in Succoth

b 22

So  with  sackcloth  around  their  waists  and
ropes around their heads, they went to the king

at the turn of the year

Or

; also in verse 16

Literally

; similarly in verse 26

1 Kings 21:10    |    335

42

of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says,
‘Please spare my life.’

”

And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my
33
brother.”

Now the men were looking for a sign of hope,
and  they  quickly  grasped  at  this  word  and  re-
plied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”

And the prophet said to the king, “This is what
c
the  LORD  says:  ‘Because  you  have  let  slip  from
your hand the man I had devoted to destruction,
your life will be exchanged for his life, and your
43
people for his people.’

”

Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home

Naboth’s Vineyard
to Samaria.

“Go and get him!” said the king.

Then  Ben-hadad  came  out,  and  Ahab  had  him
34
come up into his chariot.

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  fa-
ther did in Samaria.”

 a

“By this treaty
A Prophet Reproves Ahab
he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
35

 I release you,” Ahab replied. So

Meanwhile,  by  the  word  of  the  LORD,  one  of
the sons of the prophets said to his companion,
“Strike me, please!”
36
But the man refused to strike him.

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.”
37
And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

Then the prophet found another man and said,

38

“Strike me, please!”

So the man struck him and wounded him,
and
the prophet went and waited on the road for the
king, disguising himself with a bandage over his
39
eyes.

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 ex-
changed for his life, or you will weigh out a talent
But  while  your  servant  was  busy
of  silver.
here and there, the man disappeared.”

40

’

b

And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your
judgment  be;  you  have  pronounced  it  on  your-
41
self.”

Then the prophet quickly removed the band-
age  from  his  eyes,  and  the  king  of  Israel  recog-
berit
a 34
nized him as one of the prophets.

c 42

21

2

Some time after these events, Naboth the
Jezreelite  owned  a  vineyard  in  Jezreel
So
next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
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
3
silver.”

But  Naboth  replied,  “The  LORD  forbid  that  I

4
should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry be-
cause 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
5
refused to eat.

Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why

6
are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”

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
7
”
give you my vineyard!’

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
Jezebel’s Plot
the Jezreelite.”
8

9

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.

In the letters she wrote:

10

“Proclaim  a  fast  and  give  Naboth  a  seat  of
honor  among  the  people.
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
covenant
death.”

b 39 A talent

cherem
; twice in this verse.

 is approxi-

Forms of the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

mately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver.
persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or

336    |    1 Kings 21:11

11

23

12

So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s
city  did  as  Jezebel  had  instructed  in  the  letters
They  proclaimed  a
she  had  written  to  them.
fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the
13
people.

And the two scoundrels came in and sat oppo-
site Naboth, and these men testified against him
before  the  people,  saying,  “Naboth  has  cursed
both God and the king!”

14

So they took him outside the city and stoned him
Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Na-
to death.
15
both has been stoned to death.”

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.
16
For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”

And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead,
he got up and went down to take possession of
Elijah Denounces Ahab and Jezebel
the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
17

18

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the
“Get up and go down to meet
Tishbite, saying,
Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is
in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to
19
take possession of it.

Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have

Then  tell  him  that  this  is  also  what  the  LORD
says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the
 a
blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up
20
your blood—yes, yours!’

”

When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you

have found me out, my enemy.”

21

He  replied,  “I  have  found  you  out  because  you
have  sold  yourself  to  do  evil  in  the  sight  of  the
LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

 b

‘I will bring calamity on you

and consume your descendants;

22

I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,

both slave and free.

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
b 21

and caused Israel to sin.’

a 19
c 23
vour Jezebel at the plot of ground at Jezreel.’

you not murdered a man and seized his land?’

2

And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:

 c

24

‘The dogs will devour Jezebel
by the wall of Jezreel.’

Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in

the city

will be eaten by dogs,

and anyone who dies in the field

Ahab’s Repentance

will be eaten by the birds of the air.”

25

26

(Surely  there  was  never  one  like  Ahab,  who
sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD,
incited by his wife Jezebel.
He committed the
most detestable acts by going after idols, just like
the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out be-
27
fore the Israelites.)

When  Ahab  heard  these  words,  he  tore  his
clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down
28
in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

29

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the
“Have  you  seen  how  Ahab
Tishbite,  saying:
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
Ahab and the False Prophets
his house in the days of his son.”
(2 Chronicles 18:1–11)

22

Then three years passed without war be-
tween Aram and Israel.

3

However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of
who
Judah went down to visit the king of Israel,
said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ra-
moth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it
4
from the hand of the king of Aram?”

So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me

to fight against Ramoth-gilead?”

Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am as
you  are,  my  people  are  your  people,  and  my
5
horses are your horses.”

But  Jehoshaphat  also  said  to  the  king  of
Israel,  “Please  inquire  first  for  the  word  of  the
6
LORD.”

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?”

Behold
‘The dogs will de-

See 1 Kings 22:38
Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 9:36)

See LXX; the source of the quotation is clarified in verses 17 and 23; Hebrew

.

“Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it
7
into the hand of the king.”

But  Jehoshaphat  asked,  “Is  there  not  still  a
prophet  of  the  LORD  here  of  whom  we  can
8
inquire?”

The king of Israel answered, “There is still one
man through whom we can inquire of the LORD,
but I hate him because he never prophesies any-
thing good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son
of Imlah.”

“The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat re-
9
plied.

So  the  king  of  Israel  called  one  of  his  officials

10
and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

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 proph-
11
esying before them.

1 Kings 22:30    |    337

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

18

master;

let each one return home in peace.’

”

Then  the  king  of  Israel  said  to  Jehoshaphat,
“Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good
19
for me, but only bad?”

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
20
Him on His right and on His left.

And  the  LORD  said,  ‘Who  will  entice  Ahab  to

march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
21
And one suggested this, and another that.

 a

Then a spirit came forward, stood before the

LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22
‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.

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 Ar-
12
ameans until they are finished off.’

”

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
23
LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

And  all  the  prophets  were  prophesying  the
same,  saying,  “Go  up  to  Ramoth-gilead  and  tri-
umph, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand
Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
of the king.”
(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
14
theirs, and speak favorably.”

But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives,

15
I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”

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
16
LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

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?”
a 21

So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in
the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the
24
LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

Then  Zedekiah  son  of  Chenaanah  went  up,
struck  Micaiah  in  the  face,  and  demanded,
“Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when
25
He departed from me to speak with you?”

Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day

26
when you go and hide in an inner room.”

27

And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah
and return him to Amon the governor of the city
and tell them that
and to Joash the king’s son,
this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison
and feed him only bread and water until I return
28
safely.’

”

But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely,
the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he
Ahab’s Defeat and Death  (2 Chr. 18:28–34)
added, “Take heed, all you people!”
29

So  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat  king  of
And the king
Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
of  Israel  said  to  Jehoshaphat,  “I  will  disguise

30

Some texts break verse 21 and begin verse 22 at this point.

338    |    1 Kings 22:31

myself  and  go  into  battle,  but  you  wear  your
royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised him-
31
self and went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-
two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with any-
32
one, small or great, except the king of Israel.”

When  the  chariot  commanders  saw  Jehosha-
phat,  they  said,  “Surely  this  is  the  king  of
33
Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but
And  when  the  chariot
Jehoshaphat  cried  out.
commanders saw that he was not the king of Is-
34
rael, they turned back from pursuing him.

However, a certain man drew his bow without
taking special aim, and he struck the king of Is-
rael between the joints of his armor. So the king
  and  take
said  to  his  charioteer,  “Turn  around
35
me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”

 a

36

The battle raged throughout that day, and the
king was propped up in his chariot facing the Ar-
ameans. And the blood from his wound ran out
onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he
As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in
died.
the army:

“Every man to his own city,

37

and every man to his own land!”

b

38
So the king died and was brought to Samaria,
where  they  buried  him.
And  the  chariot  was
washed at the pool of Samaria where the prosti-
  and  the  dogs  licked  up  Ahab’s
tutes  bathed,
blood, according to the word that the LORD had
39
spoken.

c

42

Jehoshaphat  was  thirty-five  years  old  when
 he  became  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem
twenty-five  years.  His  mother’s  name  was
43
Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

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.

44

The high places, however, were not removed; the
people still sacrificed and burned incense on the
high places.
Jehoshaphat also made peace with
45
the king of Israel.

46

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?
He banished
47
from the land the male shrine prostitutes who re-
And
mained  from  the  days  of  his  father  Asa.
there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as
48
king.

 d

Jehoshaphat  built  ships  of  Tarshish

  to  go  to
49
Ophir  for  gold,  but  they  never  set  sail,  because
At  that
they  were  wrecked  at  Ezion-geber.
time  Ahaziah  son  of  Ahab  said  to  Jehoshaphat,
“Let my servants sail with your servants,” but Je-
50
hoshaphat refused.

And  Jehoshaphat  rested  with  his  fathers  and
was buried with them in the city of his father Da-
Ahaziah Reigns in Israel
vid. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
(2 Kings 1:1–16)

51

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
40
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah (2 Chr. 20:31–34)
Ahaziah reigned in his place.
41

In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel,
Jehoshaphat  son  of  Asa  became  king  of  Judah.

In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign
over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of
52
Israel,  and  he  reigned  in  Samaria  two  years.
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
53
to sin.

Ahaziah  served  and  worshiped  Baal,  provok-
ing the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as
his father had done.

a 34
d 48

Turn your hand
a fleet of trading ships

Literally
Or

b 38

the pool of Samaria, where they cleaned the weapons

c 38

Or

See 1 Kings 21:19.

2 Kings

Elijah Denounces Ahaziah
(1 Kings 22:51–53)

1

2

After  the  death  of  Ahab,  Moab  rebelled
against Israel.

Now  Ahaziah  had  fallen  through  the  lattice
of  his  upper  room  in  Samaria  and  injured  him-
self. So he sent messengers and instructed them:
“Go  inquire  of  Baal-zebub,  the  god  of  Ekron,
3
whether I will recover from this injury.”

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
There-
inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
fore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get
up from the bed on which you are lying. You will
surely die.’
5
So Elijah departed.

”

4

When the messengers returned to the king, he

6
asked them, “Why have you returned?”

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
7
”
bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’

The king asked them, “What sort of man came
a
8
up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”

“He was a hairy man,

” they answered, “with a

leather belt around his waist.”
9
“It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.

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
10
down!’

”

Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of
God, may fire come down from heaven and con-
sume you and your fifty men.”
He had a garment of hair
a 8

b 17 Jehoram

And fire came down from heaven and consumed
11
the captain and his fifty men.

So the king sent to Elijah another captain with
his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man
12
”
of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’

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
13
consumed the captain and his fifty men.

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
of yours please be precious in your sight.
Be-
hold, fire has come down from heaven and con-
sumed the first two captains of fifty, with all their
men.  But  now  may  my  life  be  precious  in  your
15
sight.”

14

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
16
king.

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
Jehoram Succeeds Ahaziah
die.”
17

 b

So Ahaziah died according to the word of the
LORD  that  Elijah  had  spoken.  And  since  he had
no  son,  Jehoram
  succeeded  him  in  the  second
year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat
18
over Judah.

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?

Joram

Or

 is a variant spelling of

.

340    |    2 Kings 2:1

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

11

2

2

Shortly  before  the  LORD  took  Elijah  up  to
heaven  in  a  whirlwind,  Elijah  and  Elisha
were on their way from Gilgal,
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.”
3
So they went down to Bethel.

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?”
4
 “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”

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.”
5
So they went to Jericho.

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?”
6
“Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”

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.”
7
So the two of them went on.

8

Then  a  company  of  fifty  of  the  sons  of  the
prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Eli-
jah  and  Elisha  as  the  two  of  them  stood  by  the
And  Elijah  took  his  cloak,  rolled  it  up,
Jordan.
and struck the waters, which parted to the right
and to the left, so that the two of them crossed
9
over on dry ground.

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
10
spirit,” Elisha replied.

“You have requested a difficult thing,” said Eli-
jah.  “Nevertheless,  if  you  see  me  as  I  am  taken
from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will
not be so.”
a 21

barrenness

Or

As  they  were  walking  along  and  talking  to-
gether, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of
fire appeared and separated the two of them, and
12
Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.

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
13
clothes, he tore them in two.

14

Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen
from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the
Then he took the cloak of
bank of the Jordan.
Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the wa-
ters. “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
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
over.
15

When  the  sons  of  the  prophets  who  were
watching  him  from  Jericho  saw  what  had  hap-
pened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Eli-
sha.”  And  they  went  to  meet  him  and  bowed
16
down to the ground before him.

“Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your serv-
ants  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.”
17
“Do not send them,” Elisha replied.

But when they pressed him to the point of em-

barrassment, he said, “Send them.”

And they sent fifty men, who searched for three
18
days but did not find Elijah.

When they returned to Elisha, who was stay-
ing in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you
Elisha Heals the Waters of Jericho
not to go?”
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
20
unfruitful.”

“Bring  me  a  new  bowl,”  he  replied,  “and  put

21

some salt in it.”

So they brought it to him,
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

11

2 Kings 3:24    |    341

And the waters there have been healthy to this

Elisha Mocked
day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
23

 a
From  there,  Elisha  went  up  to  Bethel,  and

as he was walking up the road, a group of boys
came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting,
24
“Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

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
25
woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from

Moab’s Rebellion
there he returned to Samaria.

3

2

 b
In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign
  son  of  Ahab  became
over  Judah,  Jehoram
king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve
years.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
but not as his father and mother had done. He re-
moved  the  sacred  pillar  of  Baal  that  his  father
3
had made.

Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam
son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did
c
4
not turn away from them.

5

Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder,
and he would render to the king of Israel a hun-
dred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred
But after the death of Ahab, the
thousand rams.
6
king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
7
So  at  that  time  King  Jehoram  set  out  from  Sa-
And  he  sent  a
maria  and  mobilized  all  Israel.
message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king
of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with
me to fight against Moab?”

8

 “I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am as you are,
my  people  are  your  people,  and  my  horses  are
Then he asked, “Which way shall
your horses.”
we go up?”
9
“By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.

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
10
water for their army or for their animals.

“Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has
summoned these three kings to deliver them into
some small youths
a 23
the hand of Moab!”

some insignificant young men

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 an-
swered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used
12
to pour water on the hands of Elijah.

”

d

Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD
is  with  him.”  So  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehosha-
13
phat and the king of Edom went down to him.

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
14
them into the hand of Moab.”

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.

But now, bring me a harpist.

15

”

e

16

18

17

And  while  the  harpist  played,  the  hand  of  the
LORD  came  upon  Elisha
and  he  said,  “This
is  what  the  LORD  says:  ‘Dig  this  valley  full  of
For the LORD says, ‘You will not see
ditches.’
wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with wa-
ter, and you will drink—you and your cattle and
This  is  a  simple  matter  in  the
your  animals.’
sight  of  the  LORD,  and  He  will  also  deliver  the
Moabites into your hand.
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
20
stones.”

19

The next morning, at the time of the morning
sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direc-
21
tion of Edom and filled the land.

22

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
When they got up
and stationed at the border.
early in the morning, the sun was shining on the
water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moab-
23
ites across the way.

“This  is  blood!”  they  exclaimed.  “The  kings
have  clashed  swords  and  slaughtered  one  an-
24
other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

But when the Moabites came to the camp of Is-
Joram
rael,  the  Israelites  rose  up  and  attacked  them,
a musician

b 1 Jehoram
e 15

c 4

sheepherder

d 11

He was Elijah’s personal assistant

Or

 or

also in verse 6.

Or

Or

; similarly in verse 24

 is a variant spelling of

;

Or

; twice in this verse

342    |    2 Kings 3:25

and  they  fled  before  them.  So  the  Israelites  in-
25
vaded their land and struck down the Moabites.
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
26
it and attacked it as well.

When the king of Moab saw that the battle was
too fierce for him, he took with him seven hun-
dred swordsmen to break through to the king of
So  he  took
Edom,  but  they  could  not  prevail.
his  firstborn son, who was  to  succeed him,  and
a
offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall.

27

And there was great fury against the Israelites,
The Widow’s Oil
so they withdrew and returned to their own land.

4

Now the wife of one of the sons of the proph-
ets  cried  out  to  Elisha,  “Your  servant,  my
husband,  is  dead,  and  you  know  that  your
servant  feared  the  LORD.  And  now  his  creditor
2
is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

“How  can  I  help  you?”  asked  Elisha.  “Tell  me,

what do you have in the house?”

She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the
3
house but a jar of oil.”

4

“Go,”  said  Elisha,  “borrow  empty  jars  from  all
Then
your neighbors. Do not gather just a few.
go  inside,  shut  the  door  behind  you  and  your
sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the
5
full ones aside.”

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.
When all the jars
were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another.”

6

But  he  replied,  “There  are  no  more  jars.”  Then
7
the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said,
“Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and
The Shunammite Woman  (Matt. 10:40–42)
your sons can live on the remainder.”
8

One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a promi-
nent woman who lived there persuaded him to
have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he
9
would stop there to eat.

Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold,
a 27
now  I  know  that  the  one  who  often  comes  our

And Israel’s fury was great

Or

10

Please let us make a
way is a holy man of God.
small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a
chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes
11
to us, he can stay there.”

12
One  day  Elisha  came  to  visit  and  went  to  his
And he said to Gehazi

upper room to lie down.
his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.”

13

And  when  he  had  called  her,  she  stood  before
him,
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
14
replied.

So  he  asked,  “Then  what  should  be  done  for

her?”

“Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her
15
husband is old.”

“Call her,” said Elisha.

16

So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the door-
way.
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 maid-
17
servant, O man of God.”

But the woman did conceive, and at that time
the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Eli-
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
sha had told her.
(Acts 20:7–12)

18

And the child grew, and one day he went out to

19
his father, who was with the harvesters.

“My  head!  My  head!”  he  complained  to  his

father.

So  his  father  told  a  servant,  “Carry  him  to  his
20
mother.”

21

After the servant had picked him up and car-
ried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap un-
til noon, and then he died.
And she went up and
laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she
22
shut the door and went out.

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.

37
Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”

2 Kings 5:2    |    343

“It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.”
24
“Everything is all right,” she said.

25

Then  she  saddled  the  donkey  and  told  her
servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for
me unless I tell you.”
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
26
said  to  his  servant  Gehazi,  “Look,  there  is  the
Shunammite  woman.
Please  run  out  now  to
meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your hus-
band all right? Is your child all right?’
27
And she answered, “Everything is all right.”

”

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
28
me.”

Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?

29
Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’

”

a

So  Elisha  said  to  Gehazi,  “Tie  up  your  gar-
ment,
 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
30
on the boy’s face.”

And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as
the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not
31
leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff
on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or re-
sponse. So he went back to meet Elisha and told
32
him, “The boy has not awakened.”

33

When Elisha reached the house, there was the
boy lying dead on his bed.
So he went in, closed
the door behind the two of them, and prayed to
34
the LORD.

35

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.
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
36
opened his eyes.

She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the
ground.  Then  she  picked  up  her  son  and  went
Elisha Purifies the Poisonous Stew
out.
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
39
sons of the prophets.”

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
40
they were.

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
41
not eat it.

Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it
into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people
Feeding a Hundred Men
to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
(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.
43
“Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

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
44
some left over.’

”

So he set it before them, and they ate and had
some  left  over,  according  to  the  word  of  the
Naaman Cured of Leprosy  (Luke 17:11–19)
LORD.

5

Now Naaman, the commander of the army of
the king of Aram, was a great man in his mas-
ter’s sight and highly regarded, for through him
the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was
2
a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

b

Elisha  summoned  Gehazi  and  said,  “Call  the
Shunammite  woman.”  So  he  called  her  and  she
a 29
came.

Gird up your loins

leper

b 1

leprosy

Literally

A

, or one with

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.
, was one afflicted with a skin disease; see Leviticus 13.

344    |    2 Kings 5:3

3

She  said  to  her  mistress,  “If  only  my  master
would  go  to  the  prophet  who  is  in  Samaria,  he
4
would cure him of his leprosy.”

And Naaman went and told his master what the

5
girl from the land of Israel had said.

“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send

you with a letter to the king of Israel.”

a

b

So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents
 and ten
 six thousand shekels of gold,
of silver,
6
sets of clothing.

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
7
leprosy.”

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore
his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giv-
ing life, that this man expects me to cure a leper?
Surely  you  can  see  that  he  is  seeking  a  quarrel
8
with me!”

Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the
king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a mes-
sage  to  the  king:  “Why  have  you  torn  your
clothes? Please let the man come to me, and he
9
will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots

10
and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

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
11
clean.”

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
12
wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy.
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
13
cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

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,
14
‘Wash and be cleansed’?”

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
a 5 10 talents
became like that of a little child, and he was clean.

c 22 A talent

Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy

15

Then Naaman and all his attendants went back
to  the  man  of  God,  stood  before  him,  and  de-
clared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God
in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept
16
a gift from your servant.”

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
17
refused.

“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
18
again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any
other god but the LORD.
Yet may the LORD for-
give your servant this one thing: When my mas-
ter 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
19
your servant in this matter.”

“Go in peace,” said Elisha.

20
But after Naaman had traveled a short distance,
Gehazi,  the  servant  of Elisha  the man  of  God,
said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean,
Naaman,  by  not  accepting  what  he  brought.  As
surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and
21
get something from him.”

So  Gehazi  pursued  Naaman.  And  when
Naaman  saw  him  running  toward  him,  he  got
down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is
22
everything all right?”

“Everything  is  all  right,”  Gehazi  replied.  “My
master has sent me to say, ‘Look, two young men
from  the  sons  of  the  prophets  have  just  now
come  to  me  from  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim.
Please give them a talent of silver
 and two sets
23
of clothing.’

”

 c

But  Naaman  insisted,  “Please,  take  two  tal-
ents.” 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
24
his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.

When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts
from the servants and stored them in the house.
25
Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.

When  Gehazi  went  in  and  stood  before  his
master,  Elisha  asked  him,  “Gehazi,  where  have
you been?”

b 5 6,000 shekels

 is approximately 754 pounds or 342 kilograms of silver.

 is approximately 150.8 pounds

or 68.4 kilograms of gold.

 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver.

26
“Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied.

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,
27
sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants?
Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to

you and your descendants forever!”

And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—
The Axe Head Floats
as white as snow.

6

2

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha,
“Please  take  note  that  the  place  where  we
Please let us
meet with you is too small for us.
go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so
we can build ourselves a place to live there.”
3
“Go,” said Elisha.

Then one of them said, “Please come with your

servants.”
4
“I will come,” he replied.

So Elisha went with them, and when they came
5
to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron
axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he
6
cried out, “it was borrowed!”

“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
7
float.

“Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his

Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans
hand and took it.
8

2 Kings 6:23    |    345

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
13
in your bedroom.”

So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that

I may send men to capture him.”
14
On  receiving  the  report,  “Elisha  is  in  Dothan,”
the  king  of  Aram  sent  horses,  chariots,  and  a
great  army.  They  went  there  by  night  and  sur-
15
rounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up and
went out early in the morning, behold, an army
with  horses  and  chariots  had  surrounded  the
city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are
16
we to do?”

“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those
who  are  with  us  are  more  than  those  who  are
17
with them.”

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
18
chariots of fire all around Elisha.

As the Arameans came down against him, Eli-
sha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these peo-
ple  with  blindness.”  So  He  struck  them  with
19
blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

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
20
Samaria.

When  they  had  entered  Samaria,  Elisha  said,
“O  LORD,  open  the  eyes  of  these  men  that  they
may see.”

Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel.
After  consulting with  his servants,  he  said,  “My
9
camp will be in such and such a place.”

Then  the  LORD  opened  their  eyes,  and  they
looked around and discovered that they were in
21
Samaria.

Then the man of God sent word to the king of
Israel:  “Be  careful  not  to  pass  by  this  place,  for
10
the Arameans are going down there.”

 a

11

So the king of Israel sent word to the place the
 Eli-
man of God had pointed out. Time and again
sha warned the king, so that he was on his guard
For this reason the king of Aram
in such places.
became  enraged  and  called  his  servants  to  de-
mand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the
side of the king of Israel?”
a 10

Not once and not twice

And  when  the  king  of  Israel  saw  them,  he
asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I
22
kill them?”

“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 mas-
23
ter.”

So  the

  king  prepared  a  great  feast  for  them,
and after they had finished eating and drinking,

Literally

346    |    2 Kings 6:24

he  sent  them  away,  and  they  returned  to  their
master.  And  the  Aramean  raiders  did  not  come
The Siege and Famine of Samaria
into the land of Israel again.
24

Some  time  later,  Ben-hadad  king  of  Aram
assembled  his  entire  army  and  marched  up  to
25
besiege Samaria.

So  there  was  a  great  famine  in  Samaria.
Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a don-
key’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver,
 and
a quarter cab of dove’s dung
 sold for five shek-
26
els of silver.

 b

a

c

As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall,
a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the
27
king!”

He answered, “If the LORD does not help you,
28
where can I find help for you? From the threshing
floor or the winepress?”
Then the king asked
her, “What is the matter?”

29

And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give
up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow
So we boiled my son and
we will eat my son.’
ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up
your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hid-
30
den her son.”

When the king heard the words of the woman,
he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the
31
wall,  the  people  saw  the  sackcloth  under  his
He  announced,  “May
clothes  next  to  his  skin.
God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head
of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders
32
through this day!”

Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the el-
ders were sitting with him. The king sent a mes-
senger 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
33
him?”

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?”
a 25 80 shekels

Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty

7

 d

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
 and two seahs
of fine flour
2
of barley

 will sell for a shekel,
”

 will sell for a shekel.’

e

 f

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 Eli-
The Syrians Flee
sha, “but you will not eat any of it.”
3

 g

4

Now there were four men with leprosy

 at the
entrance of the city gate, and they said to one an-
other, “Why just sit here until we die?
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
5
they kill us, we will die.”

6

So they arose at twilight and went to the camp
of the Arameans. But when they came to the out-
skirts  of  the  camp,  there  was  not  a  man  to  be
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to
found.
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
7
Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”

Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twi-
light,  abandoning  their  tents  and  horses  and
donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run
8
for their lives.

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  an-
other tent, carried off some items from there, and
9
hid them.

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.”

a quarter cab of seed pods

b 25

 is approximately 2 pounds or 907.2 grams of silver.

Or

c 25 5 shekels

mately 0.28 dry quarts or 0.31 liters
e 1 A shekel
mately 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.
 is ap-
proximately 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.
 was a term used for various skin diseases; here and in verse 8; see Leviticus 13.

 is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams, probably of silver; here and in verses 16 and 18.
g 3 Leprosy

 is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.

 is approxi-

d 1 A seah
; that is, approxi-
f 1 2 seahs

10

The Shunammite’s Land Restored

2 Kings 8:11    |    347

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
11
intact.”

The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was

12
reported to the king’s household.

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, think-
ing, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take
13
them alive and enter the city.’

”

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 Is-
raelites who are left here. You can see that all the
Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them
14
and find out.”

15

Then the scouts took two chariots with horses,
and the king sent them after the Aramean army,
And they tracked them as
saying, “Go and see.”
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
Elisha’s Prophecy Fulfilled
returned and told the king.
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 bar-
ley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the
17
LORD.

18

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
It happened just as
the king had come to him.
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
19
flour will sell for a shekel.”

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
20
own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”

And  that  is  just  what  happened  to  him.  The
people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
“Go and say, ‘You will surely not recover.’ And the LORD
a 10

Or

8

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 wher-
ever  you  can.  For  the  LORD  has  decreed  that  a
2
seven-year famine will come to the land.”

So the woman had proceeded to do as the man
of  God  had  instructed.  And  she  and  her  house-
hold  lived  as  foreigners  for  seven  years  in  the
3
land of the Philistines.

At the end of seven years, when the woman re-
turned from the land of the Philistines, she went
4
to the king to appeal for her house and her land.

Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the
servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate
5
to me all the great things Elisha has done.”

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,
6
and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”

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 pro-
ceeds of the field from the day that she left the
Hazael Murders Ben-hadad
country until now.”
7

Then  Elisha  came  to  Damascus  while  Ben-
hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was
8
told, “The man of God has come here.”

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
9
illness?’

”

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
10
illness?’

”

 a

Elisha  answered,  “Go  and  tell  him,  ‘You  will
  has  shown  me

surely  recover.’  But  the  LORD
11
that in fact he will die.”

Elisha  fixed  his  gaze  steadily  on  him  until
Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of
God began to weep.

348    |    2 Kings 8:12

12

24

“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.

“Because I know the evil you will do to the Isra-
elites,”  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
13
pregnant women.”

“But  how  could  your  servant,  a  mere  dog,  do

such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael.

And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me
14
that you will be king over Aram.”

So  Hazael  left  Elisha  and  went  to  his  master,

who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

15

And  he  replied,  “He  told  me  that  you  would
surely recover.”
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
Jehoram Reigns in Judah  (2 Chron. 21:1–7)
place.
16

In  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  Joram  son  of
Ahab  over  Israel,  Jehoram  son  of  Jehoshaphat
Jehoram
succeeded his father as king of Judah.
was thirty-two years old when he became king,
18
and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

17

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
19
sight of the LORD.

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
Edom and Libnah Rebel  (2 Chron. 21:8–11)
descendants forever.
20

a

So Jehoram

In the days of Jehoram,
 b

 Edom rebelled against
21
the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
 crossed over to Zair with all his
chariots.  When  the  Edomites  surrounded  him
and his chariot commanders, he rose up and at-
tacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their
22
homes.

So  to  this  day  Edom  has  been  in  rebellion
against  the  hand  of  Judah.  Likewise,  Libnah
23
rebelled at the same time.

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoram,  along
with all his accomplishments, are they not writ-
ten in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
b 21
a 20
Judah?
Ramoth
c 29 Ramah

In his days

Joram

d 1

Literally

Heb.

, a variant of

Jehoram

 is a variant of

; see verse 28.

Literally

And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was
buried with them in the City of David. And his son
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah  (2 Chron. 22:1–7)
Ahaziah reigned in his place.
25

26

In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of
Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became
king of Judah.
Ahaziah was twenty-two years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jeru-
salem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah,
27
the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

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
28
house of Ahab.

 c

29

Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to
fight  against  Hazael  king  of  Aram  at  Ramoth-
gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.
So
King  Joram  returned  to  Jezreel  to  recover  from
the  wounds  that  the  Arameans  had  inflicted  on
  when  he  fought  against  Hazael
him  at  Ramah
king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king
of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

9

d

Now  Elisha  the  prophet  summoned  one  of
the  sons  of  the  prophets  and  said  to  him,
2
 take this flask
“Tuck your cloak under your belt,
When  you  ar-
of  oil,  and  go  to  Ramoth-gilead.
rive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of
Nimshi.  Go  in,  get  him  away  from  his  compan-
Then take
ions, and take him to an inner room.
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
4
delay!”
5

3

So  the  young  prophet  went  to  Ramoth-gilead,
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.
6
“For you, commander,” he replied.

7

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 Is-
rael, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s peo-
And you are to strike down the house
ple Israel.
of  your  master  Ahab,  so  that  I  may  avenge  the
blood of My servants the prophets and the blood
Gird up your loins
 (the son of Jehoshaphat), as in v. 16; also in vv. 23 and 24

8

 a

of all the servants of the LORD shed by the hand
The whole house of Ahab will perish,
of Jezebel.
9
and  I  will  cut  off  from  Ahab  every  male,
  both
I will make the house of
slave and free, in Israel.
Ahab  like  the  houses  of  Jeroboam  son  of  Nebat
and  Baasha  son  of  Ahijah.
And  on  the  plot  of
ground  at  Jezreel  the  dogs  will  devour  Jezebel,
and there will be no one to bury her.’

10

”

2 Kings 9:27    |    349

“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied.
“Fall in behind me.”

And  the  watchman  reported,  “The  messenger
19
reached them, but he is not coming back.”

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?’

”

Then  the  young  prophet  opened  the  door  and
11
ran.

“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied.
20
“Fall in behind me.”

When Jehu went out to the servants of his mas-
ter, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did
this madman come to you?”
12
“You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.

“That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!”

So  Jehu  answered,  “He  talked  to  me  about  this
and  that,  saying,  ‘This  is  what  the  LORD  says:  I
13
anoint you king over Israel.’

”

Quickly, each man took his garment and put it
under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah  (2 Chr. 22:8–9)
ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
14

Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nim-

shi, conspired against Joram.

 b

but King Joram

(Now  Joram  and  all  Israel  had  been  defending
15
Ramoth-gilead  against  Hazael  king  of  Aram,
 had returned to Jezreel to re-
cover  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
16
city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”

Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jez-
reel,  because  Joram  was  laid  up  there.  And
17
Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.

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
18
peace?’

”

So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said,
“This  is  what  the  king  asks:  ‘Have  you  come  in
(all) those who urinate against a wall
a 8
peace?’
d 22
c 20
Literally
turned his hands
Or

grandson of Nimshi

; see verse 14.

Heb.

f 27

”

See Syriac, Vulgate, and LXX; Heb.

Again  the  watchman  reported,  “He  reached
them, but he is not coming back. And the chariot-
—he  is
eer  is  driving  like  Jehu  son  of  Nimshi
21
driving like a madman!”

 c

“Harness!” Joram shouted, and they harnessed

his chariot.

Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Ju-
dah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu
22
on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

When  Joram  saw  Jehu,  he  asked,  “Have  you

come in peace, Jehu?”
 d

“How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as
 and witchcraft of your mother Jez-
the idolatry
23
ebel abound?”

 e

Joram turned around

24
Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

 and fled, calling out to

Then  Jehu  drew  his  bow  and  shot  Joram
between  the  shoulders.  The  arrow  pierced  his
25
heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.

26

And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him
up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jez-
reelite. For remember that when you and I were
riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD
‘As surely as
lifted up this burden against him:
I  saw  the  blood  of  Naboth  and  the  blood  of  his
sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I re-
pay  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
27
ground.”

When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled

up the road toward Beth-haggan.

And  Jehu  pursued  him,  shouting,  “Shoot  him
too!”

f

Jehoram

So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent
 near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and
of Gur,

b 15
adultery
Or
; also in verses 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
“Shoot him, too, in his chariot!” (They did this) on the Ascent of Gur,
Literally

, here a metaphor for idolatry

, a variant of

prostitution

Joram

e 23

 or

350    |    2 Kings 9:28

28

Then  his  servants  carried  him  by
died  there.
chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fa-
29
thers in his tomb in the City of David.

to  Jehu:  “We  are  your  servants,  and  we  will  do
whatever you say. We will not make anyone king.
6
Do whatever is good in your sight.”

(In  the  eleventh  year  of  Joram  son  of  Ahab,

Jezebel’s Violent Death
Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)
30

Now  when  Jehu  arrived  in  Jezreel,  Jezebel
heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her
And as
head, and looked down from a window.
 a
Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come
32
in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”

31

He  looked  up  at  the  window  and  called  out,

“Who is on my side? Who?”
33
And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.

“Throw her down!” yelled Jehu.

So  they  threw  her  down,  and  her  blood  splat-
tered on the wall and on the horses as they tram-
34
pled her underfoot.

Then  Jehu  went  in  and  ate  and  drank.  “Take
care  of  this  cursed  woman,”  he  said,  “and  bury
35
her, for she was the daughter of a king.”

But  when  they  went  out  to  bury  her,  they
found  nothing  but  her  skull,  her  feet,  and  the
36
palms of her hands.

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
And Jezebel’s body will lie like
flesh of Jezebel.
dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel,
Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed
so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’

37

”

 b

10

c

 d

Samaria to the officials of Jezreel,
2
and to the guardians of the sons

Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria.
So  Jehu  wrote  letters  and  sent  them  to
 to the elders,
 of Ahab, saying:
“When  this  letter  arrives,  since  your  master’s
sons  are  with  you  and  you  have  chariots  and
select the
horses, a fortified city and weaponry,
best and most worthy son of your master, set him
on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s
4
house.”

3

But  they  were  terrified  and  reasoned,  “If  two
5
kings could not stand against him, how can we?”

So the palace administrator, the overseer of the
“Is there peace for Zimri, the murderer of his master?”
a 31
city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message
c 1

officials of the city

d 1

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 be-
7
ing  brought  up  by  the  leading  men  of  the  city.
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
8
Jehu at Jezreel.

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
9
entrance of the gate until morning.”

10

The next morning, Jehu went out and stood be-
fore all the people and said, “You are innocent. It
was  I  who  conspired  against  my  master  and
Know,
killed  him.  But  who  killed  all  these?
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
11
Elijah.”

So  Jehu  killed  everyone  in  Jezreel  who  re-
mained  of  the  house  of  Ahab,  as  well  as  all  his
great men and close friends and priests, leaving
12
him without a single survivor.

13

Then

Jehu  set  out  toward  Samaria.  At
Beth-eked  of  the  Shepherds,
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
14
king and of the queen mother.”

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
15
none of them.

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.”

b 37
of the sons

Or

 See 1 Kings 16:10.

See verse 10 and 1 Kings 21:23.

Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate

Hebrew does not include

.

16

So  he  gave  him  his  hand,  and  Jehu  helped  him
saying, “Come with me and see
into his chariot,
 in his
my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride
17
chariot.

 a

When  Jehu  came  to  Samaria,  he  struck  down
everyone  belonging  to  Ahab  who  remained
there, until he had destroyed them, according to
Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal
the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.
18

19

Then Jehu brought all the people together and
said,  “Ahab  served  Baal  a  little,  but  Jehu  will
Now, therefore, summon to me
serve him a lot.
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
20
destroy the servants of Baal.

And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn as-

21
sembly for Baal.” So they announced it.

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
22
Baal, and it was filled from end to end.

And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe,
“Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.”
23
So he brought out garments for them.

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—
24
only servants of Baal.”

 b

And they went in

 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 es-
25
cape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.”

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
26
room of the temple of Baal.

27

2 Kings 11:3    |    351

down  the  temple  of  Baal  and  made  it  into  a  la-
Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins
trine, which it is to this day.
28

29

Thus  Jehu  eradicated  Baal  from  Israel,

but
he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam
son  of  Nebat  had  caused  Israel  to  commit—the
30
worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

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
31
sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”

Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruc-
tion  of  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,  with  all  his
heart.  He  did  not  turn  away  from  the  sins  that
32
Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

33

In  those  days  the  LORD  began  to  reduce  the
size  of  Israel.  Hazael  defeated  the  Israelites
from  the  Jordan
throughout  their  territory
eastward  through  all  the  land  of  Gilead  (the
region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from
Aroer  by  the  Arnon  Valley  through  Gilead  to
Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel
Bashan.
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
35
Kings of Israel?

36

And Jehu rested with his fathers and was bur-
ied in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in
So the duration of Jehu’s reign over
his place.
Athaliah and Joash
Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
(2 Chronicles 22:10–12)

11

 c

d

2

 daughter of King Joram,

When  Athaliah  the  mother  of  Ahaziah
saw  that  her  son  was  dead,  she  pro-
But
ceeded  to  annihilate  all  the  royal  heirs.
Jehosheba
 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
3
not killed.

They brought out the sacred pillar of the tem-
They  also  demol-
ple  of  Baal  and  burned  it.
they had him ride
a 16
ished  the  sacred  pillar  of  Baal.  Then  they  tore

Jehoshabeath

d 2 Joram

And  Joash  remained  hidden  with  his  nurse  in
the  house  of  the  LORD  for  six  years  while
b 24
he went in
Athaliah ruled the land.
Jehoram

c 2 Jehosheba

LXX, Syriac, and Targum Yonaton; Heb.

of

; see 2 Chr. 22:11.

 is a variant of

LXX
.

; see v. 25.

 is a variant

352    |    2 Kings 11:4

Joash Anointed King of Judah  (2 Chr. 23:1–11)

4

a

Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the
  and  the
commanders  of  hundreds,  the  Carites,
guards, and had them brought into the house of
the LORD. There he made a covenant with them
and put them under oath.

5

7

and  com-
He  showed  them  the  king’s  son
manded them, “This is what you are to do: A third
6
of  you  who  come  on  duty  on  the  Sabbath  shall
a  third  shall  be  at  the
guard  the  royal  palace,
gate  of  Sur,  and  a  third  at  the  gate  behind  the
guards. You are to take turns guarding the tem-
the two divisions that would go off duty
ple—
on  the  Sabbath  are  to  guard  the  house  of  the
You must surround the king
LORD for the king.
with  weapons  in  hand,  and  anyone  who  ap-
proaches  the  ranks  must  be  put  to  death.  You
9
must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

8

10

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
Then  the  priest  gave  to
Jehoiada  the  priest.
the  commanders  of  hundreds  the  spears  and
shields  of  King  David  from  the  house  of  the
And the guards stood with weapons in
LORD.
hand surrounding the king by the altar and the
temple, from the south side to the north side of
12
the temple.

11

Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put
the crown on him, presented him with the Testi-
mony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed
him, and the people clapped their hands and de-
The Death of Athaliah  (2 Chr. 23:12–15)
clared, “Long live the king!”
13

14

When  Athaliah  heard  the  noise  from  the
guards and the people, she went out to the peo-
ple in the house of the LORD.
And she looked
out  and  saw  the  king  standing  by  the  pillar,
according to the custom. The officers and trum-
peters were beside the king, and all the people of
the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.

Then  Athaliah  tore  her  clothes  and  screamed,
15
“Treason! Treason!”

And  Jehoiada  the  priest  ordered  the  com-
manders  of  hundreds  in  charge  of  the  army,
b 15
the executioners
a 4
“Bring her out between the ranks,
 and put to the
d 1
Joash
Or

the mercenaries

Jehoash

 or

b

Or

; also v. 19
Hebrew

 (son of Ahaziah) as in verse 2

18; see 2 Kings 11:2.

sword  anyone  who  follows  her.”  For  the  priest
had  said,  “She  must  not  be  put  to  death  in  the
16
house of the LORD.”

So  they  seized  Athaliah  as  she  reached  the
horses’ entrance to the palace grounds, and there
Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD
she was put to death.
(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 cov-
18
enant between the king and the people.

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.

19

And  Jehoiada  the  priest  posted  guards  for
He  took  with  him
the  house  of  the  LORD.
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.
20
Then  Joash  took  his  seat  on  the  royal  throne,
and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the
city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to
21
the sword at the royal palace.

 c

Joash
Joash Repairs the Temple  (2 Chr. 24:1–14)
king.

  was  seven  years  old  when  he  became

 d

12

In  the  seventh  year  of  Jehu,  Joash
became  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusa-
2
lem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah;
And  Joash  did  what
she  was  from  Beersheba.
was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he
3
was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.

Nevertheless,  the  high  places  were  not  re-
moved;  the  people  continued  sacrificing  and
4
burning incense there.

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
5
vows,  and  the  money  brought  voluntarily  into
Let every priest receive
the house of the LORD.
it from his constituency, and let it be used to re-
pair any damage found in the temple.”
out from the precincts
Joash

Jehoash

c 21

Hebrew

, a variant of

, a variant of

 (son of Ahaziah); also in verses 2, 4, 6, 7, and

6

By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash,
7
however,  the  priests  had  not  yet  repaired  the
damage to the temple.
So King Joash called Je-
hoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have
you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now,
therefore,  take  no  more  money  from  your  con-
stituency,  but  hand  it  over  for  the  repair  of  the
8
temple.”

So  the  priests  agreed  that  they  would  not
receive  money  from  the  people  and  that  they
9
would not repair the temple themselves.

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
10
all the money brought into the house of the LORD.

2 Kings 13:8    |    353

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
19
withdrew from Jerusalem.

As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with
all his accomplishments, are they not written in
20
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 a

21

And the servants of Joash rose up and formed
a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the
 b
 son
road down to Silla.
of  Shimeath  and  Jehozabad  son  of  Shomer
struck him down, and he died. And they buried
him with his fathers in the City of David, and his
Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
son Amaziah reigned in his place.

His servants Jozabad

11

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
Then  they  would  put  the  counted
in  bags.
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 car-
masons,  and  stonecutters.
penters,  builders,
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
13
repairs.

12

14

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
Instead, it was paid to those doing the
LORD.
work,  and  with  it  they  repaired  the  house  of
15
the LORD.

16

No  accounting  was  required  from  the  men
who received the money to pay the workmen, be-
The  money
cause  they  acted  with  integrity.
from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not
brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged
The Death of Joash
to the priests.
(2 Chronicles 24:23–27)

17

13

2

In  the  twenty-third  year  of  the  reign  of
Joash  son  of  Ahaziah  over  Judah,  Je-
hoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he
And he did
reigned in Samaria seventeen years.
evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins
that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to
So the
commit; he did not turn away from them.
anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He
delivered  them  continually  into  the  hands  of
4
Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.

3

5

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
So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and
Israel.
they  escaped  the  power  of  the  Arameans.  Then
the people of Israel lived in their own homes as
6
they had before.

Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the
c
sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel
to commit, but they continued to walk in them.
The  Asherah  pole  even  remained  standing  in
7
Samaria.

Jehoahaz  had  no  army  left,  except  fifty  horse-
men, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers,
because  the  king  of  Aram  had  destroyed  them
8
and made them like the dust at threshing.

At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up
and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he
So King Joash of
decided to attack Jerusalem.
b 21 Shomer
Jozacar
a 21
Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his
c 6

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?
he continued to walk in them

Shimrith

18

Hebrew; LXX and Syriac

 is a variant of

; see 2 Chronicles 24:26.

LXX, Syriac, Targum Yonaton, and Vulgate; Hebrew

354    |    2 Kings 13:9

9

19

 a

And  Jehoahaz  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
 reigned

buried in Samaria. And his son Jehoash
Jehoash Reigns in Israel
in his place.
10

In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash
over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king
11
of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
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
12
walked in them.

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
13
Kings of Israel?

And Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jero-
boam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was
Elisha’s Fin al Prophecy
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
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
15
of Israel!”

Elisha  told  him,  “Take  a  bow  and  some

arrows.”
16
So Jehoash took a bow and some arrows.

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
17
put his hands on the king’s hands.

“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,

18

for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek
until you have put an end to them.”

Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!”

So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Is-
rael, “Strike the ground!”

a 9
So he struck the ground three times and stopped.
Jehoash
coming in of the year

Jehoash

Joash

Joash

c 1

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
20
will strike down Aram only three times.”

And Elisha died and was buried.
b

21

Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the
Once, as the Israelites were
land every spring.
burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raid-
ers,  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
22
his feet.

23

And  Hazael  king  of  Aram  oppressed  Israel
But  the
throughout  the  reign  of  Jehoahaz.
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
24
destroy them or cast them from His presence.

25

When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-
Then Jehoash son
hadad reigned in his place.
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
Amaziah Reigns in Judah  (2 Chron. 25:1–4)
Israel.

14

 c

2

In  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of
  son  of  Jehoahaz  over  Israel,
Jehoash
He
Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah.
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
And  he  did  what  was  right  in  the
Jerusalem.
eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had
done. He did everything as his father Joash had
4
done.

3

Nevertheless,  the  high  places  were  not  taken
away,  and  the  people  continued  sacrificing  and
5
burning incense on the high places.

As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp,
6
Amaziah  executed  the  servants  who  had  mur-
Yet he did not put the
dered his father the king.
sons of the murderers to death, but acted accord-
ing 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

into the land at the

b 20

Hebrew

, a variant of

; also in verses 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 25

Literally

Hebrew

, a variant of

; also in verses 13, 23, and 27

 a

children  must  not  be  put  to  death  for  their  fa-
7
thers; each is to die for his own sin.”

Amaziah  struck  down  10,000  Edomites  in  the
Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it
Jehoash Defeats Amaziah  (2 Chr. 25:17–24)
Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.
8

Then  Amaziah  sent  messengers  to  the  king  of
Israel  Jehoash  son  of  Jehoahaz,  the  son  of  Jehu.
9
“Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.

10

But  Jehoash  king  of  Israel  replied  to  Amaziah
king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a mes-
sage  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
You  have  indeed  defeated  Edom,  and
thistle.
your heart has become proud. Glory in that and
stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so
11
that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king
of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah
12
faced  each  other  at  Beth-shemesh  in  Judah.
And Judah was routed before Israel, and every

13
man fled to his home.

There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel
captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash,
the son of Ahaziah.

b

14

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 cu-
He took all the gold and silver and all the
bits.
articles found in the house of the LORD and in the
treasuries  of  the  royal  palace,  as  well  as  some
Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel
hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
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
16
the Kings of Israel?

And  Jehoash  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
buried  in  Samaria  with  the  kings  of  Israel.  And
The Death of Amaziah  (2 Chronicles 25:25–28)
his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.
17

Amaziah  son  of  Joash  king  of  Judah  lived  for
fifteen  years  after  the  death  of  Jehoash  son  of
a 6

 b 13 400 cubits

2 Kings 14:29    |    355

18

Jehoahaz  king  of  Israel.
As  for  the  rest  of  the
acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book
19
of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20

And  conspirators  plotted  against  Amaziah  in
Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were
sent  after  him  to  Lachish,  and  they  killed  him
They  carried  him  back  on  horses  and
there.
buried  him  in  Jerusalem  with  his  fathers  in  the
Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah
City of David.
(2 Chronicles 26:1–2)

21

c

22

Then  all  the  people  of  Judah  took  Azariah,
who was sixteen years old, and made him king in
place  of  his  father  Amaziah.
Azariah  was  the
one who rebuilt Elath
 and restored it to Judah
Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel
after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.

 d

23

24

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.
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
25
commit.

e
This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel

26

from  Lebo-hamath  to  the  Sea  of  the  Arabah,
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.
For
the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites,
both slave and free, was very bitter. There was
and since the LORD had
no one to help Israel,
said that He would not blot out the name of Israel
from under heaven, He saved them by the hand
28
of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

27

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 writ-
ten in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
29
Israel?

f

And  Jeroboam  rested  with  his  fathers,

  the
kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in
his place.

c 21 Azariah

Uzziah

Deuteronomy 24:16

see 2 Chronicles 26:1.
some LXX manuscripts include

d 22 Elath

Eloth

e 25

and he was buried in Samaria with

 is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 meters.
; see 1 Kings 9:26.

 is a variant of

f 29

 is also called

;

That is, the Dead Sea

Hebrew;

356    |    2 Kings 15:1

Azariah Reigns in Judah  (2 Chron. 26:3–23)

15

15

 a

2

In  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  Jero-
boam’s reign over Israel, Azariah
 son of
Amaziah became king of Judah.
He was sixteen
years old when he became king, and he reigned
3
in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name
And  he
was  Jecoliah;  she  was  from  Jerusalem.
did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just
4
as his father Amaziah had done.

Nevertheless,  the  high  places  were  not  taken
away; the people continued sacrificing and burn-
 b
5
ing incense there.

And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy
until the day he died, so that he lived in a sepa-
rate  house  while  his  son  Jotham  had  charge  of
6
the palace and governed the people of the land.

As for the rest of the acts of Azariah, along with
all his accomplishments, are they not written in
7
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 c

And  Azariah  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
 in the City of David. And his

buried near them
Zechariah Reigns in Israel
son Jotham reigned in his place.
8

In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah’s reign over
Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of
9
Israel,  and  he  reigned  in  Samaria  six  months.
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 Is-
10
rael to commit.

Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against
Zechariah,  struck  him  down  and  killed  him  in
11
front of the people,

 and reigned in his place.

d

12

As for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, they are
indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of
the  Kings  of  Israel.
So  the  word  of  the  LORD
spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Four generations of
Shallum Reigns in Israel
your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
13

 e

In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s

 reign over
Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he
14
reigned in Samaria one full month.

Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tir-
zah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum
a 1 Azariah
son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.
c 7

Uzziah

 is also called
Tiglath-pileser

in Ibleam
for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
LXX manuscripts
h 20 50 shekels
name for

; see verse 29.

e 13 Uzziah

Literally
g 19 1,000 talents
 is also called

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Shallum,  along
with the conspiracy he led, they are indeed writ-
ten in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
16
Israel.

At  that  time  Menahem,  starting  from  Tirzah,
attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, be-
cause they would not open their gates. So he at-
tacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant
Menahem Reigns in Israel
women.
17

18

In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah’s reign over
Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Is-
And
rael, and he reigned in Samaria ten years.
he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and through-
out his reign he did not turn away from the sins
that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to
19
commit.

 f

 g
 king of Assyria invaded the land, and

Then Pul

20

Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver
in order to gain his support and strengthen his
own  grip  on  the  kingdom.
Menahem  exacted
 h
this money from each of the wealthy men of Is-
rael—fifty shekels of silver
 from each man—to
give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria
21
withdrew and did not remain in the land.

As for the rest of the acts of Menahem, along
with all his accomplishments, are they not writ-
ten in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
22
Israel?

And Menahem rested with his fathers, and his

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel
son Pekahiah reigned in his place.
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.
And
he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not
turn  away  from  the  sins  that  Jeroboam  son  of
25
Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

24

Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, con-
spired 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
26
Pekahiah and reigned in his place.

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.

b 5 Leprosy
d 10

with his fathers

; also in verses 6, 7, 8, 17, 23, and 27; see 2 Chronicles 26:1.

Azariah

; see 2 Chronicles 26:23.

f 19 Pul

 was a term used
Hebrew; some

; also in verses 32 and 34; see verse 1.

 is another

 is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver.

 is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

27

In the fifty-second year of Azariah’s reign over
Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Is-
28
rael,  and  he  reigned  in  Samaria  twenty  years.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did
not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of
29
Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

In  the  days  of  Pekah  king  of  Israel,  Tiglath-
pileser  king  of  Assyria  came  and  captured  Ijon,
Abel-beth-maacah,  Janoah,  Kedesh,  Hazor,  Gil-
ead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naph-
30
tali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.

Then  Hoshea  son  of  Elah  led  a  conspiracy
against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth
year  of  Jotham  son  of  Uzziah,  Hoshea  attacked
31
Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.

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
Jotham Reigns in Judah  (2 Chronicles 27:1–9)
Israel.
32

 a

33

In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of
Remaliah  over  Israel,  Jotham  son  of  Uzziah  be-
came king of Judah.
He was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jeru-
salem  sixteen  years.  His  mother’s  name  was
Jerusha
And he did what
was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  LORD,  just  as  his
35
father Uzziah had done.

 daughter of Zadok.

34

Nevertheless,  the  high  places  were  not  taken
away; the people continued sacrificing and burn-
ing incense there.

Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the
36
LORD.

As for the rest of the acts of Jotham, along with
his accomplishments, are they not written in the
37
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

(In those days the LORD began to send Rezin
king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against
38
Judah.)

And  Jotham  rested  with  his  fathers  and  was
buried with them in the City of David his father.
Ahaz Reigns in Judah  (2 Chronicles 28:1–4)
And his son Ahaz reigned in his place.

16

2

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of
Remaliah,  Ahaz  son  of  Jotham  became
Ahaz was twenty years old when
d 6

Jerushah

Eloth

Syria

a 33 Jerusha
king of Judah.

2 Kings 16:14    |    357

3

he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem six-
teen  years.  And  unlike  David  his  father,  he  did
not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his
b
Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings
God.
of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire,
according to the abominations of the nations that
4
the  LORD  had  driven  out  before  the  Israelites.
And  he  sacrificed  and  burned  incense  on  the
high places, on the hills, and under every green
5
tree.

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
6
not overcome him.

 c

d

  for  Aram,

At  that  time  Rezin  king  of  Aram  recovered
Elath
  drove  out  the  men  of  Judah,
and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live
7
to this day.

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
8
against me.”

9

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.
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 Re-
The Idolatry of Ahaz  (2 Chronicles 28:16–27)
zin to death.
10

11

Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tig-
lath-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 con-
struction.
And Uriah the priest built the altar
according  to  all  the  instructions  King  Ahaz  had
sent from Damascus, and he completed it before
12
King Ahaz returned.

13

When the king came back from Damascus and
saw the altar, he approached it and presented of-
ferings on it.
He offered his burnt offering and
his grain offering, poured out his drink offering,
14
and splattered the blood of his peace offerings on
the  altar.
He  also  took  the  bronze  altar  that
stood before the LORD from the front of the tem-
ple (between the new altar and the house of the
LORD) and he put it on the north side of the new
altar.

made his son pass through the fire

c 6 Elath

b 3

 is a variant of

; see 2 Chronicles 27:1.

Literally

 is a

variant of

; see 1 Kings 9:26.

Or

358    |    2 Kings 16:15

15

7

Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest,
“Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offer-
ing,  the  evening  grain  offering,  and  the  king’s
burnt offering and grain offering, as well as the
burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offer-
ings of all the people of the land. Splatter on the
altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sac-
rifices.  But  I  will  use  the  bronze  altar  to  seek
16
guidance.”

So Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had

17
commanded.

18

King Ahaz also cut off the frames of the mova-
ble  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.
And on account of the king of As-
syria, he removed the Sabbath canopy
 they had
built in the temple and closed the royal entryway
19
outside the house of the LORD.

 a

As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz, along with
his accomplishments, are they not written in the
20
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was bur-
ied  with  them  in  the  City  of  David,  and  his  son
Hoshea the Last King of Israel
Hezekiah reigned in his place.

17

2

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
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
years.
3
but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

 b

Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and
4
Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea
had  conspired  to  send  envoys  to  King  So
  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
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria
prison.
5

Then  the  king  of  Assyria  invaded  the  whole
land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for
6
three years.

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
a 18
Medes.

the base of his throne
d 17

b 4 So

Or

omy 5:8–10

Literally

8

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 wor-
and walked in the customs of
shiped other gods
the nations that the LORD had driven out before
the  Israelites,  as  well  as  in  the  practices  intro-
9
duced by the kings of Israel.

10

The  Israelites  secretly  did  things  against  the
LORD their God that were not right. From watch-
tower to fortified city, they built high places in all
They set up for themselves sacred
their cities.
pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and
They burned incense
under every green tree.
on  all  the  high  places  like  the  nations  that  the
LORD  had  driven  out  before  them.  They  did
12
wicked  things,  provoking  the  LORD  to  anger.
They served idols, although the LORD had told

11

 c

13
them, “You shall not do this thing.”

Yet  through  all  His  prophets  and  seers,  the
LORD  warned  Israel  and  Judah,  saying,  “Turn
from your wicked ways and keep My command-
ments and statutes, according to the entire Law
that I commanded your fathers and delivered to
14
you through My servants the prophets.”

15

But  they  would  not  listen,  and  they  stiffened
their necks like their fathers, who did not believe
the LORD their God.
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  became  worthless
themselves, going after the surrounding nations
that  the  LORD  had  commanded  them  not  to
16
imitate.

17

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
They sacrificed their sons and daughters
Baal.
 and practiced divination and sooth-
in the fire
saying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in
18
the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

 d

19

20

So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and
He  removed  them  from  His  presence.  Only  the
and  even  Judah
tribe  of  Judah  remained,
did  not  keep  the  commandments  of  the  LORD
their God, but lived according to the customs Is-
So the LORD rejected all
rael had introduced.
the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and
delivered them into the hands of plunderers, un-
c 12
til He had banished them from His presence.
.

Exodus 20:4–6; Deuteron-

Osorkon

made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire
; see also LXX.

 is likely an abbreviation for

21

34

2 Kings 18:8    |    359

22

23

When the LORD had torn Israel away from the
house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Ne-
bat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from fol-
lowing the LORD and caused them to commit a
great sin.
The Israelites persisted in all the sins
that  Jeroboam  had  committed  and  did  not  turn
away  from  them.
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,
Samaria Resettled
where they are to this day.
24

Then the king of Assyria brought people from
Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim
and settled them in the towns of Samaria to re-
place the Israelites. They took possession of Sa-
25
maria and lived in its towns.

26

Now  when  the  settlers  first  lived  there,  they
did  not  worship  the  LORD,  so  He  sent  lions
among  them,  which  killed  some  of  them.
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
27
off.”

Then  the  king  of  Assyria  commanded:  “Send
back one of the priests you carried off from Sa-
maria,  and  have  him  go  back  to  live  there  and
28
teach the requirements of the God of the land.”

Thus one of the priests they had carried away
came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach
29
them how they should worship the LORD.

30

Nevertheless, the people of each nation contin-
ued 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.
The men of Babylon made Suc-
coth-benoth,  the  men  of  Cuth  made  Nergal,  the
men  of  Hamath  made  Ashima,
the  Avvites
made  Nibhaz  and  Tartak,  and  the  Sepharvites
burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech
32
and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

31

So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but
they also appointed for themselves priests of all
33
sorts  to  serve  in  the  shrines  of  the  high  places.
They  worshiped  the  LORD,  but  they  also
served their own gods according to the customs
of the nations from which they had been carried
a 2 Abi
away.
snake

Abijah

To  this  day  they  are  still  practicing  their  for-
mer customs. None of them worship the LORD or
observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and com-
mandments that the LORD gave the descendants
35
of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

36

37

For  the  LORD  had  made  a  covenant  with  the
Israelites  and  commanded  them,  “Do  not  wor-
ship  other  gods  or  bow  down  to  them;  do  not
serve them or sacrifice to them.
Instead, wor-
ship 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 sac-
rifices to Him.
And you must always be careful
to  observe  the  statutes,  ordinances,  laws,  and
38
commandments  He  wrote  for  you.  Do  not  wor-
ship other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I
39
have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
but  worship  the  LORD your  God,  and  He will
40
deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”

41
But they would not listen, and they persisted
So these nations wor-
in their former customs.
shiped the LORD but also served their idols, and
to this day their children and grandchildren con-
Hezekiah Destroys Idolatry in Judah
tinue to do as their fathers did.
(2 Chronicles 29:1–2)

18

3

 the daughter of Zechariah.

In the third year of the reign of Hoshea
2
son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of
Ahaz became king of Judah.
He was twenty-five
years old when he became king, and he reigned
a
in  Jerusalem  twenty-nine  years.  His  mother’s
And
name was Abi,
he  did  what  was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  LORD,
He removed
just as his father David had done.
the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and
 b
cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished
the bronze snake called Nehushtan
 that Moses
had made, for up to that time the Israelites had
5
burned incense to it.

4

Hezekiah  trusted  in  the  LORD,  the  God  of
6
Israel.  No  king  of  Judah  was  like  him,  either
He remained faithful to
before him or after him.
the LORD and did not turn from following Him;
he  kept  the  commandments  that  the  LORD  had
7
given Moses.

And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he pros-
pered wherever he went. He rebelled against the
He
king  of  Assyria  and  refused  to  serve  him.
defeated  the  Philistines  as  far  as  Gaza  and  its
borders, from watchtower to fortified city.

bronze

8

b 4 Nehushtan

 is a variant of
.

; see 2 Chronicles 29:1.

 sounds like the Hebrew for

 and also for

360    |    2 Kings 18:9

9

19

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
And
marched against Samaria and besieged it.
at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured
it.

10

11

So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hez-
ekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king
The king of Assyria exiled the Israel-
of Israel.
ites  to  Assyria  and  settled  them  in  Halah,  in
12
Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the
This  happened  because  they  did  not
Medes.
listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but vio-
lated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of
the LORD had commanded—and would neither
Sennacherib Invades Judah
listen nor obey.
(2 Chronicles 32:1–8 ;  Psalm 46:1–11)

13

14

In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sen-
nacherib  king of  Assyria  attacked  and  captured
So  Hezekiah
all  the  fortified  cities  of  Judah.
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.”

 a
And  the  king  of  Assyria  exacted  from  Hezekiah
king  of  Judah  three  hundred  talents  of  silver
Hezekiah gave him
and thirty talents of gold.
all the silver that was found in the house of the
16
LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

15

b

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
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
of Assyria.
(2 Chronicles 32:9–19 ;  Isaiah 36:1–22)

17

c

d

e

  the  Rabsaris,

  and  the  Rabshakeh,

Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tar-
tan,
  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 up-
18
per  pool,  on  the  road  to  the  Launderer’s  Field.
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
a 14 300 talents
out to them.

c 17

Tartan

20

The  Rabshakeh  said  to  them,  “Tell  Hezekiah
that  this  is  what  the  great  king,  the  king  of  As-
syria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of
You  claim  to  have  a  strategy  and
yours?
strength for war, but these are empty words. In
whom  are  you  now  trusting,  that  you  have  re-
21
belled against me?

22

Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splin-
tered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of
anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of
But if you say to
Egypt to all who trust in him.
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
23
must worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

Now, therefore, make a bargain with my mas-
ter, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thou-
24
sand  horses—if  you  can  put  riders  on  them!
For how can you repel a single officer among
the least of my master’s servants when you de-
pend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
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
26
destroy it.’

”

25

Then  Eliakim  son  of  Hilkiah,  along  with  She-
bnah  and  Joah,  said  to  the  Rabshakeh,  “Please
speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we un-
 in
derstand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew
27
the hearing of the people on the wall.”

 f

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
28
dung and drink their own urine?”

Then  the  Rabshakeh  stood  and  called  out
29
loudly  in  Hebrew:  “Hear  the  word  of  the  great
This is what the king
king, the king of Assyria!
30
says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot
Do not let Hezekiah
deliver you from my hand.
persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says,
‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not
31
be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

 g

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the
king of Assyria says: Make peace with me
 and
come out to me. Then every one of you will eat

b 14 30 talents

d 17

Rabsaris

 is approximately 11.3 tons or 10.3 metric tons of silver.

1.03 metric tons of gold.
tary.
 is the title of the chief eunuch in the Assyrian military.
in the dialect of Judah
f 26
of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer; here and throughout chapters 18 and 19, as well as Isaiah 36 and 37.

 is approximately 1.13 tons or
Rabshakeh
 is the title of a field marshal, general, or commander in the Assyrian mili-
 is the title

Make a blessing with me

Hebrew

Hebrew

Hebrew

g 31

e 17

Or

; also in verse 28

Or

32

from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink
until I  come  and
water  from  his  own  cistern,
take you away to a land like your own—a land of
grain  and  new  wine,  a  land  of  bread  and  vine-
yards,  a  land  of  olive  trees  and  honey—so  that
you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hez-
ekiah,  for  he  misleads  you  when  he  says,  ‘The
33
LORD will deliver us.’

Has  the  god  of  any  nation  ever  delivered  his
34
land  from  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Assyria?
Where  are  the  gods  of  Hamath  and  Arpad?
Where  are  the  gods  of  Sepharvaim,  Hena,  and
Ivvah?  Have  they  delivered  Samaria  from  my
Who among all the gods of these lands
hand?
has delivered his land from my hand? How then
36
can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

35

But the people remained silent and did not an-
swer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do
37
not answer him.”

Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace adminis-
trator,  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
Isaiah’s Message of Deliverance  (Isa. 37:1–7)
Rabshakeh.

19

2

3

On  hearing  this  report,  King  Hezekiah
tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and en-
And  he  sent  Eli-
tered  the  house  of  the  LORD.
akim  the  palace  administrator,  Shebna  the
scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sack-
to tell
cloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
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
Perhaps  the  LORD
strength  to  deliver  them.
your  God  will  hear  all  the  words  of  the  Rab-
shakeh, 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
5
that still survives.”
6

4

So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,
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
Behold, I will
of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor
and  return  to  his  own  land,  where  I  will  cause
a 9
him to fall by the sword.’

b 11

”

7

2 Kings 19:19    |    361

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
9
the king fighting against Libnah.

 a

Now  Sennacherib  had  been  warned  about
 “Look, he has set out to

Tirhakah king of Cush:
fight against you.”

10

So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Heze-
“Give  this  message  to  Hezekiah
kiah,  saying,
king of Judah:

11

‘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
Surely you have heard what the
of Assyria.
b
kings  of  Assyria  have  done  to  all  the  other
12
countries,  devoting  them  to  destruction.
Did  the  gods
Will  you  then  be  spared?
of  the  nations  destroyed  by  my  fathers
rescue  those  nations—the  gods  of  Gozan,
Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden
Where  are  the  kings  of
in  Telassar?
Hamath,  Arpad,  Sepharvaim,  Hena,  and
Ivvah?’

13

Hezekiah’s Prayer
”
(Isaiah 37:14–20)

14

So Hezekiah received the letter from the mes-
sengers, read it, and went up to the house of the
And
LORD and spread it out before the LORD.
Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:

15

“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between
the cherubim, You alone are God over all the
16
kingdoms of the earth. You made the heav-
ens  and  the  earth.
Incline  Your  ear,  O
LORD,  and  hear;  open  Your  eyes,  O  LORD,
and  see.  Listen  to  the  words  that  Sennach-
17
erib has sent to defy the living God.

Truly,  O  LORD,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have
18
laid  waste  these  nations  and  their  lands.
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
19
hands.

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.”

cherem

That is, the upper Nile region

Forms of the Hebrew

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the

LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

362    |    2 Kings 19:20

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 Is-
rael, says: I have heard your prayer concerning
This is the word
Sennacherib king of Assyria.
that the LORD has spoken against him:

21

‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion

despises you and mocks you;

22

the Daughter of Jerusalem

shakes her head behind you.

Whom have you taunted and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised your voice

23

and lifted your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

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.

a

I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the finest of its cypresses.

24

I have reached its farthest outposts,

the densest of its forests.

I have dug wells

and drunk foreign waters.

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

into piles of rubble.

Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power,

are dismayed and ashamed.
They are like plants in the field,

tender green shoots,

27

grass on the rooftops,

scorched before it is grown.
But I know your sitting down,

28

your going out and coming in,
and your raging against Me.
Because your rage and arrogance

against Me

have reached My ears,

a 23

pines

I will put My hook in your nose
b 31
and My bit in your mouth;
The zeal of the LORD
 or

junipers

c 37

 or

firs

Or

With the soles of my feet

25

I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

34

29

I will send you back

the way you came.’

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;

30

you will plant vineyards and eat their

fruit.

And the surviving remnant of the house

of Judah

31

will again take root below
and bear fruit above.

For a remnant will go forth from

Jerusalem,

 b

and survivors from Mount Zion.

32

The zeal of the LORD of Hosts
will accomplish this.

So this is what the LORD says about the king of

Assyria:

‘He will not enter this city

or shoot an arrow into it.

33

He will not come before it with a shield
or build up a siege ramp against it.

He will go back the way he came,
and he will not enter this city,

declares the LORD.

I will defend this city

and save it
for My own sake

Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians
and for the sake of My servant David.’
(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
So
morning,  there  were  all  the  dead  bodies!
Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  broke  camp  and
withdrew.  He  returned  to  Nineveh  and  stayed
37
there.

36

 c

One day, while he was worshiping in the tem-
ple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and
Sharezer
 put him to the sword and escaped to
the  land  of  Ararat.  And  his  son  Esar-haddon
reigned in his place.

his sons

reads

.

LXX and an alternate MT reading (see also Isaiah 37:38); MT lacks

.

LXX, many Hebrew manuscripts, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
(2 Chronicles 32:24–31 ;  Isaiah 38:1–8)

20

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
 2
will not recover.’

”

3

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and
prayed to the LORD, saying,
“Please, O LORD, re-
member how I have walked before You faithfully
and  with  wholehearted  devotion;  I  have  done
what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept
a
4
bitterly.

5

Before  Isaiah  had  left  the  middle  courtyard,

“Go
the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
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.
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
7
My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’
”

6

Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So
they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hez-
8
ekiah recovered.

Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be
the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will
9
go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”

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 for-
10
ward ten steps, or back ten steps?”

“It  is  easy  for  the  shadow  to  lengthen  ten
steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go
11
back ten steps.”

So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD,
and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it
Hezekiah Shows His Treasures  (Isa. 39:1–8)
had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.
12

 b

13

At  that  time  Merodach-baladan

  son  of
Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to
Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s ill-
And  Hezekiah  received  the  envoys  and
ness.
showed them all that was in his treasure house—
the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious
a 4
oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in
Berodach-baladan

2 Kings 21:4    |    363

his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace
or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show
14
them.

Then  the  prophet  Isaiah  went  to  King  Heze-
kiah  and  asked,  “Where  did  those  men  come
from, and what did they say to you?”

“They  came  from  a  distant  land,”  Hezekiah
15
replied, “from Babylon.”

“What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah

asked.

“They  have  seen  everything  in  my  palace,”  an-
swered  Hezekiah.  “There  is  nothing  among  my
16
treasures that I did not show them.”

17

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word
The time will surely come when
of the LORD:
everything  in  your  palace  and  all  that  your  fa-
thers have stored up until this day will be carried
off  to  Babylon.  Nothing  will  be  left,  says  the
And  some  of  your  descendants,  your
LORD.
own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eu-
19
nuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

18

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 se-
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah
curity in my lifetime?”
20

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Hezekiah,  along
 c
with  all  his  might  and  how  he  constructed
the pool and the tunnel
 to bring water into the
city,  are  they  not  written  in  the  Book  of  the
21
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his

Manasseh Reigns in Judah  (2 Chr. 33:1–9)
son Manasseh reigned in his place.

21

2

Manasseh was twelve years old when he
became  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusa-
lem  fifty-five  years.  His  mother’s  name  was
And  he  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the
Hephzibah.
LORD  by  following  the  abominations  of  the  na-
3
tions  that  the  LORD  had  driven  out  before  the
For he rebuilt the high places that his
Israelites.
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
4
served all the host of heaven.

Manasseh  also
  built  altars  in  the  house  of  the
the middle of the city
LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem
watercourse
c 20

b 12
conduit

LXX and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads

Some Hebrew manuscripts,

LXX, and Syriac (see also Isaiah 39:1); MT

Or

 or

364    |    2 Kings 21:5

5

18

In both courtyards of the
I will put My Name.”
a
6
house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host
of heaven.
practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted
mediums and spiritists. He did great  evil in the
7
sight of the LORD

He sacrificed his own son in the fire,

, provoking Him to anger.

8

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 cho-
sen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish
My Name forever.
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
9
that My servant Moses commanded them.”

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
Manasseh’s Idolatries Rebuked
Israelites.
(2 Chronicles 33:10–20)

10

11

12

And  the  LORD  spoke  through  His  servants
the prophets, saying,
“Since Manasseh king of
Judah has committed all these abominations, act-
ing  more  wickedly  than  the  Amorites  who  pre-
ceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to
sin,
this  is  what  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,
says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon
Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverber-
13
ate in the ears of all who hear it.

14

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.
So I will forsake
the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them
into the hands of their enemies. And they will be-
15
come  plunder  and  spoil  to  all  their  enemies,
because  they  have  done  evil  in  My  sight  and
have  provoked  Me  to  anger  from  the  day  their
16
fathers came out of Egypt until this day.’

”

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
17
commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

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
made his son pass through the fire
a 6
the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Literally

And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was
buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza.
Amon Reigns in Judah  (2 Chronicles 33:21–25)
And his son Amon reigned in his place.
19

20

Amon was twenty-two years old when he be-
came  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  two
years.  His  mother’s  name  was  Meshullemeth
And
daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah.
21
he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father
He walked in all the ways
Manasseh had done.
of  his  father,  and  he  served  and  worshiped  the
idols his father had served.
He abandoned the
LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in
23
the way of the LORD.

22

24

Then the servants of Amon conspired against
him and killed the king in his palace.
But the
people of the land killed all those who had con-
spired against King Amon, and they made his son
25
Josiah king in his place.

As for the rest of the acts of Amon, along with
his accomplishments, are they not written in the
26
Book  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  Judah?
And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of

Josiah Reigns in Judah  (2 Chronicles 34:1–2)
Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his place.

22

Josiah  was  eight  years  old  when  he  be-
came king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah
daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
And
he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and
walked in all the ways of his father David; he did
Funding the Temple Repairs  (2 Chr. 34:8–13)
not turn aside to the right or to the left.
3

2

5

4

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,
“Go  up  to  Hilkiah  the  high  priest  and
saying,
have him count the money that has been brought
into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeep-
And let them
ers have collected from the people.
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
to  the  carpenters,  builders,  and  ma-
LORD—
sons—to buy timber and dressed stone to repair
But  they  need  not  account  for  the
the  temple.
money put into their hands, since they work with
integrity.”

7

6

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,
9
who read it.

And Shaphan the scribe went to the king and re-
ported, “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
10
house of the LORD.”

Moreover,  Shaphan  the  scribe  told  the  king,
“Hilkiah  the  priest  has  given  me  a  book.”  And
11
Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

12

b

 a

  son  of  Micaiah,

When the king heard the words of the Book of
the  Law,  he  tore  his  clothes
and  commanded
Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Ach-
13
  Shaphan  the  scribe,  and
bor
“Go and inquire
Asaiah the servant of the king:
of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Ju-
dah 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
Huldah’s Prophecy
that is written about us.”
(2 Chronicles 34:22–28)

14

c

So  Hilkiah  the  priest,  Ahikam,  Achbor,
Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah
the  prophetess,  the  wife  of  Shallum  son  of
  the  keeper  of  the
Tikvah,
wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second
15
District.

  the  son  of  Harhas,
e

d

16

And  Huldah  said  to  them,  “This  is  what  the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who
that this is what the LORD says: I am
sent you
about to bring calamity on this place and on its
people,  according  to  all  the  words  of  the  book
because they
that the king of Judah has read,
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 kin-
18
dled against this place and will not be quenched.’

17

2 Kings 23:6    |    365

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 des-
olation and a curse, and because you have torn
your  clothes  and  wept  before  Me,  I  have  heard
20
you,’ declares the LORD.

‘Therefore I will indeed gather you to your fa-
thers, 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.’
Josiah Renews the Covenant
So they brought her answer back to the king.
(2 Chronicles 34:29–33)

”

23

2

Then the king summoned all the elders of
And he went up to
Judah and Jerusalem.
the house of the LORD with all the people of Ju-
dah 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
3
of the LORD.

So the king stood by the pillar and made a cov-
enant 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  the covenant that were written in
this  book.  And  all  the  people  entered  into  the
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
covenant.
(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 door-
keepers 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 Je-
rusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their
5
ashes to Bethel.

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
6
the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

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

b 12 Micaiah

Micah

d 14 Harhas

Hasrah

 is a variant of

the Mishneh

; see 2 Chronicles
; see

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
a 12 Achbor
because your heart was tender
that you heard,

Abdon

19

c 14 Tikvah

 is another name for

e 14

Tokhath
the Second Quarter

; see 2 Chronicles 34:20.

34:20.
2 Chronicles 34:22.

 is a variant of
Or

; see 2 Chronicles 34:22.

 is a variant of

, a newer section of Jerusalem; Hebrew

366    |    2 Kings 23:7

7

He  also  tore  down  the  quarters  of  the
people.
male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of
the LORD, where the women had woven tapes-
8
tries for Asherah.

And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of
the man of God who came from Judah and pro-
claimed  these  things  that  you  have  done  to  the
18
altar of Bethel.”

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
Although the priests of the high places
city gate.
did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jeru-
salem,  they  ate  unleavened  bread  with  their
10
fellow priests.

9

 a

 b

11

He  also  desecrated  Topheth  in  the  Valley  of
Ben-hinnom
  so  that  no  one  could  sacrifice  his
And he
son or daughter in the fire
removed  from  the  entrance  to  the  house  of  the
 c
LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had ded-
icated  to  the sun. They were  in  the  court
  near
the chamber of an official named Nathan-melech.
12
And Josiah burned up the chariots of the sun.

 to Molech.

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
 and
13
threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.

 d

 e

The king also desecrated the high places east
of  Jerusalem,  to  the  south  of  the  Mount  of  Cor-
ruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built
for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians,
for  Chemosh  the  abomination  of  the  Moabites,
14
and for Milcom
 the abomination of the Ammo-
He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces,
nites.
cut  down  the  Asherah  poles,  and  covered  the
15
sites with human bones.

 f

16

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
  the
high place, ground it to powder, and burned the
And as Josiah turned, he saw the
Asherah pole.
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
17
who had foretold these things.

g

“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
19
Samaria.

20

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
On the altars
had provoked the LORD to anger.
he slaughtered all the priests of the high places,
and  he  burned  human  bones  on  them.  Then  he
Josiah Restores the Passover
returned to Jerusalem.
(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
22
this Book of the Covenant.”

23

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 Ju-
But  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Josiah’s
dah.
reign, this Passover was observed to the LORD in
24
Jerusalem.

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
25
LORD.

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
26
strength, according to all the Law of Moses.

27

Nevertheless,  the  LORD  did  not  turn  away
from  the  fury  of  His  burning  anger,  which  was
kindled against Judah because of all that Manas-
For the
seh had done to provoke Him to anger.
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.’

c 11

par-

Molech

”
Hebrew

when Jeroboam stood by the
; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings

Then the king asked, “What is this monument

the Valley of the Son of Hinnom

b 10

could pass his son or daughter through the fire

a 10
I see?”
barim
Or

d 12

f 15

quickly removed them from there
Literally
g 16
broke into pieces

e 13 Milcom

 is a variant of
altar at the feast. And he turned and lifted his eyes to the tomb of the man of God.
11:7.

See 1 Kings 13:2; Hebrew; LXX includes

Hebrew; LXX

Or

The Death of Josiah  (2 Chronicles 35:20–24)

2

c

2 Kings 24:14    |    367

28

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Josiah  and  all
his accomplishments, are they not written in the
29
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

During  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 con-
front him, but Neco faced him and killed him at
30
Megiddo.

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
Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah  (2 Chr. 36:1–4)
made him king in place of his father.
31

Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three
months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daugh-
And he
ter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  LORD,  just  as  his
33
fathers had done.

32

b

 a

34

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
 and a talent of
gold.
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,
35
where he died.

So Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Phar-
aoh  Neco,  but  to  meet  Pharaoh’s  demand  he
taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah  (2 Chr. 36:5–8)
from the people, each according to his wealth.
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
And he did
of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah.
evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers
Babylon Controls Jehoiakim
had done.

37

24

During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnez-
zar  king  of  Babylon  invaded.  So  Jehoia-
kim  became  his  vassal  for  three  years,  until  he
a 33 100 talents
turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
c 2

Babylonian

3

And the LORD sent Chaldean,

 Aramean, Moab-
ite,  and  Ammonite  raiders  against  Jehoiakim  in
order  to  destroy  Judah,  according  to  the  word
that the LORD had spoken through His servants
Surely this happened to Judah at
the prophets.
the LORD’s command, to remove them from His
presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all
and  also  for  the  innocent
that  he  had  done,
blood  he  had  shed.  For  he  had  filled  Jerusalem
with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwill-
5
ing to forgive.

4

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoiakim,  along
with all his accomplishments, are they not writ-
ten in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah  (2 Chr. 36:9–10)
Judah?
6

And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his

7
son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.

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
8
the Euphrates River.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he be-
came  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  three
months.  His  mother’s  name  was  Nehushta
9
daughter  of  Elnathan;  she  was  from  Jerusalem.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as

The Captivity of Jerusalem  (Lam. 1:1–22)
his father had done.
10

12

11

At  that  time  the  servants  of  Nebuchadnezzar
king  of  Babylon  marched  up  to  Jerusalem,  and
the city came under siege.
And Nebuchadnez-
zar  king  of  Babylon  came  to  the  city  while  his
Jehoiachin king of
servants were besieging it.
Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders,
and  his  officials  all  surrendered  to  the  king  of
Babylon.

13
So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Bab-
As  the  LORD  had  de-
ylon  took  him  captive.
clared,  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
He carried into exile
the temple of the LORD.
all  Jerusalem—all  the  commanders  and  mighty
men  of  valor,  all  the  craftsmen  and  met-
alsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the
poorest people of the land remained.

b 33 A talent

14

 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.

 is approximately 75.4 pounds or

34.2 kilograms of gold.

Or

368    |    2 Kings 24:15

15

7

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
16
took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
The king of Babylon also brought into exile to
Babylon  all  seven  thousand  men  of  valor  and  a
thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong
17
and fit for battle.

Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Je-
hoiachin’s  uncle,  king  in  his  place  and  changed
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
his name to Zedekiah.
(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
19
of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.

20

And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD,
For because of the
just as Jehoiakim had done.
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
Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem
Babylon.
(2 Chronicles 36:15–21 ;  Jeremiah 39:1–10)

25

So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign,
on the tenth day of the tenth month, Neb-
uchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Je-
 a
rusalem  with  his  entire  army.  They  encamped
 a siege wall all around
outside the city and built
And the city was kept under siege until King
it.
3
Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

2

b

 c

By the ninth day of the fourth month,
4

 the fam-
ine in the city was so severe that the people of the
Then the city was breached;
land had no food.
 had surrounded the
and though the Chaldeans
city,  all  the men  of war  fled  by  night by  way of
the  gate  between  the  two  walls  near  the  king’s
garden.

5

d

And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah be-
fore his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound
him with bronze shackles, and took him to Baby-
lon.  The Temple Destroyed
(Jeremiah 52:12–23)

8

9

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  Jerusa-
He  burned  down  the  house  of  the  LORD,
lem.
the  royal  palace,  and  all  the  houses  of  Jerusa-
And the whole
lem—every significant building.
army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the
11
guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

10

12

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 popula-
But  the  captain  of  the  guard  left  behind
tion.
some of the poorest of the land to tend the vine-
13
yards and fields.

14

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
They  also  took  away  the  pots,
to  Babylon.
shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the arti-
The
cles of bronze used in the temple service.
captain of the guard also took away the censers
and  sprinkling  bowls—anything  made  of  pure
16
gold or fine silver.

15

e

17

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
Each pillar was
articles was beyond measure.
eighteen cubits tall.
 The bronze capital atop one
 with  a  network  of
pillar was  three  cubits  high,
bronze pomegranates all around. The second pil-
Captives Carried to Babylon
lar, with its network, was similar.
(Jeremiah 52:24–30)

f

18

but the army
They headed toward the Arabah,
of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook
6
him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army
deserted  him.
The  Chaldeans  seized  the  king
and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Rib-
He encamped outside it and they built
a 1
lah,  where  they  pronounced  judgment  on  him.
c 4

b 3

The  captain  of  the  guard  also  took  away
Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of
second  rank,  and  the  three  doorkeepers.
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

fourth

19

Literally
f 17 3 cubits
That is, the Babylonians; also in verses 5, 6, 10, 13, 24, 25, and 26

the Jordan Valley
Probable reading (see Jeremiah 52:6); MT does not include

e 17 18 cubits

d 4

.

Or

 is approxi-

mately 27 feet or 8.2 meters.

 is approximately 4.5 feet or 1.4 meters.

the  captain  of  the  army,  who  had  enlisted  the
people  of  the  land,  and  sixty  men  who  were
20
found in the city.

21

Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard  took  them
and brought them to the king of Babylon at Rib-
lah.
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
Gedaliah Governs in Judah
from its own land.
(Jeremiah 40:1–16)

22

Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  appointed
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over
23
the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.

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
24
  son  of  the
the  Netophathite,  and  Jaazaniah
And Gedaliah
Maacathite, as well as their men.
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.”

 a

2 Kings 25:30    |    369

The Murder of Gedaliah
(Jeremiah 41:1–10)

25

26

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
Then  all  the  people  small
him  at  Mizpah.
and  great,  together  with  the  commanders  of
the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
Chaldeans.
(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-mer-
 King
odach became king of Babylon, he released
And he spoke
Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the
thrones of the other kings who were with him in
29
Babylon.

28

 b

So  Jehoiachin  changed  out  of  his  prison
30
clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table
And the king provided
for the rest of his life.
Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.

a 23 Jaazaniah

Jezaniah

b 27

lifted up the head of

 is a variant of

; see Jeremiah 40:8.

Literally

1 Chronicles

From Adam to Abraham
(Genesis 5:1–32 ;  10:1–32 ;  11:10–26)

1

2
Adam, Seth, Enosh,

3

4

Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

 a
Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

The sons of Noah:
5
Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The sons of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal,
6
Meshech, and Tiras.

b

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath,

7
and Togarmah.

8

And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish,

the Kittites, and the Rodanites.

 h

i
The sons of Aram:
18
Meshech.

 Uz, Hul, Gether, and

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and

19
Shelah was the father of Eber.

j

Two sons were born to Eber: One was

 because in his days the

named Peleg,
earth was divided, and his brother was
20
named Joktan.

21

And Joktan was the father of Almodad,
k

22
Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
23
Uzal, Diklah,

 Abimael, Sheba,
Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these

Obal,

Hadoram,

24
were sons of Joktan.
25
26
So from Shem came Arphaxad, Shelah,
27
Eber, Peleg, Reu,
and Abram (that is, Abraham).

Serug, Nahor, Terah,

The Descendants of Abraham  (Gen. 25:12–18)

l

The sons of Ham:
9
Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

28
29

c

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta,

Raamah, and Sabteca.
10
The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

 d

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who

11
began to be a mighty one

 on the earth.

Mizraim was the father of the Ludites,

12

the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naph-
tuhites,
(from whom the Philistines came), and
13
the Caphtorites.

the Pathrusites, the Casluhites

e

f

g

14

And Canaan was the father of Sidon

 and of the Hittites,

his firstborn,
the
15
Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
16
the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the

17

Hamathites.

The sons of Shem:

a 4

Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The sons of Noah:

Diphath

The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.
These are their genealogies:

30

Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then
31
Mishma, Dumah,
Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
Jetur, Naphish, and
Massa, Hadad, Tema,
32
Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s

concubine:

Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak,
and Shuah.

The sons of Jokshan:
33

Sheba and Dedan.

The sons of Midian:

Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

34

All of these were Keturah’s sons.

Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons

of Isaac:
b 6
c 9 Sabta

Esau and Israel.

Sabtah

LXX; Hebrew does not include

who established himself as a mighty warrior

d 10
also LXX and Genesis 10:3); most Hebrew manuscripts
and the Caphtorites (from whom the Philistines came)
Or
foremost

and of Heth

h 17

g 13

; see Genesis 5:32.

e 12

Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see
 is a variant of
of the Sidonians, the
Some translators adjust the Hebrew word order to

; see Genesis 10:7.

the Casluhites,

f 13

Hebrew
division
j 19 Peleg
most Hebrew manuscripts do not include
Shelah

k 22

 means

.

.
Shem, Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah
LXX and Syriac (see also Genesis 10:28); Hebrew

The sons of Aram

; see also Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7.
Mash
l 24

i 17 Meshech

One Hebrew manuscript and some LXX manuscripts (see also Genesis 10:23);
Ebal
 is a variant of

Shem, Arphaxad,

Or

; see Genesis 10:23.
Literally

; some LXX manuscripts

; see also Genesis 10:24 LXX and Luke 3:35–36.

The Descendants of Esau  (Genesis 36:1–19)

48

35

The sons of Esau:
36
Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

a

The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar,

 Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna,

Zepho,
37
Amalek.

The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah,
The Descendants of Seir  (Genesis 36:20–30)

Shammah, and Mizzah.

38

The sons of Seir:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer,
39
and Dishan.

b

The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam.

40
Timna was Lotan’s sister.
d

c

1 Chronicles 2:9    |    371

 i

When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth

49
on the Euphrates

 reigned in his place.

When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of

50
Achbor reigned in his place.

j

When Baal-hanan died, Hadad reigned in
 and his

his place. His city was named Pau,
wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of
51
Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

Then Hadad died.
52

53

54

Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

Now the chiefs of Edom were Timna, Alvah, Jeth-
eth,
Kenaz, Teman,
Mibzar,
Magdiel,  and  Iram.  These  were  the
The Sons of Israel  (Genesis 35:21–26 ;  38:1–30)
chiefs of Edom.

2

These were the sons of Israel:

2

The sons of Shobal: Alvan,

 Manahath,

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,

Ebal, Shepho,
41
The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

 and Onam.

 e

The son

f
 of Anah: Dishon.

The sons of Dishon: Hemdan,
42
Ithran, and Cheran.

g

 Eshban,

The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and

Akan.

The Kings of Edom  (Genesis 36:31–43)
The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

43

 h

These are the kings who reigned in the land of
the

Edom  before  any  king  reigned  over
Israelites:

Bela son of Beor. His city was named
44
Dinhabah.

When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from

45
Bozrah reigned in his place.

When Jobab died, Husham from the land

46
of the Temanites reigned in his place.

When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad,

who defeated Midian in the country of
Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of
47
his city was Avith.

When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah

Zebulun,
3
Gad, and Asher.

Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali,

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. So the LORD put him
4
to death.

Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to
him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons
in all.

5

The sons of Perez:

6

Hezron and Hamul.

k

The sons of Zerah:

 l

7

Zimri,
five in all.

 Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara
 m

—

n
The son

 of Carmi:

8

 who brought trouble upon Israel

Achar,
by violating the ban on devoted things.

The son of Ethan:

9

Azariah.

The sons who were born to Hezron:

o

a 36
Zephi
d 40
Hamran
i 48

reigned in his place.
b 39 Homam

Hemam

Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.

c 40
sons

f 41

Alian

Many Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also Genesis 36:11); most Hebrew manuscripts

g 42

 is a variant of

h 43

LXX (see also Genesis 36:23); Hebrew

before an Israelite king ruled over them

LXX (see also Genesis 36:23); Hebrew
Pai

LXX (see also Genesis 36:27); Hebrew

the River

j 50

k 6 Zimri
Many MT manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also Genesis 36:39);
Darda
; see Joshua 7:1.
Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew
Chelubai

n 7 Achar

Zabdi

Caleb

sons

m 7

o 9

Or

LXX (see also Genesis 36:26); Hebrew
l 6

most MT manuscripts
troubler
manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also 1 Kings 4:31)

 is a variant of

Achan

Hebrew

 means

Hebrew

e 41
Shephi
; see Genesis 36:22.
Hebrew

Jaakan

; also called

 in Joshua 7 and Joshua 22.

Hebrew

, a variant of

; see verse 18.

372    |    1 Chronicles 2:10

10

Ram was the father of Amminadab, and
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a
11
leader of the descendants of Judah.

a

Nahshon was the father of Salmon,

12
Salmon was the father of Boaz.

 and

Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed

13
was the father of Jesse.

 b

16

15

14
Abinadab  was  born  second,  Shimea
Nethanel  fourth,  Raddai  fifth,

Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn;
  third,
Ozem
Their  sisters
sixth,  and  David  seventh.
were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons
17
of  Zeruiah  were  Abishai,  Joab,  and  Asahel.
Abigail  was  the  mother  of  Amasa,  whose

 c

18
father was Jether

 the Ishmaelite.

d

Caleb  son  of  Hezron  had  children  by  his
wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were the
19
sons of Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
When  Azubah  died,  Caleb  married
Ephrath,
Hur was
 who bore to him Hur.
the  father  of  Uri,  and  Uri  was  the  father  of
21
Bezalel.

20

23

22

Later,  Hezron  slept  with  the  daughter  of
Machir the father of Gilead. He had married
her  when  he  was  sixty  years  old,  and  she
Segub was the father of
bore to him Segub.
Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land
e
But Geshur and Aram captured
of Gilead.
Havvoth-jair,
  along  with  Kenath  and  its
sixty surrounding villages. All these were de-
24
scendants of Machir the father of Gilead.

 g
After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, his

 f

wife Abijah bore
25
of Tekoa.

 to him Ashhur the father

The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of

Hezron:

26

Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem,
and Ahijah.
named Atarah, who was the mother of
Onam.

Jerahmeel had another wife

27

The sons of Ram the firstborn of

Jerahmeel:
28

Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

The sons of Onam:

The sons of Shammai:

29

Nadab and Abishur.
was named Abihail, and she bore to him
Ahban and Molid.

Abishur’s wife

30

The sons of Nadab:

31

Seled and Appaim. Seled died without
 h
children.

The son

 of Appaim:

Ishi.

The son of Ishi:

Sheshan.

The son of Sheshan:
32

Ahlai.

The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai:

33

Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without
children.

The sons of Jonathan:

Peleth and Zaza.

34
These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

35

Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters.
He  also  had  an  Egyptian  servant  named
Sheshan gave his daughter in mar-
Jarha.
riage  to  his  servant  Jarha,  and  she  bore  to
36
him Attai.

37

Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan was
Zabad was the father
the father of Zabad,
38
of  Ephlal,  Ephlal  was  the  father  of  Obed,
39
Obed was the father of Jehu, Jehu was the
father of Azariah,
Azariah was the father of
40
Helez,  Helez  was  the  father  of  Elasah,
Elasah  was  the  father  of  Sismai,  Sismai
Shallum was the
was the father of Shallum,
father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the fa-
42
ther of Elishama.

41

The sons of Caleb the brother of

 i

Jerahmeel:

 his firstborn, who was the father

Mesha
of Ziph, and Mareshah his second son,
who was the father of Hebron.

43

The sons of Hebron:
44
Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.

a 11

Shammai and Jada.
Shimei
LXX (see also Ruth 4:20–21); Hebrew

Salma

Ephrathah
d 19 Ephrath
and
relations with Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore

; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 13:3, and 2 Samuel 21:21.
; see verse 50.
sons
h 31

 is a variant of

e 23

Or

; twice in this verse

42, 45, 49, and possibly elsewhere

Hebrew

; see also LXX.
; three times in this verse

Shema was the father of Raham the
Shimeah
b 13 Shimea
father of Jorkeam, and Rekem was the
   c 17 Jether
the villages of Jair

Shammah

Ithra

,
After Hezron died, Caleb had
the founder

; see 2 Samuel 17:25.

,

 is a variant of
f 24
 is a variant of
g 24
i 42

Or
Or
Hebrew; LXX

Mareshah

; also in verses

45

father of Shammai.
was Maon, and Maon was the father of
Beth-zur.

The son of Shammai

46

Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother
of  Haran,  Moza,  and  Gazez.  Haran  was  the
47
father of Gazez.

The sons of Jahdai:

48

Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and
Shaaph.

49

Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother
of Sheber and Tirhanah.
She was also the
mother of Shaaph father of Madmannah, and
of  Sheva  father  of  Machbenah  and  Gibea.
Caleb’s  daughter  was  Acsah.
These  were
the descendants of Caleb.

50

 a

 b
 of Hur the firstborn of

The sons
Ephrathah:

51
Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,

52

Salma the father of Bethlehem, and

Hareph the father of Beth-gader.

These were the descendants of Shobal the

53

father of Kiriath-jearim:

and the

Haroeh, half the Manahathites,
clans of Kiriath-jearim—the Ithrites,
Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites.
From these descended the Zorathites and
Eshtaolites.

54

The descendants of Salma:

55

Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-
 c
beth-joab, half the Manahathites, the
Zorites,
and the clans of the scribes
who lived at Jabez—the Tirathites,
Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are
d
the Kenites who came from Hammath,
The Descendants of David  (2 Samuel 3:1–5)
the father of the house of Rechab.

3

These were the sons of David who were born
to him in Hebron:

1 Chronicles 3:20    |    373

3
the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith;

the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital;

4
and the sixth was Ithream by his wife Eglah.

These six sons were born to David in Heb-
ron, where he reigned seven years and six
months.
5

And  David  reigned  in  Jerusalem  thirty-three
years,
and  these  sons  were  born  to  him  in
e
Jerusalem:

 f

 Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.

Shimea,
g
These four were born to him by Bathsheba
i
6
daughter of Ammiel.
7

8

h

David’s other sons were Ibhar,

Eliphelet,
9
shama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine in all.

Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

 Elishua,
Eli-

These were all the sons of David, besides
the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was
their sister.
10

The Descendants of Solomon

Solomon’s son was Rehoboam:

11

 j

 his son, Ahaziah his

Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehosha-
12
phat his son,
Joram
 k
son, Joash his son,
Ahaz
 his son, Jotham his son,
Azariah
14
his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his
son,
Amon his son, and Josiah his son.

Amaziah his son,

13

15

The sons of Josiah:

 l
Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the
second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum
the fourth.

16

 m

The successors of Jehoiakim:

The Royal Line After the Exile

Jeconiah

 his son, and Zedekiah.

17

The descendants of Jeconiah the captive:

18

Shealtiel his son,
Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and
Nedabiah.

Malchiram, Pedaiah,

19

The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam of
Jezreel;
2
the second was Daniel by Abigail of Carmel;

The sons of Pedaiah:

Zerubbabel and Shimei.

The children of Zerubbabel:
20

the third was Absalom the son of Maacah

a 50
d 55

daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;

son

b 50 Ephrathah
the founder of the house of Rechab

Ephrath

Meshullam and Hananiah, their sister
of the Sopherites
Shelomith,
e 5 Shimea

and five others: Hashubah,
Shammua

c 55

the father of Beth-rechab
f 5
 or
g 5 Ammiel
One Hebrew manuscript and Vulgate (see also LXX and 2 Samuel 11:3); most Hebrew

 is a variant of
Eliam

; see verse 19.

 is a variant of

h 6

Or

; see 2 Samuel
David’s other

 is a variant of

Jehoram
m 16 Jeconiah

Jehoahaz

; see 2 Samuel 11:3.
k 12 Azariah

Hebrew does not include
Uzziah

Two Hebrew manuscripts (see also 2 Samuel 5:15 and 1 Chronicles 14:5); most Hebrew manuscripts

 is another name for

 is a variant spelling of
.

.

 is a variant of

; see 2 Chronicles 26:1.
; also in verse 17; see 2 Kings 24:6.

Jehoiachin
 is also called

LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew
Or
Bath-shua
5:14 and 1 Chronicles 14:4.
sons were
i 6
manuscripts
Elishama
j 11 Joram
.
l 15 Shallum

374    |    1 Chronicles 3:21

21

Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and
Jushab-hesed.

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:

23

Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and
Shaphat.

The sons of Neariah:

24

Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three
in all.

The sons of Elioenai:

The Descendants of Judah

Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub,
Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.

4

The descendants of Judah:

2

Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.

Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of

Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai
and Lahad. These were the clans of the
3
Zorathites.

 a

 b

These were the sons
4

 of Etam: Jezreel,
Ishma, and Idbash. And their sister was
named Hazzelelponi.
Penuel was the
father
of Hushah.

 of Gedor, and Ezer was the father

These were the descendants of Hur, the
firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of
5
Bethlehem.

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives,
6

Helah and Naarah.

Naarah bore to him Ahuzzam, Hepher,
Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the
7
descendants of Naarah.

c

8

The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar,

and Koz, who was the father of

Ethnan,
Anub and Zobebah and of the clans of
Aharhel son of Harum.

The Prayer of Jabez

9

brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,
10
saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

d

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.”

More Descendants of Judah

And God granted the request of Jabez.
11

Chelub the brother of Shuhah was the fa-
12
ther of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha,
of Paseah, and of Tehinnah the father of
13
Ir-nahash. These were the men of Recah.

The sons of Kenaz:

Othniel and Seraiah.

The sons of Othniel:
14

Hathath and Meonothai.

e

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
15
craftsmen.

f

The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:

 g

Iru, Elah, and Naam.

 of Elah:

The son
16

Kenaz.

The sons of Jehallelel:

17

Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

The sons of Ezrah:

Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon.

 h

18

And Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth
 to
Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father
of Eshtemoa.
These were the children
of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah.

 j

i

Mered also took a Judean
birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber
the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father
of Zanoah.

 wife, who gave

19

The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister
k
of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the
Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

the founder

a 3

Now  Jabez  was  more  honorable  than  his

These were of the father     b 4

c 7
LXX (see also Vulgate); Hebrew
e 13

pain
bly elsewhere
shim, for they were craftsmen
Hebrew for
gave birth
i 18
lah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite

distress
Alternate MT reading; the other alternate (see also Vulgate) reads

and Meonothai
g 15
Vulgate and some LXX; Hebrew does not include
Judahite
.
 means

valley of craftsmen

k 19
Hebrew

. The Hebrew

Ge-harashim

j 18

 or

.

Or

Izhar

d 9 Jabez
; also in verses 5, 12, 14, 17, 18, and possi-
Ge-hara-
 sounds like the
she
sons
.
were the father of Kei-

h 17
Literally

f 14

.

Literally

This statement is at the end of verse 18 in the Hebrew.

Or

Or

20

The sons of Shimon:

Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.

The descendants of Ishi:
21

Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.

The sons of Shelah son of Judah:

22

Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father
of Mareshah and the clans of the linen
workers at Beth-ashbea,
of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who
ruled in Moab and Jashubi-lehem. (These
names are from ancient records.)
These
were the potters who lived at Netaim and
Gederah. They lived there in the service
of the king.

Jokim, the men
23

The Descendants of Simeon

24

a
The descendants of Simeon:
25
Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah,

 and Shaul.

The sons of Shaul:

26

27

Shallum, Mibsam, and Mishma.

The sons of Mishma:

Hammuel, Zaccur, and Shimei.

28

29

Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters,
but his brothers did not have many children,
so  their  whole  clan  did  not  become  as  nu-
merous as the sons of Judah.
They lived in
30
Beersheba,  Moladah,  Hazar-shual,
Bilhah,
31
Bethuel,  Hormah,  Ziklag,
Ezem,  Tolad,
Beth-marcaboth,  Hazar-susim,  Beth-biri,
and  Shaaraim.  These  were  their  cities  until
the reign of David.
And their villages were
Etam,  Ain,  Rimmon,  Tochen,  and  Ashan—
five towns—
and all their surrounding vil-
lages  as  far  as  Baal.
  These  were  their
settlements,  and  they  kept  a  genealogical
34
record:

32

33

b

35

Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of

36

Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah

Amaziah,
(son of Seraiah, son of Asiel),
37
Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel,
Jesimiel, Benaiah,
and Ziza son of
Shiphi (son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son
of Shimri, son of Shemaiah).

Elioenai,

38

39

These men listed by name were the lead-
ers  of  their  clans.  Their  families  increased
greatly,
and  they  journeyed  to  the  en-
trance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley,

Zohar

a 24 Zerah
Baalath

c 41
 is a variant of

cherem
d 6

1 Chronicles 5:10    |    375

40

in search of pasture for their flocks.
There
they found rich, good pasture, and the land
was spacious, peaceful, and quiet; for some
41
Hamites had lived there formerly.

 c

These  who  were  noted  by  name  came  in
the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They at-
tacked the Hamites in their dwellings as well
as  the  Meunites  who  were  there,  devoting
them to destruction
 even to this day. Then
they settled in their place, because there was
And five hundred
pasture for their flocks.
of these Simeonites led by Pelatiah, Neariah,
Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went
and  struck  down  the  rem-
to  Mount  Seir
nant  of  the  Amalekites  who  had  escaped.
And they have lived there to this day.

43

42

The Descendants of Reuben

5

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.
2
So  he  is  not  reckoned  according  to  birthright.
And  though  Judah  prevailed  over  his  brothers
and  a  ruler  came  from  him,  the  birthright  be-
The  sons  of  Reuben,  the
longed  to  Joseph.
firstborn of Israel:
4
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

3

The descendants of Joel:

5
Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
 d
6
Micah  his  son,  Reaiah  his  son,  Baal  his  son,
and  Beerah  his  son,  whom  Tiglath-pileser

king of Assyria carried into exile.

7

His
Beerah  was  a  leader  of  the  Reubenites.
relatives by their clans are recorded in their ge-
nealogy:

8

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,
and Bela son of Azaz,
the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled
9
in  Aroer  and  as  far  as  Nebo  and  Baal-meon.
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
10
the land of Gilead.

During  the  days  of  Saul  they  waged  war
against  the  Hagrites,  who  were  defeated  at
their hands, and they occupied the dwellings of
the  Hagrites  throughout  the  region  east  of
b 33
Gilead.

Forms of the Hebrew

them or by giving them as an offering.

 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying
; also in verse 26
Hebrew

, a variant spelling of

; see Genesis 46:10 and Exodus 6:15.

Tilgath-pilneser

Heb.; some LXX manuscripts (see also Josh. 19:8)

Tiglath-pileser

376    |    1 Chronicles 5:11

The Descendants of Gad

11

The  descendants  of  Gad  lived  next  to  the
Reubenites  in  the  land  of  Bashan,  as  far  as
12
Salecah:

Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then

13
Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan.

14

Their  kinsmen  by  families  were  Michael,
Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—
seven in all.
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.
Ahi son of Abdiel, the
16
son of Guni, was head of their family.

15

They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its towns,
17
and  throughout  the  pasturelands  of  Sharon.
All of them were recorded in the genealogies
during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and
18
Jeroboam king of Israel.

The  Reubenites,  the  Gadites,  and  the  half-
tribe  of  Manasseh  had  44,760  warriors—
valiant men who carried the shield and sword,
19
drew  the  bow,  and  were  trained  for  battle.
They waged war against the Hagrites, as well

20
as Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.

21

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.
They seized
the  livestock  of  the  Hagrites—50,000  camels,
22
250,000  sheep,  and  2,000  donkeys.  They  also
took 100,000 captives,
and many others fell
slain, because the battle belonged to God. And
The Half-Tribe of Manasseh
they occupied the land until the exile.
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
These  were  the
known  as  Mount  Hermon).
heads of their families:

24

a

Epher,  Ishi,  Eliel,  Azriel,  Jeremiah,  Hodaviah,
and Jahdiel.

25

They were mighty men of valor, famous men,
But  they  were
and  heads  of  their  families.
unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and they
prostituted  themselves  with  the  gods  of  the
peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed
a 23
before them.
Literally

verse 15; see Ezra 3:2.

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
The Descendants of Levi
river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.

6

The sons of Levi:

2
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The sons of Kohath:

3

Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

The children of Amram:

Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

The sons of Aaron:

4
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,

5
Phinehas was the father of Abishua,

Abishua was the father of Bukki,

6
Bukki was the father of Uzzi,

Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah,

7
Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth,

Meraioth was the father of Amariah,

8
Amariah was the father of Ahitub,

Ahitub was the father of Zadok,

9
Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz,

Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah,

10
Azariah was the father of Johanan,

Johanan was the father of Azariah, who
served  as  priest  in  the  temple  that  Solo-
11
mon built in Jerusalem,

Azariah was the father of Amariah,

12
Amariah was the father of Ahitub,

Ahitub was the father of Zadok,

13
Zadok was the father of Shallum,

Shallum was the father of Hilkiah,

14
Hilkiah was the father of Azariah,

Azariah was the father of Seraiah,

b

15

and Seraiah was the father of
Jehozadak.

Jehozadak  went  into  captivity  when  the
LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
 is a variant of

b 14 Jehozadak

; also in

Jozadak

from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon.

16

a
The sons of Levi:
17
Gershom,

 Kohath, and Merari.

These are the names of the sons of

Gershom:
18

Libni

 and Shimei.

The sons of Kohath:

19

Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

The sons of Merari:

Mahli and Mushi.

These  are  the  clans  of  the  Levites
according to their fathers:

20

listed

Of Gershom:

21

Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his
son,
son, and Jeatherai his son.

Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his

22

The descendants of Kohath:

23

 b

Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir
24
 his
his son,
Tahath his son, Uriel
son, Assir his son,
his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph

25

The descendants of Elkanah:

26

c

27

 d

e

Elkanah his son,

Amasai, Ahimoth,
Zophai his son, Nahath his son,
his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his
son.

Eliab

28

The sons of Samuel:

f

29

Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second
son.

48

The descendants of Merari:

30

Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah
his son,
son, and Asaiah his son.

Shimea his son, Haggiah his

The Temple Musicians

31

32

These are the men David put in charge of the
music  in  the  house  of  the  LORD  after  the  ark
They  ministered  with  song  be-
rested  there.
fore  the  tabernacle,  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  until
Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusa-
lem. And they performed their duties according
These  are  the
to  the  regulations  given  them.
a 16 Gershom
men who served, together with their sons.
asaph
The sons of Elkanah:
e 27

; also in verse 37; see Exodus 6:24.

 is a variant of

d 27 Eliab

Gershon

c 26

33

1 Chronicles 6:53    |    377

From the Kohathites:

34

g

36

35

Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son
of  Samuel,
son  of  Elkanah,
the
the  son  of  Jeroham,  the  son  of  Eliel,
  the
the  son  of  Zuph,  the  son
son  of  Toah,
of  Elkanah,  the  son  of  Mahath,  the  son  of
Amasai,
the  son  of  Elkanah,  the  son
of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zeph-
aniah,
the  son  of  Tahath,  the  son
of  Assir,  the  son  of  Ebiasaph,  the  son  of
Korah,
the  son  of  Izhar,  the  son  of  Ko-
hath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

37

38

39

Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served

at his right hand:

40

41

  the  son  of  Malchijah,

Asaph  the  son  of  Berechiah,  the  son  of
h
Shimea,
the  son  of  Michael,  the  son
of  Baaseiah,
the
42
son  of  Ethni,  the  son  of  Zerah,  the  son
of  Adaiah,
the  son  of  Ethan,  the  son  of
Zimmah,  the  son  of  Shimei,
the  son
of  Jahath,  the  son  of  Gershom,  the  son  of
Levi.

43

44

On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of

Merari:

45

46

Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the
son of Malluch,
the son of Hashabiah, the
son  of  Amaziah,  the  son  of  Hilkiah,
the
son  of  Amzi,  the  son  of  Bani,  the  son  of
Shemer,
the son of Mahli, the son of Mu-
shi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

47

The Descendants of Aaron

i

49

Their  fellow  Levites  were  assigned  to  every
kind  of  service  of  the  tabernacle,  the  house  of
God.
But Aaron and his sons did all the work of
the  Most  Holy  Place.
  They  presented  the  offer-
ings  on  the  altar  of  burnt  offering  and  on  the
altar of incense to make atonement for Israel, ac-
cording to all that Moses the servant of God had
commanded.

50

These were the descendants of Aaron:

51

52

Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua
his son,
Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Ze-
53
Meraioth  his  son,  Ama-
rahiah  his  son,
riah  his  son,  Ahitub  his  son,
Zadok  his
Abi-
son, and Ahimaaz his son.
Elkanah.

b 23 Ebiasaph

; similarly in verses 17, 20, 43, 62, and 71; see v. 1.

 is a variant of
Some Heb. manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac; most Heb. manuscripts
f 28

and Samuel his son

Eliel

 is also called

; see verse 34. Both of these are other names for Elihu

The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vashni, then Abiah

; see 1 Samuel 1:1.

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts include
Eliab

g 34 Eliel
and some LXX manuscripts (also verse 33 and 1 Samuel 8:2); Heb.

; see verses 33–34 and 1 Samuel 1:19–20.
h 40

See Syriac

Maaseiah

i 49

the Holy of Holies

 is also called

; see verse 27. Both of these are other names for Elihu

manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, one LXX manuscript, and Syriac

; see 1 Samuel 1:1.
Or

.
Most Hebrew

378    |    1 Chronicles 6:54

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
55
them:

56

57

They were given Hebron in the land of Ju-
But
dah and its surrounding pasturelands.
the fields and villages around the city were
So the de-
given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.
scendants  of  Aaron  were  given  Hebron  (a
c
59
58
city  of  refuge),  Libnah,
  Jattir,  Eshtemoa,
 and Beth-
 Juttah,
Ashan,
 Debir,
60
shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

Hilen,

d

a

b

e

And from the tribe of Benjamin they were
given Gibeon,
 Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth,
together with their pasturelands. So they had
61
thirteen cities in all among their families.

From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh
they  were  given  Golan  in  Bashan  and  also
72
Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.

73

From the tribe of Issachar they were given
Ramoth, and Anem, to-

Kedesh, Daberath,
74
gether with their pasturelands.

75

From  the  tribe  of  Asher  they  were  given
Hukok,  and  Rehob,  to-

Mashal,  Abdon,
76
gether with their pasturelands.

And from the tribe of Naphtali they were
given  Kedesh  in  Galilee,  Hammon,  and  Kir-
iathaim, together with their pasturelands.

77

The  Merarites  (the  rest  of  the  Levites)

received the following:

h
From  the  tribe  of  Zebulun  they  were  given
Rimmono  and  Tabor,
  together  with  their
78
pasturelands.

To  the  rest  of  the  Kohathites,  ten  cities
were  allotted  from  the  half-tribe  of  Manas-
seh.

f

62

The  Gershomites,

  according  to  their  clans,
were  allotted  thirteen  cities  from  the  tribes
of  Issachar,  Asher,  Naphtali,  and  Manasseh  in
63
Bashan.

The  Merarites,  according  to  their  clans,  were
allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben,
64
Gad, and Zebulun.

65
So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities
They  assigned  by  lot
and  their  pasturelands.
the cities named above from the tribes of Judah,
66
Simeon, and Benjamin.

And some of the clans of the Kohathites were
given  cities  from  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  for  their
 g
territory:

67

They were given Shechem (a city of refuge)
68
with  its  pasturelands  in  the  hill  country  of
69
Jokmeam, Beth-horon,
Ephraim, and Gezer,
Aijalon,  and  Gath-rimmon,  together  with

70
their pasturelands.

And  from  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh
the  rest  of  the  clans  of  the  Kohathites  were
given  Aner  and  Bileam,  together  with  their
pasturelands.

71

From  the  tribe  of  Reuben  east  of  the  Jor-
dan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer
in the wilderness, Jahzah,
Kedemoth, and
80
Mephaath, together with their pasturelands.

79

i

81

And from the tribe of Gad they were given
Ramoth  in  Gilead,  Mahanaim,
Heshbon,
and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

The Descendants of Issachar

7

j
The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah,

2
all.

 Jashub, and Shimron—four in

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.

 k

3

The son

 of Uzzi:

Izrahiah.

The sons of Izrahiah:

4
Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five
In addition to them,
of them were chiefs.
according  to  their  genealogy,  they  had
36,000 troops for battle, for they had many
wives and children.

b 58

d 59

Some Hebrew

Syriac
 is a variant of
LXX, Syriac, and parallel text at Joshua 21:17; MT
(they were given) Jok-
As in
j 1 Puah

; also in verse 71; see 1 Chronicles 23:7.

; see Joshua 21:16.

Jahaz

g 67

sons
 is a variant of

LXX

; see Numbers 21:23.

 is

a 57

Hilez

The Gershomites received the following:
As in the parallel text at Joshua 21:13; Hebrew
; parallel text at Joshua 21:15

manuscripts; MT
and the parallel text at Joshua 21:16; MT does not include
does not include
 is a variant of
neam, Kartah, Rimmono, and Tabor
the parallel text at Joshua 21:21; Hebrew
Puvah

f 62 Gershomites

Gibeon,

c 59 Ashan
e 60

Juttah,
Gershonites

i 78 Jahzah
k 3

; see Joshua 21:34.

were given the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah
Holon

Ain

They were given the cities of refuge: Shechem      h 77

a variant of

; see Genesis 46:13 and Numbers 26:23.

Hebrew

; also in verses 10 and 17

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:
7
Bela, Becher, and Jediael.

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:

9

Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jer-
emoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all
these were Becher’s sons.
Their genealo-
gies 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:

11

Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan,
Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
All these sons
of  Jediael  were  heads  of  their  families,
12
mighty men of valor; there were 17,200 fit
for  battle.
The  Shuppites  and  Huppites
were  descendants  of  Ir,  and  the  Hushites
The Descendants of Naphtali
were descendants of Aher.

13

a

The sons of Naphtali:

 b

The Descendants of Manasseh

Jahziel,
scendants of Bilhah.

 Guni, Jezer, and Shallum

14

—the de-

The descendants of Manasseh:

Asriel  through  his  Aramean  concubine.  She
15
also gave birth to Machir the father of Gilead.

Machir took a wife from among the Hup-
pites  and  Shuppites.  The  name  of  his  sister
was Maacah.

Another descendant was named Zelophehad,
16
who had only daughters.

Machir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son,
and she named him Peresh. His brother was
Jahzeel
named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and

b 13

a 13 Jahziel

 is a variant of

see Genesis 46:24 and Numbers 26:49.
g 29 Beth-shean
scripts; Hebrew does not include

 is a variant of

c 23 Beriah
; see Gen. 46:24.
his son
Beth-shan

e 27

Non

1 Chronicles 7:31    |    379

17
Rekem.

The son of Ulam:

Bedan.

18

These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir,
the  son  of  Manasseh.
His  sister  Hammo-
lecheth  gave  birth  to  Ishhod,  Abiezer,  and
19
Mahlah.

And these were the sons of Shemida:

The Descendants of Ephraim

Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

20

The descendants of Ephraim:

21

Shuthelah,  Bered  his  son,  Tahath  his  son,
Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,
Zabad his
son, and Shuthelah his son.

Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of
Gath, because they went down to steal their
22
livestock.

c

Their  father  Ephraim  mourned  for  many
23
days, and his relatives came to comfort him.
And again he slept with his wife, and she
conceived  and  gave  birth  to  a  son.  So  he
named  him  Beriah,
  because  tragedy  had
His  daughter  was
come  upon  his  house.
Sheerah,  who  built  Lower  and  Upper  Beth-
25
horon, as well as Uzzen-sheerah.

24

d

26
his  son,

Additionally, Rephah was his son, Resheph
  Telah  his  son,  Tahan  his  son,
Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama
 his son, and Joshua his son.

28
his son,

Nun

27

 e

 f

29

Their  holdings  and  settlements  included
Bethel  and  its  villages,  Naaran  to  the  east,
Gezer  and  its  villages  to  the  west,  and She-
chem and its villages as far as Ayyah
 and its
g
And along the borders of Manas-
villages.
seh  were  Beth-shean,
  Taanach,  Megiddo,
and Dor, together with their villages. The de-
scendants  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
31
Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber, as well as Malchiel, who was the
father of Birzaith.
tragedy

disaster

d 25

Shillem

Most Heb. manuscripts; some Heb. and LXX manuscripts
f 28 Ayyah

;

 sounds like the Heb. for

 or
 is another name for

Gaza

.

Some LXX manu-

; see also LXX.

Or

.
; see 1 Samuel 31:10 and 2 Samuel 21:12.

380    |    1 Chronicles 7:32

32

11

Heber  was  the  father  of  Japhlet,  Shomer,

33
and Hotham, and of their sister Shua.

The sons of Japhlet:

34

Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were
Japhlet’s sons.

The sons of Shemer:

a

Ahi, Rohgah,

 Hubbah, and Aram.

 b

The sons of his brother Helem:

Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.

The sons of Zophah:
37
Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,

c

Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran,

and Beera.

The sons of Jether:

Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.

The sons of Ulla:

Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.

35

36

38

39

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
Genealogy from Benjamin to Saul
their genealogies, was 26,000.

8

2

Benjamin  was  the
father  of  Bela  his
firstborn,  Ashbel  the  second,  Aharah  the
Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
4

d

3
third,

The sons of Bela:
5

6

Addar, Gera, Abihud,
Ahoah,

Abishua, Naaman,

Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

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.

e

8

9

Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab
after he had divorced his wives Hushim and
His sons by his wife Hodesh:
Baara.

10

a 34

Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,
Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons,
heads of families.
Or

The sons of his brother Shemer: Rohgah

c 37 Ithran

Hotham

Jeuz,

e 7

Ehud
another name for
h 31 Zecher
also 1 Chronicles 9:35); Hebrew
 is likely a variant of

j 33 Esh-baal
l 34 Micah

; see v. 7.

Or

Mica

 is also called

; see v. 32.

; note that
The father of Gibeon lived
Zechariah

Ish-bosheth

9:38.
4:4.

He also had sons by Hushim:

12

Abitub and Elpaal.

The sons of Elpaal:

13

Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono
and Lod with its villages),
and Beriah
and Shema (who were the heads of fami-
lies living in Aijalon and who drove out
the inhabitants of Gath).

15

14

16

Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

Zebadiah,
Michael, Ishpah, and Joha

Arad, Eder,
17
were the sons of Beriah.
18

Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,
Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the

20

19
sons of Elpaal.
21

Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,

Elienai, Zillethai,

Eliel,
22
were the sons of Shimei.

Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath
23

24

Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,

Abdon, Zichri,

Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,

Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of

26
Shashak.
27

Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,
Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the

28
sons of Jeroham.

25
Hanan,

All these were heads of families, the
chiefs according to their genealogies, and
29
they lived in Jerusalem.

 f

30
Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived

h

31

His wife’s name was Maacah,
was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal,
Nadab,
Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,
Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah.
They too lived alongside their relatives in
Jerusalem.

The Family of Saul

and

i

 in Gibeon.
g
and Abdon
32

33

Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the
j
father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jona-
than, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

34

k
The son of Jonathan:

l

 and Merib-baal was the

35

Merib-baal,
father of Micah.

The sons of Micah:

m

Shemer

Shomer
Pithon, Melech, Tarea,

Jether

b 35 Helem
 and Ahaz.

Gera the father of

and Gera, that is Heglam, who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

 is a variant of

 is possibly a variant of

g 30

; see v. 38.

i 32 Shimeah
Some LXX manuscripts include
k 34 Merib-baal

; see 1 Chronicles 9:37.
; see 2 Samuel 2:8.

m 35 Tarea

 is a variant of
Tahrea
 is also called

d 3
f 29

 is possibly

; see v. 32.
Possibly
Ner
Some LXX manuscripts (see
Shimeam
Mephibosheth

; see 1 Chronicles 9:36.
; see 1 Chronicles

; see 2 Samuel

 is a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 9:12.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 9:41.

36

 a

10

1 Chronicles 9:21    |    381

Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah,

 was the father of Alemeth,

Jehoaddah
Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri was the
 b
37
father of Moza.

Moza was the father of Binea. Raphah

38
was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

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:
40

Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and
Eliphelet third.
The sons of Ulam were
mighty men of valor, archers, and they had
many sons and grandsons—150 in all.
The People of Jerusalem
All these were the descendants of Benjamin.

9

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 un-
2
faithfulness.

Now the first to resettle their own property in
their  cities  were  Israelites,  priests,  Levites,  and
3
temple servants.

c

Some  of  the  descendants  of  Judah,  Benjamin,
4

Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem:

Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of
Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani,
5
a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

From the priests:
11
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin;

Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of
Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son
of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief
12
official of God’s temple;

Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of

Pashhur, the son of Malchijah;

d

Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah,
the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshil-
13
lemith,

 the son of Immer;

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
15
descendant of Merari;

Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mat-
taniah son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the
16
son of Asaph;

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.

18

From the Shilonites:

Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

From the Zerahites:

Jeuel and 690 relatives.

6

7

From the Benjamites:

Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of
8
Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;

Ibneiah son of Jeroham;

19

e
Shallum

Shallum was their chief;
he was previ-
ously stationed at the King’s Gate on the
east side. These were the gatekeepers
from the camp of the Levites.
son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph,
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
20
entrance to the dwelling of the LORD.

 the son

Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Michri;

Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of
9
Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;

In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar

had been in charge of the gatekeepers,
21
and the LORD was with him.

and 956 of their relatives according to
their genealogy. All these men were heads
Jarah
of their families.

a 36 Jehoaddah

Jadah
Nethinim

c 2

e 19 Ebiasaph
see 1 Chronicles 9:43.

 is a variant of

 or
Abiasaph
Hebrew

 is a variant of

; see Exodus 6:24.

d 12 Meshillemith
; see 1 Chronicles 9:42.

Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the
gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of
b 37 Raphah
Meeting.

Rephaiah

Meshillemoth

 is a variant of

 is a variant of

;
; see Nehemiah 11:13.

382    |    1 Chronicles 9:22

22

The number of those chosen to be gate-
keepers 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

25

So they and their descendants were assigned
24
to guard the gates of the house of the LORD—the
The  gatekeepers  were
house  called  the  Tent.
stationed on the four sides: east, west, north, and
Their relatives came from their villages
south.
26
at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day
But  the  four  chief  gatekeepers,  who
periods.
were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and
the treasuries of the house of God.
They would
spend  the  night  stationed  around  the  house  of
God, because they were responsible for guarding
28
it and opening it every morning.

27

29

Some  of  them  were  in  charge  of  the  articles
used  in  worship,  to  count  them  whenever  they
Others were put
were brought in or taken out.
in charge of the furnishings and other articles of
the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil,
And some of the sons
frankincense, and spices.
31
of the priests mixed the spices.

30

32

A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of
Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking
Some  of  their  Kohathite  relatives
the  bread.
were  responsible  for  preparing  the  rows  of  the
33
showbread every Sabbath.

Those  who  were  musicians,  the  heads  of
Levite  families,  stayed  in  the  temple  chambers
and were exempt from other duties because they
All  these  were
were  on  duty  day  and  night.
heads of Levite families, chiefs according to their
The Descendants of Saul
genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.

34

35

 a

Jeiel the father

 of Gibeon lived in
36
Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah.

37

Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur,

Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
38
Zechariah, and Mikloth.

Gedor, Ahio,
b

Mikloth was the father of Shimeam.
They too lived alongside their relatives
39
in Jerusalem.

Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the
b 38 Shimeam

father of Saul, and Saul was the father of

the founder

a 35

Shimeah

Or

LXX and 1 Chronicles 8:35); Hebrew
brew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX
see 1 Chronicles 8:36.

 is a variant of

e 43 Rephaiah

Raphah

Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and
40
Esh-baal.

The son of Jonathan:

41

Merib-baal, who was the father of
Micah.

The sons of Micah:
42
Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.

c

 d

Ahaz was the father of Jarah; Jarah

was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and
43
Zimri; and Zimri was the father of Moza.

 e

Moza was the father of Binea.

44

Rephaiah
and Azel his son.

 was his son, Elasah his son,

And Azel had six sons, and these were

their names:

Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah,
Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons
of Azel.

Saul’s Overthrow and Death
(1 Samuel 31:1–6 ;  2 Samuel 1:1–16)

10

Now the Philistines fought against Israel,
and  the  men  of  Israel  fled  before  them,

2
and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

3

The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his
sons,  and  they  killed  Saul’s  sons  Jonathan,
When the battle in-
Abinadab, and Malchishua.
tensified against Saul, the archers overtook him
4
and wounded him.

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your
sword and run me through with it, or these un-
circumcised men will come and torture me!”

But  his  armor-bearer  was  terrified  and  refused
5
to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

6

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead,
So Saul
he too fell on his own sword and died.
died  together  with  his  three  sons  and  all  his
The Philistines Possess the Towns
house.
(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.

c 41

Pithon, Melech, and Tahrea
 is a variant of

Jadah; Jadah

; see 1 Chronicles 8:32.
Jarah

Tahrea

Tarea

d 42

Vulgate and Syriac (see also
Jadah
.

Jehoaddah
Most He-

 is a variant of

; note that

; note that
; see 1 Chronicles 8:37.

 and

 are variants of

;

8

9

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip
the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on
They  stripped  Saul,  cut  off  his
Mount  Gilboa.
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
They put his armor in the temple
their people.
of their gods and hung his head in the temple of
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul
Dagon.
(1 Samuel 31:11–13)

10

11

12

When  all  the  people  of  Jabesh-gilead  heard
about  everything  the  Philistines  had  done  to
all  their  men  of  valor  set  out  and  re-
Saul,
trieved  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  and
brought  them  to  Jabesh.  And  they  buried  their
bones under the oak
 in Jabesh and fasted seven
13
days.

 a

So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD,
because  he  did  not  keep  the  word  of  the  LORD
14
and  even  consulted  a  medium  for  guidance,
and  he  failed  to  inquire  of  the  LORD.  So  the
LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom
David Anointed King of All Israel
over to David son of Jesse.
(2 Samuel 5:1–5)

11

b

2

Then all Israel came together to David at
Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own
 while Saul
flesh and blood.
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
3
you will be ruler over them.’

Even in times past,

”

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
David Conquers Jerusalem  (2 Sam. 5:6–11)
LORD through Samuel.
4

Then  David  and  all  the  Israelites  marched  to
Jerusalem  (that  is,  Jebus),  where  the  Jebusites
5
inhabited the land.

The  people  of  Jebus  said  to  David,  “You  will

never get in here.”

Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion
6
(that is, the City of David).

Now  David  had  said,  “Whoever  is  the  first
to  strike  down  a  Jebusite  will  become  chief
terebinth
a 12
commander.”
the Three

For some time

great tree

c 8

b 2
e 12 Dodo
Or

Or

 or

1 Chronicles 11:19    |    383

And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he be-
7
came the chief.

8

 c

So David took up residence in the fortress; that
is why it was called the City of David.
He built
up  the  city  around  it,  from  the  supporting  ter-
races
  to  the  surrounding  wall,  while  Joab  re-
9
stored the rest of the city.

And David became greater and greater, for the

David’s Mighty Men  (2 Samuel 23:8–39)
LORD of Hosts was with him.

10

Now  these  were  the  chiefs  of  David’s  mighty
men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and
strengthened  his  kingdom,  according  to  the
This is the
word of the LORD concerning Israel.
list of David’s mighty men:

11

 d

Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the of-
 he wielded his spear against three hun-
ficers;
 e
12
dred men, whom he killed at one time.

13

Next  in  command  was  Eleazar  son  of  Dodo

14

the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.
He
was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philis-
tines gathered there for battle. At a place with a
field full of barley, the troops fled from the Phil-
 f
istines.
But Eleazar and David stationed them-
selves
 in the middle of the field and defended it.
They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD
15
brought about a great victory.

16

Three of the thirty chief men went down to Da-
vid,  to  the  rock  at  the  cave  of  Adullam,  while  a
company of Philistines was encamped in the Val-
At that time David was in the
ley of Rephaim.
17
stronghold,  and  the  garrison  of  the  Philistines
David longed for water and
was at Bethlehem.
said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of
18
water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

19

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
saying, “Far be it from me, my God,
the LORD,
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.

; see 2 Samuel 23:8.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chr. 27:4.

Literally

the Millo

Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
of
But they stationed themselves
; some LXX manuscripts

of the Thirty

f 14
Or

d 11

Dodai
Hebrew

384    |    1 Chronicles 11:20

20

a

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of
the  Three,
  and  he  wielded  his  spear  against
21
three hundred men, killed them, and won a name
He was doubly honored
along with the Three.
above  the  Three,  and  he  became  their  com-
mander, even though he was not included among
22
the Three.

c

b

23

And  Benaiah  son  of  Jehoiada  was  a  man  of
valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He
 and on a
struck down two champions of Moab,
snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a
lion.
He also struck down an Egyptian, a huge
 Although the Egyptian had
man five cubits tall.
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.
These were the exploits of Benaiah
son of Jehoiada, who won a name along with the
three  mighty  men.
He  was  most  honored
among the Thirty, but he did not become one of
the  Three.  And  David  appointed  him  over  his
26
guard.

24

25

Now these were the mighty men:

Asahel the brother of Joab,
d
27
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

Shammoth the Harorite,

28
Helez the Pelonite,

Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

29
Abiezer the Anathothite,

Sibbecai the Hushathite,

30
Ilai the Ahohite,

Maharai the Netophathite,

 e

31
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai

 son of Ribai from Gibeah of the

Benjamites,
32
Benaiah the Pirathonite,

 f

 g

 h
Hurai

33
Abiel

 from the brooks

 of Gaash,

i

 the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Baharumite,

34
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

 j

the sons of Hashem

35
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

 the Gizonite,
 k

36

Hepher the Mecherathite,

37
Ahijah the Pelonite,

Hezro the Carmelite,

38
Naarai son of Ezbai,

Joel the brother of Nathan,

39
Mibhar son of Hagri,

Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of
40
Joab son of Zeruiah,
Ira the Ithrite,
41
Gareb the Ithrite,

Uriah the Hittite,
42
Zabad son of Ahlai,

Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of

43
the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,

Hanan son of Maacah,
44
Joshaphat the Mithnite,

Uzzia the Ashterathite,

Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the
45
Aroerite,

Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha

46
the Tizite,

Eliel the Mahavite,

Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,
47
Ithmah the Moabite,

The Mighty Men Join David at Ziklag

Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12

Now  these  were  the  men  who  came  to
David  at  Ziklag,  while  he  was  still  ban-
ished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they
2
were among the mighty men who helped him in
they  were  archers  using  both  the  right
battle;
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;
4
Jehu the Anathothite;

Ahiam son of Sachar
the Thirty

 the Hararite,

b 22

a 20

Eliphal son of Ur,
Hebrew; Syriac
inches or 229 cm tall.
h 32 Abiel
is a variant of
j 34 Hashem

Ittai

Abi-albon
; see 2 Samuel 23:29.
Jashen

d 27 Shammoth the Harorite
f 32 Hurai

; also in verse 21

Or

 is a variant of

 is a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 23:31.
; see LXX and 2 Samuel 23:32.

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man
among the Thirty and a leader over the
c 23 5 cubits
two sons of Ariel of Moab
Thirty;
Shammah the Harodite
Hiddai
i 33 Baharumite

; see 2 Samuel 23:25.
Barhumite
; see 2 Samuel 23:30.
Sharar
 is a variant of

k 35 Sachar

Or

e 31 Ithai
 is approximately 7 feet 6
g 32

from the ravines

 is a variant of
 is a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 23:31.
; see 2 Samuel 23:33.

 is a variant of

Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the
5
Gederathite;

Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and

6
Shephatiah the Haruphite;

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and

7
Jashobeam, who were Korahites;

8

and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of

Jeroham from Gedor.

Some  Gadites  defected  to  David  at  his  strong-
hold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of
valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield
and spear, whose faces were like the faces of li-
ons  and  who  were  as  swift  as  gazelles  on  the
mountains:

9

10

Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in

command, Eliab the third,
12
the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
13
the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.

11
Mishmannah
Attai
Johanan the
Jeremiah the

14

These  Gadites  were  army  commanders,  the
least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the
15
greatest for a thousand.

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 val-
16
leys, both to the east and to the west.

17

Other  Benjamites  and  some  men  from  Judah
And Da-
also came to David in his stronghold.
vid 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 vi-
olence,  may  the  God  of  our  fathers  see  it  and
18
judge you.”

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
19
of his troops.

1 Chronicles 12:34    |    385

20

Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away,
saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to
When David went to Ziklag,
his master Saul.”)
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
22
the army.

For at that time men came to David day after
day to help him, until he had a great army, like
David’s Army Grows at Hebron
the army of God.
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

25
shields and spears.

From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor,

26
ready for battle.

27

From Levi: 4,600,

28

including Jehoiada,

leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700
and Zadok, a mighty young man of
men,
valor, with 22 commanders from his own
29
family.

From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul:
3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to
30
the house of Saul up to that time.

From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of

31
valor, famous among their own clans.

 a

From the half-tribe of Manasseh:

 18,000

designated by name to come and make
32
David king.

From Issachar, men who understood the
times and knew what Israel should do: 200
chiefs with all their kinsmen at their com-
33
mand.

From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service,
trained for battle with all kinds of weapons
of war, who with one purpose were devoted
34
to David.

b

Some from Manasseh defected to David when
he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul.
(They  did  not  help  the  Philistines  because  the
a 31

From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders,
accompanied by 37,000 men with shield
and spear.

to David

b 33

That is, the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan

LXX; Hebrew does not include

.

386    |    1 Chronicles 12:35

35

36

From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.

From Asher: 40,000 fit for service,

37
prepared for battle.

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
39
were of one mind to make David king.

40

They spent three days there eating and drink-
ing with David, for their relatives had provided
for them.
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,
David Fetches the Ark  (2 Samuel 6:1–4)
there was joy in Israel.

13

2

Then  David  conferred  with  all  his  lead-
ers, the commanders of thousands and of
And he said to the whole assembly of
hundreds.
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
Then
and pasturelands, so that they may join us.
let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did
4
not inquire of Him

 in the days of Saul.”

3

 a

 b

And  because  this  proposal  seemed  right  to
5
all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.
So  David  assembled  all  Israel,  from  the  River
  in  Egypt  to  Lebo-hamath,  to  bring  the

Shihor
6
ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

c

7

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
So they carried the ark of God from
the Name.
the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah
Uzzah Touches the Ark  (2 Samuel 6:5–11)
and Ahio guiding the cart.
8

harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and
9
trumpets.

d

10

When  they  came  to  the  threshing  floor  of
Chidon,
 Uzzah reached out and took hold of the
And the
ark, because  the oxen had stumbled.
anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He
struck him down because he had put his hand on
11
the ark. So he died there before God.

Then  David  became  angry  because  the  LORD
had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that
12
place Perez-uzzah,

 as it is called to this day.

e

13

14

That  day  David  feared  God  and  asked,  “How
So he
can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
did not move the ark with him to the City of Da-
vid; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-
Thus the ark of God remained
edom the Gittite.
with  the  family  of  Obed-edom  in  his  house  for
three months, and the LORD blessed his house-
David’s Family Grows  (2 Samuel 5:12–16)
hold and everything he owned.

14

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to
David,  along  with  cedar  logs,  stonema-
2
sons,  and  carpenters,  to  build  a  palace  for  him.
And  David  realized  that  the  LORD  had  estab-
lished  him  as  king  over  Israel  and  had  highly
exalted  his  kingdom  for  the  sake  of  His  people
3
Israel.

5

And  David  took  more  wives  in  Jerusalem  and
4
became the father of more sons and daughters.
f
These are the names of the children born to him
  Shobab,  Nathan,  Solo-
Nogah,  Nepheg,

in  Jerusalem:  Shammua,
7
Ibhar,  Elishua,  Elpelet,
mon,
Two Victories over the Philistines
Elishama, Beeliada,
Japhia,
(2 Samuel 5:17–25)

 and Eliphelet.

6

g

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
9
out to face them.

10

Now  the  Philistines  had  come  and  raided  the
So  David  inquired  of  God,
Valley  of Rephaim.
“Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You
deliver them into my hand?”

of it

David and all the Israelites were celebrating be-
fore God with all their might, with songs and on
a 3
between the cherubim
Or
d 9 Chidon
f 4 Shammua

Shimea

b 5

Hebrew
; or
 is a variant of

from the Shihor
the ark of God, the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim, where His Name is called
Nacon

the ark of God, which is called by the Name of the LORD who is enthroned

e 11 Perez-uzzah

c 6

Or

g 7 Beeliada

outbreak against Uzzah
Eliada

“Go,”  replied  the  LORD,  “for  I  will  deliver  them
into your hand.”

; see 2 Samuel 6:6.

 means

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 3:5.

 is a variant of

.
; see 2 Samuel 5:16.

11

11

1 Chronicles 15:24    |    387

a

12

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
There  the  Philistines  aban-
Baal-perazim.
doned their gods, and David ordered that they be
13
burned in the fire.
14

b

15

Once  again  the  Philistines  raided  the  valley.
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 bal-
As soon as you hear the sound of
sam trees.
marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move
out to battle, because this will mean that God has
gone  out  before  you  to  strike  the  camp  of  the
16
Philistines.”

So David did as God had commanded him, and
they struck down the army of the Philistines all
the  way  from  Gibeon  to  Gezer.
And  David’s
fame  went  out  into  every  land,  and  the  LORD
Preparing to Move the Ark  (2 Sam. 6:12–15)
caused all nations to fear him.

17

15

David  constructed  buildings  for  himself
in  the  City  of  David,  and  he  prepared  a
2
place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
Then  David  said,  “No  one  but  the  Levites  may
carry the ark of God, because the LORD has cho-
sen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to min-
3
ister before Him forever.”

4

And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to
bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had
Then he gathered together the
prepared for it.
descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5

From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and

6
120 of his relatives;

from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and

7
220 of his relatives;

c

from the Gershomites,

8
130 of his relatives;

 Joel the chief and

from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief

9
and 200 of his relatives;

from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80

10
of his relatives;

and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the

a 11 Baal-perazim

The Lord Bursts Out

Gershonites

chief and 112 of his relatives.
 means
Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah

.
; see 1 Chronicles 23:7.

variant of
20 and 1 Chronicles 16:5); most Hebrew manuscripts
g 20 Alamoth
scripts

 or

i 23

b 14
d 18

12

David  summoned  the  priests  Zadok  and  Abi-
Joel,
athar  and  the  Levites  Uriel,  Asaiah,
And he said
Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical fami-
lies.  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 pre-
It was because you Levites were
pared for it.
not with us the first time that the LORD our God
burst  forth  in  anger  against  us.  For  we  did  not
The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark
consult Him about the proper order.”
14

13

15

So  the  priests  and  Levites  consecrated  them-
selves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of
And the Levites carried the ark of God
Israel.
on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had
commanded in accordance with the word of the
16
LORD.

d

17

David  also  told  the  leaders  of  the  Levites  to
appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their
voices with joy, accompanied by musical instru-
So  the
ments—harps,  lyres,  and  cymbals.
Levites  appointed  Heman  son  of  Joel;  from  his
brothers,  Asaph  son  of  Berechiah;  from  their
18
brothers  the  Merarites,  Ethan  son  of  Kushaiah;
and  with  them  their  brothers  next  in  rank:
  Jaaziel,  Shemiramoth,  Jehiel,  Unni,
Zechariah,
Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu,
e
Mikneiah,  and  the  gatekeepers  Obed-edom  and
19
Jeiel.

f
The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were
to sound the bronze cymbals.
Zechariah, Aziel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and
Benaiah were to play the harps according to Ala-
And  Mattithiah,  Eliphelehu,  Mikneiah,
moth.
Obed-edom,  Jeiel,  and  Azaziah were  to  lead  the
music with lyres according to Sheminith.
Che-
naniah  the  head  Levite  was  the  director  of  the
 i
23
music because he was highly skilled.

21

20

22

h

g

24

Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians

Shebaniah,  Joshaphat,  Nethanel,
of  the  ark.
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.

aspen trees

poplar trees

c 7 Gershomites

Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Ozias

Or
 or
Zechariah son of
Several Hebrew manuscripts and most LXX manuscripts (see also verse
h 21 Sheminith

; also in verse 15

f 20 Aziel
 or

Zechariah, Ben,

Jaaziel

e 18

 is a

gatekeepers

 is a variant of

Hebrew; some LXX manu-
; see verse 18.
 is probably a musical term;

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalm 46:1.

here and in Psalm 6:1 and Psalm 12:1.

Literally

; also in verse 24

388    |    1 Chronicles 15:25

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

8

25

26

So  David,  the  elders  of  Israel,  and  the  com-
manders  of  thousands  went  with  rejoicing  to
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from
And  because  God
the  house  of  Obed-edom.
helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of
the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven
27
bulls and seven rams.

28

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 di-
rector of music for the singers. David also wore a
So all Israel brought up the ark of
linen ephod.
the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the
sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with
Michal’s Contempt for David  (2 Samuel 6:16)
cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
29

As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was en-
tering  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
A Tent for the Ark  (2 Samuel 6:17–19)
her heart.

16

2

So  they  brought  the  ark  of  God  and
placed  it  inside  the  tent  that  David  had
pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings
When  David
and  peace  offerings  before  God.
had  finished  sacrificing  the  burnt  offerings  and
peace  offerings,  he  blessed  the  people  in  the
Then he distributed to every
name of the LORD.
man and woman of Israel a loaf of bread, a date
4
cake,

 and a raisin cake.

3

a

David appointed some of the Levites to minister
before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to give
5
thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.
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
and  the  priests  Benaiah  and  Jahaziel
cymbals
blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the
David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving
covenant of God.
(Psalm 105:1–15)

6

7

On that day David first committed to Asaph and
his  associates  this  song  of  thanksgiving  to  the
LORD:
a 3

a portion of meat

b 15

“Give thanks to the LORD; call upon

His name;

9

make known His deeds among the

nations.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

10

tell of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name;

11

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD

rejoice.

Seek out the LORD and His strength;

12

seek His face always.

Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He

13

has pronounced,
O offspring of His servant Israel,

14

O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God;
 b

15

His judgments carry throughout the earth.
 His covenant forever,

Remember

16

the word He ordained for a thousand

generations—

the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

17

18

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

‘I will give you the land of Canaan

19

as the portion of your inheritance.’

When they were few in number,

20

few indeed, and strangers in the land,

21

they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

He let no man oppress them;

22

He rebuked kings on their behalf:

‘Do not touch My anointed ones!
Do no harm to My prophets!’

Sing to the LORD, All the Earth
(Psalm 96:1–13)

23

Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

24

Proclaim His salvation day after day.

25

Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be

26

praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,

27

but it is the LORD who made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and joy fill His dwelling.

He remembers

Or

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

; see Psalm 105:8.

28

42

1 Chronicles 17:13    |    389

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the

29

nations,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering and come before Him.

30

Worship the LORD in the splendor of His

holiness;

tremble before Him, all the earth.

The world is firmly established;

31

it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens be glad,
and the earth rejoice.

32

Let them say among the nations,

‘The LORD reigns!’

Let the sea resound,
and all that fills it;

33

let the fields exult,

and all that is in them.

Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy

34

before the LORD,

35

for He is coming to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
 endures forever.

His loving devotion

 a

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
Worship before the Ark
LORD!”
37

38

So  David  left  Asaph  and  his  associates  there
before  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  LORD,  to
minister  there  regularly  according  to  the  daily
along with Obed-edom and his
requirements,
sixty-eight  relatives.  Obed-edom  son  of  Jedu-
39
thun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.

b

Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets
and  cymbals  for  the  music  and  instruments  for
 And the sons of Jeduthun were
the songs of God.
43
stationed at the gate.

Then all the people departed for their homes,
God’s Covenant with David
and David returned home to bless his household.
(2 Samuel 7:1–17)

17

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
2
covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”

And Nathan replied to David, “Do all that is in

3
your heart, for God is with you.”

4

 c

5

But that night the word of God came to Nathan,
“Go and tell My servant David that this
saying,
is  what  the  LORD  says:  You  are  not  the  one  to
For I have
build Me a house in which to dwell.
not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel
6
 until this day, but I have moved
up out of Egypt
In all
from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling.
My  journeys  with  all  the  Israelites,  have  I  ever
  I  appointed  to  shep-
asked  any  of  the  leaders
herd  My  people,  ‘Why  haven’t  you  built  Me  a
7
house of cedar?’

 d

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
I  have  been
the  ruler  over  My  people  Israel.
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 that of the greatest in
9
the land.

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
and  have  done
as  they  did  at  the  beginning
since the day I appointed judges over My people
Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

10

11

40

And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow
priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the
high place in Gibeon
to regularly present burnt
offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offer-
ings, morning and evening, according to all that
was  written  in  the  Law  of  the  LORD,  which  He
With  them
had  commanded  Israel  to  keep.
were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those cho-
sen and designated by name to give thanks to the
chesed
a 34
LORD, for “His loving devotion endures forever.”
love

kindness

Forms of the Hebrew
the sacred music
range of meaning includes

c 5 Out of Egypt

,

41

Moreover,  I  declare  to  you  that  the  LORD  will
And when your days are
build a house for you.
fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will
raise up your descendant after you, one of your
He
own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
will build a house for Me, and I will establish his
I will be his Father, and he will
throne forever.
instruments for
mercy
goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
.
 is implied, but not included in the Hebrew; see 2 Samuel 7:6.

loving devotion
b 42
d 6

loyalty to a covenant

; see v. 10.

faithfulness

judges

, and

; the

Or

Or

13

12

,

,

,

390    |    1 Chronicles 17:14

14

be  My  son.  And  I  will  never  remove  My  loving
devotion from him as I removed it from your pre-
But I will set him over My house and
decessor.
My  kingdom forever,  and his  throne  will  be  es-
15
tablished forever.”

So  Nathan  relayed  to  David  all  the  words  of

David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
this entire revelation.
(2 Samuel 7:18–29)

16

a

17

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?
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
What  more
great  distinction,
can David say to You for honoring Your servant?
 For the
For You know Your servant,
sake of Your servant and according to Your own
heart,  You  have  accomplished  this  great  thing
20
and made known all these great promises.

  O  LORD  God.

O LORD.

18

19

b

O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no
21
God  but  You,  according  to  everything  we  have
heard with our own ears.
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
For You have made Your people Israel
Egypt.
Your  very  own  forever,  and  You,  O  LORD,  have
23
become their God.

22

24

And now, O LORD, let the word You have spo-
ken concerning Your servant and his house be es-
tablished forever. Do as You have promised,
so
that  Your  name  will  be  established  and  magni-
fied 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 be-
For  You,  my  God,  have  revealed  to
fore  You.
Your servant that You will build a house for him.
Therefore Your servant has found the courage to
26
pray before You.

25

27

And now, O LORD, You are God! And You have
So
promised  this  goodness  to  Your  servant.
now You have been pleased to bless the house of
a 17
Your servant, that it may continue forever before
ant. 19 O LORD,
Or
garrisons
g 9 Tou
clude

and have shown me future generations
d 6

the LORD saved David

Hebrew
Toi
Or

c 3
e 6

his hand

b 19

.

You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will
David’s Triumphs
be blessed forever.”
(2 Samuel 8:1–14 ;  Psalm 60:1–12)

18

Some time later, David defeated the Phil-
istines, subdued them, and took Gath and

2
its villages from the hand of the Philistines.

David also defeated the Moabites, and they be-
3
came subject to David and brought him tribute.

 c

As  far  as  Hamath,  David  also  defeated  King
Hadadezer of Zobah, who had marched out to es-
4
 along the Euphrates River.
tablish his dominion
David captured from him a thousand chariots,
seven  thousand  charioteers,  and  twenty  thou-
sand  foot  soldiers,  and  he  hamstrung  all  the
5
horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.

 d

6

When the Arameans of Damascus came to help
King  Hadadezer  of  Zobah,  David  struck  down
Then  he
twenty-two  thousand  of  their  men.
 in Aram of Damascus, and the
placed garrisons
 e
Arameans became subject to David and brought
him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious
7
wherever he went.

 f

8

And David took the gold shields that belonged
to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to
 and Cun, cities of
Jerusalem.
Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze,
with  which  Solomon  made  the  bronze  Sea,  the
 g
9
pillars, and various bronze articles.

And from Tibhath

 h

10

When  King  Tou

  of  Hamath  heard  that  David
had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king
  to  greet
he  sent  his  son  Hadoram
of  Zobah,
King David and bless him for fighting and defeat-
ing  Hadadezer,  who  had  been  at  war  with  Tou.
Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and
and  King  David  dedicated
silver  and  bronze,
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, Phil-
12
istines, and Amalekites.

11

Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down
13
eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
He  placed  garrisons  in  Edom,  and  all  the
Edomites  were  subject  to  David.  So  the  LORD
made David victorious wherever he went.

 18 . . .  For You know Your serv-

 is a variant of

; also in verse 10; see 2 Samuel 8:9.

LXX and Vulgate (see also 2 Samuel 8:6 and Syriac); Hebrew does not in-

See 2 Samuel 7:20; many translators
f 8 Tibhath
h 10 Hadoram

Tebah
Joram

; also in verse 13

 is a variant of
 is a variant of

; see 2 Samuel 8:8 LXX.
; see 2 Samuel 8:10.

David’s Officers  (2 Samuel 8:15–18)

14

Thus David reigned over all Israel and admin-
istered justice and righteousness for all his peo-
15
ple:

Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;

16
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

 a

Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech

 son

 b

of Abiathar were priests;
17
Shavsha

 was the scribe;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the

Cherethites and Pelethites;
and David’s sons were chief officials at the
David’s Messengers Disgraced (2 Sam. 10:1–8)
king’s side.

19

2

Some time later, Nahash king of the Am-
monites died and was succeeded by his
son.
And  David  said,  “I  will  show  kindness  to
Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed
kindness to me.”

3

So  David  sent  messengers  to  console  Hanun
concerning his father. But when David’s servants
arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console
the princes of the Ammonites said to Ha-
him,
nun,  “Just  because  David has  sent  you comfort-
ers, 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
4
it?”

So  Hanun  took  David’s  servants,  shaved  their
beards,  cut  off  their  garments  at  the  hips,  and
5
sent them away.

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
6
grown back, and then return.”

 c

d

7

When  the  Ammonites  realized  that  they  had
become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammo-
 to hire for
nites sent a thousand talents of silver
themselves  chariots  and  horsemen  from  Aram-
naharaim,
So  they
  Aram-maacah,  and  Zobah.
hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chari-
ots, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops,
who  came  and  camped  near  Medeba  while  the
a 16
Seraiah
b 16 Shavsha
ents
the two rivers
River

,
 is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver.

 is also called

f 16 Shophach

Shobach

Shisha

Sheva

, and

1 Chronicles 19:19    |    391

Ammonites were mustered from their cities and
8
marched out for battle.
9

On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire
The Ammonites marched
army of mighty men.
out and arrayed themselves for battle at the en-
trance to the city, while the kings who had come
David Defeats Ammon and Aram
stayed by themselves in the open country.
(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
11
Israel  and  arrayed  them  against  the  Arameans.
And he placed the rest of the troops under the
command  of  his  brother  Abishai,  who  arrayed
12
them against the Ammonites.

13

“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
Be strong and let us fight
come to your rescue.
bravely  for  our  people  and  for  the  cities  of  our
14
God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

15

So  Joab  and  his  troops  advanced  to  fight  the
When the Am-
Arameans, who fled before him.
monites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too
fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they en-
16
tered the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

 f

When  the  Arameans  saw  that  they  had  been
e
defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring
more  Arameans  from  beyond  the  Euphrates,
with Shophach
17
army leading them.

 the commander of Hadadezer’s

18

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
But the Arame-
battle, they fought against him.
ans  fled  before  Israel,  and  David  killed  seven
thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand
foot  soldiers.  He  also  killed  Shophach  the  com-
19
mander of their army.

When  Hadadezer’s  subjects  saw  that  they
had  been  defeated  by  Israel,  they  made  peace
with David and became subject to him. So the Ar-
ameans  were  unwilling  to  help  the  Ammonites
anymore.

Abimelech

Some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 8:17); most Hebrew manuscripts
Aram-naharaim

d 6

; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, and 1 Kings 4:3.

That is, Mesopotamia;

c 6 1,000 tal-
Aram of

e 16
 means

the

, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.

Hebrew

 is a variant of

; also in verse 18; see 2 Samuel 10:16.

392    |    1 Chronicles 20:1

The Capture of Rabbah  (2 Samuel 12:26–31)

20

a

In  the  spring,
  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 demol-
2
ished it.

 c
Then  David  took  the  crown  from  the  head  of

b

 It was found to weigh a talent of gold

their king.
and  was  set  with  precious  stones,  and  it  was
placed on David’s head. And David took a great
3
amount of plunder from the city.

 d

David brought out the people who were there
and put them to work
 with saws, iron picks, and
axes.  And  he  did  the  same  to  all  the  Ammonite
cities. Then David and all his troops returned to
Battles against the Philistines
Jerusalem.
(2 Samuel 21:15–22)

4

Some time later, war broke out with the Philis-
e
tines  at  Gezer.  At  that  time  Sibbecai  the
  a  descendant  of  the
Hushathite  killed  Sippai,
5
Rephaim,

 and the Philistines were subdued.

f

 g

Once  again  there  was  a  battle  with  the  Philis-
tines,  and  Elhanan  son  of  Jair  killed  Lahmi  the
brother
 of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose
6
spear was like a weaver’s beam.

And there was also a battle at Gath, where there
was  a  man  of  great  stature  with  six  fingers  on
each  hand  and  six  toes  on  each  foot—twenty-
7
four  in  all.  He  too  was  descended  from  Rapha,
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of

8
David’s brother Shimei killed him.

So these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the
David’s Military Census
hands of David and his servants.
(Exodus 30:11–16 ;  2 Samuel 24:1–9)

21

 h

2

Then  Satan
  rose  up  against  Israel  and
incited  David  to  take  a  census  of  Israel.
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
3
I may know their number.”

are  they  not  all  servants  of  my  lord? Why  does
my  lord  want  to  do  this?  Why  should  he  bring
4
guilt on Israel?”

5

Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against
Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout
And
Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.
Joab  reported  to  David  the  total  number  of  the
troops.  In  all  Israel  there  were  1,100,000  men
6
who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in
the count, because the king’s command was de-
Judgment for David’s Sin  (2 Samuel 24:10–14)
testable to him.
7

This command was also evil in the sight of God;

8
so He struck Israel.

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
9
acted very foolishly.”
10

And  the  LORD  instructed  Gad,  David’s  seer,
“Go and tell David that this is what the LORD
says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one
11
of them, and I will carry it out against you.’

”

12

 i

So Gad went and said to David, “This is what
the  LORD  says:  ‘You  must  choose
between
three  years  of  famine,  three  months  of  being
 before your enemies and overtaken
swept away
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
13
sent me.”

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
A Plague on Israel
into the hands of men.”
(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

14

So  the  LORD  sent  a  plague  upon  Israel,  and

15
seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.

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!”

But  Joab  replied,  “May  the  LORD  multiply  His
a 1
troops  a  hundred  times  over.  My  lord  the  king,

At the turn of the year

from the head of Milcom

b 2

c 2 A talent

Literally

cut them

e 4 Sippai
d 3
nites; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7.
g 5
the Adversary
cuser
verses 6 and 8.

 is a variant of

Or

Or

Or

Saph

Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother
Or
i 12

; see 2 Samuel 21:18.
of fleeing

. Milcom, also called Molech, was god of the Ammo-
descendants of Rapha
 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
the Ac-

the giants

h 1

f 4

; see also

 in

; see 2 Samuel 21:19.

That is,

 or

Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate

; see 2 Samuel 24:13.

 a

28

1 Chronicles 22:10    |    393

At that time the angel of the LORD was standing
16
by the threshing floor of Ornan

 the Jebusite.

 b

17

When David lifted up his eyes and saw the an-
gel  of  the  LORD  standing  between  heaven  and
earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched
out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed
And David said to
in sackcloth, fell facedown.
God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the
people? I
 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
David Builds an Altar  (2 Samuel 24:18–25)
plague remain upon Your people.”
18

Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell
David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on
So
the  threshing  floor  of  Ornan  the  Jebusite.
David went up at the word that Gad had spoken
20
in the name of the LORD.

19

21

Now  Ornan  was  threshing  wheat  when  he
turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who
David came to
were with him hid themselves.
Ornan,  and  when  Ornan  looked  out  and  saw
David,  he  left  the  threshing  floor  and  bowed
22
facedown before David.

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
23
the plague upon the people may be halted.”

Ornan said to David, “Take it! May my lord the
king do whatever seems good to him. Look, I will
give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the thresh-
ing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the
24
grain offering—I will give it all.”

“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
25
that cost me nothing.”

 c

26

 for the site.

So  David  paid  Ornan  six  hundred  shekels  of
gold
And there he built an altar to
the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings.  He  called  upon  the  LORD,  who  an-
swered him with fire from heaven on the altar of
27
burnt offering.

Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his

sword back into its sheath.
Araunah
a 15 Ornan

c 25 600 shekels

 is a variant of

DSS and LXX.
probably derived from the Hebrew word for

.

At  that  time,  when  David  saw  that  the  LORD
had  answered  him  at  the  threshing  floor  of
29
Ornan  the  Jebusite,  he  offered  sacrifices  there.
For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had
made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt of-
30
fering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,
but David could not go before it to inquire of
God,  because  he  was  afraid  of  the  sword  of  the
Preparations for the Temple
angel of the LORD.

22

Then David said, “Here shall be the house
of  the  LORD  God,  as  well  as  the

2
altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in
the  land  of  Israel,  from  whom  he  appointed
stonecutters to prepare finished stones for build-
3
ing the house of God.

4

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
and  more  cedar  logs  than  could  be
weighed
counted;  for  the  Sidonians  and  Tyrians  had
5
brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.

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
Solomon Anointed to Build the Temple
lavish preparations before his death.
6

Then David called for his son Solomon and in-
structed him to build a house for the LORD, the
7
God of Israel.

9

8

“My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my
heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD
but this word of the LORD came to me:
my God,
‘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
But a son will be born to you
ground before Me.
who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from
d
all his enemies on every side; for his name will be
10
Solomon,
  and  I  will  grant  to  Israel  peace  and
He is the one who will
quiet during his reign.
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.’
I, the shepherd,
d 9 Solomon

b 17

; also in verses 18–28; see 2 Samuel 24:16.

peace

Or

 is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.

 see 2 Samuel 24:17
 sounds like and is

394    |    1 Chronicles 22:11

11

6

in  building

may  you  succeed
12
of

Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and
the  house
  the  LORD  your  God,  as  He  said  you  would.
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
Then you will succeed, if
the LORD your God.
you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances
that  the  LORD  commanded  Moses  for  Israel.
Be  strong  and  courageous.  Do  not  be  afraid  or
14
discouraged.

13

b

a

 1,000,000 talents of silver,

Now behold, I have taken great pains to pro-
vide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents
 and bronze
of gold,
and iron too great to be weighed. I have also pro-
vided  timber  and  stone,  and  you  may  add  to
15
them.

16

You  also  have  many  workers:  stonecutters,
masons,  carpenters,  and  men  skilled  in  every
kind of work—
in gold and silver, bronze and
iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the
17
work, and may the LORD be with you.”

18
Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to
“Is  not  the  LORD  your
help  his  son Solomon:
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 sub-
dued before the LORD and His people.
Now set
your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God.
Begin 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
The Divisions of the Levites
that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”

19

23

2

When David was old and full of years, he
installed his son Solomon as king over Is-
Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel,

rael.
3
as well as the priests and Levites.

c

4

“Of  these,”  said  David,
5

The  Levites  thirty  years  of  age  or  older  were
counted,  and  the  total  number  of  men  was
38,000.
  “24,000  are  to
oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000
4,000  are  to  be
are  to  be  officers  and  judges,
gatekeepers,  and  4,000  are  to  praise  the  LORD
with  the  instruments  I  have  made  for  giving
a 14 100,000 talents
praise.”

Then  David  divided  the  Levites  into  divisions

according to the sons of Levi:
The Gershonites
(Numbers 3:21–26 ;  Numbers 4:21–28)

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7

 d

8

The Gershonites: Ladan

 e
 and Shimei.

The sons of Ladan: Jehiel

9
and Joel—three in all.

 the first, Zetham,

The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and
Haran—three in all. These were the heads of
g
10
the families of Ladan.

 f

  Jahath,  Zina,

And  the  sons  of  Shimei:

11
Jeush,  and  Beriah.  These  were  the  sons  of
Jahath  was  the  first
Shimei—four  in  all.
and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Be-
riah  did  not  have  many  sons,  so  they  were
counted as one family and received a single
The Kohathites
assignment.
(Numbers 3:27–32 ;  Numbers 4:1–20)

12

The  sons  of  Kohath:  Amram,  Izhar,  Heb-

13
ron, and Uzziel—four in all.

14

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
As for Moses the man of
His name forever.
God, his sons were named among the tribe of
15
Levi.
16

The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was

17
the first.

The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was
the  first.  Eliezer  did  not  have  any  other
sons,  but  the  sons  of  Rehabiah  were  very
18
numerous.
19

The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.

The  sons  of  Hebron:  Jeriah  was  the  first,
Amariah  the  second,  Jahaziel  the  third,  and
20
Jekameam the fourth.

The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and

Isshiah the second.

b 14 1,000,000 talents

said David,

d 7 Ladan

Libni

 is approximately 3,770 tons or 3,420 metric tons of gold.

Jehieli

c 4
e 8 Jehiel

Hebrew does not include

g 10
 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 26:21.

 is approximately

f 10 Shimei
 is a variant of

; also
 was possibly

Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Vul-

37,700 tons or 34,200 metric tons of silver.
in verses 8 and 9; see 1 Chronicles 6:17.
a son or grandson of the
gate (see also verse 11)

Shimei
Zizah

 listed in verse 9.

The Merarites  (Numbers 3:33–37 ;  4:29–33)

21

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
22
The  sons  of  Mahli:  Eleazar  and  Kish.
Eleazar died without having any sons; he
had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons
23
of Kish, married them.

 a

The  sons  of  Mushi:  Mahli,  Eder,  and

Levite Duties Revised

Jeremoth

—three in all.

24

These  were  the  descendants  of  Levi  by  their
families—the heads of families, registered indi-
vidually by name—those twenty years of age or
older who worked in the service of the house of
25
the LORD.

26

For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Is-
rael, has given rest to His people and has come to
dwell in Jerusalem forever.
So now the Levites
no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of
27
the articles for its service.”

28

For according to the final instructions of David,
the  Levites  twenty  years  of  age  or  older  were
counted,
but  their  duty  was  to  assist  the  de-
scendants 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,
29
and the work of the service of the house of God,
as well as for the rows of the showbread, the
fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of un-
leavened  bread,  the  baking,  the  mixing,  and  all
30
measurements of quantity and size.

31

They were also to stand every morning to give
thanks  and  praise  to  the  LORD,  and  likewise  in
the  evening.
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  pre-
scribed for them.
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
Twenty-Four Divisions of Priests
the LORD.

32

24

2

These were the divisions of the descend-
ants  of  Aaron.  The  sons  of  Aaron  were
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
But Nadab
and Abihu died before their father did, and they
had  no  sons;  so  Eleazar  and  Ithamar  served  as
3
priests.

With  the  help  of  Eleazar’s  descendant  Zadok
a 23 Jeremoth
and  Ithamar’s  descendant  Ahimelech,  David

Jerimoth

1 Chronicles 24:19    |    395

4

divided them according to the offices of their ser-
Since  more  leaders  were  found  among
vice.
Eleazar’s  descendants  than  those  of  Ithamar,
they  were  divided  accordingly.  There  were  six-
teen  heads  of  families  from  the  descendants  of
Eleazar  and  eight  from  the  descendants  of
5
Ithamar.

Thus  they  were  divided  by  lot,  for  there  were
officers  of  the  sanctuary  and  officers  of  God
6
among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.

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,

8
the second to Jedaiah,

the third to Harim,

9
the fourth to Seorim,

the fifth to Malchijah,

10
the sixth to Mijamin,

the seventh to Hakkoz,

11
the eighth to Abijah,

the ninth to Jeshua,

12
the tenth to Shecaniah,

the eleventh to Eliashib,

13
the twelfth to Jakim,

the thirteenth to Huppah,

14
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

the fifteenth to Bilgah,

15
the sixteenth to Immer,

the seventeenth to Hezir,

16
the eighteenth to Happizzez,

the nineteenth to Pethahiah,

17
the twentieth to Jehezkel,

the twenty-first to Jachin,

18
the twenty-second to Gamul,

the twenty-third to Delaiah,

19

and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

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.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 24:30.

396    |    1 Chronicles 24:20

The Rest of the Levites

20

Now these were the rest of the descendants of

 a

Levi:

From the sons of Amram: Shubael;
21
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

b

As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first

 c

22
was Isshiah.

From the Izharites: Shelomoth;

23
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

d

From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the
 Amariah the second, Jahaziel the

first,
24
third, and Jekameam the fourth.

From the sons of Uzziel: Micah;

25
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

The brother of Micah: Isshiah;

26
from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

27
The son of Jaaziah: Beno.

The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah:

28
Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
29

From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

30

From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish.

e

And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and

Jerimoth.

31

These  were  the  sons  of  the  Levites,  according
to  their  families.
As  their  brothers  the  de-
scendants 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
Twenty-Four Divisions of Musicians
brothers alike.

25

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  per-
formed this service:

2

From  the  sons  of  Asaph:  Zaccur,  Joseph,
Nethaniah,  and  Asarelah.  These  sons  of
Asaph  were  under  the  direction  of  Asaph,

Shebuel

a 20 Shubael

who  prophesied  under  the  direction  of  the
3
king.

f

Jeshaiah,  Shimei,

From  the  sons  of  Jeduthun:  Gedaliah,
Zeri,
  Hashabiah,  and
Mattithiah—six  in  all—under  the  direction
of  their  father  Jeduthun,  who  prophesied
with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the
4
LORD.

g
From  the  sons  of  Heman:  Bukkiah,  Mat-
taniah, Uzziel, Shebuel,
 Hananiah,
Hanani,  Eliathah,  Giddalti,  Romamti-ezer,
Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazi-
oth.
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 four-
teen sons and three daughters.

 Jerimoth,

5

h

6

All  these  were  under  the  direction  of  their  fa-
thers for the music of the house of the LORD with
cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the
house of God.

7

Asaph,  Jeduthun,  and  Heman  were  under  the
Together  with  their
direction  of  the  king.
relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the
songs  of  the  LORD,  they  numbered  288.
They
cast  lots  for  their  duties,  young  and  old  alike,
teacher as well as pupil.

9

8

 i

The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to
Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his
10
brothers—12 in all;

the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his
j
11
brothers—12 in all;

the fourth to Izri,
12
brothers—12 in all;

 his sons, and his

the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his

13
brothers—12 in all;

the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his

k

14
brothers—12 in all;

the seventh to Jesarelah,

15
his brothers—12 in all;

 his sons, and

the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his

16
brothers—12 in all;

the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his
b 21 Isshiah

brothers—12 in all;

variant of
23:18.
cles 23:23.
i 9
include
Zeri

Shimei

Jeshaiah

d 23

 (twice in this verse) is a variant of
f 3
Hebrew

From the sons: Jeriah
; see 1 Chronicles 26:25.
g 4 Shebuel

c 22 Shelomoth

Shelomith
; see 1 Chronicles 23:16 and 1 Chronicles 26:24.
Jeremoth

e 30 Jerimoth

 (twice in this verse) is a variant of

One Hebrew manuscript and some LXX manuscripts (see also verse 17); most Hebrew manuscripts do not

; see 1 Chronicles 23:19.
Shubael

h 4 Jerimoth

 is a variant of
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

Jeremoth

j 11 Izri

.

k 14 Jesarelah

 is a variant of

Asarelah

; see verse 20.

 is a variant of

 is a

; see 1 Chronicles
; see 1 Chroni-

; see verse 22.
 is a variant of

See LXX and the total in verse 7; Hebrew does not include
; see verse 3.

 is a variant of

; see verse 2.

17

6

1 Chronicles 26:22    |    397

the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his

a

18
brothers—12 in all;

the eleventh to Azarel,

19
brothers—12 in all;

 his sons, and his

the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his

20
brothers—12 in all;

the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and

21
his brothers—12 in all;

the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and

b

22
his brothers—12 in all;

the fifteenth to Jeremoth,

23
his brothers—12 in all;

 his sons, and

the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and

24
his brothers—12 in all;

the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his

25
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;

the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and

26
his brothers—12 in all;

the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and

27
his brothers—12 in all;

the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and

28
his brothers—12 in all;

the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and

29
his brothers—12 in all;

the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons,

30
and his brothers—12 in all;

the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons,

31
and his brothers—12 in all;

and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer,

The Divisions of the Gatekeepers

his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.

26

These  were  the  divisions  of  the  gate-
keepers:

From  the  Korahites:  Meshelemiah  son  of
2
Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

3

Meshelemiah  had  sons:  Zechariah  the
firstborn,  Jediael  the  second,  Zebadiah  the
Elam  the  fifth,
third,  Jathniel  the  fourth,
Jehohanan  the  sixth,  and  Eliehoenai  the
4
seventh.

7

Also  to  his  son  Shemaiah  were  born  sons
who  ruled  over  their  families  because  they
were strong, capable men.
Shemaiah’s sons
were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his
8
brothers were Elihu and Semachiah, also ca-
pable  men.
All  these  were  descendants  of
Obed-edom; they and their sons and broth-
ers  were  capable  men  with  strength  to  do
9
the work—62 in all from Obed-edom.

Meshelemiah  also  had  sons  and  brothers

10
who were capable men—18 in all.

Hosah the Merarite also had sons: Shimri
the first (although he was not the firstborn,
11
his  father  had  appointed  him  as  the  first),
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
13
house  of  the  LORD,  just  as  their  relatives  did.
They cast lots for each gate, according to their
14

c

families, young and old alike.

The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah.
Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a
wise  counselor,  and  the  lot  for  the  North
15
Gate fell to him.

The  lot  for  the  South  Gate  fell  to  Obed-
edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his
16
sons.

 d
The  lots  for  the  West  Gate  and  the

Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway
fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

17
There  were  guards  stationed  at  every  watch.
Each  day  there  were  six  Levites  on  the  east,
18
four  on  the  north,  four  on  the  south,  and  two
pairs  at  the  storehouse.
  on
the west, there were four at the highway and two
19
at the court.

As  for  the  court

 e

These  were  the  divisions  of  the  gatekeepers

The Treasurers, Officers, and Judges
who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
20

 f

And  Obed-edom  also  had  sons:  Shemaiah
the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the
5
third,  Sachar  the  fourth,  Nethanel  the  fifth,
Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and
Peullethai  the  eighth.  For  God  had  blessed
Uzziel
Obed-edom.

a 18 Azarel

Meshelemiah
 is a variant of

As for the Levites, Ahijah was

d 16
; see verse 4.
g 21 Ladan
Or

; see verse 2.

b 22 Jeremoth
on the upper road

 g

Now their fellow Levites were

 in charge of the
21
treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries
From the descendants
of the dedicated things.
of Ladan,
 who were Gershonites through Ladan
and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershon-
c 14 Shelemiah
Jerimoth
ite,  were  Jehieli,
the  sons  of  Jehieli,  Zetham,

22

h

f 20

e 18
 is a variant of
Libni

parbar

Hebrew

; see verse 4.

h 21 Jehieli
; twice in this verse

Je-

 is a
LXX; He-

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 6:17.

 is a variant of

variant of
hiel
brew

; also in verse 22; see 1 Chronicles 23:8.

398    |    1 Chronicles 26:23

and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the
23
treasuries of the house of the LORD.

From  the  Amramites,  the  Izharites,  the  Heb-
24

ronites, and the Uzzielites:

 a

25

Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of
Moses, was the officer in charge of the treas-
His  relatives  through  Eliezer  in-
uries.
  his  son,
cluded  Rehabiah his  son, Jeshaiah
26
Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith
This  Shelomith  and  his  brothers
his  son.
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
They had dedicated some of
commanders.
the plunder from their battles to the repair
of the house of the LORD.
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 Shelo-
29
mith and his brothers.

28

27

 b

From  the  Izharites,  Chenaniah  and  his
 as officers and

sons had the outside duties
30
judges over Israel.

31

As  for  the  Hebronites,  Jerijah

From  the  Hebronites,  Hashabiah  and  his
relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of
the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all
 c
the work of the LORD and for the service of
the  king.
was the chief of the Hebronites, according to
the genealogies of his ancestors. In the forti-
eth  year  of  David’s  reign  the  records  were
searched,  and  strong,  capable  men  were
found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gil-
Among Jerijah’s relatives there were
ead.
2,700 capable men who were heads of fami-
lies.  King  David  appointed  them  over  the
Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God
and for the affairs of the king.

32

Twelve Captains for Twelve Months

2

men in each division:

3

Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of
the  first  division,  which  was  assigned  the
first  month.  There  were  24,000  men  in  his
He was a descendant of Perez and
division.
chief of all the army commanders for the first
 d
4
month.

Dodai

 the Ahohite was in charge of the di-
vision  for  the  second  month,  and  Mikloth
was  the  leader.  There  were  24,000  men  in
5
his division.

6

The third army commander, as chief for the
third  month,  was  Benaiah  son  of  Jehoiada
the priest. There were 24,000 men in his di-
This Benaiah was mighty among the
vision.
Thirty and was over the Thirty, and his son
7
Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s
brother  Asahel,  and  his  son  Zebadiah  was
commander  after  him.  There  were  24,000
8
men in his division.
 e

The fifth, for the fifth month, was the com-
 the Izrahite. There were

mander Shamhuth
9
24,000 men in his division.

The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son
of  Ikkesh  the  Tekoite.  There  were  24,000
10
men in his division.

The  seventh,  for  the  seventh  month,  was
Helez  the  Pelonite,  an  Ephraimite.  There
11
were 24,000 men in his division.

The  eighth,  for  the  eighth  month,  was
Sibbecai  the  Hushathite,  a  Zerahite.  There
12
were 24,000 men in his division.

The  ninth,  for  the  ninth  month,  was  Ab-
iezer  the  Anathothite,  a  Benjamite.  There
13
were 24,000 men in his division.

The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maha-
rai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were
14
24,000 men in his division.

27

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
a 25 Jeshaiah
month throughout the year. There were 24,000
c 31 Jerijah
Or
moth
       f 15 Heldai
 is a var. of

; see 1 Chr. 24:21.

b 29
d 4 Dodai

; see 1 Chr. 23:19.

 is a var. of

 is a var. of

Shammah

Isshiah

Jeriah

The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was
Benaiah  the  Pirathonite,  an  Ephraimite.
15
There were 24,000 men in his division.

 f

The  twelfth,  for  the  twelfth  month,  was
Heldai
  the  Netophathite,  from  the  family
of  Othniel.  There  were  24,000  men  in  his
the duties outside (Jerusalem)
division.
e 8 Shamhuth
Dodo

Sham-

the duties outside (the temple)

Heled

 or
; see 2 Sam. 23:9.

 is a var. of

 or

; see 1 Chr. 11:27 and 2 Sam. 23:25.

 is a var. of

; see 1 Chr. 11:30 and 2 Sam. 23:29.

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
17
Maacah;

over Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel;

18
over Aaron was Zadok;

over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s

brothers;
19
over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;
over Zebulun was Ishmaiah son of

Obadiah;
20
over Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel;
over the Ephraimites was Hoshea son of

Azaziah;
over one of the half-tribes of Manasseh was
21
Joel son of Pedaiah;

over the half-tribe of Manasseh in

22

Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah;
over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner;
and over Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham.
23
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

David  did  not  count  the  men  aged  twenty  or
under, because the LORD had said that He would
24
make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
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  en-
David’s Various Overseers
tered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.

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
26
the villages, and in the fortresses.

Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of the
27
workers in the fields who tilled the soil.
Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of

the vineyards.
Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the
28
produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.
Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of

a

the olive and sycamore trees in the
foothills.
lowlands
Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.

Shephelah

a 28

1 Chronicles 28:5    |    399

29

Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the

herds grazing in Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the
30
herds in the valleys.

Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the

camels.
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of
31
the donkeys.

Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the

flocks.
All these officials were in charge of King
David’s property.
32

The Counselors

David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor;

he was a man of insight and a scribe.
Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended to the sons
33
of the king.

Ahithophel was the king’s counselor.
34
Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada

son of Benaiah, then by Abiathar.
Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

David Commissions Solomon

28

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—
2
every mighty man of valor.

Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Lis-
ten 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 foot-
stool  for  our  God.  I  had  made  preparations  to
but God said to me, ‘You are not to build
build it,
a house for My Name, because you are a man of
4
war who has shed blood.’

3

Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of
all my father’s house to be king over Israel for-
ever. 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
And  of  all  my
make  me  king  over  all  Israel.
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.

5

Hebrew

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

400    |    1 Chronicles 28:6

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  establish  his  kingdom  forever,  if  he  reso-
lutely  carries  out  My  commandments and  ordi-
8
nances, as is being done this day.’

 I will be his Father.

7

9

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  descend-
As for you, Solomon my son, know
ants forever.
the  God  of  your  father  and  serve  Him  whole-
heartedly 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 re-
Consider now that the LORD
ject you forever.
has chosen you to build a house for the sanctu-
The Plans for the Temple
ary. Be strong and do it.”

10

11

a

the weight of each gold dish;
18
the weight of each silver bowl;

the weight of the refined gold for the altar

of incense;

and the plans for the chariot of the gold cher-
ubim that spread their wings and overshad-
owed 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
20
by His hand upon me.”

21

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong
and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or dis-
couraged, 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
The divisions of the priests and Le-
is finished.
vites 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
Offerings for the Temple
the people are fully at your command.”

 c

b

12

Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for
the  portico  of  the  temple,
  its  buildings,  store-
houses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room
for the mercy seat.
The plans contained eve-
rything David had in mind
 for the courts of the
house  of  the  LORD,  for  all  the  surrounding
13
rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and
for the divisions of the
of the dedicated things,
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
15
kind of service;

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
16
lampstand;

the weight of gold for each table of show-

17
bread, and of silver for the silver  tables;

the weight of the pure gold for the forks,

29

2

Then  King  David  said  to  the  whole
assembly,  “My  son  Solomon,  the  one
whom  God  has  chosen,  is  young  and  inexperi-
enced. The task is great because this palace is not
Now with all my
for man, but for the LORD God.
ability I have made provision for the house of my
God—gold for the gold articles, silver for the sil-
ver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and
wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the set-
tings,  turquoise,  stones  of  various  colors,  all
kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble—
3
all in abundance.

4

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
 d
provided  for  this  holy  temple:
three  thousand
e
talents  of  gold
  (the  gold  of  Ophir)  and  seven
 to overlay the
thousand talents of refined silver,
walls of the buildings,
for the gold work and the
silver  work, and  for  all  the  work  to  be  done by
the craftsmen. Now who is willing to consecrate
6
himself to the LORD today?”

5

Then the leaders of the families, the officers of
the  tribes  of  Israel,  the  commanders  of  thou-
sands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge
of  the  king’s  work  gave  willingly.
Toward  the
d 4 3,000
had with him by the Spirit

c 12

7

sprinkling bowls, and pitchers;

of the temple

a 11
talents

b 11

atonement cover
e 4 7,000 talents

LXX; Heb. does not include

Or
 is approx. 113 tons or 103 metric tons of gold.

.

Or

 is approx. 264 tons or 239.5 metric tons of silver.

b

 a

c

  f

d

e  8

  18,000  talents  of  bronze,

service of God’s house they gave 5,000 talents
and  10,000  darics  of  gold,
  10,000  talents  of
  and  100,000
silver,
talents  of  iron.
Whoever  had  precious  stones
gave  them  to  the  treasury  of  the  house  of  the
9
  the  Gershonite.
LORD,  under  the  care  of  Jehiel
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
David’s Prayer of Blessing
rejoiced greatly.
10

Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all

the assembly and said:

“May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our fa-
11
ther Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

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.

12

Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are
exalted  as  head  over  all.
Both  riches  and
honor come from You, and You are the ruler
over all. In Your hands are power and might
13
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now  therefore,  our  God,  we  give  You
14
thanks,  and  we  praise  Your  glorious  name.
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
15
from Your own hand we have given to You.
For  we  are  foreigners  and  strangers  in
Your  presence,  as  were  all  our  forefathers.
Our days on earth are like a shadow, without
16
hope.

17

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.
I  know,  my  God,
that  You  test  the  heart  and  delight  in  up-
rightness. All these things I have given will-
ingly  and  with  an  upright  heart,  and  now  I
have seen Your people who are present here
18
giving joyfully and willingly to You.

O  LORD,  God  of  our  fathers  Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in

a 7 5,000 talents

1 Chronicles 29:30    |    401

19

the  intentions  of  the  hearts  of  Your  people,
And
and  direct  their  hearts  toward  You.
give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep
and  carry  out  all  Your  commandments,  de-
crees, and statutes, and to build Your palace
for which I have made provision.”

20

Then David said to the whole assembly, “Bless

the LORD your God.”

So  the  whole  assembly  blessed  the  LORD,  the
God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid
Solomon Anointed King  (1 Kings 1:32–40)
homage to the LORD and to the king.
21

The  next  day  they  offered  sacrifices  and  pre-
sented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand
bulls,  a  thousand  rams,  and  a  thousand  lambs,
along with their drink offerings, and other sacri-
That day they
fices in abundance for all Israel.
ate and drank with great joy in the presence of
the LORD.

22

Then, for a second time, they designated David’s
son  Solomon  as  king,  anointing  him  before  the
23
LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.

24

So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as
king in place of his father David. He prospered,
All the officials and
and all Israel obeyed him.
mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons,
25
pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

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 Is-
David’s Reign and Death  (1 Kings 2:10–12)
rael before him.
26
27

David  son  of  Jesse  was  king  over  all  Israel.
The  length  of  David’s  reign  over  Israel  was
forty  years—seven  years  in  Hebron  and  thirty-
three years in Jerusalem.
He died at a ripe old
age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son
29
Solomon reigned in his place.

28

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,
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.

30

b 7

10,000 gold drachmas

c 7 10,000 talents

d 7 18,000 talents

 is approximately 188.5 tons or 171 metric tons of gold.

mately 185.2 pounds or 84 kilograms of gold coins
silver.
mately 3,770 tons or 3,420 metric tons of iron.

   f 8 Jehiel

 is approximately 678.6 tons or 615.6 metric tons of bronze.

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 26:21.

Or

; that is, approxi-
 is approximately 377 tons or 342 metric tons of
 is approxi-

e 7 100,000 talents

Jehieli

2 Chronicles

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 him-
self  securely  over  his  kingdom,  and  the
LORD his God was with him and highly exalted
2
him.

Then  Solomon  spoke  to  all  Israel,  to  the  com-
manders  of  thousands  and  of  hundreds,  to  the
3
judges,  and  to  every  leader  in  all  Israel—the
And  Solomon  and  the
heads  of  the  families.
whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon
because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meet-
ing,  which  Moses  the  servant  of  the  LORD  had
4
made in the wilderness.

Now David had brought the ark of God from Kir-
iath-jearim  to  the  place  he  had  prepared  for  it,
5
because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri,
 the taber-
the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before
nacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly
6
inquired of Him there.

 a

Solomon  offered  sacrifices  there  before  the
LORD on the bronze altar at the Tent of Meeting,
7
where he offered a thousand burnt offerings.

That night God appeared to Solomon and said,

8
“Ask, and I will give it to you!”

 b

Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much
9
loving  devotion
  to  my  father  David,  and  You
Now, O LORD
have made me king in his place.
God, let Your promise to my father David be ful-
10
filled. For You have made me king over a people
Now
as  numerous  as  the  dust  of  the  earth.
grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may
 For who is able to govern this
lead this people.
11
great people of Yours?”

c

12

honor 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
therefore wisdom and knowledge have
king—
been  granted  to  you.  And  I  will  also  give  you
riches  and  wealth  and  honor  unlike  anything
13
given to the kings before you or after you.”

So  Solomon went  to  Jerusalem  from the  high
place in Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting,
Solomon’s Riches  (1 Kings 10:26–29)
and he reigned over Israel.
14

 d

e

Solomon  accumulated

  1,400  chariots  and
15
12,000 horses,
 which he stationed in the chariot
The king
cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as
stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the
16
foothills.

f

 g

Solomon’s  horses  were  imported  from  Egypt
17
 the royal merchants purchased them
and Kue;
A  chariot  could  be  imported  from
from  Kue.
i
Egypt  for  six  hundred  shekels  of  silver,
  and  a
horse for a hundred and fifty.
 Likewise, they ex-
ported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to
Preparations for the Temple  (1 Kings 5:1–6)
the kings of Aram.

h

2

2

Now Solomon purposed to build a house for
the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for
So  he  conscripted  70,000  porters,
himself.
80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600
3
supervisors.

 j

Then  Solomon  sent  word  to  Hiram

  king  of

Tyre:

God  said  to  Solomon,  “Since  this  was  in  your
a 5
heart  instead  of  requesting  riches  or  wealth  or

was there before

LXX, Vulgate, and some Hebrew manuscripts
faithfulness
d 14

goodness
kindness
are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
people and come in
, and
,
,
lowlands
f 15
Literally
h 17 600 shekels

mercy
Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had

loyalty to a covenant

, as well as

Shephelah

.

g 16

; MT

Hebrew

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea
Huram

j 3

4

“Do  for  me  as  you  did  for  my  father  David
when you sent him cedars to build himself a
Behold, I am about to build
house to live in.
chesed
b 8
he placed before
a house for the Name of the LORD my God to
loving devotion
love
c 10

so that I may go out before this

Forms of the Hebrew
; the range of meaning includes
e 14
Literally

horsemen

,
charioteers

 or
i 17 150 shekels
Probably an area in Cilicia, a province in

Or
Hiram

the southeast of Asia Minor
is approximately 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.

 is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver.

Hebrew

, a variant of

; also in verses 11 and 12

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 Is-
5
rael forever.

6

The house that I am building will be great,
for our God is greater than all gods.
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
7
burn sacrifices before Him?

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 crafts-
men  in  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  whom  my
 b
8
father David provided.

a

Send  me  also  cedar,  cypress,

  and  algum

logs  from  Lebanon,  for  I  know  that  your
servants have skill to cut timber there. And
9
indeed,  my  servants  will  work  with  yours
to prepare for me timber in abundance, be-
cause the temple I am building will be great
I  will  pay  your  servants,
and  wonderful.
c
the  woodcutters,  20,000  cors  of  ground
f
e
wheat,
 20,000 baths
 20,000 cors of barley,
of wine,

 and 20,000 baths of olive oil.

Hiram’s Reply to Solomon  (1 Kings 5:7–12)

10

”

d

11

Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply

to Solomon:

“Because the LORD loves His people, He has
12
set you over them as king.”

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.

b 8 Algum

juniper

pine

fir

a 8

2 Chronicles 3:5    |    403

13

g

14

So  now  I  am  sending  you  Huram-abi,  a
skillful man endowed with creativity.
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  experi-
enced  in  every  kind  of  engraving  and  can
execute any design that is given him. He will
work with your craftsmen and with those of
15
my lord, your father David.

16

Now let my lord send to his servants the
wheat,  barley,  olive  oil,  and  wine  he  prom-
ised.
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

18

Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the
land of Israel following the census his father Da-
vid  had  conducted,  and  there  were  found  to  be
Solomon made 70,000 of them
153,600 in all.
porters,  80,000  stonecutters  in  the  mountains,
Temple Construction Begins  (1 Kings 6:1–4)
and 3,600 supervisors.

3

 h

Then  Solomon  began  to  build  the  house  of
the  LORD  in  Jerusalem  on  Mount  Moriah,
 to his father Da-
where the LORD had appeared
vid. This was the place that David had prepared
2
  the  Jebusite.
on  the  threshing  floor  of  Ornan
Solomon began construction on the second day
of  the  second  month  in  the  fourth  year  of  his
3
reign.

 i

j

k

4

 according to the old standard.
 l

The foundation that Solomon laid for the house
of  God  was  sixty  cubits  long  and  twenty  cubits
The por-
wide,
tico  at  the  front,  extending  across  the  width  of
the temple, was twenty cubits long
 and twenty
cubits  high.
  He  overlaid  the  inside  with  pure
The Temple’s Interior  (1 Kings 6:14–22)
gold.
5

m

n

He paneled the main room with cypress,

 which
almug
he  overlaid  with  fine  gold  and  decorated  with

c 10 20,000 cors

d 10 20,000 cors

Or

 or

 or

 is probably a variant of

124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat).
mately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 2,910 tons or 2,700 metric tons of barley).
i 1 Ornan
is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of wine.
Araunah
lons or 440,000 liters
Or
k 3
; see 2 Samuel 24:16.

Or
See LXX; Hebrew

understanding
j 3

g 13

f 10

h 1

The foundation was approximately 90 feet long and 30 feet wide (27.4 meters long and

; that is, approximately 116,000 gal-

 is a variant of

l 4 20 cubits

The old standard of measurement was a cubit equal to 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. The new

9.1 meters wide).
standard, a cubit of approximately 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters (the long cubit) is the basic unit of length throughout Eze-
kiel 40 to 48.
Some LXX and Syriac
 is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters; also in verses 8, 11, and 13.
manuscripts; Hebrew
 or

 (approximately 180 feet or 54.9 meters)

m 4
juniper

120 cubits high

pine

n 5

 or

Or

fir

; see 1 Kings 10:11.
20,000 baths of oil
where He had appeared

 is approximately
e 10 20,000 baths
 is approxi-

404    |    2 Chronicles 3:6

6

2

7

He adorned the temple
palm trees and chains.
with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was
He  overlaid  its  beams,  thresh-
from  Parvaim.
olds,  walls,  and  doors  with  gold,  and  he  carved
8
cherubim on the walls.

 a

b

9

Then he made the Most Holy Place;

 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
The  weight  of  the  nails  was  fifty
fine  gold.
shekels  of  gold.
  He  also  overlaid  the  upper
The Cherubim  (1 Kings 6:23–30)
rooms with gold.
10

c

j

3

He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circu-
lar  in  shape,  measuring  ten  cubits  from  rim  to
rim,  five  cubits  in  height,  and  thirty  cubits  in
Below the rim, figures of oxen
circumference.
encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the
4
Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

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
k
It was a
their hindquarters toward the center.
handbreadth  thick,
  and  its  rim  was  fashioned
like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could
The Ten Basins, Lampstands, and Tables
hold three thousand baths.
(1 Kings 7:38–39)

5

l

 d

11

In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim
of  sculptured  work,  and  he  overlaid  them  with
gold.
The total wingspan of the cherubim was
twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was
 and touched the wall of the tem-
five cubits long
ple, and its other wing was five cubits long and
The
touched  the  wing  of  the  other  cherub.
wing of the second cherub also measured five cu-
bits and touched the wall of the temple, while its
other wing measured five cubits and touched the
So the total wingspan
wing of the first cherub.
of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood
The Veil and Pillars  (1 Kings 7:13–22)
on their feet, facing the main room.
14

12

13

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,
7
but the priests used the Sea for washing.

He made ten gold lampstands according to their
specifications and placed them in the temple, five
8
on the south side and five on the north.

Additionally,  he  made  ten  tables  and  placed
them in the temple, five on the south side and five
The Courts
on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.
9

He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson
15
yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.
e
In  front  of  the  temple  he  made  two  pillars,

which  together  were  thirty-five  cubits  high,
16
each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

 f

He  made  the  courtyard  of  the  priests  and
the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the
10
doors with bronze.

He put the Sea on the south side, at the south-

Completion of the Bronze Works
east corner.
(1 Kings 7:40–47)

He made interwoven chains

 and put them on
top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegran-
17
ates  and  fastened  them  into  the  chainwork.
Then  he  set  up  the  pillars  in  front  of  the
temple, one on the south and one on the north.
 and the
The pillar on the south he named Jachin,
The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea
pillar on the north he named Boaz.
(1 Kings 7:23–26)

h

g

He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long,
the Holy of Holies
twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.

b 8 600 talents

i

4

a 8
c 9 50 shekels

Or
g 17 Jachin
also in verse 15.

11

Additionally,  Huram  made  the  pots,  shovels,

and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work that he had under-
taken 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;

d 11 5 cubits

e 15 35 cubits

; also in verse 10

 is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.

He establishes

h 17 Boaz

 is approximately 52.5 feet or 16 meters.

in Him is strength
Or

 is approximately 22.6 tons or 20.5 metric tons of gold.

f 16

He made chains in the inner sanctuary
 is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters;

i 1

j 2

 probably means

.

 probably means

.

The altar was approxi-

mately 30 feet in length and width and 15 feet high (9.1 meters in length and width and 4.6 meters high).
The Sea was
k 5 A handbreadth
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 me-
l 5 3,000 baths
ters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference).

 is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.

 is approximately 17,400 gallons or 66,000 liters.

13

the four hundred pomegranates for the

two sets of network (two rows of pome-
granates for each network covering both
14
the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

the stands;

15
the basins on the stands;

the Sea;

16
the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

and the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all

the other articles.

18

17

All these objects that Huram-abi made for King
Solomon for the house of the LORD were of pol-
The  king  had  them  cast  in  clay
ished  bronze.
a
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth
Solomon made all these articles
and Zeredah.
in  such  great  abundance  that  the  weight  of  the
Completion of the Gold Furnishings
bronze could not be determined.
(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
20
the Presence;

the lampstands of pure gold and their

lamps, to burn in front of the inner
21
sanctuary as prescribed;

the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold—

22
of purest gold;

the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,

ladles, and censers of pure gold;
and the gold doors of the temple: the
inner doors to the Most Holy Place
as well as the doors of the main hall.

The Ark Enters the Temple
(1 Kings 8:1–11)

 b

5

So all the work that Solomon had performed
for the house of the LORD was completed.

Then Solomon brought in the items his father Da-
vid  had  dedicated—the  silver,  the  gold,  and  all
the  furnishings—and  he  placed  them  in  the
2
treasuries of the house of God.

2 Chronicles 5:14    |    405

3

family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the
ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the
So all the men of Israel came to-
City of David.
c
gether  to  the  king  at  the  feast  in  the  seventh
4
month.

5

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Le-
and they brought up the
vites took up the ark,
ark  and  the  Tent  of  Meeting  with  all  its  sacred
furnishings.  The  Levitical  priests  carried  them
6
up.

There,  before  the  ark,  King  Solomon  and  the
whole congregation of Israel who had assembled
with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that
7
they could not be counted or numbered.

d

Then  the  priests  brought  the  ark  of  the  cove-
nant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctu-
 beneath
ary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,
the  wings  of  the  cherubim.
For  the  cherubim
spread their wings over the place of the ark and
9
overshadowed the ark and its poles.

8

e

The poles of the ark extended far enough that
 f
their ends were visible from in front of the inner
sanctuary,
10
and they are there to this day.

 but not from outside the Holy Place;

g
There  was  nothing  in  the  ark  except  the  two

tablets  that  Moses  had  placed  in  it  at  Horeb,
where the LORD had made a covenant with the
11
Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.

12

Now all the priests who were present had con-
secrated  themselves  regardless  of  their  divi-
sions. And when the priests came out of the Holy
all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman,
Place,
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
The trum-
by 120 priests sounding trumpets.
peters 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:

13

“For He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.”

14

And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled
so that the priests could not stand
with a cloud
there  to  minister  because  of  the  cloud.  For  the
glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
the Holy of Holies

c 3

At  that  time  Solomon  assembled  in  Jerusalem
the  elders  of  Israel—all  the  tribal  heads  and
b 22
Zarethan
a 17 Zeredah
the Holy of Holies

d 7
poles extended far enough that their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary
(or Booths or Shelters); see Leviticus 23:33–36.
f 9

; see 1 Kings 7:46.
Or

 is a variant of
not from outside

The
That is, the Feast of Tabernacles

Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX

g 10

e 9

Or

Literally

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai

; see 1 Kings 8:8.

406    |    2 Chronicles 6:1

Solomon Blesses the LORD  (1 Kings 8:12–21)

6

Then Solomon declared:

2

“The LORD has said that He would dwell
       in the thick cloud.

3

But I have built You an exalted house,
a place for You to dwell forever.”

And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there,
4
the  king  turned  around  and  blessed  them  all

and said:

5

“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,
‘Since the day I brought My people
saying,
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
But now I have chosen Jeru-
people Israel.
salem  for  My  Name  to  be  there,  and  I  have
7
chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

6

8

Now it was in the heart of my father David
to build a house for the Name of the LORD,
But the LORD said to my
the God of Israel.
father  David,  ‘Since  it  was  in  your  heart  to
build  a house  for  My  Name,  you  have  done
Neverthe-
well  to  have  this  in  your  heart.
less, you are not the one to build it; but your
son, your own offspring, will build the house
10
for My Name.’

9

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
And
Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
there I have placed 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)

11

12

13

Then  Solomon  stood  before  the  altar  of  the
LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel and
Now Solomon had made
spread out his hands.
a  bronze  platform  five  cubits  long,  five  cubits
 and had placed it in
wide, and three cubits high
the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt
down  before  the  whole  assembly  of  Israel,
a 13
and said:
spread out his hands toward heaven,

14

a

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like
You in heaven or on earth, keeping Your cov-
enant of loving devotion with Your servants
15
who  walk  before  You  with  all  their  hearts.
You have kept Your promise to Your serv-
ant, my father David. What You spoke with
Your  mouth  You  have  fulfilled  with  Your
16
hand this day.

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.’
And  now,  O
LORD,  God  of  Israel,  please  confirm  what
18
You promised to Your servant David.

17

But will God indeed dwell with man upon
the  earth?  The  heavens,  even  the  highest
19
heavens, cannot contain You, much less this
temple I have built.
Yet regard the prayer
and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so
that  You  may  hear  the  cry  and  the  prayer
20
that Your servant is praying before You.

21

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.
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
22
and forgive.

When a man sins against his neighbor and
is required to take an oath, and he comes to
23
take an oath before Your altar in this temple,
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 accord-
24
ing to his righteousness.

When Your people Israel are defeated be-
fore  an  enemy  because  they  have  sinned
against You, and they return to You and con-
25
fess Your name, praying and pleading before
You  in  this  temple,
then  may  You  hear
from heaven and forgive the sin of Your peo-
ple Israel. May You restore them to the land
You gave to them and their fathers.

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).

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
27
their  sins  because  You  have  afflicted  them,
then may You hear from heaven and for-
give the sin of Your servants, Your people Is-
rael,  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
28
people as an inheritance.

29

When  famine  or  plague  comes  upon  the
land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grass-
hoppers,  or  when  their  enemies  besiege
them in their cities, whatever plague or sick-
then may whatever prayer
ness may come,
or  plea  Your  people  Israel  make—each
knowing  his  own  afflictions  and  spreading
be
out  his  hands  toward  this  temple—
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
so that they may fear You
hearts of men—
and walk in Your ways all the days they live
32
in the land that You gave to our fathers.

31

30

2 Chronicles 7:6    |    407

38

they repent and plead with You in the land of
their  captors,  saying,  ‘We  have  sinned  and
and
done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’
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 di-
rection of the land that You gave to their fa-
thers,  the  city  You  have  chosen,  and  the
then
house  I  have  built  for  Your  Name,
may  You  hear  from  heaven,  Your  dwelling
place,  their  prayer  and  pleas,  and  may  You
uphold  their  cause.  May  You  forgive  Your
40
people who sinned against You.

39

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,

42

and may Your godly ones rejoice in

goodness.

O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one.
Remember Your loving devotion to Your

Fire from Heaven  (Psalm 136:1–26)

servant David.”

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
33
he  comes  and  prays  toward  this  temple,
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
34
called by Your Name.

When Your people go to war against their
enemies,  wherever  You  send  them,  and
when they pray to You in the direction of this
35
city  You  have  chosen  and  the  house  I  have
then  may  You  hear
built  for  Your  Name,
from heaven their prayer and their plea, and
36
may You uphold their cause.

37

When they sin against You—for there is no
one who does not sin—and You become an-
gry with them and deliver them to an enemy
who takes them as captives to a land far or
and when they come to their senses
near,
in  the  land  to  which  they  were  taken,  and

7

When  Solomon  had  finished  praying,  fire
came down from heaven and consumed the
2
burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of
the LORD filled the temple.
The priests were un-
able to enter the house of the LORD, because the
3
glory of the LORD had filled it.

When  all  the  Israelites  saw  the  fire  coming
down and the glory of the LORD above the tem-
ple,  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;

Sacrifices of Dedication  (1 Kings 8:62–66)
His loving devotion endures forever.”

4

5
Then the king and all the people offered sacri-
And  King  Solomon  of-
fices  before  the  LORD.
fered  a  sacrifice  of  22,000  oxen  and  120,000
sheep.  So  the  king  and  all the  people  dedicated
6
the house of God.

The  priests  stood  at  their  posts,  as  did  the
Levites  with  the  musical  instruments  of  the
LORD,  which  King  David  had  made  for  giving

408    |    2 Chronicles 7:7

thanks to the LORD and with which David had of-
fered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion en-
dures  forever.”  Across  from  the  Levites,  the
priests  sounded  trumpets,  and  all  the  Israelites
7
were standing.

commanded you, and if you keep My statutes
then I will establish your
and ordinances,
royal  throne,  as  I  covenanted  with  your  fa-
ther David when I said, ‘You will never fail to
19
have a man to rule over Israel.’

18

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
8
made could not hold all these offerings.

 a

So  at  that  time  Solomon  and  all  Israel  with
him—a  very  great  assembly  of  people  from
9
Lebo-hamath  to  the  Brook  of  Egypt—kept  the
feast
On  the  eighth  day  they
held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the
altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven
10
days more.

  for  seven  days.

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
The LORD’s Response to Solomon
for His people Israel.
(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 ap-
the LORD and for his own palace,
peared to him at night and said to him:

12

14

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen
13
this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I
command the locust to devour the land, or if
and  if
I  send  a  plague  among  My  people,
My people who are called by My name hum-
ble  themselves  and  pray  and  seek  My  face
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal
15
their land.

Now My eyes will be open and My ears at-
16
tentive  to  the  prayers  offered  in  this  place.
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
17
for all time.

a 8

And  as  for  you,  if  you  walk  before  Me  as
your  father  David  walked,  doing  all  I  have
And though this temple is now exalted

20

But if you turn away and forsake the stat-
utes  and  commandments  I  have  set  before
you, and if you go off to serve and worship
then I will uproot Israel from
other gods,
the soil I have given them, and I will banish
from My presence this temple I have sancti-
fied for My Name. I will make it an object of
21
scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

b

22

And when this temple has become a heap
of rubble,
 all who pass by it will be appalled
and  say,  ‘Why  has  the  LORD  done  such  a
And
thing to this land and to this temple?’
others  will  answer,  ‘Because  they  have  for-
saken  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
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
”
brought all this disaster upon them.’
(1 Kings 9:10–28)

8

Now  at  the  end  of  the  twenty  years  during
2
which  Solomon  had  built  the  house  of  the
Solomon rebuilt the
 had given him and settled Israelites

 c
LORD and his own palace,
cities Hiram
3
there.

4

5

Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and cap-
He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in
tured it.
addition  to  all  the  store  cities  that  he  had  built
He  rebuilt  Upper  and  Lower  Beth-
in  Hamath.
6
horon  as  fortified  cities  with  walls,  gates,  and
as well as Baalath, all the store cities that
bars,
belonged  to  Solomon,  and  all  the  cities  for  his
—whatever  he  desired  to
chariots  and  horses
build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the
7
land of his dominion.

 d

As  for  all  the  people  who  remained  of
the  Hittites,  Amorites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  and
8
Jebusites  (these  people  were  not  Israelites)—
their  descendants  who  remained  in  the  land,
those  whom  the  Israelites  had  not  destroyed—
Solomon  conscripted  these  people  to  be  forced
laborers, as they are to this day.
c 2

Huram

Hiram

b 21

That is, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters); see Leviticus 23:33–36.

d 6

horsemen

charioteers

and Arabic; Hebrew
also in verse 18

Or

 or

; see also 1 Kings 9:8.

Some LXX manuscripts, Syriac,
, a variant of

;

Hebrew

9

But Solomon did not consign any of the Israel-
ites to slave labor, because they were his men of
war,  the  leaders  of  his  captains,  and  the  com-
They
manders  of  his  chariots  and  cavalry.
were  also  the  chief  officers  for  King  Solomon:
11
250 supervisors.

10

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
12
the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”

At  that  time  Solomon  offered  burnt  offerings
13
to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built
He  observed  the  daily
in front  of  the  portico.
requirement for offerings according to the com-
mandment  of  Moses  for  Sabbaths,  New  Moons,
b
and  the  three  annual  appointed  feasts—the
Feast of Unleavened Bread,
14
and the Feast of Tabernacles.

c
 the Feast of Weeks,

a

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
15
at each gate, for this had been the command of
They did not turn aside
David, the man of God.
from  the  king’s  command  regarding  the  priests
or the Levites in any matter, including that of the
16
treasuries.

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
17
house of the LORD was completed.

 d

e

18

  on  the  coast  of  Edom.

Then  Solomon  went  to  Ezion-geber  and  to
Eloth
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
 which they delivered
there 450 talents of gold,
The Queen of Sheba  (1 Kings 10:1–13)
to King Solomon.

f

9

2 Chronicles 9:12    |    409

with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem
with a very large caravan—with camels bearing
spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones.

2

And  she  came  to  Solomon  and  spoke  with  him
And  Solomon
about  all  that  was  on  her  mind.
answered all her questions; nothing was too dif-
3
ficult for him to explain.

4

When  the  queen  of  Sheba  saw  the  wisdom  of
the food at his
Solomon, the palace he had built,
table, the seating of his servants, the service and
 g
attire of his attendants, the attire of his cupbear-
 at the
ers, and the burnt offerings he presented
5
house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

 h

7

6

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my
 and wisdom is
own country about your words
But  I  did  not  believe  the  reports  until  I
true.
came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half
of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me.
How
You have far exceeded the report I heard.
blessed  are  your  men!  How  blessed  are  these
servants  of  yours  who  stand  continually  before
you  and  hear  your  wisdom!
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 es-
tablish them forever, He has made you king over
9
them to carry out justice and righteousness.”

8

i

Then  she  gave  the  king  120  talents  of  gold,
  a
great  quantity  of  spices,  and  precious  stones.
There  had  never  been  such  spices  as  those  the
10
queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

 j
(The  servants  of  Hiram  and  of  Solomon  who
 k

brought  gold  from  Ophir  also  brought  algum
wood and precious stones.
The king made the
  for  the  house  of  the
algum  wood  into  steps
LORD  and  for  the  king’s  palace,  and  into  lyres
and harps for the singers. Never before had any-
12
thing like them been seen in the land of Judah.)

11

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.

b 13

a 13

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about
the  fame  of  Solomon,  she  came  to  test  him
That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Ex. 12:14–20.

Feast of Pentecost
c 13
Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as
Feast of Booths
d 17 Eloth

the Feast of Shelters
 (see Acts 2:1).
Elath

 (see Exodus 23:16) or
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as

the Feast of Ingathering

the Feast of Harvest

e 17

the
That is,
the

f 18 450 talents

 or
 is a variant of
and his stairway by which he went up
j 10 Algum

 and originally called

; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.

your achievements

h 5

 is approximately 17 tons or 15.4 metric tons of gold.
Or

almug

g 4
i 9 120 talents

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
That is, along the shore of the Red Sea in the
LXX and Syriac (see also 1 Kings
gateways
k 11
 is approximately 4.52 tons

land of Edom
10:5); Hebrew
or 4.1 metric tons of gold.

 is probably a variant of

; also in verse 11; see 1 Kings 10:11.

Or

410    |    2 Chronicles 9:13

Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
(1 Kings 10:14–29)

13

a

14

The weight of gold that came to Solomon each
year was 666 talents,
not including the reve-
nue from the merchants and traders. And all the
Arabian  kings  and  governors  of  the  land  also
15
brought gold and silver to Solomon.

 b

16

King Solomon made two hundred large shields
of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of ham-
  went  into  each  shield.
He  also
mered  gold
 c
made three hundred small shields of hammered
  went  into
gold;  three  hundred  shekels  of  gold
each shield. And the king put them in the House
17
of the Forest of Lebanon.

18

19

Additionally, the king made a great throne of
The
ivory  and  overlaid  it  with  pure  gold.
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 arm-
Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at
rest.
either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever
20
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
 d
of Solomon.
For the king had the ships of Tar-
shish
  servants,  and
once  every  three  years  the  ships  of  Tarshish
would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and
22
peacocks.

  that  went  with  Hiram’s

 e

f

23

24

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the
earth in riches and wisdom.
All the kings of the
earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear
the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
Year
after  year,  each  visitor  would  bring  his  tribute:
articles  of  silver  and  gold,  clothing,  weapons,
25
spices, horses, and mules.

g
Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chari-
ots,  and  12,000  horses,
  which  he  stationed  in
26
the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
 h
He reigned over all the kings from the Euphra-
tes
  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  as  far  as  the
border of Egypt.
The king made silver as com-
i
mon in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abun-
dant  as  sycamore  in  the  foothills.
Solomon’s
horses  were  imported  from  Egypt  and  from  all
a 13 666 talents
the lands.

27

28

c 16 300 shekels

The Death of Solomon  (1 Kings 11:41–43)

29

As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from be-
ginning to end, are they not written in the Rec-
ords  of  Nathan  the  Prophet,  in  the  Prophecy  of
Ahijah  the  Shilonite,  and  in  the  Visions  of  Iddo
30
the  Seer  concerning  Jeroboam  son  of  Nebat?
Solomon  reigned  in  Jerusalem  over  all  Israel
And  Solomon  rested  with  his  fa-
forty  years.
thers and was buried in the city of his father Da-
Rebellion against Rehoboam
vid. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
(1 Kings 12:1–15)

31

10

3

2

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all
Israel had gone there to make him king.
When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this,
he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from
King  Solomon.
So  they  sent  for  Jeroboam,  and
4
he  and  all  Israel  came  to  Rehoboam  and  said,
“Your  father  put  a  heavy  yoke  on  us.  But  now
you must lighten the burden of your father’s ser-
vice and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will
5
serve you.”

Rehoboam  answered,  “Come  back  to  me  in

6
three days.” So the people departed.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders
who  had  served  his  father  Solomon  during  his
lifetime.  “How  do  you  advise  me  to  respond  to
7
these people?” he asked.

They replied, “If you will be kind to these people
and please them by speaking kind words to them,
8
they will be your servants forever.”

9

But  Rehoboam  rejected  the  advice  of  the
elders; instead, he consulted the young men who
had  grown  up  with  him  and  served  him.
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
10
on us’?”

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 must make it lighter.’ This is
what  you  should  tell  them:  ‘My  little  finger  is
Whereas my fa-
thicker than my father’s waist!
ther 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.’
a fleet of trading
 is approximately 15.1 pounds or
charioteers
g 25

b 15 600 shekels

baboons

d 21

11

ships
6.8 kilograms of gold.
h 26

 is approximately 25.1 tons or 22.8 metric tons of gold.
Huram’s
 is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms of gold.
Shephelah

the River

Hiram’s

e 21

f 21

i 27

horsemen
Or

; twice in this verse
Hebrew

Hebrew

Hebrew

Or

Or

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

lowlands
, a variant of
 or

2 Chronicles 11:23    |    411

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

5

6

7

10

11

Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

cities for defense in Judah.
8
hem,  Etam,  Tekoa,

Rehoboam  lived  in  Jerusalem,  and  he  built  up
He built up Bethle-
9
Beth-zur,  Soco,  Adullam,
Adoraim, Lachish, Aze-
Zorah,  Aijalon,  and  Hebron,  the  fortified
kah,
cities in Judah and Benjamin.
He strengthened
their fortifications and put officers in them, with
supplies  of  food,  oil,  and  wine.
He  also  put
shields and spears in all the cities and strength-
ened  them  greatly.  So  Judah  and  Benjamin  be-
Jeroboam Forsakes the Priests and Levites
longed to him.
13

12

14

Moreover,  the  priests  and  Levites  from  all
their  districts  throughout  Israel  stood  with  Re-
For the Levites left their pasturelands
hoboam.
and  their  possessions  and  went  to  Judah  and
Jerusalem,  because  Jeroboam  and  his  sons  had
And
rejected  them  as  priests  of  the  LORD.
Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high
places and for the goat demons and calf idols he
16
had made.

15

Those  from  every  tribe  of Israel  who had  set
their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed
17
the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD,
So they strengthened
the God of their fathers.
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
Rehoboam’s Family
Solomon.
18

And  Rehoboam  married  Mahalath,  who  was
the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abi-
hail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
She bore
20
sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

19

21

After her, he married Maacah daughter of Ab-
salom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and
Shelomith.
Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter
of  Absalom  more  than  all  his  wives  and  concu-
bines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty con-
cubines,  and  he  was  the  father  of  twenty-eight
22
sons and sixty daughters.

12

13

14

After three days, Jeroboam and all the people
returned to  Rehoboam, since the king had said,
And the
“Come back to me on the third day.”
king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam re-
and  spoke  to
jected  the  advice  of  the  elders
them  as  the  young  men  had  advised,  saying,
  I
“Whereas  my  father  made  your  yoke  heavy,
will  add  to  your  yoke.  Whereas  my  father
scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with
15
scorpions.”

a

So the king did not listen to the people, and in-
deed 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
The Kingdom Divided
son of Nebat.
(1 Kings 12:16–19)

16

 b

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!”

17

So all the Israelites went home,
but Rehoboam
still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities
18
of Judah.

c

19

Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram,

 who
was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israel-
ites  stoned  him  to  death.  And  King  Rehoboam
mounted  his  chariot  in  haste  and  escaped  to
So  to  this  day  Israel  has  been  in
Jerusalem.
Shemaiah’s Prophecy
rebellion against the house of David.
(1 Kings 12:20–24)

11

3

When  Rehoboam  arrived  in  Jerusalem,
he mobilized the house of Judah and Ben-
fight
jamin—180,000  chosen  warriors—to
2
against Israel and restore the kingdom to Reho-
But  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to
boam.
“Tell Rehoboam son
Shemaiah the man of God:
of Solomon king of Judah and all the Israelites in
that this is what the LORD
Judah and Benjamin
says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your
brothers. Each of you must return home, for this
is My doing.’

”

4

23

Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as
chief  prince  among  his  brothers,  intending  to
make him king.
Rehoboam also acted wisely by
dispersing some of his sons throughout the dis-
tricts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the forti-
fied  cities.  He  gave  them  abundant  provisions
and sought many wives for them.

Whereas I made your yoke heavy

And all Israel, since the king had refused to listen to them, answered

So  they  listened  to  the  words  of  the  LORD  and
a 14
turned back from going against Jeroboam.
b 16
c 18 Hadoram

LXX and many Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 12:14); MT
Syriac, Vulgate, and many Hebrew manuscripts; MT

Adoniram

Adoram

 is a variant of

 and

; see 2 Samuel 20:24 and 1 Kings 4:6.

412    |    2 Chronicles 12:1

Shishak Raids Jerusalem  (1 Kings 14:25–28)

12

 a

2

After Rehoboam had established his sov-
ereignty and royal power, he and all Is-
rael
In
 with him forsook the Law of the LORD.
the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, because they
had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of
with  1,200  chariots,
Egypt  attacked  Jerusalem
60,000  horsemen,
  and  countless  troops  who
c
came with him out of Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites,
and Cushites.
He captured the fortified cities of
5
Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

3

4

b

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam
and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Je-
rusalem 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
6
of Shishak.’

”

So  the  leaders  of  Israel  and  the  king  humbled

7
themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”

When  the  LORD  saw  that  they  had  humbled
themselves,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to
Shemaiah,  saying,  “They  have  humbled  them-
selves;  I  will  not  destroy  them,  but  will  soon
grant  them  deliverance.  My  wrath  will  not  be
poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
Nev-
ertheless, they will become his servants, so that
they  may  learn  the  difference  between  serving
9
Me and serving the kings of other lands.”

8

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, in-
10
cluding the gold shields that Solomon had made.

11

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.
And  whenever  the  king  en-
tered the house of the LORD, the guards would
go with him, bearing the shields, and later they
12
would return them to the guardroom.

Because  Rehoboam  humbled  himself,  the  an-
ger of the LORD turned away from him, and He
did  not  destroy  him  completely.  Indeed,  condi-
Rehoboam’s Reign and Death
tions were good in Judah.
(1 Kings 14:21–24)

13

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 Am-
monite.
And Rehoboam did evil because he did
15
not set his heart to seek the LORD.

14

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 Re-
and Jeroboam throughout their days.
hoboam rested with his fathers and was buried
in the City of David. And his son Abijah
 reigned
Abijah Reigns in Judah  (1 Kings 15:1–8)
in his place.

16

 d

13

 e

2

In  the  eighteenth  year  of  Jeroboam’s
reign,  Abijah
  became  king  of  Judah,
 f
and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  three  years.  His
 of Uriel;

 daughter

 g

mother’s name was Micaiah
she was from Gibeah.

3

And  there  was  war  between  Abijah  and  Jero-
Abijah went into battle with an army of
boam.
400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in
formation against him with 800,000 chosen and
Civil War against Jeroboam
mighty men of valor.
4

 h

6

5

Then  Abijah  stood  on  Mount  Zemaraim  in  the
hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jer-
oboam and all Israel!
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
Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a
servant  of  Solomon  son  of  David,  rose  up  and
Then  worthless
rebelled  against  his  master.
and  wicked  men  gathered  around  him  to  resist
Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young,
8
inexperienced, and unable to resist them.

?

7

9

And now you think you can resist the kingdom
of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s de-
scendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you
have  with  you  the  golden  calves  that  Jeroboam
made for you as gods.
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.

chariot-

b 3

Abijam

e 1 Abijah
Or

Thus King Rehoboam established himself in Je-
a 1
rusalem and reigned. He was forty-one years old
eers

c 3

d 16 Abijah

That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.

Maacah

Abijam
That is, people from the upper Nile region

granddaughter

h 5

g 2

f 2

 is a variant of

variant of
1 Kings 15:2.

; see 1 Kings 14:31.

Hebrew; most LXX manuscripts and Syriac

Or

That is, a perpetual covenant

; see 1 Kings 14:31.

 is a
; see 2 Chronicles 11:20 and

10

2

3

2 Chronicles 14:15    |    413

11

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
Every morning and every even-
to their duties.
ing  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  require-
ments of the LORD our God, while you have for-
12
saken Him.

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  fa-
13
thers, for you will not succeed.”

14

Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to am-
bush from the rear, so that while he was in front
When
of Judah, the ambush was behind them.
Judah turned and discovered that the battle was
both before and behind them, they cried out to
15
the  LORD.  Then  the  priests  blew  the  trumpets,
and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And
when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam
16
and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

17

So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God de-
livered them into their hands.
Then Abijah and
his people struck them with a mighty blow, and
Thus
500,000  chosen  men  of  Israel  fell  slain.
the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the
men  of  Judah  prevailed  because  they  relied  on
19
the LORD, the God of their fathers.

18

Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some
cities  from  him:  Bethel,  Jeshanah,  and  Ephron,
20
along with their villages.

Jeroboam did not again recover his power dur-
ing the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him
21
down and he died.

But  Abijah  grew  strong,  married  fourteen
22
wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons
and sixteen daughters.
Now the rest of the acts
 a
of Abijah, along with his ways and his words, are
Asa Reigns in Judah  (1 Kings 15:9–15)
written in the Treatise

 of the Prophet Iddo.

4

And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes
of the LORD his God.
He removed the foreign al-
tars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars,
and chopped down the Asherah poles.
He com-
manded  the  people  of  Judah  to  seek  the  LORD,
the God of their fathers, and to observe the law
and  the  commandments.
He  also  removed  the
high places and incense altars from all the cities
of  Judah,  and  under  him  the  kingdom  was  at
6
peace.

5

7

Because the land was at peace, Asa built forti-
fied  cities  in  Judah.  In  those  days  no  one  made
war with him, because the LORD had given him
rest.
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
8
every side.” So they built and prospered.

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
9
valor.

 b
Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with
an army of 1,000,000 men
 and 300 chariots, and
So  Asa
they  advanced  as  far  as  Mareshah.
marched out against him and lined up in battle
formation  in  the  Valley  of  Zephathah  near
11
Mareshah.

10

c

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
12
against You.”

13

14

So the LORD struck down the Cushites before
Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.
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
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.
They  also  at-
tacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off
many sheep  and camels. Then they returned to
Jerusalem.

an army of a thousand thousands

15

14

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
a 22
land was at peace for ten years.
c 10

Exposition
the valley north of Mareshah

Study

b 9

an army of thousands and thousands

Or
Or

 or

Or

; Hebrew

414    |    2 Chronicles 15:1

The Prophecy of Azariah

15

2

4

3

Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah
So he went out to meet Asa
son of Oded.
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
For many years Israel has been without the
you.
true God, without a priest to instruct them, and
without  the  law.
But  in  their  distress  they
5
turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought
In those days
Him, and He was found by them.
there  was  no  safety  for  travelers,  because  the
Na-
residents  of  the  lands  had  many  conflicts.
tion was crushed by nation, and city by city, for
7
  kinds  of  adversity.
God  afflicted  them  with  all
But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged,

6

Asa’s Reforms  (1 Kings 15:9–15)
for your work will be rewarded.”
8

 a
When Asa heard these words and the prophecy
  the  prophet,  he  took
of  Azariah  son  of  Oded
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.
And he assembled all Judah and Benja-
min, 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
10
was with him.

9

12

So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the
11
third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven
hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all
the plunder they had brought back.
Then they
entered  into  a  covenant  to  seek  the  LORD,  the
13
God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
And  whoever  would  not  seek  the  LORD,  the
God  of  Israel,  would  be  put  to  death,  whether
young  or  old,  man  or  woman.
They  took  an
oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shout-
ing, trumpets, and rams’ horns.
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
 b
16
them rest on every side.

14

15

King  Asa  also  removed  his  grandmother
a 8
Maacah  from  her  position  as  queen  mother
c 3

berit

17

because she had made a detestable Asherah pole.
Asa  chopped  down  the  pole,  crushed  it,  and
burned it in the Kidron Valley.
The high places
were  not  removed  from  Israel,  but  Asa’s  heart
And he brought
was fully devoted all his days.
into the house of God the silver and gold and the
19
articles that he and his father had dedicated.

18

And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year

War between Asa and Baasha
of Asa’s reign.
(1 Kings 15:16–22)

16

2

In  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  Asa’s  reign,
Baasha king of Israel went up against Ju-
dah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from
leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Ju-
So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from
dah.
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
 between me
“Let there be a treaty
Damascus:
and  you  as  there  was  between  my  father  and
your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold.
Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king
4
of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

3

 c

And  Ben-hadad  listened  to  King  Asa  and  sent
the commanders of his armies against the cities
of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim,
 and
5
all the store cities of Naphtali.

d

6

When Baasha learned of this, he stopped forti-
Then
fying  Ramah  and  abandoned  his  work.
King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they
carried  away  the  stones  of  Ramah  and  the  tim-
bers  Baasha  had  used  for  building.  And  with
Hanani’s Message to Asa
these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.
7

 e

8

Were  not  the  Cushites

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
  and
from  your  hand.
Libyans  a  vast  army  with  many  chariots  and
horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD,
For the eyes
He delivered them into your hand.
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,
Azariah son of
you will be at war.”

his mother

b 16

9

d 4 Abel-maim

covenant

Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 1 and LXX); Hebrew does not include
Forms of the Hebrew

 are translated in most passages as

Abel-beth-maacah

e 8

.

Hebrew

 was also

; twice in this verse.
That is, people from the upper Nile region

known as

; see 1 Kings 15:20.

10

10

2 Chronicles 18:4    |    415

Asa was angry with the seer and became so en-
raged  over  this  matter  that  he  put  the  man  in
prison.  And  at  the  same  time  Asa  oppressed
The Death and Burial of Asa
some of the people.
11

12

Now  the  acts  of  Asa,  from  beginning  to  end,
are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Ju-
In the thirty-ninth year of his
dah and Israel.
reign,  Asa  became  diseased  in  his  feet,  and  his
disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in
his illness he did not seek the LORD, but only the
13
physicians.

14

So in the forty-first year of his reign, Asa died
And he was buried
and rested with his fathers.
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
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
they made a great fire in his honor.
(1 Kings 15:23–24)

17

2

Asa’s  son  Jehoshaphat  reigned  in  his
place,  and  he  strengthened  himself
He stationed troops in every for-
against Israel.
tified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land
of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his fa-
3
ther Asa had captured.

 a

5

Now  the  LORD was with  Jehoshaphat  because
4
 of his father Da-
he walked in the earlier ways
but he sought the
vid. He did not seek the Baals,
God of his father and walked by His command-
So the
ments rather than the practices of Israel.
LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and
all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an
And  his  heart
abundance  of  riches  and  honor.
 in the ways of the LORD; further-
took delight
more,  he  removed  the  high  places  and  Asherah
7
poles from Judah.

6

 b

8

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,
accompanied  by  certain  Levites—
Shemaiah,  Nethaniah,
Asahel,
Shemiramoth,  Jehonathan,  Adonijah,  Tobijah,
9
and  Tob-adonijah—along  with
the  priests
They taught throughout
Elishama and Jehoram.
Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of
the  LORD.  They  went  throughout  the  towns  of
Judah and taught the people.
a 3

in his early years he walked in the ways

Zebadiah,

b 6

And  the  dread  of  the  LORD  fell  upon  all  the
kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so
11
that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
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
12
flocks.

13

Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and
he built fortresses and store cities in Judah
and
kept vast supplies in the cities of Judah. He also
had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty men
These are their numbers according to
of valor.
the houses of their fathers:

14

From Judah, the commanders of thousands:

Adnah the commander, and with him
15
300,000 mighty men of valor;

next to him, Jehohanan the commander,

16
and with him 280,000;

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
18
200,000 armed with bows and shields;

19

and next to him, Jehozabad, and with

him 180,000 armed for battle.

These were the men who served the king, be-
sides  those  he  stationed  in  the  fortified  cities
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
throughout Judah.
(1 Kings 22:1–12)

18

2

Now  Jehoshaphat  had  an  abundance  of
riches  and  honor,  and  he  allied  himself
And some years later he
with Ahab by marriage.
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
3
Ramoth-gilead.

Ahab  king  of  Israel  asked  Jehoshaphat  king
of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-
gilead?”

And  Jehoshaphat  replied,  “I  am  as  you  are,  and
my  people  are  your  people;  we  will  join  you  in
4
the war.”

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel,

was exalted

was courageous

“Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”

Or

Or

 or

416    |    2 Chronicles 18:5

5

16

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?”

So Micaiah declared:

“I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.
And the LORD said, ‘These people have

“Go up,” they replied, “and God will deliver it into
6
the hand of the king.”

17

no master;

let each one return home in peace.’

”

But  Jehoshaphat  asked,  “Is  there  not  still
a  prophet  of  the  LORD    here  of  whom  we  can
7
inquire?”

Then  the  king  of  Israel  said  to  Jehoshaphat,
“Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good
18
for me, but only bad?”

The king of Israel answered, “There is still one
man through whom we can inquire of the LORD,
but I hate him because he never prophesies any-
thing good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son
of Imlah.”

“The  king  should  not  say  that!”  Jehoshaphat
8
replied.

So  the  king  of  Israel  called  one  of  his  officials

9
and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

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 proph-
10
esying before them.

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
11
Arameans until they are finished off.’

”

And  all  the  prophets  were  prophesying  the
same,  saying,  “Go  up  to  Ramoth-gilead  and  tri-
umph, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand
Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
of the king.”
(1 Kings 22:13–28)

12

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
19
right and on His left.

And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king
of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
20
And one suggested this, and another that.

Then a spirit came forward, stood before the

LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
21
‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.

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
22
LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in
the  mouths  of  these  prophets  of  yours,  and  the
23
LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

Then  Zedekiah  son  of  Chenaanah  went  up,
struck  Micaiah  in  the  face,  and  demanded,
“Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when
24
He departed from me to speak with you?”

Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day

25
when you go and hide in an inner room.”

Then the messenger who had gone to call Mi-
caiah  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
13
speak favorably.”

But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives,

14
I will speak whatever my God tells me.”

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
15
will be delivered into your hand.”

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?”

26

And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah
and return him to Amon the governor of the city
and tell them that
and to Joash the king’s son,
this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison
and feed him only bread and water until I return
27
safely.’

”

But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely,
the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he
Ahab’s Defeat and Death  (1 Kings 22:29–40)
added, “Take heed, all you people!”
28

29

So  the  king  of  Israel  and  Jehoshaphat  king  of
And the king
Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise my-
self and go into battle, but you wear your royal
robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and
went into battle.

30

9

2 Chronicles 20:9    |    417

Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot
commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or
31
great, except the king of Israel.”

When  the  chariot  commanders  saw  Jehosha-
phat, they said, “This is the king of Israel!” So they
turned  to  fight  against  him,  but  Jehoshaphat
32
cried  out,  and  the  LORD  helped  him.  God  drew
And  when  the  chariot
them  away  from  him.
commanders saw that he was not the king of Is-
33
rael, they turned back from pursuing him.

However, a certain man drew his bow without
taking special aim, and he struck the king of Is-
rael between the joints of his armor. So the king
  and  take
said  to  his  charioteer,  “Turn  around
34
me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”

 a

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
Jehoshaphat Reproved by Jehu
he died.

19

2

When Jehoshaphat king of Judah had re-
turned  safely  to  his  home  in  Jerusalem,
Jehu  son  of  Hanani  the  seer  went  out  to  con-
front 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
However, some good is found in you,
upon you.
for  you  have  removed  the  Asherah  poles  from
Jehoshaphat’s Reforms
the land and have set your heart on seeking God.”
4

3

5

6

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again
he went out among the people from Beersheba to
the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  and  turned  them
He
back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
appointed judges in the land, in each of the forti-
Then he said to the judges,
fied cities of Judah.
“Consider carefully what you do, for you are not
judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with
And now, may
you when you render judgment.
the  fear  of  the  LORD  be  upon  you.  Be  careful
what you do, for with the LORD our God there is
8
no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

7

Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem
some  of  the  Levites,  priests,  and  heads  of  the
Israelite  families  to  judge  on  behalf  of  the
a 33
LORD  and  to  settle  disputes.  And  they  lived  in
Ammonites

Turn your hand
b 1
together with some besides the Ammonites

c 2

10

He  commanded  them,  saying,  “You
Jerusalem.
must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the
For every dispute that comes
fear of the LORD.
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.
11
Do this, and you will not incur guilt.

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 Le-
vites will serve as officers before you. Act reso-
War against Jehoshaphat
lutely; may the LORD be with the upright!”

20

b
After this, the Moabites and Ammonites,
together  with  some  of  the  Meunites,

2

came  to  make  war  against  Jehoshaphat.
Then
some  men  came  and  told  Jehoshaphat,  “A  vast
  from
army  is  coming  against  you  from  Edom,
beyond  the  Sea;
  they  are  already  in  Hazazon-
3
tamar” (that is, En-gedi).

 d

c

4

Jehoshaphat  was  alarmed  and  set  his  face  to
seek  the  LORD.  And  he  proclaimed  a  fast
So the people of Judah gath-
throughout Judah.
ered  to  seek  the  LORD,  and  indeed,  they  came
Jehoshaphat’s Prayer
from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.
5

6

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Ju-
dah  and  Jerusalem  in  the house  of  the LORD in
and said, “O LORD,
front of the new courtyard
God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in
heaven,  and  do  You  not  rule  over  all  the  king-
doms  of  the  nations?  Power  and  might  are  in
7
Your hand, and no one can stand against You.

8

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
They  have  lived  in  the  land  and  have
friend?
built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying,
‘If
e
disaster  comes  upon  us—whether  sword  or
 plague or famine—we will stand be-
judgment,
fore 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.’

together with some other

9

Literally
 or

Aram

d 2

Some LXX manuscripts (see also 2 Chronicles 26:7); Hebrew
the sword of judgment

e 9

One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts, LXX,

and Vulgate

That is, the Dead Sea

Or

418    |    2 Chronicles 20:10

10

11

And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab,
and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel in-
vade when they came out of the land of Egypt. So
Israel  turned  away  from  them  and  did  not  de-
See  how  they  are  repaying  us  by
stroy  them.
coming to drive us out of the possession that You
12
gave us as an inheritance.

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
13
eyes are upon You.”

Meanwhile  all  the  men  of  Judah,  with  their
wives and children and little ones, were standing
The Prophecy of Jahaziel
before the LORD.
14

15

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jaha-
ziel 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.
And he said, “Listen, all you peo-
ple of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehosha-
phat!  This  is  what  the  LORD  says:  ‘Do  not  be
afraid or discouraged because of this vast army,
16
for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.
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.
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,
18
for the LORD is with you.’

17

”

19

Then  Jehoshaphat  bowed  facedown,  and  all
the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down be-
And the Levites
fore the LORD to worship Him.
from  the  Kohathites  and  Korahites  stood  up  to
praise the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting in a
The Enemies Destroy Themselves
very loud voice.
20

Early  in  the  morning  they  got  up  and  left  for
the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehosh-
aphat 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
21
prophets, and you will succeed.”

Then  Jehoshaphat  consulted  with  the  people
cherem
a 23
and appointed those who would sing to the LORD
Forms of the Hebrew
goods and clothing and valuables
by giving them as an offering.

c 26 Beracah

and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they
went out before the army, they were singing:

“Give thanks to the LORD,

22

for His loving devotion endures forever.”

23

The  moment  they  began  their  shouts  and
praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men
of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come
The
against  Judah,  and  they  were  defeated.
Ammonites  and  Moabites  rose  up  against  the
inhabitants  of  Mount  Seir,  devoting  them  to
destruction.
  And  when  they  had  finished  off
the  inhabitants  of  Seir,  they  helped  to  destroy
24
one another.

a

25

When the men of Judah came to a place over-
looking the wilderness, they looked for the vast
army,  but  there  were  only  corpses  lying  on  the
ground;  no  one  had  escaped.
Then  Jehosha-
phat and his people went to carry off the plunder,
and  they  found  on  the  bodies  an  abundance  of
goods  and  valuables
—more  than  they  could
carry away. They were gathering the plunder for
The Joyful Return
three days because there was so much.
26

 b

c

On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley
of  Beracah,
  where  they  blessed  the  LORD.
Therefore  that  place  is  called  the  Valley  of
27
Beracah to this day.

28

Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, with
Jehoshaphat at their head, returned joyfully to Je-
rusalem,  for  the  LORD  had  made  them  rejoice
over their enemies.
So they entered Jerusalem
and went into the house of the LORD with harps,
29
lyres, and trumpets.

And  the  fear  of  God  came  upon  all  the  king-
doms  of  the  lands  when  they  heard  that  the
30
LORD  had  fought  against  the  enemies  of  Israel.
Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for

Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
his God had given him rest on every side.
(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
32
mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

And Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his fa-
ther  Asa  and  did  not  turn  away  from  it;  he  did
what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

b 25
 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or

they found among them an abundance of

blessing

Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate

 means

.

33

9

2 Chronicles 21:19    |    419

The high places, however, were not removed;
the people had not yet set their hearts on the God
34
of their fathers.

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 rec-
Jehoshaphat’s Fleet Is Wrecked
orded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
35

a

36

Later,  Jehoshaphat  king  of  Judah  made  an
alliance  with  Ahaziah  king  of  Israel,  who  acted
b
wickedly.
They agreed to make ships to go to
37
 and these were built in Ezion-geber.
Tarshish,

Then  Eliezer  son  of  Dodavahu  of  Mareshah
prophesied  against  Jehoshaphat,  saying,  “Be-
cause you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the
LORD has destroyed your works.”

c

So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers
and  all  his  chariots.  When  the  Edomites  sur-
rounded  him  and  his  chariot  commanders,  he
10
rose up and attacked

 by night.

 e

So  to  this  day  Edom  has  been  in  rebellion
against  the  hand  of  Judah.  Likewise,  Libnah
rebelled  against  his  hand  at  the  same  time,
because  Jehoram  had  forsaken  the  LORD,  the
11
God of his fathers.

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
Elijah’s Letter to Jehoram
astray.
12

Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the

prophet, which stated:

So  the  ships were  wrecked  and  were  unable  to
Jehoram Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 8:16–19)
sail to Tarshish.

“This is what the LORD, the God of your fa-
ther David, says:

21

And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers
and was buried with them in the City of
2
David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.

d

3

Jehoram’s  brothers,  the  sons  of  Jehoshaphat,
were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael,
and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehosha-
phat king of Israel.
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
4
firstborn.

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.
Jehoram  was
thirty-two years old when he became king, and
6
he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

5

7

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.
Yet the LORD was unwilling
to destroy the house of David, because of the cov-
enant He had made with David, and since He had
promised  to  maintain  a  lamp  for  David  and  his
Edom and Libnah Rebel  (2 Kings 8:20–24)
descendants forever.
8

‘You have not walked in the ways of your fa-
13
ther  Jehoshaphat  or  of  Asa  king  of  Judah,
but  you  have  walked  in  the  ways  of  the
kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the
people  of  Jerusalem  to  prostitute  them-
selves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted
itself.  You  have  also  killed  your  brothers,
your  father’s  family,  who  were  better  than
14
you.

15

So behold, the LORD is about to strike your
people,  your  sons,  your  wives,  and  all  your
possessions with a serious blow.
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

17

Then  the  LORD  stirred  against  Jehoram  the
spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near
the  Cushites.
So  they went  to war  against Ju-
dah,  invaded  it,  and  carried  off  all  the  posses-
sions  found  in  the  king’s  palace,  along  with  his
sons and wives; not a son was left to him except
18
Jehoahaz,

 his youngest.

f

19

After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with
an  incurable disease  of  the  bowels.
This  con-
tinued  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.

a fleet of trading ships

b 36

c 37

set sail to trade
he went
e 9

who made him act wickedly

In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against
a 35
the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
d 2
out and escaped

by which he acted wickedly

Or

Or
That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.

f 17 Jehoahaz

Ahaziah

 or

Or

Or

 is a variant of

; see 2 Chronicles 22:1.

420    |    2 Chronicles 21:20

20

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he be-
came  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
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 8:25–29)
kings.

grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD
with all his heart.”

So  no  one  was  left  from  the  house  of  Ahaziah
Athaliah and Joash  (2 Kings 11:1–3)
with the strength to rule the kingdom.
10

22

 a

Then  the  people  of  Jerusalem  made
Ahaziah,  the  youngest  son  of  Jehoram,
king in his place, since the raiders who had come
 killed all the
into the camp with the Arabs
 b
2
older  sons.  So  Ahaziah  son  of  Jehoram  became
 years
king of Judah.
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jeru-
salem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah,
3
the granddaughter of Omri.

Ahaziah was twenty-two

 had

4

Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of
Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wick-
edness.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruc-
tion they were his counselors after the death of
5
his father.

 c

 d

6

 wounded Joram.

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.
So he re-
But the Arameans
turned  to  Jezreel  to  recover  from  the  wounds
they  had  inflicted  on  him  at  Ramah
  when  he
fought  against  Hazael  king  of  Aram.  Then
  son  of  Jehoram  king  of  Judah  went
Ahaziah
down  to  Jezreel  to  visit  Joram  son  of  Ahab,  be-
7
cause Joram had been wounded.

   f

 e

Ahaziah’s  downfall  came  from  God  when  he
went  to  visit  Joram.  When  Ahaziah  arrived,
  of
he  went  out  with  Joram  to  meet  Jehu  son
Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy
Jehu Kills the Princes of Judah
the house of Ahab.
(2 Kings 9:14–29)

 g

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
9
Ahaziah, and he killed them.

Then  Jehu  looked  for  Ahaziah,  and  Jehu’s
soldiers captured him while he was hiding in Sa-
maria. So Ahaziah was brought to Jehu and put to
a 1
death. They buried him, for they said, “He is the
c 5
Or
Ramoth
Some LXX manuscripts
riah

since the marauding bands of Arabs

Heb.
h 11 Jehoshabeath

f 6
grandson

the archers   d 5

b 2

 h

11

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.
But  Je-
hoshabeath
  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
12
so that she could not kill him.

And Joash remained hidden with them in the
house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled
Joash Anointed King of Judah
the land.
(2 Kings 11:4–12)

23

Then  in  the  seventh  year,  Jehoiada
strengthened  himself  and  made  a  cove-
nant  with  the  commanders  of  hundreds—with
Azariah  son  of  Jeroham,  Ishmael  son  of  Jeho-
hanan,  Azariah  son  of  Obed,  Maaseiah  son  of
So  they
Adaiah,  and  Elishaphat  son  of  Zichri.
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 Jerusa-
the whole assembly made a covenant with
lem,
the king in the house of God.

2

3

6

5

 “Behold, the king’s son!” said Jehoiada. “He must
4
reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the
This  is  what  you  are  to
descendants  of  David.
do: A third of you priests and Levites who come
on duty on the Sabbath shall keep watch at the
a third shall be at the royal palace, and a
doors,
third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others
are  to  be  in  the  courtyards  of  the  house  of  the
No one is to enter the house of the LORD
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 Levites must surround the king
the LORD.
with  weapons  in  hand,  and  anyone  who  enters
the temple must be put to death. You must stay
forty-two
close to the king wherever he goes.”
e 6 Ramah

Joram

7

Jehoram
Some LXX manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:26); Hebrew
; also in verses 6 and 7
Jehosheba

, a variant of

Aza-
 is a variant of

Some Heb. manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:29); most Heb. manuscripts
; see 2 Kings 9:14.

; twice in this verse; see 2 Kings 11:2.

 is a variant of

g 7
; see v. 5.

Or

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 Sab-
bath and those going off duty—for Jehoiada the
9
priest  had  not  released  any  of  the  divisions.
Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the command-
ers  of  hundreds  the  spears  and  the  large  and
small  shields  of  King  David  that  were  in  the
house of God.
He stationed all the troops, with
their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by
the altar and the temple, from the south side to
11
the north side of the temple.

10

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
The Death of Athaliah  (2 Kings 11:13–16)
king!”
12

13

When  Athaliah  heard  the  noise  of  the  people
running and cheering the king, she went out to
them in the house of the LORD.
And she looked
and  saw  the  king  standing  by  his  pillar  at  the
entrance. The officers and trumpeters were be-
side the king, and all the people of the land were
rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the sing-
ers  with  musical  instruments  were  leading  the
praises.

Then  Athaliah  tore  her  clothes  and  screamed,
14
“Treason, treason!”

a

And Jehoiada the priest sent out the command-
ers  of  hundreds  in  charge  of  the  army,  saying,
“Bring her out between the ranks,
 and put to the
sword  anyone  who  follows  her.”  For  the  priest
had  said,  “She  must  not  be  put  to  death  in  the
15
house of the LORD.”

So they seized Athaliah as she reached the en-
trance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds,
Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD
and there they put her to death.
(2 Kings 11:17–21)

16

17

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between him-
self and the king and the people that they would
be the LORD’s people.
So all the people went to
the  temple  of  Baal  and  tore  it  down.  They
smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed
18
Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

Moreover,  Jehoiada  put  the  oversight  of  the
house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical
a 14
priests,  whom  David  had  appointed  over  the

out from the precincts

Or

2 Chronicles 24:11    |    421

house  of  the  LORD,  to  offer  burnt  offerings  to
the  LORD  as  written  in  the  Law  of  Moses,  with
rejoicing  and  song,  as  ordained  by  David.
He
stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of
the  LORD,  so  that  no  one  who  was  in  any  way
20
unclean could enter.

19

And he took with him the commanders of hun-
dreds, 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,
and all
the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was
quiet,  because  Athaliah  had  been  put  to  the
Joash Repairs the Temple  (2 Kings 12:1–16)
sword.

21

24

2

Joash  was  seven  years  old  when  he  be-
came king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
forty  years.  His  mother’s  name  was  Zibiah;  she
And  Joash  did  what  was
was  from  Beersheba.
right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoi-
ada the priest.
Jehoiada took for him two wives,
4
and he had sons and daughters.

3

5

Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing
So  he  gathered  the
the  house  of  the  LORD.
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.”

6

So
The  Levites,  however,  did  not  make  haste.
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 assem-
7
bly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”

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
8
the Baals.

9

At  the  king’s  command  a  chest  was  made  and
placed  outside,  at  the  gate  of  the  house  of  the
LORD.
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.
All the officers
and  all  the  people  rejoiced  and  brought  their
contributions,  and  they  dropped  them  in  the
11
chest until it was full.

10

Whenever  the  chest  was  brought  by  the  Le-
vites  to  the  king’s  overseers  and  they  saw  that

422    |    2 Chronicles 24:12

12

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.
Then  the  king  and
Jehoiada would give the money to those who su-
pervised 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
13
bronze to repair the house of the LORD.

14

So  the  workmen  labored,  and  in  their  hands
the  repair  work  progressed.  They  restored  the
house of God according to its specifications, and
When  they  were  finished,
they  reinforced  it.
they  brought  the  rest  of  the  money  to  the  king
and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for
the house of the LORD—utensils for the service
and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other ob-
jects of gold and silver.

Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings
were  presented  regularly  in  the  house  of  the
Jehoiada’s Death and Burial
LORD.
15

When  Jehoiada  was  old  and  full  of  years,  he

16
died at the age of 130.

And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the
City  of  David,  because  he  had  done  what  was
The Wickedness of Joash
good in Israel for God and His temple.
17

After the death of Jehoiada, however, the offi-
18
cials of Judah came and paid homage to the king,
They abandoned the
and he listened to them.
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
Nevertheless,  the  LORD  sent  prophets
theirs.
to  bring  the  people  back  to  Him  and  to  testify
20
against them, but they would not listen.

19

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  command-
ments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper?
Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has for-
21
saken you.’

”

22

Thus King Joash failed to remember the kind-
ness  that  Zechariah’s  father  Jehoiada  had  ex-
tended  to  him.  Instead,  Joash  killed  Jehoiada’s
son.  As  he  lay  dying,  Zechariah  said,  “May  the
The Death of Joash  (2 Kings 12:17–21)
LORD see this and call you to account.”
23

a

24

In the spring,

 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 Damas-
cus.
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, judg-
25
ment was executed on Joash.

 b

And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they
left  Joash  severely  wounded.  His  own  servants
conspired against him for shedding the blood of
the  son
  of  Jehoiada  the  priest,  and  they  killed
him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the
26
City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Those  who  conspired  against  Joash  were  Za-
 d
  son  of  Shimeath  the  Ammonitess  and  Je-

 c

bad
27
hozabad son of Shimrith

 the Moabitess.

 f

 e

The accounts of the sons of Joash and the many
pronouncements about him, and of the restora-
tion
 of the house of God, are indeed written in
the Treatise
 of the Book of the Kings. And his son
Amaziah Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 14:1–7)
Amaziah reigned in his place.

25

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jeru-
salem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was
And he did
Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not
3
wholeheartedly.

2

4

As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp,
Amaziah  executed  the  servants  who  had  mur-
Yet  he  did  not  put
dered  his  father  the  king.
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
Amaziah’s Victories
his own sin.”
5

 g

But they conspired against Zechariah, and by
order of the king, they stoned him in the court-
a 23
yard of the house of the LORD.

At the turn of the year

b 25
Shomer

d 26 Shimrith

Literally

12:21.

 is a variant of

LXX and Vulgate; Heb.
; see 2 Kings 12:21.

Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and
of the sons
assigned  them  according  to  their  families  to
g 4
Exposition
e 27
; see 2 Kings
 is a variant of
 or

c 26 Zabad
f 27

Jozabad
Study

founding

De. 24:16

Or

Or

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,
6
bearing the spear and shield.

a

7

He also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from
Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
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
8
not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites.
Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God
will  overthrow  you  before  the  enemy,  for  God
9
has power to help and power to overthrow.”

Amaziah asked the man of God, “What should I
do about the hundred talents I have given to the
troops of Israel?”

And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to
10
give you much more than this.”

So  Amaziah  dismissed  the  troops  who  had
come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.
And they were furious with Judah and returned
11
home in great anger.

12

Amaziah,  however,  summoned  his  strength
and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he
struck down 10,000 men of Seir,
and the army
of  Judah  also  captured  10,000  men  alive.  They
took  them  to  the  top  of  a  cliff  and  threw  them
13
down so that all were dashed to pieces.

Meanwhile  the  troops  that  Amaziah  had  dis-
missed  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 plun-
Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry
der.
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 be-
15
fore  them,  and  burned  sacrifices  to  them.
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,
16
which could not deliver them from your hand?”

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
a 6 100 talents
have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

c 23 Jehoahaz

2 Chronicles 25:28    |    423

Jehoash Defeats Amaziah  (2 Kings 14:8–14)

17

 b

Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and
sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash
 son of Je-
hoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face
18
to face,” he said.

19

But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah
king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a mes-
sage  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.
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
20
you?”

21

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.
So  Jehoash  king  of  Israel  ad-
vanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced
each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
And Ju-
dah was routed before Israel, and every man fled
23
to his own home.

22

There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel
captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash,
the son of Jehoahaz.

c

d

Then  Jehoash  brought  him  to  Jerusalem  and
broke  down  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  from  the
24
Ephraim  Gate  to  the  Corner  Gate—a  section  of
four hundred cubits.
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
The Death of Amaziah  (2 Kings 14:17–20)
returned to Samaria.
25

Amaziah  son  of  Joash  king  of  Judah  lived  for
26
fifteen  years  after  the  death  of  Jehoash  son  of
Jehoahaz  king  of  Israel.
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
27
Israel?

From the time that Amaziah turned from fol-
lowing  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.
They  carried  him  back  on
e
horses and buried him with his fathers in the City
b 17 Jehoash
of Judah.

Joash

28

Ahaziah

d 23 400 cubits

e 28

also in vv. 18, 21, 23, and 25.
ters.

 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver; also in verse 9.
 is a variant of
Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac

.

City of David

 is a variant of

;

 is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 me-

; see 2 Kings 14:20.

424    |    2 Chronicles 26:1

Uzziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 14:21–22 ;  2 Kings 15:1–7)

26

a

2

All the people of Judah took Uzziah,
 who
was  sixteen  years  old,  and  made  him
Uzziah was
 c
  and  restored  it
  rested  with  his

king in place of his father Amaziah.
the  one  who  rebuilt  Eloth
to  Judah  after  King  Amaziah
3
fathers.

 b

4

5

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.
And  he  did  what  was  right  in  the
eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had
done.
He  sought  God  throughout  the  days  of
Zechariah,  who  instructed  him  in  the  fear
  of
God.  And  as  long  as  he  sought  the  LORD,  God
6
gave him success.

 d

Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philis-
tines, and he tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh,
7
and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and
God helped him against
among the Philistines.
the  Philistines,  against  the  Arabs  living  in  Gur-
The Ammonites
baal, and against the Meunites.
brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as
far as the border of Egypt, for he had become ex-
9
ceedingly powerful.

8

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner
10
Gate, the Valley Gate, and  the angle in the wall,
 e
Since he had much live-
and he fortified them.
stock  in  the  foothills
  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
11
fertile fields.

12

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 offic-
The total number of family leaders of the
ers.
Under  their
mighty  men  of  valor  was  2,600.
authority  was  an  army  of  307,500  trained  for
war, a powerful force to support the king against
14
his enemies.

13

Uzziah supplied the entire army with shields,
15
spears,  helmets,  armor,  bows,  and  slingstones.
And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed
Azariah
  arrows  and  catapult  large

a 1 Uzziah
devices  to  shoot

 f

stones from the towers and corners. So his fame
spread far and wide, for he was helped tremen-
16
dously until he became powerful.

But  when  Uzziah  became  powerful,  his  arro-
gance  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
17
of incense.

Then  Azariah  the  priest,  along  with  eighty
18
brave  priests  of  the  LORD,  went  in  after  him.
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;
19
you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”

 g

20

Uzziah,  with  a  censer  in  his  hand  to  offer  in-
cense, was enraged. But while he raged against
the priests in their presence in the house of the
LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy
 broke
out  on  his  forehead.
When  Azariah  the  chief
priest and all the priests turned to him and saw
his  leprous  forehead,  they  rushed  him  out.  In-
deed, he himself hurried to get out, because the
21
LORD had afflicted him.

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  and gov-
22
erned the people of the land.

23

As for the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from be-
ginning to end, they are recorded by the prophet
 h
Isaiah son of Amoz.
And Uzziah rested with his
fathers and was buried near them
 in a field of
burial that belonged to the kings, for the people
said,  “He  was  a  leper.”  And  his  son  Jotham
Jotham Reigns in Judah
reigned in his place.
(2 Kings 15:32–38)

27

2

Jotham was twenty-five years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jeru-
 i
salem  sixteen  years.  His  mother’s  name  was
And he did what
Jerushah
was  right  in  the  eyes  of  the  LORD,  just  as  his
father Uzziah
 had done. In addition, he did not
enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still
b 2 Eloth
behaved corruptly.

 daughter of Zadok.

Elath

  j

through the vision

 is also called
Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.
tect those who shoot
manuscripts
fathers
i 1 Jerushah

g 19 Leprosy

c 2
; throughout this chapter; see 2 Kings 14:21.
e 10

after the king
Shephelah

lowlands

d 5

Literally
Jerusha
 was a term used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

j 2 Uzziah

Hebrew

Azariah

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

 is a variant of
to pro-
Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac; other Hebrew
h 23

; see LXX, 2

f 15

with his
Or

 is a variant of

; see 2 Kings 15:33.

 is also called

Literally
; see 2 Kings 14:21.

2 Chronicles 28:19    |    425

3

4

Jotham  rebuilt  the  Upper  Gate  of  the  house  of
the LORD, and he worked extensively on the wall
at the hill of Ophel.
He also built cities in the hill
country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the
5
forests.

governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second
to  the  king.
Then  the  Israelites  took  200,000
captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and
daughters.  They  also  carried  off  a  great  deal  of
9
plunder and brought it to Samaria.

8

c

b

a

Jotham waged war against the king of the Am-
monites  and  defeated  them,  and  that  year  they
gave him a hundred talents of silver,
 ten thou-
  and  ten  thousand  cors  of
sand  cors  of  wheat,
6
barley.
  They  paid  him  the  same  in  the  second
So  Jotham  grew  powerful  be-
and  third  years.
cause he ordered his ways before the LORD his
7
God.

8

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.
He
9
was twenty-five years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.
And
Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in
the City of David. And his son Ahaz reigned in his
Ahaz Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 16:1–9)
place.

28

Ahaz was twenty years old when he be-
came king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did
2
not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of

3
Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.

d
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of

Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire,
according to the abominations of the nations that
4
the  LORD  had  driven  out  before  the  Israelites.
And  he  sacrificed  and  burned  incense  on  the
high places, on the hills, and under every green
Aram Defeats Judah  (Isaiah 1:1–9)
tree.
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.

6

Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king
of Israel, who struck him with great force.
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 fa-
thers.
Zichri,  a  mighty  man  of  Ephraim,  killed
a 5 100 talents
Maaseiah  the  son  of  the  king,  Azrikam  the

7

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.
And now you
intend to reduce to slavery the men and women
11
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem.  But  are  you  not  also
guilty before the LORD your God?
Now there-
fore,  listen  to  me  and  return  the  captives  you
took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of
12
the LORD is upon you.”

10

 e

f

Then  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  Ephraim-
—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son
ites
  Jehizkiah  son  of  Shallum,  and
of  Meshillemoth,
13
Amasa  son  of  Hadlai—stood  in  opposition  to
those  arriving  from  the  war.
“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
14
is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”

So  the  armed  men  left  the  captives  and  the
15
plunder before the leaders and all the assembly.
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 fee-
ble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho,
the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they re-
The Idolatry of Ahaz  (2 Kings 16:10–20)
turned to Samaria.
16

 g

17

 h

 of Assyria.

At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the
The Edomites had again come
king
18
and  attacked  Judah  and  carried  away  captives.
The Philistines had also raided the cities of the
 and the Negev of Judah, capturing and
foothills
occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth,
19
as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their vil-
lages.
For  the  LORD  humbled  Judah  because
  had  thrown  off  restraint  in
Ahaz  king  of  Israel
b 5 10,000 cors
Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
c 5 10,000 cors
 is approx. 62,400 bushels or 2.2 mil-
d 3
 is approx. 62,400 bushels or 2.2 mil-

passed his sons through the fire
Meshillemith
lowlands

Literally

 i

; see 1 Chr. 9:12.
; that is, the western

 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
lion liters (probably about 1,920 tons or 1,740 metric tons of wheat).
e 12
lion liters (probably about 1,450 tons or 1,315 metric tons of barley).
     h 18
g 16

kings

f 12 Meshillemoth

That is, the leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel
LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also 2 Kings 16:7); Heb.

i 19

Shephelah
 is a variant of
 or

Hebrew

foothills of Judea

That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.

426    |    2 Chronicles 28:20

20

 a

21

Then Tiglath-pileser

 king of Assyria came to
Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening
Although Ahaz had taken a portion from
him.
the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and
from the princes and had presented it to the king
22
of Assyria, it did not help him.

23

In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became
He  sacri-
even  more  unfaithful  to  the  LORD.
ficed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated
him, and he 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
24
downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.

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
In
own  on  every  street  corner  in  Jerusalem.
every  city  of  Judah he  built  high  places  to  offer
incense  to  other  gods,  and  so  he  provoked  the
26
LORD, the God of his fathers.

25

27

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 Is-
And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was
rael.
buried  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  but  he  was  not
placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his
Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple
son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
(2 Kings 18:1–12)

29

b

Hezekiah  was  twenty-five  years  old
when he became king, and he reigned in
Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name
And he
was Abijah,
did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just
3
as his father David had done.

 the daughter of Zechariah.

2

In the first month of the first year of his reign,
4
Hezekiah  opened  and  repaired  the  doors  of
Then he brought in the
the house of the LORD.
priests  and  Levites  and  gathered  them  in  the
5
square on the east side.

“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
6
Holy Place every impurity.

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
a 20
They also shut the doors of the portico and
Him.

Tilgath-pilneser

7

Tiglath-pileser

extinguished  the  lamps.  They  did  not  burn  in-
cense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place
8
of the God of Israel.

Therefore,  the  wrath  of  the  LORD  has  fallen
upon  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  and  He  has  made
them  an  object  of  terror,  horror,  and  scorn,  as
For  behold,
you  can  see  with  your  own  eyes.
this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword,
and our sons and daughters and wives are in cap-
10
tivity.

9

11

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with
the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce an-
Now, my sons, do
ger will turn away from us.
not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to
stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister be-
12
fore Him, and to burn incense.”

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
13
from the Gershonites;

Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites;

Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaph-
14
ites;

Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites;

15

and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the
Jeduthunites.

When they had assembled their brothers and
consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse
the  house  of  the  LORD,  according  to  the  com-
16
mand of the king by the words of the LORD.

17

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
They  began  the  consecration  on  the
Valley.
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  six-
18
teenth day of the first month.

Then  they  went  in  to  King  Hezekiah  and  re-
ported,  “We  have  cleansed  the  entire  house  of
the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its
Abi
utensils, and the table of the showbread with all

b 1 Abijah

Hebrew

, a variant spelling of

 is a variant of

; see 2 Kings 18:2.

19

Moreover, we have prepared and
its utensils.
consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his
unfaithfulness cast  aside  during his reign. They
Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship
are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”
20

21

Early  the  next  morning  King  Hezekiah  gath-
ered the city officials and went up to the house of
the  LORD.
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 al-
22
tar of the LORD.

So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests
took the blood and splattered it on the altar. They
slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on
the  altar.  And  they  slaughtered  the  lambs  and
23
splattered the blood on the altar.

Then they brought the goats for the sin offer-
24
ing  before  the  king  and  the  assembly,  who  laid
their  hands  on  them.
And  the  priests  slaugh-
tered 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
25
offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

Hezekiah  stationed  the  Levites  in  the  house
of  the  LORD  with  cymbals,  harps,  and  lyres  ac-
cording  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.
The  Levites  stood  with  the  in-
struments  of  David,  and  the  priests  with  the
27
trumpets.

26

And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering
be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offer-
ing began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets
began as well, accompanied by the instruments
of  David  king  of  Israel.
The  whole  assembly
was  worshiping,  the  singers  were  singing,  and
the trumpeters were playing. All this continued
29
until the burnt offering was completed.

28

30

When the offerings were completed, the king
and all those present with him bowed down and
worshiped.
Then  King  Hezekiah  and  his  offi-
cials  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
31
bowed down and worshiped.

a

Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have con-
b 2
 come near and

a 31
secrated yourselves to the LORD,

filled your hand for the LORD

2 Chronicles 30:6    |    427

bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house
of the LORD.”

32

So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank of-
ferings,  and  all  whose  hearts  were  willing
The number of burnt
brought burnt offerings.
offerings  the  assembly  brought  was  seventy
bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs;
33
all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
And  the  consecrated  offerings  were  six  hun-

34
dred bulls and three thousand sheep.

However, since there were not enough priests
to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite broth-
ers helped them until the work was finished and
until the priests had consecrated themselves. For
the Levites had been more diligent in consecrat-
35
ing themselves than the priests had been.

Furthermore,  the  burnt  offerings  were  abun-
dant, along with the fat of the peace offerings and
the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the
36
service of the house of the LORD was established.
Then  Hezekiah  and  all  the  people  rejoiced  at
what God had prepared for the people, because
Hezekiah Proclaims a Passover
everything had been accomplished so quickly.

30

Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all
Israel and Judah, and he also wrote let-
ters to Ephraim and Manasseh inviting them to
come  to  the house  of  the LORD in  Jerusalem  to
2
keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel.
For the king and his officials and the whole as-
sembly  in  Jerusalem  had  decided  to  keep  the
since they had
Passover in the second month,
been  unable  to  keep  it  at  the  regular  time,
because  not  enough  priests  had  consecrated
themselves  and  the  people  had  not  been  gath-
4
ered in Jerusalem.

3

b

5

This  plan  pleased  the  king  and  the  whole
assembly.
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 Is-
rael, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it in
6
great numbers as prescribed.

At the command of the king, 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

Or

See Numbers 9:9–12.

428    |    2 Chronicles 30:7

7

Do  not  be  like  your  fathers  and
Assyria.
brothers  who  were  unfaithful  to  the  LORD,
the  God  of  their  fathers,  so  that  He  made
8
them an object of horror, as you can see.

9

Now  do  not  stiffen  your  necks  as  your  fa-
thers  did.  Submit  to  the  LORD  and  come  to
His sanctuary, which He has consecrated for-
ever.  Serve  the  LORD  your  God,  so  that  His
fierce anger will turn away from you.
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

12

11

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.
Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manas-
seh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came
to Jerusalem.
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
Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover
according to the word of the LORD.
13

a

15

14

In  the  second  month,  a  very  great  assembly
gathered  in  Jerusalem  to  celebrate  the  Feast  of
Unleavened  Bread.
They  proceeded  to  re-
move  the  altars  in  Jerusalem  and  to  take  away
the  incense  altars  and  throw  them  into  the  Ki-
dron Valley.
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
16
offerings to the house of the LORD.

17

They  stood  at  their  prescribed  posts,  accord-
ing  to  the  Law  of  Moses  the  man  of  God.  The
priests splattered the blood, which they received
from the hand of the Levites.
Since there were
many in the assembly who had not consecrated
themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaugh-
tering  the  Passover  lambs  for  every  unclean
18
person to consecrate the lambs to the LORD.

A  large  number  of  the  people—many  from
Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had
not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passo-
ver, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah
interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who
is good, provide atonement for everyone
who
a 13
sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God
b 21

19

of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed accord-
20
ing to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”

21

b

22

And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the
people.
The Israelites who were present in Je-
rusalem  celebrated  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Le-
vites and priests praised the LORD day after day,
accompanied  by  loud  instruments  of  praise  to
the  LORD.
And  Hezekiah  encouraged  all  the
Levites  who  performed  skillfully  before  the
LORD.  For  seven  days  they  ate  their  assigned
portion,  sacrificing  peace  offerings  and  giving
23
thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

24

The whole assembly agreed to observe seven
more  days,  so  they  observed  seven  days  with
joy.
For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed a
thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the
assembly,  and  the  officials  contributed  a  thou-
sand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assem-
bly,  and  a  great  number  of  priests  consecrated
25
themselves.

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.
So  there  was  great
rejoicing  in Jerusalem,  for  nothing like  this  had
happened there since the days of Solomon son of
27
David king of Israel.

26

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
The Destruction of Idols
heaven.

31

When all this had ended, the Israelites in
attendance  went  out  to  the  cities  of  Ju-
dah  and  broke  up  the  sacred  pillars,  chopped
down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high
places  and  altars  throughout  Judah  and  Benja-
min, 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
2
property.

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.

day after day, with all their strength to the LORD.

day after day, with loud instruments to the LORD.
That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
 Literally
Or

Contributions for Worship

16

2 Chronicles 32:7    |    429

3

4

The king contributed from his own possessions
for the regular morning and evening burnt offer-
ings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths,
New Moons, and appointed feasts, as written in
the Law of the LORD.
Moreover, he commanded
the people living in Jerusalem to make a contri-
bution  for  the  priests  and  Levites  so  that  they
5
could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.

6

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—
And the Israelites and Ju-
a tithe of everything.
dahites  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
7
their God, and they laid them in large heaps.

In the third month they began building up the
8
heaps,  and  they  finished  in  the  seventh  month.
When  Hezekiah  and  his  officials  came  and
viewed the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His
9
people Israel.

10
Then  Hezekiah  questioned  the  priests and  Le-
and  Azariah,  the  chief
vites  about  the  heaps,
priest of the household of Zadok, answered him,
“Since the people began to bring their contribu-
tions  into  the  house  of  the  LORD,  we  have  had
enough to eat, and there is plenty left over, be-
cause the LORD has blessed His people; this great
Hezekiah Organizes the Priests
abundance is what is left over.”
11

12

13

Then  Hezekiah  commanded  them  to  prepare
storerooms  in  the house of  the  LORD,  and  they
And they faithfully brought in the con-
did so.
tributions,  tithes,  and  dedicated  gifts.  Conaniah
the Levite was the officer in charge of them, and
Jehiel, Azaziah,
his brother Shimei was second.
Jozabad,  Eliel,
Jerimoth,
Nahath,  Asahel,
Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers
under the authority of Conaniah and his brother
Shimei, by appointment of King Hezekiah and of
14
Azariah the chief official of the house of God.

15

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.
Under his
authority,  Eden,  Miniamin,  Jeshua,  Shemaiah,
Amariah,  and  Shecaniah  faithfully  distributed
portions to their fellow priests in their cities, ac-
a 15
cording to their divisions, old and young alike.

whether large or small

b 4

a

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 ser-
17
vice  in  the  responsibilities  of  their  divisions—
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
The  genealogy
responsibilities  and  divisions.
included  all  the  little  ones,  wives,  sons,  and
daughters  of  the  whole  assembly.  For  they  had
19
faithfully consecrated themselves as holy.

18

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
20
the genealogies.

So this is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah.
21
He did what was good and upright and true be-
fore  the  LORD  his  God.
He  acted  with  all  his
heart in every work that he began in the service
of the house of God, and in the law and the com-
mandments, in order to seek his God. And so he
Sennacherib Invades Judah
prospered.
(2 Kings 18:13–16 ;  Psalm 46:1–11)

32

After  all  these  acts  of  faithfulness,  Sen-
nacherib  king  of  Assyria  came  and  in-
vaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities,
2
intending to conquer them for himself.

3

4

When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come
he  consulted
to  make  war  against  Jerusalem,
with his leaders and mighty men about stopping
up the waters of the springs outside the city, and
Many  people  as-
they  helped  him  carry  it  out.
sembled and stopped up all the springs and the
stream  that  flowed  through  the  land.  “Why
  of  Assyria  come  and  find
should  the  kings
5
plenty of water?” they said.

 b

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 rein-
 of the City of Da-
forced the supporting terraces
vid, and he produced an abundance of weapons
6
and shields.

 c

7

Hezekiah appointed military commanders over
the people and gathered the people in the square
of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, say-
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid
ing,
or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the

the Millo

c 5

king

Or

Hebrew; LXX and Syriac

Hebrew

430    |    2 Chronicles 32:8

a

8
vast  army  with  him,  for  there  is  a  greater  One
With him is only the arm
with us than with him.
of flesh,
 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
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
Hezekiah king of Judah.
(2 Kings 18:17–37 ;  Isaiah 36:1–22)

9

10

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 Je-
rusalem:
“This is what Sennacherib king of As-
syria says: What is the basis of your confidence,
that  you  remain  in Jerusalem  under  siege?
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?’
Did not Hezekiah himself
remove His high places and His altars and say to
Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before
13
one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices’?

11

12

14

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
Who among all the
their land from my hand?
gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to
destruction
 has been able to deliver his people
from my hand? How then can your God deliver
15
you from my hand?

 b

So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and
do not let him mislead you like this. Do not be-
lieve  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
16
will your God deliver you from my hand!”

17

And the servants of Sennacherib spoke further
against  the  LORD  God  and  against  His  servant
Hezekiah.
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 Heze-
18
kiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”

 c

19

Then  the  Assyrians  called  out  loudly  in  He-
brew
  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem  who  were  on
the wall, to frighten and terrify them in order to
They spoke against the God of
capture the city.
Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of
the  peoples  of  the  earth—the  work  of  human
a 8
hands.
Or

He has only the strength of his own flesh

b 14

Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians
(2 Kings 19:35–37 ;  Isaiah 37:36–38)

20

In  response,  King  Hezekiah  and  the  prophet
21
Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,
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
22
his own sons struck him down with the sword.

23

So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of
Jerusalem from the hands of King Sennacherib of
Assyria and all others, and He gave them rest on
Many brought offerings to Jerusa-
every side.
lem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah
king of Judah, and from then on he was exalted in
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
the eyes of all nations.
(2 Kings 20:1–11 ;  Isaiah 38:1–8)

24

25

In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. So
he  prayed  to  the  LORD,  who  spoke  to  him  and
gave  him  a  sign.
But  because  his  heart  was
proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown
to  him.  Therefore  wrath  came  upon  him  and
26
upon Judah and Jerusalem.

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
27
during the days of Hezekiah.

28

Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and
he made treasuries for his silver, gold, precious
stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable
He also made storehouses for the har-
articles.
vest of grain and new wine and oil, stalls for all
kinds of livestock, and pens for the flocks.
He
made cities for himself, and he acquired herds of
sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave him
30
very great wealth.

29

31

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
And so when am-
prospered in all that he did.
bassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to
him  to inquire  about  the  wonder  that  had  hap-
pened in the land, God left him alone to test him,
that  He  might  know  all  that  was  in  Hezekiah’s
heart.

cherem

sons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

Or

Forms of the Hebrew

c 18

in the dialect of Judah

 refer to the giving over of things or per-

Hezekiah’s Death

32

33

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
And
the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
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
Manasseh Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 21:1–9)
reigned in his place.

33

2

Manasseh was twelve years old when he
became  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusa-
And he did evil in the sight
lem fifty-five years.
of the LORD by following the abominations of the
3
nations that the LORD had driven out before the
For he rebuilt the high places that his
Israelites.
father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up
altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And
4
he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.

 a

5

Manasseh  also  built  altars  in  the  house  of
the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name
will remain in Jerusalem forever.”
In both court-
6
yards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to
all the host of heaven.
He sacrificed his sons in
the  fire
  in  the  Valley  of  Ben-hinnom.  He  prac-
ticed  sorcery,  divination,  and  witchcraft,  and
consulted  mediums  and  spiritists.  He  did  great
evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to
7
anger.

8

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 cho-
sen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish
My Name forever.
I will never again cause the
feet  of  the  Israelites  to  leave  the  land that  I  as-
signed  to  your  fathers,  if  only  they  are  careful
to  do  all  that  I  have  commanded  them  through
9
Moses—all the laws, statutes, and judgments.”

So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jeru-
salem  astray,  so  that  they  did  greater  evil  than
the nations that the LORD had destroyed before
Manasseh’s Repentance and Restoration
the Israelites.
(2 Kings 21:10–18)

10

11

And  the  LORD  spoke  to  Manasseh  and  his
b 15
So  the  LORD

a 6
people,  but  they  did  not  listen.

made his sons pass through the fire

2 Chronicles 33:23    |    431

12

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.
And in his
distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD
13
his  God  and  earnestly  humbled  himself  before
the God of his fathers.
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
14
the LORD is God.

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 con-
siderably. He also stationed military command-
15
ers in all the fortified cities of Judah.

 b

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
 and in Jerusa-
16
lem,  and  he  dumped  them  outside  the  city.
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.
Nevertheless,  the  people  still  sacri-
ficed  at  the  high  places,  but  only  to  the  LORD
18
their God.

17

c

19

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.
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.
And Ma-
nasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at
Amon Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 21:19–26)
his palace. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
21

20

d

22

Amon was twenty-two years old when he be-
came  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  two
years.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD,
as his father Manasseh had done.
23

Amon served and sacrificed to all the idols that
his father Manasseh had made,
but he did not
humble  himself  before  the  LORD  as  his  father
Manasseh had done; instead, Amon increased his
the mountain of the house of the LORD
guilt.

c 18

d 19

the Records of the Hozai

Literally

the Annals of the Prophets
in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.

Literally

Or

That is, Judah;
 or

432    |    2 Chronicles 33:24

24

25

Then the servants of Amon conspired against
him and killed him in his palace.
But the people
of  the  land  killed  all  those  who  had  conspired
 son Josiah
against King Amon, and they made his
Josiah Reigns in Judah  (2 Kings 22:1–2)
king in his place.

34

2

Josiah  was  eight  years  old  when  he  be-
came king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
And he did what was right in
thirty-one years.
the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of
his father David; he did not turn aside to the right
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
or to the left.
(1 Kings 13:1–10 ;  2 Kings 23:4–20)

3

4

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 im-
Then in his presence the altars of the Baals
ages.
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 im-
ages, crushed them to dust, and scattered them
over  the  graves  of  those  who  had  sacrificed  to
Then he burned the bones of the priests
them.
6
on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

5

 a

7

  around  them.

Josiah  did  the  same  in  the  cities  of  Manasseh,
Ephraim,  and  Simeon,  as  far  as  Naphtali,  and
in  the  ruins
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
Josiah Repairs the Temple  (2 Kings 22:3–7)
to Jerusalem.
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,
9
to repair the house of the LORD his God.

11

who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and
They  also
repairing  the  house  of  the  LORD.
gave  money  to  the  carpenters  and  builders  to
buy  dressed  stone,  as  well  as  timbers  for  cou-
plings and beams for the buildings that the kings
12
of Judah had allowed to deteriorate.

And  the  men  did  the  work  faithfully.  The
Levites  overseeing  them  were  Jahath  and  Oba-
diah, descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and
Meshullam,  descendants  of  Kohath.  Other  Le-
13
instruments,
vites,  all  skilled  with  musical
were over the laborers and supervised all who
did  the  work,  task  by  task.  Some  of  the  Levites
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
(2 Kings 22:8–13)

14

 b

15

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 given by
And Hilkiah said to
 Moses.
Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the
Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to
16
Shaphan.

17

Then  Shaphan  brought  the  book  to  the  king
and  reported,  “Your  servants  are  doing  all  that
has been placed in their hands.
They have paid
out the money that was found in the house of the
LORD and have put it into the hands of the super-
18
visors and workers.”

Moreover,  Shaphan  the  scribe  told  the  king,
“Hilkiah  the  priest  has  given  me  a  book.”  And
19
Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

20

 c

21

  son  of  Micah,

When the king heard the words of the Law, he
d
and  commanded  Hilkiah,

tore  his  clothes
Ahikam  son  of  Shaphan,  Abdon
Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the
king:
“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and
for those remaining in Israel and Judah concern-
ing  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
Huldah’s Prophecy  (2 Kings 22:14–20)
written in this book.”
22

 e

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 who guarded the
doors had collected from the people of Manasseh
and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from
all Judah and Benjamin, and from the people of
They put it into the hands of those
Jerusalem.
a 6
supervising the work in the house of the LORD,
Micaiah
d 20 Micah
Hebrew
Or
and those the king had told went to Huldah

in the regions

b 14

10

 is a variant of

Harhas

; see 2 Kings 22:12.
h 22

e 22
f 22 Tokhath
the Second Quarter

the Law of the LORD by the hand of

f

g

So Hilkiah and those the king had designated
 the prophetess, the
  the  son  of
 the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in

went and spoke to Huldah
wife  of  Shallum  son  of  Tokhath,
Hasrah,
Achbor
Jerusalem, in the Second District.
Tikvah

 is a variant of
One Hebrew manuscript, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew man-
 is

; see 2 Kings 22:14.

 is a variant of

the Mishneh

c 20 Abdon

h

; see 2 Kings 22:12.
g 22 Hasrah

uscripts
a variant of

; see 2 Kings 22:14.

Or

, a newer section of Jerusalem; Hebrew

23

24

25

And  Huldah  said  to  them,  “This  is  what  the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who
that this is what the LORD says: I am
sent you
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
because they have forsaken Me
king of Judah,
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
26
this place and will not be quenched.’

27

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
because your heart was tender
that you heard,
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 have torn your clothes and wept
28
before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

‘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 people.’
Josiah Renews the Covenant
So they brought her answer back to the king.
(2 Kings 23:1–3)

”

29

30

Then the king summoned all the elders of Ju-
dah  and  Jerusalem.
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 Le-
vites—all  the  people  great  and  small—and  in
their hearing he read all the words of the Book of
the Covenant that had been found in the house of
31
the LORD.

So the king stood by the pillar and made a cov-
enant 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  the covenant that were written in
32
this book.

Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benja-
min take a stand in agreement to it. So all the peo-
ple of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God,
33
the God of their fathers.

And Josiah removed all the abominations from
all  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Israelites,  and  he
required  everyone  in  Israel  to  serve  the  LORD
the word of the LORD by the hand of
a 6
their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn

Hebrew

2 Chronicles 35:12    |    433

aside from following the LORD, the God of their
Josiah Restores the Passover
fathers.
(2 Kings 23:21–27)

35

2

Then  Josiah  kept  the  Passover  to  the
LORD  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  Passover
lamb  was  slaughtered  on  the  fourteenth  day  of
He  appointed  the  priests  to
the  first  month.
their duties and encouraged them in the service
3
of the house of the LORD.

4

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
Prepare yourselves by families in
people Israel.
your  divisions,  according  to  the  instructions
written by David king of Israel and Solomon his
5
son.

6

Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divi-
sions of the families of your kinsmen the lay peo-
ple,  and  by  the  divisions  of  the  families  of  the
Slaughter  the  Passover  lambs,  conse-
Levites.
crate  yourselves,  and  make  preparations  for
your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of
7
 Moses.”
the LORD given by

 a

From his own flocks and herds Josiah contrib-
uted 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for
the  Passover  offerings  for  all  the  people  who
8
were present.

9

His  officials  also  contributed  willingly  to  the
people  and  priests  and  Levites.  Hilkiah,  Zecha-
riah, and Jehiel, the chief officials of the house of
God,  gave  the  priests  2,600  Passover  offerings
Additionally,  Conaniah  and  his
and  300  bulls.
brothers  Shemaiah  and  Nethanel,  as  well  as
Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Le-
vites, contributed to the Levites 5,000 Passover
10
offerings and 500 bulls.

11

So the service was prepared; the priests stood
in their places and the Levites in their divisions
And  they
according  to  the  king’s  command.
slaughtered  the  Passover
lambs,  while  the
priests splattered the blood handed to them and
They set aside
the Levites skinned the animals.
the burnt offerings to be given to the divisions of
the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as
it is written in the Book of Moses. And they did
the same with the bulls.

12

434    |    2 Chronicles 35:13

13

24

14

They roasted the Passover animals on the fire
according to the regulation, and they boiled the
other  holy  offerings  in  pots,  kettles,  and  bowls
Af-
and quickly brought them to all the people.
terward, they made preparations for themselves
and for the priests, since the priests, the descend-
ants  of  Aaron,  were  offering  up  burnt  offerings
and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made prep-
arations  for  themselves  and  for  the  priests,  the
15
descendants of Aaron.

The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at
their stations according to the command of Da-
vid, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer.
And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to
leave  their  posts,  because  their  fellow  Levites
16
made preparations for them.

 a

17

18

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,
The
according to the command of King Josiah.
Israelites  who  were  present  also  observed  the
Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Un-
leavened Bread
No such Pass-
 for seven days.
over 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
In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s
of Jerusalem.
The Death of Josiah
reign, this Passover was observed.
(2 Kings 23:28–30)

19

20

21

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
But Neco sent messengers
out to confront him.
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, and
God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God,
22
who is with me, or He will destroy you!”

Josiah, however, did not turn away from him;
instead, in order to engage him in battle, he dis-
guised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words
23
from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on
There  the  archers  shot
the  Plain  of  Megiddo.
King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me
away, for I am badly wounded!”
a 17
Jehoahaz
b 2

Joahaz
d 3 A talent

So his servants took him out of his chariot, put
him in his second chariot, and brought him to Je-
rusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in
the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusa-
Laments over Josiah
lem mourned for him.
25

Then  Jeremiah  lamented  over  Josiah,  and  to
this day all the male and female singers recite la-
ments  over  Josiah.  They  established  them  as  a
statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in
26
the Book of Laments.

27

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Josiah  and  his
deeds  of  loving  devotion  according  to  what  is
his acts from
written in the Law of the LORD—
beginning to end—they are indeed written in the
Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah
Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
(2 Kings 23:31–35)

36

Then  the  people  of  the  land  took  Je-
hoahaz son of Josiah and made him king

2
in Jerusalem in place of his father.

 b

Jehoahaz
3

 was twenty-three years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three
And the king of Egypt dethroned him in
months.
Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hun-
4
dred talents of silver

 and a talent of gold.

d

 c

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  car-
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah
ried him off to Egypt.
(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
6
God.

7

Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up
against  Jehoiakim  and  bound  him  with  bronze
Nebuchadnez-
shackles to take him to Babylon.
zar also took to Babylon some of the articles from
the  house  of  the  LORD,  and  he  put  them  in  his
8
temple

 in Babylon.

 e

As  for  the  rest  of  the  acts  of  Jehoiakim,  the
abominations  he  committed,  and  all  that  was

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.

e 7

palace

Hebrew

silver.

, a variant of
; also in verse 4
 is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.

Or

 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of

c 3 100 talents

found against him, they are indeed written in the
Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
(2 Kings 24:6–9)

9

 a

Jehoiachin was eighteen

 years old when he be-
came  king,  and  he  reigned  in  Jerusalem  three
months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight
10
of the LORD.

b

In  the  spring,

  King  Nebuchadnezzar  sum-
moned Jehoiachin  and  brought  him  to  Babylon,
 c
along with the articles of value from the house of
the  LORD.  And  he  made  Jehoiachin’s  relative
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
(2 Kings 24:18–20 ;  Jeremiah 52:1–3)

11

12

Zedekiah  was  twenty-one  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 and did not humble himself before Jere-
13
miah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.

 d

He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar,
who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah
stiffened  his  neck  and  hardened
  his  heart
14
against  turning  to  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel.
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and
the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, fol-
lowing  all  the  abominations  of  the nations,  and
they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had
The Fall of Jerusalem
consecrated in Jerusalem.
(2 Kings 25:1–7)

15

 e

Again and again

 the LORD, the God of their fa-
thers, sent word to His people through His mes-
16
sengers because He had compassion on them and
But  they  mocked  the
on  His  dwelling  place.
messengers  of  God,  despising  His  words  and
scoffing  at  His  prophets,  until  the  wrath  of  the

2 Chronicles 36:23    |    435

LORD against His people was stirred up beyond
17
remedy.

f

18

So He brought up against them the king of the
Chaldeans,
  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 Nebu-
who  carried  off  everything  to
chadnezzar,
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 offi-
Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house
cials.
of  God  and  broke  down  the  wall  of  Jerusalem.
They burned down all the palaces and destroyed
20
every article of value.

19

Those who escaped the sword were carried by
Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they
became  servants  to  him  and  his  sons  until  the
21
kingdom of Persia came to power.

So  the  land  enjoyed  its  Sabbath  rest  all  the
days of the desolation, until seventy years were
g
completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD
The Proclamation of Cyrus
spoken through Jeremiah.
(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  ap-
pointed me to build a house for Him at Jeru-
salem in Judah.

Whoever among you belongs to His people,
may the LORD his God be with him, and may
he go up.’

”

eight

a 9
b 10
e 15
g 21

uncle
One Hebrew manuscript, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts

At the turn of the year
Rising up early and sending (it),

made courageous

brother
f 17

made strong

d 13

c 10

Literally
Literally
See Jeremiah 25:12 and Jeremiah 29:10.

Or

 or

Or

 or

That is, the Babylonians; also clarified in verse 19

Ezra

The Proclamation of Cyrus
(2 Chronicles 36:22–23 ;  Isaiah 45:1–25)

1

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to ful-
fill  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  ap-
pointed me to build a house for Him at Jeru-
3
salem in Judah.

4

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
And let every survivor, wher-
in Jerusalem.
ever 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
6
and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

And all their neighbors supported them with ar-
ticles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock,
and  with  valuables,  in  addition  to  all  their
Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels
freewill offerings.
7

King  Cyrus  also  brought  out  the  articles
belonging  to  the  house  of  the  LORD  that
Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusa-
Cyrus
lem and placed in the temple of his gods.
king of Persia had them brought out by the hand
a
9
of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them
This
out  to  Sheshbazzar  the  prince  of  Judah.
was the inventory:

8

b

10
29 silver utensils,

30 gold bowls,

410 matching silver bowls,

11

and 1,000 other articles.

In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles.
Sheshbazzar  brought  all  these  along  when  the
The List of Returning Exiles  (Neh. 7:4–69)
exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

2

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
accompanied by Zerubbabel,
to his own town,
Jeshua,  Nehemiah,  Seraiah,  Reelaiah,  Mordecai,
Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

2

c

3

This is the count of the men of Israel:

4

the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

5

the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

6

the descendants of Arah, 775;

the descendants of Pahath-moab (through

7
the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
8

the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

9

10

the descendants of Zattu, 945;

d

the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

11

the descendants of Bani,

 642;

12

the descendants of Bebai, 623;

13

the descendants of Azgad, 1,222;

14

the descendants of Adonikam, 666;

15

the descendants of Bigvai, 2,056;

16

the descendants of Adin, 454;

the descendants of Ater (through

17
Hezekiah), 98;
18

the descendants of Bezai, 323;

e

30 gold dishes,

19

the descendants of Jorah,

 112;

a 8

1,000 silver dishes,
accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai,
That is, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah
Or

the descendants of Hashum, 223;

; twice in this verse

Parallel text at Nehemiah

b 9

basins

c 2

e 18 Jorah

d 10 Bani

Hariph

Binnui

Nehum, and Baanah
7:7

miah 7:24.

 is a variant of

; see Nehemiah 7:15.

 is a variant of

; see Nehe-

20

21

22

23

24

25

a

 95;

 b

the descendants of Gibbar,

 of Bethlehem, 123;

the men
the men of Netophah, 56;
the men of Anathoth, 128;
d

the descendants of Azmaveth,

c

 42;

the men of Kiriath-jearim,

 Chephirah,

26
and Beeroth, 743;
27

28

29

30

31

the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Michmash, 122;
the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
the descendants of Nebo, 52;
the descendants of Magbish, 156;

e

the descendants of the other Elam,

32
1,254;
33

34

35

the descendants of Harim, 320;
the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;
the men of Jericho, 345;
and the descendants of Senaah, 3,630.

36

The priests:
The descendants of Jedaiah (through the
37
house of Jeshua), 973;
38

the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

39

40

41

42

 f

), 74.

The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel
(through the line of Hodaviah
The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 128.
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,

43

139 in all.

 g

Ezra 2:56    |    437

44
the descendants of Tabbaoth,
the descendants of Keros,

h

the descendants of Siaha,
45
the descendants of Padon,

the descendants of Lebanah,

the descendants of Hagabah,
46
the descendants of Akkub,

i
the descendants of Hagab,

the descendants of Shalmai,
47
the descendants of Hanan,

the descendants of Giddel,

the descendants of Gahar,
48
the descendants of Reaiah,
the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda,
49
the descendants of Gazzam,
the descendants of Uzza,
the descendants of Paseah,
50
the descendants of Besai,

the descendants of Asnah,

the descendants of Meunim,
51
the descendants of Nephusim,

j

the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha,
k
52
the descendants of Harhur,

the descendants of Bazluth,

the descendants of Mehida,
53
the descendants of Harsha,

the descendants of Barkos,

the descendants of Sisera,
54
the descendants of Temah,

55

the descendants of Neziah,

and the descendants of Hatipha.

The descendants of the servants of Solomon:

the descendants of Sotai,

l

the descendants of Hassophereth,
56
the descendants of Peruda,

the descendants of Jaala,

The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha,
Gibeon
the descendants of Hasupha,

a 20 Gibbar
c 24 Azmaveth
arim

e 31

 is a variant of

of West Elam
 is a variant of

h 44 Siaha

Or
also in verses 58 and 70
k 52 Bazluth
miah 7:48); the other alternate reads
 is a variant of

Bazlith

b 21

the sons

the descendants of Darkon,

Beth-azmaveth

; see Nehemiah 7:25.

f 40 Hodaviah

Literally

Hodevah
; see Nehemiah 7:28.
j 50 Nephusim

Sia
 is a variant of

Shamlai
 is a variant of

d 25

g 43

Kiriath-
; here and in verses 25, 26, 33, and 34
The Nethinim
i 46
; see Nehemiah 7:43.

LXX (see also Nehemiah 7:29); Hebrew

;
Hebrew
Nephushesim
Alternate MT reading (see also Nehe-
Perida
; see Nehemiah 7:52.
; see Nehemiah 7:57.

 is a variant of

; see Nehemiah 7:47.

l 55 Peruda

 is a variant of

; see Nehemiah 7:54.

438    |    Ezra 2:57

57
the descendants of Giddel,

the descendants of Shephatiah,

the descendants of Hattil,

a

the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
58
and the descendants of Ami.

The temple servants and descendants of
the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in
all.

59

b

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;
  settled  in  their
and  the  rest  of  the  Israelites
Sacrifices Restored
towns.

  f

3

By the seventh month, the Israelites had set-
tled  in  their  towns,  and  the  people  assem-

2
bled as one man in Jerusalem.

 g

The  following  came  up  from  Tel-melah,
Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan,
 and Immer, but they
could  not  prove  that  their  families  were  de-
scended from Israel:

60

the descendants of Delaiah,

the descendants of Tobiah,

and the descendants of Nekoda,
61

652 in all.

And from among the priests: the descend-

ants of Hobaiah,

the descendants of Hakkoz,

and  the  descendants  of  Barzillai  (who  had
married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite
62
and was called by their name).

63

These  men  searched  for  their  family  rec-
ords,  but  they  could  not  find  them  and  so
were  excluded  from  the  priesthood  as  un-
The governor  ordered  them  not  to
clean.
eat  the  most  holy  things  until  there  was  a
65
priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.

c

64

66

The  whole  assembly  numbered  42,360,

in
addition  to  their  7,337  menservants  and  maid-
servants,  as  well  as  their  200  male  and  female
67
They  had  736  horses,  245  mules,
singers.
Offerings by the Exiles
435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
(Exodus 38:21–31 ;  Nehemiah 7:70–73)

68

69

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
According to their ability, they
its original site.
d
gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics
 and 100 priestly
of gold,
garments.
a 57 Ami
Lights and Perfections

 5,000 minas of silver,

61,000 gold drachmas

Amon
d 69

e

b 59 Addan

Then  Jeshua  son  of  Jozadak

  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
3
it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.
They set up the altar on its foundation and sac-
rificed  burnt  offerings  on  it  to  the  LORD—both
the morning and evening burnt offerings—even
 h
4
though they feared the people of the land.

They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles
in accordance with what is written, and they of-
fered burnt offerings daily based on the number
5
prescribed for each day.

After that, they presented the regular burnt of-
ferings and those for New Moons and for all the
appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as
6
all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.

7

On the first day of the seventh month, the Isra-
elites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD,
although  the  foundation  of  the  temple  of  the
They  gave  money  to
LORD  had  not  been  laid.
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 au-
Temple Restoration Begins
thorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
8

In  the  second  month  of  the  second  year  after
they  had  arrived  at  the house  of  God  in  Jerusa-
lem,  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

Addon

c 63

 is a variant of
e 69 5,000 minas

Jehozadak

; see Nehemiah 7:59.
Or

Literally
; that is, approximately 1,129.7 pounds or 512.4 kilograms of gold

; see Nehemiah 7:61.

 is a variant of

g 2 Jozadak

all Israel

f 70

h 4

the Feast of Booths

 is approximately 3.14 tons or 2.85 metric tons of silver.

the Feast of Shelters

 is a vari-
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem;

the Feast of Ingathering

Or

; also in verse 8; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

 or

 and originally called

 (see Exodus 23:16

coins
ant of
also translated as
and Exodus 34:22).

9

So Jeshua and his sons and broth-
of the LORD.
a
ers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehu-
  and  the  sons  of  Henadad  and  their  sons
dah),
and  brothers—all  Levites—joined  together  to
10
supervise those working on the house of God.

When the builders had laid the foundation of
the temple of the LORD, the priests in their ap-
parel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of
Asaph)  with  cymbals,  took  their  positions  to
praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had pre-
scribed.
And  they  sang  responsively  with
praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:

11

 b

“For He is good;

for His loving devotion
endures forever.”

 to Israel

Then all the people gave a great shout of praise
to the LORD, because the foundation of the house
12
of the LORD had been laid.

But many of the older priests, Levites, and fam-
ily  heads  who  had  seen  the  first  temple  wept
loudly when they saw the foundation of this tem-
ple.  Still,  many  others  shouted  joyfully.
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
Adversaries Hinder the Work
heard from afar.

13

4

2

When  the  enemies  of  Judah  and  Benjamin
heard that the exiles were building a temple
they approached
for the LORD, the God of Israel,
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
3
brought us here.”

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 Is-
4
rael, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”

5

Then the people of the land set out to discour-
age the people of Judah and make them afraid to
They  hired  counselors  against  them  to
build.
frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cy-
rus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius
sons of Judah
a 9
king of Persia.
b 11

sons of Yehudah

chesed
; that is, most likely,
love

Ezra 4:16    |    439

Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

6

c

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,

 an ac-
cusation was lodged against the people of Judah
7
and Jerusalem.

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
8
written in Aramaic and then translated.

d

Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe
wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Arta-
xerxes as follows:

9

From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the
scribe, and the rest of their associates—the
judges  and  officials  over  Tripolis,  Persia,
10
Erech  and  Babylon,  the  Elamites  of  Susa,
and the rest of the peoples whom the great
 deported and
and honorable Ashurbanipal
f
settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere
11
west of the Euphrates.

 e

(This is the text of the letter they sent to

him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants, the men west of the Eu-
12
phrates:

Let it be known to the king that the Jews
who came from you to us have returned to
Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious
and wicked city. They are restoring its walls
13
and repairing its foundations.

Let  it  now  be  known  to  the  king  that
if  that  city  is  rebuilt  and  its  walls  are  re-
stored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll,
14
and the royal treasury will suffer.

 g

15

Now because we are in the service of the
palace
 and it is not fitting for us to allow the
king  to  be  dishonored,  we  have  sent  to  in-
that  a  search  should  be
form  the  king
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
16
times. That is why this city was destroyed.

We  advise  the  king  that  if  this  city  is  re-
built and its walls are restored, you will have
Hodaviah
no dominion west of the Euphrates.

Hodevah

loving devotion

Heb.
Forms of the Heb.
7:43.
d 7
the range of meaning includes
beyond the River
f 10

,
The original text of Ezra 4:8 through Ezra 6:18 is in Aramaic.
; also in verses 11, 16, 17, and 20
Aramaic

,

,

, and
Aramaic
Literally

goodness

kindness

faithfulness

, another name for

mercy
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
e 10
,
g 14

 or
loyalty to a covenant
Osnappar
because the salt of the palace is our salt
, another name for

; see Ezra 2:40 and Neh.
Ahasuerus
;
Ashurbanipal

Heb.

.

c 6

440    |    Ezra 4:17

The Decree of Artaxerxes

5

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:
18
Greetings.

19

20

The letter you sent us has been translated
and read in my presence.
I issued a decree,
and a search was conducted. It was discov-
ered that this city has revolted against kings
from  ancient  times,  engaging  in  rebellion
And mighty kings have ruled
and sedition.
over Jerusalem and exercised authority over
the whole region west of the Euphrates; and
21
tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.

Now,  therefore,  issue  an  order  for  these
22
men to stop, so that this city will not be re-
See that you do not
built until I so order.
neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to
increase and the royal interests to suffer?

23

When  the  text  of  the  letter  from  King  Arta-
xerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe,
and  their  associates,  they  went  immediately  to
24
the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

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.
Temple Rebuilding Resumes  (Haggai 1:1–11)

5

2

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,
 a
Then  Zerubbabel  son  of
who  was  over  them.
Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak
 rose up and
began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem.
And the prophets of God were with them, helping
3
them.

b
At that time Tattenai the governor of the region
west  of  the  Euphrates,
  Shethar-bozenai,  and
their  associates  went  to  the  Jews  and  asked,
“Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and
4
restore this structure?”

c

They  also  asked,

  “What  are  the  names  of  the

men who are constructing this building?”
a 2 Jozadak
c 4

Then we told them,

Jehozadak

d 10

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
Tattenai’s Letter to Darius
about this matter were returned.
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  offi-
The re-
cials in the region, sent to King Darius.
port they sent him read as follows:

7

To King Darius:
8
All peace.

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
9
is prospering in their hands.

So  we  questioned  the  elders  and  asked,
“Who authorized you to rebuild this temple
10
and restore this structure?”

 d
We also asked for their names, so that we

could write down the names of their leaders
11
for your information.

And this is the answer they returned:

12

“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.
But  since
our  fathers  angered  the  God  of  heaven,  He
delivered them into the hand of Nebuchad-
nezzar  king  of  Babylon,  the  Chaldean  who
destroyed this temple and carried away the
13
people to Babylon.

 e

14

In  the  first  year  of  his  reign,  however,
Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to re-
He also removed
build this house of God.
 of Babylon the gold and sil-
from the temple
ver  articles  belonging  to  the  house  of  God,
which  Nebuchadnezzar  had  taken  and  car-
ried  there  from  the  temple  in  Jerusalem.
King  Cyrus  gave  these  articles  to  a  man
named  Sheshbazzar,  whom  he  appointed
and instructed, ‘Take these arti-
governor
cles,  put  them  in  the  temple  in  Jerusalem,
and  let  the  house  of  God  be  rebuilt  on  its
original site.’

15

b 3
the names of the men at their heads

the governor beyond the River

e 14

palace

; also in verse 6

Or

 is a variant of

LXX and Syriac; Aramaic

; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
Aramaic

Aramaic

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 un-
der  construction,  but  it  has  not  yet  been
17
completed.”

Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a
search be made of the royal archives in Bab-
ylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a
decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusa-
lem. Then let the king send us his decision in
this matter.

The Decree of Darius

6

2

Thus  King  Darius  ordered  a  search  of  the
archives  stored  in  the  treasury  of  Babylon.
And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbat-
ana, in the province of Media, with the following
written on it:

3
Memorandum:

Ezra 6:18    |    441

9

provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the
work  will  not  be  hindered.
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
Then they will be
them daily without fail.
able  to  offer  sacrifices  of  a  sweet  aroma  to
the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of
11
the king and his sons.

10

c

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 im-
paled on it. And his own house shall be made
May God,
a pile of rubble for this offense.
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.

12

In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a
decree concerning the house of God in Jeru-
salem:

The Temple Completed

I,  Darius,  have  issued  the  decree.  Let  it  be
carried out with diligence.

13

a

4

Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offer-
ing  sacrifices,  and  let  its  foundations  be
firmly  laid.  It  is  to  be  sixty  cubits  high  and
sixty cubits wide,
with three layers of cut
stones and one of timbers. The costs are to
5
be paid from the royal treasury.

Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of
the  house  of  God,  which  Nebuchadnezzar
took from the temple in Jerusalem and car-
ried to Babylon, must also be returned to the
temple  in  Jerusalem  and  deposited  in  the
house of God.

6

Therefore Darius decreed:

b

To  Tattenai  governor  of  the  region  west
of the Euphrates,
 Shethar-bozenai, and your
7
associates and officials in the region:

Leave
You must stay away from that place!
this work on the house of God alone. Let the
governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this
8
house of God on its original site.

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
a 3
from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the
sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high

14

In  response,  Tattenai  the  governor  of  the  re-
gion west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and
their associates diligently carried out what King
So the Jewish elders built
Darius had decreed.
and prospered through the prophesying of Hag-
gai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo.

They  finished  building  according  to  the  com-
mand  of  the  God  of  Israel  and  the  decrees  of
15
Cyrus,  Darius,  and  Artaxerxes,  kings  of  Persia.
d
And  this  temple  was  completed  on  the  third
 in the sixth year of the

day of the month of Adar,
Dedication of the Temple
reign of King Darius.
16

Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Le-
vites, and the rest of  the exiles—celebrated the
17
dedication of the house of God with joy.

For the dedication of the house of God they of-
fered  a  hundred  bulls,  two  hundred  rams,  four
hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of
18
twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

They also appointed the priests by their divi-
sions and the Levites by their groups to the ser-
vice  of  God  in  Jerusalem,  according  to  what  is
written in the Book of Moses.

It is to be

b 6

governor beyond the River

The house was to be approximately 90 feet or 27.4 meters in height and width; Syriac (see also 1 Kings 6:2)

shall be made a dunghill because of this

d 15 Adar

c 11

and 13
dar, usually occurring within the months of February and March.

Literally

 is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calen-

.

Aramaic

; similarly in verses 8

442    |    Ezra 6:19

The Returned Exiles Keep the Passover

Artaxerxes’ Letter for Ezra

19

11

20

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first  month,  the
exiles  kept  the  Passover.
All  the  priests  and
Levites had purified themselves and were cere-
monially clean.

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:

12

 e

21

And  the  Levites  slaughtered  the  Passover  lamb
for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and
for  themselves.
The  Israelites  who  had  re-
turned  from  exile  ate  it,  together  with  all  who
had separated themselves from the uncleanness
of the peoples
 of the land to seek the LORD, the
22
God of Israel.
 b

 a

For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleav-
  with  joy,  because  the  LORD  had
ened  Bread
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 Is-
Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
rael.

7

c

4

2

5

3

 during the reign of Arta-
Many years later,
xerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the
the  son  of
son  of  Azariah,  the  son  of  Hilkiah,
the
Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Me-
raioth,
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the
the  son  of  Abishua,  the  son  of
son  of  Bukki,
6
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the
this Ezra came up from Babylon.
chief priest—
He  was  a  scribe  skilled  in  the  Law  of  Moses,
which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.
7

The  king  had  granted  Ezra  all  his  requests,  for
So
the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went
up  to  Jerusalem  with  some  of  the  Israelites,  in-
cluding  priests,  Levites,  singers,  gatekeepers,
8
and temple servants.

d

9

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of
He had begun the
the seventh year of the king.
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
For  Ezra  had  set  his
his  God  was  upon  him.
heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it,
a 21
and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

nations

b 22

10

c 1

After these things

d 7

Artaxerxes, king of kings.

To  Ezra  the priest,  the  scribe  of  the  Law  of
f
the God of heaven:
13
Greetings.

14

I hereby decree that any volunteers among
the  Israelites  in  my  kingdom,  including  the
priests  and  Levites,  may  go  up  with  you  to
You are sent by the king and his
Jerusalem.
seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jeru-
salem  according  to  the  Law  of  your  God,
15
which is in your hand.

16

17

Moreover, you are to take with you the sil-
ver and gold that the king and his counselors
have  freely  offered  to  the  God  of  Israel,
together
whose  dwelling  is  in  Jerusalem,
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
With
the house of their God in Jerusalem.
this  money,  therefore,  you  are  to  buy  as
many  bulls,  rams,  and  lambs  as  needed,  to-
gether  with  their  grain  offerings  and  drink
offerings, and offer them on the altar at the
You  and
house  of  your  God  in  Jerusalem.
your brothers may do whatever seems best
with the rest of the silver and gold, according
19
to the will of your God.

18

You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem
20
for  the
all  the  articles  given  to  you
service of the house of your God.
And if an-
ything  else  is  needed  for  the  house  of your
God  that  you  may  have  occasion  to  supply,
21
you may pay for it from the royal treasury.

 g

22

I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treas-
 Whatever Ezra
urers west of the Euphrates:
the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of
heaven, may require of you, it must be pro-
up to a hundred talents of
vided promptly,
k
silver,
 a hundred
baths of wine,
Nethinim

 a hundred baths of olive oil,

 a hundred cors of wheat,

e 11

h

i

j

Or

That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see

beyond the River

Perfect now

g 21

f 12

Literally

h 22 100 talents

Exodus 12:14–20.
Ezra 7:12–26 is in Aramaic.
verse 25
bushels or 22,000 liters (probably about 19.2 tons or 17.4 metric tons of wheat).
gallons or 2,200 liters of wine.

 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.

 (probably a greeting)

100 baths of oil

Aramaic

Hebrew

k 22

Or

; also in verse 24

i 22 100 cors
Aramaic
j 22 100 baths

The original text of
; also in

 is approximately 624
 is approximately 580

; that is, approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters

23

6

Ezra 8:20    |    443

24

Whatever  is  com-
and  salt  without  limit.
manded 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
And  be  advised  that  you  have  no
sons?
authority  to  impose  tribute,  duty,  or  toll
on any of the priests, Levites, singers, door-
keepers, temple servants, or other servants
25
of this house of God.

And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of
your God, which you possess, are to appoint
magistrates and judges to judge all the peo-
ple west of the Euphrates—all who know the
laws of your God. And you are to teach these
26
laws  to  anyone  who  does  not  know  them.
If  anyone  does  not  keep  the  law  of  your
God and the law of the king, let a strict judg-
ment  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,
and who
has shown me favor before the king, his counse-
lors, and all his powerful officials.

28

And because the hand of the LORD my God was
upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders
The Exiles Who Returned with Ezra
of Israel to return with me.

8

2

These are the family heads and genealogical
records of those who returned with me from

Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

from the descendants of Phinehas,

Gershom;
3
from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;
from the descendants of David, Hattush
the descendants of Shecaniah;
from the descendants of Parosh,
Zechariah, and with him were registered
4
150 men;

of

from the descendants of Pahath-Moab,
Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him
5
200 men;

f

from the descendants of Zattu,

Shecaniah son of Jahaziel,
him 300 men;
the last

c 14

a 10
b 13

 and with

from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of

7
Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah

8
son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zeba-
9
diah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;
from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son

10
of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
from the descendants of Bani,

a

Shelomith son of Josiphiah,
11
160 men;

 and with him

from the descendants of Bebai,

Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28
12
men;

from the descendants of Azgad,

Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110
13
men;

 b

from the later

 descendants of

Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphe-
let, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60
14
men;

c

Ezra Sends for the Levites

and from the descendants of Bigvai, both
 and with them 70 men.

Uthai and Zaccur,

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
16
priests, I found no Levites there.

d

17

Then  I  summoned  the  leaders:  Eliezer,  Ariel,
Shemaiah,  Elnathan,
  Jarib,  Elnathan,  Nathan,
Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teach-
And  I  sent  them  to
ers  Joiarib  and  Elnathan.
Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for
him  and  his  kinsmen,  the  temple  servants
  at
Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers
18
for the house of our God.

 e

19

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 broth-
also  Hashabiah,  together  with
ers,  18  men;
Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his
They  also
brothers  and  their  sons,  20  men.
brought  220  of  the  temple  servants,  all  desig-
nated  by  name.  David  and  the  officials  had  ap-
pointed them to assist the Levites.

from the descendants of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah
d 16 Elnathan
e 17

Zabbud

20

Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew
Or

Nethinim
three times in verse, either as a repetition for emphasis or as a record of multiple men with this name.

LXX, Syriac, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads

.

the
 appears

Hebrew

; also in verse 20

444    |    Ezra 8:21

Fasting for Protection

21

22

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
For  I
our  children,  with  all  our  possessions.
was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of sol-
diers and horsemen to protect us from our ene-
mies  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
23
Him.”

So  we  fasted  and  petitioned  our  God  about

Priests to Guard the Offerings
this, and He granted our request.
24

25

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests,
together  with  Sherebiah,  Hashabiah,  and  ten  of
and I weighed out to them the
their brothers,
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
26
our God.

b
I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of

a

c

27

  articles  of  silver  weighing  100  talents,

d

silver,
100  talents  of  gold,
1,000  darics,
28
bronze, as precious as gold.

20  gold  bowls  valued  at
  and  two  articles  of  fine  polished

29

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
Guard  them  carefully  until  you
your  fathers.
weigh them out in the chambers of the house of
the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests,
30
Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”

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
31
in Jerusalem.

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
Arrival in Jerusalem
way.
32

So  we  arrived  at  Jerusalem  and  rested  there

for three days.
a 26 650 talents

c 26 100 talents

33

On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we
weighed out the silver and gold and sacred arti-
cles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the
priest.  Eleazar  son  of  Phinehas  was  with  him,
34
along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and
Everything was verified
Noadiah son of Binnui.
by number and weight, and the total weight was
35
recorded at that time.

Then the exiles who had returned from captiv-
ity 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
36
offering to the LORD.

 e

f

They  also  delivered  the  king’s  edicts  to  the
 and governors of the region west
  who  proceeded  to  assist  the

royal satraps
of  the  Euphrates,
Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples
people and the house of God.
(Nehemiah 13:23–31)

9

After  these  things  had  been  accomplished,
the  leaders  approached  me  and  said,  “The
people  of  Israel,  including  the  priests  and  Le-
vites,  have  not  kept  themselves  separate  from
the  surrounding  peoples  whose  abominations
like  those  of  the  Canaanites,  Hittites,
are
2
Jebusites,  Ammonites,  Moabites,
Perizzites,
Indeed, the Israelites
Egyptians, and Amorites.
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
3
this unfaithfulness!”

When  I  heard  this  report,  I  tore  my  tunic  and
cloak,  pulled  out  some  hair  from  my  head  and
4
beard, and sat down in horror.

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
Ezra’s Prayer of Confession
in horror until the evening offering.
5

6

At the evening offering, I got up from my humil-
iation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on
my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my
God,

and said:

“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed
to lift up my face to You, my God, because our
worth

b 26 100 talents

d 27

1,000 drachmas
3.42 metric tons of silver articles.
f 36

governors beyond the River

 is approximately 24.5 tons or 22.2 metric tons of silver.

e 36
 is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of gold.

satrap

 is approximately 3.77 tons or

Or
 was a Persian official.

; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold

A

Hebrew

7

iniquities are higher than our heads, and our
From  the
guilt  has  reached  the  heavens.
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
subjected  to  the  sword  and  to  captivity,  to
8
pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.

 a

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
 in His
holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has
9
given  us  new  life  and  light  to  our  eyes.
Though we are slaves, our God has not for-
saken  us  in  our  bondage,  but  He  has  ex-
tended 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
10
a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

11

12

And now, our God, what can we say after
this?  For  we  have  forsaken  the  command-
that  You  gave  through  Your  serv-
ments
ants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you
are entering to possess is a land polluted by
the impurity of its peoples and the abomina-
tions with which they have filled it from end
Now,  therefore,  do  not  give  your
to  end.
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
13
forever.’

14

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
shall  we  again  break
remnant  as  this),
Your  commandments  and  intermarry  with
the  peoples  who  commit  these  abomina-
tions? Would You not become so angry with
us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or
15
survivor?

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  be-
cause of it no one can stand before You.”

     a 8

nail

foothold

b 6

went

Or

 or

Or

Ezra 10:11    |    445

Shecaniah’s Encouragement

10

While Ezra prayed and made this confes-
sion,  weeping  and  falling  facedown  be-
fore the house of God, a very large assembly of
Israelites—men,  women,  and  children—gath-
ered around him, and the people wept bitterly as
2
well.

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
3
land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
So now let us make a covenant before our God
to send away all the foreign wives and their chil-
dren, according to the counsel of my lord and of
those who tremble at the command of our God.
Get up, for
Let it be done according to the Law.
this  matter  is  your  responsibility,  and  we  will
5
support you. Be strong and take action!”

4

So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Le-
vites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had
The People’s Confession of Sin
been said. And they took the oath.
6

 b

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of
God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son
 there, he ate no
of Eliashib. And while he stayed
food and drank no water, because he was mourn-
7
ing over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

8

And a proclamation was issued throughout Ju-
dah  and  Jerusalem  that  all  the  exiles  should
Whoever failed to appear
gather at Jerusalem.
within three days would forfeit all his property,
according  to  the  counsel  of  the  leaders  and  el-
ders,  and  would  himself  be  expelled  from  the
9
assembly of the exiles.

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 peo-
ple sat in the square at the house of God, trem-
bling  regarding  this  matter  and  because  of  the
10
heavy rain.

11

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,
“You  have  been  unfaithful  by  marrying  foreign
Now,
women,  adding  to  the  guilt  of  Israel.
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.”

446    |    Ezra 10:12

12

13

14

And the whole assembly responded in a loud
But there
voice: “Truly we must do as you say!
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 trans-
Let our leaders
gressed greatly in this matter.
represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone
in our towns who has married a foreign woman
come at an appointed time, together with the el-
ders  and  judges  of  each  town,  until  the  fierce
anger  of  our  God  in  this  matter  is  turned  away
15
from us.”

(Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son
of  Tikvah,  supported  by  Meshullam  and  Shab-
16
bethai the Levite, opposed this plan.)

So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest
selected  men  who  were  family  heads,  each  of
them identified by name, to represent their fam-
ilies.  On  the  first  day  of  the  tenth  month  they
and by the first day
launched the investigation,
of the first month they had dealt with all the men
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
who had married foreign women.
18

17

Among the descendants of the priests who had
married  foreign  women  were  found  these  de-
  and  his
scendants  of  Jeshua  son  of  Jozadak
brothers:

 a

19
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

They pledged to send their wives away,

20

and for their guilt they presented a ram
from the flock as a guilt offering.

From the descendants of Immer:

21

Hanani and Zebadiah.

From the descendants of Harim:

22

Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and
Uzziah.

From the descendants of Pashhur:

23

Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel,
Jozabad, and Elasah.

Among the Levites:

24

Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita),
Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

From the singers:

From the gatekeepers:
25

Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

And among the other Israelites, from the

descendants of Parosh:
b

26

Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar,
Malchijah,

 and Benaiah.

From the descendants of Elam:

27

Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi,
Jeremoth, and Elijah.

From the descendants of Zattu:

28

Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth,
Zabad, and Aziza.

From the descendants of Bebai:

29

Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

From the descendants of Bani:

30

Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal,
and Jeremoth.

From the descendants of Pahath-moab:

31

Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah,
Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

From the descendants of Harim:

32

Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah,
Shimeon,
Shemariah.

Benjamin, Malluch, and

33

From the descendants of Hashum:

34

Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet,
Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

From the descendants of Bani:

35

36
Maadai, Amram, Uel,
37
Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Eliashib,
c

38

Benaiah,

Vaniah, Meremoth,

Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

39
40
41

From the descendants of Binnui:

Shimei,
Adaiah,
Sharai,
Shemariah,
and Joseph.

43

Shelemiah, Nathan,
Machnadebai, Shashai,
42
Azarel, Shelemiah,

Shallum, Amariah,

And from the descendants of Nebo:

44

Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel,
and Benaiah.

d

All these men had married foreign women, and
And

some of them had children by these wives.
b 25

Hashabiah       c 38

Eliashib.

a 18 Jozadak
Bani, and Binnui, (and) Shimei,

Jehozadak

d 44

and they sent them away with their children

 is a variant of

; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

Hebrew; LXX

See LXX; Hebrew

Or

Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s Prayer  (Deuteronomy 30:1–10)

10

1

These  are  the  words  of  Nehemiah  son  of
Hacaliah:

a

2

 in the twentieth year,
In the month of Chislev,
Hanani, one
while I was in the citadel of Susa,
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
3
Jerusalem.

And they told me, “The remnant who survived
the exile are there in the province, in great trou-
ble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken
4
down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept.
I  mourned  for  days,  fasting  and  praying  before
5
the God of heaven.

Then I said:

 b

“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awe-
some God who keeps His covenant of loving
6
 with those who love Him and keep
devotion
His commandments,
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.

7

I  confess  the  sins  that  we  Israelites  have
committed  against  You.  Both  I  and  my  fa-
ther’s house have sinned.
We have behaved
corruptly against You and have not kept the
commandments,  statutes,  and  ordinances
8
that You gave Your servant Moses.

 e

11

They  are  Your  servants  and  Your  people.
You  redeemed  them  by  Your  great  power
O Lord, may Your ear be
and mighty hand.
attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of
  who  delight  to  revere  Your
Your  servants
name.  Give  Your  servant  success  this  day,  I
pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this
man.”

Nehemiah Sent to Jerusalem
(At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

f

2

Now in the month of Nisan,
 in the twentieth
year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set
before  him,  I  took  the  wine  and  gave  it  to  the
so
king.  I  had  never  been  sad  in  his  presence,
the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though
you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the
heart.”

2

3

and replied to the
I was overwhelmed with fear
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
4
fire?”

“What is your request?” replied the king.

5

So I prayed to the God of heaven
and answered
the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your serv-
ant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you
send  me  to Judah,  to  the city  where  my  fathers
6
are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”

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
7
to send me, and I set a time.

9

Remember, I pray, the word that You com-
manded Your servant Moses when You said,
‘If  you  are  unfaithful,  I  will  scatter  you
but if you return to Me
among the nations,
and  keep  and  practice  My  commandments,
then even if your exiles have been banished
  I  will  gather  them
to  the  farthest  horizon,
 d
from there and bring them to the place I have
chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
goodness

I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may let-
ters be given to me for the governors west of the
8
 so that they will grant me safe pas-
Euphrates,
sage until I reach Judah.
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
loving devotion
 is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and Decem-
to
c 9
Forms of the Hebrew
ber.
;
the extremity of the heavens
the range of meaning includes
Your servants
f 1 Nisan

mercy
to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of
Or

 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as

chesed
love
d 9

a 1 Chislev
b 5

loyalty to a covenant

faithfulness

, as well as

kindness

e 11

.

g

c

,
,
Deuteronomy 30:1–4

,

, and
Literally

g 7

beyond the River
 is the first month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March

and April.

Hebrew

; also in verse 9

448    |    Nehemiah 2:9

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
9
upon me, the king granted my requests.

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
10
me.

But  when  Sanballat  the  Horonite  and  Tobiah
the  Ammonite  official  heard  about  this,  they
were  deeply  disturbed  that  someone  had  come
Nehemiah Inspects the Walls
to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11

12

After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been
I set out at night with a few
there three days,
men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid
on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal
13
with me was the one on which I was riding.

 a

So I went out at night through the Valley Gate
  and  the  Dung
toward  the  Well  of  the  Serpent
Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that
had  been  broken  down  and  the  gates  that  had
14
been destroyed by fire.

15

Then  I  went  on  to  the Fountain Gate  and  the
King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal
so I went up the val-
under me to get through;
ley  by  night  and  inspected  the  wall.  Then  I
headed  back  and  reentered  through  the  Valley
16
Gate.

17

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
Then  I  said  to  them,  “You  see  the
workers.
trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its
gates  have  been  burned  down.  Come,  let  us  re-
build  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  so  that  we  will  no
18
longer be a disgrace.”

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
19
set their hands to this good work.

But  when  Sanballat  the  Horonite,  Tobiah  the
Ammonite  official,  and  Geshem  the  Arab  heard
about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, say-
ing, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebel-
the governor
b 5
a 13
ling against the king?”
e 13 1,000 cubits
the River
Or

their Lord

Dragon

Jackal

 or

 or

Or

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
The Builders of the Walls
no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”

3

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
2
the  Tower  of  Hananel,  they  dedicated  the  wall.
The  men  of  Jericho  built  next  to  Eliashib,  and

3
Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.

4

The  Fish  Gate  was  rebuilt  by  the  sons  of
Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its
doors, bolts, and bars.
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, Za-
dok son of Baana made repairs as well.
Next to
him, the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles
did  not  put  their  shoulders  to  the  work  under
6
their supervisors.

5

 b

 c

7

The Jeshanah Gate

 was repaired by Joiada son
of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They
laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and
bars.
Next to them, repairs were made by Mela-
tiah  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.
Next  to  them,  Uzziel  son  of
Harhaiah,  one  of  the  goldsmiths,  made  repairs.
And next to him, Hananiah, one of the perfumers,
made repairs. They fortified Jerusalem as far as
9
the Broad Wall.

8

d

10

11

Next  to  them,  Rephaiah  son  of  Hur,  ruler  of  a
half-district  of  Jerusalem,  made  repairs;
next
to  him,  Jedaiah  son  of  Harumaph  made  repairs
across from his house; and next to him, Hattush
son  of  Hashabneiah  made  repairs.
Malchijah
son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab
repaired  another  section,  as  well  as  the  Tower
of  the  Ovens.
And  next  to  them,  Shallum  son
of  Hallohesh,  ruler  of  the  other  half-district  of
Jerusalem,  made  repairs,  with  the  help  of  his
13
daughters.

12

The  Valley  Gate  was  repaired  by  Hanun  and
the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it, installed
its  doors,  bolts,  and  bars,  and  repaired  a  thou-
the governor beyond
c 6
 far as the Dung Gate.
sand cubits

 of the wall as

The Old City Gate

d 7

 e

Or

Hebrew

 is approximately 1,500 feet or 457.2 meters.

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,
 a
15
bolts, and bars.

The  Fountain  Gate  was  repaired  by  Shallun
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
 near the king’s garden, as far as
Pool of Shelah
16
the stairs that descend from the City of David.

 b

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
17
artificial pool and the House of the Mighty.

Nehemiah 4:9    |    449

Zadok  son  of  Immer  made  repairs  opposite  his
house,  and  next  to  him,  Shemaiah  son  of  She-
30
caniah, the guard of the East Gate, made repairs.

31

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 quar-
Next  to  him,  Malchijah,  one  of  the  gold-
ters.
smiths,  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
And  between  the  upper
above  the  corner.
room above the corner and the Sheep Gate, the
The Work Ridiculed
goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

32

 c

18

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.
Next  to  him,  their  countrymen
made  repairs  under  Binnui
  son  of  Henadad,
ruler  of  the  other  half-district  of  Keilah.
And
next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah,
repaired another section opposite the ascent to
20
the armory, near the angle in the wall.

19

Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai diligently re-
paired  another  section,  from  the  angle  to  the
21
doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of
Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the door-
way  of  the  house  of  Eliashib  to  the  end  of  the
house.
And  next  to  him,  the  priests  from  the
23
surrounding area made repairs.

22

25

24

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.
After  him,
Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section,
from  the  house  of  Azariah  to  the  angle  and  the
corner,
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 court-
yard of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Pa-
rosh
 living on the hill
of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate
27
toward  the  east  and  the  tower  that  juts  out.
And  next  to  them,  the  Tekoites  repaired  an-
other  section,  from  a  point  opposite  the  great
28
tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.

and the temple servants

26

 d

29

Above the Horse Gate, each of the priests made
Next to them,

a 15
repairs in front of his own house.

b 15 Pool of Shelah

Shallum

4

2

Now when Sanballat heard that we were re-
building  the  wall,  he  was  furious  and  filled
before
with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews
his  associates  and  the  army  of  Samaria,  saying,
“What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they re-
store  the  wall  by  themselves?
  Will  they  offer
sacrifices?  Will  they  complete  it  in  a  day?  Can
they  bring  these  burnt  stones  back  to  life  from
3
the mounds of rubble?”

 e

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
4
of stones!”

Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their
scorn back upon their own heads, and let them
Do not
be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.
cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted
out from Your sight, for they have provoked the
6
builders.

5

f

So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined
together up to half its height, for the people had
7
a mind to work.

8

When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the
Arabs,  Ammonites,  and  Ashdodites,  heard  that
the  repair  to  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  was  pro-
gressing  and  that  the  gaps  were  being  closed,
and all of them conspired to
they were furious,
come  and  fight  against  Jerusalem  and  create  a
Discouragement Overcome
hindrance.
9

So  we  prayed  to  our  God  and  posted  a  guard
c 18

against them day and night.

Hebrew; Syriac

e 2

Will they commit themselves to God?

 is another name for the Pool of Siloam.

the Nethinim
d 26
Two Hebrew manu-
have provoked You to anger before the builders

Bavvai

f 5

scripts and Syriac (see also LXX and Nehemiah 3:24); most Hebrew manuscripts
also in verse 31

Or

Or

Hebrew

;

450    |    Nehemiah 4:10

10

 a

Meanwhile, the people of Judah said:

“The strength of the laborer fails,
and there is so much rubble

11

that we will never be able
to rebuild the wall.”

And  our  enemies  said,  “Before  they  know  or
see  a  thing,  we  will  come  into  their  midst,  kill
12
them, and put an end to the work.”

At that time the Jews who lived nearby came
and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn,
13
they will attack us.”

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
14
bows.

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,
15
your wives and your homes.”

When our enemies heard that we were aware
of  their  scheme  and  that  God  had  frustrated  it,
16
each of us returned to his own work on the wall.
And from that day on, half of my servants did
the  work  while  the  other  half  held  spears,
shields, bows, and armor.

17

The officers stationed themselves behind all the
who were rebuilding the wall.
people of Judah
The laborers who carried materials worked with
18
one  hand  and  held  a  weapon  with  the  other.
And  each  of  the  builders  worked  with  his
sword  strapped  at  his  side.  But  the  trumpeter
19
stayed beside me.

20

Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the
rest of the people: “The work is great and exten-
sive, and we are spread out far from one another
Wherever you hear the sound
along the wall.
of the horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight
21
for us!”

22

So  we  continued  the  work,  while  half  of  the
men  held  spears  from  the  break  of  dawn  until
At that time I also said to
the stars came out.
the people, “Let every man and his servant spend
the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand
23
guard by night and work by day.”

b

clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for
Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed
water.

5

About  that  time  there  was  a  great  outcry
from  the  people  and  their  wives  against

2
their fellow Jews.

Some were saying, “We and our sons and daugh-
ters are numerous. We must get grain in order to
3
eat and stay alive.”

Others  were  saying,  “We  are  mortgaging  our
fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain
4
during the famine.”

5

Still  others  were  saying,  “We  have  borrowed
money  to  pay  the  king’s  tax  on  our  fields  and
vineyards.
We and our children are just like our
countrymen and their children, yet we are sub-
jecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some
of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are
powerless  to  redeem  them  because  our  fields
6
and vineyards belong to others.”

7

When  I  heard  their  outcry  and  these  com-
plaints, I became extremely angry,
and after se-
rious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials,
saying,  “You  are  exacting  usury  from  your  own
brothers!”

8

So  I  called  a  large  assembly  against  them
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
9
nothing to say.

11

10

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?
I, as well
as my brothers and my servants, have been lend-
ing  the  people  money  and  grain.  Please,  let  us
stop this usury.
Please restore to them imme-
diately  their  fields,  vineyards,  olive  groves,  and
houses, along with the percentage of the money,
grain, new wine, and oil that you have been as-
12
sessing them.”

“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will re-
quire nothing more from them. We will do as you
say.”

So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants
a 10
nor  the  guards  with  me  changed  out  of  our

Meanwhile, Judah said

b 23

each carried his weapon in his right hand

So  I  summoned  the  priests  and  required  of  the
nobles  and  officials  an  oath  that  they would  do
what they had promised.
I also shook out the

13

Or

Or

folds  of  my  robe  and  said,  “May  God  likewise
shake  out  of  his  house  and  possessions  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
Nehemiah’s Generosity
promised.
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
15
brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

a

The  governors  before  me  had  heavily  bur-
dened  the  people,  taking  from  them  bread  and
wine plus forty shekels of silver.
 Their servants
also oppressed the people. But I did not do this,
Instead, I devoted
because of my fear of God.
myself to the construction of the wall, and all my
servants  were  gathered  there  for  the  work;  we
17
did not acquire any land.

16

There were 150 Jews and officials at my table,
18
besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
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 pro-
vided. But I did not demand the food allotted to
the governor, because the burden on the people
19
was so heavy.

Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that

Sanballat’s Conspiracy
I have done for this people.

6

2

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
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this
the gates—
 c
 b
message:  “Come,  let  us  meet  together  in  one  of
the villages
3
But they were planning to harm me.

 on the plain

 of Ono.”

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am do-
ing  a  great  work  and  cannot  come  down.  Why
should the work stop while I leave it to go down
4
to you?”

Nehemiah 6:16    |    451

5

The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same mes-
sage by his young servant, who had in his hand
that read:
an unsealed letter

6

 d

7

“It is reported among the nations—and Ge-
  agrees—that  you  and  the  Jews  are
shem
plotting  to  revolt,  and  this  is  why  you  are
building the wall. According to these reports,
and you have
you are to become their king,
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 invent-
9
ing them in your own mind.”

For they were all trying to frighten us, saying,
“Their hands will be weakened in the work, and
it will never be finished.”
10
But now, my God,

 strengthen my hands.

e

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

11

because they are coming to kill you—
by night they are coming to kill you!”

But I replied, “Should a man like me run away?
Should one like me go into the temple to save his
12
own life? I will not go!”

13

I realized that God had not sent him, but that
he had uttered this prophecy against me because
He  had
Tobiah  and  Sanballat  had  hired  him.
been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin
by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a
14
bad name in order to discredit me.

O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for
what  they  have  done,  and  also  Noadiah  the
prophetess and the other prophets who tried to
Completion of the Wall
intimidate me.
15

f

16
So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on
the twenty-fifth of Elul.
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.

b 2

c 2

in Kephirim
my God

in the valley      d 6
f 15 Elul

Four times they sent me the same message, and
each time I gave the same reply.
a 15 40 shekels
Gashmu

Geshem

e 9

But now

 is approximately 1 pound or 453.6 grams of silver.

Or
 has been included.
sixth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of August and September.

; see verse 1.

, a variant of

; for clarity,

Hebrew

Or

Hebrew
 is the

452    |    Nehemiah 6:17

17

13

18

Also  in  those  days,  the  nobles  of  Judah  sent
many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters kept
For  many  in  Judah  were
coming  to  them.
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
19
Berechiah.

Moreover,  these  nobles  kept  reporting  to  me
Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words
Securing the City
to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

7

When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set
the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers,

2
and Levites were appointed.

3

Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jeru-
salem,  along  with  Hananiah  the  commander  of
the fortress, because he was a faithful man who
And  I  told  them,
feared  God  more  than  most.
“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
The List of Returning Exiles  (Ezra 2:1–67)
their posts and some at their own homes.”
4

5

Now the city was large and spacious, but there
were few people in it, and the houses had not yet
Then my God put it into my heart
been rebuilt.
to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the peo-
ple to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the gene-
alogical register of those who had first returned,
6
and I found the following written in it:

7

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 re-
turned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own
accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Ne-
town,
a
hemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai,
Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

8

9

10

11

This is the count of the men of Israel:

the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;

the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;

the descendants of Arah, 652;

the descendants of Pahath-moab

12
(through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

24

25

26

the descendants of Zattu, 845;

b

the descendants of Zaccai, 760;

the descendants of Binnui,

 648;

the descendants of Bebai, 628;

the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;

the descendants of Adonikam, 667;

the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;

the descendants of Adin, 655;

the descendants of Ater (through

22
Hezekiah), 98;
23

the descendants of Hashum, 328;

the descendants of Bezai, 324;

the descendants of Hariph,

the descendants of Gibeon,

 95;

c

d
 112;

the men of Bethlehem and Netophah,

27
188;
28

29

e
the men of Anathoth, 128;

the men of Beth-azmaveth,

 42;

the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah,

30
and Beeroth, 743;
31

32

33

34

the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;

the men of Michmash, 122;
f

the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;

the men of the other Nebo,

 52;

g

the descendants of the other Elam,

35
1,254;
36

 h

37

38

39

the descendants of Harim, 320;

 of Jericho, 345;

the men
the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;

and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.

The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the
40
house of Jeshua), 973;
41

the descendants of Immer, 1,052;

the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;

and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.

42

43

The Levites:

 i

44

the descendants of Jeshua (through
Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah

), 74.

The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 148.

the descendants of Elam, 1,254;

accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar,

a 7
Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah
Parallel text at Ezra 2:2
d 25 Gibeon
Nebo
of West Elam
g 34

 is a variant of
Or

b 15 Binnui

Gibbar

Bani
e 28 Beth-azmaveth

c 24 Hariph

Azmaveth

Jorah

h 36

 is a variant of
the sons

; see Ezra 2:10.

i 43 Hodevah

; see Ezra 2:20.

 is a variant of

 is a variant of

Hodaviah
; see Ezra 2:24.

Or

of West

f 33
; see Ezra 2:18.

Literally

; here and in v. 37

 is a variant of

; see Ezra 2:40.

45

56

Nehemiah 7:69    |    453

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,

 a

46

138 in all.

The temple servants:

the descendants of Ziha,

the descendants of Hasupha,
47
the descendants of Tabbaoth,

b

the descendants of Keros,

the descendants of Sia,
48
the descendants of Padon,

the descendants of Lebanah,

the descendants of Hagabah,
49
the descendants of Shalmai,

the descendants of Hanan,

the descendants of Giddel,
50
the descendants of Gahar,

the descendants of Reaiah,

the descendants of Rezin,
51
the descendants of Nekoda,

the descendants of Gazzam,

the descendants of Uzza,
52
the descendants of Paseah,

the descendants of Besai,

the descendants of Meunim,
53
the descendants of Nephushesim,

c

the descendants of Bakbuk,

the descendants of Hakupha,
d
54
the descendants of Harhur,

the descendants of Bazlith,

the descendants of Mehida,
55
the descendants of Harsha,

the descendants of Barkos,

57

the descendants of Neziah,

and the descendants of Hatipha.

The descendants of the servants of

Solomon:

the descendants of Sotai,

e

the descendants of Sophereth,
58
the descendants of Perida,

the descendants of Jaala,

the descendants of Darkon,
59
the descendants of Giddel,

the descendants of Shephatiah,

the descendants of Hattil,

f

the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
60
and the descendants of Amon.

The temple servants and descendants of
the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in
all.

61

g

The  following  came  up  from  Tel-melah,
 and Immer, but they
families  were

Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon,
could  not  prove  that  their
descended from Israel:

62

the descendants of Delaiah,

the descendants of Tobiah,

and the descendants of Nekoda,
63

642 in all.

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 Gile-
64
adite and was called by their name).

65

These  men  searched  for  their  family  rec-
ords,  but  they  could  not  find  them  and  so
were  excluded  from  the  priesthood  as  un-
The  governor  ordered  them  not  to
clean.
eat  the  most  holy  things  until  there  was  a
67
priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.

h

66

i

68

The  whole  assembly  numbered  42,360,

in
addition  to  their  7,337  menservants  and  maid-
servants,  as  well  as  their  245  male  and
69
They  had  736  horses,  245
female  singers.
c 52 Nephushesim
Siaha
435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
mules,
Bazluth
 is a variant of
g 61 Addon

e 57 Perida
; see Ezra 2:44.
Addan

Peruda
 is a

h 65

; see Ezra 2:52.
 is a variant of

 is a variant of

;

; see Ezra 2:59.

Liter-

the descendants of Sisera,
The Nethinim
the descendants of Temah,

a 46

Nephusim

Hebrew
f 59 Amon
Lights and Perfections

; see Ezra 2:50.

i 68

b 47 Sia

; also in verses 60 and 73

d 54 Bazlith
Ami

 is a variant of

; see Ezra 2:57.

 is a variant of

variant of
see Ezra 2:55.
ally
clude this verse.

Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Ezra 2:66); most Hebrew manuscripts do not in-

454    |    Nehemiah 7:70

Offerings by the Exiles
(Exodus 38:21–31 ;  Ezra 2:68–70)

70

a

71

Some of the heads of the families contributed
to the project. The governor gave to the treasury
 50 bowls, and 530 priestly
1,000 darics of gold,
And some of the heads of the fami-
garments.
 b
lies  gave  to  the  treasury  for  the  project  20,000
The
darics of gold
rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 darics of
gold, 2,000 minas of silver,
 and 67 priestly gar-
73
ments.

 and 2,200 minas of silver.
d

72

c

So  the  priests,  Levites,  gatekeepers,  singers,
and temple servants, along with some of the peo-
ple and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their
own towns. And by the seventh month the Isra-
Ezra Reads the Law  (Deuteronomy 31:9–13)
elites had settled in their towns.

8

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 com-
2
manded for Israel.

3

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 un-
So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak
derstand.
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
4
Book of the Law.

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, Mis-
hael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zecha-
5
riah, and Meshullam.

8

Jozabad,  Hanan,

and  Pelaiah—
Azariah,
instructed the people in the Law as they stood in
So they read from the Book of the
their places.
Law of God, explaining it
 and giving insight, so
that the people could understand what was being
9
read.

 e

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
10
the words of the Law.

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
11
the LORD is your strength.”

And the Levites calmed all the people, saying,

12
“Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”

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
The Feast of Tabernacles
known to them.
(Leviticus 23:33–44 ;  Zechariah 14:16–21)

13

  f

On the second day of the month, the heads of
all  the  families,  along  with  the  priests  and  Le-
14
vites,  gathered  around  Ezra  the  scribe  to  study
the words of the Law.
And they found written
in  the  Law,  which  the  LORD  had  commanded
through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell
15
in booths
 during the feast of the seventh month,
and  that  they  should  proclaim  this  message
and spread it throughout their towns and in Je-
rusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and
bring back branches of olive, wild olive,
 myrtle,
palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it
16
is written.”

 h

g

6

Ezra opened the book in full view of all the peo-
ple, since he was standing above them all, and as
he opened it, all the people stood up.
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
7
the LORD with their faces to the ground.

And  the  people  went  out,  brought  back
branches,  and  made  booths  on  their  own  roof-
tops,  in  their  courtyards,  in  the  courts  of  the
house  of  God,  and  in  the  squares  by  the  Water
Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim.
The whole as-
sembly that had returned from exile made booths
and lived in them. From the days of Joshua
 son
of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not cele-
20,000 gold drach-
brated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
c 71
; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold coins
tabernacles
paragraph by paragraph
e 8
is, approximately 1.38 tons or 1.25 metric tons of silver
pine
1.14 metric tons of silver
15, 16, and 17

The  Levites—Jeshua,  Bani,  Sherebiah,  Jamin,
a 70
Akkub,  Shabbethai,  Hodiah,  Maaseiah,  Kelita,
mas

Or
; that is, approximately 370.4 pounds or 168 kilograms of gold coins; also in verse 72

; that is, approximately 1.26 tons or
Joshua
; also in verses
Or

2,000 silver minas
f 14

See Leviticus 23:37–40.

Or
Jeshua
 or

Or
; literally

1,000 gold drachmas

Or
shelters

2,200 silver minas

translating it

, a variant of

Hebrew

oil tree

; that

h 15

d 72

b 71

g 15

i 17

 or

Or

Or

17

 i

18

10

Nehemiah 9:18   |    455

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
The People Confess Their Sins
to the ordinance.

9

2

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  same
month, the Israelites gathered together, fast-
ing  and  wearing  sackcloth,  with  dust  on  their
Those  of  Israelite  descent  separated
heads.
themselves  from  all  the  foreigners,  and  they
stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities
3
of their fathers.

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 quar-
ter  of  the  day  in  confession  and worship  of  the
4
LORD their God.

5

And  the  Levites—Jeshua,  Bani,  Kadmiel,  She-
baniah,  Bunni,  Sherebiah,  Bani,  and  Chenani—
stood on the raised platform and cried out in a
loud  voice  to  the  LORD  their  God.
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,

6

and may it be exalted
above all blessing and praise.

You alone are the LORD.

You created the heavens,

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.

11

You made a name for Yourself
that endures to this day.

You divided the sea before them,

and they crossed through it on dry

ground.

You hurled their pursuers into the depths

12

like a stone into raging waters.

You led them with a pillar of cloud by day

and a pillar of fire by night,

to light for them the way

13

in which they should travel.
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

15

statutes and laws

through Your servant Moses.

In their hunger You gave them bread from

heaven;

in their thirst You brought them water

from the rock.

16

You told them to go in and possess the land

that You had sworn to give them.

the highest heavens with all their host,

But they and our fathers became arrogant

and the host of heaven worships You.

remember

the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.

You give life to all things,

7

You are the LORD,

the God who chose Abram,

who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans

8

and gave him the name Abraham.
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.

9

You have kept Your promise,
because You are righteous.

17

and stiff-necked

and did not obey Your commandments.

They refused to listen and failed to

the wonders You performed among them.
b

They stiffened their necks and appointed

a leader

to return them to their bondage in Egypt.

But You are a forgiving God,

gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in loving devotion,

18

and You did not forsake them.

Even when they cast for themselves

an image of a calf and said,

‘This is your God who brought you up out of

a

Egypt,’

You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt;

a 9

b 17
the Sea of Reeds
You heard their cry at the Red Sea.

and when they committed terrible
to return them to their bondage in their rebellion

blasphemies,

Or

LXX and a few Hebrew manuscripts; MT

456    |    Nehemiah 9:19

19

You in Your great compassion

From heaven You heard them,

did not forsake them in the wilderness.
By day the pillar of cloud never turned away

and in Your great compassion You gave

them deliverers

from guiding them on their path;

28

who saved them from the hands of their

20

and by the night the pillar of fire

illuminated the way they should go.
You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna from

21

their mouths,

and You gave them water for their thirst.

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

 a

land.

So they took the land of Sihon

 king of

23

Heshbon

and of Og king of Bashan.
You multiplied their descendants

like the stars of heaven
and brought them to the land

24

You had told their fathers to enter and

possess.

So their descendants went in and possessed

the land;

enemies.

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

29

in Your compassion.

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 turned a stubborn shoulder;

30

they stiffened their necks and would not

obey.

You were patient with them for many years,
and Your Spirit admonished them through

Your prophets.

Yet they would not listen,

b

You subdued before them the Canaanites

31

so You gave them into the hands of the

dwelling in the land.

You delivered into their hands the kings and

25

peoples of the land,

to do with them as they wished.

neighboring peoples.

But in Your great compassion,

You did not put an end to them;

nor did You forsake them,

They captured fortified cities and fertile land

and took houses full of all goods,

32

for You are a gracious and compassionate

God.

wells already dug,

vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in

abundance.
So they ate and were filled;

26

they grew fat and delighted in Your great

goodness.

But they were disobedient and rebelled

against You;

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,

they flung Your law behind their backs.

33

from the days of the kings of Assyria until

They killed Your prophets,

who had admonished them to return to

27

You.

They committed terrible blasphemies.

So You delivered them into the hands
of enemies who oppressed them,
and in their time of distress they cried out

Sihon, the country of the

a 22

to You.

today.

34

You are just in all that has befallen us,
because You have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.

Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers

did not obey Your law

or listen to Your commandments

b 30

and warnings that You gave them.

into the hands of the peoples of the lands

A Heb. ms. and LXX; most Heb. mss.

Literally

35

18

Nehemiah 10:35   |    457

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

36

or turn from their wicked ways.

So here we are today as slaves

in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy

37

its fruit and goodness—

here we are as slaves!

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.

38

We are in great distress.

 a

In  view  of  all  this,  we  make  a  binding  agree-
ment, putting it in writing and sealing it with the
Signers of the Covenant
names of

 our leaders, Levites, and priests.”

10

Now these were the ones who sealed the
document:

Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah,
2
and also Zedekiah,
3

4

5

6

7

8

Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
Maaziah, Bilgai,
These were the priests.

b

 and Shemaiah.

9

The Levites:
Jeshua son of Azaniah,
10
Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

and their associates: Shebaniah, Hodiah,

11
Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
12

14

13

Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
And the leaders of the people:
15
Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
16

17

Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Hebrew does not include

a 38
d 32 A third of a shekel

19

20

23

22

21

Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
The Vows of the Covenant
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

27

24

25

26

28

c

“The  rest  of  the  people—the  priests,  Levites,
  and  all
gatekeepers,  singers,  temple  servants,
who had separated themselves from the people
of the land to obey the Law of God—along with
29
their wives and all their sons and daughters who
hereby join with their
are able to understand,
noble  brothers  and  commit  themselves  with  a
sworn  oath  to  follow  the  Law  of  God  given
through His servant Moses and to obey carefully
all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes
30
of the LORD our Lord.

We will not give our daughters in marriage to
the people of the land, and we will not take their
31
daughters for our sons.

When  the  people  of  the  land  bring  merchan-
dise 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
32
lie fallow and will cancel every debt.

 d

33

We also place ourselves under the obligation
to contribute a third of a shekel
 yearly for the
for the show-
service of the house of our God:
bread, for the regular grain offerings and burnt
offerings, for the Sabbath offerings, for the New
Moons  and  appointed  feasts,  for  the  holy  offer-
ings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for
Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our
34
God.

We  have  cast  lots  among  the  priests,  Levites,
and people for the donation of wood by our fam-
ilies 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
35
Law.

the names of

b 8 Bilgai

We  will  also  bring  the  firstfruits  of  our  land
and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD

Nethinim

Bilgah

c 28

.

 is a variant of

; see Nehemiah 12:5.

Hebrew

 is approximately 0.13 ounces or 3.8 grams, probably of silver.

458    |    Nehemiah 10:36

36

7

And we will bring the firstborn of
year by year.
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
37
minister in the house of our God.

38

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
A priest of Aaron’s line is to accom-
we labor.
pany 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.
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 minister-
ing priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay.
Jerusalem’s New Settlers
Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”

39

11

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
 were to
dwell  in  their  own  towns.
And  the  people
blessed  all  the  men  who  volunteered  to  live  in
3
Jerusalem.

2

 a

b

These are the heads of the provinces who set-
tled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, how-
ever,  each  lived  on  his  own  property  in  their
towns—the  Israelites,  priests,  Levites,  temple
4
servants,
  and  descendants  of  Solomon’s  serv-
ants—
while some of the descendants of Judah
and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)

From the descendants of Benjamin:

8

9

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
and his followers Gabbai and Sal-
Jeshaiah;
Joel son of Zichri was the of-
lai—928 men.
ficer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah
was over the Second District of the city.

d

10

From the priests:

 e

11

 Jachin;

Jedaiah son of Joiarib;
Seraiah son
of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of
12
Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub,
and
the chief official of the house of God;
their associates who did the work at the tem-
ple—822 men;

Adaiah  son  of  Jeroham,  the  son  of  Pelaliah,
the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son
and  his
of  Pashhur,  the  son  of  Malchijah;
associates, the leaders of families—242 men;

13

Amashai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the
 f
14
son  of  Meshillemoth,  the  son  of  Immer;
—128  mighty  men  of
valor.  Zabdiel  son  of  Haggedolim  was  their
overseer.

and  his  associates

15

From the Levites:

17

Shemaiah  son  of  Hasshub,  the  son  of  Azri-
16
kam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
Shabbethai and Jozabad, two leaders of the
Levites,  who  supervised  the  work  outside
Mattaniah  son  of  Mica,
the  house  of  God;
the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who led in
thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second
among his associates; and Abda son of Sham-
18
mua,  the  son  of  Galal,  the  son  of  Jeduthun.
The Levites in the holy city totaled 284.

19

From the descendants of Judah:

And the gatekeepers:

Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah,
the  son  of  Amariah,  the  son  of  Shephatiah,
5
the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez;
and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-
hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah,
c
the  son  of  Joiarib,  the  son  of  Zechariah,  a
The descendants of
descendant of Shelah.
Perez  who  settled  in  Jerusalem  totaled  468
men of valor.

nine hands

Nethinim

b 3

6

a 1
Quarter of the city
f 14

Hebrew

Most LXX manuscripts; Hebrew

Akkub,  Talmon,  and  their  associates,  who
kept watch at the gates—172 men.

Residents Outside Jerusalem

20

21

The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and
Levites, were in all the villages of Judah, each on
The temple servants lived
his own inheritance.
on  the  hill  of  Ophel,  with  Ziha  and  Gishpa  over
them.
d 9
c 5
e 10
was second in command of the city

was over the Second
Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib;

of the Shilonite

their associates
, a newer section of Jerusalem; or

Hebrew

; also in verse 21

Or

Or
Or

22

9

Nehemiah 12:24   |    459

a

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.
 He was one of
Asaph’s  descendants,  who  were  the  singers  in
charge of the service of the house of God.
For
there was a command from the king concerning
the  singers,  an  ordinance  regulating  their  daily
activities.
Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a de-
 b
scendant  of  Zerah  son  of  Judah,  was  the  king’s
25
agent

 in every matter concerning the people.

24

23

29

26

27
28

As for the villages with their fields, some of the
people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jek-
abzeel, and their villages;
in Jeshua, Moladah,
and  Beth-pelet;
in  Hazar-shual;  in  Beersheba
and its villages;
in Ziklag; in Meconah and its
villages;
Za-
noah, 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
31
of Hinnom.

in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

30

33

34

The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived
32
in  Michmash,  Aija,  and  Bethel  with  its  villages;
35
Hazor,  Ramah,
c
Lod,  and

in  Anathoth,  Nob,  Ananiah,

Gittaim,
36
Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.

Hadid,  Zeboim,  Neballat,

And some divisions of the Levites of Judah set-

The Priests and Levites Who Returned
tled in Benjamin.

12

Now  these  are  the  priests  and  Levites
who  went  up  with  Zerubbabel  son  of

Shealtiel and with Jeshua:

2
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
3

d

4

5

6

7

e
 Hattush,
 Meremoth,
h

Amariah, Malluch,
f
Shecaniah, Rehum,
g
Iddo, Ginnethon,
Mijamin,
 Bilgah,
 Maadiah,
Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.

 Abijah,

i

8

These  were  the  leaders  of  the  priests  and
their associates in the days of Jeshua.
The  Levites  were  Jeshua,  Binnui,  Kadmiel,
Sherebiah,  Judah,  and  Mattaniah,  who,  with  his
b 24
a 22 Mica
led  the  songs  of  thanksgiving.
associates,

Micaiah

e 3 Rehum

Malluchi
 is a variant of

Bakbukiah  and  Unni,  their  associates,  stood
10

across from them in the services.

Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib,
11
Eliashib was the father of Joiada,

j

12

Joiada was the father of Jonathan,
and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of

the priestly families:

of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah;
13
of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
of Ezra, Meshullam;
14
of Amariah, Jehohanan;

k

l
of Malluchi,
15
of Shebaniah,
m

 Jonathan;
 Joseph;

of Harim, Adna;

16
of Meraioth,

 Helkai;
of Iddo, Zechariah;

17
of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

n

of Abijah, Zichri;

18
of Miniamin and of Moadiah,

 Piltai;

of Bilgah, Shammua;
19
of Shemaiah, Jonathan;
of Joiarib, Mattenai;

20
of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

o

of Sallai,

21
of Amok, Eber;

 Kallai;

22

of Hilkiah, Hashabiah;
and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

p

In  the  days  of  Eliashib,  Joiada,  Johanan,

  and
Jaddua,  during  the  reign  of  Darius  the  Persian,
the  heads  of  the  families  of  the  Levites  and
23
priests were recorded.

As  for  the  descendants  of  Levi,  the  family
q
heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib
24
were  recorded  in  the  Book  of  the  Chronicles.

r

The  leaders  of  the  Levites  were  Hashabiah,
  along
Sherebiah,  and  Jeshua  son  of  Kadmiel,
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.

in Ge-harashim

hand

c 35

d 2 Malluch
f 4
 is a
Minia-
Many

Harim
Hebrew

; see verse 14.
h 5 Maadiah

variant of
min
Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 16); most MT manuscripts
 is a variant of
l 14 Shebaniah
Nehemiah 10:8.
oth

; see verse 17.

; see verse 17.

 is a variant of

j 11 Jonathan

Shecaniah

; see Nehemiah 12:35.
 is a variant of
Moadiah
Johanan

Meremoth
 is a variant of

o 20 Sallai

 is a variant of
Book of the Annals
verse 5.

Sallu
the Book of the Historical Events
; see verse 7.

 is a variant of

; see verse 22.
p 22 Johanan

; see verse 3; see also Syriac and some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts.

; see verse 3 and also some LXX manuscripts.

Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel

 is a variant of

r 24

 is a variant of

 is a variant of
n 17 Moadiah
Jonathan

; also in verse 18; see
m 15 Merai-
; see verse 2.
Maadiah
q 23

the
; see

Ginnethoi

Hebrew

g 5 Mijamin
Bilgai

; see verse 15, Nehemiah 7:42, and Ezra 2:39.
 is a variant of

i 5 Bilgah
k 14 Malluchi

Malluch

 is a variant of

; see verse 11.

Or

 or

Or

460    |    Nehemiah 12:25

25

42

26

Mattaniah,  Bakbukiah,  Obadiah,  Meshullam,
Talmon,  and  Akkub  were  gatekeepers  who
They
guarded  the  storerooms  at  the  gates.
served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the
son of Jozadak,
 and in the days of Nehemiah the
The Dedication of the Wall
governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
27

a

28

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,  ac-
The
companied  by  cymbals,  harps,  and  lyres.
singers  were  also  assembled  from  the  region
around  Jerusalem,  from  the  villages  of  the
from Beth-gilgal, and from the
Netophathites,
fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built
Af-
villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
ter  the  priests  and  Levites  had  purified  them-
selves,  they  purified  the  people,  the  gates,  and
31
the wall.

30

29

c

 b

35

33

36

Judah,  Benjamin,  Shemaiah,  Jeremiah,

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
32
wall
  to  the  right,  toward  the  Dung  Gate.
Hoshaiah  and  half  the  leaders  of  Judah  fol-
34
lowed,
along  with  Azariah,  Ezra,  Meshullam,
and
some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zech-
ariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the
son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah,
 the son of
and his associates—
Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel,
Judah,  and  Hanani—with  the  musical  instru-
ments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra
At the Fountain
the scribe led the procession.
Gate they went directly up the steps of the City of
David on the ascent to the wall and passed above
38
the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
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
over  the  Gate  of
Ovens  to  the  Broad  Wall,
  the Fish Gate,  the
Ephraim,  the  Jeshanah  Gate,
Tower  of  Hananel,  and  the  Tower  of  the  Hun-
dred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped
40
at the Gate of the Guard.

39
d

37

and  also  Maaseiah,  Shemaiah,
Hananiah—
Eleazar,  Uzzi,  Jehohanan,  Malchijah,  Elam,  and
Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direc-
43
tion of Jezrahiah.

On  that  day  they  offered  great  sacrifices,  re-
joicing  because  God  had  given  them  great  joy.
The  women  and  children  also  rejoiced,  so  that
Provisions for Temple Worship
the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
44

And  on  that  same  day  men  were  appointed
over the rooms that housed the supplies, contri-
butions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions spec-
ified by the Law for the priests and Levites were
gathered into these storerooms from the fields of
the  villages,  because  Judah  rejoiced  over  the
45
priests and Levites who were serving.

46

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.
For long ago, in the days of Da-
vid and Asaph, there were directors for the sing-
ers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving
47
to God.

So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all
Israel contributed the daily portions for the sing-
ers  and  gatekeepers.  They  also  set  aside  daily
portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside
Foreigners Excluded
daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.

13

e

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 Ammo-
2
nite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly
of God,
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
3
had turned the curse into a blessing).

As soon as the people heard this law, they ex-

The Temple Cleansed
cluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
4

Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of
5
Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms
of  the  house of  our  God
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
b 31
priests.
  e 1
Or

; also in verse 38

alongside the wall

c 35 Micaiah

 is

41

The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the
house of God, as did I, along with the half of the
as  well  as  the
officials  accompanying  me,
priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah,
a 26 Jozadak
Miniamin,  Micaiah,  Elioenai,  Zechariah,  and

Jehozadak

Mica
 is a variant of

d 39

the Old City Gate

; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.

a variant of

; see Nehemiah 11:22.

Or

See Deuteronomy 23:3–6.

6

19

Nehemiah 13:31   |    461

 a

While all this was happening, I was not in Jeru-
salem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king
of Babylon
 in the thirty-second year of his reign.
7
Some  time  later  I  obtained  leave  from  the  king
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
8
of God.

9

And  I  was  greatly  displeased  and  threw  all  of
Then
Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.
I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had
the articles of the house of God restored to them,
Tithes Restored
along with the grain offerings and frankincense.
(Lev. 27:30–34 ;  De. 14:22–29 ; 26:1–15)
10

12

11

I also learned that because the portions for the
Levites  had  not  been  given  to  them,  all  the  Le-
vites and singers responsible for performing the
service had gone back to their own fields.
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,
and all Judah
brought  a  tenth  of  the  grain,  new  wine,  and  oil
into the storerooms.
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 as-
sist  them,  because  they  were  considered  trust-
worthy.  They  were  responsible  for  distributing
14
the supplies to their fellow Levites.

13

Remember me for this, O my God, and do not
blot  out  my  deeds  of  loving  devotion  for  the
The Sabbath Restored  (Jeremiah 17:19–27)
house of my God and for its services.
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
16
warned  them  against  selling  food  on  that  day.
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
17
Judah in Jerusalem.

18

Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked,
“What is this evil you are doing—profaning the
Sabbath day?
Did not your forefathers do the
same things, so that our God brought all this dis-
aster on us and on this city? And now you are re-
kindling  His  wrath  against  Israel  by  profaning
a 6
the Sabbath!”

When the evening shadows began to fall on the
gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I or-
dered 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
20
Sabbath day.

Once  or  twice,  the  merchants  and  those  who
21
sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem,
but I warned them, “Why are you camping in
front  of  the  wall?  If  you  do  it  again,  I  will  lay
22
hands on you.” From that time on, they did not
return  on  the  Sabbath.
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 lov-
Intermarriage Forbidden  (Ezra 9:1–4)
ing devotion.
23

24

In those days I also saw Jews who had married
women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
Half
of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or
of the other peoples, but could not speak the lan-
guage  of  Judah.
I  rebuked  them  and  called
down curses on them. I beat some of these men
and pulled out their hair.

25

26

Then I made them take an oath before God and
said, “You must not give your daughters in mar-
riage  to  their  sons  or  take  their  daughters  as
wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Did not
King  Solomon  of  Israel  sin  in  matters  like  this?
There was not a king like him among many na-
tions,  and  he  was  loved  by  his  God,  who  made
him  king  over  all  Israel—yet  foreign  women
drew him into sin.
Must we now hear that you
too are doing all this terrible evil and acting un-
faithfully  against  our  God  by  marrying  foreign
28
women?”

27

Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib
the high priest had become a son-in-law to San-
ballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away
29
from me.

Remember them, O my God, because they have
defiled  the  priesthood  and  the  covenant  of  the
30
priesthood and of the Levites.

Thus  I  purified  the  priests  and  Levites  from
everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties
to  each  of  the  priests  and  Levites.
I  also
arranged  for  contributions  of  wood  at  the  ap-
pointed times, and for the firstfruits.

31

Remember me, O my God, with favor.

Artaxerxes king of Persia is identified here as the king of Babylon because Persia had conquered the Babylonian Empire.

Esther

Xerxes’ Royal Feast

Queen Vashti Deposed

a

13

1

b

2

This is what happened in the days of Xerxes,
who reigned over 127 provinces from India
In those days  King Xerxes sat on his

to Cush.
3
royal throne in the citadel of Susa.

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
4
with  the  nobles  and  princes  of  the  provinces.
And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious
riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splen-
5
dor of his greatness.

6

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
Hangings  of  white  and  blue
to  the  greatest.
linen were fastened with cords of fine white and
purple material to silver rings on the marble pil-
lars. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a
mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-
7
of-pearl, and other costly stones.

8

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
By order of the king, no limit was placed
bounty.
on the drinking, and every official of his house-
Queen Vashti’s Refusal
hold was to serve each man whatever he desired.
9

Queen  Vashti  also  gave  a  banquet  for  the

10
women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was
merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs
who  served  him—Mehuman,  Biztha,  Harbona,
to bring
Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—
Queen  Vashti  before  him,  wearing  her  royal
crown,  to  display  her  beauty  to  the  people  and
12
officials. For she was beautiful to behold.

11

14

Then  the  king  consulted  the  wise  men  who
knew the times, for it was customary for him to
His
confer with the experts in law and justice.
closest  advisors  were  Carshena,  Shethar,  Ad-
matha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan,
the seven princes of Persia and Media who had
personal access to the king and ranked highest in
15
the kingdom.

“According to law,” he asked, “what should be
done  with  Queen  Vashti,  since  she  refused  to
obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by
16
the eunuchs?”

17

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 peo-
For the
ples in all the provinces of King Xerxes.
 c
conduct  of  the  queen  will  become  known  to  all
women, causing them to despise their husbands
and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be
18
brought before him, but she did not come.’

This very day the noble women of Persia and
Media  who  have  heard  about  the  queen’s  con-
duct will say the same thing to all the king’s offi-
19
cials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.

So  if  it  pleases  the  king,  let  him  issue  a  royal
decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Per-
sia 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
The  edict
given  to  a  woman  better  than  she.
the king issues will be heard throughout his vast
kingdom—and  so  all  women,  from  the  least  to
21
the greatest, will honor their husbands.”

20

The  king  and  his  princes  were  pleased  with
22
this counsel; so the king did as Memucan advised.
He sent letters to all the provinces of the king-
 d
dom,  to  each  province  in  its  own  script  and  to
each people in their own language, proclaiming
that  every  man  should  be  master  of  his  own
household.

c 17

to disdain their husbands

Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the
king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the
king  became  furious,  and  his  anger  burned
a 1
within him.
in their eyes
Hebrew

; here and throughout Esther

Ahasuerus
d 22

b 1

proclaiming in the language of his own people

Literally

That is, the upper Nile region

Or

Seeking Vashti’s Successor

12

Esther 2:22   |    463

2

Some  time  later,  when  the  anger  of  King
Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti
and what she had done, and what had been de-
2
creed against her.

,

3

Then  the  king’s  attendants  proposed,  “Let  a
search  be  made  for  beautiful  young  virgins  for
and let the king appoint commission-
the king
ers 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  treat-
Then let the young woman who pleases
ments.
the king become queen in place of Vashti.”

4

This  suggestion  pleased  the  king,  and  he  acted
Esther Finds Favor
accordingly.
5

Now  there  was  at  the  citadel  of  Susa  a  Jewish
man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai
He
son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
had  been  carried  into  exile  from  Jerusalem  by
Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  among  those
7
taken captive with Jeconiah

 king of Judah.

6

 a

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
8
had taken her as his own daughter.

9

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
And
care of Hegai, the custodian of the women.
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
10
in the harem.

Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage,
11
because  Mordecai  had  instructed  her  not  to  do
And every day Mordecai would walk back
so.
and  forth  in  front  of  the  court  of  the  harem  to
learn about Esther’s welfare and what was hap-
a 6 Jeconiah
pening to her.

Jehoiachin

b 14

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 per-
13
fumes  and  cosmetics  for  another  six  months.
When the young woman would go to the king,
she  was  given  whatever  she  requested  to  take
14
with  her  from  the  harem  to  the  king’s  palace.
 b
She would go there in the evening, and in the

morning  she  would  return  to  a  second  harem
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 sum-
15
moned her by name.

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
16
in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

c

She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal pal-
 in

ace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth,
Esther Becomes Queen
the seventh year of his reign.
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
18
her queen in place of Vashti.

Then  the  king  held  a  great  banquet,  Esther’s
banquet, for all his officials and servants. He pro-
claimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave
19
gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.

d
When  the  virgins  were  assembled  a  second

20
time,  Mordecai  was  sitting  at  the  king’s  gate.

Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her
people,  just  as  Mordecai  had  instructed.  She
obeyed  Mordecai’s  command,  as  she  had  done
Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy
under his care.
21

 e

In  those  days,  while  Mordecai  was  sitting  at
the king’s gate, Bigthan
 and Teresh, two of the
king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew
22
angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

When  Mordecai  learned  of  the  plot,  he  re-
ported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the
to another part of the harem
king on Mordecai’s behalf.

c 16 Tebeth
d 19

Mordecai
 is the tenth
Or

 is a variant of

had become a palace official
month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of December and January.
 is a variant of

; see Esther 6:2.

e 21 Bigthan

; see 2 Kings 24:12.

Or
Bigthana

464    |    Esther 2:23

23

After  the  report  had  been  investigated  and
verified,  both  officials  were  hanged  on  the  gal-
lows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
Chronicles

 in the presence of the king.

 a

3

2

After  these  events,  King  Xerxes  honored
Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, el-
evating  him  to  a  position  above  all  the  princes
All the royal servants at the
who were with him.
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
3
bow down or pay homage.

Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked
Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of
4
the king?”

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  toler-
5
ated, since he had told them he was a Jew.

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow
6
down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.
And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s
people,  he  scorned  the  notion  of
  laying  hands
on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy
all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the
7
kingdom of Xerxes.

 b

c

In  the  twelfth  year  of  King  Xerxes,  in  the  first
month, the month of Nisan,
 the Pur (that is, the
lot) was cast before Haman to determine a day
and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month,
8
the month of Adar.

d

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
If it
in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy
them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents of
 into the royal treasury to pay those who
silver
10
carry it out.”

9

 e

money,” said the king to Haman. “These people
12
are given to you to do with them as you please.”

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 prov-
ince  and  the  language  of  every  people.  It  was
written  in  the  name  of  King  Xerxes  and  sealed
13
with the royal signet ring.

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 pos-
sessions  on  a  single  day,  the  thirteenth  day  of
14
Adar, the twelfth month.

15

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.
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
Mordecai Appeals to Esther
the city of Susa was in confusion.

4

When Mordecai learned of all that had hap-
pened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth
and  ashes,  and  went  out  into  the  middle  of  the
But  he  went
city,  wailing  loudly  and  bitterly.
only as far as the king’s gate, because the law pro-
hibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering
3
that gate.

2

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
4
many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

When Esther’s maidens and eunuchs came and
told  her  about  Mordecai,  the  queen  was  over-
come with distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai
to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not
5
accept them.

Then  Esther  summoned  Hathach,  one  of  the
king’s  eunuchs  appointed  to  her,  and  she  dis-
6
patched  him  to  Mordecai  to  learn  what  was
troubling him and why.
So Hathach went out to
c 7 Nisan
Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s

he disdained in his eyes

b 6

So the king removed the signet ring from his
finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha,
a 23
“Keep your
the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

the Book of the Annals

the Book of the Historical Events

11

Or

 or
fore Haman—a day and month—and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month of Adar
first month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
day and month—the twelfth, Adar
Adar

Hebrew

usually occurring within the months of February and March.
tons of silver.

; the month of

 (also in verse 13) is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar,
 is approximately 377 tons or 342 metric

e 9 10,000 talents

; Hebrew

d 7

was cast be-
 is the
was cast before Haman a
LXX

7

3

Esther 6:2   |    465

and  Mordecai  told  him  all  that  had  hap-
gate,
pened  to  him,  including  the  exact  amount  of
money that Haman had promised to pay into the
8
royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.

Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the writ-
ten 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
9
plead before him for her people.

So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai’s

10
response to Esther.

11

Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed
“All  the  royal  officials
him  to  tell  Mordecai,
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
12
appear before the king for the past thirty days.”

13

When Esther’s words were relayed to Morde-
he sent back to her this reply: “Do not im-
cai,
agine  that  because  you  are  in  the  king’s  palace
14
you  alone  will  escape  the  fate  of  all  the  Jews.
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 per-
ish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to
15
the kingdom for such a time as this?”

16

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

“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,
17
I perish!

”

 a

So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had

Esther Approaches the King
instructed him.

5

On  the  third  day,  Esther  put  on  her  royal
robes and stood in the inner court of the pal-
ace across from the king’s quarters. The king was
sitting  on  his  royal  throne  in  the  royal  court-
2
room, facing the entrance.

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 Es-
ther, and she approached and touched the tip of
a 16
the scepter.
c 1
Or

if I am destroyed, then I will be destroyed!

the Book of Memorials, the Annals

Or

 or

“What  is  it,  Queen  Esther?”  the  king  inquired.
“What is your request? Even up to half the king-
4
dom, it will be given to you.”

“If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the
king  and  Haman  come  today  to  the  banquet  I
5
have prepared for the king.”

“Hurry,”  commanded  the  king,  “and  bring

Haman, so we can do as Esther has requested.”
6
So the king and Haman went to the banquet that
Esther  had  prepared.
And  as  they  drank  their
wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your peti-
tion?  It  will  be  given  to  you.  What  is  your
request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be
7
fulfilled.”
8

Esther  replied,  “This  is  my  petition  and  my
request:
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
Haman’s Plot against Mordecai
question.”
9

That day Haman went out full of joy and glad of
heart. At the king’s gate, however, he saw Morde-
cai,  who  did  not  rise  or  tremble  in  fear  at  his
presence.  And  Haman  was  filled  with  rage  to-
10
ward Mordecai.

11

Nevertheless,  Haman  restrained  himself  and
went  home.  And  calling  for  his  friends  and  his
wife Zeresh,
Haman recounted to them his glo-
rious wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the
king  had  honored  and  promoted  him  over  the
12
other officials and servants.

“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 to-
morrow along with the king.
Yet none of this
satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sit-
14
ting at the king’s gate.”

13

b

His  wife  Zeresh  and  all  his  friends  told  him,
 and
“Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high,
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 gal-
Mordecai Is Honored
lows constructed.

6

c
That night sleep escaped the king; so he or-
dered the Book of Records, the Chronicles,

2

b 14 50 cubits

to be brought in and read to him.

And there it

the Book of Records of Historical Events

 is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters high.

466    |    Esther 6:3

14

 a

was found recorded that Mordecai had exposed
Bigthana
  and  Teresh,  two  of  the  eunuchs  who
guarded the king’s entrance, when they had con-
3
spired to assassinate King Xerxes.

The king inquired,

 “What honor or dignity has

been bestowed on Mordecai for this act?”
“Nothing  has  been  done  for  him,”  replied  the
4
king’s attendants.

“Who is in the court?” the king asked.

5

Now Haman had just entered the outer court of
the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the
So the king’s
gallows he had prepared for him.
attendants  answered  him,  “Haman  is  there,
standing in the court.”
6
“Bring him in,” ordered the king.

Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What
should be done for the man whom the king is de-
lighted to honor?”
Now  Haman  thought  to  himself,  “Whom  would
7
the king be delighted to honor more than me?”

8

9

And Haman told the king, “For the man whom
have them bring
the king is delighted to honor,
a royal robe that the king himself has worn and
a horse on which the king himself has ridden—
Let
one  with  a  royal  crest  placed  on  its  head.
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
10
whom the king is delighted to honor!’

”

“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 sug-
11
gested.”

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
12
to honor!”

Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But
Haman  rushed  home,  with  his  head  covered  in
13
grief.

Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends
everything that had happened. His advisers and
his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, be-
fore  whom  your  downfall  has  begun,  is  Jewish,
you will not prevail against him—for surely you
a 2 Bigthana
will fall before him.”

Bigthan

b 5

While  they  were  still  speaking  with  Haman,
the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed him to the
Esther Pleads for Her People
banquet that Esther had prepared.

7

2

So the king and Haman went to dine with Es-
and  as  they  drank  their
ther  the  queen,
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
3
up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”

4

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
For my people and I have
people as my request.
been sold out to destruction, death, and annihila-
tion. If we had merely been sold as menservants
and maidservants, I would have remained silent,
because  no  such  distress  would  justify  burden-
5
ing the king.”

 b

Then  King  Xerxes  spoke  up  and  asked  Queen
Esther,  “Who  is  this,  and where  is  the one  who
6
 such a scheme?”
would devise

Esther  replied,  “The  adversary  and  enemy  is

this wicked man—Haman!”

And Haman stood in terror before the king and
The Hanging of Haman
queen.
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
8
terrible fate for him.

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 ex-
claimed,  “Would  he  actually  assault  the  queen
while I am in the palace?”

As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth,
9
they covered Haman’s face.

 c

Then  Harbonah,  one  of  the  eunuchs  attending
the  king,  said:  “There  is  a  gallows  fifty  cubits
high
 at Haman’s house. He had it built for Mor-
decai, who gave the report that saved the king.”
10
“Hang him on it!” declared the king.

So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had
prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king
subsided.

 is a var. of

; Es. 2:21.

Heb.

 is approx. 75 ft. or 22.9 m.

whose heart has filled him to do

c 9 50 cubits

Esther Appeals for the Jews

8

That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen
Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the
Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence
2
because Esther had revealed his relation to her.
The king removed the signet ring he had recov-
ered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai.
And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate
3
of Haman.

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
4
had devised against the Jews.

The king extended the gold scepter toward Es-

5
ther, and she arose and stood before the king.

“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
For how could I bear to see the
king’s provinces.
disaster that would befall my people? How could
The Decree of Xerxes
I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”
7

6

8

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 gal-
Now  you
lows  because  he  attacked  the  Jews.
may  write  in  the  king’s  name  as  you  please  re-
garding 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
9
cannot be revoked.”

 b

 a

At once the royal scribes were summoned, and
on the twenty-third day of the third month (the
), they recorded all of Mordecai’s
month of Sivan
orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors,
and  princes  of  the  127  provinces  from  India  to
—writing  to  each  province  in  its  own
Cush
script, to every people in their own language, and
10
to the Jews in their own script and language.

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
11
swift horses bred from the royal mares.

By these letters the king permitted the Jews in
a 9 Sivan
each  and  every  city  the  right  to  assemble  and
b 9

c 12 Adar

Esther 9:6   |    467

12

defend  themselves,  to  destroy,  kill,  and  annihi-
late all the forces of any people or province hos-
tile to them, including women and children, and
to  plunder  their  possessions.
The  single  day
appointed  throughout  all  the  provinces  of  King
Xerxes  was  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  twelfth
13
month, the month of Adar.

c

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.
The cou-
riers  rode  out  in  haste  on  their  royal  horses,
pressed on by the command of the king. And the
15
edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

14

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.
16
And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

17

For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness,
In every province and every
of joy and honor.
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
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
them.

9

d

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,
the month of Adar,
 the king’s command and
edict were to be executed. On this day the ene-
mies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them,
but their plan was overturned and the Jews over-
In each of the
powered those who hated them.
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
3
fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

2

And  all  the  officials  of  the  provinces,  the
satraps,  the  governors,  and  the  king’s  adminis-
trators  helped  the  Jews,  because  the  fear  of
For  Mordecai
Mordecai  had  fallen  upon  them.
exercised great power in the palace, and his fame
spread  throughout  the  provinces  as  he  became
5
more and more powerful.

4

The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, kill-
ing  and  destroying  them,  and  they  did  as  they
In the citadel
pleased to those who hated them.
of  Susa,  the  Jews  killed  and  destroyed  five

6

 is the third month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of May and June.

d 1 Adar

That is, to the upper Nile region

 is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring

within the months of February and March.
within the months of February and March; also in verses 15, 17, 19, and 21.

 is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring

468    |    Esther 9:7

7
8

9
including  Parshandatha,  Dal-
hundred  men,
10
Par-
Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
phon, Aspatha,
mashta,  Arisai,  Aridai,  and  Vaizatha.
They
killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammeda-
tha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a
Haman’s Sons Hanged
hand on the plunder.
11

12

On that day the number of those killed in the
who
citadel of Susa was reported to the king,
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
13
what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”
Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, may the
Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out to-
day’s  edict,  and  may  the bodies  of  Haman’s  ten
14
sons be hanged on the gallows.”

15

So the king commanded that this be done. An
edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten
On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the
sons  of  Haman.
month  of  Adar,  the  Jews  in  Susa  came  together
again and put to death three hundred men there,
16
but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

17

The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces also
assembled  to  defend  themselves  and  rid  them-
selves of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who
hated  them,  but  they  did  not  lay  a  hand  on  the
This was done on the thirteenth day
plunder.
of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day
The Feast of Purim Instituted
they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy.
18

19

The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on
the  thirteenth  and  the  fourteenth  days  of  the
month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, mak-
This is why the
ing it a day of feasting and joy.
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
20
to one another.

22

21

Mordecai recorded these events and sent let-
ters  to  all  the  Jews  in  all  the  provinces  of  King
to establish among
Xerxes, both near and far,
them  an  annual  celebration  on  the  fourteenth
as the
and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
days on which the Jews gained rest from their en-
emies  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
24
had  started,  as  Mordecai  had  written  to  them.
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.
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
26
hanged on the gallows.

25

Therefore  these  days  are  called  Purim,  from

the word Pur.
Because of all the instructions in this letter, and
27
because  of  all  they  had  seen  and  experienced,
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.
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  ob-
served among the Jews, nor should the memory
29
of them fade from their descendants.

28

So  Queen  Esther  daughter  of  Abihail,  along
with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority
30
to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.
And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace
31
and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of
the  kingdom  of  Xerxes,
in  order  to  confirm
these days of Purim at their appointed time, just
as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had estab-
lished them and had committed themselves and
their  descendants  to  the  times  of  fasting  and
32
lamentation.

So  Esther’s  decree  confirmed  these  regula-
tions about Purim, which were written into the
Tribute to Xerxes and Mordecai
record.

10

2
shores.

Now  King  Xerxes
tribute
throughout the land, even to its farthest

imposed

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
For Mordecai
of the Kings of Media and Persia?
the Jew was second only to King Xerxes, preemi-
nent  among  the  Jews  and highly  favored  by his
many  kinsmen,  seeking  the  good  of  his  people
and speaking peace to all his countrymen.

3

Job

Job’s Character and Wealth  (James 5:7–12)

1

3

2

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.
He
and  he
had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters,
owned  7,000  sheep,  3,000  camels,  500  yoke  of
oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large num-
ber of servants. Job was the greatest man of all
4
the people of the East.

Job’s  sons  would  take  turns  holding  feasts  in
their  homes,  and  they  would  invite  their  three
5
sisters to eat and drink with them.

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  chil-
dren have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”
Satan’s First Attack
This was Job’s regular practice.
6

 a

One day the sons of God came to present them-
  also  came

selves  before  the  LORD,  and  Satan
7
with them.

“Where have you come from?” said the LORD to

Satan.

“From  roaming  through  the  earth,”  he  replied,
8
“and walking back and forth in it.”

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you consid-
ered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth
like  him,  a  man  who  is  blameless  and  upright,
9
who fears God and shuns evil.”

10

11

Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God
Have You not placed a hedge on
for nothing?
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
But stretch out Your hand and strike all
land.
that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your
12
face.”

“Very  well,”  said  the  LORD  to  Satan.  “Every-
thing he has is in your hands, but you must not
lay a hand on the man himself.”
the Adversary
a 6

the Accuser

Then  Satan  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the
Job Loses His Children and Possessions
LORD.
13

14

One day, while Job’s sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s
a messenger came and reported to Job:
house,
15
“While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys
the  Sabeans  swooped
were  grazing  nearby,
down and took them away. They put the servants
to  the  sword,  and  I  alone  have  escaped  to  tell
16
you!”

While he was still speaking, another messen-
ger 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
17
you!”

While he was still speaking, another messen-
ger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed
three  bands,  raided  the  camels,  and  took  them
away. They put the servants to the sword, and I
18
alone have escaped to tell you!”

19

While he was still speaking, another messen-
ger  came  and  reported:  “Your  sons  and  daugh-
ters  were  eating  and  drinking  wine  in  their
when  suddenly  a
oldest  brother’s  house,
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
20
escaped to tell you!”

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved
21
his  head.  He  fell  to  the  ground  and  worshiped,

saying:

“Naked I came from my mother’s

womb,

and naked I will return.

The LORD gave, and the LORD has

22

taken away.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with

wrongdoing.

That is,

 or

; here and throughout Job 1

470    |    Job 2:1

Job Loses His Health

Job Laments His Birth

2

On  another  day  the  sons  of  God  came  to
 a
present  themselves  before  the  LORD,  and
  also  came  with  them  to  present  himself

Satan
2
before Him.

“Where have you come from?” said the LORD to

Satan.

“From  roaming  through  the  earth,”  he  replied,
3
“and walking back and forth in it.”

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you consid-
ered 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
4
him to ruin him without cause.”

5

“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give
up  all  he  owns  in  exchange  for  his  life.
But
stretch  out  Your  hand  and  strike  his  flesh  and
6
bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

“Very  well,”  said  the  LORD  to  Satan.  “He  is  in

7
your hands, but you must spare his life.”

So  Satan  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the
LORD  and  infected  Job  with  terrible  boils  from
8
the  soles  of  his  feet  to  the  crown  of  his  head.
And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape

9
himself as he sat among the ashes.

 b

Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain

10
your integrity? Curse

 God and die!”

“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told
her. “Should we accept from God only good and
not adversity?”
Job’s Three Friends
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
11

Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Te-
manite,  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  sympa-
12
thize with Job and comfort him.

When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they
could barely recognize Job. They began to weep
13
aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust
Then they sat on the
in the air over his head.
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.
a 1

the Adversary

the Accuser

3

3
said:

2
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed
And  this  is  what  he
the  day  of  his  birth.

“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!

5

May God above disregard it;
may no light shine upon it.

May darkness and gloom reclaim it,

and a cloud settle over it;
may the blackness of the day

6

overwhelm it.

If only darkness had taken that night away!
May it not appear among the days of

the year;

7

may it never be entered in any of the

months.

Behold, may that night be barren;

8

may no joyful voice come into it.
May it be cursed by those who curse

 c

9

the day

—

those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

May its morning stars grow dark;

10

may it wait in vain for daylight;
may it not see the breaking of dawn.
For that night did not shut the doors of

11

the womb

to hide the sorrow from my eyes.

Why did I not perish at birth;

12

why did I not die as I came from the

womb?

13

Why were there knees to receive me,

and breasts that I should be nursed?
For now I would be lying down in peace;

14

I would be asleep and at rest

with kings and counselors of the earth,

15

who built for themselves cities now in

ruins,

16

or with princes who had gold,

who filled their houses with silver.

17

Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never sees daylight?

18

There the wicked cease from raging,
and there the weary find rest.

The captives enjoy their ease;

19

they do not hear the voice of the

oppressor.

Both small and great are there,
c 8

and the slave is freed from his master.
b 9

curse the sea

Bless

That is,

 or

; here and throughout Job 2

Or

Or

20

14

Job 5:12    |    471

21

Why is light given to the miserable,
and life to the bitter of soul,

15

fear and trembling came over me

 a

and made all my bones shudder.

22

who long for death that does not come,

16

Then a spirit

 glided past my face,

and search for it like hidden treasure,

and the hair on my body bristled.

23

who rejoice and greatly exult

when they reach the grave?

Why is life given to a man whose way is

24

hidden,

whom God has hedged in?
I sigh when food is put before me,

25

26

and my groans pour out like water.
For the thing I feared has overtaken me,
and what I dreaded has befallen me.

I am not at ease or quiet;

Eliphaz: The Innocent Prosper

I have no rest, for trouble has come.”

4

2
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

“If one ventures a word with you, will you

3

be wearied?

Yet who can keep from speaking?

Surely you have instructed many,

4

and have strengthened their feeble hands.

Your words have steadied those who

stumbled;

5

you have braced the knees that were

buckling.

But now trouble has come upon you, and you

6

are weary.

It strikes you, and you are dismayed.

Is your reverence not your confidence,

7

and the uprightness of your ways your

hope?

Consider now, I plead:

Who, being innocent, has ever perished?
Or where have the upright been

8

destroyed?

7

As I have observed, those who plow iniquity

9

and those who sow trouble reap the same.

By the breath of God they perish,

10

and by the blast of His anger they are

consumed.

The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may

11

growl,

yet the teeth of the young lions are broken.

The old lion perishes for lack of prey,

and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

Now a word came to me secretly;
my ears caught a whisper of it.
In disquieting visions in the night,
a wind
when deep sleep falls on men,

b 5

a 15

and a snare snatches his wealth

Or

Or

12

13

It stood still,

but I could not discern its appearance;

17

a form loomed before my eyes,

and I heard a whispering voice:

18

‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God,
or a man more pure than his Maker?

19

If God puts no trust in His servants,

and He charges His angels with error,
how much more those who dwell in houses

of clay,

20

whose foundations are in the dust,
who can be crushed like a moth!

They are smashed to pieces from dawn to

21

dusk;

unnoticed, they perish forever.
Are not their tent cords pulled up,

Eliphaz Continues: God Blesses those Who
so that they die without wisdom?’
Seek Him

5

“Call out if you please, but who will

2

answer?

To which of the holy ones will you turn?

For resentment kills a fool,

3

and envy slays the simple.
I have seen a fool taking root,

4

but suddenly his house was cursed.

His sons are far from safety,

5

crushed in court without a defender.
b

The hungry consume his harvest,
taking it even from the thorns,
and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
For distress does not spring from the dust,
and trouble does not sprout from the

ground.

Yet man is born to trouble

as surely as sparks fly upward.

6

8

However, if I were you, I would appeal to God

9

and lay my cause before Him—

the One who does great and unsearchable

10

things,

wonders without number.

11

He gives rain to the earth

and sends water upon the fields.

12

He sets the lowly on high,

so that mourners are lifted to safety.

He thwarts the schemes of the crafty,
so that their hands find no success.

472    |    Job 5:13

13

a

5

14

He catches the wise in their craftiness,

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass,

6

and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.

15

They encounter darkness by day

and grope at noon as in the night.

He saves the needy from the sword in their

16

mouth

and from the clutches of the powerful.

So the poor have hope,

17

and injustice shuts its mouth.

Blessed indeed is the man whom God

corrects;
b

or an ox low over its fodder?
Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the white of

 c

7

an egg

?
My soul refuses to touch them;

they are loathsome food to me.

8

If only my request were granted

9

10

and God would fulfill my hope:
that God would be willing to crush me,
to unleash His hand and cut me off!

18

so do not despise the discipline of the

It still brings me comfort,

Almighty.

and joy through unrelenting pain,

19

For He wounds, but He also binds;

20

He strikes, but His hands also heal.
He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.

21

In famine He will redeem you from death,

and in battle from the stroke of the sword.

You will be hidden from the scourge of the

22

tongue,

and will not fear havoc when it comes.
You will laugh at destruction and famine,

23

and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
For you will have a covenant with the stones

of the field,

24

and the wild animals will be at peace with

15

you.

You will know that your tent is secure,

25

and find nothing amiss when inspecting

your home.

You will know that your offspring will be

many,

26

your descendants like the grass of the

earth.

18

that I have not denied

11

the words of the Holy One.

What strength do I have, that I should

still hope?

12

What is my future, that I should be

patient?

13

Is my strength like that of stone,
or my flesh made of bronze?

Is there any help within me

14

now that success is driven from me?

A despairing man should have the kindness

of his friend,

even if he forsakes the fear of the

Almighty.

16

But my brothers are as faithless as wadis,
as seasonal streams that overflow,

17

darkened because of the ice

and the inflow of melting snow,

but ceasing in the dry season

and vanishing from their channels in the

heat.

27

You will come to the grave in full vigor,

like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true!

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

So hear it and know for yourself.”

6

2
Then Job replied:

3

“If only my grief could be weighed
and placed with my calamity on the scales.

For then it would outweigh the sand of the

4

seas—

no wonder my words have been rash.
For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced

me;

my spirit drinks in their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

Shaddai

b 17

a 13

19

Caravans turn aside from their routes;

they go into the wasteland and perish.

20

The caravans of Tema look for water;

the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.

They are confounded because they had

21

hoped;

their arrival brings disappointment.

22

For now you are of no help;

you see terror, and you are afraid.
Have I ever said, ‘Give me something;
offer me a bribe from your wealth;
deliver me from the hand of the enemy;
redeem me from the grasp of the

23

24

ruthless’?

Teach me, and I will be silent.
c 6

Help me understand how I have erred.
in the sap of the mallow plant

Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:19

Hebrew

; here and throughout Job

Or

25

15

26

How painful are honest words!

16

so that I would prefer strangling and death

But what does your argument prove?

over my life in this body.

Job 8:13    |    473

27

Do you intend to correct my words,

and treat as wind my cry of despair?
You would even cast lots for an orphan

28

and barter away your friend.

29

But now, please look at me.
Would I lie to your face?
Reconsider; do not be unjust.

30

Reconsider, for my righteousness is

at stake.

Is there iniquity on my tongue?
Job Continues: Life Seems Futile

Can my mouth not discern malice?

7

2

“Is not man consigned to labor on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired

hand?

Like a slave he longs for shade;

3

like a hireling he waits for his wages.

So I am allotted months of futility,

4

and nights of misery are appointed

to me.

When I lie down I think:
‘When will I get up?’
But the night drags on,
5

and I toss and turn until dawn.

My flesh is clothed with worms
and encrusted with dirt;
my skin is cracked and festering.

6

7

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;

they come to an end without hope.

Remember that my life is but a breath.

8

My eyes will never again see happiness.

The eye that beholds me will no longer

9

see me.

You will look for me, but I will be no more.

As a cloud vanishes and is gone,

I loathe my life! I would not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are but a

17

breath.

18

What is man that You should exalt him,

that You should set Your heart upon him,

19

that You attend to him every morning,

and test him every moment?
Will You never look away from me,

20

or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?

If I have sinned, what have I done to You,

O watcher of mankind?

 a

21

Why have You made me Your target,

so that I am a burden to You

?

Why do You not pardon my transgression

and take away my iniquity?
For soon I will lie down in the dust;

Bildad: Job Should Repent

You will seek me, but I will be no more.”

8

2
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

“How long will you go on saying such

things?

3

The words of your mouth are a blustering

wind.

Does God pervert justice?

4

Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

5

When your children sinned against Him,
He gave them over to their rebellion.

6

But if you would earnestly seek God
and ask the Almighty for mercy,

if you are pure and upright,

even now He will rouse Himself on your

7

behalf

and restore your righteous estate.
Though your beginnings were modest,

your latter days will flourish.

8

10

so he who goes down to Sheol does not

Please inquire of past generations

come back up.
He never returns to his house;

11

9

and consider the discoveries of their

fathers.

his place remembers him no more.

For we were born yesterday and know

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my

12

soul.

13

Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,
that You must keep me under guard?

14

When I think my bed will comfort me

and my couch will ease my complaint,

then You frighten me with dreams
to myself
and terrify me with visions,

a 20

LXX; Hebrew

10

nothing;

our days on earth are but a shadow.

11

Will they not teach you and tell you,

and speak from their understanding?
Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?

12

Do reeds flourish without water?

While the shoots are still uncut,

13

they dry up more quickly than grass.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so the hope of the godless will perish.

474    |    Job 8:14

14

13

15

His confidence is fragile;

his security is in a spider’s web.
He leans on his web, but it gives way;

16

he holds fast, but it does not endure.
He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine,

17

spreading its

 shoots over the garden.

18

His roots wrap around the rock heap;

he looks for a home among the stones.

If he is uprooted from his place,

19

it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw

you.’

20

Surely this is the joy of his way;

yet others will spring from the dust.

Behold, God does not reject the blameless,
nor will He strengthen the hand of

21

evildoers.

22

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with a shout of joy.
Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no

Job: How Can I Contend with God?

more.”

9

2
Then Job answered:

“Yes, I know that it is so,
but how can a mortal be righteous before

a

3

God?

If one wished to contend with God,

4

he could not answer Him one time out of a

thousand.

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has resisted Him and prospered?
He moves mountains without their knowledge

5

6

and overturns them in His anger.
He shakes the earth from its place,
 b
so that its foundations tremble.
He commands the sun not to shine;

7

8

He seals off the stars.

He alone stretches out the heavens

9

and treads on the waves of the sea.
He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,

10

of the Pleiades and the constellations of

the south.

11

He does great things beyond searching out,

and wonders without number.

Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
were He to move, I would not recognize

c

12

Him.

God does not restrain His anger;

14

the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.

15

How then can I answer Him

or choose my arguments against Him?
For even if I were right, I could not answer.
I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
If I summoned Him and He answered me,
I do not believe He would listen to my

16

17

voice.

18

For He would crush me with a tempest

and multiply my wounds without cause.

19

He does not let me catch my breath,

but overwhelms me with bitterness.

If it is a matter of strength,
He is indeed mighty!
 d
If it is a matter of justice,
who can summon Him

?

20

Even if I were righteous, my mouth would

condemn me;
e

if I were blameless, it would declare me

guilty.

21

Though I am blameless, I have no concern for

22

myself;

I despise my own life.
It is all the same, and so I say,

23

‘He destroys both the blameless and

the wicked.’

24

When the scourge brings sudden death,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.

The earth is given into the hand of the

wicked;

25

He blindfolds its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

26

27

My days are swifter than a runner;
they flee without seeing good.
They sweep by like boats of papyrus,

like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

28

If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint
and change my expression and smile,’

29

I would still dread all my sufferings;

I know that You will not acquit me.

 f

Since I am already found guilty,
why should I labor in vain?
If I should wash myself with snow
and cleanse my hands with lye,
then You would plunge me into the pit,
and even my own clothes would

30

31

32

despise me.

If He takes away,

 who can stop Him?

For He is not a man like me, that I can

Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You
If God wished to contend with someone
He would declare me guilty

doing?’

soap

f 30

b 7

a 3
e 20

rise

c 12

answer Him,

snatches someone in death

that we can take each other to court.

d 19

me

Or
Or

Or

Or

Or

See LXX; Hebrew

33

16

34

Nor is there a mediator between us,
to lay his hand upon us both.
Let Him remove His rod from me,

35

so that His terror will no longer frighten

me.

Should I hold my head high,

17

You would hunt me like a lion,
and again display Your power against me.

You produce new witnesses against me
and multiply Your anger toward me.

Job 11:11    |    475

Then I would speak without fear of Him.

Job’s Plea to God

But as it is, I am on my own.

10

2

“I loathe my own life;
I will express my complaint

and speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say to God:

3

Do not condemn me!
Let me know why You prosecute me.

Does it please You to oppress me,

4

to reject the work of Your hands
and favor the schemes of the wicked?

Do You have eyes of flesh?

5

Do You see as man sees?

6

Are Your days like those of a mortal,
or Your years like those of a man,

7

that You should seek my iniquity
and search out my sin—

though You know that I am not guilty,

8

and there is no deliverance from Your

hand?

Your hands shaped me and altogether formed

9

me.

Would You now turn and destroy me?
Please remember that You molded me like

10

clay.

Would You now return me to dust?

11

Did You not pour me out like milk,
and curdle me like cheese?

You clothed me with skin and flesh,

12

and knit me together with bones and

sinews.

a

You have granted me life and loving

13

devotion,

and Your care has preserved my spirit.

14

Yet You concealed these things in Your heart,
and I know that this was in Your mind:

If I sinned, You would take note,

15

and would not acquit me of my iniquity.

If I am guilty, woe to me!

18

Hardships assault me
in wave after wave.

Why then did You bring me from the womb?
Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen

19

me!

If only I had never come to be,

20

but had been carried from the womb to

the grave.
Are my days not few?

21

Withdraw from me, that I may have a little

comfort,

before I go—never to return—

22

to a land of darkness and gloom,

to a land of utter darkness,

Zophar Rebukes Job

of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”

11

2
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

3

“Should this stream of words go
unanswered

and such a speaker be vindicated?

Should your babbling put others to silence?

4

Will you scoff without rebuke?
You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound,
and I am pure in Your sight.’

5

But if only God would speak

6

and open His lips against you,

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

8

or discover the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens—what can

you do?

9

They are deeper than Sheol—what can

you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth

10

and wider than the sea.

And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my

11

If He comes along to imprison you,

head.
I am full of shame

or convenes a court, who can stop Him?

Surely He knows the deceit of men.

a 12

and aware of my affliction.
goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, and

Forms of the Hebrew
range of meaning includes

chesed
love

faithfulness

, as well as

kindness

mercy

If He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
loyalty to a covenant

loving devotion

; the

.

,

,

,

476    |    Job 11:12

12

But a witless man can no more become wise
than the colt of a wild donkey can be born

 a

13

a man!

14

As for you, if you direct your heart
and lift up your hands to Him,

if you put away the iniquity in your hand,
and allow no injustice to dwell in your

15

tents,

then indeed you will lift up your face without

16

blemish;

you will stand firm and unafraid.

17

For you will forget your misery,

18

recalling it only as waters gone by.
Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope,

19

and you will look around and lie down in

safety.

20

You will lie down without fear,

and many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
they will hope for their last breath.”

Job Presents His Case

12

2
Then Job answered:

3

“Truly then you are the people
with whom wisdom itself will die!

But I also have a mind;

4

I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these?

I am a laughingstock to my friends,

though I called on God, and He answered.
The righteous and upright man is a

5

laughingstock.

The one at ease scorns misfortune

6

as the fate of those whose feet are

slipping.

The tents of robbers are safe,

b
and those who provoke God are secure—
those who carry their god in their hands.

7

But ask the animals, and they will instruct

you;

8

ask the birds of the air, and they will tell

you.

Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;

9

let the fish of the sea inform you.

10

Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the LORD has done this?

11

12

Does not the ear test words

as the tongue tastes its food?
Wisdom is found with the elderly,

13

and understanding comes with long life.

14

Wisdom and strength belong to God;

counsel and understanding are His.
What He tears down cannot be rebuilt;

15

the man He imprisons cannot be released.

If He holds back the waters, they dry up,

16

and if He releases them, they overwhelm

the land.

17

True wisdom and power belong to Him.

The deceived and the deceiver are His.

18

He leads counselors away barefoot

and makes fools of judges.

19

He loosens the bonds placed by kings

and fastens a belt around their waists.

20

He leads priests away barefoot

and overthrows the established.

21

He deprives the trusted of speech

and takes away the discernment of elders.

22

He pours out contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

23

24

He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into light.
He makes nations great and destroys them;

He enlarges nations, then disperses them.

He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason
and makes them wander in a trackless

25

wasteland.

Job Prepares His Case

They grope in the darkness without light;
He makes them stagger like drunkards.

13

2

“Indeed, my eyes have seen all this;
my ears have heard and understood.

3

What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

4

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.

5

You, however, smear with lies;

you are all worthless physicians.

If only you would remain silent;

for that would be your wisdom!

6

7

Hear now my argument,

and listen to the plea of my lips.
Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf

8

9

or speak deceitfully for Him?
Would you show Him partiality
or argue in His defense?

Would it be well when He examined you?
Could you deceive Him as you would

The life of every living thing is in His hand,
b 6
can be born tame
as well as the breath of all mankind.

a 12

though God keeps them in His power

deceive a man?

Or

Or

10

3

Job 14:20    |    477

your defenses are defenses of clay.

and the number of his months is with You,

Surely He would rebuke you

11

if you secretly showed partiality.
Would His majesty not terrify you?
Would the dread of Him not fall

12

upon you?

Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;

13

Be silent, and I will speak.

 a

14

Then let come to me what may.

Why do I put myself at risk

b
and take my life in my own hands?
Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.

15

16

Moreover, this will be my salvation,

17

for no godless man can appear before

Him.

Listen carefully to my words;

18

let my declaration ring in your ears.

19

See now, I have prepared my case;
I know that I will be vindicated.

Can anyone indict me?

20

If so, I will be silent and die.

Only grant these two things to me,

21

so that I need not hide from You:

Withdraw Your hand from me,

22

I will still defend my ways to His face.

8

and do not let Your terror frighten me.

13

Then call me, and I will answer,

23

or let me speak, and You can reply.
How many are my iniquities and sins?

24

Reveal to me my transgression and sin.

Why do You hide Your face

25

and consider me as Your enemy?
Would You frighten a windblown leaf?
Would You chase after dry chaff?

26

For You record bitter accusations against me

27

and bequeath to me the iniquities of

my youth.

You put my feet in the stocks

and stand watch over all my paths;

You set a limit

28

for the soles of my feet.

So man wastes away like something rotten,

Job Laments the Finality of Death

like a moth-eaten garment.

14

2

“Man, who is born of woman,
is short of days and full of trouble.

Do You open Your eyes to one like this?

4

Will You bring him into judgment before

You?

Who can bring out clean from unclean?

5

No one!

Since his days are determined

6

and since You have set limits
that he cannot exceed,

7

look away from him and let him rest,

so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

For there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its tender shoots will not fail.

9

If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,

at the scent of water it will bud

10

and put forth twigs like a sapling.

But a man dies and is laid low;

11

he breathes his last, and where is he?

As water disappears from the sea

12

and a river becomes parched and dry,

so a man lies down

and does not rise.

Until the heavens are no more,

he will not be awakened or roused

from sleep.

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

14

and then remember me!

When a man dies, will he live again?

 c

15

All the days of my hard service I will wait,
 comes.
until my renewal

You will call, and I will answer;

16

You will desire the work of Your hands.

For then You would count my steps,

17

but would not keep track of my sin.
My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and You would cover over my iniquity.

18

19

But as a mountain erodes and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,

as water wears away the stones

20

and torrents wash away the soil,
so You destroy a man’s hope.

You forever overpower him, and he passes

Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers

on;

away;

You change his countenance and send him

a 14

like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Why do I take my flesh in my teeth

b 15

I have no other hope

away.

 c 14

my change

my relief

Literally

Or

Or

 or

478    |    Job 14:21

21

20

22

If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they are brought low, he is unaware.

A wicked man writhes in pain all his days;
only a few years are reserved for the

21

He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.”

Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God

15

2
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

3

“Does a wise man answer with empty
counsel

or fill his belly with the hot east wind?

Should he argue with useless words

4

or speeches that serve no purpose?
But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before Him.
For your iniquity instructs your mouth,

5

6

and you choose the language of the crafty.

Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you;

7

your own lips testify against you.

ruthless.

Sounds of terror fill his ears;

22

in his prosperity the destroyer attacks

him.

He despairs of his return from darkness;

23

he is marked for the sword.

He wanders about as food for vultures;

24

he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

Distress and anguish terrify him,

25

overwhelming him like a king poised to

attack.

For he has stretched out his hand against

God

26

and has vaunted himself against the

Almighty,
rushing headlong at Him

27

with a thick, studded shield.

Were you the first man ever born?

8

Were you brought forth before the hills?

Do you listen in on the council of God

9

or limit wisdom to yourself?
What do you know that we do not?

10

What do you understand that is not clear

to us?

Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our

11

side—

men much older than your father.
Are the consolations of God not enough

12

for you,

even words spoken gently to you?
Why has your heart carried you away,

a

13

and why do your eyes flash,

so that you turn your spirit against God

14

and pour such words from your mouth?

What is man, that he should be pure,

15

or one born of woman, that he should be

Though his face is covered with fat

28

and his waistline bulges with flesh,

he will dwell in ruined cities,

29

in abandoned houses destined to become

rubble.

He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not

endure.

30

His possessions will not overspread the

land.

He will not escape from the darkness;
the flame will wither his shoots,

and the breath of God’s mouth

31

will carry him away.

Let him not deceive himself with trust in

32

emptiness,

for emptiness will be his reward.
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

righteous?

34

grapes,

If God puts no trust in His holy ones,

16

if even the heavens are not pure in His

like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

For the company of the godless will be

eyes,

how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,

17

who drinks injustice like water?
Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,

18

what was declared by wise men

19

and was not concealed from their fathers,

to whom alone the land was given

35

barren,

and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb is pregnant with deceit.”

Job Decries His Comforters

16

2
Then Job answered:

“I have heard many things like these;

a 12

when no foreigner passed among them.

blink

miserable comforters are you all.

Or

3

Job Prepares for Death

Job 18:4    |    479

Is there no end to your long-winded

4

speeches?

What provokes you to continue testifying?

I could also speak like you
if you were in my place;

5

I could heap up words against you
and shake my head at you.

But I would encourage you with my mouth,
and the consolation of my lips would

6

bring relief.

Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved,

7

and if I hold back, how will it go away?

Surely He has now exhausted me;

8

You have devastated all my family.
You have bound me, and it has become a

witness;

9

my frailty rises up and testifies against

me.

His anger has torn me and opposed me;

10

He gnashes His teeth at me.
My adversary pierces me with His eyes.

They open their mouths against me

11

and strike my cheeks with contempt;
they join together against me.
God has delivered me to unjust men;

12

He has thrown me to the clutches of the

wicked.

I was at ease, but He shattered me;

13

He seized me by the neck and crushed me.

He has set me up as His target;
His archers surround me.

14

15

He pierces my kidneys without mercy
and spills my gall on the ground.
He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He rushes me like a mighty warrior.

16

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin;
I have buried my horn in the dust.

17

My face is red with weeping,

and deep shadows ring my eyes;

18

yet my hands are free of violence

and my prayer is pure.

O earth, do not cover my blood;

19

may my cry for help never be laid

to rest.

20

Even now my witness is in heaven,
and my advocate is on high.

21

My friends are my scoffers

22

as my eyes pour out tears to God.
Oh, that a man might plead with God
as he pleads with his neighbor!
For when only a few years are past
I will go the way of no return.

17

“My spirit is broken; my days are

extinguished;
the grave awaits me.
Surely mockers surround me,

and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.

4

Give me, I pray, the pledge You demand.
Who else will be my guarantor?

You have closed their minds to
understanding;

5

therefore You will not exalt them.
If a man denounces his friends for a price,

the eyes of his children will fail.

2

3

6

He has made me a byword among the people,

7

a man in whose face they spit.
My eyes have grown dim with grief,

8

and my whole body is but a shadow.

The upright are appalled at this,

9

and the innocent are stirred against the

godless.

Yet a righteous one holds to his way,

10

and the one with clean hands grows

stronger.

11

But come back and try again, all of you.

For I will not find a wise man among you.

My days have passed; my plans are broken

12

off—

even the desires of my heart.
They have turned night into day,

13

making light seem near in the face of

darkness.

14

If I look for Sheol as my home,

if I spread out my bed in darkness,
and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My

15

sister,’

16

where then is my hope?

Who can see any hope for me?
Will it go down to the gates of Sheol?

Bildad: God Punishes the Wicked

Will we go down together into the dust?”

18

2
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

“How long until you end these
speeches?

3

Show some sense, and then we can talk.

4

Why are we regarded as cattle,
as stupid in your sight?

You who tear yourself in anger—

should the earth be forsaken on your

account,

or the rocks be moved from their place?

480    |    Job 18:5

5

7

Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is

Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no

6

extinguished;

the flame of his fire does not glow.

The light in his tent grows dark,

7

and the lamp beside him goes out.

His vigorous stride is shortened,

8

and his own schemes trip him up.
For his own feet lead him into a net,
and he wanders into its mesh.

9

10

A trap seizes his heel;
a snare grips him.

11

A noose is hidden in the ground,
and a trap lies in his path.

12

Terrors frighten him on every side

and harass his every step.

13

His strength is depleted,

and calamity is ready at his side.

It devours patches of his skin;

14

the firstborn of death devours his limbs.

15

He is torn from the shelter of his tent

and is marched off to the king of terrors.

16

Fire resides in his tent;

burning sulfur rains down on his dwelling.

17

The roots beneath him dry up,

and the branches above him wither away.
The memory of him perishes from the earth,

18

and he has no name in the land.
He is driven from light into darkness

19

and is chased from the inhabited world.
He has no offspring or posterity among his

20

people,

no survivor where he once lived.

21

Those in the west are appalled at his fate,

while those in the east tremble in horror.

Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked

and the place of one who does not know

Job: My Redeemer Lives
God.”

19

2
Then Job answered:

3

“How long will you torment me

and crush me with your words?

Ten times now you have reproached me;

4

you shamelessly mistreat me.

5

Even if I have truly gone astray,
my error concerns me alone.

8

response;

though I call for help, there is no justice.

9

He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
He has veiled my paths with darkness.

10

He has stripped me of my honor

and removed the crown from my head.
He tears me down on every side until I am

11

gone;

He uproots my hope like a tree.

12

His anger burns against me,

and He counts me among His enemies.

His troops advance together;

13

they construct a ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.

14

He has removed my brothers from me;

my acquaintances have abandoned me.

15

My kinsmen have failed me,

and my friends have forgotten me.
My guests and maidservants count me as a

16

stranger;

I am a foreigner in their sight.
I call for my servant, but he does not

answer,

17

though I implore him with my own

mouth.

18

My breath is repulsive to my wife,

and I am loathsome to my own family.

19

Even little boys scorn me;

when I appear, they deride me.

20

All my best friends despise me,

and those I love have turned against me.

My skin and flesh cling to my bones;

I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.
Why do you persecute me as God does?

Will you never get enough of my flesh?

21

22

23

24

I wish that my words were recorded

and inscribed in a book,

25

by an iron stylus on lead,

 a
or chiseled in stone forever.

But I know that my Redeemer

b

 lives,

26

and in the end He will stand upon the

earth.

 c

If indeed you would exalt yourselves above

27

Even after my skin has been destroyed,

6

me

and use my disgrace against me,
then understand that it is God who has

wronged me

yet in my flesh

 I will see God.

I will see Him for myself;
 d

my eyes will behold Him, and not as a

stranger.

a 25

Vindicator
and drawn His net around me.

on my grave

b 25

c 26

without my flesh

How my heart yearns

my kidneys yearn

 within me!

d 27

Or

Or

Or

Hebrew

28

20

Job 21:10    |    481

If you say, ‘Let us persecute him,
a

29

since the root of the matter lies
’

with him,

then you should fear the sword yourselves,
because wrath brings punishment by the

sword,

so that you may know there is a
Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked

judgment.”

20

2
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

“So my anxious thoughts compel me to
answer,

3

because of the turmoil within me.
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,
the triumph of the wicked has been brief

5

6

and the joy of the godless momentary?
Though his arrogance reaches the heavens,

7

and his head touches the clouds,
he will perish forever, like his own dung;

8

those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where

is he?’

He will fly away like a dream, never to be

found;

9

he will be chased away like a vision in the

night.

10

The eye that saw him will see him no more,
and his place will no longer behold him.

11

His sons will seek the favor of the poor,

for his own hands must return his wealth.

12

The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie down with him in the dust.

13

Though evil is sweet in his mouth

and he conceals it under his tongue,

14

15

though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
yet in his stomach his food sours

into the venom of cobras within him.

16

He swallows wealth but vomits it out;
God will force it from his stomach.

17

He will suck the poison of cobras;

the fangs of a viper will kill him.

18

He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
He must return the fruit of his labor without

19

consuming it;

he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;
he has seized houses he did not build.

a 28

21

Because his appetite is never satisfied,
he cannot escape with his treasure.

Nothing is left for him to consume;

22

thus his prosperity will not endure.

In the midst of his plenty, he will be

distressed;

23

the full force of misery will come upon

him.

When he has filled his stomach,

God will vent His fury upon him,
raining it down on him as he eats.
Though he flees from an iron weapon,

24

25

a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

b

It is drawn out of his back,

26

the gleaming point from his liver.
Terrors come over him.

Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.

A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
The heavens will expose his iniquity,

27

28

and the earth will rise up against him.

The possessions of his house will be

29

removed,

flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
the inheritance God has appointed him.”

Job: God Will Punish the Wicked

21

2
Then Job answered:

3

“Listen carefully to my words;
let this be your consolation to me.

Bear with me while I speak;

4

then, after I have spoken, you may go on

mocking.

Is my complaint against a man?

5

Then why should I not be impatient?

Look at me and be appalled;

6

put your hand over your mouth.
When I remember, terror takes hold,
and my body trembles in horror.

7

Why do the wicked live on,

8

growing old and increasing in power?
Their descendants are established around

9

them,

and their offspring before their eyes.

Their homes are safe from fear;

10

no rod of punishment from God is upon

them.

Their bulls breed without fail;

their cows bear calves and do not
b 25

from his gall

with me
miscarry.

Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts

Literally

482    |    Job 21:11

11

29

12

They send forth their little ones like a flock;

Have you never asked those who travel

their children skip about,

singing to the tambourine and lyre

30

the roads?

Do you not accept their reports?

13

and making merry at the sound of the

Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of

flute.

a

14

15

They spend their days in prosperity
and go down to Sheol in peace.
Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone!

For we have no desire to know Your ways.

Who is the Almighty, that we should

serve Him,

16

and what would we gain if we pray

to Him?’

Still, their prosperity is not in their own

hands,

31

calamity,

delivered from the day of wrath.
Who denounces his behavior to his face?

32

Who repays him for what he has done?

He is carried to the grave,

33

and watch is kept over his tomb.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him;

34

everyone follows behind him,
and those before him are without number.

So how can you comfort me with empty

so I stay far from the counsel of the

words?

17

wicked.

How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?

Does disaster come upon them?
Does God, in His anger, apportion

18

destruction?

For your answers remain full of

Eliphaz: Can a Man Be of Use to God?

falsehood.”

22

2
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

19

Are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a storm?

It is said that God lays up one’s punishment

3

“Can a man be of use to God?
Can even a wise man benefit Him?
Does it delight the Almighty that you are

for his children.

20

Let God repay the man himself, so he will

4

righteous?

Does He profit if your ways are blameless?

know it.

Let his eyes see his own destruction;

21

let him drink for himself the wrath of the

Almighty.

For what does he care about his household

after him,

when the number of his months has

run out?

22

23

Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since He judges those on high?

24

One man dies full of vigor,
b

completely secure and at ease.

25

His body is well nourished,

and his bones are rich with marrow.
Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his

26

soul,

having never tasted prosperity.
But together they lie down in the dust,

and worms cover them both.

27

5

Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you
and enters into judgment against you?

Is not your wickedness great?

6

Are not your iniquities endless?

For you needlessly demanded security from

7

your brothers

and deprived the naked of their clothing.

You gave no water to the weary

8

and withheld food from the famished,
while the land belonged to a mighty man,

9

and a man of honor lived on it.
You sent widows away empty-handed,

10

and the strength of the fatherless was

crushed.

11

Therefore snares surround you,

and sudden peril terrifies you;

it is so dark you cannot see,

12

and a flood of water covers you.

Behold, I know your thoughts full well,

28

the schemes by which you would wrong

me.

For you say, ‘Where now is the nobleman’s

house,

a 13

and where are the tents in which the
in an instant

His pails are full of milk

b 24

wicked dwell?’

Is not God as high as the heavens?

13

Look at the highest stars, how lofty

they are!

14

Yet you say: ‘What does God know?

Does He judge through thick darkness?
Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us

c

c 14

heaven’s horizon
as He traverses the vault of heaven.

the circle of the sky

’

Or

Literally

Or

 or

15

7

Job 24:8    |    483

16

Will you stay on the ancient path
that wicked men have trod?

They were snatched away before their time,
and their foundations were swept away

17

by a flood.

18

They said to God, ‘Depart from us.

What can the Almighty do to us?’
But it was He who filled their houses with

good things;

19

so I stay far from the counsel of the

wicked.

The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent mock them:
‘Surely our foes are destroyed,

20

21

and fire has consumed their excess.’

22

Reconcile now and be at peace with Him;

thereby good will come to you.
Receive instruction from His mouth,

23

and lay up His words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be

24

restored.

If you remove injustice from your tents

and consign your gold to the dust

25

and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the

ravines,

26

then the Almighty will be your gold
and the finest silver for you.

27

Surely then you will delight in the Almighty

and lift up your face to God.

28

You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,

and you will fulfill your vows.
Your decisions will be carried out,

29

and light will shine on your ways.

When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift

30

them up!’

then He will save the lowly.

He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
rescuing him through the cleanness of

Job Longs for God

your hands.”

23

2
Then Job answered:

3

“Even today my complaint is bitter.
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

If only I knew where to find Him,
so that I could go to His seat.
I would plead my case before Him

4

5

6

and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would learn how He would answer,
and consider what He would say.
Would He contend with me in His great

power?

Then an upright man could reason with Him,
and I would be delivered forever from my

8

Judge.

If I go east, He is not there,

9

and if I go west, I cannot find Him.
When He is at work in the north, I cannot

behold Him;

10

when He turns to the south, I cannot see

Him.

Yet He knows the way I have taken;

11

when He has tested me, I will come forth

as gold.

12

My feet have followed in His tracks;

I have kept His way without turning aside.
I have not departed from the command of His

lips;

13

I have treasured the words of His mouth
more than my daily bread.

But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose

14

Him?

He does what He desires.

15

For He carries out His decree against me,

and He has many such plans.

16

Therefore I am terrified in His presence;

when I consider this, I fear Him.

17

God has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me.
Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,

Job: Judgment for the Wicked

by the thick darkness that covers my face.

24

“Why does the Almighty not reserve

times for judgment?

2

Why may those who know Him never see

His days?

3

Men move boundary stones;
they pasture stolen flocks.

They drive away the donkey of the fatherless

4

and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

They push the needy off the road

5

and force all the poor of the land into

hiding.

Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,

6

the poor go to work foraging for food;
the wasteland is food for their children.

They gather fodder in the fields

7

and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
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

No, He would certainly take note of me.

of shelter.

484    |    Job 24:9

9

The fatherless infant is snatched from the

they are brought low and gathered up like all

breast;

25

others;

10

the nursing child of the poor is seized for a

debt.

Without clothing, they wander about naked.

11

They carry the sheaves, but still go

hungry.

They crush olives within their walls;

12

they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.

From the city, men groan,

13

and the souls of the wounded cry out,
yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.

3

they are cut off like heads of grain.
If this is not so, then who can prove me

a liar

Bildad: Man Cannot Be Righteous

and reduce my words to nothing?”

25

2
Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

“Dominion and awe belong to God;
He establishes harmony in the heights of

heaven.

Then there are those who rebel against the

light,

14

not knowing its ways or staying on its

paths.

When daylight is gone, the murderer rises

15

to kill the poor and needy;
in the night he is like a thief.

The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight.
Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers

16

his face.

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

18

darkness!

They are but foam on the surface of the

water;

their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one turns toward their

19

vineyards.

As drought and heat consume the melting

20

snow,

so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

The womb forgets them;

the worm feeds on them;
they are remembered no more.

21

So injustice is broken like a tree.
They prey on the barren and childless,
and show no kindness to the widow.

22

Can His troops be numbered?

4

On whom does His light not rise?
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,

6

and the stars are not pure in His sight,
how much less man, who is but a maggot,
Job: Who Can Understand God’s Majesty?

and the son of man, who is but a worm!”

26

2
Then Job answered:

3

“How you have helped the powerless

and saved the arm that is feeble!
How you have counseled the unwise
and provided fully sound insight!
To whom have you uttered these words?
And whose spirit spoke through you?

4

5

The dead tremble—

6

those beneath the waters and those who

dwell in them.
Sheol is naked before God,

 a

7

and Abaddon

 has no covering.

He stretches out the north over empty space;

8

He hangs the earth upon nothing.
He wraps up the waters in His clouds,

9

yet the clouds do not burst under their

b

own weight.

10

He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading over it His cloud.

He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the

waters

Yet by His power, God drags away the

11

at the boundary between light and

mighty;

darkness.

23

though rising up, they have no assurance

of life.

24

He gives them a sense of security,
but His eyes are on their ways.

They are exalted for a moment,

12

The foundations of heaven quake,

 c

astounded at His rebuke.

13

By His power He stirred

 the sea;

by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

d

By His breath the skies were cleared;

a 6 Abaddon

then they are gone;
Destruction

b 9

of His throne

c 12

stilled

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
d 13

nachash

snake

 means

.

Or

Or

Heb.

; translated in most cases as

14

18

Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways;
how faint is the whisper we hear of Him!

19

The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon,

like a hut set up by a watchman.

Job 28:17    |    485

For what is the hope of the godless when he

6

Who then can understand

Job Affirms His Integrity

the thunder of His power?”

27

2
Job continued his discourse:

“As surely as God lives, who has
deprived me of justice—

3

the Almighty, who has embittered my

soul—

as long as my breath is still within me

4

and the breath of God remains in my

nostrils,

my lips will not speak wickedness,

5

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

I will never say that you are right;

6

I will maintain my integrity until I die.
I will cling to my righteousness and never let

go.

As long as I live, my conscience will not

The Wicked Man’s Portion
accuse me.

7

May my enemy be like the wicked

8

and my opponent like the unjust.

9

is cut off,

when God takes away his life?

Will God hear his cry

10

when distress comes upon him?

11

Will he delight in the Almighty?

Will he call upon God at all times?
I will instruct you in the power of God.
I will not conceal the ways of the

12

Almighty.

13

Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves.

Why then do you keep up this empty talk?

This is the wicked man’s portion from God—
the heritage the ruthless receive from the

14

Almighty.

Though his sons are many, they are destined

for the sword;

15

and his offspring will never have enough

food.

16

His survivors will be buried by the plague,

and their widows will not weep for them.

17

Though he heaps up silver like dust
and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
what he lays up, the righteous will wear,
and his silver will be divided by the

a 11

innocent.
Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate

He searches

20

He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;

when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

21

Terrors overtake him like a flood;

a tempest sweeps him away in the night.

The east wind carries him away, and he

22

is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place.

23

It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.

It claps its hands at him

Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

and hisses him out of his place.

28

2

“Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.

Iron is taken from the earth,

3

and copper is smelted from ore.

Man puts an end to the darkness;

4

he probes the farthest recesses
for ore in deepest darkness.

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.

Its rocks are the source of sapphires,

7

containing flecks of gold.
No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.

8

9

Proud beasts have never trodden it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.

The miner strikes the flint;

10

he overturns mountains at their base.

11

He hews out channels in the rocks,

 a

and his eyes spot every treasure.

He stops up

 the sources of the streams

to bring what is hidden to light.

12

13

But where can wisdom be found,

and where does understanding dwell?

14

No man can know its value,

nor is it found in the land of the living.

15

The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’

while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’

16

It cannot be bought with gold,

nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

17

It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

in precious onyx or sapphire.

Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it,

nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.

486    |    Job 28:18

18

11

19

20

Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
 cannot compare to it,

Topaz from Cush

 a

nor can it be valued in pure gold.

21

From where, then, does wisdom come,

and where does understanding dwell?

It is hidden from the eyes of every living

22

thing
 b

and concealed from the birds of the air.

23

Abaddon

 and Death say,

‘We have heard a rumor about it.’

24

But God understands its way,
and He knows its place.

25

For He looks to the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

26

When God fixed the weight of the wind

and measured out the waters,

27

when He set a limit for the rain

and a path for the thunderbolt,

28

then He looked at wisdom and appraised it;
He established it and searched it out.

And He said to man, ‘Behold,

the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is

Job’s Former Blessings
understanding.’

”

29

2
And Job continued his discourse:

3

“How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,

when His lamp shone above my head,

4

and by His light I walked through the

c

darkness,
when I was in my prime,

5

when the friendship of God rested on my

tent,

6

when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
when my steps were bathed in cream

7

and the rock poured out for me streams

of oil!

When I went out to the city gate

8

and took my seat in the public square,

9

the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the old men rose to their feet.
The princes refrained from speaking

10

and covered their mouths with their

hands.

The voices of the nobles were hushed,

and their tongues stuck to the roofs of

12

For those who heard me called me blessed,
and those who saw me commended me,

13

because I rescued the poor who cried out
and the fatherless who had no helper.

The dying man blessed me,

14

and I made the widow’s heart sing

for joy.

15

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
justice was my robe and my turban.

16

17

I served as eyes to the blind
and as feet to the lame.
I was a father to the needy,

and I took up the case of the stranger.

18

I shattered the fangs of the unjust

and snatched the prey from his teeth.

19

So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest

and multiply my days as the sand.
My roots will spread out to the waters,
and the dew will rest nightly on my

20

branches.

My glory is ever new within me,

and my bow is renewed in my hand.’

21

22

23

Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my counsel.
After my words, they spoke no more;

my speech settled on them like dew.

They waited for me as for rain

24

and drank in my words like spring

showers.

25

If I smiled at them, they did not believe it;

the light of my countenance was precious.

I chose their course and presided as chief.
So I dwelt as a king among his troops,
as a comforter of the mourners.

Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt

30

“But now they mock me,
men younger than I am,
whose fathers I would have refused
2
to put with my sheep dogs.

What use to me was the strength of their

3

hands,

since their vigor had left them?

4

Gaunt from poverty and hunger,
they gnawed the dry land,
and the desolate wasteland by night.
They plucked mallow among the shrubs,

d

5

and the roots of the broom tree were their

food.

They were banished from among men,

shouted at like thieves,

in the time of my harvest

c 4

d 4

their fuel

a 19

their mouths.

b 22 Abaddon

Destruction

 That is, the upper Nile region

 means

.

Heb.

Or

6

24

so that they lived on the slopes of the wadis,

Yet no one stretches out his hand against

7

among the rocks and in holes in the

25

a ruined man

Job 31:12    |    487

ground.

They cried out among the shrubs

8

and huddled beneath the nettles.

9

A senseless and nameless brood,
they were driven off the land.

And now they mock me in song;

10

I have become a byword among them.

They abhor me and keep far from me;

11

they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

Because God has unstrung my bow and

 a

afflicted me,

12

they have cast off restraint

 in my

presence.

The rabble arises at my right;
they lay snares for my feet
and build siege ramps against me.

13

They tear up my path;

b

14

they profit from my destruction,
with no one to restrain them.

Job’s Prosperity Becomes Calamity

They advance as through a wide breach;
through the ruins they keep rolling in.

15

Terrors are turned loose against me;

they drive away my dignity as by the

wind,

when he cries for help in his distress.

Have I not wept for those in trouble?

26

Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

But when I hoped for good, evil came;

27

when I looked for light, darkness fell.

28

I am churning within and cannot rest;
days of affliction confront me.

I go about blackened, but not by the sun.
I stand up in the assembly and cry for

e

29

help.

f

I have become a brother of jackals,

30

a companion of ostriches.
My skin grows black and peels,

31

and my bones burn with fever.

My harp is tuned to mourning

Job’s Final Appeal

and my flute to the sound of weeping.

31

2

“I have made a covenant with my eyes.
How then could I gaze with desire at a

virgin?

For what is the allotment of God from above,
or the heritage from the Almighty on

3

high?

Does not disaster come to the unjust

4

and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

16

and my prosperity has passed like

5

a cloud.

Does He not see my ways

and count my every step?

And now my soul is poured out within me;

17

If I have walked in falsehood

6

days of affliction grip me.

Night pierces my bones,

18

 c

and my gnawing pains never rest.
With great force He grasps my garment;

19

He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.

He throws me into the mud,

20

and I have become like dust and ashes.

9

I cry out to You for help, but You do not

21

answer;

7

8

or my foot has rushed to deceit,
let God weigh me with honest scales,
that He may know my integrity.
If my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has followed my eyes,
or if impurity has stuck to my hands,
then may another eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.

If my heart has been enticed by my

when I stand up, You merely look at me.

10

neighbor’s wife,

You have ruthlessly turned on me;

22

You oppose me with Your strong hand.
 d

You snatch me up into the wind

23

and drive me before it;
You toss me about

 in the storm.

or I have lurked at his door,

then may my own wife grind grain for

11

another,

and may other men sleep with her.

For that would be a heinous crime,

12

 g

Yes, I know that You will bring me down to

an iniquity to be judged.

death,

the bridle

a 11
garment is disfigured
of daughters of an owl

to the place appointed for all the living.
e 29
Destruction
Or

d 22
Or
g 12 Abaddon

with no one to assist them

You dissolve me

Hebrew

b 13

Or

c 18
serpents

 means

.

For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon;
my
it would root out my entire harvest.
of daughters of an ostrich
dragons
LXX; Hebrew
 or

He becomes like a garment to me
f 29

Literally

 or

 or

488    |    Job 31:13

13

33

 c

If I have rejected the cause of my manservant

if I have covered my transgressions like

14

or maidservant

34

Adam

when they made a complaint against me,

what will I do when God rises to judge?

15

by hiding my guilt in my heart,
because I greatly feared the crowds

How will I answer when called to account?

and the contempt of the clans terrified me,

Did not He who made me in the womb also

make them?

Did not the same One form us in the

womb?

16

17

If I have denied the desires of the poor
or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

if I have eaten my morsel alone,

18

not sharing it with the fatherless—

though from my youth I reared him as would

a father,

19

and from my mother’s womb I guided the

widow—

if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing,

 a

20

or a needy man without a cloak,

if his heart has not blessed me

21

for warming him with the fleece of my

sheep,

if I have lifted up my hand against the

fatherless

22

because I saw that I had support in the

gate,

then may my arm fall from my shoulder

23

and be torn from its socket.
For calamity from God terrifies me,

24

and His splendor I cannot overpower.

If I have put my trust in gold

25

or called pure gold my security,
if I have rejoiced in my great wealth

 b
because my hand had gained so much,

26

if I have beheld the sun

27

 in its radiance

or the moon moving in splendor,
so that my heart was secretly enticed

28

and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

29

this would also be an iniquity to be judged,
for I would have denied God on high.

If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,
or exulted when evil befell him—
I have not allowed my mouth to sin

30

31

by asking for his life with a curse—

if the men of my house have not said,

32

‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

but no stranger had to lodge on the street,

for my door has been open to the
if his loins have not blessed me

traveler—

b 26

the Spirit

a 20
d 8

so that I kept silent

35

and would not go outside—

(Oh, that I had one to hear me!

Here is my signature.
Let the Almighty answer me;

36

let my accuser compose an indictment.

Surely I would carry it on my shoulder

37

and wear it like a crown.

I would give account of all my steps;

I would approach Him like a prince.)—

38

if my land cries out against me

39

and its furrows weep together,
if I have devoured its produce without

40

payment

or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.”

Elihu Rebukes Job’s Friends
Thus conclude the words of Job.

32

2
eyes.

So  these  three  men  stopped  answering
Job, because he was righteous in his own

3

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
and  he  burned  with  anger  against
than  God,
Job’s three friends because they had failed to re-
4
fute Job, and yet had condemned him.

5

6

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because
But when he saw
the others were older than he.
that the three men had no further reply, his anger
So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite
was kindled.
declared:

“I am young in years,
while you are old;

that is why I was timid and afraid
7

to tell you what I know.
I thought that age should speak,

 d

8

and many years should teach wisdom.

But there is a spirit

 in a man,
the breath of the Almighty,
that gives him understanding.

like men

c 33

the light

Hebrew

Or

; similarly in verse 18

Hebrew

Or

9

 a

8

Job 33:27    |    489

10

It is not only the old

 who are wise,

or the elderly who understand justice.

11

Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;

I too will declare what I know.’

Indeed, I waited while you spoke;
I listened to your reasoning;

12

as you searched for words,
I paid you full attention.
But no one proved Job wrong;

13

not one of you rebutted his arguments.
So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom;

14

9

Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very words:

‘I am pure, without transgression;

10

I am clean, with no iniquity in me.

11

Yet God finds occasions against me;
He counts me as His enemy.

12

He puts my feet in the stocks;

He watches over all my paths.’

Behold, you are not right in this matter.

13

I will answer you, for God is greater than

man.

 b

let God, not man, refute him.’

14

Why do you complain to Him

But Job has not directed his words against

me,

that He answers nothing a man asks?
For God speaks in one way and in another,

15

15

and I will not answer him with your

yet no one notices.

arguments.

In a dream,

Job’s friends are dismayed, with no more to

16

say;

words have escaped them.

17

Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand and no longer reply?

18

I too will answer;

yes, I will declare what I know.

19

For I am full of words,

and my spirit within me compels me.
Behold, my belly is like unvented wine;

20

in a vision in the night,

when deep sleep falls upon men

16

as they slumber on their beds,

17

He opens their ears

and terrifies them with warnings

to turn a man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,
to preserve his soul from the Pit

18

19

and his life from perishing by the sword.

A man is also chastened on his bed

it is about to burst like a new wineskin.

20

with pain and constant distress in his

21

I must speak and find relief;

bones,

I must open my lips and respond.

so that he detests his bread,

21

22

I will be partial to no one,

nor will I flatter any man.
For I do not know how to flatter,

and his soul loathes his favorite food.

His flesh wastes away from sight,

22

and his hidden bones protrude.

or my Maker would remove me in an

Elihu Rebukes Job

instant.

33

2

“But now, O Job, hear my speech,
and listen to all my words.

Behold, I will open my mouth;

3

my address is on the tip of my tongue.

My words are from an upright heart,

4

and my lips speak sincerely what I know.

The Spirit of God has made me,

5

and the breath of the Almighty gives me

life.

Refute me if you can;

6

prepare your case and confront me.

I am just like you before God;

7

I was also formed from clay.

He draws near to the Pit,

23

and his life to the messengers of death.

Yet if there is a messenger on his side,

24

one mediator in a thousand,
to tell a man what is right for him,
to be gracious to him and say,

‘Spare him from going down to the Pit;

25

I have found his ransom,’

26

then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s;
he returns to the days of his youth.

He prays to God and finds favor;

he sees God’s face and shouts for joy,
 c

and God restores His righteousness

27

to that man.
Then he sings before

 men

with these words:

‘I have sinned and perverted what was right;

yet I did not get what I deserved.
Then he looks upon

c 27

Surely no fear of me should terrify you;
nor will my hand be heavy upon you.
many

great

b 13

a 9

that He answers for none of His actions

Or

 or

Or

Or

490    |    Job 33:28

28

16

He redeemed my soul from going down to the

17

If you have understanding, hear this;

29

Pit,

and I will live to see the light.’

30

Behold, all these things God does to a man,

two or even three times,

to bring back his soul from the Pit,

31

that he may be enlightened with the light

of life.

32

Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

33

But if you have something to say, answer me;
speak up, for I would like to vindicate you.

But if not, then listen to me;
Elihu Confirms God’s Justice

be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”

34

2
Then Elihu continued:

3

“Hear my words, O wise men;
give ear to me, O men of learning.

For the ear tests words

4

as the mouth tastes food.

5

6

Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.
For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.

Would I lie about my case?
My wound is incurable,
though I am without transgression.’

7

What man is like Job,

8

who drinks up derision like water?

9

He keeps company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men.

For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

10

that he should delight in God.’

Therefore listen to me,

O men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wrong,

11

and from the Almighty to act unjustly.
For according to a man’s deeds He repays

him;

12

according to a man’s ways He brings

consequences.

Indeed, it is true that God does not act

13

wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Who appointed Him over the whole

14

world?

15

If He were to set His heart to it

and withdraw His Spirit and breath,

all flesh would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

listen to my words.

Could one who hates justice govern?

18

Will you condemn the just and mighty

One,

19

who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’
and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

who is not partial to princes

20

and does not favor rich over poor?
For they are all the work of His hands.

They die in an instant,

in the middle of the night.

The people convulse and pass away;

21

the mighty are removed without human

hand.

22

For His eyes are on the ways of a man,

and He sees his every step.

23

There is no darkness or deep shadow

where the workers of iniquity can hide.

24

25

For God need not examine a man further
or have him approach for judgment.
He shatters the mighty without inquiry
and sets up others in their place.
Therefore, He recognizes their deeds;

26

He overthrows them in the night and they

are crushed.

27

He strikes them for their wickedness

in full view,

28

because they turned aside from Him

and had no regard for any of His ways.

They caused the cry of the poor to come

29

before Him,

and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.

But when He remains silent, who can

condemn Him?

30

When He hides His face, who can see Him?

Yet He watches over both man and nation,

31

that godless men should not rule
or lay snares for the people.

Suppose someone says to God,

32

‘I have endured my punishment; I will

offend no more.
Teach me what I cannot see;

33

if I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’

Should God repay you on your own terms

when you have disavowed Him?

34

You must choose, not I;

so tell me what you know.

35

Men of understanding will declare to me,

and the wise men who hear me will say:

‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words lack insight.’

36

37

If only Job were tried to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man.

For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu Recalls God’s Justice

35

2
And Elihu went on to say:

3

“Do you think this is just?

You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’

For you ask, ‘What does it profit me,

4

and what benefit do I gain apart from

sin?’
I will reply to you

5

and to your friends as well.

Look to the heavens and see;

6

gaze at the clouds high above you.
If you sin, what do you accomplish against

Him?

7

If you multiply your transgressions, what

do you do to Him?

If you are righteous, what do you give Him,

8

or what does He receive from your hand?

Your wickedness affects only a man like

yourself,

and your righteousness only a son of

man.

9

Men cry out under great oppression;

10

they plead for relief from the arm of the

mighty.

But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker,

11

who gives us songs in the night,

earth

12

and makes us wiser than the birds of the

air?’

There they cry out, but He does not

13

answer,

because of the pride of evil men.

Surely God does not listen to empty pleas,

14

and the Almighty does not take note of it.
How much less, then, when you say that you

do not see Him,

who teaches us more than the beasts of the

13

Job 36:18    |    491

Elihu Describes God’s Power

36

2
And Elihu continued:

“Bear with me a little longer, and I will
show you

3

that there is more to be said on God’s

behalf.

 a

I get my knowledge from afar,

4

and I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
For truly my words are free of falsehood;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.

5

Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises no

6

one;

He is mighty in strength of understanding.

He does not keep the wicked alive,

7

but He grants justice to the afflicted.
He does not take His eyes off the righteous,
but He enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.

8

9

And if men are bound with chains,
caught in cords of affliction,
then He tells them their deeds

10

and how arrogantly they have

transgressed.

He opens their ears to correction

11

and commands that they turn from

iniquity.

If they obey and serve Him,

12

then they end their days in prosperity
and their years in happiness.

 b

But if they do not obey,

then they perish by the sword
and die without knowledge.

The godless in heart harbor resentment;

14

even when He binds them, they do not cry

for help.
They die in their youth,

15

 c

among the male shrine prostitutes.
God rescues the afflicted by their affliction
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.

18

the wicked;

judgment and justice have seized you.
Be careful that no one lures you with riches;
do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
in their affliction

c 15

15

that your case is before Him and you must

17

wait for Him,

and further, that in His anger He has not

But now you are laden with the judgment due

16

punished

or taken much notice of folly!

So Job opens his mouth in vain

a 2

and multiplies words without knowledge.”
‘I am righteous before God.’

they will cross the river of death

 b 12

Or

Or

Or

492    |    Job 36:19

19

 a

6

Can your wealth

20

 or all your mighty effort

keep you from distress?

Do not long for the night,

21

For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the gentle rain, ‘Pour out a mighty

7

downpour.’

when people vanish from their homes.

He seals up the hand of every man,

8

Be careful not to turn to iniquity,

22

for this you have preferred to affliction.

Behold, God is exalted in His power.

23

Who is a teacher like Him?

Who has appointed His way for Him,

24

or told Him, ‘You have done wrong’?

Remember to magnify His work,

25

which men have praised in song.

All mankind has seen it;

26

men behold it from afar.

Indeed, God is great—beyond our

27

knowledge;

the number of His years is unsearchable.

For He draws up drops of water

28

which distill the rain from the mist,

which the clouds pour out

29

and shower abundantly on mankind.
Furthermore, who can understand how the

30

clouds spread out,

how the thunder roars from His pavilion?

See how He scatters His lightning around

31

Him

 b

For by these He judges

and covers the depths of the sea.
 the nations
and provides food in abundance.

32

He fills His hands with lightning

33

and commands it to strike its mark.

The thunder declares His presence;

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty

even the cattle regard the rising storm.

37

2

“At this my heart also pounds
and leaps from its place.

Listen closely to the thunder of His voice
and the rumbling that comes from His

3

mouth.

He unleashes His lightning beneath the whole

4

sky

so that all men may know His work.

9

The wild animals enter their lairs;
they settle down in their dens.
The tempest comes from its chamber,

10

and the cold from the driving north winds.

11

By the breath of God the ice is formed

and the watery expanses are frozen.

12

He loads the clouds with moisture;

He scatters His lightning through them.

They swirl about,

whirling at His direction,

13

accomplishing all that He commands
over the face of all the earth.

Whether for punishment or for His land,
He accomplishes this in His loving

14

devotion.

Listen to this, O Job;

15

stand still and consider the wonders of

God.

16

Do you know how God dispatches the clouds

or makes the lightning flash?

Do you understand how the clouds float,

17

those wonders of Him who is perfect in

knowledge?
You whose clothes get hot

18

when the land lies hushed under the south

wind,

can you, like Him, spread out the skies,
as strong as a mirror of bronze?

19

Teach us what we should say to Him;

20

we cannot draw up our case because of

our darkness.

 c

21

Should He be told that I want to speak?
Would a man ask to be swallowed up

?

22

Now no one can gaze at the sun
when it is bright in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.

Out of the north He comes in golden

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

23

splendor;

Then there comes a roaring sound;

awesome majesty surrounds Him.

He thunders with His majestic voice.

The Almighty is beyond our reach;

5

He does not restrain the lightning
when His voice resounds.

He is exalted in power!

24

In His justice and great righteousness

God thunders wondrously with His voice;

He does great things we cannot

He does not oppress.
Therefore, men fear Him,

a 19

comprehend.

your cry for help

b 31

governs

nourishes

c 20

for He is not partial to the wise in heart.”

speak without being swallowed up

Or

Or

 or

Or

The LORD Challenges Job

20

Job 38:41    |    493

38

2

Then the LORD answered Job out of the
whirlwind and said:

 a

“Who is this who obscures My counsel
 b

3

by words without knowledge?
 like a man;

Now brace yourself

c

4

I will question you, and you shall inform

Me.

Where were you when I laid the foundations

5

of the earth?

Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Who fixed its measurements? Surely you

know!

21

so you can lead it back to its border?

Do you know the paths to its home?

22

Surely you know, for you were already born!
And the number of your days is great!

23

24

Have you entered the storehouses of snow
or observed the storehouses of hail,
which I hold in reserve for times of trouble,

for the day of war and battle?

25

In which direction is the lightning dispersed,
or the east wind scattered over the earth?

26

Who cuts a channel for the flood

or clears a path for the thunderbolt,

27

to bring rain on a barren land,

6

Or who stretched a measuring line across

on a desert where no man lives,

it?

d

28

to satisfy the parched wasteland

7

On what were its foundations set,
or who laid its cornerstone,

and make it sprout with tender grass?

29

Does the rain have a father?

while the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8

Who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb does the ice emerge?

30

Who enclosed the sea behind doors

9

when it burst forth from the womb,

10

when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its blanket,

11

when I fixed its boundaries

and set in place its bars and doors,

Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,

31

when the waters become hard as stone

and the surface of the deep is frozen?

32

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades

or loosen the belt of Orion?

 e

Can you bring forth the constellations in their
 f

and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no

33

seasons

12

farther;

here your proud waves must stop’?

In your days, have you commanded the

13

morning

or assigned the dawn its place,

14

that it might spread to the ends of the earth

and shake the wicked out of it?

The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;

15

its hills stand out like the folds of a

garment.

16

Light is withheld from the wicked,

and their upraised arm is broken.

17

Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea
or walked in the trenches of the deep?

Have the gates of death been revealed to

you?

18

Have you seen the gates of the shadow of

death?

Have you surveyed the extent of the earth?

19

Tell Me, if you know all this.

Where is the way to the home of light?
gird up your loins

a 2
Do you know where darkness resides,
bring forth Mazzaroth in its season
Hebrew

Cited in Job 42:3

f 32

Leo

b 3

c 3
Arcturus

about the flooding of the Nile

Or

 or

or lead out the Bear

 and her cubs?
Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the

34

earth?

35

Can you command the clouds

so that a flood of water covers you?
Can you send the lightning bolts on their

36

way?

 g

Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

37

Who has put wisdom in the heart

or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of the

38

heavens

when the dust hardens into a mass

and the clods of earth stick together?

39

41

40

Can you hunt the prey for a lioness

or satisfy the hunger of young lions

when they crouch in their dens
and lie in wait in the thicket?
Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
who set its core in place
as they wander about for lack of food?
Who has given the ibis wisdom
Or
, that is, wisdom

e 32

d 6

Or

Or

g 36

Cited in Job 42:4

494    |    Job 39:1

The LORD Speaks of His Creation

20

39

“Do you know when mountain goats

2

give birth?

Have you watched the doe bear her fawn?
Can you count the months they are pregnant?
Do you know the time they give birth?

3

They crouch down and bring forth their

4

young;

they deliver their newborn.

Their young ones thrive and grow up in the

5

open field;

they leave and do not return.

21

Do you make him leap like a locust,

striking terror with his proud snorting?

He paws in the valley and rejoices in his

22

strength;

he charges into battle.

23

He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing;
he does not turn back from the sword.
b

24

A quiver rattles at his side,

along with a flashing spear and lance.
Trembling with excitement, he devours the

distance;

25

he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn

sounds.
c

Who set the wild donkey free?

At the blast of the horn, he snorts with

6

Who released the swift donkey from the

fervor.

harness?

7

I made the wilderness his home
and the salt flats his dwelling.

He scorns the tumult of the city

8

and never hears the shouts of a driver.

9

He roams the mountains for pasture,
searching for any green thing.

Will the wild ox consent to serve you?

10

Will he stay by your manger at night?

Can you hold him to the furrow with a

11

harness?

Will he plow the valleys behind you?

Can you rely on his great strength?

12

Will you leave your hard work to him?

Can you trust him to bring in your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?

13

 a

The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
 and

but cannot match the pinions
feathers of the stork.

14

15

16

For she leaves her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand.
She forgets that a foot may crush them,
or a wild animal may trample them.
She treats her young harshly, as if not her

own,

17

with no concern that her labor was in

vain.

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

27

understanding

and spread his wings toward the south?

28

Does the eagle soar at your command

and make his nest on high?

29

He dwells on a cliff and lodges there;
his stronghold is on a rocky crag.

30

From there he spies out food;
his eyes see it from afar.
His young ones feast on blood;

Job Humbles Himself before the LORD

and where the slain are, there he is.”

40

2
And the LORD said to Job:

“Will the faultfinder contend with the
Almighty?

Let him who argues with God give an

answer.”

3

4
Then Job answered the LORD:

“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to

5

You?

I place my hand over my mouth.

I have spoken once, but I have no answer—

The LORD Challenges Job Again

twice, but I have nothing to add.”

For God has deprived her of wisdom;
He has not endowed her with

18

6

understanding.

Yet when she proudly spreads her wings,
she laughs at the horse and its rider.

19

Then  the  LORD  answered  Job  out  of  the
7
whirlwind and said:

 d

“Now brace yourself
e

 like a man;

Do you give strength to the horse
or adorn his neck with a mane?

I will question you, and you shall inform
he snorts, ‘Aha!’

javelin

Me.

b 23

c 25

a 13 Pinions
d 7

Hebrew

gird up your loins
 are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers.
Cited in Job 42:4

e 7

Or

Or

Job 41:26    |    495

8

4

Would you really annul My justice?

9

Would you condemn Me to justify

yourself?

Do you have an arm like God’s?

10

5

Will he make a covenant with you
to take him as a slave for life?

Can you pet him like a bird

6

or put him on a leash for your maidens?

Can you thunder with a voice like His?

Will traders barter for him

7

Then adorn yourself with majesty and

or divide him among the merchants?

11

splendor,

and clothe yourself with honor and glory.

Unleash the fury of your wrath;

12

look on every proud man and bring him

low.

8

Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?

If you lay a hand on him,

9

you will remember the battle and never

repeat it!

13

14

Look on every proud man and humble him;
trample the wicked where they stand.

a
Bury them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.

Then I will confess to you

15

that your own right hand can save you.

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with

12

10

Surely hope of overcoming him is false.

11

Is not the sight of him overwhelming?
No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan.
Then who is able to stand against Me?

 e

Who has given to Me that I should repay

him?

Everything under heaven is Mine.

16

you.

He feeds on grass like an ox.

See the strength of his loins

17

and the power in the muscles of his belly.

His tail sways like a cedar;

18

the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

19

His bones are tubes of bronze;
his limbs are rods of iron.
He is the foremost of God’s works;

 b

20

only his Maker can draw the sword

against him.

The hills yield him their produce,

21

while all the beasts of the field play

c

nearby.

22

23

He lies under the lotus plants,
 d

hidden among the reeds of the marsh.
The lotus plants conceal him in their shade;
 of the brook surround him.

the willows

Though the river rages, Behemoth is

unafraid;

24

he remains secure, though the Jordan

surges to his mouth.

Can anyone capture him as he looks on,
The LORD’s Power Shown in Leviathan
or pierce his nose with a snare?

I cannot keep silent about his limbs,
his power and graceful form.
Who can strip off his outer coat?

13

14

 f

Who can approach him with a bridle?

Who can open his jaws,

15

ringed by his fearsome teeth?
His rows of scales are his pride,
tightly sealed together.
One scale is so near to another

16

17

that no air can pass between them.

They are joined to one another;

18

they clasp and cannot be separated.

His snorting flashes with light,

19

and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

Firebrands stream from his mouth;

20

fiery sparks shoot forth!
Smoke billows from his nostrils

21

as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.

His breath sets coals ablaze,

22

and flames pour from his mouth.

Strength resides in his neck,

23

and dismay leaps before him.

The folds of his flesh are tightly joined;

24

they are firm and immovable.

41

2

“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook
or tie down his tongue with a rope?

3

Can you put a cord through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Will he beg you for mercy
or speak to you softly?
b 19
in the hidden place
f 13

a 13
e 11

Or
Cited in Romans 11:35

Hebrew
Or

His chest is as hard as a rock,

as hard as a lower millstone!

25

When Leviathan rises up, the mighty are

26

terrified;

they withdraw before his thrashing.
The sword that reaches him has no effect,
nor does the spear or dart or arrow.

poplars

d 22

c 21

ways

bramble bushes
Who can come within his double mail?
Or

; also in verse 22

Or

496    |    Job 41:27

27

28

He regards iron as straw

and bronze as rotten wood.

29

No arrow can make him flee;

slingstones become like chaff to him.

a

30

A club is regarded as straw,

and he laughs at the sound of the lance.

His undersides are jagged potsherds,

31

spreading out the mud like a threshing

sledge.

32

He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;
he makes the sea like a jar of ointment.

33

He leaves a glistening wake behind him;

one would think the deep had white hair!

34

Nothing on earth is his equal—
a creature devoid of fear!

He looks down on all the haughty;
Job Submits Himself to the LORD
he is king over all the proud.”

42

2
Then Job replied to the LORD:

3

“I know that You can do all things
and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted.

You asked, ‘Who is this

 b
who conceals My counsel without

knowledge?’

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
4
things too wonderful for me to know.

You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak.

 c

5

I will question you, and you shall inform

Me.’

My ears had heard of You,

6

but now my eyes have seen You.

Therefore I despise myself,

The LORD Rebukes Job’s Friends

and I repent in dust and ashes.”

7

8

kindled  against  you  and  your  two  friends.  For
you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My
So  now,  take  seven  bulls  and
servant  Job  has.
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
9
servant Job has.”

So  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  Bildad  the  Shuhite,
and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the
LORD  had  told  them;  and  the  LORD  accepted
The LORD Blesses Job
Job’s prayer.
10

11

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD
restored his prosperity and doubled his former
All  his  brothers  and  sisters  and
possessions.
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 sil-
12
ver

 and a gold ring.

 d

13

14

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
And  he  also  had  seven  sons  and
donkeys.
three daughters.
He named his first daughter
Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-
No  women  as  beautiful  as  Job’s
happuch.
daughters  could  be  found  in  all  the  land,  and
their father granted them an inheritance among
16
their brothers.

15

After the LORD had spoken these words to Job,
He  said  to  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  “My  wrath  is

After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his chil-
17
dren and their children to the fourth generation.

And so Job died, old and full of years.

a 29

javelin

b 3

c 4

d 11

a kesitah

Or

Job 38:2

Job 38:3 and Job 40:7

Hebrew

; the value or weight of the kesitah is

no longer known.

Psalms

Psalm 1
The Two Paths
(Matthew 5:3–12 ;  Luke 6:20–23)

 1

Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of

7

BOOK I
Psalms 1–41

4

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

5

the Lord taunts them.

6

Then He rebukes them in His anger,
and terrifies them in His fury:
“I have installed My King on Zion,
upon My holy mountain.”

the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,
2
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and

3

night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,
4

and who prospers in all he does.

Not so the wicked!

5

For they are like chaff driven off by the

wind.

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,

Psalm 2
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Triumphant Messiah
(Acts 4:23–31)

1

 a

Why do the nations rage

2

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together,
 b

against the LORD
3

and against His Anointed One:

“Let us break Their chains

I will proclaim the decree

spoken to Me by the LORD:

c

“You are My Son;

8

today I have become Your Father.
Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your
 d

inheritance,

9

the ends of the earth Your possession.

e

You will break them

 with an iron scepter;

You will shatter them like pottery.

”

10

11

Therefore be wise, O kings;

be admonished, O judges of the earth.

12

Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry

and you perish in your rebellion,
when His wrath ignites in an instant.
Psalm 3
Deliver Me, O LORD!
(2 Samuel 15:13–29)

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

 A Psalm of David, when he fled from
his son Absalom.

 1

2

O LORD, how my foes have increased!
How many rise up against me!

Many say of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

3

Selah

 f

But You, O LORD, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the One who lifts my head.

today I have begotten You

c 7

a 1

and cast away Their cords.”
noisily assemble

b 2

Or

d 9
; see Revelation 11:18.

Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5
Revelation 2:27; see also Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15.
term; here and throughout the Psalms.

LXX

You will rule them

You will shepherd them

e 9

Cited in Acts 4:25–26
f 2 Selah
 or

Literally
Interlude

; cited in

Cited in

 or

 is probably a musical or literary

498    |    Psalm 3:4

4

To the LORD I cry aloud,

and He answers me from His holy

mountain.

5

Psalm 5
Give Ear to My Words

Selah

 For the choirmaster, to be accompanied
by flutes. A Psalm of David.

I lie down and sleep;

6

I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

I will not fear the myriads

7

set against me on every side.

Arise, O LORD!

Save me, O my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
8
break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the LORD;

may Your blessing be on Your people.

Selah

Psalm 4
Answer Me When I Call!

 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Psalm of David.

 1

Answer me when I call,

O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved my distress;
2

show me grace and hear my prayer.

How long, O men, will my honor be maligned?
How long will you love vanity and seek

 a

Selah

after lies

?

3

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly

4

for Himself;

 b

the LORD hears when I call to Him.

Be angry, yet do not sin;

on your bed, search your heart and be

Selah

5

still.

Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the LORD.

6

 1

2

Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cry,

3

my King and my God,
for to You I pray.

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

5

wickedness;

no evil can dwell with You.

The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;

6

You hate all workers of iniquity.

You destroy those who tell lies;

7

the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed

and deceit.

But I will enter Your house

 c

by the abundance of Your loving

devotion;

8

in reverence I will bow down
toward Your holy temple.

Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness

9

because of my enemies;
make straight Your way before me.
For not a word they speak can be trusted;

destruction lies within them.
d

Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.

10

Declare them guilty, O God;

let them fall by their own devices.

Drive them out for their many
transgressions,

11

for they have rebelled against You.

Many ask, “Who can show us the good?”
Shine the light of Your face upon us,

7

O LORD.

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;

let them ever shout for joy.

May You shelter them,

You have filled my heart with more joy

8

12

that those who love Your name may

than when grain and new wine abound.

rejoice in You.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in

For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;
You surround them with the shield of

safety.

b 4

In your anger do not sin

Tremble and do not sin

Your favor.

c 7

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as

faithfulness

loyalty to a covenant

Or
kindness

 or
mercy

Forms of the
flattery
; the range of meaning

,

,

, and

, as well as

.

Or

; cited in

loving devotion
; cited in Ephesians 4:26

d 9

a 2

false gods
chesed
love

Or
Hebrew
includes
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.

 1

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger

2

or discipline me in Your wrath.

Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in

3

agony.

4

My soul is deeply distressed.

How long, O LORD, how long?

Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul;

5

save me because of Your loving devotion.

6

For there is no mention of You in death;
who can praise You from Sheol?

I am weary from groaning;

7

all night I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes fail from grief;

they grow dim because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and

dismayed;

Psalm 7
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
I Take Refuge in You

 A Shiggaion b  of David, which he sang
to the LORD concerning the words of Cush,
a Benjamite.

 1

8

9

10

Psalm 8:2    |    499

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.
Let the assembled peoples gather around You;

7

8

take Your seat over them on high.

The LORD judges the peoples;
vindicate me, O LORD,
according to my righteousness and

9

integrity.

Put an end to the evil of the wicked,
but establish the righteous,
O righteous God who searches hearts and

d

10

minds.
My shield is with God,

11

who saves the upright in heart.

12

God is a righteous judge

and a God who feels indignation each day.

If one does not repent,

13

14

God will sharpen His sword;
He has bent and strung His bow.
He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He ordains His arrows with fire.

15

Behold, the wicked man travails with evil;

he conceives trouble and births falsehood.

16

He has dug a hole and hollowed it out;

he has fallen into a pit of his own making.

His trouble recoils on himself,

17

and his violence falls on his own head.

I will thank the LORD for His righteousness
and sing praise to the name of the LORD

Most High.  Psalm 8
How Majestic Is Your Name!

 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.e
A Psalm of David.

O LORD my God, I take refuge in You;
save me and deliver me from all my

2

 1

pursuers,

or they will shred my soul like a lion

O LORD, our Lord,

and tear me to pieces with no one to

how majestic is Your name in all

3

rescue me.

4

O LORD my God, if I have done this,
if injustice is on my hands,

 c

the earth!

2

You have set Your glory
above the heavens.

 f

if I have rewarded my ally

5

 with evil,

From the mouths of children and infants

if I have plundered my foe without cause,
then may my enemy pursue me and overtake

a 1 Sheminith

me;

You have ordained praise
on account of Your adversaries,
b 1 Shiggaion

to silence the enemy and avenger.

the one at peace with me
 is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 12:1.
f 2

You have ordained strength

hearts and kidneys

d 9

c 4

e 1 Gittith

musical or liturgical term.
prepared praise
a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 81 and 84.

Hebrew

Hebrew

Literally

; cited in Matthew 21:16

 is probably a
You have

 is probably

; LXX

500    |    Psalm 8:3

3

When I behold Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

4

which You have set in place—

5

6

what is man that You are mindful of him,

 a
or the son of man that You care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
You crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler of the works of Your

hands;
 b

7

You have placed everything under his

feet:
all sheep and oxen,

8

and even the beasts of the field,

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!

Psalm 9
I Will Give Thanks to the LORD

10

Those who know Your name trust in You,

11

for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those

who seek You.

12

13

Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
proclaim His deeds among the nations.
For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers;

He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

Be merciful to me, O LORD;

14

see how my enemies afflict me!
Lift me up from the gates of death,

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;

16

their feet are caught in the net they have

hidden.

The LORD is known by the justice He brings;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of
Higgaion Selah d

their hands.

 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Death
of the Son.” A Psalm of David.c

17

 1

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my

2

heart;

I will recount all Your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in You;

3

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most

High.

When my enemies retreat,

4

they stumble and perish before You.

For You have upheld my just cause;
You sit on Your throne judging

5

righteously.

18

The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations who forget God.

For the needy will not always be forgotten;
nor the hope of the oppressed forever

19

dashed.

20

Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail;

let the nations be judged in Your presence.

Lay terror upon them, O LORD;

Selah

let the nations know they are but men.
Psalm 10
The Perils of the Pilgrim

 1

You have rebuked the nations;

You have destroyed the wicked;
You have erased their name forever and

6

Why, O LORD, do You stand far off?

2

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

In pride the wicked pursue the needy;

ever.

The enemy has come to eternal ruin,

7

and You have uprooted their cities;
the very memory of them has vanished.

But the LORD abides forever;

8

He has established His throne for

judgment.

He judges the world with justice;

9

He governs the people with equity.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
than God
a stronghold in times of trouble.

than the heavenly beings

a 5
c 1

3

let them be caught in the schemes they

devise.

For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of

4

his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

In his pride the wicked man does not seek

5

Him;

in all his schemes there is no God.
He is secure in his ways at all times;

b 6

Your lofty judgments are far from him;
he sneers at all his foes.

Or
Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew

Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6–8

d 16 Higgaion Selah

; see also LXX.

quiet interlude

 or

alphabet. In the LXX they form one psalm.

 or

 is probably a musical or liturgical term.

6

3

Psalm 13:1    |    501

7

He says to himself, “I will not be moved;
from age to age I am free of distress.”

a

4

If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

His mouth is full of cursing, deceit,

 and

The LORD is in His holy temple;

8

violence;

the LORD is on His heavenly throne.

trouble and malice are under his tongue.

His eyes are watching closely;

5

He lies in wait near the villages;

they examine the sons of men.

9

in ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.

He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket;
he lurks to seize the oppressed;
 b
he catches the lowly in his net.
They are crushed and beaten down;

10

11

the helpless fall prey to his strength.
He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and never sees.”

12

13

Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God!

Do not forget the helpless.

Why has the wicked man renounced God?

14

He says to himself, “You will never call me

to account.”

But You have regarded trouble and grief;
You see to repay it by Your hand.
The victim entrusts himself to You;

15

You are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call him to account for his wickedness
until none is left to be found.

16

17

The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations perish from His land.
You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the

humble;

18

You will strengthen their hearts.

You will incline Your ear,

to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed,

that the men of the earth

may strike terror no more.

Psalm 11
In the LORD I Take Refuge
(Habakkuk 1:12–17)

 For the choirmaster. Of David.

1

In the LORD I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

  2

“Flee like a bird to your mountain!

The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked;

6

His soul hates the lover of violence.
On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals

7

and sulfur;

a scorching wind will be their portion.

For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice.
Psalm 12
The Godly Are No More

The upright will see His face.

 For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith.c
A Psalm of David.

1

Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among

2

men.

They lie to one another;

3

they speak with flattering lips and a

double heart.

May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

4

and every boastful tongue.

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.

6

“I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

The words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace,
like gold purified sevenfold.

d

7

You, O LORD, will keep us;

8

You will forever guard us from this

generation.
The wicked wander freely,
Psalm 13
and vileness is exalted among men.
How Long, O LORD?

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

For behold, the wicked bend their bows.

How long, O LORD?

They set their arrow on the string

to shoot from the shadows at the upright

a 7

bitterness

in heart.

LXX
sevenfold
here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 6:1.

; cited in Romans 3:14

Probable reading; MT

d 6
Or

Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from

me?
like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified
 is probably a musical term;

b 10

He crouches and lies low

c 1 Sheminith

502    |    Psalm 13:2

2

2

How long must I wrestle in my soul,

He who walks with integrity

3

with sorrow in my heart each day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?

3

and practices righteousness,
who speaks the truth from his heart,

Consider me and respond, O LORD my God.

4

Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,”

5

and my foes rejoice when I fall.

6

But I have trusted in Your loving devotion;
my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

for He has been good to me.

Psalm 14
The Fool Says There Is No God
(Ps. 53:1–6 ;  Isa. 59:1–17 ;  Rom. 3:9–20)

 For the choirmaster. Of David.

1

 a

The fool

 says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

2

They are corrupt; their acts are vile.
There is no one who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven

upon the sons of men
to see if any understand,
3
if any seek God.
All have turned away,

 b

who has no slander on his tongue,

4

who does no harm to his neighbor,
who casts no scorn on his friend,

who despises the vile

5

but honors those who fear the LORD,
who does not revise a costly oath,
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 d  of David.

1

Preserve me, O God,

2

for in You I take refuge.

I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

3

apart from You I have no good thing.”

As for the saints in the land,
they are the excellence
in whom all my delight resides.

4

they have together become corrupt;

c

Sorrows will multiply

there is no one who does good,

4

not even one.

Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;

5

they refuse to call upon the LORD.
There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

6

for God is in the company of the righteous.

You sinners frustrate the plans of the

7

oppressed,

yet the LORD is their shelter.

8

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come

from Zion!

When the LORD restores His captive people,
Psalm 15
Who May Dwell on Your Holy Mountain?

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

 A Psalm of David.

1

O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?

Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?

fool

d 1 Miktam

a 1
c 3
e 7
h 10

to those who chase other gods.

5

I will not pour out their libations of blood,
or speak their names with my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

6

You have made my lot secure.

The lines of my boundary have fallen in

7

pleasant places;

surely my inheritance is delightful.
I will bless the LORD who counsels me;

e

even at night my conscience instructs me.

  f

I have set

 the LORD always before me.

9

Because He is at my right hand, I will not

be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue

g

10

rejoices;

my body also will dwell securely.

h

11

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
i
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

worthless

b 3

The Hebrew words rendered
my heart instructs me
Cited in Romans 3:10–12
i 11
; Hebrew
Or

 throughout the Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.
my kidneys instruct me

LXX
will dwell in hope

I foresaw

g 9

f 8

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalm 16 and Psalms 56–60.

LXX

LXX

Cited in Acts 13:35

Cited in Acts 2:25–28

Psalm 17
Hear My Righteous Plea

 A prayer of David.

1

Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;

listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer—
2

it comes from lips free of deceit.
May my vindication come from Your

3

presence;

may Your eyes see what is right.

You have tried my heart;

You have visited me in the night.
You have tested me and found no evil;
4

I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.

As for the deeds of men—

5

by the word of Your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.

6

My steps have held to Your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

I call on You, O God,

for You will answer me.

7

Incline Your ear to me;
hear my words.

Show the wonders of Your loving devotion,

8

You who save by Your right hand
those who seek refuge from their foes.

 a

Keep me as the apple of

9

 Your eye;

hide me in the shadow of Your wings

from the wicked who assail me,

10

from my mortal enemies who surround

me.

11

They have closed their callous hearts;
their mouths speak with arrogance.

They have tracked us down, and now

12

surround us;

their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,

like a lion greedy for prey,

13

like a young lion lurking in ambush.

Arise, O LORD, confront them!
Bring them to their knees;

14

deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,
from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—

from men of the world
 b

whose portion is in this life.

May You fill the bellies of Your treasured

Psalm 18:13    |    503

15

As for me, I will behold Your face in

righteousness;

when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your

presence.  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:

1

2

I love You, O LORD, my strength.

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,

3

my stronghold.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be

4

praised;

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;

5

the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

The cords of Sheol entangled me;

6

the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From His temple He heard my voice,
7

and my cry for His help reached His ears.

Then the earth shook and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains

trembled;

8

they were shaken because He burned with

anger.

Smoke rose from His nostrils,

9

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 on the wings of the wind.

12

He made darkness His hiding place,

and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

From the brightness of His presence

c

13

His clouds advanced—
hailstones and coals of fire.

ones

 and satisfy their sons,

The LORD thundered from heaven;

d

so they leave their abundance to their

a 8
c 12

as the pupil, the daughter of
children.
bolts of lightning
—hailstones and coals of fire

b 14
d 13

Literally
Or
include

; see 2 Samuel 22:14.

May what You have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies

the voice of the Most High resounded—
hailstones and coals of fire.

; also in verse 13

Or
Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not

504    |    Psalm 18:14

14

32

15

He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;
He hurled lightning and routed them.

The channels of the sea appeared,

and the foundations of the world were

33

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way clear.

34

He makes my feet like those of a deer
and stations me upon the heights.

exposed,
at Your rebuke, O LORD,

16

35

He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

You have given me Your shield of salvation;

a

He reached down from on high and took hold

17

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.
He brought me out into the open;

20

He rescued me because He delighted in

me.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my

righteousness;

21

He has repaid me according to the

cleanness of my hands.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD

22

and have not wickedly departed from my

God.

23

For all His ordinances are before me;

24

I have not disregarded His statutes.
And I have been blameless before Him
and kept myself from iniquity.

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

26

blameless;

to the pure You show Yourself pure,

27

but to the crooked You show Yourself

shrewd.

28

For You save an afflicted people,

but You humble those with haughty eyes.

29

For You, O LORD, light my lamp;

my God lights up my darkness.

30

For in You I can charge an army,

and with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;

36

37

Your right hand upholds me,
and Your gentleness exalts me.
You broaden the path beneath me

so that my ankles do not give way.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

38

I did not turn back until they were

consumed.

39

I 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.
You have made my enemies retreat before

41

me;

I destroyed those who hated me.

They cried for help, but there was no one to

42

save them—
 b

to the LORD, but He did not answer.

43

I ground them as dust in the face of the wind;

I trampled them

 like mud in the streets.

You have delivered me from the strife of the

people;

44

You have made me the head of nations;
a people I had not known shall serve me.

45

When they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cower before me.

Foreigners lose heart

46

and come trembling from their

strongholds.

The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock!
And may the God of my salvation be

47

exalted—
the God who avenges me

48

and subdues nations beneath me,
who delivers me from my enemies.

49

You exalt me above my foes;

You rescue me from violent men.
c

Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among

the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in

50

the nations;

I will sing praises to Your name.

Him.

Great salvation He brings to His king.

31

For who is God besides the LORD?

a 35

and Your help exalts me
And who is the Rock except our God?
I poured them out

and You stoop down to make me great

c 49

He shows loving devotion to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.

b 42

Or

 or

Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT

Cited in Romans 15:9

Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and

Psalm 21:6    |    505

Psalm 19
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

Psalm 20
The Day of Trouble

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

1

The heavens declare the glory of God;

2

May the LORD answer you in the day of

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

trouble;

Day after day they pour forth speech;

3

night after night they reveal knowledge.

a

Without speech or language,

 b

4

without a sound to be heard,

c

their voice

 has gone out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens He has pitched
5

a tent for the sun.

Like a bridegroom emerging from his

chamber,

6

like a champion rejoicing to run his

course,

it rises at one end of the heavens

7

and runs its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

The Law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,

8

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

bringing joy to the heart;

the commandments of the LORD are radiant,

9

giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

10

the judgments of the LORD are true,
being altogether righteous.
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?

13

Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Keep Your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless

14

and cleansed of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in Your sight,

2

may the name of the God of Jacob protect

you.

May He send you help from the sanctuary

3

and sustain you from Zion.
May He remember all your gifts

and look favorably on your burnt

4

offerings.

Selah

5

May He give you the desires of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy at your victory

6

and raise a banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His

anointed;

He answers him from His holy heaven
with the saving power of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots and others in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD

7

8

our God.
They collapse and fall,

 d

9

O LORD, save

but we rise up and stand firm.
 the king.
Answer us on the day we call.

Psalm 21
After the Battle
(Proverbs 21:1–31)

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

2

O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength.
How greatly he exults in Your salvation!

You have granted his heart’s desire

and have not withheld the request of

Selah

3

his lips.

For You welcomed him with rich blessings;
You placed on his head a crown of pure

4

gold.

He asked You for life, and You granted it—

5

length of days, forever and ever.

Great is his glory in Your salvation;

6

You bestow on him splendor and majesty.

For You grant him blessings forever;

a 3
line

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
c 4

give victory to

d 9

Or

Cited in Romans 10:18

Or

their measuring
b 4
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew

506    |    Psalm 21:7

7

8

For the king trusts in the LORD;

“He trusts in the LORD,

through the loving devotion of the Most

let the LORD deliver him;
 b

8

High,

he will not be shaken.

Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies;
Your right hand will seize those who hate

9

You.

You will place them in a fiery furnace
at the time of Your appearing.

10

In His wrath the LORD will engulf them,
and the fire will consume them.

You will wipe their descendants from the

11

earth,

and their offspring from the sons of men.

12

Though they intend You harm,

the schemes they devise will not prevail.

For You will put them to flight

13

when Your bow is trained upon them.

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.

1

 a

My God, my God,

why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from saving me,
2

so far from my words of groaning?

I cry out by day, O my God,
but You do not answer,

and by night,

3

but I have no rest.

Yet You are holy,

4

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In You our fathers trusted;

5

they trusted and You delivered them.
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,

7

scorned by men and despised by the

people.

All who see me mock me;

a 1

they sneer and shake their heads:
b 8

Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

d 16

let the LORD rescue him,

9

since He delights in him.”

Yet You brought me forth from the womb;
You made me secure at my mother’s

10

breast.

From birth I was cast upon You;

11

from my mother’s womb You have been

my God.

Be not far from me,

12

for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

13

Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

14

They open their jaws against me
like lions that roar and maul.

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are disjointed.

15

My heart is like wax;

 c

it melts away within me.

My strength

 is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my

16

mouth.

You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs surround me;

d

17

a band of evil men encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet.

18

I can count all my bones;

they stare and gloat over me.
e

They divide my garments among them

19

and cast lots for my clothing.

20

But You, O LORD, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my soul from the sword,

21

my precious life from the power of wild

dogs.

Save me from the mouth of the lion;

22

at the horns of the wild oxen You have

answered me!

I will proclaim Your name to my

f

23

brothers;

I will praise You in the assembly.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!

24

All descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
For He has not despised or detested

original Heb. text
also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34

DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT

LXX

the torment of the afflicted.

c 15
like a lion at my hands and feet

e 18
I will sing Your praises in the assembly

My mouth

MT; or

Cited in Matthew 27:43

f 22

, a possible reading of the
Cited in John 19:24; see
; cited in Hebrews 2:12.

He has not hidden His face from him,

25

but has attended to his cry for help.

all the days of my life,

c

Psalm 25:3    |    507

6

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

My praise for You resounds in the great

assembly;

26

I will fulfill my vows before those

who fear You.

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Psalm 24
The Earth Is the LORD’s

 A Psalm of David.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;

1

27

those who seek the LORD will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD.

28

29

All the families of the nations
will bow down before Him.
For dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and

worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel

30

before Him—

even those unable to preserve their lives.

Posterity will serve Him;

31

they will declare the Lord to a new

generation.

They will come and proclaim His

righteousness

to a people yet unborn—
Psalm 23
all that He has done.
The LORD Is My Shepherd
(Ezekiel 34:11–24 ;  John 10:1–21)

1

 A Psalm of David.

 a

The LORD is my shepherd;

2

I shall not want.

3

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of

4

righteousness

for the sake of His name.

b

Even though I walk through the valley of the

shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
5

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

3

4

5

d

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness

2

thereof,

the world and all who dwell therein.

For He has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
 e
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear deceitfully.

He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from the God of his
f

salvation.

6

Such is the generation of those who seek Him,

Selah

who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.

7

Lift up your heads, O gates!

8

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may enter!

Who is this King of Glory?

9

The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates!

10

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may enter!

Who is He, this King of Glory?

The LORD of Hosts—
He is the King of Glory.
Psalm 25
To You I Lift Up My Soul

Selah

 Of David. g

1
  2

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

in You, my God, I trust.
Do not let me be put to shame;
3

do not let my enemies exult over me.
Surely none who wait for You will be put to

shame;

but those who engage in treachery

without cause will be disgraced.
for a length of days      d 1
who seek your face, O Jacob

my cup overflows.
b 4
to vanity
to falsehood

the valley of deep darkness
f 6

c 6

a 1
e 4
g 1

See Revelation 7:17.
Or
This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

LXX, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; MT

Literally

 or

Or

Cited in 1 Cor. 10:26

508    |    Psalm 25:4

4

5

Show me Your ways, O LORD;
teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

1

Psalm 26
Vindicate Me, O LORD

 Of David.

6

for You are the God of my salvation;
all day long I wait for You.

Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and

7

loving devotion,

for they are from age to age.
Remember not the sins of my youth,

nor my rebellious acts;

remember me according to Your loving

devotion,

8

because of Your goodness, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;

9

therefore He shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble in what is right

10

and teaches them His way.
All the LORD’s ways are loving and

faithful

11

to those who keep His covenant and His

decrees.

For the sake of Your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, for it is great.

12

Who is the man who fears the LORD?

13

He will instruct him in the path chosen

for him.

His soul will dwell in prosperity,

14

and his descendants will inherit

the land.

15

The LORD confides in those who fear Him,
and reveals His covenant to them.

My eyes are always on the LORD,

16

for He will free my feet from the mesh.

Turn to me and be gracious,

17

for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart increase;

18

free me from my distress.

Consider my affliction and trouble,

19

and take away all my sins.

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.
a

21

May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

22

because I wait for You.

Vindicate me, O LORD!

For I have walked with integrity;
2

I have trusted in the LORD without
 b

wavering.

Test me, O LORD, and try me;

3

examine my heart

 and mind.

4

For Your loving devotion is before my eyes,

and I have walked in Your truth.

I do not sit with deceitful men,

5

nor keep company with hypocrites.

I hate the mob of evildoers,

6

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence

7

that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,

to raise my voice in thanksgiving

and declare all Your wonderful works.

O LORD, I love the house where You dwell,
the place where Your glory resides.
Do not take my soul away with sinners,
or my life with men of bloodshed,
in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

8

9

10

11

12

But I will walk with integrity;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

My feet stand on level ground;

in the congregations I will bless the LORD.

Psalm 27
The LORD Is My Salvation

 Of David.

1

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
2

whom shall I dread?

When the wicked came upon me to devour

3

my flesh,

my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

Though an army encamps around me,

my heart will not fear;

though a war breaks out against me,

4

I will keep my trust.

One thing I have asked of the LORD;

this is what I desire:

to dwell in the house of the LORD

Redeem Israel, O God,
because my hope is in You
from all its distress.

a 21

because I wait for You, O Lord

all the days of my life,

my kidneys

b 2

Or

; LXX

Hebrew

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
5
and seek Him in His temple.

For in the day of trouble

He will hide me in His shelter;

He will conceal me under the cover of His
6

tent;

He will set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be held high

above my enemies around me.

At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with

7

shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;
be merciful and answer me.
My heart said, “Seek His face.”

8

9

Your face, O LORD, I will seek.

Hide not Your face from me,

nor turn away Your servant in anger.

You have been my helper;

10

do not leave me or forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

11

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.
Teach me Your way, O LORD,

12

and lead me on a level path,
because of my oppressors.

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

14

the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the LORD;
be strong and courageous.

Wait patiently for the LORD!

Psalm 28
The LORD Is My Strength

 Of David.

1

Psalm 29:10    |    509

who speak peace to their neighbors
4
while malice is in their hearts.
Repay them according to their deeds

and for their works of evil.

Repay them for what their hands have done;
5
bring back on them what they deserve.
Since they show no regard for the works of

the LORD

or what His hands have done,

He will tear them down
6

and never rebuild them.

Blessed be the LORD,

7

for He has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart rejoices,
8

and I give thanks to Him with my song.

The LORD is the strength of His people,

9

a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.
Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Psalm 29
shepherd them and carry them forever.
Ascribe Glory to the LORD

 A Psalm of David.

1

b

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

2

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of His

c

3

holiness.

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

4

the God of glory thunders;
the LORD is heard over many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;

5

the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

6

the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

 d

7

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirion

 like a young wild ox.

To You, O LORD, I call;

be not deaf to me, O my Rock.

For if You remain silent,
2

The voice of the LORD

8

strikes with flames of fire.

The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

I will be like those descending to the Pit.

9

the LORD shakes the Wilderness of
 e

Hear my cry for mercy

when I call to You for help,

a

when I lift up my hands
3

toward Your holy sanctuary.

Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD twists the oaks

10

and strips the forests bare.
And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
Your innermost sanctuary
and with the workers of iniquity,
e 9

a 2
d 6

Your Most Holy Place

b 1
LORD makes the deer to calve
 or

Or

Or
That is, Mt. Hermon

Or

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
sons of God

the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

sons of might

in holy attire

c 2

 or

Or

O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,

3

6

510    |    Psalm 29:11

11

The LORD gives His people strength;

the LORD blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 30
You Turned My Mourning into Dancing

 A Psalm. A song for the dedication
of the temple. Of David.

1

I will exalt You, O LORD,

for You have lifted me up
and have not allowed my foes
2

to rejoice over me.

and You healed me.

O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;

4

You spared me from descending into

the Pit.

a

Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,

5

and praise His holy name.

For His anger is fleeting,

but His favor lasts a lifetime.

6

Weeping may stay the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

In prosperity I said,

7

“I will never be shaken.”

O LORD, You favored me;

You made my mountain stand strong.

When You hid Your face,
8
I was dismayed.
To You, O LORD, I called,

9

b
and I begged my Lord for mercy:
“What gain is there in my bloodshed,

 c

in my descent to the Pit?

10

Will the dust praise You?

Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;

11

O LORD, be my helper.”

You turned my mourning into dancing;

12

You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed

me with joy,

that my heart may sing Your praises and not

be silent.

Psalm 31
O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.
Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit
(Luke 23:44–49)

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

2

Incline Your ear to me;

come quickly to my rescue.

Be my rock of refuge,

3

the stronghold of my deliverance.

For You are my rock and my fortress;

4

lead me and guide me for the sake of Your

name.

You free me from the net laid out for me,

 d

5

for You are my refuge.

Into Your hands I commit my spirit;

You have redeemed me, O LORD, God

 e

of truth.

I hate

7

 those who cling to worthless idols,

but in the LORD I trust.

I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving

devotion,

8

for You have seen my affliction;
You have known the anguish of my soul.

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,

10

my soul and body as well.
For my life is consumed with grief
and my years with groaning;
my iniquity has drained my strength,
and my bones are wasting away.
Among all my enemies I am a disgrace,

11

and among my neighbors even more.

12

I am dreaded by my friends—

they flee when they see me on the street.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.

13

I am like a broken vessel.
For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side.

14

They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

15

But I trust in You, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hands;

16

17

deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
Make Your face shine on Your servant;
save me by Your loving devotion.

In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
and praise the memorial of His holiness
save me by Your righteousness.
e 6

a 4
d 5

b 9

O LORD, let me not be ashamed,
for I have called on You.
Let the wicked be put to shame;
to corruption
let them lie silent in Sheol.

in my destruction

c 9

You hate

Or
Cited in Luke 23:46

; see Ex. 3:15.

Or

Or

MT; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Syriac

18

May lying lips be silenced—

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the

Psalm 33:7    |    511

lips that speak with arrogance against the

LORD,”

and You forgave the guilt of my sin.

6

Selah

19

righteous,

full of pride and contempt.

How great is Your goodness

which You have laid up for those who fear

You,

which You have bestowed before the sons of

20

men

on those who take refuge in You!
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,

22

for He has shown me His loving devotion
in a city under siege.

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.

24

The LORD preserves the faithful,
but fully repays the arrogant.

Be strong and courageous,
Psalm 32
all you who hope in the LORD.
The Joy of Forgiveness
(Romans 4:1–12)

 Of David. A Maskil.a

Blessed is he whose transgressions are

b

2

forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man
c

whose iniquity the LORD does not count

3

against him,

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones became brittle

4

from my groaning all day long.

For day and night

 d

Your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was drained

as in the summer heat.

5

1

1

Therefore let all the godly pray to You

while You may be found.
Surely when great waters rise,
7
they will not come near.

You are my hiding place.

You protect me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of

8

deliverance.

Selah

I will instruct you and teach you the way you

should go;

9

I will give you counsel and watch over

you.

Do not be like the horse or mule,
which have no understanding;

they must be controlled with bit and bridle

10

to make them come to you.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

11

but loving devotion surrounds him who

trusts in the LORD.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice,
O righteous ones;

Psalm 33
shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Praise to the Creator
(Psalm 148:1–14)

Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones;

2

it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.

Praise the LORD with the harp;

3

make music to Him with ten strings.

4

Sing to Him a new song;

play skillfully with a shout of joy.

5

For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all His work is trustworthy.

6

The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of His loving devotion.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were

Selah

made,

Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not hide my iniquity.

a 1 Maskil
b 1
man whose sin the LORD does not count against him

LXX

Blessed is he whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered

c 2

Blessed is the

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

my vitality was turned

d 4
; cited in Romans 4:7

LXX

7

and all the stars by the breath of His

mouth.

He piles up the waters of the sea;

He puts the depths into storehouses.

; cited in Romans 4:8

Or

512    |    Psalm 33:8

8

3

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

9

let all the people of the world revere Him.

4

Magnify the LORD with me;

let us exalt His name together.

10

For He spoke, and it came to be;

He commanded, and it stood firm.

11

The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;
He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

12

the purposes of His heart to all

generations.

5

I sought the LORD, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;

6

their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man called out, and the LORD

7

heard him;

He saved him from all his troubles.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

The angel of the LORD encamps around those

13

the people He has chosen as His

inheritance!

8

who fear Him,
and he delivers them.

14

The LORD looks down from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men.

15

From His dwelling place He gazes
on all who inhabit the earth.

He shapes the hearts of each;

16

He considers all their works.
No king is saved by his vast army;

17

no warrior is delivered by his great

strength.

A horse is a vain hope for salvation;

even its great strength cannot save.

18

20

Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who

fear Him,

19

on those whose hope is in His loving

devotion

to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

21

He is our help and our shield.

For our hearts rejoice in Him,

22

since we trust in His holy name.
May Your loving devotion rest on us,

O LORD,

Psalm 34
as we put our hope in You.
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

1

I will bless the LORD at all times;

2

His praise will always be on my lips.

My soul boasts in the LORD;

a 1 Abimelech

let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

Achish

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

9

blessed is the man who takes refuge in

Him!

Fear the LORD, you His saints,

10

for those who fear Him lack nothing.

Young lions go lacking and hungry,

11

but those who seek the LORD lack no good

thing.

Come, children, listen to me;

12

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

13

Who is the man who delights in life,
who desires to see good days?

14

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from deceitful speech.

15

Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

c

16

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and His ears are inclined to their cry.

d

But the face of the LORD is against those who

do evil,

to wipe out all memory of them from the

earth.

17

18

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;
He delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;

He saves the contrite in spirit.

20

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him from them all.

e

He protects all his bones;

not one of them will be broken.

19

21

Evil will slay the wicked,

22

and the haters of the righteous will be

condemned.

The LORD redeems His servants,

and none who take refuge in Him will be

condemned.
b 1
c 15

to their prayer
This psalm is an acrostic poem,

d 16

 is another name for

e 20

; see 1 Samuel 21–29 and 1 Kings 2:39.

each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
1 Peter 3:10–12

Cited in John 19:36

LXX

Cited in

Psalm 35
Contend with My Opponents, O LORD
 Of David.

1

Contend with my opponents, O LORD;

2

fight against those who fight against me.

3

Take up Your shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.

 a

Draw the spear and javelin
pursuers;

 against my

4

say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”

May those who seek my life

be disgraced and put to shame;

may those who plan to harm me
5

be driven back and confounded.
May they be like chaff in the wind,

6

as the angel of the LORD drives them

away.

May their path be dark and slick,

7

as the angel of the LORD pursues.

8

For without cause they laid their net for me;
without reason they dug a pit for my soul.

May ruin befall them by surprise;

9

may the net they hid ensnare them;
may they fall into the hazard they created.

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD

10

and exult in His salvation.

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;

12

they make charges I know nothing about.

They repay me evil for good,

13

to the bereavement of my soul.

Yet when they were ill,
I put on sackcloth;

b

I humbled myself with fasting,

14

but my prayers returned unanswered.

I paced about

as for my friend or brother;
I was bowed down with grief,

15

Psalm 36:2    |    513

17

How long, O Lord, will You look on?

18

Rescue my soul from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.
Then I will give You thanks in the great

19

assembly;

I will praise You among many people.
Let not my enemies gloat over me without
d
nor those who hate me without reason

cause,

20

wink in malice.
For they do not speak peace,

21

but they devise deceitful schemes
against those who live quietly in the land.

22

They gape at me and say,

“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent.

23

O Lord, be not far from me.
Awake and rise to my defense,

24

to my cause, my God and my Lord!
Vindicate me by Your righteousness,

25

O LORD my God,

and do not let them gloat over me.

Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, just what we wanted!”

Let them not say,

26

“We have swallowed him up!”

May those who gloat in my distress
be ashamed and confounded;

27

may those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed in shame and reproach.
May those who favor my vindication

shout for joy and gladness;

may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD

28

who delights in His servant’s well-being.”

Then my tongue will proclaim Your

righteousness

and Your praises all day long.

Psalm 36
The Transgression of the Wicked

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David,
the servant of the LORD.

1

like one mourning for his mother.

An oracle is in my heart

But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;

regarding the transgression of the wicked

they gathered together against me.

Assailants I did not know

16

c

slandered me without ceasing.

Like godless jesters at a feast,

a 3

they gnashed their teeth at me.
and close the way

b 13

returned to my bosom

e 1

Or
15:25.

Cited in Romans 3:18

Literally

man:

e

There is no fear of God
2
before his eyes.

For his eyes are too full of conceit
to detect or hate his own sin.
Like a godless circle of mockers,
c 16

d 19

Or

See John

514    |    Psalm 36:3

3

6

The words of his mouth are wicked and

He will bring forth your righteousness like

deceitful;

4

he has ceased to be wise and

well-doing.

Even on his bed he plots wickedness;

5

he sets himself on a path that is not good;
he fails to reject evil.

Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the

6

heavens,

Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the highest

mountains;

7

Your judgments are like the deepest sea.
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your loving devotion,

O God,

8

that the children of men take refuge
in the shadow of Your wings!

They feast on the abundance of Your house,
and You give them drink from Your river

9

of delights.

For with You is the fountain of life;

10

in Your light we see light.

Extend Your loving devotion to those who

know You,

11

and Your righteousness to the upright in

heart.

Let not the foot of the proud come against

12

me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen,

Psalm 37
thrown down and unable to rise.
Delight Yourself in the LORD
(1 Kings 2:1–9)

 Of David.a

1

Do not fret over those who do evil;

2

do not envy those who do wrong.

For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender plants.

3

Trust in the LORD and do good;

4

dwell in the land and cultivate

faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

7

the dawn,

your justice like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men prosper in their ways,
8
when they carry out wicked schemes.

9

Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;
do not fret—it can only bring harm.

For the evildoers will be cut off,

10

but those who hope in the LORD will

inherit the land.

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no

more;

11

though you look for them, they will not be

 b

found.

But the meek will inherit the land

and delight in abundant prosperity.

13

The wicked scheme against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,

but the Lord laughs,

seeing that their day is coming.

The wicked have drawn the sword

and bent the bow

15

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

16

and their bows will be broken.

Better is the little of the righteous

17

than the abundance of many who are

wicked.

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.
In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,
and in the days of famine they will be

satisfied.

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.

12

14

19

20

21

5

and He will give you the desires of your

heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

a 1
b 11

trust in Him, and He will do it.
the earth

22

The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous are gracious and giving.
Surely those He blesses will inherit the land,

but the cursed will be destroyed.

This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Or

; see Matthew 5:5.

23

40

The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD

24

The LORD helps and delivers them;

who takes delight in his journey.
a

He rescues and saves them from the

Psalm 38:17    |    515

Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

25

for the LORD is holding his hand.

I once was

 young and now am old,

yet never have I seen the righteous

26

abandoned

or their children begging for bread.
They are ever generous and quick to lend,

27

and their children are a blessing.

28

Turn away from evil and do good,
so that you will abide forever.

For the LORD loves justice

and will not forsake His saints.

They are preserved forever,

29

but the offspring of the wicked will be cut

off.

The righteous will inherit the land

30

and dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous man utters

31

wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;

32

his steps do not falter.

Though the wicked lie in wait for the

33

righteous,

and seek to slay them,

the LORD will not leave them in their power

34

or let them be condemned under

judgment.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way,

and He will raise you up to inherit the

land.

When the wicked are cut off,

35

you will see it.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man

36

flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

37

yet he passed away and was no more;

though I searched, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless and observe the

b

38

upright,

for posterity awaits the man of peace.
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

wicked,

because they take refuge in Him.

Psalm 38
Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
(Psalm 6:1–10)

 A Psalm of David, for remembrance.

1

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger

2

or discipline me in Your wrath.

For Your arrows have pierced me deeply,

3

and Your hand has pressed down on me.

There is no soundness in my body

because of Your anger;
there is no rest in my bones
4

because of my sin.

5

For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;
they are a burden too heavy to bear.

6

My wounds are foul and festering
because of my sinful folly.

I am bent and brought low;

7

all day long I go about mourning.
For my loins are full of burning pain,

8

and no soundness remains in my body.

I am numb and badly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

9

O Lord, my every desire is before You;

10

my groaning is not hidden from You.

My heart pounds, my strength fails,

11

and even the light of my eyes has faded.

12

My beloved and friends shun my disease,
and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

Those who seek my life lay snares;
those who wish me harm speak

13

destruction,

plotting deceit all day long.
But like a deaf man, I do not hear;

14

and like a mute man, I do not open

my mouth.

15

I am like a man who cannot hear,
whose mouth offers no reply.

I wait for You, O LORD;

16

You will answer, O Lord my God.
For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—

17

those who taunt me when my foot slips.”

LORD;

For I am ready to fall,

a 24

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
upholds him with His hand

b 37

for there is a future for the man of peace

and my pain is ever with me.

Or

Or

516    |    Psalm 38:18

18

11

19

Yes, I confess my iniquity;

I am troubled by my sin.

a

b

20

21

Many are my enemies without cause,
and many hate me without reason.
Those who repay my good with evil
attack me for pursuing the good.

22

Do not forsake me, O LORD;

be not far from me, O my God.

Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my Savior.

Psalm 39
I Will Watch My Ways

 For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun.
A Psalm of David.

1

I said, “I will watch my ways

so that I will not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
2

as long as the wicked are present.”

I was speechless and still;

I remained silent, even from speaking

3

good,

and my sorrow was stirred.
My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, the fire burned.

4

Then I spoke with my tongue:
“Show me, O LORD, my end

5

and the measure of my days.
Let me know how fleeting my life is.

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.

6

Selah

Surely every man goes about like a phantom;

surely he bustles in vain;

he heaps up riches

7

not knowing who will haul them away.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

8

My hope is in You.

Deliver me from all my transgressions;

9

do not make me the reproach of fools.

I have become mute;

10

I do not open my mouth
because of what You have done.

Remove Your scourge from me;

My enemies are vigorous and strong

a 19
gods

I am perishing by the force of Your hand.
d 6
who run after lies
One DSS manuscript; MT
 or
10:5–7

Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts

You discipline and correct a man for his

iniquity,

consuming like a moth what he holds

dear;

12

surely each man is but a vapor.

Selah

Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry for help;

do not be deaf to my weeping.

13

For I am a foreigner dwelling with You,
a stranger like all my fathers.

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.

1

I waited patiently for the LORD;

2

He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me up from the pit of despair,

out of the miry clay;
He set my feet upon a rock,
3

and made my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

4

and put their trust in the LORD.

Blessed is the man

who has made the LORD his trust,

c

who has not turned to the proud,
5

nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

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,

6

they are more than I can count.
d

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,

but my ears You have opened.
Burnt offerings and sin offerings

7

You did not require.

8

Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll:

 e

I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”
b 19

c 4
but a body You prepared for me

who turn aside to false
e 8

See John 15:25

Or

Cited in Hebrews

9

I proclaim righteousness in the great

assembly;

10

behold, I do not seal my lips,
as You, O LORD, do know.

I have not covered up Your righteousness in

my heart;

I have declared Your faithfulness and

salvation;

I have not concealed Your loving devotion

11

and faithfulness
from the great assembly.

Psalm 41:13    |    517

Psalm 41
Victory over Betrayal
(John 13:18–30)

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

Blessed is the one who cares for the poor;
the LORD will deliver him in the day

2

of trouble.

The LORD will protect and preserve him;

He will bless him in the land

3

and refuse to give him over
to the will of his foes.

O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy

The LORD will sustain him on his bed of

4

illness

and restore him from his bed of sickness.

I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;

5

heal me, for I have sinned against

You.”

My enemies say with malice:

6

“When will he die and be forgotten?”

My visitor speaks falsehood;

7

8

he gathers slander in his heart;
he goes out and spreads it abroad.
All who hate me whisper against me;
they imagine the worst for me:

“A vile disease has been poured into him;

9

he will never get up from where he lies!”

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

11

me up,

that I may repay them.

12

By this I know that You delight in me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

In my integrity You uphold me

13

and set me in Your presence forever.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

from me;

12

Your loving devotion and faithfulness will

always guard me.

For evils without number surround

me;

my sins have overtaken me, so that

I cannot see.

They are more than the hairs of my

13

head,

and my heart has failed within me.

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
hurry, O LORD, to help me.

14

May those who seek my life

be ashamed and confounded;

15

may those who wish me harm
be repelled and humiliated.

16

May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.

May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation

always say, “The LORD be

17

magnified!”

But I am poor and needy;

may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and deliverer;

O my God, do not delay.

a 9

Cited in John 13:18

BOOK II
Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42
As the Deer Pants for the Water

 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons
of Korah.a

1

2

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul longs after You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

 b

3

When shall I come and appear in God’s

presence?

My tears have been my food
both day and night,

while men ask me all day long,

4

“Where is your God?”

These things come to mind as I pour out my

soul:

how I walked with the multitude,

leading the festive procession to the house

5

of God

with shouts of joy and praise.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him
6

for the salvation of His presence.

O my God, my soul despairs within me.

Therefore I remember You

from the land of Jordan and the peaks of
7

Hermon—

even from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

in the roar of Your waterfalls;

all Your breakers and waves
8
have rolled over me.

The LORD decrees His loving devotion by

day,

9

and at night His song is with me
as a prayer to the God of my life.

1

11

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet

praise Him,

Psalm 43
my Savior and my God.
Send Out Your Light

1

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case

2

against an ungodly nation;
deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.

For You are the God of my refuge.
Why have You rejected me?

Why must I walk in sorrow

3

because of the enemy’s oppression?

Send out Your light and Your truth;

let them lead me.

Let them bring me to Your holy
4

mountain

and to the place where You dwell.

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God, my greatest joy.
I will praise You with the harp,

5

O God, my God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise

Him,

Psalm 44
my Savior and my God.
Redeem Us, O God
(Romans 8:35–39)

 For the choirmaster. A Maskil c  of the sons
of Korah.

I say to God my Rock,

“Why have You forgotten me?

10

Why must I walk in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression?”

Like the crushing of my bones,
my enemies taunt me,

while they say to me all day long,

a 1

“Where is your God?”

We have heard with our ears, O God;

our fathers have told us
the work You did in their days,
2

in the days of old.

With Your hand You drove out the nations

and planted our fathers there;

You crushed the peoples
and cast them out.
and see the face of God?

Maskil

b 2

c 1 Maskil

In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.

used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Or

 is probably a musical or liturgical term;
 is probably a

3

20

For it was not by their sword that they took

21

If we had forgotten the name of our God

the land;

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

their arm did not bring them victory.

22

would not God have discovered,

Psalm 45:7    |    519

It was by Your right hand,

4

Your arm, and the light of Your face,
because You favored them.

You are my King, O God,

5

who ordains victories for Jacob.

Through You we repel our foes;

since He knows the secrets of the heart?
Yet for Your sake we face death all day long;

d
we are considered as sheep to be

23

slaughtered.

24

Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping?

Arise! Do not reject us forever.

6

through Your name we trample our

25

Why do You hide Your face

enemies.

a

For I do not trust in my bow,

7

nor does my sword save me.
For You save us from our enemies;

8

and forget our affliction and oppression?

26

For our soul has sunk to the dust;
our bodies cling to the earth.

Rise up; be our help!

You put those who hate us to shame.

In God we have boasted all day long,

and Your name we will praise forever.  Selah

9

Redeem us on account of Your loving

devotion.  Psalm 45

My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme
(1 Kings 3:1–15 ;  2 Chr. 1:1–13 ;  Ps. 72:1–20)

10

But You have rejected and humbled us;

You no longer go forth with our armies.

11

You have made us retreat from the foe,

 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.”
A Maskil e  of the sons of Korah.
A love song.

and those who hate us have plundered us.

1

You have given us up as sheep to be

12

devoured;

You have scattered us among the nations.

13

You sell Your people for nothing;

no profit do You gain from their sale.

You have made us a reproach to our

neighbors,

14

a mockery and derision to those

around us.

You have made us a byword among the
 b

15

nations,
a laughingstock

 among the peoples.

All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face,
at the voice of the scorner and reviler,

16

17

 f
My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

2

You are the most handsome of men;
grace has anointed your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.

3

Strap your sword at your side, O mighty

4

warrior;

appear in your majesty and splendor.

In your splendor ride forth in victory
on behalf of truth and humility and

justice;

5

may your right hand show your awesome

deeds.

because of the enemy, bent on revenge.

Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s

All this has come upon us,

6

foes;

the nations fall beneath your feet.

18

though we have not forgotten You
or betrayed Your covenant.
Our hearts have not turned back;

19

our steps have not strayed from Your

path.

 c

But You have crushed us in the lair of

jackals;

You have covered us with deepest
b 14
give me victory

darkness.

a 6

Your throne, O God, endures forever and

7

ever,

and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness;

g

therefore God, your God, has anointed you
above your companions with the oil
d 22
serpents

dragons

c 19

of joy.

a shaking of the head

e 1 Maskil
King

Or

f 1

in Romans 8:36
and 142.
Or

; similarly in verse 7

Cited
 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89,

Literally

g 7

 or

Or

; here and throughout Psalm 45

Cited in Hebrews 1:8–9

520    |    Psalm 45:8

8

5

All your garments are fragrant

with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces of ivory the harps make you

9

glad.

God is within her; she will not be moved.
God will help her when morning

6

dawns.

Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;

7

The daughters of kings are among your

the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

honored women;

10

the queen stands at your right hand,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.

Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your

ear:

11

Forget your people and your father’s

house,

12

and the king will desire your beauty;
bow to him, for he is your lord.

13

The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
men of wealth will seek your favor.

14

All glorious is the princess in her chamber;
her gown is embroidered with gold.
In colorful garments she is led to the king;

15

her virgin companions are brought before

you.

16

They are led in with joy and gladness;
they enter the palace of the king.

The LORD of Hosts is with us;

8

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Come, see the works of the LORD,

9

who brings devastation upon the earth.

He makes wars to cease throughout the

earth;

 b
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields

 in the fire.

10

“Be still and know that I am God;

11

I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth.”

The LORD of Hosts is with us;

Selah

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 47
Clap Your Hands, All You Peoples

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons
of Korah.

Your sons will succeed your fathers;

17

you will make them princes throughout

1

the land.

I will commemorate your name through all

generations;

forever and ever.

therefore the nations will praise you
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.

1

God is our refuge and strength,

2

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth is transformed

and the mountains are toppled
3
into the depths of the seas,
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

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout unto God with a voice of

2

triumph.

3

How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!

4

He subdues nations beneath us,
and peoples under our feet.
He chooses our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom He loves.   Selah

5

God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

6

the LORD with the sound of the horn.

7

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
c

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is King of all the earth;
sing to Him a psalm of praise.

8

God reigns over the nations;

9

God is seated on His holy throne.
The nobles of the nations have assembled
as the people of the God of Abraham;
for the shields of the earth belong to God;

a 1 Alamoth
of praise

dwells.
sing praises with understanding
 is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:20.

Or

Or

He is highly exalted.

b 9

chariots

c 7

sing a Maskil

 or

Psalm 48
Broken Bondage

 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1

Great is the LORD,

and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God,
2
His holy mountain.
Beautiful in loftiness,

 a

the joy of all the earth,

like the peaks of Zaphon
3

 is Mount Zion,

the city of the great King.

God is in her citadels;

He has shown Himself to be a fortress.

For behold, the kings assembled;
they all advanced together.
They saw and were astounded;

they fled in terror.

Trembling seized them there,

7

anguish like a woman in labor.

b

With a wind from the east

You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.

8

As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the LORD of Hosts,

in the city of our God:
9

God will establish her forever.

4

5

6

Psalm 49:20    |    521

2

both low and high,

3

rich and poor alike.

My mouth will impart wisdom,

4

and the meditation of my heart will bring

understanding.

I will incline my ear to a proverb;

5

I will express my riddle with the harp:

Why should I fear in times of trouble,

6

when wicked usurpers surround me?
 e

They trust in their wealth

7

and boast in their great riches.

No man can possibly redeem his brother

8

or pay his ransom to God.

9

For the redemption of his soul is costly,
and never can payment suffice,

that he should live on forever

10

and not see decay.

For it is clear that wise men die,

and the foolish and the senseless both

11

perish
 f

and leave their wealth to others.

Their graves

 are their eternal homes—

their dwellings for endless generations—
even though their lands were their

12

Selah

namesakes.

13

But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;

he is like the beasts that perish.

 g

10

Within Your temple, O God,

we contemplate Your loving devotion.

11

Your name, O God, like Your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.

 c

Mount Zion is glad,
the daughters
 of Judah rejoice,
on account of Your judgments.

12

13

March around Zion, encircle her,

count her towers,

14

consider her ramparts, tour her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation.
For this God is our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even till death.

Psalm 49
The Evanescence of Wealth
(Ecclesiastes 5:8–20)

d

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons
of Korah.

1

This is the fate of the foolish

and their followers who endorse their

Selah

14

sayings.

Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.

Death will be their shepherd.

15

The upright will rule them in the morning,
and their form will decay in Sheol,
far from their lofty abode.

But God will redeem my life from Sheol,
for He will surely take me to Himself.

Selah

16

17

Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases.
For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;
his abundance will not follow him down.
Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—

18

19

and men praise you when you prosper—

20

he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of day.

Hear this, all you peoples;

a 2
c 11

in the far north
listen, all inhabitants of the world,
the villages

Or
Or

He will guide us beyond death

d 14
; the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites was
the way of the foolish
g 13

e 7

Their inward thoughts
Or

Targum; Hebrew

Or

A man who has riches without understanding

Zaphon

b 7

a fleet of trading ships

is like the beasts that perish.
redeem another
Or

f 11

Or

LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic

522    |    Psalm 50:1

Psalm 50
The Mighty One Calls

 A Psalm of Asaph.

1

The Mighty One, God the LORD,

2

speaks and summons the earth
from where the sun rises to where it sets.

From Zion, perfect in beauty,

3

God shines forth.

Our God approaches and will not be silent!

4

Consuming fire precedes Him,
and a tempest rages around Him.

He summons the heavens above,

5

and the earth, that He may judge His

people:

“Gather to Me My saints,

6

who made a covenant with Me by

sacrifice.”

a

And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,
Selah

7

for God Himself is Judge.

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,

8

O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.

I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices,

9

and your burnt offerings are ever before

Me.

10

I have no need for a bull from your stall

or goats from your pens,

11

12

for every beast of the forest is Mine—
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,

and the creatures of the field are Mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

13

for the world is Mine, and the fullness

thereof.

14

Do I eat the flesh of bulls,

or drink the blood of goats?
Sacrifice a thank offering to God,

15

and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

16

I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

To the wicked, however, God says,

17

“What right have you to recite My statutes
and to bear My covenant on your lips?

18

For you hate My instruction

and cast My words behind you.
When you see a thief, you befriend him,

19

and throw in your lot with adulterers.

You unleash your mouth for evil

20

21

You sit and malign your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.
 b

You have done these things, and I kept silent;

you thought I was
But now I rebuke you

 just like you.

c

22

and accuse you to your face.

Now consider this, you who forget God,

23

lest I tear you to pieces,
with no one to rescue you:

He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
and to him who rightly orders his way,
Psalm 51
I will show the salvation of God.”
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.

1

d

Have mercy on me,

 O God,

according to Your loving devotion;

according to Your great compassion,
2

blot out my transgressions.
Wash me clean of my iniquity

3

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

4

and my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You may be proved right when You

e

5

speak

and blameless when You judge.
Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;

6

I was sinful when my mother conceived

me.

Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;

7

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

8

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

9

let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

10

12

11

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
and I set it in order before your eyes
c 21

a 6
d 1

and harness your tongue to deceit.
He is a God of justice
e 4
Be gracious to me

you thought the ‘I AM’ was
and victorious when You judge
Or

b 21

Or
Or

LXX

Literally
; cited in Romans 3:4

13

7

Psalm 53:6    |    523

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

“Look at the man

14

and sinners will return to You.

Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your

15

righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,

16

who did not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his wealth

8

and strengthened himself by destruction.”

But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in the loving devotion of God
9

and my mouth will declare Your praise.
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would

forever and ever.
I will praise You forever,

17

bring it;

because You have done it.

You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

I will wait on Your name—

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

18

a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.

19

In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

in whole burnt offerings;
Psalm 52
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
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.”

1

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The loving devotion of God endures all

2

day long.

Your tongue devises destruction

3

like a sharpened razor,
O worker of deceit.

You love evil more than good,

falsehood more than speaking truth.

Selah

4

You love every word that devours,

5

O deceitful tongue.

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

Selah

living.

6

for it is good—
in the presence of Your saints.

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.b
A Maskil c  of David.

1

The 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,
3
if any seek God.
All have turned away,

 d

they have together become corrupt;

e

there is no one who does good,

4

not even one.

Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;
5
they refuse to call upon God.

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,

6

for God has despised them.

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come

f

from Zion!

The righteous will see and fear;

they will mock the evildoer, saying,

a 1 Maskil
b 1 Mahalath

When God restores His captive people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

c 1 Maskil

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

worthless

e 3

d 3

f 6
term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 88:1.

the fortunes of His people

 is probably a musical or liturgical

LXX

Cited in Romans 3:10–12

Or

524    |    Psalm 54:1

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?”

1

Save me, O God, by Your name,

2

and vindicate me by Your might!

Hear my prayer, O God;

3

listen to the words of my mouth.

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;

5

the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

6

He will reward my enemies with evil.
In Your faithfulness, destroy them.

Freely I will sacrifice to You;

7

I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is

good.

For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on

my foes.   Psalm 55

Cast Your Burden upon the LORD
(2 Samuel 17:15–29)

 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
A Maskil b  of David.

1

Listen to my prayer, O God,

2

and do not ignore my plea.
Attend to me and answer me.
3

I am restless in my complaint,

and distraught

at the voice of the enemy,

at the pressure of the wicked.
For they bring down disaster upon me
4
and resent me in their anger.

My heart pounds within me,

5

and the terrors of death assail me.

Fear and trembling grip me,

6

and horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

7

I would fly away and find rest.

How far away I would flee!

In the wilderness I would remain.   Selah

a 1 Maskil

8

9

I would hurry to my shelter,

far from this raging tempest.”

10

O Lord, confuse and confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.

11

Day and night they encircle the walls,
while malice and trouble lie within.

Destruction is within;

12

oppression and deceit never leave the

streets.

For it is not an enemy who insults me;

that I could endure.

13

It is not a foe who rises against me;

from him I could hide.

14

But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion and close friend.
We shared sweet fellowship together;

15

we walked with the crowd into the house

of God.

Let death seize them by surprise;

16

let them go down to Sheol alive,
for evil is with them in their homes.

17

But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in

18

distress,

and He hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in peace

19

from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
God will hear and humiliate them—
the One enthroned for the ages—

Selah

20

because they do not change

and they have no fear of God.

21

My companion attacks his friends;

he violates his covenant.
His speech is smooth as butter,

but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,

22

yet they are swords unsheathed.

Cast your burden upon the LORD

23

and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous be shaken.

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.

b 1 Maskil

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, 142.

 is

probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, 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.

1

Be merciful to me, O God,

2

3

for men are hounding me;
all day they press their attack.
My enemies pursue me all day long,
for many proudly assail me.

When I am afraid,

4

I put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise—

in God I trust.
I will not be afraid.
5

What can man do to me?

All day long they twist my words;

6

all their thoughts are on my demise.

7

They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.
In spite of such sin, will they escape?

 b

In Your anger, O God, cast down the

8

nations.

c

You have taken account of my

wanderings.

9

Put my tears in Your bottle—
are they not in Your book?
Then my enemies will retreat
on the day I cry for help.
By this I will know that God is on

10

my side.

In God, whose word I praise,

11

in the LORD, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12

Your vows are upon me, O God;

13

I will render thank offerings to You.

For You have delivered my soul from

death,

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life.

a 1 Miktam

Psalm 57:11    |    525

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 d  of David,
when he fled from Saul into the cave.

1

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy,
for in You my soul takes refuge.
In the shadow of Your wings I will take

2

shelter

e

until the danger has passed.

I cry out to God Most High,

3

to God who fulfills His purpose for me.
He reaches down from heaven and saves me;
He rebukes those who trample me.  Selah

God sends forth
4

His loving devotion and His truth.

My soul is among the lions;

I lie down with ravenous beasts—

with men whose teeth are spears and arrows,

5

whose tongues are sharp swords.

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

8

steadfast.
 f
I will sing and make music.

Awake, my glory!

9

Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations;

10

I will sing Your praises among the

peoples.

For Your loving devotion reaches to the

11

heavens,

and Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
do not let them escape

b 7

do not

c 8
Elohim-Elyon

sorrows
f 8

d 1 Miktam
Awake, my soul!

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
e 2

; MT
 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and

Or

does not include
56–60.

Hebrew

.

Or

Or

526    |    Psalm 58:1

Psalm 58
God Judges the Earth

 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam a  of David.

1

Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers?

2

Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

No, in your hearts you devise injustice;

3

with your hands you mete out violence on

the earth.

The wicked are estranged from the womb;

4

the liars go astray from birth.

Their venom is like the venom of a snake,

5

like a cobra that shuts its ears,

refusing to hear the tune of the charmer

6

who skillfully weaves his spell.

7

O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;
O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.

May they vanish

like water that runs off;

b

when they draw the bow,
8

may their arrows be blunted.
Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,
like a woman’s stillborn child,
may they never see the sun.
Before your pots can feel the burning

9

thorns—

10

whether green or dry—
He will sweep them away.

The righteous will rejoice

when they see they are avenged;

11

they will wash their feet

in the blood of the wicked.

Then men will say,

“There is surely a reward for the

righteous!

There is surely a God who judges the
Psalm 59
earth!”
Deliver Me from My Enemies
(1 Samuel 19:1–24)

 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam c  of David,
when Saul sent men to watch David’s house
in order to kill him.

1

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

2

protect me from those who rise against

me.

Deliver me from workers of iniquity,

and save me from men of bloodshed.

a 1 Miktam
may they wither like grass

c 1 Miktam

3

See how they lie in wait for me.

Fierce men conspire against me
for no transgression or sin of my own,

4

O LORD.
For no fault of my own,

5

they move swiftly to attack me.
Arise to help me, and take notice.
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

7

and prowling around the city.

See what they spew from their mouths—

8

sharp words from their lips:
“For who can hear us?”

9

But You, O LORD, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.

10

I will keep watch for You, O my strength,
because You, O God, are my fortress.
My God of loving devotion will come to meet

11

me;

God will let me stare down my foes.

Do not kill them,

12

or my people will forget.
Scatter them by Your power,
and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
By the sins of their mouths

13

and the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride,
in the curses and lies they utter.

Consume them in wrath;

consume them till they are no more,
so it may be known to the ends of the earth

Selah

14

that God rules over Jacob.

They return in the evening,

15

snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.

They scavenge for food,

16

and growl if they are not satisfied.

But I will sing of Your strength

and proclaim Your loving devotion in the

morning.
For You are my fortress,

17

my refuge in times of trouble.
To You, O my strength, I sing praises,
for You, O God, are my fortress,
my God of loving devotion.
b 7

when they are trodden down,

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.

Or

 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.

1

You have rejected us, O God;
You have broken us;

You have been angry;
2

restore us!

You have shaken the land

and torn it open.

Heal its fractures,
3

for it is quaking.

You have shown Your people hardship;

we are staggered from the wine You made

4

us drink.

You have raised a banner for those who fear

d

You,

that they may flee the bow.

Selah

5

6

Respond and save us with Your right hand,
that Your beloved may be delivered.

 e

Psalm 62:4    |    527

Psalm 61
You Have Heard My Vows

 For the choirmaster.
With stringed instruments. Of David.

1

Hear my cry, O God;

2

attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call out to You

whenever my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
3

that is higher than I.

For You have been my refuge,

4

a tower of strength against the enemy.

Let me dwell in Your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of Your

Selah

5

wings.

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;

7

may his years span many generations.

May he sit enthroned in God’s presence

forever;

8

appoint Your loving devotion
and Your faithfulness to guard him.
Then I will ever sing praise to Your name

and fulfill my vows day by day.

Psalm 62
Waiting on God

God has spoken from His sanctuary:

“I will triumph!

I will parcel out Shechem
7

and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My

8

scepter.
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?

10

Who will lead me to Edom?
Have You not rejected us, O God?

 For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun.
A Psalm of David.

1

In God alone my soul finds rest;

2

my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation.

3

He is my fortress;
I will never be shaken.

How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you throw him down

like a leaning wall
4

or a tottering fence?

11

Will You no longer march out, O God, with

They fully intend to cast him down from his

our armies?

Give us aid against the enemy,

12

lofty perch;
they delight in lies;

for the help of man is worthless.
With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.
Aram of the two rivers
c 1
 means
in His holiness
e 6
Mesopotamia.

a 1 Miktam
naharaim

Or

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.

that it may be displayed because of truth

That is, Mesopotamia;

d 4

, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern

That is, the land northeast of Damascus

Or

with their mouths they bless,
but inwardly they curse.

Selah

b 1

Aram-

528    |    Psalm 62:5

5

7

Rest in God alone, O my soul,

6

for my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;

7

For You are my help;

8

I will sing for joy in the shadow of

Your wings.

He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor rest on God, my

My soul clings to You;

9

Your right hand upholds me.

8

strong rock;
my refuge is in God.

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 are but a lie.

10

Weighed on the scale, they go up;
together they are but a vapor.

Place no trust in extortion

or false hope in stolen goods.

If your riches increase,

11

do not set your heart upon them.

God has spoken once;

12

I have heard this twice:
that power belongs to God,
a

and loving devotion to You, O Lord.

For You will repay each man
according to his deeds.

Psalm 63
Thirsting for God
(2 Samuel 15:30–37)

10

11

But those who seek my life to destroy it
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will fall to the power of the sword;
they will become a portion for foxes.

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.

1

Hear, O God, my voice of complaint;

2

preserve my life from dread of the

enemy.

Hide me from the scheming of the

3

wicked,

from the mob of workers of iniquity,
who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim their bitter words like

4

arrows,

 A Psalm of David,
when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

ambushing the innocent in seclusion,
shooting suddenly, without fear.

5

1

O God, You are my God.
Earnestly I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You.

My body yearns for You
2

in a dry and weary land without water.

So I have seen You in the sanctuary

3

and beheld Your power and glory.

Because Your loving devotion is better than

4

life,

my lips will glorify You.

5

So I will bless You as long as I live;

in Your name I will lift my hands.

My soul is satisfied as with the richest of

6

foods;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

When I remember You on my bed,

I think of You through the watches of

a 12

the night.

Cited in Romans 2:6

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

7

mysterious.

8

But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly they will be wounded.

They will be made to stumble,

their own tongues turned against

9

them.

All who see will shake their heads.

Then all mankind will fear

10

and proclaim the work of God;
so they will ponder what He has done.

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.

Psalm 66:15    |    529

Psalm 66
Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 100:1–5)

 For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.

1

1

Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion;

2

to You our vows will be fulfilled.

O You who listen to prayer,

3

all people will come to You.
When iniquities prevail against me,

4

You atone for our transgressions.

Blessed is the one You choose

and bring near to dwell in Your courts!

We are filled with the goodness of Your

house,

Make a joyful noise to God,

2

all the earth!

Sing the glory of His name;

3

make His praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!

4

So great is Your power
that Your enemies cower before You.

All the earth bows down to You;
they sing praise to You;
they sing praise to Your name.”

Selah

5

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
6

and of the farthest seas.

7

You formed the mountains by Your power,
having girded Yourself with might.

8

You stilled the roaring of the seas,
the pounding of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.
Those who live far away fear Your

wonders;

a

Come and see the works of God;

6

how awesome are His deeds toward

mankind.

He turned the sea into dry land;

7

they passed through the waters on foot;
there we rejoiced in Him.
He rules forever by His power;
His eyes watch the nations.
Do not let the rebellious exalt

Selah

themselves.

8

You make the dawn and sunset shout

9

for joy.

 b

Bless our God, O peoples;

9

let the sound of His praise be heard.

You attend to the earth and water it;
with abundance You enrich it.
The streams of God are full of water,

c
for You prepare our grain
by providing for the earth.

10

You soak its furrows and level its ridges;
You soften it with showers and bless

11

its growth.

You crown the year with Your bounty,

12

and Your paths overflow with plenty.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow;

13

the hills are robed with joy.

The pastures are clothed with flocks,
and the valleys are decked with

grain.

They shout in triumph;
indeed, they sing.

He preserves our lives

10

and keeps our feet from slipping.

For You, O God, have tested us;

11

You have refined us like silver.

You led us into the net;

12

You laid burdens on our backs.

You let men ride over our heads;

13

we went through fire and water,
but You brought us into abundance.

I will enter Your house with burnt

14

offerings;

I will fulfill my vows to You—
the vows that my lips promised

15

and my mouth spoke in my distress.
I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings,

with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

a 8
c 9

where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy.
to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it

b 9

and make it overflow

Or
Or

Or

530    |    Psalm 66:16

16

3

Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will declare what He has done

17

for me.

a

18

I cried out to Him with my mouth

19

and praised Him with my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.

But God has surely heard;

20

He has attended to the sound of my

prayer.

Blessed be God, who has not rejected my

prayer

or withheld from me His loving devotion!

Psalm 67

May God Cause His Face to Shine upon Us

 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
A Psalm. A song.

1

May God be gracious to us and bless us,
and cause His face to shine upon us,

Selah

2

3

that Your ways may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.

4

Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for You judge the peoples justly
and lead the nations of the earth.

5

Selah

Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.

6

7

The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.

God blesses us,

that all the ends of the earth shall fear
Psalm 68
Him.
God’s Enemies Are Scattered

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
A song.

1

God arises. His enemies are

2

scattered,

and those who hate Him flee His presence.

As smoke is blown away,

You will drive them out;
as wax melts before the fire,

the wicked will perish in the presence
and His praise was on my tongue

of God.

b 4

a 17

But the righteous will be glad
and rejoice before God;
they will celebrate with joy.

4

Sing to God!

 b

Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds

—

His name is the LORD—
and rejoice before Him.

5

A father of the fatherless

6

and a defender of widows
is God in His holy habitation.
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

9

before God, the One on Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
You sent abundant rain, O God;
You refreshed Your weary

10

inheritance.
Your flock settled therein;

11

O God, from Your bounty You provided for

the poor.

12

The Lord gives the command;

a great company of women proclaim it:

“Kings and their armies flee in haste;
she who waits at home divides the

13

plunder.

Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,
the wings of the dove are covered with

14

silver,

 c

and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

When the Almighty

 scattered the kings in

15

the land,

it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;

16

a mountain of many peaks is Mount

Bashan.

Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains

Or

Or

Hebrew

rides through the deserts

of many peaks?

c 14

Shaddai

Psalm 69:7    |    531

This is the mountain God chose for

31

until it submits, bringing bars of silver.

His dwelling,

Scatter the nations who delight in war.

 d

where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

Envoys will arrive from Egypt;

17

The chariots of God are tens of thousands—
a

thousands of thousands are they;

32

Cush

 will stretch out her hands

to God.

the Lord is in His sanctuary

18

as He was at Sinai.

You have ascended on high;

b

You have led captives away.
You have received gifts from men,
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;

21

the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

Surely God will crush the heads of His

enemies,

22

the hairy crowns of those who persist in

guilty ways.

The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from

1

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord—

33

Selah

to Him who rides upon the highest heavens

34

of old;

behold, His mighty voice resounds.

Ascribe the power to God,

35

whose majesty is over Israel,
whose strength is in the skies.

O God, You are awesome in Your sanctuary;

the God of Israel Himself
gives strength and power to His people.

Blessed be God!  Psalm 69

The Waters Are up to My Neck

 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.”
Of David.

Bashan,

23

I will bring them up from the depths

of the sea,

that your foot may be dipped
in the blood of your foes—
the tongues of your dogs in the

24

same.”

They have seen Your procession, O God—
the march of my God and King into the

25

sanctuary.
The singers lead the way,

26

the musicians follow after,
among the maidens playing tambourines.

Bless God in the great congregation;

27

bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.
There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,
the princes of Judah in their company,
the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

 c

28

Summon Your power, O God;

29

show Your strength, O God,
which You have exerted on our behalf.

Because of Your temple at Jerusalem

30

kings will bring You gifts.
Rebuke the beast in the reeds,

a 17

the herd of bulls among the calves of
the Lord has come from Sinai in His holiness

b 18

the nations,

Your God has summoned your power

d 31

Or
manuscripts

Save me, O God,

2

for the waters are up to my neck.

I have sunk into the miry depths,
where there is no footing;
I have drifted into deep waters,
3
where the flood engulfs me.

I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,
4

looking for my God.

Those who hate me without cause

outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are those who would destroy me—

e

my enemies for no reason.

Though I did not steal,

5

I must repay.

You know my folly, O God,

6

and my guilt is not hidden from You.
May those who hope in You not be ashamed

through me,
O Lord GOD of Hosts;

may those who seek You not be dishonored
7

through me,
O God of Israel.

For I have endured scorn for Your sake,
and shame has covered my face.
e 4
LXX and Syriac; most Hebrew

c 28

Cited in Ephesians 4:8

That is, the upper Nile region

See John 15:25

532    |    Psalm 69:8

8

9

I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons,
because zeal for Your house has consumed

a

me,

b

25

May their place be deserted;

26

let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

For they persecute the one You struck
and recount the pain of those You

27

e

10

and the insults of those who insult You

wounded.

have fallen on me.

I wept and fasted,

11

but it brought me reproach.
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.

14

In Your abundant loving devotion, O God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.

Rescue me from the mire
and do not let me sink;

deliver me from my foes

15

and out of the deep waters.
Do not let the floods engulf me

16

or the depths swallow me up;
let not the Pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, O LORD,

for Your loving devotion is good;
turn to me in keeping with Your great

17

compassion.

Hide not Your face from Your servant,

36

18

for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!

Draw near to my soul and redeem me;
ransom me because of my foes.

19

You know my reproach, my shame and

20

disgrace.

All my adversaries are before You.

Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

21

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found no one.

1

They poisoned my food with gall

Add iniquity to their iniquity;

28

let them not share in Your righteousness.

May they be blotted out of the Book of Life

29

and not listed with the righteous.

But I am in pain and distress;

30

let Your salvation protect me, O God.

I will praise God’s name in song

31

and exalt Him with thanksgiving.

And this will please the LORD more than an

32

ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.

The humble will see and rejoice.

33

You who seek God, let your hearts be

revived!

For the LORD listens to the needy

34

and does not despise His captive people.

Let heaven and earth praise Him,

35

the seas and everything that moves

in them.
For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,
that they may dwell there and

possess it.

The descendants of His servants will

inherit it,

and those who love His name will

settle in it.

Psalm 70
Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me!
(Psalm 40:1–17 ;  Psalm 141:1–10)

 For the choirmaster. Of David.
To bring remembrance.

22

and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

c

May their table become a snare;

23

may it be a retribution and a trap.
d

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot

24

see,

and their backs be bent forever.

Pour out Your wrath upon them,

Make 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
3
be repelled and humiliated.
May those who say, “Aha, aha!”

a 9

and let Your burning anger overtake them.

c 22

b 9

Cited in John 2:17

tremble continually
and Vulgate); literally

may their prosperity be a trap
e 25

Cited in Romans 15:3

retreat because of their shame.

d 23

and may their loins

A slight revocalization of the Hebrew (see also LXX, Syriac,
LXX; Hebrew

; cited in Romans 11:10

; cited in Romans 11:9
Cited in Acts 1:20

4

15

Psalm 72:2    |    533

May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation
5

always say,

“Let God be magnified!”

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.
In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;

2

3

incline Your ear and save me.

Be my rock of refuge,

where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
4

for You are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the

5

wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.

6

For You are my hope, O Lord GOD,
my confidence from my youth.

I have leaned on You since birth;

You pulled me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is always for You.
I have become a portent to many,
but You are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with Your praise

7

8

9

My mouth will declare Your righteousness

16

and Your salvation all day long,
though I cannot know their full measure.
I will come in the strength of the Lord GOD;

17

I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours

alone.

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

18

and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous

deeds.

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,

until I proclaim Your power to the next

19

generation,

Your might to all who are to come.

Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O

God,

20

You who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like You?

Though You have shown me many troubles

and misfortunes,

21

You will revive me once again.
Even from the depths of the earth
You will bring me back up.

22

You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

So I will praise You with the harp

for Your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to You with the lyre,

23

O Holy One of Israel.
When I sing praise to You

my lips will shout for joy,

and with Your splendor all day long.

24

along with my soul,

Do not discard me in my old age;

10

do not forsake me when my strength fails.

For my enemies speak against me,

11

and those who lie in wait for my life

conspire,

saying, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for there is no one to rescue him.”

12

13

Be not far from me, O God.

Hurry, O my God, to help me.

May the accusers of my soul

which You have redeemed.
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.

1

be ashamed and consumed;
may those who seek my harm

14

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

But I will always hope

Endow the king with Your justice, O God,
and the son of the king with Your

2

righteousness.

May he judge Your people with righteousness

and will praise You more and more.

and Your afflicted with justice.

534    |    Psalm 72:3

3

13

May the mountains bring peace to the people,

4

and the hills bring righteousness.
May he vindicate the afflicted among the

14

He will take pity on the poor and needy
and save the lives of the oppressed.
He will redeem them from oppression

people;

may he save the children of the
 a

needy

5

and crush the oppressor.

May they fear him

 as long as the sun shines,

6

as long as the moon remains,
through all generations.

May he be like rain that falls on freshly

7

cut grass,

like spring showers that water the earth.
 righteous flourish in his days

May the

and prosperity abound
until the moon is no more.

8

 b
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates

9

 to the ends of

the earth.

10

May the nomads bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.

May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores

bring tribute;

11

may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer

gifts.

May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.

12

15

and violence,

for their blood is precious in his sight.

Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba be given him.

May people ever pray for him;

16

may they bless him all day long.

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,

17

the people of its cities like the grass of the

field.

 c

May his name endure forever;
may his name continue

 as long as the sun

shines.

In him may all nations be blessed;
may they call him blessed.

18

19

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

And blessed be His glorious name forever;

may all the earth be filled with His glory.

20

Amen and amen.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.

Thus  conclude  the  prayers  of  David  son  of

Jesse.

a 5

He shall endure

b 8

the River

c 17

increase

LXX

Hebrew

Or

Psalm 73
Surely God Is Good to Israel

 A Psalm of Asaph.

1

BOOK III
Psalms 73–89

20

Like one waking from a dream,

21

so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their

form.

Surely God is good to Israel,

2

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

3

my steps had nearly slipped.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4

They have no struggle in their death;

5

their bodies are well-fed.

They are free of the burdens others carry;
they are not afflicted like other men.
 a

Therefore pride is their necklace;

6

7

a garment of violence covers them.
From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;

8

the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

They mock and speak with malice;

9

with arrogance they threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongues strut across the earth.

 b

10

11

So their people

 return to this place

and drink up waters in abundance.
The wicked say, “How can God know?

12

When my heart was grieved
and I was pierced within,
I was senseless and ignorant;

22

23

I was a brute beast before You.

24

Yet I am always with You;

You hold my right hand.

25

26

You guide me with Your counsel,
and later receive me in glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?

And on earth I desire no one besides You.

 c

My flesh and my heart may fail,

27

but God is the strength
and my portion forever.

 of my heart

28

Those far from You will surely perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
Psalm 74
that I may proclaim all Your works.
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
(Psalm 79:1–13 ;  Jeremiah 52:1–11)

 A Maskil d  of Asaph.

Does the Most High have knowledge?”

1

Behold, these are the wicked—

13

always carefree as they increase their

wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;

14

in innocence I have washed my

hands.

15

For I am afflicted all day long

and punished every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak this way,”

16

Why have You rejected us forever, O God?

2

Why does Your anger smolder
against the sheep of Your pasture?

Remember Your congregation,

which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe of Your
3

inheritance—

Mount Zion, where You dwell.

then I would have betrayed Your children.

Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins,

17

When I tried to understand all this,
it was troublesome in my sight

until I entered God’s sanctuary;
then I discerned their end.

18

19

Surely You set them on slick ground;
You cast them down into ruin.
How suddenly they are laid waste,

a 7
rock

completely swept away by terrors!
d 1 Maskil

Their eye bulges with fatness

4

to everything in the sanctuary the enemy

has destroyed.

Your foes have roared within Your meeting

place;

5
  6

they have unfurled their banners as signs,

like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees

From their callous heart proceeds iniquity

b 10

His people

c 26

and smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.

Literally

; Syriac

Or

Heb.

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

536    |    Psalm 74:7

7

They have burned Your sanctuary to the

ground;

8

they have defiled the dwelling place of

Your Name.

They said in their hearts,

“We will crush them completely.”

They burned down every place
9

where God met us in the land.

There are no signs for us to see.

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.

1

We give thanks to You, O God;

2

we give thanks, for Your Name is near.
The people declare Your wondrous works.

There is no longer any prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will

10

3

“When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.

last.

11

How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You?
Will the foe revile Your name forever?

Why do You withdraw Your strong right

 a

12

hand?

Stretch it out to destroy them!

13

Yet God is my King from ancient times,
working salvation on the earth.
You divided the sea by Your strength;

When the earth and all its dwellers quake,

Selah

4

it is I who bear up its pillars.

I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’

5

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your

horn.

6

Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak with an outstretched neck.’

”

For exaltation comes neither from east nor

14

You smashed the heads of the dragons of

7

west,

the sea;

15

You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

16

You broke open the fountain and the flood;
You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

 b

17

The day is Yours, and also the night;

You established the moon

 and the sun.

18

You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made the summer and winter.

Remember how the enemy has mocked You,

O LORD,

19

how a foolish people has spurned Your

name.

Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to

beasts;

20

do not forget the lives of Your afflicted

forever.

Consider Your covenant,

21

for haunts of violence fill the dark places

of the land.

Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame;

22

nor out of the desert,
but it is God who judges;

8

He brings down one and exalts another.

For a cup is in the hand of the LORD,

full of foaming wine mixed with spices.

He pours from His cup,

9

and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to the dregs.

 c

10

But I will proclaim Him

 forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

“All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous will be

exalted.”  Psalm 76
God’s Name Is Great in Israel

 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

1

God is known in Judah;

d

2

His name is great in Israel.

may the poor and needy praise Your name.

His tent is in Salem,

3

Rise up, O God; defend Your cause!

23

Remember how the fool mocks You all day

long.

4

His dwelling place in Zion.

There He shattered the flaming arrows,

Selah
the shield and sword and weapons of war.

Do not disregard the clamor of Your

adversaries,

You are resplendent with light,

the uproar of Your enemies that ascends
From the midst of Your bosom destroy them!
continually.
c 9
the light

proclaim it

d 2

a 11
b 16

more majestic than mountains filled

From the midst of Your bosom remove it!

with game.

Literally
Literally

Or

 or
That is, Jerusalem

5

9

Psalm 78:4    |    537

The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their

6

last sleep.

No men of might could lift a hand.

At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both horse and rider lie stunned.

7

You alone are to be feared.

8

When You are angry, who can stand

before You?

9

From heaven You pronounced judgment,
and the earth feared and was still

when God rose up to judge,

10

to save all the lowly of the earth.

Selah

Even the wrath of man shall praise You;
with the survivors of wrath You will

a

11

clothe Yourself.

Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your

God;

12

let all the neighboring lands bring tribute
to Him who is to be feared.
He breaks the spirits of princes;

Psalm 77
He is feared by the kings of the earth.
In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord

 For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun.
A Psalm of Asaph.

1

I cried out to God;

2

I cried aloud to God to hear me.
In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;

through the night my outstretched hands

3

did not grow weary;

my soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;
I mused and my spirit grew faint.

Selah

4

You have kept my eyes from closing;

5

I am too troubled to speak.

6

I considered the days of old,
the years long in the past.
At night I remembered my song;

7

in my heart I mused, and my spirit

pondered:

“Will the Lord spurn us forever

8

and never show His favor again?
Is His loving devotion gone forever?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Selah
Has His anger shut off His compassion?”

10

So I said, “I am grieved

 b

11

that the right hand of the Most High has

changed.”

12

I will remember the works of the LORD;

yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

13

I will reflect on all You have done

and ponder Your mighty deeds.

14

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders;

15

You display Your strength among the

peoples.

With power You redeemed Your people,

Selah

16

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters saw You, O God;

17

the waters saw You and swirled;
even the depths were shaken.
The clouds poured down water;

18

the skies resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;

19

the lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

Your path led through the sea,

c

20

Your way through the mighty waters,
but Your footprints were not to be found.

You led Your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
(Matthew 13:34–35)

 A Maskil d  of Asaph.

1

2

Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;
listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables;
e

3

I will utter things hidden from the

beginning,

that we have heard and known

4

and our fathers have relayed to us.
We will not hide them from their children
but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might

a 10
b 10

Surely Your wrath against men brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath will be restrained.
Has His promise failed for all time?
“To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

and the wonders He has performed.
were unknown

c 19

Or
Or

times
probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Or

Or

; see also LXX; cited in Matthew 13:35

d 1 Maskil
e 2

from ancient
 is

538    |    Psalm 78:5

5

23

For He established a testimony in Jacob

24

and appointed a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,

6

Yet He commanded the clouds above
a

and opened the doors of the heavens.
He rained down manna for them to eat;
He gave them grain from heaven.

25

that the coming generation would know

26

Man ate the bread of angels;

them—

7

even children yet to be born—
to arise and tell their own children

He sent them food in abundance.

27

He stirred the east wind from the heavens
and drove the south wind by His might.

that they should put their confidence in God,

28

He rained meat on them like dust,

8

not forgetting His works,
but keeping His commandments.
Then they will not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose heart was not loyal,
9

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The archers of Ephraim

10

11

turned back on the day of battle.
They failed to keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by His law.

12

They forgot what He had done,

the wonders He had shown them.
He worked wonders before their fathers

13

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

14

He split the sea and brought them through;
He set the waters upright like a wall.

15

He led them with a cloud by day

and with a light of fire all night.
He split the rocks in the wilderness

16

and gave them drink as abundant as the

seas.

He brought streams from the stone

17

and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against Him,

18

rebelling in the desert against the Most

High.

19

They willfully tested God

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying,

20

“Can God really prepare a table in the

wilderness?

When He struck the rock, water gushed out

and torrents raged.
But can He also give bread

21

or supply His people with meat?”

Therefore the LORD heard

and was filled with wrath;
so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

22

and His anger flared against Israel,

because they did not believe God

and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

29

He felled them in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,

30

for He gave them what they craved.

31

Yet before they had filled their desire,
with the food still in their mouths,

God’s anger flared against them,

32

and He put to death their strongest
and subdued the young men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

33

despite His wonderful works, they did not

b

believe.

34

So He ended their days in futility,

and their years in sudden terror.

35

When He slew them, they would seek Him;
they repented and searched for God.
And they remembered that God was their
 c

36

Rock,

that God Most High

 was their Redeemer.

37

But they deceived Him with their mouths,
and lied to Him with their tongues.

Their hearts were disloyal to Him,

38

and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

And yet He was compassionate;

He forgave their iniquity and did not

destroy them.
He often restrained His anger

39

40

and did not unleash His full wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they disobeyed Him in the

41

wilderness

and grieved Him in the desert!

42

Again and again they tested God

 d

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

They did not remember His power

—

43

the day He redeemed them from the

adversary,

when He performed His signs in Egypt

a 24

or rely on His salvation.

b 33

in vapor

c 35

El-Elyon

d 42
and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

His hand

Cited in John 6:31

Or

Hebrew

Or

44

63

He turned their rivers to blood,

Fire consumed His young men,

45

and from their streams they could not

64

and their maidens were left without

Psalm 79:6    |    539

drink.

46

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

47

and frogs that devastated them.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
a

48

49

He killed their vines with hailstones
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail

and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

He unleashed His fury against them,

50

wrath, indignation, and calamity—
a band of destroying angels.
He cleared a path for His anger;

51

He did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.

He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,
the virility in the tents of Ham.

52

He led out His people like sheep

53

and guided them like a flock in the

wilderness.

54

He led them safely, so they did not fear,
but the sea engulfed their enemies.

He brought them to His holy land,

to the mountain His right hand had

acquired.

1

55

wedding songs.
His priests fell by the sword,

65

but their widows could not lament.

66

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

67

He beat back His foes;

He put them to everlasting shame.

68

He rejected the tent of Joseph

and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

69

But He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.

70

He built His sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth He has established forever.

71

He chose David His servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;
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

Psalm 79
and guided them with skillful hands.
A Prayer for Deliverance
(Psalm 74:1–23 ;  Jeremiah 52:1–11)

 A Psalm of Asaph.

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

57

High,

for they did not keep His decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like

58

their fathers,

twisted like a faulty bow.

They enraged Him with their high places
and provoked His jealousy with their

59

idols.

60

On hearing it, God was furious

61

and rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent He had pitched among men.

He delivered His strength to captivity,
and His splendor to the hand of the

62

adversary.

The nations, O God, have invaded Your

inheritance;

2

they have defiled Your holy temple
and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

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

3

earth.

They have poured out their blood like water

4

all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.

We have become a reproach to our

neighbors,

5

a scorn and derision to those

around us.

How long, O LORD?

6

Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge You,

He surrendered His people to the sword

on the kingdoms

a 47

because He was enraged by His heritage.
frost

driving rain

that refuse to call on Your name,

Or

 or

540    |    Psalm 79:7

7

6

for they have devoured Jacob

8

and devastated his homeland.
Do not hold past sins against us;

9

let Your compassion come quickly,
for we are brought low.
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.
Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”

10

Before our eyes, make known among

the nations

11

Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your

servants.

12

May the groans of the captives reach You;
by the strength of Your arm preserve
those condemned to death.
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors

13

sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You,

O Lord.

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.

1

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,

who leads Joseph like a flock;
You who sit enthroned between the

2

cherubim,

shine forth

before Ephraim, Benjamin,

and Manasseh.

Rally Your mighty power
and come to save us.

3

Restore us, O God,

4

and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

O LORD God of Hosts,

5

how long will Your anger smolder
against the prayers of Your people?

You fed them with the bread of tears

and made them drink the full measure of

a 11

their tears.

You make us contend with our neighbors;

7

our enemies mock us.
Restore us, O God of Hosts,

8

and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

You uprooted a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and

9

transplanted it.
You cleared the ground for it,

10

and it took root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered by its shade,

a

11

and the mighty cedars with its branches.

b

12

It sent out its branches to the Sea,

and its shoots toward the River.

13

Why have You broken down its walls,

so that all who pass by pick its fruit?

The boar from the forest ravages it,

14

and the creatures of the field feed

upon it.

Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!

15

Look down from heaven and see!

Attend to this vine—

16

the root Your right hand has planted,
the son You have raised up for Yourself.

Your vine has been cut down and burned;

17

they perish at the rebuke of Your

countenance.

Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right

hand,

18

on the son of man You have raised up for

Yourself.

19

Then we will not turn away from You;

revive us, and we will call on Your name.

Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;

cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Psalm 81
Sing for Joy to God Our Strength

 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.c
Of Asaph.

1

Sing for joy to God our strength;

2

make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,

3

play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and at the full moon on the day of our

b 11

Feast.

c 1 Gittith

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

That is, the Euphrates

 is probably a

musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 84.

4

5

Psalm 83:15    |    541

For this is a statute for Israel,

5

a

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph

6

when he went out over the land of Egypt,
where I heard an unfamiliar language:

They do not know or understand;
they wander in the darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are
 d

shaken.

6

I have said, ‘You are gods;

7

“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;

7

his hands were freed from the basket.
You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
b

8

you are all sons of the Most High.’

But like mortals you will die,

and like rulers you will fall.”

I answered you from the cloud of thunder;
  Selah
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

8

Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:

9

10

O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
There must be no strange god among you,
nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.

11

Open wide your mouth,
and I will fill it.

12

But My people would not listen to Me,
and Israel would not obey Me.

13

So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own devices.

14

If only My people would listen to Me,
if Israel would follow My ways,

15

how soon I would subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes!

Those who hate the LORD would feign

16

obedience,

and their doom would last forever.
But I would feed you the finest wheat;

with honey from the rock I would satisfy

you.”

Psalm 82
God Presides in the Divine Assembly

Arise, O God, judge the earth,

for all the nations are Your inheritance.
Psalm 83
O God, Be Not Silent

 A song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1

 e

O God, be not silent; be not speechless;

2

be not still, O God.

See how Your enemies rage,

3

how Your foes have reared their heads.

With cunning they scheme against Your

4

people

and conspire against those You cherish,
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;

6

they form an alliance against You—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

7

of Moab and the Hagrites,
of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,

8

of Philistia with the people of Tyre.

Even Assyria has joined them,

lending strength to the sons of Lot.  Selah

9

10

Do to them as You did to Midian,

 A Psalm of Asaph.

as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,

1

2

God presides in the divine assembly;

 c

He renders judgment among the gods:

“How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?  Selah

3

11

who perished at Endor

and became like dung on the ground.

Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
and all their princes like Zebah and

12

Zalmunna,

who said, “Let us possess for ourselves

13

the pastures of God.”

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
uphold the rights of the afflicted and

4

like chaff before the wind.

15

As fire consumes a forest,

14

Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,

oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;

a 5
d 6

b 7 Meribah
e 1

deaf
 means
Or

Or
Cited in John 10:34

save them from the hand of the wicked.
in Joseph

quarreling

; see Exodus 17:7.

Or

as a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

so pursue them with Your tempest,
and terrify them with Your storm.
How long will you defend the unjust
c 2

542    |    Psalm 83:16

16

11

Cover their faces with shame,

17

that they may seek Your name, O LORD.

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;
the LORD gives grace and glory;

May they be ever ashamed and terrified;

18

may they perish in disgrace.
May they know that You alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are Most High over all the earth.

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.

1

How lovely is Your dwelling place,

2

O LORD of Hosts!
My soul longs, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out

3

for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she places her young near Your altars,
4
O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.

How blessed are those who dwell in Your

house!

5

They are ever praising You.

Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is

8

in You,

b
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
even the autumn rain covers it with

c

pools.

6

7

8

They go from strength to strength,

until each appears before God in Zion.

10

O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;

Selah

9

give ear, O God of Jacob.

He withholds no good thing

12

from those who walk with integrity.

O LORD of Hosts,

how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Psalm 85
You Showed Favor to Your Land

 For the choirmaster.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1

d

2

You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;
You restored Jacob from captivity.
You forgave the iniquity of Your people;

You covered all their sin.

3

Selah

You withheld all Your fury;

You turned from Your burning

anger.

4

Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and put away Your displeasure

5

toward us.

Will You be angry with us forever?

6

Will You draw out Your anger to all

generations?
Will You not revive us again,

7

that Your people may rejoice in You?
Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,

and grant us Your salvation.

I will listen to what God the LORD

will say;

for He will surely speak peace to His

9

people and His saints;

He will not let them return to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear

Him,

that His glory may dwell in our land.

Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined

11

together;

Take notice of our shield, O God,

righteousness and peace have kissed.

10

and look with favor on the face of Your

Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,

anointed.

For better is one day in Your courts
than a thousand elsewhere.

12

and righteousness looks down from

heaven.

13

The LORD will indeed provide what is good,

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house

and our land will yield its increase.

of my God

Righteousness will go before Him

a 1 Gittith
blessings

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

d 1

restored the fortunes of Jacob

to prepare the way for His steps.
c 6

Valley of Poplars

 b 6

with

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 81.

Or

Or

Or

Psalm 86
Tried but Trusting

 A prayer of David.

1

Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me,

2

for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am godly.

3

You are my God; save Your servant

who trusts in You.
Be merciful to me, O Lord,

4

for I call to You all day long.

Bring joy to Your servant,

for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving,
rich in loving devotion to all who call

6

on You.

Hear my prayer, O LORD,

7

and attend to my plea for mercy.
In the day of my distress I call on You,

because You answer me.

5

8

O Lord, there is none like You among

9

the gods,

nor any works like Yours.
All the nations You have made

will come and bow before You, O Lord,
and they will glorify Your name.
For You are great and perform wonders;

10

11

You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O LORD,

that I may walk in Your truth.

12

Give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear Your name.

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my

13

heart;

I will glorify Your name forever.
For great is Your loving devotion to me;

14

You have delivered me from the depths

of Sheol.

The arrogant rise against me, O God;

15

a band of ruthless men seeks my life;
they have no regard for You.

17

Psalm 88:5    |    543

Show me a sign of Your goodness,

that my enemies may see and be ashamed;
for You, O LORD, have helped me and
Psalm 87
The LORD Loves the Gates of Zion

comforted me.

 A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

1

He has founded His city

2

on the holy mountains.

a

The LORD loves the gates of Zion

3

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are ascribed to you,

4

O city of God.

 b

Selah

“I will mention Rahab

 and Babylon
 c

among those who know Me—
along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cush

5

 —

when I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’

”

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:

7

“This one was born in Zion.”

Selah

Singers and pipers will proclaim,

“All my springs of joy are in You.”

Psalm 88
I Cry Out before You

 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath
Leannoth.d  A Maskil e  of Heman the Ezrahite.

1

O LORD, the God of my salvation,

2

day and night I cry out before You.

May my prayer come before You;
incline Your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of troubles,

3

4

and my life draws near to Sheol.

But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and

I am counted among those descending to the

gracious God,

16

slow to anger, abounding in loving
devotion and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy;

grant Your strength to Your servant;
His foundation is on the holy mountains
save the son of Your maidservant.

b 4 Rahab

a 1
d 1 Mahalath Leannoth

5

Pit.

I am like a man without strength.

I am forsaken among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom You remember no more,

c 4
who are cut off from Your care.
e 1 Maskil

Lit.

 is a poetic name for Egypt.

That is, the upper Nile region

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 53:1.

 is probably a musical or

liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

544    |    Psalm 88:6

6

3

8

10

11

7

You have laid me in the lowest Pit,
in the darkest of the depths.
Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;

all Your waves have submerged me.

Selah

You said, “I have made a covenant with

4

My chosen one,

I have sworn to David My servant:
‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all

Selah

You have removed my friends from me;

5

generations.’

”

You have made me repulsive

9

to them;

I am confined and cannot escape.

The heavens praise Your wonders,

O LORD—

My eyes grow dim with grief.
I call to You daily, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to You.
Do You work wonders for the dead?

Selah
Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?

6

Your faithfulness as well—
in the assembly of the holy ones.
 c

For who in the skies can compare with the

LORD?

7

Who among the heavenly beings

 is like

the LORD?

Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed

 a

12

in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddon

?

Will Your wonders be known in the darkness,

8

In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly

feared,

and awesome above all who surround

Him.

13

or Your righteousness in the land of

oblivion?

But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;

14

in the morning my prayer comes

before You.

Why, O LORD, do You reject me?
Why do You hide Your face

15

from me?

From my youth I was afflicted and near

16

death.

I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

17

Your wrath has swept over me;

18

Your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they engulf me like water;
they enclose me on every side.
You have removed my beloved and my

friend;

Psalm 89
darkness is my closest companion.
I Will Sing of His Love Forever

 A Maskil b  of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1

I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD

forever;

2

with my mouth I will proclaim Your

faithfulness to all generations.
For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up

forever;

O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?
O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness

9

surrounds You.
You rule the raging sea;

10

when its waves mount up, You still them.

You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

11

You scattered Your enemies with Your

mighty arm.

12

The heavens are Yours, and also the earth.
The earth and its fullness You founded.

North and south You created;

13

Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your

name.

14

Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand.

Your right hand is exalted.

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

16

presence.

17

They rejoice in Your name all day long,

and in Your righteousness they exult.

18

For You are the glory of their strength,

and by Your favor our horn is exalted.

19

Surely our shield belongs to the LORD,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

in the heavens You establish Your
Destruction

b 1 Maskil

a 11 Abaddon

faithfulness.”

 means
52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

c 6
.

the sons of God

Or

 or

You once spoke in a vision;

the sons of might

to Your godly ones You said,

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45,

38

Psalm 89:52    |    545

20

“I have bestowed help on a warrior;

Now, however, You have spurned and

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

39

rejected him;

21

I have found My servant David;

You are enraged by Your anointed one.

with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

You have renounced the covenant with

My hand will sustain him;

22

surely My arm will strengthen him.

23

No enemy will exact tribute;

no wicked man will oppress him.

24

I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and loving devotion will be

with him,

40

Your servant

and sullied his crown in the dust.
You have broken down all his walls;

41

You have reduced his strongholds to

rubble.

All who pass by plunder him;

42

he has become a reproach to his

neighbors.

25

and through My name his horn will be

You have exalted the right hand of his

exalted.

43

foes;

26

I will set his hand over the sea,

and his right hand upon the rivers.
He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’

27

28

I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.

I will forever preserve My loving devotion for

29

him,

and My covenant with him will stand fast.

I will establish his line forever,

30

his throne as long as the heavens endure.

31

If his sons forsake My law

and do not walk in My judgments,

32

if they violate My statutes

and fail to keep My commandments,
I will attend to their transgression with the

33

rod,

and to their iniquity with stripes.

But I will not withdraw My loving devotion

34

from him,

nor ever betray My faithfulness.

35

I will not violate My covenant

or alter the utterance of My lips.
Once and for all I have sworn by My

36

holiness—

I will not lie to David—

37

his offspring shall endure forever,

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

44

You have bent the edge of his sword

and have not sustained him in battle.

45

You have ended his splendor

and cast his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.

Selah

46

How long, O LORD?

47

Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?

Remember the briefness of my lifespan!
For what futility You have created

48

all men!

What man can live and never see death?

Can he deliver his soul from the power

Selah

of Sheol?

49

50

Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old,

which You faithfully swore to David?
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your

servants,

51

which I bear in my heart from so many

people—

how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD,
and have mocked every step of Your

52

anointed one!

and his throne before Me like the sun,

like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky.”

Selah

Blessed be the LORD forever!

Amen and amen.

BOOK IV
Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90
From Everlasting to Everlasting

 A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1

16

17

 b

May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
 of the Lord our God rest

May the favor

Lord, You have been our dwelling place

2

through all generations.
Before the mountains were born

or You brought forth the earth and the

world,

1

upon us;

establish for us the work of our hands—
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Psalm 91
You Are My Refuge and My Fortress

from everlasting to everlasting

3

You are God.

You return man to dust,

4

saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”

a

For in Your sight a thousand years

5

are but a day that passes,
or a watch of the night.

You sweep them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the

6

morning—

7

in the morning it springs up new,

but by evening it fades and withers.

8

For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.

You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your

9

presence.

10

For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.

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

13

12

Who knows the power of Your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear You are due.

So teach us to number our days,

that we may present a heart of wisdom.

14

Return, O LORD! How long will it be?

Have compassion on Your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving

devotion,

c

2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

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

4

from the snare of the fowler,
and from the deadly plague.
He will cover you with His feathers;

5

under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.

6

You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

7

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the calamity that destroys at noon.

8

Though a thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
no harm will come near you.
You will only see it with your eyes

and witness the punishment of the

9

wicked.

Because you have made the LORD your

10

dwelling—

my refuge, the Most High—

no evil will befall you,

11

no plague will approach your tent.

For He will command His angels concerning

12

you

to guard you in all your ways.
They will lift you up in their hands,

d

15

that we may sing for joy and be glad all

13

so that you will not strike your foot

our days.

against a stone.

Make us glad for as many days as You have

You will tread on the lion and cobra;

a 4

afflicted us,
b 17

for as many years as we have seen evil.

beauty

c 1

Shaddai

d 12

you will trample the young lion and

serpent.

See 2 Peter 3:8.

Or

Hebrew

Cited in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11

14

“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him;

15

because he knows My name, I will protect

him.

When he calls out to Me,
I will answer him;

16

I will be with him in trouble.

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him My salvation.”

Psalm 92
How Great Are Your Works!

 A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

1

It is good to praise the LORD,

2

and to sing praises to Your name,

O Most High,

to proclaim Your loving devotion in the

3

morning

and Your faithfulness at night

4

with the ten-stringed harp

and the melody of the lyre.

For You, O LORD, have made me glad by

5

Your deeds;

I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

How great are Your works, O LORD,
how deep are Your thoughts!
A senseless man does not know,

6

7

and a fool does not understand,

that though the wicked sprout like grass,

8

and all evildoers flourish,
they will be forever destroyed.

9

But You, O LORD, are exalted forever!

For surely Your enemies, O LORD,

10

surely Your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.

But You have exalted my horn like that of a

11

wild ox;

with fine oil I have been anointed.
My eyes see the downfall of my enemies;
my ears hear the wailing of my wicked

a

12

foes.

13

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

14

Planted in the house of the LORD,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

15

In old age they will still bear fruit;

healthy and green they will remain,
to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my

Psalm 94:13    |    547

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;
2

it cannot be moved.

3

Your throne was established long ago;

You are from all eternity.

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—

5

the mighty breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is majestic.

Your testimonies are fully confirmed;

holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,
Psalm 94
for all the days to come.
The LORD Will Not Forget His People

1

O LORD, God of vengeance,

2

O God of vengeance, shine forth.

Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

3

render a reward to the proud.
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked exult?

4

5

6

They pour out arrogant words;
all workers of iniquity boast.
They crush Your people, O LORD;
they oppress Your heritage.

They kill the widow and the foreigner;

7

they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

8

Take notice, O senseless among the people!

9

O fools, when will you be wise?

10

He who affixed the ear, can He not hear?

He who formed the eye, can He not see?
He who admonishes the nations, does He not

discipline?

11

He who teaches man, does He lack

knowledge?

b

The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

12

that they are futile.

13

Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,

and teach from Your law,

a 11

Rock,

my ears hear evildoers when they rise against me
and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”

b 11

to grant him relief from days of trouble
until a pit is dug for the wicked.

,

Or

Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:20

548    |    Psalm 94:14

14

10

For the LORD will not forsake His people;
He will never abandon His heritage.
Surely judgment will again be righteous,

15

16

For forty years I was angry with that

generation,

d

and I said, “They are a people whose

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

11

hearts go astray,

20

21

22

23

Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

17

Who will stand for me against the workers

of iniquity?

Unless the LORD had been my helper,

18

I would soon have dwelt in the abode of

silence.

If I say, “My foot is slipping,”

19

Your loving devotion, O LORD,

supports me.

When anxiety overwhelms me,

Your consolation delights my soul.

Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—
one devising mischief by decree?
They band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has been my stronghold,
and my God is my rock of refuge.

a

He will bring upon them their own iniquity
and destroy them for their wickedness.
Psalm 95
The LORD our God will destroy them.
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
(Hebrews 3:7–11)

1

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

2

let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
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,

4

a great King above all gods.

In His hand are the depths of the earth,

5

and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

6

The sea is His, for He made it,

and His hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down;

7

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,
the sheep under His care.

  8

Today, if you hear His voice,

b

do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,
9

and they have not known My ways.”

 e

So I swore on oath in My anger,

“They shall never enter My rest.”

Psalm 96
Sing to the LORD, All the Earth
(1 Chronicles 16:23–36)

1

Sing to the LORD a new song;

2

sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;

3

proclaim His salvation day after day.

Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

4

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be

5

praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,

6

but it is the LORD who made the heavens.

7

Splendor and majesty are before Him;

strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the

8

nations,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
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

10

holiness;

tremble before Him, all the earth.

Declare among the nations: “The LORD

reigns!”

The world is firmly established; it cannot

11

be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens be glad
and the earth rejoice;

12

let the sea resound,

and all that fills it.

Let the fields exult,

and all that is in them.
Then all the trees of the forest

13

c

will sing for joy
for He is coming—

before the LORD,

in the day at Massah in the wilderness,

He is coming to judge the earth.

where your fathers tested and tried Me,
condemn innocent blood
though they had seen My work.

a 21

He will judge the world in righteousness
quarreling
Meribah
and the peoples in His faithfulness.

b 8
c 8

as you did in the rebellion
in the day of testing in the wilderness

Massah

e 11

;

 means

testing
; see Exodus 17:7; cited in

Or

d 10
Hebrews 3:15 and Hebrews 4:7.

LXX
They always go astray in the heart
LXX

LXX

;
Cited in Hebrews 3:7–11, Hebrews 4:3, and Hebrews 4:5

 means

; see Exodus 17:7.

Psalm 97
Let the Earth Rejoice

1

2

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the distant shores be glad.

Psalm 99:9    |    549

4

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth—let your cry ring out, and

5

sing praises!

6

Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
in melodious song with the harp.

Clouds and darkness surround Him;

3

righteousness and justice are His throne’s

With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

7

foundation.

Fire goes before Him

4

and consumes His foes on every side.

5

His lightning illuminates the world;
the earth sees and trembles.

The mountains melt like wax

6

at the presence of the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim His righteousness;

7

all the peoples see His glory.

All worshipers of images are put to shame—

8

those who boast in idols.
Worship Him, all you gods!

Zion hears and rejoices,

9

and the towns of Judah exult
because of Your judgments, O LORD.
For You, O LORD, are Most High over all

10

the earth;

You are exalted far above all gods.

Hate evil, O you who love the LORD!

He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them from the hand of the

 a

11

wicked.

12

Light shines

 on the righteous,

gladness on the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones,

and praise His holy name.

Psalm 98
Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 149:1–9 ;  Isaiah 42:10–17)

8

Let the sea resound, and all that fills it,
the world, and all who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands,

9

let the mountains sing together for joy

before the LORD,

for He comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness
Psalm 99
and the peoples with equity.
The LORD Reigns!
(Psalm 93:1–5)

1

The LORD reigns;

let the nations tremble!

He is enthroned above the cherubim;
2

let the earth quake!
Great is the LORD in Zion;

3

He is exalted above all the peoples.
Let them praise Your great and awesome

 b
name—

4

He is holy!

c

The mighty King loves justice.

You have established equity;

You have exercised justice
5

and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt the LORD our God,

6

and worship at His footstool;
He is holy!

 A Psalm.

1

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
2

have gained Him the victory.

The LORD has proclaimed His salvation
and revealed His righteousness to the

3

nations.

He has remembered His love and faithfulness

Moses and Aaron were among His priests;
Samuel was among those who called on

His name.

7

They called to the LORD and He

answered.

He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;

8

they kept His decrees and the statutes He

gave them.

O LORD our God, You answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

9

to the house of Israel;

Exalt the LORD our God

all the ends of the earth

a 11
c 4

have seen the salvation of our God.
The might of the King loves justice.

and worship at His holy mountain,
it is holy!
Light is sown
for the LORD our God is holy.

b 3

One Hebrew manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts

Or

Or

550    |    Psalm 100:1

Psalm 100
Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 66:1–20)

8

Every morning I will remove all the wicked of

the land,

 A Psalm of thanksgiving.

that I may cut off every evildoer from the

1

2

Make a joyful noise to the LORD,

all the earth.

Serve the LORD with gladness;

3

come into His presence with joyful songs.

 a

Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His

4

pasture.

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.  Psalm 101
I Will Set No Worthless Thing
before My Eyes

 A Psalm of David.

1

I will sing of Your loving devotion and justice;
2

to You, O LORD, I will sing praises.

I will ponder the way that is blameless—

when will You come to me?

I will walk in my house
3

with integrity of heart.
I will set no worthless thing

before my eyes.

I hate the work of those who fall away;
4

it shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me;

5

I will know nothing of evil.

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.

1

Hear my prayer, O LORD;

2

let my cry for help come before You.

Do not hide Your face from me

in my day of distress.

Incline Your ear to me;

3

answer me quickly when I call.

For my days vanish like smoke,

4

and my bones burn like glowing embers.
My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass;

5

I even forget to eat my bread.

Through my loud groaning

6

my skin hangs on my bones.

I am like a desert owl,

7

like an owl among the ruins.

I lie awake;

I am like a lone bird on a housetop.

8

9

All day long my enemies taunt me;
they ridicule me and curse me.
For I have eaten ashes like bread

10

and mixed my drink with tears

because of Your indignation and wrath,

11

for You have picked me up and cast me

aside.

My days are like lengthening shadows,

12

and I wither away like grass.

13

But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

Your renown endures to all generations.

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,

You will rise up and have compassion on

I will put to silence;

the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart,
6

14

I will not endure.

My eyes favor the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way of integrity
7

shall minister to me.

No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;

no one who tells lies
shall stand in my presence.
and not we ourselves

a 3

Or

Zion,

for it is time to show her favor—
the appointed time has come.

For Your servants delight in her stones

15

and take pity on her dust.

So the nations will fear the name of the

LORD,

16

and all the kings of the earth will fear

Your glory.

For the LORD will rebuild Zion;
He has appeared in His glory.

17

5

He will turn toward the prayer of the

who satisfies you with good things,

18

destitute;

He will not despise their prayer.

6

so that your youth is renewed like the

eagle’s.

Psalm 103:22    |    551

Let this be written for the generation to

come,

19

so that a people not yet created may

praise the LORD.

For He looked down from the heights of His

20

sanctuary;

the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth

to hear a prisoner’s groaning,

21

to release those condemned to death,
that they may proclaim the name of the LORD

22

in Zion

and praise Him in Jerusalem,

when peoples and kingdoms assemble

23

The LORD executes righteousness

7

and justice for all the oppressed.
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

9

devotion.

10

He will not always accuse us,

nor harbor His anger forever.

11

He has not dealt with us according to our sins
or repaid us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the

earth,

to serve the LORD.

12

so great is His loving devotion for those

He has broken my strength on the way;

24

He has cut short my days.

I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst

25

of my days!

Your years go on through all generations.
In the beginning You laid the foundations of

the earth,

26

and the heavens are the work of Your

hands.

They will perish, but You remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

27

Like clothing You will change them,
and they will be passed on.

a

But You remain the same,

28

and Your years will never end.

The children of Your servants will dwell

securely,

and their descendants will be established

before You.”  Psalm 103

Bless the LORD, O My Soul

 Of David.

1

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

2

all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

3

and do not forget all His kind deeds—

4

He who forgives all your iniquities
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit

and crowns you with loving devotion and

a 27

compassion,

Cited in Hebrews 1:10–12

who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

13

so far has He removed our transgressions

from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those

14

who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

15

He is mindful that we are dust.

16

As for man, his days are like grass—

he blooms like a flower of the field;
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,

18

and His righteousness to their children’s

children—

19

to those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
The LORD has established His throne in

20

heaven,

and His kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in

strength

21

who carry out His word,
who hearken to the voice of His command.

22

Bless the LORD, all His hosts,

you servants who do His will.

Bless the LORD, all His works

in all places of His dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

552    |    Psalm 104:1

Psalm 104
How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!

1

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, You are very great;
2

You are clothed with splendor and

majesty.

3

He wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the heavens like a tent,

laying the beams of His chambers

in the waters above,

making the clouds His chariot,
4
a

walking on the wings of the wind.
He makes the winds His messengers,

5

flames of fire His servants.

He set the earth on its foundations,

6

never to be moved.

7

You covered it with the deep like a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

At Your rebuke the waters fled;

8

at the sound of Your thunder they hurried

away—

9

the mountains rose and the valleys sank
to the place You assigned for them—

You set a boundary they cannot cross,

10

that they may never again cover the earth.

He sends forth springs in the valleys;
they flow between the mountains.
They give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the air nest beside the springs;

11

12

13

they sing among the branches.

He waters the mountains from His chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His

14

works.

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.
The trees of the LORD have their fill,

16

17

19

20

He made the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows when to set.

21

You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the beasts of the forest prowl.

22

23

The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they withdraw;
they lie down in their dens.

24

Man goes forth to his work

and to his labor until evening.

How many are Your works, O LORD!

25

In wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of Your creatures.

Here is the sea, vast and wide,

26

teeming with creatures beyond number,
living things both great and small.

There the ships pass,

27

and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic

there.

All creatures look to You

28

to give them their food in due season.

When You give it to them,

they gather it up;

when You open Your hand,

29

they are satisfied with good things.

When You hide Your face,
they are terrified;

30

when You take away their breath,
they die and return to dust.

d

When You send Your Spirit,

they are created,

and You renew

31

the face of the earth.

32

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in His works.

He looks on the earth,
and it trembles;

33

He touches the mountains,
and they smolder.

I will sing to the LORD all my life;

34

I will sing praise to my God while I have

my being.

May my meditation be pleasing to Him,

35

the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

where the birds build their nests;
b

18

the stork makes her home in the

cypresses.

c
The high mountains are for the wild goats,
the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.
He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.
the coneys

the hyraxes

breath

d 30

e 35

a 4
c 18

May sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.

Bless the LORD, O my soul.

 e

Hallelujah!

b 17

pines

junipers

firs

Hallelu YAH
Cited in Hebrews 1:7

Praise the LORD
Or

 or

 or

 or

Or

Or

, meaning

LXX
Or

Psalm 105
Tell of His Wonders
(1 Chronicles 16:7–22)

1

Psalm 105:44    |    553

22

 b

to instruct

 his princes as he pleased

23

and teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel entered Egypt;

24

Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;

Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

2

make known His deeds among the

And the LORD made His people very fruitful,

25

nations.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

3

tell of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name;

more numerous than their foes,

whose hearts He turned to hate His people,

26

to conspire against His servants.

He sent Moses His servant,

27

4

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD

and Aaron, whom He had chosen.

rejoice.

Seek out the LORD and His strength;

5

seek His face always.

Remember the wonders He has done,

They performed His miraculous signs among

28

them,

and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness, and it became dark—

c

6

His marvels, and the judgments He has

29

yet they defied His words.

pronounced,

7

O offspring of His servant Abraham,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God;

8

His judgments carry throughout the earth.

He remembers His covenant forever,

9

the word He ordained for a thousand

generations—

10

11

the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

12

“I will give you the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

13

When they were few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in the land,

14

they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

15

He let no man oppress them;

He rebuked kings on their behalf:

16

“Do not touch My anointed ones!
Do no harm to My prophets!”
 a

17

18

He called down famine on the land
and cut off all their supplies
He sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.

 of food.

19

They bruised his feet with shackles
and placed his neck in irons,

until his prediction came true

20

and the word of the LORD proved him

right.

21

The king sent and released him;

the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household,

a 16

ruler over all his substance,
b 22

staff

to bind

c 28

He turned their waters to blood
and caused their fish to die.
Their land teemed with frogs,

30

31

even in their royal chambers.
He spoke, and insects swarmed—

32

gnats throughout their country.

He gave them hail for rain,

33

with lightning throughout their land.

He struck their vines and fig trees

34

and shattered the trees of their country.

He spoke, and the locusts came—

35

young locusts without number.

They devoured every plant in their land

36

and consumed the produce of their soil.
Then He struck all the firstborn in their land,

37

the firstfruits of all their vigor.

38

He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and none among His tribes stumbled.

Egypt was glad when they departed,

39

for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.

He spread a cloud as a covering

40

and a fire to light up the night.
They asked, and He brought quail

41

and satisfied them with the bread of

heaven.

He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
For He remembered His holy promise

42

43

to Abraham His servant.

He brought forth His people with rejoicing,

44

His chosen with shouts of joy.
He gave them the lands of the nations,

that they might inherit the fruit of others’

labor,

for had they not defied His words?

Hebrew

LXX and Syriac; MT

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

554    |    Psalm 105:45

45

16

that they might keep His statutes

 a

and obey His laws.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 106
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good

1

 b

Hallelujah!

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
2
His loving devotion endures forever.
Who can describe the mighty acts of the

3

LORD

or fully proclaim His praise?

Blessed are those who uphold justice,

who practice righteousness at all times.

4

Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your

5

people;

In the camp they envied Moses,

17

as well as Aaron, the holy one of the

LORD.

18

The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it covered the assembly of Abiram.
Then fire blazed through their company;

19

 d

flames consumed the wicked.

20

At Horeb

 they made a calf
 e
and worshiped a molten image.

21

They exchanged their Glory

for the image of a grass-eating ox.

22

They forgot God their Savior,

who did great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,

23

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

So He said He would destroy them—
had not Moses His chosen one

visit me with Your salvation,

24

stood before Him in the breach

that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen

to divert His wrath from destroying them.

ones,

6

and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
and give glory with Your inheritance.

We have sinned like our fathers;

7

we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your

wonders

or remember Your abundant kindness;
c

but they rebelled by the sea,
8
there at the Red Sea.

25

They despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe His promise.

They grumbled in their tents

26

and did not listen to the voice of the

LORD.
 f

27

So He raised His hand and swore

to cast them down in the wilderness,

to disperse

 their offspring among the

28

nations

and scatter them throughout the lands.

Yet He saved them for the sake of His name,

29

They yoked themselves to Baal of Peor

9

to make His power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
He led them through the depths as

10

through a desert.

He saved them from the hand that hated

them;

11

He redeemed them from the hand of the

enemy.

The waters covered their foes;
not one of them remained.
Then they believed His promises

12

13

and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.

So they provoked the LORD to anger with

30

their deeds,

and a plague broke out among them.

31

32

But Phinehas stood and intervened,
and the plague was restrained.
It was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.

 g

At the waters of Meribah

 they angered the

LORD,

33

and trouble came to Moses because of

h

and sang His praise.

them.

14

Yet they soon forgot His works

and failed to wait for His counsel.
They craved intensely in the wilderness

15

and tested God in the desert.

So He granted their request,

a 45
c 7

but sent a wasting disease upon them.
b 1
Hallelu YAH
d 19
the Sea of Reeds

Praise the LORD

34

For they rebelled against His Spirit,

and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.

35

They did not destroy the peoples

as the LORD had commanded them,

Hallelu YAH

but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.

Praise the LORD

Or

Or

h 33

, meaning

e 20
their glorious God
; also in verses 9 and 22
they provoked His Spirit

f 27

cast down

Or
That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing

; also in verse 48

g 32 Meribah

cause to fall

quarreling

, meaning

Mount Sinai
17:7.
Or

Or

Or

 or

 means

; see Exodus

36

43

Psalm 106:48    |    555

37

They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

38

They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to demons.

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.
They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their

39

40

deeds.

So the anger of the LORD burned against His

41

people,

and He abhorred His own inheritance.

He delivered them into the hand of the

nations,

42

and those who hated them ruled over

them.

Their enemies oppressed them

Many times He rescued them,

44

but they were bent on rebellion
and sank down in their iniquity.

45

Nevertheless He heard their cry;
He took note of their distress.

And He remembered His covenant with them,

46

and relented by the abundance of His

loving devotion.

47

He made them objects of compassion
to all who held them captive.

Save us, O LORD our God,

and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to Your holy name,

48

that we may glory in Your praise.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

and subdued them under their hand.

Hallelujah!

BOOK V
Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
(Matt. 8:23–27 ;  Mark 4:35–41 ;  Luke 8:22–25)

1

2

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

3

whom He has redeemed from the hand of

20

the enemy
and gathered from the lands,
a

from east and west, from north and

south.

4

Some wandered in desert wastelands,

5

finding no path to a city in which to dwell.

They were hungry and thirsty;

6

their soul fainted within them.

17

Fools, in their rebellious ways,

18

and through their iniquities, suffered

affliction.
They loathed all food

19

and drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their

trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

21

He sent forth His word and healed them;

He rescued them from the Pit.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His

22

loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.
Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare His works with rejoicing.

23

Then they cried out to the LORD in their

24

Others went out to sea in ships,

7

trouble,

and He delivered them from their distress.

He led them on a straight path

8

to reach a city where they could live.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His

9

loving devotion

conducting trade on the mighty waters.

25

26

They saw the works of the LORD,
and His wonders in the deep.
For He spoke and raised a tempest
that lifted the waves of the sea.

They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk

and His wonders to the sons of men.

27

to the depths;

For He satisfies the thirsty

10

and fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of

11

death,

prisoners in affliction and chains,

because they rebelled against the words of

12

God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.

He humbled their hearts with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to

13

help.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their

14

trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness and the

15

shadow of death

their courage melted in their anguish.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards,

b

28

and all their skill was useless.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their

29

trouble,

and He brought them out of their distress.

 c

30

He calmed the storm to a whisper,

and the waves of the sea
They rejoiced in the silence,

 were hushed.

31

and He guided them to the harbor they

desired.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His

32

loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the

people

and praise Him in the council of the elders.

34

He turns rivers into deserts,

springs of water into thirsty ground,

and fruitful land into fields of salt,

and broke away their chains.

33

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His

16

loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.
For He has broken down the gates of bronze

a 3
c 29

north and the sea

and cut through the bars of iron.

b 27

their waves

Hebrew
DSS; MT

Or

 or

and all their wisdom was swallowed up

and they were at their wits’ end
because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

Psalm 109:15    |    557

35

10

36

He turns a desert into pools of water

11

Who will bring me to the fortified city?

and a dry land into flowing springs.

He causes the hungry to settle there,

Who will lead me to Edom?
Have You not rejected us, O God?

37

that they may establish a city in which to

12

Will You no longer march out, O God, with

dwell.

our armies?

38

They sow fields and plant vineyards

13

Give us aid against the enemy,

that yield a fruitful harvest.

39

40

He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
He does not let their herds diminish.
When they are decreased and humbled
by oppression, evil, and sorrow,
He pours out contempt on the nobles

41

and makes them wander in a trackless

wasteland.

42

But He lifts the needy from affliction

and increases their families like flocks.

The upright see and rejoice,

43

and all iniquity shuts its mouth.

Let him who is wise pay heed to these things
and consider the loving devotion of the

LORD.   Psalm 108
Israel’s Kingdom Blessing
(Psalm 57:1–11 ;  Psalm 60:1–12)

 A song. A Psalm of David.

1

My heart is steadfast, O God;
a

2

I will sing and make music with all my

being.

Awake, O harp and lyre!

3

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;

4

I will sing Your praises among the

peoples.

For Your loving devotion extends beyond the

heavens,

5

and Your faithfulness reaches to the

clouds.

6

7

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
Respond and save us with Your right hand,
that Your beloved may be delivered.

 b

for the help of man is worthless.
With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.

Psalm 109
The Song of the Slandered

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

2

O God of my praise,
be not silent.

For wicked and deceitful mouths open

3

against me;

they speak against me with lying tongues.

They surround me with hateful words

4

and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me,

5

but I am a man of prayer.
They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.

6

7

Set over him a wicked man;

let an accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,

and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

c

8

May his days be few;

9

may another take his position.

10

May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.

 d

May his children wander as beggars,

11

seeking sustenance

 far from their ruined

homes.

May the creditor seize all he owns,

12

and strangers plunder the fruits of his

labor.

May there be no one to extend kindness to

13

him,

and no one to favor his fatherless children.

May his descendants be cut off;

God has spoken from His sanctuary:

14

may their name be blotted out from the

“I will triumph!

I will parcel out Shechem
8

and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My

9

scepter.
Moab is My washbasin;

next generation.
May the iniquity of his fathers be

remembered before the LORD,

15

and the sin of his mother never be blotted

out.

May their sins always remain before the

LORD,

a 1

upon Edom I toss My sandal;
in His holiness
b 7
with my glory
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
Or

c 8

Or

that He may cut off their memory from

d 10

the earth.

may they be driven

Cited in Acts 1:20

Hebrew; LXX

558    |    Psalm 109:16

16

For he never thought to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy and

17

brokenhearted,
even to their death.
The cursing that he loved,
may it fall on him;

the blessing in which he refused to delight,

18

may it be far from him.

The cursing that he wore like a coat,

19

may it soak into his body like water,
and into his bones like oil.

20

May it be like a robe wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
May this be the LORD’s reward to my

accusers,

21

to those who speak evil against me.

But You, O GOD, the Lord,

deal kindly with me for the sake of Your

name;

22

deliver me by the goodness of Your

loving devotion.

For I am poor and needy;

23

my heart is wounded within me.

I am fading away like a lengthening shadow;

24

I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak from fasting,

25

and my body grows lean and gaunt.
I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their

26

heads.

Help me, O LORD my God;

27

save me according to Your loving

devotion.

28

Let them know that this is Your hand,
that You, O LORD, have done it.
Though they curse, You will bless.

Psalm 110
God’s Faithful Messiah
(Genesis 14:17–24 ;  Hebrews 5:1–10)

 A Psalm of David.

1

The LORD said to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies

 a

2

a footstool for Your feet.”

The LORD extends Your mighty scepter

3

from Zion:

“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

Your people shall be willing
on Your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of

4

the dawn,

to You belongs the dew of Your youth.

The LORD has sworn

and will not change His mind:
 b

“You are a priest forever

5

in the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at Your right hand;

6

He will crush kings in the day of His

wrath.

He will judge the nations, heaping up the

7

dead;

He will crush the leaders far and wide.
He will drink from the brook by the road;
therefore He will lift up His head.

Psalm 111
Majestic Is His Work

1

 c

Hallelujah!

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my

heart

When they rise up, they will be put to

2

in the council of the upright and in the

29

shame,

but Your servant will rejoice.

30

May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;
may they wear their shame like a robe.

With my mouth I will thank the LORD

31

profusely;

assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD;

3

they are pondered by all who delight

in them.

Splendid and majestic is His work;

4

His righteousness endures forever.

I will praise Him in the presence of many.

He has caused His wonders to be

For He stands at the right hand of the

5

remembered;

needy one,

to save him from the condemners of his

a 1

soul.

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

He provides food for those who fear Him;
He remembers His covenant forever.
b 4

Hallelu YAH
Cited in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42–43, Acts 2:34–35, and Hebrews 1:13

Praise the LORD

c 1

Cited in Hebrews 5:6,

Hebrews 7:17, and Hebrews 7:21
beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

, meaning

Or

. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line

6

He has shown His people the power of

His works

7

by giving them the inheritance of the

nations.

The works of His hands are truth and justice;

8

all His precepts are trustworthy.

They are upheld forever and ever,

9

enacted in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people;

10

He has ordained His covenant forever;
holy and awesome is His name.

Psalm 115:1    |    559

Psalm 113
The LORD Exalts the Humble
(1 Samuel 1:1–8)

1

 c

Hallelujah!

2

3

Give praise, O servants of the LORD;
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forevermore.

From where the sun rises to where it sets,

4

the name of the LORD is praised.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

5

wisdom;

all who follow His precepts gain rich

understanding.

Psalm 112
His praise endures forever!
The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 128:1–6)

1

 a

Hallelujah!

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

2

who greatly delights in His
commandments.

His glory above the heavens.

6

7

Who is like the LORD our God,
the One enthroned on high?
He humbles Himself to behold
the heavens and the earth.

He raises the poor from the dust

8

and lifts the needy from the dump

to seat them with nobles,

9

with the princes of His people.

He settles the barren woman in her home
as a joyful mother to her children.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 114
A Psalm of Exodus

His descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be

3

1

blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house,

4

and his righteousness endures forever.
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

6

lends freely,

whose affairs are guided by justice.

Surely he will never be shaken;

7

the righteous man will be remembered

forever.

He does not fear bad news;

8

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the

LORD.

9

His heart is assured; he does not fear,
 b

until he looks in triumph on his foes.
He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;

10

his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

When Israel departed from Egypt,

2

the house of Jacob from a people of

foreign tongue,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,

Israel His dominion.

4

The sea observed and fled;
the Jordan turned back;

the mountains skipped like rams,

5

the hills like lambs.

Why was it, O sea, that you fled,

6

O Jordan, that you turned back,

3

7

O mountains, that you skipped like rams,

O hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth

8

, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

who turned the rock into a pool,

Psalm 115
the flint into a fountain of water!
To Your Name Be the Glory
(Psalm 135:1–21)

The wicked man will see and be grieved;
he will gnash his teeth and waste

1

a 1

away;

Hallelu YAH
the desires of the wicked will perish.
b 9

Praise the LORD

c 1

Not to us, O LORD, not to us,

but to Your name be the glory,

Praise the LORD

Hallelu YAH

Or

, meaning

. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters

of the Hebrew alphabet.

Cited in 2 Corinthians 9:9

Or

, meaning

; also in verse 9

560    |    Psalm 115:2

2

because of Your loving devotion,
because of Your faithfulness.

3

Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”

Our God is in heaven;

He does as He pleases.

4

8

9

14

15

16

5

Their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.

6

They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear;

7

they have noses, but cannot smell;

they have hands, but cannot feel;

a

they have feet, but cannot walk;
they cannot even clear their throats.
Those who make them become like them,

b

as do all who trust in them.

O Israel,

10

 trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!

11

He is their help and shield.

You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!

12

He is their help and shield.

The LORD is mindful of us;

He will bless us.

He will bless the house of Israel;

13

He will bless the house of Aaron;
He will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

May the LORD give you increase,
both you and your children.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

17

The highest heavens belong to the LORD,
but the earth He has given to mankind.

18

It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
nor any who descend into silence.
But it is we who will bless the LORD,

 c

both now and forevermore.

3

The ropes of death entangled me;

4

the anguish of Sheol overcame me;
I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

5

Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“O LORD, deliver my soul!”

6

The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

7

The LORD preserves the simplehearted;
I was helpless, and He saved me.

Return to your rest, O my soul,

8

for the LORD has been good to you.
For You have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from

stumbling.

9

10

11

I will walk before the LORD
d
in the land of the living.
I believed, therefore I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”

12

In my alarm I said,

“All men are liars!”

13

How can I repay the LORD

for all His goodness to me?

14

I will lift the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

15

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all His people.

16

Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints.

Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your

17

maidservant;

You have broken my bonds.

18

I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

19

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all His people,

in the courts of the LORD’s house,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.

 e

Hallelujah!

Psalm 117
Extol Him, All You Peoples

Hallelujah!

Psalm 116
The LORD Has Heard My Voice

1

 f

1

I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—

2

my appeal for mercy.

Because He has inclined His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live.
Hallelu YAH
Hallelu YAH

they cannot utter with their throat
Praise the LORD
Praise the LORD

a 7
c 18
e 19

b 9
d 10
f 1

Literally
Or
Or

, meaning
, meaning

2

Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol Him, all you peoples!

For great is His loving devotion toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures

 g
forever.

Hallelujah!

O house of Israel

therefore I have spoken
g 2

MT; many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac
LXX

Hallelu YAH

; cited in 2 Corinthians 4:13
Or

, meaning

Cited in Romans 15:11

Praise the LORD

Psalm 118
The LORD Is on My Side

1

2

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.

 a

Let Israel

3

 say,

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say,

4

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

Let those who fear the LORD say,

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

5

In my distress I called to the LORD,

 b

6

and He answered and set me free.

 c

The LORD is on my side;

7

 I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The LORD is on my side; He is my helper.

8

Therefore I will look in triumph on those

26

who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

9

than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

10

than to trust in princes.

11

All the nations surrounded me,

Psalm 119:6    |    561

19

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter and give thanks to

20

the LORD.

21

This is the gate of the LORD;

the righteous shall enter through it.

I will give You thanks, for You have answered

22

me,

23

and You have become my salvation.

d
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.

e

24

This is from the LORD,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

25

This is the day that the LORD has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

f

O LORD, save us, we pray.

We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to

prosper!

g

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the

27

LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you.

The LORD is God;

He has made His light to shine upon us.

h

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

28

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords

They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut

12

them off.

They swarmed around me like bees,

but they were extinguished like burning

13

thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

14

I was pushed so hard I was falling,

but the LORD helped me.

15

The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.

to the horns of the altar.

29

You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God, and I will exalt You.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 119
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
 א
ALEPH

1

 i

Blessed

2

 are those whose way is blameless,

Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the

who walk in the Law of the LORD.

tents of the righteous:

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies

3

16

“The right hand of the LORD performs

and seek Him with all their heart.

with valor!

The right hand of the LORD is exalted!

They do no iniquity;

4

they walk in His ways.

17

The right hand of the LORD performs with

You have ordained Your precepts,

5

valor!”

18

I will not die, but I will live

and proclaim what the LORD has done.

The LORD disciplined me severely,

a 2

but He has not given me over to death.
the house of Israel
The LORD is with me
b 6
the head of the corner
d 22

that we should keep them diligently.

Oh, that my ways were committed

6

to keeping Your statutes!
Then I would not be ashamed
c 6

when I consider all Your commandments.

The Lord is my helper

LXX
e 23
13:6

Hebrew

Or

Cited in Hebrews
; cited in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7

; also in verse 7; LXX

save, we pray

save now

hosia-na

f 25
g 26

h 27

Cited in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11
Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:9, and John 12:13.
19:38, and John 12:13
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.

Hebrew
Cited in Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke

Join in the festal procession with boughs in hand, up to the horns of the altar.

, meaning

This

 or

Or

i 1

; see Matthew 21:9,

562    |    Psalm 119:7

7

27

I will praise You with an upright heart

8

when I learn Your righteous judgments.

28

Make clear to me the way of Your precepts;
then I will meditate on Your wonders.

I will keep Your statutes;

do not utterly forsake me.

ב
BETH

9

10

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;
do not let me stray from Your

11

commandments.

12

I have hidden Your word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.

13

Blessed are You, O LORD;
teach me Your statutes.

14

With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments of Your mouth.
I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies

15

as much as in all riches.

16

I will meditate on Your precepts

and regard Your ways.
I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

ג
GIMEL

17

18

Deal bountifully with Your servant,

that I may live and keep Your word.

19

Open my eyes that I may see

wondrous things from Your law.

I am a stranger on the earth;

20

do not hide Your commandments from

me.

21

My soul is consumed with longing
for Your judgments at all times.

You rebuke the arrogant—

22

the cursed who stray from Your

commandments.
Remove my scorn and contempt,

23

for I have kept Your testimonies.

24

Though rulers sit and slander me,

29

My soul melts with sorrow;

strengthen me according to Your word.

30

Remove me from the path of deceit

and graciously grant me Your law.

31

I have chosen the way of truth;

I have set Your ordinances before me.

32

I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD;

let me not be put to shame.

I run in the path of Your commandments,
ה
HE

for You will enlarge my heart.

33

34

Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,

and I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding that I may obey Your

a

35

law,

and follow it with all my heart.

36

Direct me in the path of Your
commandments,
for there I find delight.

37

Turn my heart to Your testimonies

and not to covetous gain.

b

38

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

revive me with Your word.

39

Establish Your word to Your servant,
to produce reverence for You.

40

Turn away the disgrace I dread,
for Your judgments are good.

How I long for Your precepts!

Revive me in Your righteousness.

ו
WAW

41

May Your loving devotion come to me,

42

O LORD,

Your salvation, according to Your promise.

43

Then I can answer him who taunts,

for I trust in Your word.

Never take Your word of truth from my

Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

44

mouth,

Your testimonies are indeed my delight;

ד
they are my counselors.
DALETH

25

26

My soul cleaves to the dust;

revive me according to Your word.

I recounted my ways, and You answered me;

a 33

keep them as my reward
teach me Your statutes.

b 37

for I hope in Your judgments.

45

I will always obey Your law,

forever and ever.

46

And I will walk in freedom,

for I have sought Your precepts.

47

I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,

and I will not be ashamed.
I delight in Your commandments

because I love them.

in Your way

Or

Two MT manuscripts and DSS; most MT manuscripts

48

67

I lift up my hands to Your commandments,

68

Before I was afflicted, I went astray;

Psalm 119:84    |    563

which I love,

and I meditate on Your statutes.

ז
ZAYIN

49

50

Remember Your word to Your servant,

upon which You have given me hope.

51

This is my comfort in affliction,

that Your promise has given me life.

52

The arrogant utterly deride me,

but I do not turn from Your law.
I remember Your judgments of old,

53

O LORD,

and in them I find comfort.

Rage has taken hold of me

54

because of the wicked who reject Your

law.

55

Your statutes are songs to me

in the house of my pilgrimage.

56

In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name,

that I may keep Your law.

This is my practice,

for I obey Your precepts.

ח
HETH

57

58

The LORD is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words.
I have sought Your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to Your

59

promise.
I considered my ways

60

and turned my steps to Your testimonies.

61

I hurried without hesitating

to keep Your commandments.

62

Though the ropes of the wicked bind me,

I do not forget Your law.

63

64

At midnight I rise to give You thanks
for Your righteous judgments.
I am a friend to all who fear You,

and to those who keep Your precepts.
The earth is filled with Your loving devotion,

O LORD;

ט
teach me Your statutes.
TETH

65

but now I keep Your word.

69

You are good, and You do what is good;

teach me Your statutes.

Though the arrogant have smeared me with

70

lies,

 a

I keep Your precepts with all my heart.

71

Their hearts are callous and insensitive,

but I delight in Your law.

72

It was good for me to be afflicted,

that I might learn Your statutes.

The law from Your mouth is more precious to

me

than thousands of pieces of gold and
י
YODH

silver.

73

Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

74

give me understanding to learn Your

commandments.

75

May those who fear You see me and rejoice,

for I have hoped in Your word.

I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are

righteous,

76

and that in faithfulness You have afflicted

me.

May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray,

77

according to Your promise to Your

servant.

May Your compassion come to me, that I may

78

live,

for Your law is my delight.

May the arrogant be put to shame for
subverting me with a lie;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
May those who fear You turn to me,

79

80

those who know Your testimonies.

May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
כ
KAPH

that I may not be put to shame.

81

82

My soul faints for Your salvation;

I wait for Your word.

83

My eyes fail, looking for Your promise;
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
Though I am like a wineskin dried up by

84

smoke,

 b

66

You are good to Your servant, O LORD,

I do not forget Your statutes.

according to Your word.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
fat
for I believe in Your commandments.

How many are the days of Your servant?

b 84

a 70

How many days must Your servant wait?

When will You execute judgment on my

persecutors?

Or

Or

564    |    Psalm 119:85

85

The arrogant have dug pits for me

86

in violation of Your law.

All Your commandments are faithful;

87

I am persecuted without cause—help me!

They almost wiped me from the earth,

88

but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
Revive me according to Your loving devotion,
that I may obey the testimony of Your
ל
LAMEDH

mouth.

89

90

Your word, O LORD, is everlasting;
it is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all

91

generations;

a

You established the earth, and it endures.

Your ordinances stand to this day,

92

for all things are servants to You.
If Your law had not been my delight,
then I would have perished in my

93

affliction.

I will never forget Your precepts,

94

for by them You have revived me.

I am Yours; save me,

95

for I have sought Your precepts.

The wicked wait to destroy me,

96

but I will ponder Your testimonies.

I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but Your commandment is without
מ
MEM

limit.

97

Oh, how I love Your law!

98

All day long it is my meditation.

Your commandments make me wiser than

99

my enemies,

for they are always with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers,

100

for Your testimonies are my meditation.

101

I discern more than the elders,
for I obey Your precepts.

נ
NUN

105

106

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed

107

that I will keep Your righteous judgments.

108

I am severely afflicted, O LORD;
revive me through Your word.

Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O

109

LORD,

and teach me Your judgments.

110

I constantly take my life in my hands,

yet I do not forget Your law.

111

The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from Your precepts.

112

Your testimonies are my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

I have inclined my heart to perform Your

statutes,

even to the very end.  ס

SAMEKH

113

114

The double-minded I despise,

but Your law I love.

115

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I put my hope in Your word.
Depart from me, you evildoers,

116

that I may obey the commandments of

my God.

117

Sustain me as You promised, that I may live;

let me not be ashamed of my hope.

118

Uphold me, and I will be saved,

that I may always regard Your statutes.
You reject all who stray from Your statutes,

119

for their deceitfulness is in vain.

All the wicked on earth You discard like

120

dross;

therefore I love Your testimonies.

My flesh trembles in awe of You;

I stand in fear of Your judgments.

ע
AYIN

102

I have kept my feet from every evil path,

121

that I may keep Your word.

103

I have not departed from Your ordinances,

122

I have done what is just and right;

for You Yourself have taught me.

104

How sweet are Your words to my taste—

sweeter than honey in my mouth!

I gain understanding from Your precepts;
therefore I hate every false way.
They stand this day according to Your ordinances

a 91

do not leave me to my oppressors.

123

Ensure Your servant’s well-being;

do not let the arrogant oppress me.
My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation,

and for Your righteous promise.

Or

124

Deal with Your servant according to Your

125

loving devotion,

and teach me Your statutes.

126

I am Your servant; give me understanding,

that I may know Your testimonies.

127

It is time for the LORD to act,

for they have broken Your law.

Therefore I love Your commandments

128

more than gold,

even the purest gold.

Therefore I admire all Your precepts

and hate every false way.

 פ
PE

129

130

Wonderful are Your testimonies;

therefore I obey them.

131

The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it informs the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,

132

longing for Your commandments.

133

Turn to me and show me mercy,

as You do to those who love Your name.

134

Order my steps in Your word;

let no sin rule over me.

135

Redeem me from the oppression of man,

that I may keep Your precepts.

136

Make Your face shine upon Your servant,

and teach me Your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears

because Your law is not obeyed.

 צ
TZADE

137

138

Righteous are You, O LORD,

and upright are Your judgments.

The testimonies You have laid down are

139

righteous

and altogether faithful.
My zeal has consumed me

140

because my foes forget Your words.

141

Your promise is completely pure;
therefore Your servant loves it.

142

I am lowly and despised,

but I do not forget Your precepts.

143

Your righteousness is everlasting

and Your law is true.

Psalm 119:163    |    565

ק
KOPH

145

I call with all my heart; answer me,

146

O LORD!

I will obey Your statutes.

147

I call to You; save me,

148

that I may keep Your testimonies.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
in Your word I have put my hope.

149

My eyes anticipate the watches of night,
that I may meditate on Your word.

Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your

150

loving devotion;

give me life according to Your justice.
Those who follow after wickedness draw

151

near;

they are far from Your law.

152

You are near, O LORD,

and all Your commandments are true.
Long ago I learned from Your testimonies
ר
that You have established them forever.
RESH

153

154

Look upon my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten Your law.

155

Defend my cause and redeem me;

revive me according to Your word.

156

Salvation is far from the wicked

because they do not seek Your statutes.

157

Great are Your mercies, O LORD;

158

revive me according to Your ordinances.
Though my persecutors and foes are many,
I have not turned from Your testimonies.

159

I look on the faithless with loathing

because they do not keep Your word.

Consider how I love Your precepts,

O LORD;

160

give me life according to Your loving

devotion.

The entirety of Your word is truth,

and all Your righteous judgments endure
 ש
SIN and SHIN

forever.

161

162

Rulers persecute me without cause,

but my heart fears only Your word.

144

Trouble and distress have found me,

163

I rejoice in Your promise

but Your commandments are my delight.

like one who finds great spoil.

Your testimonies are righteous forever.

I hate and abhor falsehood,

Give me understanding, that I may live.

but Your law I love.

566    |    Psalm 119:164

164

165

Seven times a day I praise You

for Your righteous judgments.

Abundant peace belongs to those who love

166

Your law;

nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for Your salvation, O LORD,

167

and I carry out Your commandments.

168

I obey Your testimonies
and love them greatly.

I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies,
ת
TAW

for all my ways are before You.

169

May my cry come before You, O LORD;

170

give me understanding according to Your

word.

171

May my plea come before You;

rescue me according to Your promise.

172

My lips pour forth praise,

for You teach me Your statutes.

173

My tongue sings of Your word,

for all Your commandments are righteous.

174

175

May Your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
and Your law is my delight.

176

Let me live to praise You;

may Your judgments sustain me.

I have strayed like a lost sheep;

seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten

Your commandments.

Psalm 120
In My Distress I Cried to the LORD

 A song of ascents.

1

In my distress I cried to the LORD,

2

and He answered me.
Deliver my soul, O LORD,

from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

3

What will He do to you,

4

and what will be added to you,
O deceitful tongue?

5

Sharp arrows will come from the warrior,
with burning coals of the broom tree!

Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,

6

that I live among the tents of Kedar!

Too long have I dwelt

7

among those who hate peace.

I am in favor of peace;

a 6

be secure
but when I speak, they want war.

security

b 7

Or

Or

Psalm 121
I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills
 A song of ascents.

1

2

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

4

He will not allow your foot to slip;

your Protector will not slumber.

Behold, the Protector of Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

3

5

7

6

The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is the shade on your right hand.

The sun will not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

8

The LORD will guard you from all evil;

He will preserve your soul.

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.

1

2

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

3

Our feet are standing in your gates,

O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built up

4

as a city united together,

where the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

as a testimony for Israel,
5

to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

6

For there the thrones of judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
a

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

7

“May those who love you prosper.
 b
May there be peace within your walls,

8

and prosperity

 inside your fortresses.”

9

For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the LORD

our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 123
I Lift Up My Eyes to You

 A song of ascents.

1

I lift up my eyes to You,

the One enthroned in heaven.

2

4

Psalm 127:5    |    567

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

3

until He shows us mercy.

4

Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy,
for we have endured much contempt.

We have endured much scorn from the

arrogant,

Psalm 124
much contempt from the proud.
Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD

 A song of ascents. Of David.

1

If the LORD had not been on our side—

2

let Israel now declare—

if the LORD had not been on our side

3

when men attacked us,

when their anger flared against us,

4

then they would have swallowed us alive,

then the floods would have engulfed us,

5

then the torrent would have overwhelmed

us,

then the raging waters

6

would have swept us away.

Blessed be the LORD,

7

who has not given us as prey to their

teeth.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

5

and to the upright in heart.

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.

1

a

When the LORD restored the captives of

b

2

Zion,

we were like dreamers.

Then our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
3

“The LORD has done great things for

them.”

4

The LORD has done great things for us;

we are filled with joy.

c

Restore our captives,

5

 O LORD,

like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow in tears

6

will reap with shouts of joy.

He who goes out weeping,
bearing a trail of seed,

will surely return with shouts of joy,

carrying sheaves of grain.

Psalm 127
Children Are a Heritage from the LORD

 A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

We have escaped like a bird from the

8

snare of the fowler;

1

the net is torn, and we have slipped away.

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.

1

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount

2

Zion.

It cannot be moved; it abides forever.

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,

Unless the LORD builds the house,

its builders labor in vain;
unless the LORD protects the city,
2

its watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for bread to eat—
3

for He gives sleep to His beloved.

Children are indeed a heritage from the

4

LORD,

and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

5

so are children born in one’s youth.

Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

He will not be put to shame

so that the righteous will not put forth

a 1
c 4

brought back the captives to Zion
their hands to injustice.
Restore our fortunes

restored the fortunes of Zion

when he confronts the enemies at the
like those restored to health

b 1
gate.

 or

Or

Or
Or

568    |    Psalm 128:1

Psalm 128
The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 112:1–10)

2

 A song of ascents.

3

O Lord, hear my voice;

let Your ears be attentive to my plea for

mercy.

1

2

Blessed are all who fear the LORD,

who walk in His ways!

3

For when you eat the fruit of your labor,

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
flourishing within your house,

your sons like olive shoots
4

sitting around your table.

5

In this way indeed shall blessing come
to the man who fears the LORD.

May the LORD bless you from Zion,

that you may see the prosperity of

6

Jerusalem

all the days of your life,

that you may see

your children’s children.
Psalm 129
The Cords of the Wicked

Peace be upon Israel!

 A song of ascents.

1

Many a time they have persecuted me from

2

my youth—

let Israel now declare—

many a time they have persecuted me from

3

my youth,

but they have not prevailed against me.

4

The plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.

The LORD is righteous;

5

He has cut me from the cords of the

wicked.

6

May all who hate Zion

be turned back in shame.

7

8

May they be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it can grow,
unable to fill the hands of the reaper,

or the arms of the binder of sheaves.

May none who pass by say to them,

“The blessing of the LORD be on you;
Psalm 130
we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
Out of the Depths
 A song of ascents.

4

5

If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,
then who, O Lord, could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be feared.

6

I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait,
and in His word I put my hope.

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,

8

for with the LORD is loving devotion,
and with Him is redemption in abundance.

And He will redeem Israel

from all iniquity.  Psalm 131

I Have Stilled My Soul

 A song of ascents. Of David.

1

My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty.
I do not aspire to great things
2
or matters too lofty for me.

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.

1

2

3

O LORD, remember on behalf of David
all the hardships he endured,
how he swore an oath to the LORD,

and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

4

“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,

I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,

5

6

 b
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.

”

a

1

Out of the depths

a 5

for the God of Jacob
I cry to You, O LORD!

7

We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.

Let us go to His dwelling place;

b 6

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah

let us worship at His footstool.

LXX

; see Acts 7:46.

Literally

8

9

Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.

May Your priests be clothed with

10

righteousness,

and Your saints shout for joy.
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:

a

12

“One of your descendants

I will place on your throne.
If your sons keep My covenant

and the testimony I will teach them,
then their sons will also sit on your throne

13

forever and ever.”

14

For the LORD has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His home:

“This is My resting place forever and ever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired this

15

home.

16

17

I will bless her with abundant provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will sing out in joy.
There I will make a horn grow for David;

18

I have prepared a lamp for My

anointed one.

I will clothe his enemies with shame,

Psalm 133
but the crown upon him will gleam.”
How Pleasant to Live in Harmony!
(1 Corinthians 1:10–17 ;  Ephesians 4:1–16)

 A song of ascents. Of David.

1

Psalm 135:15    |    569

who serve by night
2

in the house of the LORD!

Lift up your hands to the sanctuary

3

and bless the LORD!

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and

earth,

Psalm 135
bless you from Zion.
Give Praise, O Servants of the LORD
(Psalm 115:1–18)

1

 b

Hallelujah!

Praise the name of the LORD.

2

Give praise, O servants of the LORD,

who stand in the house of the LORD,

3

in the courts of the house of our God.

Hallelujah, for the LORD is good;

4

sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob as His own,
Israel as His treasured possession.

5

6

For I know that the LORD is great;
our Lord is above all gods.

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

8

storehouses.

He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

9

of both man and beast.

He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

2

10

Egypt,

when brothers live together in harmony!

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

It is like fine oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down Aaron’s beard
3

over the collar of his robes.

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.

1

Come, bless the LORD,

11

He struck down many nations

and slaughtered mighty kings:

Sihon king of the Amorites,

12

Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.

13

He gave their land as an inheritance,
as a heritage to His people Israel.

Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
Your renown, O LORD, through all

14

 c

generations.

For the LORD will vindicate His people

15

and will have compassion on His servants.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
b 1

made by the hands of men.

Hallelu YAH

all you servants of the LORD

“From the fruit of your body I will set (one) on your throne.
will judge His people

c 14

a 11
Praise the LORD
Literally

; also in verses 3 and 21

Or

 Cited in Acts 2:30
; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30.

Or

, meaning

570    |    Psalm 135:16

16

14

17

They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear;

18

nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them,

19

as do all who trust in them.

O house of Israel, bless the LORD;

20

O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

O house of Levi, bless the LORD;

21

you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!

Blessed be the LORD from Zion—
He who dwells in Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

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

and led Israel through the midst,

His loving devotion endures forever.

15

 b

but swept

 Pharaoh and his army into the
His loving devotion endures forever.

Red Sea.

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.

Psalm 137
By the Rivers of Babylon
(Ezekiel 1:1–3)

the moon and stars to govern the night.

His loving devotion endures forever.

1

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

His loving devotion endures forever.
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
 a

13

His loving devotion endures forever.
 in two

He divided the Red Sea
the Sea of Reeds

a 13

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
 c

2

when we remembered Zion.

There on the willows

3

we hung our harps,

for there our captors requested a song;

our tormentors demanded songs of joy:

4

“Sing us a song of Zion.”

How can we sing a song of the LORD

5

in a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

b 15

shook off

c 2

poplars

may my right hand cease to function.

Or

; also in verse 15

Hebrew

Or

6

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

7

if I do not exalt Jerusalem
as my greatest joy!

Remember, O LORD,

the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem

fell:

“Destroy it,” they said,

8

“tear it down to its foundations!”

O Daughter of Babylon,

doomed to destruction,
blessed is he who repays you
9
as you have done to us.

Blessed is he who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart

 Of David.

1

I give You thanks with all my heart;

2

before the gods I sing Your praises.
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
3

and Your word above all else.
On the day I called, You answered me;

a

4

You emboldened me and strengthened my

soul.

All the kings of the earth will give You thanks,

5

O LORD,

when they hear the words of Your mouth.

6

They will sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

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,
8

and Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will fulfill

His purpose for me.

Psalm 139:18    |    571

Psalm 139
You Have Searched Me and Known Me

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

O LORD, You have searched me

2

and known me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

3

You understand my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down;

4

You are aware of all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
You hem me in behind and before;

5

6

You have laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?

8

Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;

9

if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

10

11

12

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,

and the light become night around me”—

even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines like the day,
 b
for darkness is as light to You.

13

For You formed my inmost being;

14

You knit me together in my mother’s

womb.

I praise You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

15

Marvelous are Your works,

and I know this very well.

My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,

16

when I was woven together

in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all my days were written in Your book

and ordained for me

17

before one of them came to be.

c

How precious to me are Your thoughts,

18

O God,

how vast is their sum!

If I were to count them,

O LORD, Your loving devotion endures

they would outnumber the grains of sand;

forever—

do not abandon the works of Your hands.
b 13
You emboldened me with strength in my soul

a 3
concerning me

and when I awake,
my kidneys       c 17

I am still with You.

How amazing are Your thoughts

Or

Hebrew

Or

572    |    Psalm 139:19

19

11

20

O God, that You would slay the wicked—
a

away from me, you bloodthirsty men—

who speak of You deceitfully;

21

Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,
and detest those who rise against You?

22

23

I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them as my enemies.

24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 140
Rescue Me from Evil Men

 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1

Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men.

2

Protect me from men of violence,

3

who devise evil in their hearts
and stir up war all day long.

b

They sharpen their tongues like snakes;
the venom of vipers is on their lips.

Selah

4

Guard me, O LORD,

from the hands of the wicked.
Keep me safe from men of violence
5

who scheme to make me stumble.

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

7

I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.

May no slanderer be established in the land;

12

may calamity hunt down the man of

violence.

I know that the LORD upholds justice for the

13

poor

and defends the cause of the needy.
Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
Psalm 141
the upright will dwell in Your presence.
Come Quickly to Me
(Psalm 70:1–5)

 A Psalm of David.

1

I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me.

2

Hear my voice when I call to You.
May my prayer be set before You like

incense;

3

my uplifted hands, like the evening

offering.

4

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.
Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil

thing

or take part in works of wickedness

with men who do iniquity;

5

let me not feast on their delicacies.

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.

6

For my prayer is ever against the deeds of

the wicked.

When their rulers are thrown down from the

cliffs,

7

the people will listen to my words,
for they are pleasant.

8

O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;

8

As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
so our bones have been scattered at the

mouth of Sheol.

do not promote their evil plans,
lest they be exalted.

9

Selah

But my eyes are fixed on You,

O GOD the Lord.
In You I seek refuge;
9

c

May the heads of those who surround me

10

be covered in the trouble their lips have

do not leave my soul defenseless.

Keep me from the snares they have laid for

caused.

May burning coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into the fire,
into the miry pits, never to rise again.

10

me,

and from the lures of evildoers.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.

Your enemies take Your cities in vain

a 20
b 3

Your enemies take in vain

Your enemies bear up in vain

Hebrew

 or

Cited in Romans 3:13

Or

 or

c 8

do not pour out my life

do not give me over to death
; LXX

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.

1

2

I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

3

I pour out my complaint before Him;

I reveal my trouble to Him.

Psalm 144:7    |    573

7

Answer me quickly, O LORD;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide Your face from me,
8

or I will be like those who descend to the

Pit.

Let me hear Your loving devotion in the

morning,

for I have put my trust in You.
Teach me the way I should walk,
9
for to You I lift up my soul.

b

Although my spirit grows faint within me,

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD;

10

You know my way.
Along the path I travel
4

they have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see;
no one attends to me.
There is no refuge for me;
5

no one cares for my soul.

6

I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry,

for I am brought quite low.
Rescue me from my pursuers,
7

for they are too strong for me.

Free my soul from prison,

that I may praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because of Your goodness to me.

Psalm 143
I Stretch Out My Hands to You

 A Psalm of David.

1

O LORD, hear my prayer.

In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea;
in Your righteousness, answer me.
Do not bring Your servant into judgment,

for no one alive is righteous before You.

For the enemy has pursued my soul,
crushing my life to the ground,

making me dwell in darkness
4
like those long since dead.
My spirit grows faint within me;

my heart is dismayed inside me.

2

3

5

I remember the days of old;

6

I meditate on all Your works;
I consider the work of Your hands.

I stretch out my hands to You;

my soul thirsts for You like a parched

Selah

land.

a 1 Maskil
b 9

I flee to You for refuge.
Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God.

May Your good Spirit lead me

11

on level ground.

For the sake of Your name, O LORD,

revive me.

12

In Your righteousness,

bring my soul out of trouble.

And in Your loving devotion,

cut off my enemies.
Destroy all who afflict me,
for I am Your servant.

Psalm 144
Blessed Be the LORD, My Rock

 Of David.

1

Blessed be the LORD, my Rock,

2

who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

He is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer.
He is my shield, in whom I take refuge,

 c

who subdues peoples

 under me.

3

4

O LORD, what is man, that You regard him,
the son of man that You think of him?

5

Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing shadow.

Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;

6

touch the mountains, that they may

smoke.

Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them;

7

shoot Your arrows and rout them.

Reach down from on high;

set me free and rescue me

from the deep waters,

from the grasp of foreigners,

in You I take cover

c 2

 is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
subdues my people

LXX and one Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts

Many Hebrew

manuscripts, DSS, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts

574    |    Psalm 144:8

8

8

9

whose mouths speak falsehood,

whose right hands are deceitful.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in loving

9

I will sing to You a new song, O God;

10

on a harp of ten strings I will make music

to You—

to Him who gives victory to kings,

11

who frees His servant David from the

deadly sword.
Set me free and rescue me

from the grasp of foreigners,
whose mouths speak falsehood,

12

whose right hands are deceitful.

Then our sons will be like plants

13

nurtured in their youth,
our daughters like corner pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
Our storehouses will be full,

14

supplying all manner of produce;
our flocks will bring forth thousands,
tens of thousands in our fields.

a

Our oxen will bear great loads.

There will be no breach in the walls,

no going into captivity,

15

and no cry of lament in our streets.

Blessed are the people of whom this is so;
blessed are the people whose God is

the LORD.  Psalm 145

I Will Exalt You, My God and King

 A Psalm of praise. Of David.b

1

I will exalt You, my God and King;

2

I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You,

3

and I will praise Your name forever and

ever.

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;

4

His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation will commend Your works to

5

the next,

and will proclaim Your mighty acts—

the glorious splendor of Your majesty.

6

And I will meditate on Your wondrous

works.

3

They will proclaim the power of Your

7

awesome deeds,

and I will declare Your greatness.
They will extol the fame of Your abundant

a 14

goodness

Our chieftains will be firmly established
and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
c 13

b 1

devotion.
The LORD is good to all;

10

His compassion rests on all He has made.

All You have made will give You thanks,

11

O LORD,

and Your saints will bless You.

12

They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom

and speak of Your might,

to make known to men Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your

13

kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and Your dominion endures through all

generations.

c

14

The LORD is faithful in all His words

and kind in all His actions.

15

The LORD upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

16

The eyes of all look to You,

and You give them their food in season.

You open Your hand

17

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

18

The LORD is righteous in all His ways

and kind in all His deeds.

19

The LORD is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call out to Him in truth.

20

He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;

21

He hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD preserves all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will declare the praise of the

LORD;

let every creature bless His holy name
Psalm 146
forever and ever.
Praise the LORD, O My Soul

1

 d

Hallelujah!

2

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praises to my God while I have

my being.

Put not your trust in princes,

4

in mortal man, who cannot save.
When his spirit departs, he returns to the

ground;

on that very day his plans perish.

Or

Hallelu YAH

d 1
successive letters of the Heb. alphabet.

Praise the LORD

This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the
The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS.

Or

, meaning

; also in verse 10

5

11

Psalm 148:6    |    575

6

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

7

the sea, and everything in them.
He remains faithful forever.

  8

He executes justice for the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free,
the LORD opens the eyes of the

blind,

the LORD lifts those who are weighed down,
9

the LORD loves the righteous.

The LORD protects foreigners;

The LORD is pleased with those who

12

fear Him,

who hope in His loving devotion.

13

Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion!

For He strengthens the bars of your

gates

14

and blesses the children within

you.

He makes peace at your borders;

He fills you with the finest wheat.

15

He sends forth His command to the

10

He sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.

16

earth;

His word runs swiftly.

The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all

generations.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 147
It Is Good to Sing Praises

1

 a

Hallelujah!

2

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

3

He gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

4

and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars;

5

He calls them each by name.

6

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding has no limit.

The LORD sustains the humble,

but casts the wicked to the ground.

7

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

8

make music on the harp to our God,

who covers the sky with clouds,

9

who prepares rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the hills.

He provides food for the animals,

10

and for the young ravens when they call.

He does not delight in the strength

of the horse;

He takes no pleasure in the legs
Hallelu YAH

a 1
He has not made known to them His judgments
, meaning
e 1

Praise the LORD

of a man.

Or

See Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:10, and Luke 19:38.

He spreads the snow like wool;

b
He scatters the frost like ashes;
He casts forth His hail like pebbles.

17

18

Who can withstand His icy blast?

He sends forth His word and melts

them;

19

He unleashes His winds, and the

waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,

20

His statutes and judgments to

Israel.

c
He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know His judgments.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 148
Praise the LORD from the Heavens
(Psalm 33:1–22)

1

 d

Hallelujah!

e
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
2
praise Him in the highest places.

Praise Him, all His angels;

3

praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

Praise Him, O sun and moon;

4

praise Him, all you shining stars.

Praise Him, O highest heavens,

5

and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for He gave the command and they

6

were created.

He established them forever and ever;
He issued a decree that will never
like morsels

like crumbs

c 20

pass away.

b 17

d 1

Hallelu YAH

; also in verse 20
Or

Or

, meaning

Praise the LORD
 or

MT; DSS and LXX

; also in verse 14

576    |    Psalm 148:7

7

4

Praise the LORD from the earth,

8

all great sea creatures and ocean

depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

9

powerful wind fulfilling His word,

10

mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

11

crawling creatures and flying

birds,

12

kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth,

13

young men and maidens,

old and young together.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for His name alone is exalted;
His splendor is above the earth and

14

the heavens.

He has raised up a horn for His people,

the praise of all His saints,
of Israel, a people near to Him.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 149
Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 98:1–9 ;  Isaiah 42:10–17)

1

 a

Hallelujah!

Sing to the LORD a new song—

2

His praise in the assembly of the godly.

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

3

let the children of Zion rejoice in their

King.

Let them praise His name with dancing,

and make music to Him with tambourine

and harp.

For the LORD takes pleasure in His

5

people;

He adorns the afflicted with salvation.

Let the saints exult in glory;

6

let them shout for joy upon their

beds.

May the high praises of God be in their

7

mouths,

and a double-edged sword in their hands,

8

to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,

to bind their kings with chains

9

and their nobles with shackles of iron,

to execute the judgment written against

them.

This honor is for all His saints.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 150
Let Everything That Has Breath
Praise the LORD

1

 b

Hallelujah!

c

Praise God in His sanctuary.
2

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

praise Him for His excellent greatness.

3

4

5

Praise Him with the sound of the horn;
praise Him with the harp and lyre.
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
praise Him with strings and flute.

6

Praise Him with clashing cymbals;

praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the

LORD!

Hallelujah!

b 1

Hallelu YAH

Praise the LORD

a 1
c 1

Hallelu YAH
in the expanse of His might

Praise the LORD

in the firmament of His might

Or
Or

, meaning

; also in verse 9

Or

, meaning

; also in verse 6

 or

; see also Genesis 1:6–8.

Proverbs

The Beginning of Knowledge  (Prov. 9:1–12)

18

1

 These are the proverbs of Solomon son of

2

David,
king of Israel,

for gaining wisdom and discipline,

3

for comprehending words of insight,
and for receiving instruction in wise living

 a

4

and in righteousness, justice, and equity.

To impart prudence to the simple

5

and knowledge and discretion to the

young,

let the wise listen and gain instruction,

6

and the discerning acquire wise counsel
by understanding the proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

 b
knowledge,

The Enticement of Sin

but fools

 despise wisdom and discipline.

8

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and do not forsake the teaching of your

9

mother.

For they are a garland of grace on your head

10

and a pendant around your neck.

11

My son, if sinners entice you,
do not yield to them.

If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for

12

blood,

let us ambush the innocent without cause,

let us swallow them alive like Sheol,

13

and whole like those descending into the

Pit.

14

We will find all manner of precious goods;
we will fill our houses with plunder.

Throw in your lot with us;

15

let us all share one purse”—

my son, do not walk the road with them

16

or set foot upon their path.

17

For their feet run to evil,

and they are swift to shed blood.

How futile it is to spread the net
simple
where any bird can see it!
fool

a 4
b 7

19

But they lie in wait for their own blood;

they ambush their own lives.
Such is the fate of all who are greedy,

whose unjust gain takes the lives of its

Wisdom Calls Aloud
possessors.

20

21

Wisdom calls out in the street,

 c

she lifts her voice in the square;

in the main concourse

 she cries aloud,

22

at the city gates she makes her speech:

“How long, O simple ones, will you love your

simple ways?

How long will scoffers delight in their

23

scorn

and fools hate knowledge?
If you had repented at my rebuke,

then surely I would have poured out my

spirit on you;

24

I would have made my words known

to you.

25

Because you refused my call,

and no one took my outstretched hand,

26

because you neglected all my counsel,
and wanted none of my correction,

27

in turn I will mock your calamity;

I will sneer when terror strikes you,

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;

29

they will earnestly seek me, but will not

find me.

30

For they hated knowledge

31

and chose not to fear the LORD.
They accepted none of my counsel;
they despised all my reproof.

32

So they will eat the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
For the waywardness of the simple will slay

them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy

them.

c 21

from the top of the wall

The Hebrew word rendered
The Hebrew words rendered as

 in Proverbs refers to one who is naive, without moral direction, or inclined to evil.
 in Proverbs denote one who is morally deficient.

Or

578    |    Proverbs 1:33

33

21

But whoever listens to me will dwell in

22

For the upright will inhabit the land,

safety,
The Benefits of Wisdom

secure from the fear of evil.”

2

2

 My son, if you accept my words
and hide my commandments within you,

3

if you incline your ear to wisdom

3

2

and direct your heart to understanding,

and the blameless will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart
and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my
commandments;

if you truly call out to insight

4

and lift your voice to understanding,

if you seek it like silver

5

and search it out like hidden treasure,
then you will discern the fear of the LORD
and discover the knowledge of God.

6

For the LORD gives wisdom;

7

from His mouth come knowledge and

understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk with

8

integrity,

to guard the paths of justice

9

and protect the way of His saints.

Then you will discern righteousness

10

and justice and equity—every good path.

11

For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will delight your soul.

12

Discretion will watch over you,

and understanding will guard you,

13

to deliver you from the way of evil,

14

from the man who speaks perversity,
from those who leave the straight paths
to walk in the ways of darkness,

15

from those who enjoy doing evil

and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

whose paths are crooked

16

and whose ways are devious.

a

It will rescue you from the forbidden

 b

17

woman,
from the stranger

 with seductive words

18

who abandons the partner of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God.

c

19

For her house sinks down to death,

and her tracks to the departed spirits.

20

None who go to her return

or negotiate the paths of life.

3

for they will add length to your days,
years and peace to your life.

 d

Never let loving devotion
leave you;

 or faithfulness

4

bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will find favor and high regard

5

in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

6

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

7

and He will make your paths straight.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

8

 e

fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

 f

9

This will bring healing to your body
 to your bones.

and refreshment

10

Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your crops;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will overflow with new

11

wine.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the

 g

12

LORD,

and do not loathe His rebuke;

for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,
as does a father the son in whom he

h

The Blessings of Wisdom
delights.

13

14

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who acquires understanding,

15

for she is more profitable than silver,

and her gain is better than fine gold.

16

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire compares with her.

17

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

18

All her ways are pleasant,

and all her paths are peaceful.

So you will follow in the ways of the good,
wayward wife
and keep to the paths of the righteous.

adulteress

b 16

c 18

a 16

Or
faithfulness
here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
when He rebukes
, and

loyalty to a covenant
h 12

, as well as

mercy

Or

Hebrew

e 8

to the Rephaim

loving devotion

d 3

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,
and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
kindness
 are translated
and do not lose heart
,
,
,

navel
; the range of meaning includes

Forms of the Hebrew

goodness

medicine

chesed

g 11

love

f 8

and He flogs every son He receives

.

Hebrew

Or

LXX

; cited in Hebrews 12:5

LXX

; cited in Hebrews 12:6

19

5

The LORD founded the earth by wisdom

Get wisdom, get understanding;

20

and established the heavens by

6

do not forget my words or turn from

understanding.

them.

By His knowledge the watery depths were

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve

Proverbs 4:24    |    579

21

broken open,

and the clouds dripped with dew.

My son, do not lose sight of this:
Preserve sound judgment and

22

discernment.
They will be life to your soul

23

and adornment to your neck.

24

Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.

25

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

26

Do not fear sudden danger

or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

27

for the LORD will be your confidence

 a
and will keep your foot from the snare.

28

Do not withhold good from the deserving
when it is within your power to act.

Do not tell your neighbor,

“Come back tomorrow and I will

29

provide”—

30

when you already have the means.
Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
for he trustfully dwells beside you.

31

Do not accuse a man without cause,
when he has done you no harm.

32

Do not envy a violent man

33

or choose any of his ways;
for the LORD detests the perverse,
but He is a friend to the upright.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the

34

wicked,

but He blesses the home of the righteous.

b

35

He mocks the mockers,

but gives grace to the humble.

The wise will inherit honor,

A Father’s Instruction

but fools are held up to shame.

4

2

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.

For I give you sound teaching;

3

do not abandon my directive.

When I was a son to my father,

4

tender and the only child of my mother,

he taught me and said,

a 27

“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
b 34
keep my commands and you will live.

from its owners
c 7

And whatever else you acquire

Or
1 Peter 5:5

Or

LXX

7

you;

love her, and she will guard you.
c
Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.
 gain

And whatever you may acquire,

8

understanding.

Prize her, and she will exalt you;

9

if you embrace her, she will honor you.
She will set a garland of grace on your head;
she will present you with a crown of

10

beauty.”

11

Listen, my son, and receive my words,

and the years of your life will be many.

12

I will guide you in the way of wisdom;
I will lead you on straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be

13

impeded;

when you run, you will not stumble.

14

Hold on to instruction; do not let go.

Guard it, for it is your life.

15

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked

or walk in the way of evildoers.

16

Avoid it; do not travel on it.

Turn from it and pass on by.

For they cannot sleep
unless they do evil;

17

they are deprived of slumber

18

until they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

The path of the righteous is like the first

gleam of dawn,

19

shining brighter and brighter until

midday.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest

gloom;

20

they do not know what makes them

stumble.

21

My son, pay attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.

22

Do not lose sight of them;

keep them within your heart.

23

For they are life to those who find them,

24

and health to the whole body.
Guard your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow springs of life.
Put away deception from your mouth;

keep your lips from perverse speech.
; cited in James 4:6 and

The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble

580    |    Proverbs 4:25

25

19

26

Let your eyes look forward;

a
fix your gaze straight ahead.

27

Make a level path for your feet,

and all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

Avoiding Immorality
turn your feet away from evil.
(Leviticus 20:10–21 ;  1 Corinthians 5:1–8)

5

 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my insight,
that you may maintain discretion

 b

2

3

and your lips may preserve knowledge.

Though the lips of the forbidden woman
 c
drip honey
and her speech

 is smoother than oil,

4

5

in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
d

Her feet go down to death;

6

her steps lead straight to Sheol.
She does not consider the path of life;

7

she does not know that her ways are

unstable.

So now, my sons, listen to me,

8

and do not turn aside from the words of

my mouth.

9

Keep your path far from her;

do not go near the door of her house,

10

lest you concede your vigor to others,
and your years to one who is cruel;

lest strangers feast on your wealth,

11

and your labors enrich the house of a

foreigner.

12

At the end of your life you will groan

when your flesh and your body are spent,

13

and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

and my heart despised reproof!

14

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

or incline my ear to my mentors.

I am on the brink of utter ruin

15

in the midst of the whole assembly.”

16

Drink water from your own cistern,

and running water from your own well.
Why should your springs flow in the streets,

17

your streams of water in the public

squares?
Let them be yours alone,

18

never to be shared with strangers.

May your fountain be blessed,

A loving doe, a graceful fawn—

 e

may her breasts satisfy you always;
may you be captivated
 by her love

20

forever.

 f

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress,

21

or embrace the bosom of a stranger?
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the

 g

22

LORD,

and the LORD examines

 all his paths.

The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him;

23

the cords of his sin entangle him.

He dies for lack of discipline,
Warnings against Foolishness

led astray by his own great folly.

6

 My son, if you have put up security for

your neighbor,

2

if you have struck hands in pledge with

a stranger,

if you have been trapped by the words of

3

your lips,

ensnared by the words of your mouth,

then do this, my son, to free yourself,

for you have fallen into your neighbor’s

h

hands:
Go, humble yourself,

4

and press your plea with your neighbor.

Allow no sleep to your eyes

5

or slumber to your eyelids.

i

Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of

6

the hunter,

like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

7

Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker;
observe its ways and become wise.

Without a commander,

8

without an overseer or ruler,
it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food at harvest.

9

How long will you lie there, O slacker?

10

When will you get up from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,

11

a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a

12

robber,

and need like a bandit.

13

A worthless person, a wicked man,
walks with a perverse mouth,

winking his eyes, speaking with his feet,

and pointing with his fingers.
f 20
; cited in Hebrews 12:13

a foreign woman
of the hunter

Or

b 3

the adulteress
another

and may you rejoice in the wife of your
Ponder the path for your feet
d 5

youth:

her palate

e 19

lay hold of Sheol
; LXX
makes level

Make straight paths for your feet

be led astray

a 26
c 3
Or
man’s wife
Or

g 21

ponders
Or

Or

 or

h 3

hasten

Or

Or

i 5
; also in verse 20

Or
Hebrew does not include

 or

.

14

31

15

With deceit in his heart he devises evil;

he continually sows discord.

Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold;

32

he must give up all the wealth of his

Therefore calamity will come upon him

house.

Proverbs 7:16    |    581

suddenly;

in an instant he will be shattered beyond

recovery.

16

There  are  six  things  that  the  LORD  hates,

17

seven that are detestable to Him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,
18
hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

19
feet that run swiftly to evil,

a false witness who gives false

testimony,

Warnings against Adultery

and one who stirs up discord among
brothers.

20

My son, keep your father’s commandment,

21

and do not forsake your mother’s

teaching.

22

Bind them always upon your heart;
tie them around your neck.

When you walk, they will guide you;

when you lie down, they will watch over

23

you;

when you awake, they will speak to you.

For this commandment is a lamp, this

teaching is a light,

24

and the reproofs of discipline are the way

to life,

to keep you from the evil woman,
a
from the smooth tongue of the

25

33

He who commits adultery lacks judgment;
whoever does so destroys himself.
Wounds and dishonor will befall him,

34

and his reproach will never be wiped

away.

For jealousy enrages a husband,

35

and he will show no mercy in the day of

vengeance.

He will not be appeased by any ransom,

Warnings about the Adulteress
or persuaded by lavish gifts.

7

2

My son, keep my words
and treasure my commandments within

you.

 d
Keep my commandments and live;
guard my teachings as the apple

3

 of your

eye.

Tie them to your fingers;

4

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”

5

and call understanding your kinsman,
that they may keep you from the adulteress,
from the stranger with seductive words.

6

7

For at the window of my house
I looked through the lattice.

I saw among the simple,

I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking judgment,
crossing the street near her corner,

8

9

strolling down the road to her house,

10

at twilight, as the day was fading
into the dark of the night.

adulteress.

b

Then a woman came out to meet him,

26

Do not lust in your heart for her beauty
c
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
For the levy of the prostitute is poverty,

27

and the adulteress preys upon your very

life.

28

Can a man embrace fire

and his clothes not be burned?

29

Can a man walk on hot coals

without scorching his feet?

So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;

30

no one who touches her will go

unpunished.

Men do not despise the thief

a 24

b 25
the stranger
if he steals to satisfy his hunger.

eyelids

eyelashes

c 26

11

with the attire of a harlot and cunning of

heart.

12

She is loud and defiant;

her feet do not remain at home.
Now in the street, now in the squares,

13

she lurks at every corner.
She seizes him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him:

14

15

“I have made my peace offerings;
today I have paid my vows.

16

So I came out to meet you;

I sought you, and I have found you.
I have decked my bed with coverings,
a crust of bread
with colored linen from Egypt.

the pupil

d 2

Or

Or

 or

Literally

Literally

582    |    Proverbs 7:17

17

12

18

I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,

with aloes, and with

 cinnamon.

13

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.

19

Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.

To fear the LORD is to hate evil;

Let us delight in loving caresses!

20

For my husband is not at home;

he has gone on a long journey.
He took with him a bag of money

21

14

I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and

perverse speech.

Counsel and sound judgment are mine;

15

I have insight and strength.

and will not return till the moon is full.”

By me kings reign,

16

22

With her great persuasion she entices him;
with her flattering lips she lures him.

23

He follows her on impulse,

a
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding into a trap,

until an arrow pierces his liver,

24

like a bird darting into a snare—
not knowing it will cost him his life.

25

Now, my sons, listen to me,

and attend to the words of my mouth.
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;

26

do not stray into her paths.

and rulers enact just laws;

c

By me princes rule,

17

and all nobles who govern justly.

I love those who love me,

18

and those who seek me early shall find

me.

With me are riches and honor,

19

enduring wealth and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, pure gold,

20

and my harvest surpasses choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness,

21

along the paths of justice,

27

For she has brought many down to death;

her slain are many in number.

bestowing wealth on those who love me
d
and making their treasuries full.

22

at the entrances she cries out:

water.

Her house is the road to Sheol,

The Excellence of Wisdom

descending to the chambers of death.

8

2

 Does not wisdom call out,
and understanding raise her voice?

On the heights overlooking the road,

3

at the crossroads she takes her stand.

Beside the gates to the city,

4

“To you, O men, I call out,

5

and my cry is to the sons of men.

b

6

O simple ones, learn to be shrewd;
O fools, gain understanding.
Listen, for I speak of noble things,

7

and the opening of my lips will reveal

right.

For my mouth will speak the truth,

8

and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

29

All the words of my mouth are righteous;

9

none are crooked or perverse.
They are all plain to the discerning,

10

and upright to those who find knowledge.

11

Receive my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
For wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire compares with

a 22

her.

who govern the earth

d 22

The LORD created me as His first course,

23

before His works of old.

From everlasting I was established,

24

from the beginning, before the earth

began.

When there were no watery depths, I was

brought forth,

25

when no springs were overflowing with

Before the mountains were settled,

26

before the hills, I was brought forth,

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

28

the deep,

when He established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep gushed

forth,

when He set a boundary for the sea,

so that the waters would not surpass His

command,

30

when He marked out the foundations of

the earth.

 e

Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side,

Prob. reading (see LXX, Vulgate, Syriac); Heb.

mss. and LXX

Or

Or

Or

like fetters to discipline a fool

The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way

and His delight
c 16
rejoicing always in His presence.

 day by day,
instruct your minds
e 30

b 5

filled with His delight
Some Heb.

31

32

I was rejoicing in His whole world,

delighting together in the sons of men.

33

Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,

Proverbs 10:11    |    583

The Way of Folly

13

14

The woman named Folly is loud;

she is naive and knows nothing.

for blessed are those who keep my ways.

15

She sits at the door of her house,

34

Listen to instruction and be wise;

do not ignore it.

Blessed is the man who listens to me,

35

watching daily at my doors,
waiting at the posts of my doorway.

36

For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains the favor of the LORD.
But he who fails to find me harms himself;

The Way of Wisdom
(Proverbs 1:1–7)

all who hate me love death.”

9

2

 a

 Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved out

 her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat and mixed her

3

wine;

she has also set her table.

She has sent out her maidservants;

4

she calls out from the heights of the city.

5

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
she says to him who lacks judgment.

“Come, eat my bread

6

and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave your folly behind, and you will live;
walk in the way of understanding.”

7

He who corrects a mocker brings shame on

himself;

8

he who rebukes a wicked man taints

himself.

9

Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;

10

teach a righteous man, and he will

increase his learning.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

wisdom,

11

and knowledge of the Holy One is
 b

understanding.

For through wisdom

 your days will be

12

multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise to your own

advantage;

on a seat in the heights of the city,

16

calling out to those who pass by,

who make their paths straight.

17

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
she says to him who lacks judgment.

18

“Stolen water is sweet,

 c

and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”

But they do not know that the dead

are there,

Solomon’s Proverbs: The Wise Son

that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

10

The proverbs of Solomon:

2

A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.

Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing,

3

but righteousness brings deliverance

from death.

The LORD does not let the righteous go

4

hungry,

but He denies the craving of the wicked.

5

6

7

Idle hands make one poor,

but diligent hands bring wealth.

He who gathers in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a

disgraceful son.

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals

d

violence.

8

The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.

9

A wise heart will receive commandments,

but foolish lips will come to ruin.

He who walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who perverts his ways will be

found out.

e

10

11

He who winks the eye causes grief,
and foolish lips will come to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of

life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals

a 1
c 18
will fall

but if you scoff, you alone will bear the
has set up

consequences.

b 11

the Rephaim

d 6

but violence covers the mouth of the wicked

violence.

through me
babbling fools

e 10

Hebrew; LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum
Hebrew

Or

LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum; Hebrew

; also in verse 11

Or

584    |    Proverbs 10:12

12

Hatred stirs up dissension,

13

but love covers all transgressions.

30

29

a

The way of the LORD is a refuge to the

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,

15

but the mouth of the fool invites

destruction.

The wealth of the rich man is his fortified

16

city,

but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

The labor of the righteous leads to life,
but the gain of the wicked brings

17

punishment.

Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to

18

life,

but he who ignores reproof goes astray.

19

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

20

When words are many, sin is unavoidable,
but he who restrains his lips is wise.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked has little

21

worth.

22

The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.

23

The blessing of the LORD enriches,
and He adds no sorrow to it.

upright,

but destruction awaits those who do evil.

31

The righteous will never be shaken,

but the wicked will not inhabit the land.

The mouth of the righteous brings forth

32

wisdom,

but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.

Dishonest Scales
(Deuteronomy 25:13–16 ;  Ezekiel 45:10–12)

11

 Dishonest scales are an abomination to

2

the LORD,

but an accurate weight is His delight.

3

When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.

The integrity of the upright guides them,

4

but the perversity of the faithless destroys

them.

Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,

5

but righteousness brings deliverance from

death.

The righteousness of the blameless directs

their path,

6

but the wicked fall by their own

wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright delivers

24

The fool delights in shameful conduct,

but a man of understanding has wisdom.

7

What the wicked man dreads will overtake

them,

but the faithless are trapped by their own

desires.

him,

When the wicked man dies, his hope

25

but the desire of the righteous will be

granted.

8

perishes,

and the hope of his strength vanishes.

When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are

26

no more,

but the righteous are secure forever.

9

The righteous man is delivered from trouble;

in his place the wicked man goes in.

With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the

neighbor,

27

eyes,

so is the slacker to those who send him.

10

but through knowledge the righteous are

rescued.

The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

28

but the years of the wicked will be cut

short.

When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish, there are

11

shouts of joy.

The hope of the righteous is joy,

but the expectations of the wicked will

By the blessing of the upright a city is built up,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn

a 12

perish.

See 1 Peter 4:8

down.

12

28

Proverbs 12:11    |    585

17

18

19

20

Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor

lacks judgment,

but a man of understanding remains

silent.

13

A gossip reveals a secret,

14

but a trustworthy person keeps a

30

confidence.

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.

A kind man benefits himself,

but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

The wicked man earns an empty wage,

29

31

He who trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

He who brings trouble on his house will

inherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of

heart.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the

 a

Loving Discipline and Knowledge

sinner!

12

 Whoever loves discipline loves

2

knowledge,

but he who hates correction is stupid.

The good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a man who

devises evil.

3

but he who sows righteousness reaps a

A man cannot be established through

true reward.

Genuine righteousness leads to life,

4

wickedness,

but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

but the pursuit of evil brings death.

A wife of noble character is her husband’s

The perverse in heart are an abomination to

crown,

the LORD,

5

but she who causes shame is like decay in

but the blameless in their walk are His

his bones.

delight.

The plans of the righteous are just,

21

7

8

9

Be assured that the wicked will not go

6

unpunished,

but the offspring of the righteous will

escape.

22

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

23

but the counsel of the wicked leads to

deceit.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues

them.

is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

The wicked are overthrown and perish,

The desire of the righteous leads only to

good,

but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.

24

but the house of the righteous will stand.

A man is praised according to his wisdom,

but a twisted mind is despised.

One gives freely, yet gains even more;

Better to be lightly esteemed yet have a

25

another withholds what is right, only to

become poor.

10

servant,

than to be self-important but lack food.

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

27

sells it.

A righteous man regards the life of his

animal,

11

but the tender mercies of the wicked are

only cruelty.

The one who works his land will have plenty

of food,

He who searches out good finds favor,

but whoever chases fantasies lacks

a 31

If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

but evil will come to him who seeks it.

judgment.

LXX

  Cited in 1 Peter 4:18

586    |    Proverbs 12:12

12

13

The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.

3

things,

but the desire of the faithless is violence.

An evil man is trapped by his rebellious

He who guards his mouth protects his life,

14

speech,

but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

4

but the one who opens his lips invites his

own ruin.

By fruitful speech a man is filled with good

The slacker craves yet has nothing,

15

things,

and the work of his hands returns to him.

5

but the soul of the diligent is fully

satisfied.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

The righteous hate falsehood,

but a wise man listens

 to counsel.

but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

6

16

18

19

20

22

25

26

27

28

17

A fool’s anger is known at once,

but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

He who speaks the truth declares what is

right,

but a false witness speaks deceit.

8

Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

9

Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who devise

21

evil,

but the counselors of peace have joy.

No harm befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

Lying lips are detestable to the LORD,

12

23

but those who deal faithfully are His

delight.

A shrewd man keeps his knowledge to

24

himself,

but a foolish heart proclaims its folly.

The hand of the diligent will rule,

but laziness ends in forced labor.

Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man,

but a good word cheers it up.

A righteous man is cautious in friendship,
but the ways of the wicked lead them

astray.

A lazy man does not roast his game,

but a diligent man prizes his possession.

There is life in the path of righteousness,

A Father’s Discipline

but another path leads to death.

13

2

 A wise son heeds his father’s discipline,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good

law

a 14

Or

7

Righteousness guards the man of integrity,
but wickedness undermines the sinner.

One pretends to be rich, but has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great

wealth.

Riches may ransom a man’s life,

but a poor man hears no threat.

The light of the righteous shines brightly,

10

but the lamp of the wicked is

extinguished.

Arrogance leads only to strife,

11

but wisdom is with the well-advised.

Dishonest wealth will dwindle,

but what is earned through hard work will

be multiplied.

13

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

He who despises instruction will pay the

penalty,

14

but the one who respects a command will

 a
be rewarded.

15

The teaching

 of the wise is a fountain of life,

turning one from the snares of death.

16

17

Good understanding wins favor,

but the way of the faithless is difficult.

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool displays his folly.

18

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.

Poverty and shame come to him who ignores

19

discipline,

but whoever heeds correction is honored.

Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but turning from evil is detestable to fools.

20

10

Proverbs 14:28    |    587

He who walks with the wise will become

wise,

21

but the companion of fools will be

destroyed.

Disaster pursues sinners,

22

but prosperity is the reward of the

righteous.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his

children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the

righteous.

15

23

Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the

24

poor,

but without justice it is swept away.

He who spares the rod hates his son,

25

but he who loves him disciplines him

diligently.

The Wise Woman

A righteous man eats to his heart’s content,
but the stomach of the wicked is empty.

14

Every wise woman builds her house,
but a foolish one tears it down with her

own hands.

He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD,
but the one who is devious in his ways

despises Him.

The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his

4

back,

but the lips of the wise protect them.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is

empty,

5

but an abundant harvest comes through

the strength of the ox.

An honest witness does not deceive,

but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.

A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to the

discerning.

2

3

6

7

8

14

16

17

18

11

The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares in its joy.

12

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.

13

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way of death.
Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and joy may end in sorrow.

The backslider in heart receives the fill of his

own ways,

but a good man is rewarded for his ways.

The simple man believes every word,

 a

but the prudent man watches his steps.

A wise man fears

 and turns from evil,

but a fool is careless and reckless.

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,

and a devious man is hated.

The simple inherit folly,

19

but the prudent are crowned with

knowledge.

The evil bow before the good,

20

and the wicked at the gates of the

righteous.

21

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
but many are those who love the rich.

He who despises his neighbor sins,

22

but blessed is he who shows kindness to

the poor.

 b

Do not those who contrive evil go astray?
But those who plan goodness find
devotion and faithfulness.

 loving

23

24

25

26

There is profit in all labor,

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the effort of fools is folly.

A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who utters lies is deceitful.

Stay away from a foolish man;

He who fears the LORD is secure in

you will gain no knowledge from his

confidence,

speech.

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his

9

way,

but the folly of fools deceives them.

Fools mock the making of amends,

a 16

fears the LORD
but goodwill is found among the upright.

show

b 22

Or

Or

27

and his children shall have a place of

refuge.

28

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

turning a man from the snares of death.

A large population is a king’s splendor,

but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.

588    |    Proverbs 14:29

29

11

 b

A patient man has great understanding,
but a quick-tempered man promotes

folly.

30

Sheol and Abaddon

 lie open before the

12

LORD—

how much more the hearts of men!

31

A tranquil heart is life to the body,

but envy rots the bones.

A mocker does not love to be reproved,

nor will he consult the wise.

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,

33

but the righteous man has a refuge even in

death.

a

Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;

even among fools she is known.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

A king delights in a wise servant,
A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath

but his anger falls on the shameful.

15

2

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise commends

3

knowledge,

but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.

4

The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
observing the evil and the good.

A soothing tongue is a tree of life,

but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

A fool rejects his father’s discipline,

but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

The house of the righteous has great treasure,

7

but the income of the wicked is

trouble.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge,

but not so the hearts of fools.

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to

9

the LORD,

but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

The LORD detests the way of the wicked,

10

but He loves those who pursue

righteousness.

34

35

5

6

8

13

15

19

21

22

14

A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance,
but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.

A discerning heart seeks knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

All the days of the oppressed are bad,

16

but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

17

Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure with turmoil.

Better a dish of vegetables where there is

18

love

than a fattened ox with hatred.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,

but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

The way of the slacker is like a hedge of

20

thorns,

but the path of the upright is a highway.

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish man despises his mother.

Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding walks a

straight path.

23

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisers they succeed.

24

A man takes joy in a fitting reply—
and how good is a timely word!

25

The path of life leads upward for the wise,
that he may avoid going down to Sheol.

The LORD tears down the house of the proud,

26

but He protects the boundaries of the

widow.

The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but the words of the pure are pleasant

27

to Him.

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

Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the

answer,

path;

but the mouth of the wicked blurts out

a 33

he who hates correction will die.

but among fools she is not known

b 11

evil.
Death and Destruction

Hebrew; LXX and Syriac

Or

29

13

Proverbs 16:31    |    589

30

32

33

2

3

4

5

6

The LORD is far from the wicked,

Righteous lips are a king’s delight,

but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

and he who speaks honestly is beloved.

31

The light of the eyes cheers the heart,

and good news nourishes the bones.

The wrath of a king is a messenger of death,

but a wise man will pacify it.

14

15

He who listens to life-giving reproof

will dwell among the wise.

He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever heeds correction gains

understanding.

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of

wisdom,

The Reply of the Tongue Is from the LORD
and humility comes before honor.

16

The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the reply of the tongue is from the

19

All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes,
but his motives are weighed out by the

LORD.

LORD.

Commit your works to the LORD

and your plans will be achieved.

The LORD has made everything for His

purpose—

16

When a king’s face brightens, there is life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

How much better to acquire wisdom than

gold!

17

To gain understanding is more desirable

than silver.

The highway of the upright leads away from

18

evil;

he who guards his way protects his life.

Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

It is better to be lowly in spirit among the

20

humble

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

a

21

Whoever heeds instruction will find success,
and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

22

The wise in heart are called discerning,

and pleasant speech promotes instruction.

Understanding is a fountain of life to its

even the wicked for the day of disaster.

23

Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable

to the LORD;

be assured that he will not go unpunished.

24

possessor,

but the discipline of fools is folly.

The heart of the wise man instructs his

mouth

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is

atoned for,

7

and by the fear of the LORD one turns

aside from evil.

When a man’s ways please the LORD,

8

He makes even the man’s enemies live at

peace with him.

9

Better a little with righteousness
than great gain with injustice.

A man’s heart plans his course,

10

but the LORD determines his steps.

11

A divine verdict is on the lips of a king;
his mouth must not betray justice.

Honest scales and balances are from the

12

LORD;

all the weights in the bag are His concern.

Wicked behavior is detestable for kings,
for a throne is established through
Whoever speaks prudently will find what is good

a 20

righteousness.

Or

Or

25

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

26

28

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way of death.

27

A worker’s appetite works for him

because his hunger drives him onward.

 b

A worthless man digs up evil,

and his speech

 is like a scorching fire.

29

A perverse man spreads dissension,
and a gossip divides close friends.

A violent man entices his neighbor

30

and leads him down a path that is not

good.

31

He who winks his eye devises perversity;
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.

Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is attained along the path of

b 27

and what is on his lips

righteousness.

590    |    Proverbs 16:32

32

16

He who is slow to anger is better than a

warrior,

17

Why should the fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?

33

and he who controls his temper is greater

than one who captures a city.

The lot is cast into the lap,

Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness

but its every decision is from the LORD.

17

 a

19

A friend loves at all times,

18

and a brother is born for adversity.

A man lacking judgment strikes hands in

pledge

and puts up security for his neighbor.

Better a dry morsel in quietness
than a house full of feasting

 with

He who loves transgression loves strife;
he who builds his gate high invites

     strife.

destruction.

2

5

6

8

9

14

15

A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful

son

3

and share his inheritance as one of the

brothers.

4

A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,
but the LORD is the tester of hearts.

A wicked man listens to evil lips;

a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

He who mocks the poor insults their Maker;
whoever gloats over calamity will not go

unpunished.

7

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of a son is his father.

Eloquent words are unfit for a fool;

how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!

A bribe is a charm to its giver;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

10

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,
but he who brings it up separates friends.

A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment

11

deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a

fool.

An evil man seeks only rebellion;

12

a cruel messenger will be sent against

him.

It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

13

than a fool in his folly.

If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will never leave his house.

To start a quarrel is to release a flood;

20

21

23

The one with a perverse heart finds no good,
and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into

trouble.

22

A man fathers a fool to his own grief;
the father of a fool has no joy.

A joyful heart is good medicine,

 b

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

24

A wicked man takes a covert bribe
to subvert the course of justice.

Wisdom is the focus of the discerning,

25

but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends

of the earth.

26

A foolish son brings grief to his father

and bitterness to her who bore him.

27

It is surely not good to punish the innocent

or to flog a noble for his honesty.
A man of knowledge restrains his words,

28

and a man of understanding maintains a

calm spirit.

Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps

silent,

The Selfishness of the Unfriendly

and discerning when he holds his tongue.

18

 He who isolates himself pursues selfish

2

desires;

he rebels against all sound judgment.

3

A fool does not delight in understanding,

but only in airing his opinions.

4

With a wicked man comes contempt as well,
and shame is accompanied by disgrace.

so abandon the dispute before it breaks

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

out.

5

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling

brook.

 c

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the

righteous—

a 1

both are detestable to the LORD.
sacrifices

a bribe from the bosom

b 23

Showing partiality

 to the wicked is not good,

c 5

nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
Lifting the face

Or

Hebrew

Hebrew

8

9

10

11

6

The Man of Integrity

Proverbs 19:18    |    591

7

A fool’s lips bring him strife,

and his mouth invites a beating.

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare to his soul.

19

 Better a poor man who walks with

2

integrity

than a fool whose lips are perverse.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels

that go down into the inmost being.

3

Even zeal is no good without knowledge,

and he who hurries his footsteps misses

the mark.

the righteous run to it

 and are safe.

Wealth attracts many friends,

Whoever is slothful in his work

is brother to him who destroys.

 a

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

12

A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city;

it is like a high wall in his imagination.
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,

but humility comes before honor.

13

He who answers a matter before he

14

hears it—

this is folly and disgrace to him.

15

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
but who can survive a broken spirit?

A man’s own folly subverts his way,

yet his heart rages against the LORD.

but a poor man is deserted by his friend.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and one who utters lies will not escape.

Many seek the favor of the prince,

and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.

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.

The heart of the discerning acquires

He who acquires wisdom loves himself;

16

knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks it out.

9

one who safeguards understanding will

find success.

17

A man’s gift opens doors for him,

and brings him before great men.

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and one who pours out lies will perish.

The first to state his case seems right

Luxury is unseemly for a fool—

18

until another comes and cross-examines

him.

11

how much worse for a slave to rule over

princes!

19

Casting the lot ends quarrels

and separates strong opponents.

An offended brother is harder to win than a

20

fortified city,

and disputes are like the bars of a castle.

A man’s insight gives him patience,

and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

A foolish son is his father’s ruin,

From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is

14

and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant

filled;

dripping.

with the harvest from his lips he is

Houses and wealth are inherited from

21

satisfied.

22

Life and death are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

23

He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD.

24

The poor man pleads for mercy,

but the rich man answers harshly.

A man of many companions may come to

ruin,

15

fathers,

but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

Laziness brings on deep sleep,

and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

He who keeps a commandment preserves his

17

soul,

but he who is careless in his ways will die.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD,

and He will repay the lender.

but there is a friend who stays closer than

a 10

to Him

a brother.

Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;

do not be party to his death.

Or

4

5

6

7

8

10

12

13

16

18

592    |    Proverbs 19:19

19

6

20

21

22

23

25

26

28

29

3

4

5

A man of great anger must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do so

7

Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,
but who can find a trustworthy man?

again.

Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
that you may be wise the rest of your

days.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,

but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.

The desire of a man is loving devotion;

better to be poor than a liar.

The fear of the LORD leads to life,

24

that one may rest content, without

visitation from harm.

The slacker buries his hand in the dish;

8

The righteous man walks with integrity;
blessed are his children after him.

9

A king who sits on a throne to judge
sifts out all evil with his eyes.

10

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
 b

I am cleansed from my sin”?

11

Differing weights and unequal measures
both are detestable to the LORD.

—

12

Even a young man is known by his actions—
whether his conduct is pure and upright.

13

Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.

he will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;

Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware;
rebuke the discerning man, and he will

14

open your eyes, and you will have plenty

of food.

gain knowledge.

He who assaults his father or evicts his

27

mother

is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

If you cease to hear instruction, my son,
you will stray from the words of

knowledge.

A corrupt witness mocks justice,

and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.

Wine Is a Mocker

Judgments are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.

20

  Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a

“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,

but on the way out, he gloats.

There is an abundance of gold and rubies,

but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

Take the garment of the one who posts
c
security for a stranger;

get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

17

18

Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,
but later his mouth is full of gravel.

Set plans by consultation,

19

and wage war under sound guidance.

 d

20

He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;
 with his lips.

avoid the one who babbles

brawler,

and whoever is led astray by them is not

wise.

2

Whoever curses his father or mother,

21

his lamp will be extinguished in deepest

darkness.

The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;
whoever provokes him forfeits his own

a

An inheritance gained quickly

will not be blessed in the end.

life.

23

Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,

but any fool will quarrel.

The slacker does not plow in season;

Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.
Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD,

and dishonest scales are no good.

at harvest time he looks, but nothing is

A man’s steps are from the LORD,

there.

The intentions of a man’s heart are deep

waters,

25

so how can anyone understand his own

way?

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something

but a man of understanding draws them

rashly,

a 2
d 19

sins against his own soul
out.

the one who is simple

b 10

A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah

only later to reconsider his vows.

c 16

a wayward woman

Literally

Or

Hebrew

Or

15

16

22

24

26

14

Proverbs 21:31    |    593

27

28

A wise king separates out the wicked

 a

and drives the threshing wheel over them.

The spirit

 of a man is the lamp of the LORD,

searching out his inmost being.

 c

15

A gift in secret soothes anger,

and a covert bribe

 pacifies great wrath.

16

Justice executed is a joy to the righteous,
but a terror to the workers of iniquity.

Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a

The man who strays from the path of

29

king;

by these he maintains his throne.

17

understanding

will rest in the assembly of the dead.

30

The glory of young men is their strength,

and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

Lashes and wounds scour evil,
The King’s Heart   (Psalm 21:1–13)

and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.

21

The king’s heart is a waterway in the

2

    hand of the LORD;

He directs it where He pleases.

3

All a man’s ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

To do righteousness and justice

4

is more desirable to the LORD than

sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart—

the guides of the wicked—are sin.

6

The plans of the diligent bring plenty,
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Making a fortune by a lying tongue

is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.

The violence of the wicked will sweep them

8

away

because they refuse to do what is just.

The way of a guilty man is crooked,

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Better to live on a corner of the roof

He who loves pleasure will become poor;

18

the one who loves wine and oil will never

be rich.

The wicked become a ransom for the

19

righteous,

and the faithless for the upright.

Better to live in the desert

20

than with a contentious and ill-tempered

wife.

Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling

21

of the wise,

but a foolish man consumes them.

He who pursues righteousness and loving

22

devotion

finds life, righteousness, and honor.

A wise man scales the city of the mighty

23

and pulls down the stronghold in which

they trust.

24

He who guards his mouth and tongue

keeps his soul from distress.

Mocker is the name of the proud and

25

arrogant man—

of him who acts with excessive pride.

26

The craving of the slacker kills him

because his hands refuse to work.

All day long he covets more,

27

but the righteous give without restraint.

than to share a house with a quarrelsome

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—

wife.

The soul of the wicked man craves evil;

28

how much more so when brought with ill

intent!

his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

A lying witness will perish,

When a mocker is punished, the simple gain

29

wisdom;

but the man who listens to truth will

d

speak forever.

and when a wise man is instructed, he

acquires knowledge.

 b

A wicked man hardens his face,

30

but the upright man makes his way sure.

 considers the house of

There is no wisdom, no understanding, no

The Righteous One
the wicked

and brings the wicked to ruin.

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
c 14
he too shall cry out and receive no answer.

The righteous one

speech

breath

b 12

a 27

31

counsel

that can prevail against the LORD.

A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
puts up a bold front

but victory is of the LORD.
a bribe in the bosom

d 29

Or

 or

Or

Hebrew

Or

5

7

9

10

11

12

13

594    |    Proverbs 22:1

A Good Name

22

 A good name is more desirable than

2

great riches;

favor is better than silver and gold.

3

The rich and the poor have this in common:
 LORD is Maker of them all.

The

The prudent see danger and take cover,

4

but the simple keep going and suffer the

consequences.

The rewards of humility and the fear of the

5

LORD

are wealth and honor and life.

Thorns and snares lie on the path of the

Thirty Sayings of the Wise

Saying 1

17

Incline your ear and hear the words of the

18

wise—

apply your mind to my knowledge—
for it is pleasing when you keep them within

19

you

20

and they are constantly on your lips.
So that your trust may be in the LORD,
 c
I instruct you today—yes, you.

21

Have I not written for you thirty sayings

about counsel and knowledge,
to show you true and reliable words,

that you may soundly answer those who

Saying 2

sent you?

perverse;

he who guards his soul stays far from

22

them.

6

8

9

10

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.

He who sows injustice will reap disaster,

and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

 b

A generous man

 will be blessed,

for he shares his bread with the poor.

26

23

Do not rob a poor man because he is poor,

and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,

Saying 3

for the LORD will take up their case

and will plunder those who rob them.

24

a

Do not make friends with an angry man,

25

and do not associate with a hot-tempered

man,

or you may learn his ways

Saying 4

and entangle yourself in a snare.

Drive out the mocker, and conflict will

11

depart;

even quarreling and insults will cease.

12

He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips

will have the king for a friend.
The LORD’s eyes keep watch over

knowledge,

13

but He frustrates the words of the

faithless.

The slacker says, “There is a lion outside!

I will be slain in the streets!”

The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he who is under the wrath of the LORD

14

15

will fall into it.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a

child,

16

but the rod of discipline drives it far from

him.

27

Do not be one who gives pledges,
who puts up security for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should your bed be taken from under

Saying 5

you?

28

Saying 6

Do not move an ancient boundary stone
which your fathers have placed.

29

Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will be stationed in the presence of

kings;

True Riches  (1 Timothy 6:17–19 ;  James 5:1–6)
he will not stand before obscure men.

Saying 7

23

 When you sit down to dine with a

 d

2

ruler,

Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or

consider carefully what is set before you,

giving gifts to the rich
will surely lead to poverty.

a 8
He whose eye is good
LXX includes

God blesses a cheerful and generous man, but foolish works will come to an end

c 20

written for you excellent sayings

and put a knife to your throat

if you possess a great appetite.

written for you three times

d 1

b 9
who is before you

Or

 or

; see also 2 Cor. 9:7.

Lit.

Or

a

22

3

Saying 8

Do not crave his delicacies,

for that food is deceptive.

4

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

5

be wise enough to restrain yourself.
When you glance at wealth, it disappears,

Saying 9

for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.

6

7

Do not eat the bread of a stingy man,
and do not crave his delicacies;

b

for he is keeping track,

inwardly counting the cost.
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
8
but his heart is not with you.

You will vomit up what little you have eaten

Saying 10

and waste your pleasant words.

9

Do not speak to a fool,

for he will despise the wisdom of your

Saying 11

words.

10

11

Do not move an ancient boundary stone

or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

for their Redeemer is strong;

Saying 12

He will take up their case against you.

12

Apply your heart to instruction

Saying 13

and your ears to words of knowledge.

13

Do not withhold discipline from a child;

14

although you strike him with a rod, he will

not die.
Strike him with a rod,

Saying 14

and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

15

16

My son, if your heart is wise,

 c

my own heart will indeed rejoice.

My inmost being

 will rejoice

Saying 15

when your lips speak what is right.

17

Do not let your heart envy sinners,

18

but always continue in the fear of the

LORD.

Proverbs 23:35    |    595

Saying 16

19

20

Listen, my son, and be wise,

and guide your heart on the right course.
Do not join those who drink too much wine

21

or gorge themselves on meat.

For the drunkard and the glutton will come

Saying 17

to poverty,

and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

Listen to your father who gave you life,

23

and do not despise your mother when she

is old.

Invest in truth and never sell it—
in wisdom and instruction and

24

understanding.

The father of a righteous man will greatly

rejoice,

25

and he who fathers a wise son will delight

in him.

May your father and mother be glad,

Saying 18

and may she who gave you birth rejoice!

26

27

My son, give me your heart,

and let your eyes delight in my ways.
 d

For a prostitute is a deep pit,

28

and an adulteress

 is a narrow well.

Like a robber she lies in wait

Saying 19

and multiplies the faithless among men.

29

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has contentions? Who has

complaints?

30

Who has needless wounds? Who has

bloodshot eyes?
Those who linger over wine,

31

who go to taste mixed drinks.
Do not gaze at wine while it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.

32

33

34

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your mind will utter perversities.
You will be like one sleeping on the high seas

35

or lying on the top of a mast:
“They struck me, but I feel no pain!

They beat me, but I did not know it!

For surely there is a future,

a 6
d 27

of him whose eye is evil

and your hope will not be cut off.
a foreign woman

a wayward wife

b 7

for as he calculates in his soul, so is he

My kidneys
to search for another drink?”

c 16

When can I wake up

Literally

Or

 or

Or

Hebrew

596    |    Proverbs 24:1

Do Not Envy

Saying 20

24

2

Do not envy wicked men
or desire their company;
for their hearts devise violence,

Saying 21

and their lips declare trouble.

3

By wisdom a house is built

4

and by understanding it is established;

through knowledge its rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful

Saying 22

treasure.

5

a

A wise man is strong,

6

and a man of knowledge enhances his

strength.

Only with sound guidance should you wage

war,

and victory lies in a multitude of

Saying 23

counselors.

7

Wisdom is too high for a fool;

he does not open his mouth in the meeting

Saying 24

place.

8

He who plots evil

9

will be called a schemer.

A foolish scheme is sin,

Saying 25

and a mocker is detestable to men.

10

11

If you faint in the day of distress,
how small is your strength!

Rescue those being led away to death,

12

and restrain those stumbling toward the

slaughter.

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

Saying 26

deeds?

13

Eat honey, my son, for it is good,

and the honeycomb is sweet to your

a 5

taste.

The wise are mightier than the strong

LXX

14

Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your

soul.

If you find it, there is a future for

you,

Saying 27

and your hope will never be cut off.

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;

Saying 28

but the wicked stumble in bad times.

17

Do not gloat when your enemy falls,

18

and do not let your heart rejoice when he

stumbles,

Saying 29

or the LORD will see and disapprove,

and turn His wrath away from him.

19

Do not fret over evildoers,

20

and do not be envious of the wicked.

For the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be

Saying 30

extinguished.

21

My son, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not associate with the

22

rebellious.

For they will bring sudden destruction.

Further Sayings of the Wise

Who knows what ruin they can bring?

23

These also are sayings of the wise:

To show partiality in judgment

24

is not good.

Whoever tells the guilty, “You are

innocent”—

25

peoples will curse him, and nations will

denounce him;

but it will go well with those who convict the

26

guilty,

and rich blessing will come upon them.

An honest answer given

27

is like a kiss on the lips.

Complete your outdoor work and prepare

your field;

after that, you may build your house.

Proverbs 25:28    |    597

28

11

Do not testify against your neighbor without

12

A word fitly spoken

29

cause,

and do not deceive with your lips.

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to

me;

30

I will repay the man according to his

work.”

is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine

13

gold

is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a trustworthy messenger to those who

I went past the field of a slacker

31

and by the vineyard of a man lacking

14

send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

judgment.

32

Thorns had grown up everywhere,
thistles had covered the ground,
and the stone wall was broken down.

33

I observed and took it to heart;

I looked and received instruction:

34

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a

robber,
More Proverbs of Solomon
and need like a bandit.

25

These  are  additional  proverbs  of  Sol-
omon, which were copied by the men of

2
Hezekiah king of Judah:

3

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter
and the glory of kings to search it out.
As the heavens are high and the earth is

4

deep,

so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.

Remove the dross from the silver,

5

and a vessel for a silversmith will come

forth.

Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,

6

and his throne will be established in

23

righteousness.

Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the

7

king,

and do not stand in the place of great men;

for it is better to be told, “Come up here!”

than to be demoted in the presence of the

 a
prince.

Even what
8

 you have seen with your own

eyes,

do not bring hastily to court.

24

26

Otherwise, what will you do in the end
9

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

27

10

Argue your case with your neighbor

without betraying another’s confidence,
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

b 20

Even the one
and your infamy never go away.
Or

on soda

c 22

LXX; Hebrew

a 7

Or
12:20

Like clouds and wind without rain

15

is the man who boasts of gifts never given.

16

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

17

If you find honey, eat just what you need,

lest you have too much and vomit it up.
Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
lest he grow weary and hate you.

18

Like a club or sword or sharp arrow

19

is a man who bears false witness against

his neighbor.

Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint

20

is confidence in a faithless man in time of

trouble.

Like one who removes a garment on a cold

 b

day

21

or vinegar poured on a wound
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

22

and if he is thirsty, give him water to

drink.

c

For in so doing, you will heap burning coals

on his head,

and the LORD will reward you.

As the north wind brings forth rain,

so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

Better to live on a corner of the roof

25

than to share a house with a quarrelsome

wife.

Like cold water to a weary soul

is good news from a distant land.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

is a righteous man who gives way to the

wicked.

28

It is not good to eat too much honey
or to search out one’s own glory.

Like a city whose walls are broken down

For you will heap burning coals on his head

is a man who does not control his temper.

; cited in Romans

598    |    Proverbs 26:1

Similitudes and Instructions

21

26

 Like snow in summer and rain at

2

harvest,

honor does not befit a fool.

Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to

3

rest.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

4

and a rod for the backs of fools!

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,

5

or you yourself will be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,

6

lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking

violence

7

is the sending of a message by the

hand of a fool.
Like lame legs hanging limp

8

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like binding a stone into a sling

9

is the giving of honor to a fool.

Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a

10

drunkard

11

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like an archer who wounds at random
is he who hires a fool or passerby.

a

12

As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly.

Do you see a man who is wise in his own

eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

4

13

15

17

The slacker says, “A lion is in the road!

14

A fierce lion roams the public

square!”

As a door turns on its hinges,

so the slacker turns on his bed.

The slacker buries his hand in the dish;
it wearies him to bring it back to his

16

mouth.

The slacker is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who answer

discreetly.

Like one who grabs a dog by the ears

18

is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel

not his own.

19

Like a madman shooting firebrands

10

and deadly arrows,

Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling

22

strife.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels

23

that go down into the inmost being.

 b

24

Like glaze covering an earthen vessel

are burning

 lips and a wicked heart.
A hateful man disguises himself with his

25

speech,

but he lays up deceit in his heart.

When he speaks graciously, do not believe

26

him,

for seven abominations fill his heart.
Though his hatred is concealed by deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the

27

assembly.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,

28

and he who rolls a stone will have it

roll back on him.

A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
Do Not Boast about Tomorrow  (Jam. 4:13–17)
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

27

2

6

7

9

Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may

      bring.

Let another praise you, and not your own

3

mouth—

a stranger, and not your own lips.

A stone is heavy and sand is a burden,

but aggravation from a fool outweighs

them both.

5

Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood,
but who can withstand jealousy?

Better an open rebuke

than love that is concealed.

The wounds of a friend are faithful,

but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The soul that is full loathes honey,

8

but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is

sweet.

Like a bird that strays from its nest

is a man who wanders from his home.

Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,

and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to

the soul.

20

so is the man who deceives his neighbor

Do not forsake your friend or your father’s

and says, “I was only joking!”

friend,

Without wood, a fire goes out;

a 11

without gossip, a conflict ceases.
Hebrew; LXX

Cited in 2 Peter 2:22

b 23

smooth

and do not go to your brother’s house
in the day of your calamity;

11

better a neighbor nearby

than a brother far away.

12

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so that I can answer him who taunts me.

The prudent see danger and take cover,
but the simple keep going and pay the

13

penalty.

Take the garment of him who posts security

a

14

for a stranger;

get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

Proverbs 28:16    |    599

The Boldness of the Righteous

28

2

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

A land in rebellion has many rulers,
but a man of understanding and
knowledge maintains order.

3

4

A destitute leader who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

5

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law resist them.

If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice

Evil men do not understand justice,

15

early in the morning,

it will be counted to him as a curse.

6

but those who seek the LORD comprehend

fully.

so one man sharpens another.

He who increases his wealth by interest and

A constant dripping on a rainy day

16

and a contentious woman are alike—
restraining her is like holding back the wind
or grasping oil with one’s right hand.

b

As iron sharpens iron,

17

18

Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

19

and he who looks after his master will be

honored.

20

As water reflects the face,

 c
so the heart reflects the true man.

21

Sheol and Abaddon

 are never satisfied;
so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,

22

but a man is tested by the praise accorded

him.

Though you grind a fool like grain with

23

mortar and a pestle,

yet his folly will not depart from him.

24

Be sure to know the state of your flocks,
and pay close attention to your herds;

for riches are not forever,

25

nor does a crown endure to every

generation.

When hay is removed and new growth

26

appears

and the grass from the hills is gathered,

27

the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed

you—

7

Better a poor man who walks with integrity

than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

A discerning son keeps the law,

8

but a companion of gluttons disgraces his

father.

9

usury

lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.
Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the

10

law,

even his prayer is detestable.

He who leads the upright along the path of
evil will fall into his own pit,
but the blameless will inherit what is

11

good.

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

12

but a poor man with discernment sees

through him.

When the righteous triumph, there is great

glory,

13

but when the wicked rise, men hide

themselves.

14

15

16

He who conceals his sins will not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces

d

them will find mercy.

Blessed is the man who is always reverent,
but he who hardens his heart falls into

trouble.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

A leader who lacks judgment is also a great

oppressor,

but he who hates dishonest profit will

sharpens the countenance of a friend
prolong his days.
the LORD

food for your household
and nourishment for your maidservants.
a wayward woman
b 17
Death and Destruction

always fears the LORD

d 14

sharpens the face of another

a 13
c 20

Or
Or

Hebrew
Or

 or

; Hebrew does not include

.

19

21

26

27

600    |    Proverbs 28:17

17

 a

3

A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his

18

the Pit;

let no one support him.

He who walks with integrity will be kept safe,
but whoever is perverse in his ways will

suddenly fall.

The one who works his land will have plenty

of food,

20

but whoever chases fantasies will have his

fill of poverty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but one eager to be rich will not go

unpunished.

To show partiality is not good,

22

yet a man will do wrong for a piece of

 b
bread.

A stingy man

 hastens after wealth

23

and does not know that poverty awaits

him.

He who rebukes a man will later find more

24

favor

than one who flatters with his tongue.

He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It

25

is not wrong,”

is a companion to the man who destroys.

A greedy man stirs up strife,

father,

4

but a companion of prostitutes squanders

his wealth.

 c

By justice a king brings stability to the land,

5

but a man who exacts tribute

 demolishes

it.

6

A man who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his feet.

An evil man is caught by his own sin,

but a righteous one sings and rejoices.

The righteous consider the cause of the poor,
but the wicked have no regard for such

concerns.

Mockers inflame a city,

but the wise turn away anger.

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,

10

there will be raving and laughing with no

resolution.

d

Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man,

but the upright care for his life.

A fool vents all his anger,

but a wise man holds it back.

If a ruler listens to lies,

all his officials will be wicked.

7

8

9

11

12

13

but he who trusts in the LORD will

The poor man and the oppressor have this in

prosper.

He who trusts in himself is a fool,

but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in

need,

28

but he who hides his eyes will receive

16

many curses.

14

common:

The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
A king who judges the poor with fairness—
his throne will be established forever.

15

A rod of correction imparts wisdom,

but a child left to himself disgraces his

mother.

When the wicked come to power, people hide

themselves;

17

When the wicked thrive, rebellion increases;
but the righteous will see their downfall.

but when they perish, the righteous

The Flourishing of the Righteous

flourish.

29

 A man who remains stiff-necked after

much reproof

2

will suddenly be shattered beyond

recovery.

When the righteous flourish, the people

20

rejoice,

18

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will bring delight to your soul.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off

19

restraint;

but blessed is he who keeps the Law.

A servant cannot be corrected by words

alone;

though he understands, he will not

respond.

but when the wicked rule, the people
will be a fugitive until death
but the upright seek his soul

groan.

b 22

a 17
d 10

Do you see a man who speaks in haste?

A man whose eye is evil

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

who taxes heavily

who takes bribes

c 4

Or
Or

Hebrew

Or

 or

22

23

24

25

27

21

 10

Proverbs 30:24    |    601

A servant pampered from his youth

will bring grief in the end.

11

An angry man stirs up dissension,

Do not slander a servant to his master,

or he will curse you, and you will bear the

guilt.

and a hot-tempered man abounds in

There is a generation of those who curse

transgression.

A man’s pride will bring him low,

but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

A partner to a thief hates his own soul;

he receives the oath but does not testify.

The fear of man is a snare,

26

but whoever trusts in the LORD is set

securely on high.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,

but a man receives justice from the LORD.

An unjust man is detestable to the righteous,

The Words of Agur

and one whose way is upright is
detestable to the wicked.

30

These  are  the  words  of  Agur  son  of
Jakeh—the  burden  that  this  man  de-

clared to Ithiel:

a

“I am weary, O God,
2
and worn out.

Surely I am the most ignorant of men,

3

and I lack the understanding of a man.

I have not learned wisdom,

4

and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?

Who has bound up the waters in His cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the

earth?

What is His name, and what is the name of

5

His Son—
surely you know!

Every word of God is flawless;

6

He is a shield to those who take refuge in

Him.

Do not add to His words,

7

lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Two things I ask of You—

8

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from

me.

9

Give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the bread that is my portion.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’

12

their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

There is a generation of those who are pure

13

in their own eyes

and yet unwashed of their filth.

There is a generation—how haughty are

14

their eyes

and pretentious are their glances—

there is a generation whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are knives,

15

devouring the oppressed from the earth
and the needy from among men.

The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.

16

There are three things that are never  satisfied,
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

Sheol,

the barren womb,
land never satisfied with water,
and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

17

As for the eye that mocks a father

and scorns obedience to a mother,
may the ravens of the valley pluck it out

and young vultures devour it.

18

There are three things too wonderful for me,
19

four that I cannot understand:

the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a maiden.

20

This is the way of an adulteress:
She eats and wipes her mouth
and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

21

Under three things the earth trembles, under
22

four it cannot bear up:

a servant who becomes king,

23
a fool who is filled with food,

an unloved woman who marries,
and a maidservant who supplants her
mistress.

24

Or I may become poor and steal,

a 1

declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, but I can prevail.
profaning the name of my God.

Four things on earth are small, yet they are
declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

exceedingly wise:

Or

 (revocalizations); Heb.

b

18

She girds herself

 with strength

602    |    Proverbs 30:25

25

The ants are creatures of little strength,
26
yet they store up their food in the summer;

 a

the rock badgers

 are creatures of little

power, yet they make their homes in the
27
rocks;

the locusts have no king, yet they all

28
advance in formation;

29

and the lizard can be caught in one’s

hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.

There are three things that are stately in their
stride,  and  four  that  are  impressive  in  their
30
walk:

a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to

31
retreat before anything;

a strutting rooster;

a he-goat;

32

and a king with his army around him.

If you have foolishly exalted yourself

33

or if you have plotted evil,
put your hand over your mouth.

For as the churning of milk yields butter,

The Sayings for King Lemuel

and the twisting of the nose draws blood,
so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

31

2

These  are  the  words  of  King  Lemuel—
the burden that his mother taught him:

c

What shall I say,

 O my son?

3

What, O son of my womb?
What, O son of my vows?

Do not spend your strength on women

4

or your vigor on those who ruin kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,

5

6

it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to crave strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what is decreed,
depriving all the oppressed of justice.

Give strong drink to one who is perishing,

7

and wine to the bitter in soul.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,

and remember his misery no more.

8

9

Open your mouth for those with no voice,
for the cause of all the dispossessed.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

and defend the cause of the poor and
the coneys

the hyraxes

b 31

needy.

a 26
d 10
e 17

The Virtues of a Noble Woman

10

 d

11

A wife

 of noble character, who can find?

She is far more precious than rubies.

12

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good and not harm

13

all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax

14

and works with eager hands.

15

She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

She rises while it is still night

16

to provide food for her household
and portions for her maidservants.

17

She appraises a field and buys it;
 e

from her earnings she plants a vineyard.

and shows that her arms are strong.

19

She sees that her gain is good,

and her lamp is not extinguished at night.

20

She stretches out her hands to the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

21

She opens her arms to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

When it snows, she has no fear for her

f

22

household,

for they are all clothed in scarlet.

23

She makes coverings for her bed;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits among the elders of the

24

land.

25

She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchants.

26

Strength and honor are her clothing,

and she can laugh at the days to come.

27

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;

28

29

her husband praises her as well:

“Many daughters have done noble things,

30

but you surpass them all!”

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,

31

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be

praised.

Give her the fruit of her hands,

a king against whom there is no rising up

What are you doing
What
and let her works praise her at the gates.

c 2

 or

She girds her loins

Or
Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Hebrew

Or
doubly clothed

f 21

 or

Or

Or

Ecclesiastes

Everything Is Futile

1

2

These are the words of the Teacher,
of David, king in Jerusalem:

 b

“Futility

 of futilities,”

says the Teacher,
“futility of futilities!

Everything is futile!”

3

4

5

What does a man gain from all his labor,
at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun sets;

6

it hurries back to where it rises.

The wind blows southward,
then turns northward;
round and round it swirls,

7

ever returning on its course.

All the rivers flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full;

to the place from which the streams come,

8

there again they flow.

All things are wearisome,

more than one can describe;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

9

nor the ear content with hearing.

What has been will be again,

and what has been done will be done

10

again;

there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there a case where one can say,

“Look, this is new”?

It has already existed

11

in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance

of those who came before,
and those yet to come will not be

remembered
With Wisdom Comes Sorrow
by those who follow after.

12

13

a

 the son

wisdom  all  that  is  done  under  heaven.  What  a
miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men
14
to occupy them!

I have seen all the things that are done under
the  sun,  and  have  found  them  all  to  be  futile,  a
15
pursuit of the wind.

16

What is crooked cannot be straightened,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and in-
creased  in  wisdom  beyond  all  those  before  me
who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has ob-
17
served a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

So  I  set  my  mind  to  know  wisdom  and  mad-
ness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit
18
of the wind.

For with much wisdom comes much

sorrow,

and as knowledge grows, grief

The Futility of Pleasure

increases.

2

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you
with pleasure; enjoy what is good!”

2
But it proved to be futile.

I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure,

3
“What does it accomplish?”

I  sought  to  cheer  my  body  with  wine  and  to
embrace  folly—my  mind  still  guiding  me  with
wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile
for men to do under heaven during the few days
4
of their lives.

5

6

I  expanded  my  pursuits.  I  built  houses  and
I  made  gardens
planted  vineyards  for  myself.
and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of
fruit trees.
I built reservoirs to water my groves
7
of flourishing trees.

8

I acquired menservants and maidservants, and
servants  were  born  in  my  house.  I  also  owned
more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem
and I accumulated for myself silver
before me,
; Hebrew

the Teacher
futile

 is rendered as

Qoheleth

fleeting
 throughout
 can

 or

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusa-
And I set my mind to seek and explore by

the leader of the assembly

the Preacher

the Convener
b 2

vapor

a 1
lem.
Or

Ecclesiastes.
also be translated as

 or
vanity
Literally

 or

breath
 or
meaningless
 or

; the Hebrew words translated in Ecclesiastes as forms of
.

604    |    Ecclesiastes 2:9

and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces.
I gathered to myself male and female singers, and
the  delights  of  the  sons  of  men—many  concu-
9
bines.

10

So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusa-
lem who had preceded me; and my wisdom re-
mained with me.
Anything my eyes desired, I
did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleas-
ure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and
11
this was the reward for all my labor.

Yet  when  I  considered  all  the  works  that  my
hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to
achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit
of the wind; there was nothing to be gained un-
The Wise and the Foolish
der the sun.
12

13

Then  I  turned  to  consider  wisdom  and
madness and folly; for what more can the king’s
successor do than what has already been accom-
plished?
And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly,
14
just as light exceeds darkness:

The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.

15

Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes
So I said to myself, “The fate of the
them both.
fool will also befall me. What then have I gained
by being wise?”
16
And I said to myself that this too is futile.

17

For  there  is  no  lasting  remembrance  of  the
wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will
be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise
man will die just like the fool!
So I hated life,
because the work that is done under the sun was
grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pur-
The Futility of Work
suit of the wind.
18

19

I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun,
because I must leave it to the man who comes af-
And who knows whether that man will
ter me.
be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the
labor at which I have worked skillfully under the
20
sun. This too is futile.

21

So  my  heart  began  to  despair  over  all  the
labor  that  I  had  done  under  the  sun.
When
there  is  a  man  who  has  labored  with  wisdom,
knowledge, and skill, and he must give his por-
tion to a man who has not worked for it, this too
a 25
is futile and a great evil.
For what does a man

22

23
get for all the toil and striving with which he la-
bors  under  the  sun?
Indeed,  all  his  days  are
filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at
24
night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

a

25

Nothing  is  better  for  a  man  than  to  eat  and
drink  and  enjoy  his work.  I  have  also  seen  that
For  apart  from
this  is  from  the  hand  of  God.
26
 who can eat and who can find enjoyment?
Him,
To  the  man  who  is  pleasing  in  His  sight,  He
gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the
sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accu-
mulating  that  which  he  will  hand  over  to  one
who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit
To Everything There Is a Season
of the wind.

3

2

 To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under

heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

3

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

4

a time to break down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

5

a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to cast away stones and a time to
gather stones together,

6

a time to embrace and a time to refrain

from embracing,

7

a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

8

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

God’s Works Remain Forever

a time for war and a time for peace.

9

10

11

What  does  the  worker  gain  from  his  toil?

I
have seen the burden that God has laid upon the
He has made eve-
sons of men to occupy them.
rything beautiful in its time. He has also set eter-
nity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom
the  work  that  God  has  done  from  beginning  to
12
end.

13

I  know  that  there  is  nothing  better  for  them
than to rejoice and do good while they live,
and
also that every man should eat and drink and find
14
satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God.
I know that everything God does endures for-
ever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it.
God does it so that they should fear Him.
What
exists  has  already  been,  and  what  will  be  has

apart from me

more than I

15

Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts

 or

already  been,  for  God  will  call  to  account  what
From Dust to Dust
has passed.
16

Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the
place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the
place  of  righteousness  there  is  wickedness.
I
said  in  my  heart,  “God  will  judge  the  righteous
and  the  wicked,  since  there  is  a  time  for  every
18
activity and every deed.”

17

19

I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God
tests them so that they may see for themselves
that they are but beasts.”
For the fates of both
men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies
the other—they all have the same breath.
 Man
has no advantage over the animals, since every-
thing is futile.
All go to one place; all come from
21
dust, and all return to dust.

20

a

22

Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward
and  the  spirit  of  the  animal  descends  into  the
earth?
I have seen that there is nothing better
for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is
his lot.  For who  can  bring him  to  see  what  will
The Evil of Oppression
come after him?

4

Again  I  looked,  and  I  considered  all  the
oppression  taking  place  under  the  sun.  I
saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no
comforter;  the  power  lay  in  the  hands  of  their
oppressors,  and  there  was  no  comforter.
So  I
admired the dead, who had already died, above
But  better  than
the  living,  who  are  still  alive.
both is he who has not yet existed, who has not
4
seen the evil that is done under the sun.

2

3

I  saw  that  all  labor  and  success  spring  from  a
man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and
5
a pursuit of the wind.

The fool folds his hands

6

and consumes his own flesh.
Better one handful with tranquility

7

than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of

8

the wind.

Again, I saw futility under the sun.

There is a
man all alone, without even a son or brother. And
though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are
still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I
toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too
9
is futile—a miserable task.

10

Two  are  better  than  one,  because  they  have  a
b 6
a 19
good  return  for  their  labor.
For  if  one  falls

angel

spirit

Or

Or

Ecclesiastes 5:9    |    605

down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the
11
one  who  falls  without  another  to  help  him  up!
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep
warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
And
though one may be overpowered, two can resist.
Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly
The Futility of Power
broken.
13

12

14

Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but
foolish king who no longer knows how to take a
warning.
For  the  youth  has  come  from  the
prison to the kingship, though he was born poor
15
in his own kingdom.

16

I saw that all who lived and walked under the
sun followed this second one, the youth who suc-
ceeded the king.
There is no limit to all the peo-
ple who were before them. Yet the successor will
not be celebrated by those who come even later.
Approaching God with Awe
This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

5

2

Guard your steps when you go to the house
of God. Draw near to listen rather than to of-
fer  the  sacrifice  of  fools, who  do  not know  that
Do not be quick to speak, and do
they do wrong.
not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before
God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth.
3
So let your words be few.

As a dream comes through many cares,

so the speech of a fool comes with many

words.

4

5

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in
fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools.
It is better not to vow than to
Fulfill your vow.
6
make a vow and not fulfill it.

 b

Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin,
and  do  not  tell  the  messenger
  that  your  vow
was  a  mistake.  Why  should  God  be  angry  with
7
your words and destroy the work of your hands?
For as many dreams bring futility, so do many

The Futility of Wealth  (Psalm 49:1–20)
words. Therefore, fear God.
8

If you see the oppression of the poor and the de-
nial of justice and righteousness in the province,
do not be astonished at the matter; for one offi-
cial is watched by a superior, and others higher
still are over them.
The produce of the earth is
taken  by  all;  the  king  himself  profits  from  the
fields.

9

606    |    Ecclesiastes 5:10

10

11

He  who  loves  money  is  never  satisfied  by
money, and he who loves wealth is never satis-
When  good
fied  by  income.  This  too  is  futile.
things increase, so do those who consume them;
what then is the profit to the owner, except to be-
12
hold them with his eyes?

The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he
eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich
13
man permits him no sleep.

There is a grievous evil I have seen under the
14
sun:  wealth  hoarded  to  the  harm  of  its  owner,
or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that

15
man has a son there is nothing to pass on.

16

As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he
will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes
nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
This
too  is  a  grievous  affliction:  Exactly  as  a  man  is
17
born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he
toils  for  the  wind?
Moreover,  all  his  days  he
eats  in  darkness,  with  much  sorrow,  sickness,
18
and anger.

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting:
to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the
labor one does under the sun during the few days
19
of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.

Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth
to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy
20
them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor.
This is a gift from God.
For a man seldom con-
siders the days of his life, because God keeps him
The Futility of Life
occupied with the joy of his heart.

6

2

There is another evil I have seen under the
sun,  and  it  weighs  heavily  upon  mankind:
God  gives  a  man  riches, wealth,  and honor,  so
that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God
does  not  allow  him  to  enjoy  them.  Instead,  a
stranger  will  enjoy  them.  This  is  futile  and  a
3
grievous affliction.

4

A man may father a hundred children and live
for many years; yet no matter how long he lives,
if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does
not even receive a proper burial, I say that a still-
born child is better off than he.
For a stillborn
child  enters  in  futility  and  departs  in  darkness,
and  his  name  is  shrouded  in  obscurity.
The
6
child, though neither seeing the sun nor knowing
anything, has more rest than that man,
even if
he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to
enjoy  his  prosperity.  Do  not  all  go  to  the  same
a 7
place?

in the bosom of fools

filled

b 9

5

Hebrew

Hebrew

7

8

All a man’s labor is for his mouth,

yet his appetite is never satisfied.

a

What  advantage,  then,  has  the  wise  man  over
the fool? What gain comes to the poor man who
9
knows  how  to  conduct  himself  before  others?
Better what the eye can see than the wandering
of  desire.  This  too  is  futile  and  a  pursuit  of  the
10
wind.

11

Whatever exists was named long ago, and it is
known what man is; but he cannot contend with
one stronger than he.
For the more words, the
12
more futility—and how does that profit anyone?
For who knows what is good for a man during
the few days in which he passes through his fleet-
ing life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what
The Value of Wisdom
will come after him under the sun?

7

2

 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and one’s day of death is better than his

day of birth.

It is better to enter a house of mourning

than a house of feasting,

since death is the end of every man,
and the living should take this to
3

heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

4

for a sad countenance is good for the

heart.

The heart of the wise is in the house of

mourning,

5

but the heart of fools is in the house

of pleasure.

6

It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke
than to listen to the song of fools.
For like the crackling of thorns under

the pot,

7

so is the laughter of the fool. This too

is futile.

Surely extortion turns a wise man into

8

a fool,

and a bribe corrupts the heart.
The end of a matter is better than the

beginning,

9

and a patient spirit is better than

a proud one.

b

10

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better

than these?”

For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

11

27

Ecclesiastes 8:13    |    607

Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good,

12

and it benefits those who see the sun.

For wisdom, like money, is a shelter,
and the advantage of knowledge
is that wisdom preserves the life of its

13

owner.

Consider the work of God:

14

Who can straighten what He has bent?

In the day of prosperity, be joyful,

but in the day of adversity, consider this:

God has made one of these along with the

other,

The Limits of Human Wisdom

so that a man cannot discover
anything that will come after him.

15

In my futile life I have seen both of these:

A righteous man perishing in his
righteousness,

16

and a wicked man living long in his
wickedness.

17

Do  not  be overly  righteous,  and  do not make
yourself too wise. Why should you destroy your-
self?
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not
18
be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
It is good to grasp the one and not let the other
slip from your hand. For he who fears God will
19
follow both warnings.

a

Wisdom makes the wise man

20

stronger than ten rulers in a city.

Surely there is no righteous man on earth

21

who does good and never sins.

Do not pay attention to every word that is spo-
22
ken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
For  you  know  in  your  heart  that  many  times

23
you yourself have cursed others.
24

All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to
What exists is
be wise.” But it was beyond me.
25
out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?

26

I directed my mind to understand, to explore,
to  search  out  wisdom  and  explanations,  and  to
understand the stupidity of wickedness and the
And  I  find  more  bitter  than
folly  of madness.
death  the  woman  who  is  a  snare,  whose  heart
is  a  net,  and  whose  hands  are  chains.  The  man
who  pleases  God  escapes  her,  but  the  sinner  is
ensnared.
a 18
forgotten

will avoid all extremes

b 10

28

“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered
this by adding one thing to another to find an ex-
planation.
While  my  soul  was  still  searching
but not finding, among a thousand I have found
29
one upright man, but among all these I have not
Only this have I found:
found one such woman.
I  have  discovered  that  God  made  mankind  up-
Obey the King
right, but they have sought out many schemes.”

8

Who  is  like  the  wise  man?  Who  knows  the
interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom
brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is
2
changed.

3

Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your
oath  before  God.
Do  not  hasten  to  leave  his
4
presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for
For  the  king’s
he  will  do whatever  he  pleases.
word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What
5
are you doing?”

6

Whoever  keeps  his  command  will  come  to  no
harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and
For there is a right time and proce-
procedure.
dure  to  every  purpose,  though  a  man’s  misery
Since no one knows
weighs heavily upon him.
what  will  happen,  who  can  tell  him  what  is  to
8
come?

7

9

As no man has power over the wind to contain
it, so no one has authority over his day of death.
As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wick-
All
edness will not release those who practice it.
this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed
that  is  done  under  the  sun;  there  is  a  time
when one man lords it over another to his own
Fear God  (Isaiah 8:11–15)
detriment.
10

 b

11

Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who
used to go in and out of the holy place, and they
were praised
 in the city where they had done so.
This  too  is  futile.
When  the  sentence  for  a
crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men
12
become fully set on doing evil.

13

Although  a  sinner  does  evil  a  hundred  times
and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go
well with those who fear God, who are reverent
Yet because the wicked do not
in His presence.
fear God, it will not go well with them, and their
days will not lengthen like a shadow.

were soon

Or

Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts

608    |    Ecclesiastes 8:14

God’s Ways Are Mysterious

Enjoy Your Portion in This Life

14

7

There  is  a  futility  that  is  done  on  the  earth:
There  are  righteous  men  who  get  what  the  ac-
tions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked
men  who  get  what  the  actions  of  the  righteous
15
deserve. I say that this

 too is futile.

So I commended the enjoyment of life, because
there  is  nothing
  better  for  a  man  under  the
sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this
joy  will  accompany  him  in  his  labor  during
the days of his life that God gives him under the
16
sun.

17

When I applied my mind to know wisdom and
to  observe  the  task  that  one  performs  on  the
earth—though  his  eyes  do  not  see  sleep  in  the
I saw every work of
day or even in the night—
God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the
work that is done under the sun. Despite his ef-
forts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning;
even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable
Death Comes to Good and Bad
to comprehend.

9

So I took all this to heart and concluded that
the righteous and the wise, as well as their
deeds,  are  in  God’s  hands.  Man  does  not  know
2
what lies ahead, whether love or hate.

a

It is the same for all: There is a common fate for
the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  for  the  good  and
the  bad,
  for  the  clean  and  the  unclean,  for  the
one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As
it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for
the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who
3
refuses to take a vow.

This  is  an  evil  in  everything  that  is  done
under  the  sun:  There  is  one  fate  for  everyone.
Furthermore,  the  hearts  of  men  are  full  of  evil
and madness while they are alive, and afterward
4
they join the dead.

5

6

There  is  hope,  however,  for  anyone  who  is
among  the  living;  for  even  a  live  dog  is  better
For the living know that they
than a dead lion.
will die, but the dead know nothing. They have
no further reward, because the memory of them
is  forgotten.
Their  love,  their  hate,  and  their
envy have already vanished, and they will never
again have a share in all that is done under the
sun.
a 2

Go,  eat  your  bread  with  joy,  and  drink  your
wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already
8
approved your works:

9

Let your garments always be white,

and never spare the oil for your head.

 b

Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of
  life  that  God  has  given  you  under
the  fleeting
the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your
10
portion in life and in your labor under the sun.
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it
with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are
going, there is no work or planning or knowledge
11
or wisdom.

12

I saw something else under the sun: The race
is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong;
neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to
the  intelligent,  nor  the  favor  to  the  skillful.  For
time  and  chance  happen  to  all.
For  surely  no
man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel
net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are en-
snared  in  an  evil  time  that  suddenly  falls  upon
them.  Wisdom Is Better than Strength
13

14
I  have  also  seen  this  wisdom  under  the  sun,
and it was great to me:
There was a small city
with few men. A mighty king came against it, sur-
15
rounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

16

Now  a  poor  wise  man  was  found  in  the  city,
and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one
remembered that poor man.
And I said, “Wis-
dom  is  better  than  strength,  but  the wisdom  of
the poor man is despised, and his words are not
17
heeded.”

The calm words of the wise are heeded

18

over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

Wisdom and Folly

10

 As dead flies bring a stench to the

perfumer’s oil,

2

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and

honor.

A wise man’s heart inclines to the

right,
futile

but the heart of a fool to the left.
b 9

and the bad

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include

.

Or

; twice in this verse

3

Even as the fool walks along the road, his

4

sense is lacking,

and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not

5

abandon your post,

for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

6

There is an evil I have seen under the sun—
an error that proceeds from the ruler:

Folly is appointed to great heights,

7

but the rich sit in lowly positions.

8

I have seen slaves on horseback,

while princes go on foot like slaves.

He who digs a pit may fall into it,

9

and he who breaches a wall may be bitten

by a snake.

The one who quarries stones may be injured

10

by them,

and he who splits logs endangers himself.
If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened,

11

more strength must be exerted,
but skill produces success.

12

If the snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no profit for the charmer.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are

13

gracious,

but the lips of a fool consume him.

14

The beginning of his talk is folly,

and the end of his speech is evil madness.

Yet the fool multiplies words.

No one knows what is coming,
and who can tell him what will come after

15

him?

The toil of a fool wearies him,

16

for he does not know the way to the city.

a

Ecclesiastes 11:10    |    609

for a bird of the air may carry your words,
and a winged creature may report your

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

speech.

11

2

Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it

              again.

Divide your portion among seven, or even

eight,

3

for you do not know what disaster may

befall the land.

If the clouds are full,

they will pour out rain upon the earth;

whether a tree falls to the south or to the

4

north,

in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

He who watches the wind will fail to sow,

5

and he who observes the clouds will fail

to reap.

 b

As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the bones are formed

 in a

mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,
6

the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning,

and do not rest your hands in the

evening,

for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that, or if both will

Enjoy Your Years

equally prosper.

7

Light is sweet,

8

17

Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth,

and whose princes feast in the morning.
Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of

nobles,

and whose princes feast at the proper

18

time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

Through laziness the roof caves in,

19

and in the hands of the idle, the house

leaks.

A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine

20

makes life merry,

but money is the answer for everything.

and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

So if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all.

But let him remember the days of darkness,

9

for they will be many.
Everything to come is futile.

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young,
and let your heart be glad in the days

of your youth.
Walk in the ways of your heart

and in the sight of your eyes,
but know that for all these things

10

God will bring you to judgment.
So banish sorrow from your heart,
c

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich even in your bedroom,
a servant

b 5

a 16

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones

and cast off pain from your body,
for youth and vigor are fleeting.

futile

c 10

Or

Or

Or

610    |    Ecclesiastes 12:1

Remember Your Creator

12

 Remember your Creator in the days of

your youth,

before the days of adversity come

and the years approach of which you will say,
2

“I find no pleasure in them,”

8

before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is

before the pitcher is shattered at the
7

spring

and the wheel is broken at the well,

before the dust returns to the ground

from which it came

and the spirit returns to God who

gave it.

3

darkened,

and the clouds return after the rain,
on the day the keepers of the house tremble

and the strong men stoop,

when those grinding cease because they are

few

4

and those watching through windows see

dimly,

when the doors to the street are shut

and the sound of the mill fades away,

when one rises at the sound of a bird
5

and all the daughters of song grow faint,

when men fear the heights and dangers

of the road,

when the almond tree blossoms,

the grasshopper loses its spring,
and the caper berry shrivels—
for then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners walk the streets.

6

Remember Him before the silver cord is

snapped

and the golden bowl is crushed,

“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher.

The Whole Duty of Man

“Everything is futile!”

9

Not  only  was  the  Teacher  wise,  but  he  also
taught  the  people  knowledge;  he  pondered,
10
searched  out,  and  arranged  many  proverbs.
The  Teacher  searched  to  find  delightful  say-

a

11
ings and to record accurate words of truth.

b

12

The words of the wise are like goads, and the
anthologies of the masters are like firmly embed-
And by
ded nails driven by a single Shepherd.
these, my son, be further warned: There is no end
to  the  making  of  many  books,  and  much  study
13
wearies the body.

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the
matter is this: Fear God and keep His command-
14
ments,  because  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
along with every hidden thing, whether good or
evil.

a 10

and sought to write what was upright and true

b 11

shepherd

Or

Or

Song of Solomon

The Bride Confesses Her Love
(Ephesians 5:22–33 ;  1 Peter 3:1–7)

10

a

The Friends

1

The Bride
This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.

2

3

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is more delightful than wine.

The fragrance of your perfume is pleasing;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens adore you.

4

Take me away with you—let us hurry!

The Friends

May the king bring me to his chambers.

We will rejoice and delight in you;

The Bride

we will praise your love more than wine.

5

It is only right that they adore you.

I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of

Jerusalem,

6

like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of

Solomon.

Do not stare because I am dark,

for the sun has gazed upon me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;

7

they made me a keeper of the vineyards,
but my own vineyard I have neglected.

Tell me, O one I love,

where do you pasture your sheep?
Where do you rest them at midday?

Why should I be like a veiled woman

The Friends

beside the flocks of your companions?

8

Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments,

your neck with strings of jewels.

11

The Bride

We will make you ornaments of gold,
studded with beads of silver.

12

13

While the king was at his table,

my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh

14

resting between my breasts.

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blos-

soms
The Bridegroom

in the vineyards of En-gedi.

15

How beautiful you are, my darling!

The Bride

Oh, how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves.

16

How handsome you are, my beloved!

The Bridegroom

Oh, how delightful!
The soft grass is our bed.

17

The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are fragrant firs.

The Bride’s Admiration
The Bride

2

 The Bridegroom

I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valley.

b

2

Like a lily among the thorns

The Bride

is my darling among the maidens.

If you do not know, O fairest of women,

3

follow the tracks of the flock,

and graze your young goats

The Bridegroom

near the tents of the shepherds.

9

I compare you, my darling,

a 1

to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.

b 1

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
c

I delight to sit in his shade,
4

and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
He has brought me to the house of wine,
The Friends
The Groom
and his banner over me is love.
c 4

The Bride

Most translators add subheadings for speaker identifications such as

,

, and

 based on

the gender and number of the Heb. words.
banquet hall

Sharon Plain is a region in the coastal plain of Israel

That is, the

612    |    Song of Solomon 2:5

5

Sustain me with raisins;

6

refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.

His left hand is under my head,

7

and his right arm embraces me.
O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:

Do not arouse or awaken love
8
until the time is right.

Listen! My beloved approaches.

Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
9
bounding over the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Look, he stands behind our wall,

10

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattice.

My beloved calls to me,
“Arise, my darling.
Come away with me, my beautiful one.

11

For now the winter is past;

12

the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have appeared in the

 a

countryside;
the season of singing

 has come,

and the cooing of turtledoves

13

is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs;

the blossoming vines spread their

fragrance.

Arise, come away, my darling;

The Bridegroom

come away with me, my beautiful one.”

14

O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the crevices of the cliff,

let me see your face,

let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet,

The Friends

and your countenance is lovely.

15

Catch for us the foxes—

The Bride

the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.

16

My beloved is mine and I am his;

17

he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Before the day breaks and shadows flee,

a 12

pruning

turn, my beloved,

 b 17

the rugged mountains

c 7

and be like a gazelle

b

or a young stag on the mountains of

The Bride’s Dream

Bether.

3

 On my bed at night
I sought the one I love;

I sought him,
2

but did not find him.

I will arise now and go about the city,
through the streets and squares.

I will seek the one I love.
3

So I sought him but did not find him.

I encountered the watchmen on their rounds

4

of the city:

“Have you seen the one I love?”

I had just passed them when I found the one I

love.

I held him and would not let go

until I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the chamber of the one who conceived

5

me.

O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you
by the gazelles and does of the field:

Solomon Arrives on His Wedding Day

Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.

6

Who is this coming up from the wilderness

like a column of smoke,

scented with myrrh and frankincense
7

c

from all the spices of the merchant?

Behold, it is Solomon’s carriage,

8

escorted by sixty of the mightiest men of

Israel.

All are skilled with the sword,
experienced in warfare.
Each has his sword at his side
9

prepared for the terror of the night.

10

King Solomon has made his carriage
out of the timber of Lebanon.

He has made its posts of silver,

its base of gold, its seat of purple fabric.

11

Its interior is inlaid with love

by the daughters of Jerusalem.

Come out, O daughters of Zion,
and gaze at King Solomon,

wearing the crown with which his mother

crowned him

on the day of his wedding—
the day of his heart’s rejoicing.

Or

Or

That is, the couch on which servants carry a king

Song of Solomon 5:5    |    613

Solomon Admires His Bride

12

The Bridegroom

4

 How beautiful you are, my darling—
how very beautiful!
Your eyes are like doves
       behind your veil.

My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked

13

up,

a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.

Your branches are an orchard of

pomegranates

14

with the choicest of fruits, with henna and

nard,

Your hair is like a flock of goats
2

streaming down Mount Gilead.

with nard and saffron, with calamus and

cinnamon,

Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn

with every kind of frankincense tree,

sheep

15

with myrrh and aloes,

coming up from the washing;

each has its twin,
3

and not one of them is lost.
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your brow behind your veil
4

is like a slice of pomegranate.
Your neck is like the tower of David,

built with rows of stones;
on it hang a thousand shields,

5

all of them shields of warriors.

Your breasts are like two fawns,

6

8

twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.

Before the day breaks and the shadows flee,

I will make my way
to the mountain of myrrh

7

and to the hill of frankincense.

You are altogether beautiful, my darling;

in you there is no flaw.

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,

 a

come with me from Lebanon!

Descend

 from the peak of Amana,
from the summits of Senir and Hermon,

from the dens of the lions,

9

from the mountains of the leopards.

You have captured my heart,
my sister, my bride;

you have stolen my heart with one glance of

10

your eyes,

with one jewel of your neck.

How delightful is your love,
my sister, my bride!

Your love is much better than wine,

11

and the fragrance of your perfume than all

spices.
Your lips, my bride,

drip sweetness like the honeycomb;
honey and milk are under your tongue,
and the fragrance of your garments
Look down
is like the aroma of Lebanon.

flowing water

b 15

a 8

living water

Or

Or

 or

with all the finest spices.

 b
You are a garden spring,
a well of fresh water
flowing down from Lebanon.

The Bride

16

Awake, O north wind,

and come, O south wind.

Breathe on my garden

and spread the fragrance of its spices.

Let my beloved come into his garden

The Bride and Her Beloved

and taste its choicest fruits.

The Bridegroom

5

I have come to my garden, my sister, my

bride;

I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.

The Friends

The Bride

Eat, O friends, and drink;

drink freely, O beloved.

2

I sleep, but my heart is awake.

A sound! My beloved is knocking:

“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
3

my hair with the dampness of the night.”

I have taken off my robe—
must I put it back on?
I have washed my feet—
4

must I soil them again?

My beloved put his hand to the latch;

5

my heart pounded for him.
I rose up to open for my beloved.
My hands dripped with myrrh,

my fingers with flowing myrrh
on the handles of the bolt.

614    |    Song of Solomon 5:6

6

I opened for my beloved,

but he had turned and gone.
My heart sank at his departure.

7

I sought him but did not find him.
I called, but he did not answer.

I encountered the watchmen on their rounds

of the city.

They beat me and bruised me;

they took away my cloak,
8

those guardians of the walls.

O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you,

The Friends

if you find my beloved,
tell him I am sick with love.

9

How is your beloved better than others,
O most beautiful among women?
How is your beloved better than another,

The Bride

that you charge us so?

10

11

My beloved is dazzling and ruddy,

outstanding among ten thousand.

12

His head is purest gold;

his hair is wavy and black as a raven.

His eyes are like doves

beside the streams of water,

13

bathed in milk

and mounted like jewels.
His cheeks are like beds of spice,

towers of perfume.
His lips are like lilies,

14

dripping with flowing myrrh.

His arms are rods of gold

set with beryl.

15

His body is polished ivory

bedecked with sapphires.
His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
as majestic as the cedars.

 a

16

His mouth

 is most sweet;
he is altogether lovely.

This is my beloved, and this is my friend,

Together in the Garden

O daughters of Jerusalem.

The Friends

6

 Where has your beloved gone,
 O most beautiful among women?

The Bride

2

My beloved has gone down to his garden,

to the beds of spices,

to pasture his flock in the gardens
3

and to gather lilies.

The Bridegroom

I belong to my beloved and he belongs to me;
he pastures his flock among the lilies.

4

You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah,

5

as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.

Turn your eyes away from me,
for they have overcome me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
6

streaming down from Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing;

each has its twin,
7

and not one of them is lost.

8

Your brow behind your veil

is like a slice of pomegranate.

There are sixty queens and eighty

9

concubines,

and maidens without number,
but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,

the favorite of the mother who bore her.

The maidens see her and call her blessed;
the queens and concubines sing her

The Friends

praises.

10

Who is this who shines like the dawn,

as fair as the moon,

as bright as the sun,

The Bridegroom

as majestic as the stars in procession?

11

I went down to the walnut grove

to see the blossoms of the valley,

12

to see if the vines were budding

or the pomegranates were in bloom.
Before I realized it, my desire had set me
among the royal chariots of my people.

The Friends

b

13

Come back, come back, O Shulammite!

Come back, come back, that we may gaze

The Bridegroom

upon you.

 Which way has he turned?

a 16

b 12
       We will seek him with you.

palate

among the chariots of Amminadab

Hebrew

Or

Or

Why do you look at the Shulammite,
the dance of the two camps
c 13
as on the dance of Mahanaim

?

 c

Admiration by the Bridegroom

Longing for Her Beloved

Song of Solomon 8:10    |    615

7

How beautiful are your sandaled feet,
O daughter of the prince!

The curves of your thighs are like jewels,

2

the handiwork of a master.
Your navel is a rounded goblet;
it never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat

3

encircled by the lilies.

Your breasts are like two fawns,

4

twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is like a tower

made of ivory;

your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon

by the gate of Bath-rabbim;

your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,
5

facing toward Damascus.

Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel,

6

the hair of your head like purple threads;
the king is captured in your tresses.

How fair and pleasant you are,
O love, with your delights!
Your stature is like a palm tree;

7

8

your breasts are clusters of fruit.

I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”

  9

May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
and your mouth

 like the finest wine.

The Bride

 a

b
May it flow smoothly to my beloved,
gliding gently over lips and teeth.

10

I belong to my beloved,

11

and his desire is for me.

Come, my beloved,
let us go to the countryside;
c
let us spend the night among the

12

wildflowers.

Let us go early to the vineyards
to see if the vine has budded,

if the blossom has opened,

13

if the pomegranates are in bloom—
there I will give you my love.

The mandrakes send forth a fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,

new as well as old,

that I have treasured up for you, my

a 9
blossoms

b 9
palate
beloved.
in the villages

d 6

passion

8

O that you were to me like a brother
who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you,
2

and no one would despise me.

I would lead you and bring you

to the house of my mother who taught me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink,
3
the nectar of my pomegranates.

His left hand is under my head,

4

and his right arm embraces me.
O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you:

The Friends

Do not arouse or awaken love
until the time is right.

5

Who is this coming up from the wilderness,

The Bride

leaning on her beloved?

I roused you under the apple tree;

6

there your mother conceived you;
there she travailed and brought you forth.

Set me as a seal over your heart,
as a seal upon your arm.
 d
For love is as strong as death,

its jealousy

 as unrelenting as Sheol.

Its sparks are fiery flames,
7
the fiercest blaze of all.

Mighty waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.

If a man were to give all the wealth of his

house for love,

The Friends

his offer would be utterly scorned.

8

We have a little sister,

and her breasts are not yet grown.

What shall we do for our sister
9

on the day she is spoken for?

If she is a wall,

we will build a tower of silver upon her.

If she is a door,

we will enclose her with panels of

The Bride

cedar.

10

I am a wall,

and my breasts are like towers.

So I have become in his eyes

gliding gently over lips as we sleep

like one who brings peace.

c 11

among the henna

Hebrew
 or

LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew

Or

Or

616    |    Song of Solomon 8:11

11

Solomon had a vineyard in
Baal-hamon.

He leased it to the tenants.
For its fruit, each was to bring
a thousand shekels of silver.

a

12

But my own vineyard is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you,

O Solomon,

and two hundred are for those who

tend its fruit.

The Bridegroom
13

You who dwell in the gardens,

my companions are listening for your

voice.
Let me hear it!

The Bride
14

Come away, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle

or a young stag

on the mountains of spices.

a 11

a thousand of silver

Hebrew

; that is, approximately 25.1 pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver

Isaiah

Judah’s Rebellion  (2 Chronicles 28:5–15)

Meaningless Offerings

1

This  is  the  vision  concerning  Judah  and
Jerusalem  that  Isaiah  son  of  Amoz  saw
during  the  reigns  of  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz,  and
2
Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

10

Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the instruction of our God,

11

you people of Gomorrah!

Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth,

“What good to Me is your multitude of

for the LORD has spoken:

“I have raised children and brought them up,

3

but they have rebelled against Me.

The ox knows its owner,

and the donkey its master’s manger,

but Israel does not know;

My people do not understand.”

4

5

Alas, O sinful nation,

a people laden with iniquity,

a brood of evildoers,

children who act corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD;

they have despised the Holy One

of Israel

sacrifices?”
says the LORD.

“I am full from the burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed cattle;
I take no delight in the blood of bulls

12

and lambs and goats.

When you come to appear before Me,
who has required this of you—
this trampling of My courts?

13

Bring your worthless offerings no more;
your incense is detestable to Me.

New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn
         assembly.

14

and turned their backs on Him.

I hate your New Moons

Why do you want more beatings?
Why do you keep rebelling?
Your head has a massive wound,

6

and your whole heart is afflicted.

From the sole of your foot to the top of your

head,

there is no soundness—

only wounds and welts and festering sores
neither cleansed nor bandaged nor
7

soothed with oil.

Your land is desolate;

your cities are burned with fire.

Foreigners devour your fields before you—
8
a desolation demolished by strangers.

And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned

like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a shack in a cucumber field,
9

like a city besieged.

a

Unless the LORD of Hosts

had left us a few survivors,

b

we would have become like Sodom,

had left us descendants

we would have resembled Gomorrah.

b 9

a 9

and your appointed feasts.
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.

15

When you spread out your hands in prayer,

I will hide My eyes from you;

even though you multiply your prayers,

16

I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.

Wash and cleanse yourselves.

17

Remove your evil deeds from My sight.
Stop doing evil!
c
Learn to do right;

seek justice and correct the oppressor.

Defend the fatherless

18

and plead the case of the widow.”

“Come now, let us reason together,”

says the LORD.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are as red as crimson,
and encourage the oppressed
they will become like wool.

c 17

LXX

Cited in Romans 9:29

Or

618    |    Isaiah 1:19

19

If you are willing and obedient,

20

you will eat the best of the land.

But if you resist and rebel,

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

you will be devoured by the sword.”

The Corruption of Zion

21

See how the faithful city has become a harlot!

She once was full of justice;
righteousness resided within her,
but now only murderers!
Your silver has become dross;

22

23

your fine wine is diluted with water.

Your rulers are rebels,
friends of thieves.

They all love bribes

and chasing after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,

24

and the plea of the widow never comes

before them.

Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts,

the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah, I will be relieved of My foes

25

and avenge Myself on My enemies.

I will turn My hand against you;

26

I will thoroughly purge your dross;
I will remove all your impurities.
I will restore your judges as at first,

The Mountain of the House of the LORD
(Micah 4:1–5)

2

2
Jerusalem:

This  is  the  message  that  was  revealed  to
Isaiah  son  of  Amoz  concerning  Judah  and

In the last days the mountain of the house of

the LORD

will be established as the chief of the

mountains;

it will be raised above the hills,
3

and all nations will stream to it.

And many peoples will come and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of

the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us His ways

so that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion,
4

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Then He will judge between the nations
and arbitrate for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer take up the sword

against nation,
The Day of Reckoning

nor train anymore for war.

5

and your counselors as at the beginning.

Come, O house of Jacob,

6

After that you will be called the City of

27

Righteousness,

the Faithful City.”

Zion will be redeemed with justice,

28

her repentant ones with righteousness.

But rebels and sinners will together be

shattered,

29

and those who forsake the LORD will

perish.

Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred

oaks

in which you have delighted;

you will be embarrassed by the gardens

30

that you have chosen.

let us walk in the light of the LORD.
For You have abandoned Your people,

the house of Jacob,
because they are filled

with influences from the east;

they are soothsayers like the Philistines;
they strike hands with the children of

7

foreigners.

Their land is full of silver and gold,
with no limit to their treasures;

their land is full of horses,
8

with no limit to their chariots.

Their land is full of idols;

9

they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.

For you will become like an oak whose leaves

31

are withered,

like a garden without water.
The strong man will become tinder
and his work will be a spark;

both will burn together,

with no one to quench the flames.

So mankind is brought low,
and man is humbled—
do not forgive them!

10

Go into the rocks

and hide in the dust
from the terror of the LORD

and the splendor of His majesty.

11

4

Isaiah 3:15    |    619

The proud look of man will be humbled,
and the loftiness of men brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

12

For the Day of the LORD of Hosts

will come against all the proud and lofty,

13

against all that is exalted—
it will be humbled—

against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and

14

lifted up,

against all the oaks of Bashan,

15

against all the tall mountains,
against all the high hills,

against every high tower,

a
against every fortified wall,
against every ship of Tarshish,

16

17

and against every stately vessel.

“I will make mere lads their leaders,
and children will rule over them.”

5

The people will oppress one another,
man against man, neighbor against

neighbor;

the young will rise up against the old,

and the base against the honorable.

A man will seize his brother
within his father’s house:

“You have a cloak—you be our leader!
7
Take charge of this heap of rubble.”
c

On that day he will cry aloud:

“I am not a healer.

I have no food or clothing in my house.

6

8

Do not make me leader of the people!”

So the pride of man will be brought low,

18

and the loftiness of men will be humbled;

19

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
and the idols will vanish completely.

Men will flee to caves in the rocks

and holes in the ground,

away from the terror of the LORD

20

and from the splendor of His majesty,
when He rises to shake the earth.

In that day men will cast away

to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and gold—

21

the idols they made to worship.
They will flee to caverns in the rocks

and crevices in the cliffs,

away from the terror of the LORD

For Jerusalem has stumbled
and Judah has fallen

because they spoke and acted against the

d

9

LORD,

defying His glorious presence.
The expression on their faces testifies

against them,

and like Sodom they flaunt their sin;
they do not conceal it.

Woe to them,

10

for they have brought disaster upon

themselves.

Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their

11

labor.

22

and from the splendor of His majesty,
when He rises to shake the earth.

Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them!
For they will be repaid with what their

12

Put no more trust in man,

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

who has only the breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

3

 b

 For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts
is about to remove
from Jerusalem and Judah
2
the whole supply of food and water,
the mighty man and the warrior,

 and support:

both supply

the judge and the prophet,
3

the soothsayer and the elder,

the commander of fifty and the

dignitary,

a 16

the counselor, the cunning magician, and
b 1
every ship of trade

staff

c 7

the clever enchanter.

hands have done.

Youths oppress My people,

and women rule over them.

13

O My people, your guides mislead you;
they turn you from your paths.

The LORD arises to contend;

14

He stands to judge the people.

The LORD brings this charge

against the elders and leaders of His

people:

“You have devoured the vineyard;

15

the plunder of the poor is in your

houses.

Why do you crush My people

and grind the faces of the poor?”

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

binder of wounds

d 8

defying the eyes of His glory

Or

Hebrew

Or

Hebrew

620    |    Isaiah 3:16

A Warning to the Daughters of Zion

4

16

The LORD also says:

“Because the daughters of Zion are

haughty—

walking with heads held high
and wanton eyes,

17

prancing and skipping as they go,

when the Lord has washed away

the filth of the daughters of Zion

and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart

of Jerusalem

5

by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

Then the LORD will create over all of Mount

Zion

jingling the bracelets on their ankles—

and over her assemblies

the Lord will bring sores
a

on the heads of the daughters of Zion,
and the LORD will make their foreheads

18

bare.

”

In that day the Lord will take away their

finery:

19
20

their anklets and headbands and

crescents;

their pendants, bracelets, and veils;

their headdresses, ankle chains, and sashes;

their perfume bottles and charms;

their signet rings and nose rings;

their festive robes, capes, cloaks, and purses;
and their mirrors, linen garments, tiaras,

21
22
23

24

and shawls.

Instead of fragrance

there will be a stench;

instead of a belt, a rope;

instead of styled hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;

b

25

instead of beauty, shame.

3

a cloud of smoke by day

and a glowing flame of fire by night.

For over all the glory

6

there will be a canopy,

a shelter to give shade

from the heat by day,
and a refuge and hiding place

The Song of the Vineyard  (Luke 13:6–9)
from the storm and the rain.

5

I will sing for my beloved a song of his
vineyard:

2

My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.

He dug it up and cleared the stones
and planted the finest vines.
He built a watchtower in the middle
and dug out a winepress as well.

He waited for the vineyard to yield good

grapes,

but the fruit it produced was sour!

26

Your men will fall by the sword,
and your warriors in battle.

And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn;

A Remnant in Zion

destitute, she will sit on the ground.

4

In that day seven women
will take hold of one man and say,

“We will eat our own bread

and provide our own clothes.
Just let us be called by your name.
2
Take away our disgrace!”

On that day the Branch of the LORD
will be beautiful and glorious,

and the fruit of the land

3

will be the pride and glory of Israel’s

survivors.
Whoever remains in Zion

and whoever is left in Jerusalem

will be called holy—

a 17

all in Jerusalem who are recorded among
will uncover their secret parts

b 24

branding

the living—

Or

DSS; MT

“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem

and men of Judah,
I exhort you to judge

4

between Me and My vineyard.
What more could have been done for

My vineyard

than I have done for it?

Why, when I expected sweet grapes,
5
did it bring forth sour fruit?

Now I will tell you what I am about to do

to My vineyard:

I will take away its hedge,

and it will be consumed;

I will tear down its wall,

6

and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland,

neither pruned nor cultivated,
and thorns and briers will grow up.

I will command the clouds

that rain shall not fall on it.”

7

19

For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts

to those who say, “Let Him hurry and hasten

Isaiah 5:28    |    621

I heard the LORD of Hosts declare:

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking

is the house of Israel,

and the men of Judah

are the plant of His delight.

He looked for justice,

but saw bloodshed;

for righteousness,
Woes to the Wicked

but heard a cry of distress.

8

Woe to you who add house to house

and join field to field

until no place is left

9

and you live alone in the land.

10

“Surely many houses will become desolate,

great mansions left unoccupied.

a

For ten acres of vineyard
b

will yield but a bath of wine,

and a homer of seed

11

only an ephah of grain.

”

Woe to those who rise early in the morning

12

in pursuit of strong drink,
who linger into the evening,
to be inflamed by wine.

At their feasts are the lyre and harp,
tambourines and flutes and wine.
They disregard the actions of the LORD
and fail to see the work of His hands.

13

Therefore My people will go into exile
for their lack of understanding;

14

their dignitaries are starving

22

24

His work

so that we may see it!

Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come

20

so that we may know it!”

Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who turn darkness to light
and light to darkness,
who replace bitter with sweet
and sweet with bitter.

21

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

and clever in their own sight.

23

wine

and champions in mixing strong drink,

who acquit the guilty for a bribe

and deprive the innocent of justice.

Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the

straw,

and as dry grass shrivels in the flame,

so their roots will decay

and their blossoms will blow away like

dust;

for they have rejected the instruction of the

LORD of Hosts

25

and despised the word of the Holy One of

Israel.

Therefore the anger of the LORD burns

against His people;

His hand is raised against them to strike

them down.

and their masses are parched with thirst.

The mountains quake,

Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat

and the corpses lie like refuse in the

and opens wide its enormous jaws,
and down go Zion’s nobles and masses,

her revelers and carousers!

15

streets.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

26

His hand is still upraised.

So mankind will be brought low, and each

16

man humbled;

He lifts a banner for the distant nations
and whistles for those at the ends of

the arrogant will lower their eyes.

the earth.

But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His

27

Behold—how speedily and swiftly they

justice,

come!

17

and the holy God will show Himself holy in

None of them grows weary or stumbles;

righteousness.

 c

no one slumbers or sleeps.

Lambs will graze as in their own pastures,

28

No belt is loose

 will feed in the ruins of the

and no sandal strap is broken.

18

and strangers
wealthy.

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords

of deceit

a 10

ten yoke of vineyard will yield a bath
and pull sin along with cart ropes,

Literally

Their arrows are sharpened,

and all their bows are strung.

The hooves of their horses are like flint;

b 10
; that is, the area ten yoke of oxen can plow in a day will yield

and a homer of seed will yield an ephah

their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

c 17

lambs

approximately 5.8 gallons or 22 liters of wine.
seed (approximately 6.24 bushels or 220 liters) will yield a tenth of its weight in grain.

Literally

LXX

; that is, a homer of

622    |    Isaiah 5:29

29

9

Their roaring is like that of a lion;
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey;

30

they carry it away, and no one can

rescue it.

In that day they will roar over it,
like the roaring of the sea.

If one looks over the land,

he will see darkness and distress;
Isaiah’s Commission
even the light will be obscured by clouds.
(Matt. 13:10–17 ;  Mark 4:10–12 ;  Acts 28:16–31)

6

 a

2
and  the  train  of  His  robe

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the
Lord  seated  on  a  throne,  high  and  exalted;
  filled  the  temple.
Above  Him  stood  seraphim,  each  having  six
wings: With two wings they covered their faces,
with  two  they  covered  their  feet,  and  with  two
And  they  were  calling  out  to
they  were  flying.
one another:

3

4

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts;
all the earth is full of His glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and
thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with
5
smoke.

Then I said:

“Woe is me,

for I am ruined,

because I am a man of unclean lips

dwelling among a people of unclean lips;

6

for my eyes have seen the King,

the LORD of Hosts.”

7

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his
hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with
tongs from the altar.
And with it he touched my
mouth and said:

“Now that this has touched your lips,

8

your iniquity is removed
and your sin is atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

And He replied:

“Go and tell this people,

‘Be ever hearing, but never

 b

10

understanding;

be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Make the hearts of this people calloused;
deafen their ears and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,
c
understand with their hearts,

11

and turn and be healed.

”

Then I asked:

“How long, O Lord?”

And He replied:

“Until the cities lie ruined

 and without inhabitant,

12

until the houses are left unoccupied

13

and the land is desolate and ravaged,
until the LORD has driven men far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
And though a tenth remains in the land,

it will be burned again.

As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when

felled,

so the holy seed will be a stump in

A Message to Ahaz
the land.”

7

 d

Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the
son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king
 marched up to wage war against Jeru-
of Aram
salem.  He  was  accompanied  by  Pekah  son  of
Remaliah  the  king  of  Israel,  but  he  could  not
2
overpower the city.

e

When it was reported to the house of David that
 the hearts of
Aram was in league with Ephraim,
Ahaz  and  his  people  trembled  like  trees  in  the
3
forest shaken by the wind.

 f

“Whom shall I send?

Who will go for Us?”

4

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your
 to meet Ahaz at the end of the
son Shear-jashub
aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road
and say to him: Calm
to the Launderer’s Field,
down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheart-
ened  over  these  two  smoldering  stubs  of  fire-
wood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram
‘You shall be ever hearing, but never understanding; you shall be ever seeing,
For  Aram,  along
and  of  the  son  of  Remaliah.
For this people’s

c 10

5

And I said:
a 1
but never perceiving.’
heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their
 Cited in Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, and Acts 28:26
eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.

the hem of His robe      b 9
“Here am I. Send me!”
Or

Hebrew; LXX

Hebrew; LXX

d 1

e 2

had set up camp in Ephraim

f 3 Shear-jashub
John 12:40, and Acts 28:27

a remnant shall return

That is, Syria

Or

 means

.

 Cited in Matthew 13:15, Mark 4:12,
, that is, the northern kingdom of Israel

6
with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plot-
 a
‘Let us invade Judah, ter-
ted your ruin, saying:
rorize  it,  and  divide  it
  among  ourselves.  Then
7
we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

But this is what the Lord GOD says:

 ‘It will not arise;
8

it will not happen.

For the head of Aram is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years
9

Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

The head of Ephraim is Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is the son of

Remaliah.

If you do not stand firm in your faith,
The Sign of Immanuel  (Matthew 1:18–25)
then you will not stand at all.’

”

10

11

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,

“Ask
for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from
12
the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test

13
the LORD.”

c

 b

15

14

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David!
Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will
There-
you try the patience of my God as well?
fore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold,
 will be with child and give birth to a
the virgin
son, and will call Him Immanuel.
By the time
He knows enough to reject evil and choose good,
For before
He will be eating curds and honey.
the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose
good, the land of the two kings you dread will be
Judgment to Come  (Micah 1:1–7)
laid waste.
17

16

The  LORD  will  bring  on  you  and  on  your
people and on the house of your father a time un-
like  any  since  the  day  Ephraim  separated  from
18
Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”

On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies
at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees
19
in the land of Assyria.

And they will all come and settle

in the steep ravines and clefts of the

20

Isaiah 8:8    |    623

 d

On  that  day  the  Lord  will  use  a  razor  hired
from  beyond  the  Euphrates
—the  king  of
21
Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your
legs, and to remove your beard as well.
On that
22
day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,
and from the abundance of milk they give, he
will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will
23
eat curds and honey.

e
And on that day, in every place that had a thou-
sand  vines  worth  a  thousand  shekels  of  silver,
Men will
only briers and thorns will be found.
go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be
For fear of the
covered with briers and thorns.
briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the
hills  once  tilled  by  the  hoe;  they  will  become
Assyrian Invasion Prophesied
places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.

24

25

8

 f

g

2

Then  the  LORD  said  to  me,  “Take  a  large
 sty-
scroll and write on it with an ordinary
lus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
And I will appoint
for  Myself  trustworthy  witnesses—Uriah  the
3
priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

And  I  had  relations  with  the  prophetess,  and
she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD
4
said  to  me,  “Name  him  Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or
‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plun-
der of Samaria will be carried off by the king of
5
Assyria.”
6
And the LORD spoke to me further:

“Because this people has rejected

the gently flowing waters of Shiloah

and rejoiced in Rezin
7

and the son of Remaliah,

the Lord will surely bring against them

 h
the mighty floodwaters of the

Euphrates

—

the king of Assyria and all his

pomp.

8

It will overflow its channels
and overrun its banks.

It will pour into Judah,

rocks,
split it open

a 6
Immanuel
Immanuel

Hebrew

in all the thornbushes and watering holes.
and His name will be called Immanuel
Or

b 14

young woman

c 14 Immanuel

d 20
f 1

the River
 or
with a man’s

e 23

; DSS
; cited in Matthew 1:23.
Swift to plunder, quick to carry away
hastens
pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver

Hebrew
Hebrew

swirling and sweeping over it,
reaching up to the neck;
 i
its spreading streams will cover
your entire land, O Immanuel!
; literally
a thousand of silver

God with us

 means

and

and He will call His name Immanuel

you will call His name

and she will call His name

g 1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz

Hebrew
h 7

the River

; LXX

The spoil speeds, the prey
; that is, approximately 25.1
God with us

i 8 Immanuel
 means

 or

; also in verse 3.

Hebrew

 means

.

624    |    Isaiah 8:9

9

a

21

Huddle together,

 O peoples, and be

shattered;

pay attention, all you distant lands;

prepare for battle, and be shattered;

10

Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;

prepare for battle, and be shattered!
b
 it will not happen.
state a proposal, but
”
For God is with us.

A Call to Fear God  (Ecclesiastes 8:10–13)

11

For  this  is  what  the  LORD  has  spoken  to  me
with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in
12
the way of this people:

“Do not call conspiracy

everything these people regard as

 c

conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;
do not live in dread.

d

13

The LORD of Hosts is the One
you shall regard as holy.

Only He should be feared;

14

only He should be dreaded.
And He will be a sanctuary—
e

but to both houses of Israel

a stone of stumbling and a rock

of offense,

to the dwellers of Jerusalem

15

a trap and a snare.

Many will stumble over these;
they will fall and be broken;
they will be ensnared and captured.”

16

Bind up the testimony

17

and seal the law among my disciples.

I will wait for the LORD,

who is hiding His face from the house

f

of Jacob.

I will put my trust in Him.

18

 g

Here am I, and the children the LORD has given
  as  signs  and  symbols  in  Israel  from  the

me
Darkness and Light
LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
19

20

When  men  tell  you  to  consult  mediums  and
spiritists  who  whisper  and  mutter,  shouldn’t  a
people  consult  their  God  instead?  Why  consult
To the law and
the dead on behalf of the living?
to the testimony! If they do not speak according
to this word, they have no light of dawn.
Be evil
a 9
threats
Or
eagerly look for Him
LXX

g 18
; cited in 1 Peter 3:14

do not be shaken
 or

Raise the war cry

Be broken

d 12

b 10

 or

e 14

Hebrew

22

They will roam the land, dejected and hungry.
When  they  are  famished,  they  will  become  en-
raged; and looking upward, they will curse their
king and their God.
Then they will look to the
earth and see only distress and darkness and the
gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into ut-
Unto Us a Child Is Born
ter darkness.
(Matt. 4:12–17 ;  Mark 1:14–15 ;  Luke 4:14–15)

9

Nevertheless,  there  will  be  no  more  gloom
for those in distress. In the past He humbled
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but
in  the  future  He  will  honor  the  Way  of  the  Sea,
2
beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow
3

h

of death,
a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.
The people rejoice before You

4

as they rejoice at harvest time,
as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian

You have shattered the yoke of their

burden,

the bar across their shoulders,
5

and the rod of their oppressor.
For every trampling boot of battle

6

and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon

His shoulders.
And He will be called
7

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on the throne of David

and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it

with justice and righteousness
from that time and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish

Immanuel

this.

c 12

Do not fear their

f 17

I will

; see Matthew 1:23.
Cited in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:8

h 2

Or

Or

; cited in Hebrews 2:13

Cited in Hebrews 2:13

Cited in Matthew 4:15–16

Judgment against Israel’s Pride

20

Isaiah 10:9    |    625

8

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob,

9

and it has fallen upon Israel.

 a

All the people will know it—

Ephraim

 and the dwellers of Samaria.

21

They carve out what is on the right,

but they are still hungry;
they eat what is on the left,

but they are still not satisfied.
Each one devours the flesh of his own

c

offspring.

With pride and arrogance of heart

10

they will say:

“The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with finished stone;

the sycamores have been felled,

11

but we will replace them with cedars.”

The LORD has raised up the foes of Rezin

12

 b

against him

and joined his enemies together.

Aram

 from the east and Philistia from the
west

have devoured Israel with open mouths.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

Judgment against Israel’s Hypocrisy
His hand is still upraised.

13

But the people did not return to Him who

14

struck them;

they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.

15

So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day.

The head is the elder and honorable man,
and the tail is the prophet who teaches

16

lies.

For those who guide this people mislead

Manasseh devours Ephraim,
and Ephraim Manasseh;
together they turn against Judah.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

Woe to Tyrants

His hand is still upraised.

10

 Woe to those who enact unjust

2

statutes

and issue oppressive decrees,
to deprive the poor of fair treatment

and withhold justice from the oppressed

of My people,
to make widows their prey

and orphans their plunder.

3

What will you do on the day of reckoning
when devastation comes from afar?

To whom will you flee for help?

4

Where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing will remain but to crouch among the

captives

or fall among the slain.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

Judgment on Assyria

His hand is still upraised.

17

them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up.

5

Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their

young men;

He has no compassion on their fatherless

and widows.

For every one of them is godless and wicked,

and every mouth speaks folly.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

Judgment against Israel’s Unrepentance

His hand is still upraised.

18

For wickedness burns like a fire

that consumes the thorns and briers

and kindles the forest thickets,

19

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger;

6

the staff in their hands is My wrath.
I will send him against a godless nation;
I will dispatch him against a people

destined for My rage,

to take spoils and seize plunder,

7

and to trample them down like clay

in the streets.

But this is not his intention;

this is not his plan.

For it is in his heart to destroy
8
and cut off many nations.

which roll upward in billows of smoke.

“Are not all my commanders kings?”

  9

By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts

the land is scorched,

he says.

“Is not Calno like Carchemish?

and the people are fuel for the fire.
No man even spares his brother.

b 12

a 9

Is not Hamath like Arpad?
 c 20

of his own arm

Is not Samaria like Damascus?

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel

That is, Syria

Literally

626    |    Isaiah 10:10

10

As my hand seized the idolatrous

kingdoms

11

whose images surpassed those of
Jerusalem and Samaria,

and as I have done to Samaria and its idols,
will I not also do to Jerusalem and her

12

idols?”

So when the Lord has completed all His work
against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I
will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his
13
arrogant  heart  and  the  proud  look  in  his  eyes.

For he says:

‘By the strength of my hand I have done this,

and by my wisdom, for I am clever.
I have removed the boundaries of nations

14

and plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.

My hand reached as into a nest

to seize the wealth of the nations.
Like one gathering abandoned eggs,

I gathered all the earth.

No wing fluttered,

15

no beak opened or chirped.’

”

Does an axe raise itself above the one who

swings it?

Does a saw boast over him who saws with

it?

It would be like a rod waving the one who

16

lifts it,

or a staff lifting him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a

wasting disease

among Assyria’s stout warriors,
and under his pomp will be kindled

17

a fire like a burning flame.

And the Light of Israel will become a fire,

and its Holy One a flame.

18

In a single day it will burn and devour

Assyria’s thorns and thistles.

The splendor of its forests and orchards,

both soul and body,
it will completely destroy,

19

as a sickness consumes a man.

The remaining trees of its forests will be so

few

A Remnant Shall Return

that a child could count them.

20

On that day the remnant of Israel

and the survivors of the house of Jacob

a 21
Shear-jashub
remnant will be saved.
will make a short work in all the world.

Heb.

; also in verse 22; see Isa. 7:3.
 Cited in Rom. 9:27

LXX

c 23

will no longer depend

on him who struck them,

but they will truly rely on the LORD,

21

the Holy One of Israel.

 a

A remnant will return
Jacob—

22

to the Mighty God.

—a remnant of

Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand

b

of the sea,

only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,

23

overflowing with righteousness.
For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out

c

24

the destruction decreed upon the whole

land.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD of Hosts

says:

“O My people who dwell in Zion,

do not fear Assyria,
who strikes you with a rod

25

and lifts his staff against you
as the Egyptians did.
For in just a little while

My fury against you will subside,
and My anger will turn to their

destruction.”

26

And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip

against them,

as when He struck Midian at the rock

of Oreb.

27

He will raise His staff over the sea,

as He did in Egypt.

On that day the burden will be lifted from

your shoulders,

and the yoke from your neck.

d

The yoke will be broken

28

because your neck will be too large.

Assyria has entered Aiath

29

and passed through Migron,
storing their supplies at Michmash.

They have crossed at the ford:

“We will spend the night at Geba.”

30

Ramah trembles;

Gibeah of Saul flees.

Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim!

31

Listen, O Laishah!
O wretched Anathoth!

Madmenah flees;

b 22

Though the people of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only a
He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord
broken from your shoulders

the people of Gebim take refuge.

broken because of fatness

d 27

LXX

 Cited Rom. 9:28

Lit.

; LXX

32

9

Yet today they will halt at Nob,

They will neither harm nor destroy

shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter

on all My holy mountain,

Isaiah 12:1    |    627

33

Zion,

at the hill of Jerusalem.

Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts

will lop off the branches with terrifying

power.

34

The tall trees will be cut down,
the lofty ones will be felled.

He will clear the forest thickets with an axe,
and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty

The Root of Jesse

One.

11

2

Then a shoot will spring up from the
stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and fear of

3

the LORD.

And He will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what His eyes see,

4

and He will not decide by what His ears

hear,

but with righteousness He will judge the

poor,

and with equity He will decide for the

lowly of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of His

mouth

5

and slay the wicked with the breath of

His lips.

Righteousness will be the belt around His

6

hips,

and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,

and the leopard will lie down with the

goat;

a

the calf and young lion and fatling will be
7

together,

and a little child will lead them.

The cow will graze with the bear,

8

their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of

10

the LORD

as the sea is full of water.

b

11

On  that  day  the  Root  of  Jesse  will  stand  as  a
banner  for  the  peoples.  The  nations  will  seek
Him,
On
 and His place of rest will be glorious.
that day the Lord will extend His hand a second
c
time to recover the remnant of His people from
d
Assyria,  from  Egypt,  from  Pathros,  from  Cush,
 e
from Elam, from Shinar,
12
 of the sea.
the islands

 from Hamath, and from

He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
He will collect the scattered of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.

 g

 f

13

Then the jealousy of Ephraim

 will depart,
 of Judah will be cut

and the adversaries

off.

14

Ephraim will no longer envy Judah,
nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

They will swoop down on the slopes of the

Philistines to the west;

together they will plunder the sons of the

east.

They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to

 h

15

them.
 i

The LORD will devote to destruction

the gulf

 of the Sea of Egypt;

with a scorching wind He will sweep His

j

hand

over the Euphrates.

16

He will split it into seven streams

for men to cross with dry sandals.
There will be a highway for the remnant

of His people

who remain from Assyria,

as there was for Israel

when they came up from the land

Joyful Thanksgiving

of Egypt.

12

In that day you will say:

“O LORD, I will praise You.

Although You were angry with me,

On that day the Root of Jesse will appear, One

Your anger has turned away,

b 10
and You have comforted me.
c 11
f 13
the tongue

; cited in Romans 15:12.

the River

LXX

j 15

That is, the

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel

The infant will play by the cobra’s den,
and the toddler will reach into the

a 6
who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope

the young calf and bull and lion will feed together

viper’s nest.
d 11

Hebrew; LXX

e 11

coastlands

hostility
g 13
upper Nile region

h 15

will completely dry up
That is, Babylonia

i 15
Or

Or

Or

Hebrew

Hebrew

628    |    Isaiah 12:2

2

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

10

to make the earth a desolation

and to destroy the sinners within it.

For the LORD GOD is my strength and my

For the stars of heaven and their

3

song,

and He also has become my salvation.”

4

With joy you will draw water from the springs

of salvation,

and on that day you will say:

“Give praise to the LORD;
proclaim His name!

Make His works known among the peoples;
5

declare that His name is exalted.

Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious

6

things.

Let this be known in all the earth.

Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion,

for great among you is the Holy One of

The Burden against Babylon

Israel.”

13

2

This is the burden against Babylon that
Isaiah son of Amoz received:

Raise a banner on a barren hilltop;

call aloud to them.

Wave your hand,
3

that they may enter the gates of the

nobles.

I have commanded My sanctified ones;
I have even summoned My warriors

to execute My wrath
4

and exult in My triumph.

Listen, a tumult on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations gathered together!

The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing
5

an army for war.

They are coming from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—

the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—
6

to destroy the whole country.

Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near;

a

7

it will come as destruction from the

Almighty.

Therefore all hands will fall limp,

8

and every man’s heart will melt.

Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.

9

They will look at one another,

their faces flushed with fear.

Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—
cruel, with fury and burning anger—

Shaddai

Daughters of an ostrich

b 21

a 6

Hebrew

Literally

 or

constellations
will not give their light.

11

The rising sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light.

I will punish the world for its evil

and the wicked for their iniquity.
I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant
and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold,

12

13

and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,

and the earth will be shaken from its place

14

at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts

on the day of His burning anger.

Like a hunted gazelle,

15

like a sheep without a shepherd,
each will return to his own people,
each will flee to his native land.
Whoever is caught will be stabbed,

16

and whoever is captured will die by

the sword.

Their infants will be dashed to pieces

before their eyes,

17

their houses will be looted,

and their wives will be ravished.

Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes,

18

who have no regard for silver
and no desire for gold.

Their bows will dash young men to pieces;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the

womb;

19

they will not look with pity on the

children.

And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,

the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,

20

will be overthrown by God

like Sodom and Gomorrah.

She will never be inhabited

or settled from generation to generation;

21

no nomad will pitch his tent there,

no shepherd will rest his flock there.
But desert creatures will lie down there,

 b

and howling creatures will fill her houses.

22

Ostriches

 will dwell there,
and wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will howl in her fortresses

 c

and jackals

 in her luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s time is at hand,

Daughters of an owl

c 22

serpents

and her days will not be prolonged.
Or

 or

dragons

Restoration for Israel

13

Isaiah 14:24    |    629

14

For  the  LORD  will  have  compassion  on
Jacob;  once  again  He  will  choose  Israel
and settle them in their own land. The foreigner
2
will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.
The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its

homeland.

Then the house of Israel will possess the nations
as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s
land.  They  will  make  captives  of  their  captors
The Fall of the King of Babylon
and rule over their oppressors.
3

On the day  that the LORD gives you rest from
your  pain  and  torment,  and  from  the  hard
labor  into  which  you  were  forced,
you  will
sing  this  song  of  contempt  against  the  king  of
Babylon:

4

 a

How the oppressor has ceased,

5

and how his fury

 has ended!

The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,

6

the scepter of the rulers.
It struck the peoples in anger
with unceasing blows;
it subdued the nations in rage
7

with relentless persecution.
All the earth is at peace and at rest;

 b

8

they break out in song.

Even the cypresses

 and cedars of

Lebanon
exult over you:

“Since you have been laid low,

9

no woodcutter comes against us.”

Sheol beneath is eager

to meet you upon your arrival.

It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—

all the rulers of the earth.

10

It makes all the kings of the nations

rise from their thrones.

They will all respond to you, saying,

11

“You too have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us!”

You said in your heart:

“I will ascend to the heavens;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God.

d

14

I will sit on the mount of assembly,
in the far reaches of the north.

15

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

16

But you will be brought down to Sheol,

to the lowest depths of the Pit.

Those who see you will stare;
they will ponder your fate:

17

“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms tremble,
who turned the world into a desert

and destroyed its cities,
who refused to let the captives
return to their homes?”

18

e

19

All the kings of the nations lie in state,

each in his own tomb.

But you are cast out of your grave like a

rejected branch,

covered by those slain with the sword,

20

and dumped into a rocky pit

like a carcass trampled underfoot.

You will not join them in burial,

since you have destroyed your land
and slaughtered your own people.

The offspring of the wicked

21

will never again be mentioned.

Prepare a place to slaughter his sons

22

for the iniquities of their forefathers.
They will never rise up to possess a land
or cover the earth with their cities.

“I will rise up against them,”

declares the LORD of Hosts.

“I will cut off from Babylon

her name and her remnant,
her offspring and her posterity,”

declares the LORD.

23

“I will make her a place

for owls and for swamplands;

Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol,

I will sweep her away

along with the music of your harps.

Maggots are your bed

12

and worms your blanket.

c

24

God’s Purpose against Assyria

with the broom of destruction,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.

How you have fallen from heaven,

O day star,

 son of the dawn!

The LORD of Hosts has sworn:

You have been cut down to the ground,

the golden city

b 8

pines

junipers

“Surely, as I have planned, so will it be;
morning star
as I have purposed, so will it stand.

shining one

c 12

firs

Lucifer

a 4
d 13

O destroyer of nations.
in the remote parts of Zaphon

DSS, LXX, and Syriac; MT

Or

on the heights of Zaphon

Or

 or

e 18
 or

house
Or

 or

Hebrew

 or

 or

630    |    Isaiah 14:25

25

3

I will break Assyria in My land;

I will trample him on My mountain.

His yoke will be taken off My people,

In its streets they wear sackcloth;

4

on the rooftops and in the public squares
they all wail, falling down weeping.

26

and his burden removed from their shoul-

Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;

ders.”

This is the plan devised for the whole earth,
and this is the hand stretched out over all

27

the nations.

The LORD of Hosts has purposed,
and who can thwart Him?

His hand is outstretched,
Philistia Will Be Destroyed

 can turn it back?

so who

28

In  the  year  that  King  Ahaz  died,  this  burden

29
was received:

Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,

that the rod that struck you is broken.
For a viper will spring from the root of the

30

snake,

and a flying serpent from its egg.

Then the firstborn of the poor will find pas-

ture,

and the needy will lie down in safety,

but I will kill your root by famine,
and your remnant will be slain.

31

Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city!

Melt away, all you Philistines!

32

For a cloud of smoke comes from the north,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks.

What answer will be given

to the envoys of that nation?

“The LORD has founded Zion,

where His afflicted people will find
The Burden against Moab  (Jeremiah 48:1–47)

refuge.”

15

This is the burden against Moab:

Ar in Moab is ruined,

2

destroyed in a night!
Kir in Moab is devastated,
destroyed in a night!
Dibon goes up to its temple

to weep at its high places.

Moab wails over Nebo,

as well as over Medeba.

Every head is shaved,

a 5

every beard is cut off.
Zoar, like a heifer three years of age.

b 7

Poplars

Dibon

Or

Or

wordplay on

 (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for

their voices are heard as far as Jahaz.

Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out;
5

their souls tremble within.

My heart cries out over Moab;
a

her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,
as far as Eglath-shelishiyah.

With weeping they ascend the slope of

Luhith;

6

they lament their destruction on the road

to Horonaim.

The waters of Nimrim are dried up,

and the grass is withered;

the vegetation is gone,

7

and the greenery is no more.

b

So they carry their wealth and belongings

8

over the Brook of the Willows.

For their outcry echoes to the border of

Moab.

9

Their wailing reaches Eglaim;
it is heard in Beer-elim.

 c

The waters of Dimon

 are full of blood,
but I will bring more upon Dimon—

a lion upon the fugitives of Moab

Moab’s Destruction  (Zephaniah 2:8–11)

and upon the remnant of the land.

16

Send the tribute lambs
to the ruler of the land,

      from Sela in the desert

2

to the mount of Daughter Zion.

Like fluttering birds

pushed out of the nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon:

3

“Give us counsel;

render a decision.
Shelter us at noonday

with shade as dark as night.

Hide the refugees;

4

do not betray the one who flees.

Let my fugitives stay with you;

be a refuge for Moab from the destroyer.”

When the oppressor has gone, destruction

has ceased,

and the oppressors have vanished from
Dimon

the land,

Dibon

c 9
blood

MT, twice in this verse; DSS and Vulgate
.

;

, a

5

 a

The Burden against Damascus  (Jer. 49:23–27)

Isaiah 17:11    |    631

in loving devotion

 a throne will be

established
in the tent of David.

A judge seeking justice and hastening

6

righteousness

will sit on it in faithfulness.

We have heard of Moab’s pomposity,
his exceeding pride and conceit,

his overflowing arrogance.

7

But his boasting is empty.

Therefore let Moab wail;

let them wail together for Moab.

Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth,
8

you who are utterly stricken.

For the fields of Heshbon have withered,
along with the grapevines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations

have trampled its choicest vines,

which had reached as far as Jazer
and spread toward the desert.

b
Their shoots had spread out
and passed over the sea.

9

So I weep with Jazer

for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench Heshbon and Elealeh

with my tears.

Triumphant shouts have fallen silent

10

over your summer fruit and your harvest.

Joy and gladness are removed from the

orchard;

no one sings or shouts in the vineyards.

No one tramples the grapes in the

11

winepresses;

I have put an end to the cheering.

Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a

c

12

harp,

my inmost being for Kir-heres.

When Moab appears on the high place,

when he wearies himself
and enters his sanctuary to pray,

13

it will do him no good.
14

This  is  the  message  that  the  LORD  spoke
And  now  the  LORD
earlier  concerning  Moab.
says,  “In  three  years,  as  a  hired  worker  counts
the years, Moab’s splendor will become an object
of contempt, with all her many people. And those
who are left will be few and feeble.”
a 5

chesed
love

Forms of the Hebrew
b 8
range of meaning includes
d 3

and had gone as far as the sea
,
The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim

Or
Or

17

This is the burden against Damascus:

“Behold, Damascus is no longer

2

      a city;

it has become a heap of ruins.
The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
they will be left to the flocks,
d
which will lie down with no one to fear.

3

The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
and the sovereignty from Damascus.

The remnant of Aram will be

like the splendor of the Israelites,”

declares the LORD of Hosts.

4

5

“In that day the splendor of Jacob will fade,
and the fat of his body will waste away,

as the reaper gathers the standing grain
and harvests the ears with his arm,

as one gleans heads of grain
6
in the Valley of Rephaim.

Yet gleanings will remain,

like an olive tree that has been beaten—

two or three berries atop the tree,

declares the LORD, the God of Israel.

four or five on its fruitful branches,”

7

In that day men will look to their Maker
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of

8

Israel.

They will not look to the altars

they have fashioned with their hands

or to the Asherahs and incense altars
they have made with their fingers.

9

In that day their strong cities

will be like forsaken thickets and summits,

10

abandoned to the Israelites
and to utter desolation.

For you have forgotten the God of your

salvation

and failed to remember the Rock of your

refuge.

Therefore, though you cultivate delightful

11

plots

and set out cuttings from exotic vines—

though on the day you plant
you make them grow,

and on that morning

you help your seed sprout—
loyalty to a covenant

loving devotion

kindness

faithfulness

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, and
,
; that is, probably the Dead Sea

mercy
c 11 Kir-heres

 is a variant of
, that is, from the northern kingdom of Israel

, as well as

,

Kir-hareseth
.

; the

; see verse 7.

632    |    Isaiah 17:12

yet the harvest will vanish

12

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,

on the day of disease and incurable pain.

from a people widely feared,

Alas, the tumult of

 many peoples;

they rage like the roaring seas and

clamoring nations;

13

they rumble like the crashing of mighty

waters.

The nations rage like the rush of many

waters.

He rebukes them, and they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills,

14

like tumbleweeds before a gale.
In the evening, there is sudden terror!
Before morning, they are no more!
This is the portion of those who loot us
and the lot of those who plunder us.

A Message to Cush

from a powerful nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers—

to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the LORD
The Burden against Egypt
of Hosts.

19

This is the burden against Egypt:

Behold, the LORD rides on a swift

       cloud;

He is coming to Egypt.

The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt

2

within them.

a

“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian;

18

b

2

Woe to the land of whirring wings,
along the rivers of Cush,
which sends couriers by sea,

in papyrus vessels on the waters.

Go, swift messengers,

to a people tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people widely feared,

to a powerful nation of strange speech,
3
whose land is divided by rivers.

All you people of the world

and dwellers of the earth,

when a banner is raised on the mountains,

you will see it;

4

when a ram’s horn sounds,

you will hear it.

For this is what the LORD has told me:

“I will quietly look on from My dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of

5

harvest.”

For before the harvest, when the blossom is

gone

and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife
6
and remove and discard the branches.
They will all be left to the mountain birds of

prey,

and to the beasts of the land.

7

The birds will feed on them in summer,
and all the wild animals in winter.

of many locusts

At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD of
a 1
Hosts—
Or

That is, the upper Nile region

b 1

brother will fight against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city, and kingdom against

3

kingdom.

Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be
emptied out from among them,

and I will frustrate their plans,

so that they will resort to idols and spirits of
4

the dead,

to mediums and spiritists.

I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a

harsh master,

and a fierce king will rule over them,”

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

5

The waters of the Nile will dry up,

6

and the riverbed will be parched and

empty.
The canals will stink;

the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry

7

up;

the reeds and rushes will wither.

The bulrushes by the Nile,

by the mouth of the river,

and all the fields sown along the Nile,
8

will wither, blow away, and be no more.

Then the fishermen will mourn,

all who cast a hook into the Nile will

lament,

9

and those who spread nets on the waters

will pine away.

The workers in flax will be dismayed,

and the weavers of fine linen will turn

pale.

10

 a

The workers in cloth

 will be dejected,

11

and all the hired workers will be sick at

to the LORD, and He will hear their prayers and
23
heal them.

Isaiah 21:3    |    633

heart.

The princes of Zoan are mere fools;

Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless

advice.

How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the wise,
a son of eastern kings”?
Where are your wise men now?
Let them tell you and reveal
what the LORD of Hosts has planned

12

13

against Egypt.

 b

The princes of Zoan have become fools;

14

the princes of Memphis
The cornerstones of her tribes
have led Egypt astray.
The LORD has poured into her

 are deceived.

a spirit of confusion.

Egypt has been led astray in all she does,

15

as a drunkard staggers through his own

vomit.

A Blessing upon the Earth

There is nothing Egypt can do—
head or tail, palm or reed.

16

17

In that day the Egyptians will be like women.
They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted
hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes
The  land  of  Judah  will  bring
it  against  them.
terror  to  Egypt;  whenever  Judah  is  mentioned,
Egypt will tremble over what the LORD of Hosts
18
has planned against it.

In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will
speak  the  language  of  Canaan  and  swear  alle-
c
giance to the LORD of Hosts. One of them will be
19
called the City of the Sun.

20

In that day there will be an altar to the LORD
in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to
the LORD near her border.
It will be a sign and
a  witness  to  the  LORD  of  Hosts  in  the  land  of
Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of
their oppressors, He will send them a savior and
The LORD will make
defender to rescue them.
Himself known to Egypt, and on that day Egypt
will  acknowledge  the  LORD.  They  will  worship
with  sacrifices  and  offerings;  they  will  make
22
vows to the LORD and fulfill them.

21

And the LORD will strike Egypt with a plague;
a 10
He will strike them but heal them. They will turn
Destruction
Or

Its pillars
d 3

LXX; Hebrew

Noph

b 13

c 18

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt
to  Assyria.  The  Assyrians  will  go  to  Egypt,  and
the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and As-
24
syrians will worship together.

25

In  that  day  Israel  will  join  a  three-party
alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon
The LORD of Hosts will bless them,
the earth.
saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My
A Sign against Egypt and Cush
handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”

20

Before  the  year  that  the  chief  com-
mander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria,
2
came  to  Ashdod  and  attacked  and  captured  it,
the  LORD  had  already  spoken  through  Isaiah
son  of  Amoz,  saying,  “Go,  remove  the  sackcloth
from your waist and the sandals from your feet.”

And  Isaiah  did  so,  walking  around  naked  and
3
barefoot.

d

4

Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah
has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a
sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,
so the
king  of  Assyria  will  lead  away  the  captives  of
Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike,
naked  and  barefoot,  with  bared  buttocks—to
5
Egypt’s shame.

6

Those  who  made  Cush  their  hope  and  Egypt
And
their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.
on  that  day  the  dwellers  of  this  coastland  will
say,  ‘See  what  has  happened  to  our  source  of
hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliv-
erance from the king of Assyria! How then can we
Babylon Is Fallen  (Revelation 18:1–8)
escape?’

”

21

This is the burden against the Desert by
the Sea:

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev,
2

an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.

A dire vision is declared to me:
“The traitor still betrays,
and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media!

3

I will put an end to all her groaning.”

Therefore my body is filled with anguish.

Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in

City of

labor.

That is, the upper Nile region; similarly in verses 4 and 5

Some MT manuscripts, DSS, and Vulgate; most MT manuscripts

634    |    Isaiah 21:4

I am bewildered to hear,
4
I am dismayed to see.

My heart falters;

fear makes me tremble.

The twilight I desired
5

has turned to horror.

They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet,

they eat, they drink!

  6

Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!

For this is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout

7

and have him report what he sees.
When he sees chariots with teams of horse-

men,

8

riders on donkeys, riders on camels,
 a
he must be alert, fully alert.”

Then the lookout

 shouted:

“Day after day, my lord,

I stand on the watchtower;

night after night
9

I stay at my post.

Look, here come the riders,
horsemen in pairs.”

And one answered, saying:

 b

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon!

10

All the images of her gods
lie shattered on the ground!”

O my people, crushed on the threshing floor,

I tell you what I have heard

The Burden against Edom  (Isaiah 34:5–17)

from the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel.

11

 c

This is the burden against Dumah:

d

One calls to me from Seir,

12

“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”

The watchman replies,

“Morning has come, but also the night.

If you would inquire, then inquire.

The Burden against Arabia
Come back yet again.”

13

This is the burden against Arabia:

14

In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge,

O caravans of Dedanites.
Bring water for the thirsty,
O dwellers of Tema;
b 9
lion
meet the refugees with food.

d 11 Seir

a 8
silence

15

For they flee from the sword—
the sword that is drawn—

from the bow that is bent,

16

and from the stress of battle.

17

For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within
one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the
glory  of  Kedar  will  be  gone.
The  remaining
archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.”
The Valley of Vision
For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

22

This  is  the  burden  against  the  Valley  of
Vision:

What ails you now,
2

that you have all gone up to the rooftops,

O city of commotion,
O town of revelry?

Your slain did not die by the sword,
3
nor were they killed in battle.
All your rulers have fled together,

captured without a bow.

All your fugitives were captured together,
4

having fled to a distant place.

Therefore I said,

“Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly!

Do not try to console me

5

over the destruction of the daughter

of my people.”

For the Lord GOD of Hosts has set a day

of tumult and trampling and confusion in

the Valley of Vision—
of breaking down the walls
6

and crying to the mountains.

Elam takes up a quiver, with chariots and

7

horsemen,

and Kir uncovers the shield.

8

Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,
and horsemen are posted at the gates.

He has uncovered

the defenses of Judah.

9

10

On  that  day  you  looked  to  the  weapons  in  the
You  saw  that  there  were
House  of  the  Forest.
many breaches in the walls of the City of David.
You collected water from the lower pool.
You
counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore them
down to strengthen the wall.
You built a reser-
voir between the walls for the waters of the an-
cient pool, but you did not look to the One who
made it, or consider Him who planned it long ago.

c 11 Dumah

Edom

11

DSS and Syriac; MT

See Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 18:2.

 is a wordplay on

, meaning

.

 is another name for Edom.

12

The Burden against Tyre  (Ezekiel 26:1–21)

Isaiah 23:11    |    635

On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts
called for weeping and wailing,

13

for shaven heads

and the wearing of sackcloth.
But look, there is joy and gladness,

butchering of cattle and slaughtering

of sheep,
 a

eating of meat and drinking of wine:

14

“Let us eat

 and drink, for tomorrow

we die!”

The LORD of Hosts has revealed in my hearing:

“Until your dying day,

says the Lord GOD of Hosts.
this sin of yours will never be atoned for,”

A Message for Shebna

15

16

This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go,
say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the pal-
What are you doing here, and who author-
ace:
ized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—
to  chisel  your  tomb  in  the  height  and  cut  your
17
resting place in the rock?

Look,  O  mighty  man!  The  LORD  is  about  to
18
shake  you  violently.  He  will  take  hold  of  you,
roll you into a ball, and sling you into a wide
land. There you will die, and there your glorious
chariots will remain—a disgrace to the house of
I will remove you from office, and
your master.
20
you will be ousted from your position.

19

21

On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim
I will clothe him with your robe
son of Hilkiah.
and tie your sash around him. I will put your au-
thority in his hand, and he will be a father to the
22
dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
I will place on his shoulder the key to the house
of  David.  What  he  opens  no  one  can  shut,  and
I  will  drive
what  he  shuts  no  one  can  open.
him like a peg into a firm place, and he will be a
24
throne of glory for the house of his father.

23

b

So  they  will  hang  on  him  all  the  glory  of
his father’s house: the descendants and the off-
shoots—all  the  lesser  vessels,  from  bowls  to
25
every kind of jar.

In that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, the peg
driven into a firm place will give way; it will be
sheared off and fall, and the load upon it will be
cut down.”
a 13
Indeed, the LORD has spoken.
d 1

b 22
e 2

Kittim

23

This is the burden against Tyre:

c

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,

for Tyre is laid waste,
without house or harbor.
d

Word has reached them

2

from the land of Cyprus.

Be silent, O dwellers of the coastland,

e

3

you merchants of Sidon,
whose traders have crossed the sea.

On the great waters

came the grain of Shihor;

the harvest of the Nile was the revenue

4

of Tyre;

she was the merchant of the nations.
Be ashamed, O Sidon, the stronghold of

the sea,

for the sea has spoken:

 “I have not been in labor

or given birth.

I have not raised young men

5

or brought up young women.”

When the report reaches Egypt,

6

they will writhe in agony over the news

of Tyre.

Cross over to Tarshish;

7

wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!

Is this your jubilant city,

whose origin is from antiquity,

8

whose feet have taken her
to settle far away?

Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose traders are princes,

9

whose merchants are renowned on

the earth?

The LORD of Hosts planned it,

10

to defile all its glorious beauty,
to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.

 f

Cultivate

 your land like the Nile,

11

O Daughter of Tarshish;
there is no longer a harbor.

The LORD has stretched out His hand over

the sea;

He has made kingdoms tremble.

He has given a command

Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:32

Overflow
; also in verse 12

Hebrew
manuscripts; MT

See Revelation 3:7.
DSS and LXX; MT

Or

that the strongholds of Canaan be
Wail, O fleet of trading ships

c 1

whom the seafarers have enriched

destroyed.

f 10

; also in verse 14

DSS and some LXX

636    |    Isaiah 23:12

12

6

He said, “You shall rejoice no more,

O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon.

Therefore a curse has consumed the earth,
and its inhabitants must bear the guilt;

13

Get up and cross over to Cyprus—
 a

even there you will find no rest.”

Look at the land of the Chaldeans
a people now of no account.

—

The Assyrians destined it for the desert

creatures;

they set up their siege towers and

14

stripped its palaces.
They brought it to ruin.

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,

15

for your harbor has been destroyed!

At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy
years—the span of a king’s life. But at the end of
seventy  years,  it  will  happen  to  Tyre  as  in  the
16
song of the harlot:

“Take up your harp,

stroll through the city,
O forgotten harlot.

Make sweet melody,
sing many a song,
so you will be remembered.”

17

18

And at the end of seventy years, the LORD will
restore  Tyre.  Then  she  will  return  to  hire  as  a
prostitute and sell herself to all the kingdoms on
Yet her profits and wages
the face of the earth.
will  be  set  apart  to  the  LORD;  they  will  not  be
stored  or  saved,  for  her  profit  will  go  to  those
who live before the LORD, for abundant food and
God’s Judgment on the Earth
fine clothing.

24

 Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth
and leaves it in ruins.

the earth’s dwellers have been burned,

and only a few survive.

The new wine dries up, the vine withers.
All the merrymakers now groan.
The joyful tambourines have ceased;
the noise of revelers has stopped;
the joyful harp is silent.

They no longer sing and drink wine;
strong drink is bitter to those who

7

8

9

10

consume it.

11

The city of chaos is shattered;

every house is closed to entry.
In the streets they cry out for wine.

12

All joy turns to gloom;
rejoicing is exiled from the land.

13

The city is left in ruins;

its gate is reduced to rubble.

So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,
like a harvested olive tree,

14

like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

 b

They raise their voices, they shout for joy;

15

from the west

 they proclaim the majesty

of the LORD.

Therefore glorify the LORD in the east.

Extol the name of the LORD, the God of

 c

16

Israel
in the islands

 of the sea.
From the ends of the earth we hear singing:

“Glory to the Righteous One.”

But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting

away!
Woe is me.”

He will twist its surface
2

and scatter its inhabitants—
people and priest alike, servant and

master,

3

maid and mistress, buyer and seller,
lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

17

The treacherous betray;

the treacherous deal in treachery.

18

Terror and pit and snare await you,

O dweller of the earth.

Whoever flees the sound of panic

will fall into the pit,

The earth will be utterly laid waste
and thoroughly plundered.

For the LORD has spoken this word.

and whoever climbs from the pit
will be caught in the snare.

4

The earth mourns and withers;

5

the world languishes and fades;
the exalted of the earth waste away.

The earth is defiled by its people;

they have transgressed the laws;

they have overstepped the decrees

from the sea
and broken the everlasting covenant.

b 14

a 13

For the windows of heaven are open,

19

and the foundations of the earth are

shaken.

The earth is utterly broken apart,

20

the earth is split open,
the earth is shaken violently.
The earth staggers like a drunkard

c 15

coastlands

and sways like a shack.

That is, the Babylonians

Or

Or

21

Earth’s rebellion weighs it down,
and it falls, never to rise again.

22

In that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven above
and the kings of the earth below.

They will be gathered together

like prisoners in a pit.

23

They will be confined to a dungeon
and punished after many days.

The moon will be confounded

and the sun will be ashamed;
for the LORD of Hosts will reign

on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
Praise to the Victorious God  (Jer. 51:15–19)
and before His elders with great glory.

25

O LORD, You are my God!

I will exalt You;

I will praise Your name.
For You have worked wonders—
plans formed long ago—
2
in perfect faithfulness.

Indeed, You have made the city a heap of

rubble,

the fortified town a ruin.

The fortress of strangers is a city no more;
3

it will never be rebuilt.

Therefore, a strong people will honor You.
The cities of ruthless nations will revere

You.

4

For You have been a refuge for the poor,
a stronghold for the needy in distress,

a refuge from the storm,

a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
5
is like rain against a wall,

like heat in a dry land.

Isaiah 26:8    |    637

and remove the disgrace of His people

For the LORD has spoken.

from the whole earth.

9

And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is

our God;

we have waited for Him, and He has saved

us.

This is the LORD for whom we have waited.

10

Let us rejoice and be glad in His

salvation.”
For the hand of the LORD

will rest on this mountain.

11

But Moab will be trampled in his place

as straw is trodden into the dung pile.

He will spread out his hands within it,

as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim.

 c

12

His pride will be brought low,

despite

 the skill of his hands.

The high-walled fortress will be brought

down,

A Song of Salvation

cast to the ground, into the dust.

26

In that day this song will be sung in the
land of Judah:

We have a strong city;
2

salvation is established as its walls and

ramparts.

Open the gates so a righteous nation may

3

enter—

one that remains faithful.

You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of

4

mind,

because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

5

because GOD the LORD is the Rock

eternal.

You subdue the uproar of foreigners.

For He has humbled those who dwell

As the shade of a cloud cools the heat,
6

so the song of the ruthless is silenced.

On this mountain the LORD of Hosts

will prepare a lavish banquet for all

the peoples,

a feast of aged wine, of choice meat,
7

of finely aged wine.

On this mountain He will swallow up

8

the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;

a

He will swallow up death forever.

 b
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears
He will swallow up death in victory
along with

from every face

a 8
c 11

on high;

He lays the lofty city low.
He brings it down to the ground;
He casts it into the dust.

6

Feet trample it down—

7

the feet of the oppressed,
the steps of the poor.

The path of the righteous is level;

8

You clear a straight path for the upright.

Yes, we wait for You, O LORD;

we walk in the path of Your judgments.

Your name and renown

b 8

are the desire of our souls.

Or
Or

; cited in 1 Corinthians 15:54

Cited in Revelation 7:17 and Revelation 21:4

638    |    Isaiah 26:9

9

a

My soul longs for You in the night;

indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn.
For when Your judgments come upon the

21

Hide yourselves a little while
until the wrath has passed.

For behold, the LORD is coming out of His

earth,

10

the people of the world learn

righteousness.

dwelling

to punish the inhabitants of the earth for

their iniquity.

Though grace is shown to the wicked man,

he does not learn righteousness.

The earth will reveal her bloodshed
The LORD’s Vineyard  (John 15:1–8)

and will no longer conceal her slain.

11

In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly
and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.

O LORD, Your hand is upraised,

but they do not see it.

They will see Your zeal for Your people

and be put to shame.
The fire set for Your enemies

12

will consume them!

13

O LORD, You will establish peace for us.
For all that we have accomplished,
You have done for us.

O LORD our God, other lords besides You

14

have ruled over us,

but Your name alone do we confess.

The dead will not live;

the departed spirits will not rise.

Therefore You have punished and destroyed

15

them;

You have wiped out all memory of them.

You have enlarged the nation, O LORD;

You have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for Yourself;

16

You have extended all the borders of the

land.

O LORD, they sought You in their distress;
when You disciplined them, they poured

17

out a quiet prayer.

As a woman with child about to give birth

18

writhes and cries out in pain,
so were we in Your presence, O LORD.
We were with child; we writhed in pain;

but we gave birth to wind.

19

We have given no salvation to the earth,
nor brought any life into the world.

Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the

dust!

20

For your dew is like the dew of the morning,
and the earth will bring forth her dead.

27

In that day the LORD will take His sharp,
great, and mighty sword, and bring judg-
—Levia-
ment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent
2
than  the  coiling  serpent—and  He  will  slay  the
dragon of the sea.
In that day:
  3

 b

“Sing about a fruitful vineyard.
I, the LORD, am its keeper;
I water it continually.

  4

I guard it night and day

so no one can disturb it;
I am not angry.

If only thorns and briers confronted Me,
I would march and trample them,
5
I would burn them to the ground.
Or let them lay claim to My protection;
let them make peace with Me—
yes, let them make peace with Me.”

6

In the days to come, Jacob will take root.

7

Israel will bud and blossom
and fill the whole world with fruit.

Has the LORD struck Israel as He struck her
 c

oppressors?

8

Was she killed like those who slayed her?

By warfare and exile
her

 You contended with

9

and removed her with a fierce wind,
as on the day the east wind blows.
Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for,

 d

and the full fruit of the removal of his sin

will be this:

When he makes all the altar stones

like crushed bits of chalk,
no Asherah poles or incense altars

10

will remain standing.

For the fortified city lies deserted—

a homestead abandoned, a wilderness

forsaken.

There the calves graze, and there they lie

Go, my people, enter your rooms

down;

my spirit within me seeks You.
and shut your doors behind you.
By driving her away into exile

a 9
c 8
away, and this is his blessing when I take away his sin

b 1
Measure by measure, by exile

they strip its branches bare.
d 9
; translated in most cases as

Hebrew

nachash

snake

Therefore the guilt of Jacob will be taken

; twice in this verse

Or
Or

 or

LXX
; cited in Romans 11:27

11

8

Isaiah 28:17    |    639

When its limbs are dry,
they are broken off.

Women come and use them for kindling;

for this is a people without understanding.

Therefore their Maker has no compassion

12

on them,

and their Creator shows them no favor.

 a

13

In that day the LORD will thresh from the flow-
 to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O
ing Euphrates
Israelites, will be gathered one by one.
And in
that day a great ram’s horn will sound, and those
who  were  perishing  in  Assyria  will  come  forth
with  those  who  were  exiles  in  Egypt.  And  they
will worship the LORD on the holy mountain in
The Captivity of Ephraim
Jerusalem.

28

 b

 Woe to the majestic crown of

Ephraim’s

 drunkards,

to the fading flower of his glorious

splendor,

2

set on the summit above the fertile valley,
the pride of those overcome by wine.

Behold, the Lord has one

who is strong and mighty.

Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest,

like a driving rain or flooding downpour,
he will smash that crown to the ground.
The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards

3

4

will be trampled underfoot.

The fading flower of his beautiful splendor,

set on the summit above the fertile valley,

will be like a ripe fig before the summer

harvest:

5

Whoever sees it will take it in his hand

and swallow it.

On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a

crown of glory,

6

a diadem of splendor to the remnant of

His people,

a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and a strength to those who repel the

16

7

onslaught at the gate.

These also stagger from wine

and stumble from strong drink:

Priests and prophets reel from strong drink

and are befuddled by wine.

They stumble because of strong drink,

muddled in their visions and stumbling in

b 1
their judgments.

River
Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that

a 12
For

9

For all their tables are covered with vomit;

there is not a place without filth.

Whom is He trying to teach?

To whom is He explaining His message?

To infants just weaned from milk?

 c

10

To babies removed from the breast?

For they hear:

 d

11

“Order on order, order on order,
line on line, line on line;
a little here, a little there.”

Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign

 e

12

tongues,

He will speak to this people

to whom He has said:

“This is the place of rest, let the weary rest;

this is the place of repose.”

13

But they would not listen.

Then the word of the LORD to them will

become:

“Order on order, order on order,
line on line, line on line;
a little here, a little there,”

so that they will go stumbling backward
and will be injured, ensnared, and

A Cornerstone in Zion
(1 Cor. 3:10–15 ;  Eph. 2:19–22 ;  1 Peter 2:1–8)

captured.

14

Therefore hear the word of the LORD,

15

O scoffers

who rule this people in Jerusalem.

For you said, “We have made a covenant with

death;

we have fashioned an agreement with

Sheol.

When the overwhelming scourge passes

through

it will not touch us,

 f

because we have made lies our refuge

and falsehood

 our hiding place.”

So this is what the Lord GOD says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
the one who believes will never be

g

17

shaken.

I will make justice the measuring line

c 10

and righteousness the level.
sav lasav sav lasav kav lakav kav lakav
Or
 or
e 11

For He says

For it is

; literally

d 10
Hebrew
Or
false gods

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 3

will never be put to shame
f 15
meaningless sounds to demonstrate an inability to understand); also in verse 13

g 16

; Hebrew

Cited in 1 Corinthians 14:21

 (possibly

Or

LXX

; cited in Romans 9:33, Romans 10:11, and 1 Peter 2:6

640    |    Isaiah 28:18

28

18

Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies,

Grain for bread must be ground,

and water will flood your hiding place.
Your covenant with death will be dissolved,
and your agreement with Sheol will

not stand.

When the overwhelming scourge passes

19

through,

you will be trampled by it.
As often as it passes through,
it will carry you away;

it will sweep through morning after morning,

by day and by night.”

20

The understanding of this message

will bring sheer terror.

Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch

out on,

21

and the blanket too small to wrap around

you.

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount

Perazim.

He will rouse Himself as in the Valley

of Gibeon,

to do His work, His strange work,

22

and to perform His task, His disturbing

task.

So now, do not mock,

or your shackles will become heavier.
Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD

of Hosts

a decree of destruction against the whole

Listen and Hear

land.

23

24

Listen and hear my voice.

Pay attention and hear what I say.
Does the plowman plow for planting every

day?

25

Does he continuously loosen and harrow

the soil?

but it is not endlessly threshed.

29

Though the wheels of the cart roll over it,

the horses do not crush it.

This also comes from the LORD of Hosts,

who is wonderful in counsel
Woe to David’s City  (Luke 19:41–44)
and excellent in wisdom.

a

29

Woe to you, O Ariel,
the city of Ariel where David camped!

Year upon year
2

let your festivals recur.
And I will constrain Ariel,

and there will be mourning and
 b

3

lamentation;

she will be like an altar hearth
I will camp in a circle around you;
I will besiege you with towers
and set up siege works against you.

4

 before Me.

You will be brought low,

you will speak from the ground,

and out of the dust

your words will be muffled.

Your voice will be like a spirit from the

5

ground;

your speech will whisper out of the dust.

But your many foes will be like fine dust,

the multitude of the ruthless like blowing

  6

chaff.

Then suddenly, in an instant,

you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts
with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
7

with windstorm and tempest and
consuming flame of fire.

All the many nations

going out to battle against Ariel—

even all who war against her,

laying siege and attacking her—

When he has leveled its surface,

does he not sow caraway and scatter

will be like a dream,
8

like a vision in the night,

cumin?

He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots,

26

and rye within its border.

27

For his God instructs

and teaches him properly.

Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over

the cumin.

But caraway is beaten out with a stick,
Lion of God

a 1

Altar Hearth
and cumin with a rod.
like Ariel
b 2
 or

Or
verse 7

Or

; see the footnote for verse 1.

as when a hungry man dreams he is eating,

then awakens still hungry;

as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking,

then awakens faint and parched.
So will it be for all the many nations

who go to battle against Mount Zion.

9

Stop and be astonished;

blind yourselves and be sightless;

be drunk, but not with wine;

stagger, but not from strong drink.

; probably a nickname for Jerusalem; twice in this verse, twice in verse 2, and once in

10

21

For the LORD has poured out on you

those who indict a man with a word,

a spirit of deep sleep.

who ensnare the mediator at the gate,

Isaiah 30:6    |    641

11

He has shut your eyes, O prophets;

He has covered your heads, O seers.

and who with false charges

22

deprive the innocent of justice.

And  the  entire  vision  will  be  to  you  like  the
words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone
12
to read, he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.”
Or if the scroll is handed to one unable to read,

13
he will say, “I cannot read.”

Therefore the LORD who redeemed Abraham

says of the house of Jacob:

23

“No longer will Jacob be ashamed

and no more will his face grow pale.
For when he sees his children around him,

Therefore the Lord said:

“These people draw near to Me with their

mouths

and honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.

a

14

Their worship of Me is but rules taught by

men.

Therefore I will again confound these people

with wonder upon wonder.
The wisdom of the wise will vanish,
b

15

and the intelligence of the intelligent will

be hidden.

”

Woe to those who dig deep

16

to hide their plans from the LORD.
In darkness they do their works and say,
“Who sees us, and who will know?”
You have turned things upside down,

as if the potter were regarded as clay.
Shall what is formed say to him who formed

 c

it,

“He did not make me”?

Can the pottery say of the potter,
“He has no understanding”?

Sanctification for the Godly

17

In a very short time,

18

will not Lebanon become an orchard,
and the orchard seem like a forest?
On that day the deaf will hear the words of

the scroll,

19

and out of the deep darkness the eyes of

the blind will see.

The humble will increase their joy in the

LORD,

20

and the poor among men will rejoice in

the Holy One of Israel.

For the ruthless will vanish,

the mockers will disappear,

the work of My hands,
they will honor My name,

they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,

24

and they will stand in awe
of the God of Israel.

Then the wayward in spirit will come to

understanding,

and those who grumble will accept

The Worthless Treaty with Egypt

instruction.”

30

“Woe to the rebellious children,”
declares the LORD,

“to those who carry out a plan that is not

Mine,

2

who form an alliance, but against My will,
heaping up sin upon sin.
They set out to go down to Egypt
without asking My advice,

to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection

3

and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.

But Pharaoh’s protection will become your

shame,

4

and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your

disgrace.

For though their princes are at Zoan

5

and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,

everyone will be put to shame

because of a people useless to them.

6

They bring neither help nor benefit,
but only shame and disgrace.”

This  is  the  burden  against  the  beasts  of  the

Negev:

Through a land of hardship and distress,

of lioness and lion,
of viper and flying serpent,

they carry their wealth on the backs of

donkeys

and their treasures on the humps of

and all who look for evil
will be cut down—

a 13

camels,
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will hide the intelligence of the intelligent.

to a people of no profit to them.

 Cited in Matthew 15:8–9 and Mark

 Cited in

b 14
Hebrew; LXX

c 16
Hebrew; LXX

7:6–7
1 Corinthians 1:19

Cited in Romans 9:20

642    |    Isaiah 30:7

7

Egypt’s help is futile and empty;
therefore I have called her
Rahab Who Sits Still.

a

8

God Will Be Gracious

18

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to

you;

Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence

therefore He rises to show you compassion,

and inscribe it on a scroll;
it will be for the days to come,
9
a witness forever and ever.

These are rebellious people, deceitful

children,

10

children unwilling to obey the LORD’s

instruction.

They say to the seers,

“Stop seeing visions!”

and to the prophets,

“Do not prophesy to us the truth!

11

Speak to us pleasant words;
prophesy illusions.

12

Get out of the way; turn off the road.
Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”

Therefore  this  is  what  the  Holy  One  of  Israel

says:

“Because you have rejected this message,
trusting in oppression and relying on

13

deceit,

this iniquity of yours is like a breach about to

fail,

a bulge in a high wall,

14

whose collapse will come suddenly—

in an instant!

It will break in pieces like a potter’s jar,
shattered so that no fragment can be

found.

Not a shard will be found in the dust

large enough to scoop the coals from a

15

hearth

for the LORD is a just God.

19

Blessed are all who wait for Him.

20

O people in Zion who dwell in Jerusalem, you
will  weep  no  more.  He  will  surely  be  gracious
when  you  cry  for  help;  when  He  hears,  He  will
The Lord will give you the bread
answer you.
of adversity and the water of affliction, but your
Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your
21
own eyes you will see Him.

22

And whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your  ears  will  hear  this  command  behind  you:
“This is the way. Walk in it.”
So you will dese-
crate  your  silver-plated  idols  and  your  gold-
plated  images.  You  will  throw  them  away  like
23
menstrual cloths, saying to them, “Be gone!”

24

Then  He  will  send  rain  for  the  seed  that  you
have  sown  in  the  ground,  and  the  food  that
comes from your land will be rich and plentiful.
On  that  day  your  cattle  will  graze  in  open  pas-
The  oxen  and  donkeys  that  work  the
tures.
ground  will  eat  salted  fodder,  winnowed  with
25
shovel and pitchfork.

26

And  from  every  high  mountain  and  every
raised hill, streams of water will flow in the day
The
of  great  slaughter,  when  the  towers  fall.
light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and
the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—
like the light of seven days—on the day that the
LORD binds up the brokenness of His people and
27
heals the wounds He has inflicted.

or to skim the water from a cistern.”

Behold, the Name of the LORD comes

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has

said:

“By repentance and rest
you would be saved;

your strength would lie in quiet confidence—

16

but you were not willing.”

“No,” you say, “we will flee on horses.”

Therefore you will flee!
“We will ride swift horses,”

17

but your pursuers will be faster.
A thousand will flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you will all flee,
until you are left alone like a pole on a

a 7

mountaintop,
Rahab-hem-shebeth
like a banner on a hill.

Hebrew

from afar,

with burning anger and dense smoke.

28

His lips are full of fury,

and His tongue is like a consuming fire.

His breath is like a rushing torrent

that rises to the neck.

He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of

destruction;

29

He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead

them astray.

You will sing

as on the night of a holy festival,

and your heart will rejoice

like one who walks to the music of a flute,

going up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the Rock of Israel.

30

5

And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to

Like birds hovering overhead,

Isaiah 32:7    |    643

be heard

and His mighty arm to be revealed,
striking in angry wrath with a flame of

consuming fire,

and with cloudburst, storm, and

hailstones.

31

For Assyria will be shattered at the voice of

32

the LORD;

He will strike them with His scepter.

 a

And with every stroke of the rod of

punishment

that the LORD brings down on them,

33

the tambourines and lyres will sound

as He battles with weapons brandished.

For Topheth has long been prepared;

it has been made ready for the king.

Its funeral pyre is deep and wide,
with plenty of fire and wood.

The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of

burning sulfur,
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

sets it ablaze.

31

 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for

help,

who rely on horses,

who trust in their abundance of chariots
and in their multitude of horsemen.
They do not look to the Holy One of Israel;
2

they do not seek the LORD.

Yet He too is wise and brings disaster;
He does not call back His words.
He will rise up against the house of the
3

wicked

and against the allies of evildoers.
But the Egyptians are men, not God;
their horses are flesh, not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out His hand,

the helper will stumble,
and the one he helps will fall;
both will perish together.

4

For this is what the LORD has said to me:

“Like a lion roaring

or a young lion over its prey—

and though a band of shepherds is called out

against it,

it is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their clamor—

so the LORD of Hosts will protect

Jerusalem.

6

He will shield it and deliver it;

He will pass over it and preserve it.”
7

Return  to  the  One  against  whom  you  have  so
blatantly  rebelled,  O  children  of  Israel.
For  on
that day, every one of you will reject the idols of
silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully
8
made.

“Then Assyria will fall,

but not by the sword of man;

a sword will devour them,

but not one made by mortals.
They will flee before the sword,
9

and their young men will be put to forced

labor.

Their rock will pass away for fear,

and their princes will panic at the sight of

the battle standard,”

declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,

A Righteous King

whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

32

 Behold, a king will reign in

2

righteousness,

and princes will rule with justice.
Each will be like a shelter from the wind,

a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in a dry land,

3

like the shadow of a great rock in an arid

land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer

4

be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.

The mind of the rash will know and

understand,

5

and the stammering tongue will speak

clearly and fluently.

6

No longer will a fool be called noble,
nor a scoundrel be respected.

For a fool speaks foolishness;
his mind plots iniquity.

He practices ungodliness

and speaks falsely about the LORD;

he leaves the hungry empty

7

and deprives the thirsty of drink.

The weapons of the scoundrel are

destructive;

he hatches plots to destroy the poor with

lies,

the rod of His foundation
even when the plea of the needy is just.

a 32

so the LORD of Hosts will come down

to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.

the rod of foundation

Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac; MT

; DSS

644    |    Isaiah 32:8

8

But a noble man makes honorable plans;

The Women of Jerusalem

he stands up for worthy causes.

9

Stand up, you complacent women;

listen to me.
Give ear to my word,

10

you overconfident daughters.

In a little more than a year you will tremble,

O secure ones.

For the grape harvest will fail

11

and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

Shudder, you ladies of leisure;

tremble, you daughters of complacency.

12

Strip yourselves bare

and put sackcloth around your waists.
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,

13

for the fruitful vines,

and for the land of my people,

overgrown with thorns and briers—

even for every house of merriment

14

in this city of revelry.

7

 a

For the palace will be forsaken,
the busy city abandoned.

The hill

 and the watchtower will become

caves forever—

15

the delight of wild donkeys
and a pasture for flocks—
until the Spirit is poured out
upon us from on high.

16

Then the desert will be an orchard,

and the orchard will seem like a forest.

Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,

17

and righteousness will dwell in the fertile

field.

The work of righteousness will be peace;

the service of righteousness will be quiet

11

confidence forever.

18

20

Then my people will dwell in a peaceful

19

place,

in safe and secure places of rest.

But hail will level the forest,

and the city will sink to the depths.

Blessed are those who sow beside abundant

waters,

The LORD Is Exalted

who let the ox and donkey range freely.

33

 Woe to you, O destroyer never

destroyed,
The Ophel

a 14

b 4 O nations
O traitor never betrayed!
the cities

d 8

covenant

Hebrew

as

.

DSS; MT

 is added for clarity.

2

5

When you have finished destroying,

you will be destroyed.

When you have finished betraying,

you will be betrayed.

O LORD, be gracious to us!

We wait for You.

Be our strength every morning

3

and our salvation in time of trouble.
The peoples flee the thunder of Your voice;
b
the nations scatter when You rise.

4

Your spoil, O nations,
locusts;

 is gathered as by

like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.

The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;

6

He has filled Zion with justice and

righteousness.

He will be the sure foundation for your

times,

a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and

knowledge.

The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the

8

streets;

the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

The highways are deserted;

 c

travel has ceased.

 d

 has been broken,

The treaty
9

the witnesses
and human life is disregarded.
The land mourns and languishes;

 are despised,

Lebanon is ashamed and decayed.

Sharon is like a desert;

10

Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

“Now I will arise,” says the LORD.

“Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be

exalted.

You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble.
Your breath is a fire that will consume

12

you.

The peoples will be burned to ashes,

13

like thorns cut down and set ablaze.
You who are far off, hear what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge My

14

might.”

The sinners in Zion are afraid;

trembling grips the ungodly:

“Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting

c 8

flames?”
Forms of the Hebrew

berit

 are translated in most passages

15

2

Isaiah 34:12    |    645

He who walks righteously

and speaks with sincerity,
who refuses gain from extortion,

whose hand never takes a bribe,

16

who stops his ears against murderous plots
and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

he will dwell on the heights;

the mountain fortress will be his refuge;

17

his food will be provided
and his water assured.

18

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty
and behold a land that stretches afar.
Your mind will ponder the former terror:

“Where is he who tallies? Where is he who

19

weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

You will no longer see the insolent,

a people whose speech is unintelligible,
who stammer in a language you cannot

understand.

20

Look upon Zion,

the city of our appointed feasts.

Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not

wander;

21

its tent pegs will not be pulled up,

nor will any of its cords be broken.
But there the Majestic One, our LORD,

will be for us a place of rivers and wide

canals,

22

where no galley with oars will row,
and no majestic vessel will pass.

For the LORD is our Judge,

the LORD is our lawgiver,

the LORD is our King.

23

It is He who will save us.

Your ropes are slack;

The LORD is angry with all the nations
 a
and furious with all their armies.

He will devote them to destruction;
3

He will give them over to slaughter.

Their slain will be left unburied,

4

and the stench of their corpses will rise;
the mountains will flow with their blood.

All the stars of heaven will be dissolved.

The skies will be rolled up like a scroll,

and all their stars will fall

like withered leaves from the vine,
Judgment on Edom  (Isaiah 21:11–12)
like foliage from the fig tree.

5

When My sword has drunk its fill in the

heavens,

then it will come down upon Edom,
upon the people I have devoted to

6

destruction.

The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood.

It drips with fat—

with the blood of lambs and goats,

with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah,

7

a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

And the wild oxen will fall with them,

the young bulls with the strong ones.
Their land will be drenched with blood,
8
and their soil will be soaked with fat.

For the LORD has a day of vengeance,

b

9

a year of recompense for the cause of

Zion.

Edom’s streams will be turned to tar,

10

and her soil to sulfur;
her land will become a blazing pitch.

It will not be quenched—day or night.
Its smoke will ascend forever.

they cannot secure the mast or spread the

From generation to generation it will lie

sail.

11

desolate;

24

Then an abundance of spoils will be divided,
and even the lame will carry off plunder.
And no resident of Zion will say, “I am sick.”

Judgment on the Nations

The people who dwell there
will be forgiven of iniquity.

no one will ever again pass through it.

The desert owl and screech owl will
possess it,
c

and the great owl and raven will

dwell in it.

34

Come near, O nations, to listen;
pay attention, O peoples.
Let the earth hear, and all that fills it,

a 2

cherem
the world and all that springs from it.

Forms of the Hebrew

The LORD will stretch out over Edom

12

a measuring line of chaos
and a plumb line of destruction.
No nobles will be left to proclaim a king,

and all her princes will come to nothing.
b 8
 refer to the giving over of things or persons, either by destroying them or by giving them

of recompense for (Edom’s) hostility against Zion.

c 11

as an offering; also in verse 5.
these birds is uncertain.

Or

The precise identification of

646    |    Isaiah 34:13

13

7

Her towers will be overgrown with thorns,
her fortresses with thistles and briers.

a

b

She will become a haunt for jackals,

14

an abode for ostriches.
 c

The desert creatures will meet with hyenas,
and one wild goat will call to another.

There the night creature

15

 will settle

and find her place of repose.
There the owl will make her nest;
she will lay and hatch her eggs
and gather her brood under her shadow.

Even there the birds of prey will gather,

16

each with its mate.

Search and read the scroll of the LORD:

Not one of these will go missing,
not one will lack her mate,

17

because He has ordered it by His mouth,
and He will gather them by His Spirit.

He has allotted their portion;

His hand has distributed it by measure.

They will possess it forever;

they will dwell in it from generation

The Glory of Zion

to generation.

35

 The wilderness and the dry land will be

glad;

2

the desert will rejoice and blossom like a

rose.

It will bloom profusely

and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the glory of the LORD,

3

5

the splendor of our God.

 d

Strengthen the limp hands

4

and steady the feeble knees!
Say to those with anxious hearts:

“Be strong, do not fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance.
With divine retribution He will come

to save you.”

6

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then the lame will leap like a deer

The parched ground will become a pool,
the thirsty land springs of water.
 once lay,

In the haunt where jackals

 e

8

there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.

And there will be a highway

called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel it—

9

only those who walk in the Way—
and fools will not stray onto it.

No lion will be there,

and no vicious beast will go up on it.

Such will not be found there,

10

but the redeemed will walk upon it.
So the redeemed of the LORD will return

and enter Zion with singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
(2 Kings 18:13–37 ;  2 Chronicles 32:1–8)

36

f

In  the  fourteenth  year  of  Hezekiah’s
reign,  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria
2
attacked  and  captured  all  the  fortified  cities  of
And  the  king  of  Assyria  sent  the
Judah.
 with a great army, from Lachish to
Rabshakeh,
King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by
the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the
3
Launderer’s Field.

Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace adminis-
trator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph
4
the recorder, went out to him.

 g

5

The  Rabshakeh  said  to  them,  “Tell  Hezekiah
that  this  is  what  the  great  king,  the  king  of  As-
syria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of
  a  strategy  and
yours?
strength for war, but these are empty words. In
whom  are  you  now  trusting,  that  you  have  re-
6
belled against me?

You  claim  to  have

7

Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splin-
tered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of
anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of
But if you say to
Egypt to all who trust in him.
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
c 14
for daughters of an owl
must worship before this altar’?

Lilith

Rabshakeh
 or

g 5

Hebrew
You speak

and the mute tongue will shout for joy.
For waters will gush forth in the wilderness,

a 13
d 3

dragons
serpents
and streams in the desert.

b 13
e 7

for daughters of an ostrich

dragons

f 2

serpents
Literally

Or

 or
Cited in Hebrews 12:12
I speak

military officer; here and throughout chapters 36 and 37, as well as 2 Kings 18 and 19
and 2 Kings 18:20; MT

.

Literally

; see DSS

Or

 or

Hebrew

 is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian

8

22

Isaiah 37:11    |    647

Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace adminis-
trator,  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
Isaiah’s Message of Deliverance
Rabshakeh.
(2 Kings 19:1–7)

37

2

3

On  hearing  this  report,  King  Hezekiah
tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and en-
tered  the  house  of  the  LORD.
And  he  sent  Eli-
akim  the  palace  administrator,  Shebna  the
scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sack-
to tell
cloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
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
Perhaps  the  LORD
strength  to  deliver  them.
your God will hear 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
5
still survives.”
6

4

So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,
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.
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
Sennacherib’s Blasphemous Letter
him to fall by the sword.’
(2 Kings 19:8–13)

”

7

8

When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of As-
syria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the
9
king fighting against Libnah.

 c

Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tir-
  “He  has  set  out  to  fight

hakah  king  of  Cush:
against you.”

10

On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to
Hezekiah, saying,
“Give this message to Heze-
kiah king of Judah:

9

Now,  therefore,  make  a bargain  with  my  mas-
ter, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thou-
For
sand horses—if you can put riders on them!
how  can  you  repel  a  single  officer  among  the
least of my master’s servants when you depend
So now,
on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
was it apart from the LORD that I have come up
against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself
said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy
11
it.’

”

10

 a

Then  Eliakim,  Shebna,  and  Joah  said  to  the
Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Ar-
amaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us
in Hebrew
 in the hearing of the people on the
12
wall.”

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
13
dung and drink their own urine?”

15

Then  the  Rabshakeh  stood  and  called  out
14
loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great
king, the king of Assyria!
This is what the king
says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he can-
Do not let Hezekiah persuade
not deliver you.
you  to  trust  in  the  LORD  when  he  says,  ‘The
LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be
16
given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
 b

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the
king of Assyria says: Make peace with me
 and
come out to me. Then every one of you will eat
from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink
until I  come  and
water  from  his  own  cistern,
take you away to a land like your own—a land of
grain  and  new  wine,  a  land  of  bread  and  vine-
18
yards.

17

19

Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says,
‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any na-
tion ever delivered his land from the hand of the
Where are the gods of Hamath
king of Assyria?
and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?
20
Have  they  delivered  Samaria  from  my  hand?
Who among all the gods of these lands has de-
livered his land from my hand? How then can the
21
LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

But the people remained silent and did not an-
swer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do
a 11
not answer him.”
d 11

in the dialect of Judah

cherem

b 16

; also in verse 13

Or

Or
Forms of the Hebrew

them as an offering.

11

 ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, de-
ceive  you  by  saying  that  Jerusalem  will  not
be delivered into the hand of the king of As-
Surely  you  have  heard  what  the
syria.
d
kings  of  Assyria  have  done  to  all  the  other
countries,  devoting  them  to  destruction.
That is, the upper Nile region

c 9

Make a blessing with me

 refer to the giving over of things or persons, either by destroying them or by giving

648    |    Isaiah 37:12

12

Did  the  gods  of
Will  you  then  be  spared?
the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue
those  nations—the  gods  of  Gozan,  Haran,
and  Rezeph,  and  of  the  people  of  Eden
  in
Telassar?
Where are the kings of Hamath,
Hezekiah’s Prayer  (2 Kings 19:14–19)
Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’

13

”

14

So Hezekiah received the letter from the mes-
sengers, read it, and went up to the house of the
And
LORD and spread it out before the LORD.
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:

15

16

“O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned
above the cherubim, You alone are God over
17
all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the
Incline Your ear, O
heavens and the earth.
LORD,  and  hear;  open  Your  eyes,  O  LORD,
and see. Listen to all the words that Sennach-
18
erib has sent to defy the living God.

Truly,  O  LORD,  the  kings  of  Assyria  have
19
laid waste all these countries and their lands.
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
20
hands.

And  now,  O  LORD  our  God,  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
(2 Kings 19:20–34)

a

21

Then  Isaiah  son  of  Amoz  sent  a  message  to
Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Is-
rael, says: Because you have prayed to Me con-
this is the
cerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,
word that the LORD has spoken against him:

22

‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion

despises you and mocks you;

the Daughter of Jerusalem

23

shakes her head behind you.

Whom have you taunted and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised your voice

24

and lifted your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

to the heights of the mountains,

to the remote peaks of Lebanon.

b

I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the finest of its cypresses.

25

I have reached its farthest heights,

the densest of its forests.

 c

I have dug wells

and drunk foreign
With the soles of my feet

 waters.

26

I have dried up all the streams

of Egypt.”

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

27

into piles of rubble.

Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power,

are dismayed and ashamed.
They are like plants in the field,

tender green shoots,
 d

grass on the rooftops,

scorched

 before it is grown.

28

But I know your sitting down,

29

your going out and coming in,
and your raging against Me.

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;

30

I will send you back

the way you came.’

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

31

fruit.

And the surviving remnant of the house

of Judah

32

will again take root below
and bear fruit above.

Through your servants you have taunted the

For a remnant will go forth from

Lord,

and you have said:
“With my many chariots
I have ascended

a 20

foreign

Jerusalem,

and survivors from Mount Zion.

The zeal of the LORD of Hosts
junipers
will accomplish this.

pines

c 25

firs

b 24

You alone are the LORD
d 27

DSS (see also 2 Kings 19:19); MT
.

19:24); MT does not include
most MT manuscripts

on the rooftops and terraced fields

DSS (see also 2 Kings
DSS, some MT manuscripts, and some LXX manuscripts (see also 2 Kings 19:26);

 or

 or

Or

Isaiah 38:18    |    649

33

So this is what the LORD says about the king of

Assyria:

‘He will not enter this city

or shoot an arrow into it.

34

He will not come before it with a shield
or build up a siege ramp against it.

shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back
ten steps.’

”

So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had de-
Hezekiah’s Song of Thanksgiving
scended.
9

He will go back the way he came,
and he will not enter this city,’

declares the LORD.

35

‘I will defend this city

and save it
for My own sake

Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians
and for the sake of My servant David.’
(2 Kings 19:35–37 ;  2 Chronicles 32:20–23)

”

36

Then  the  angel  of  the  LORD  went  out  and
struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the As-
syrians. When the people got up
 the next morn-
37
ing, there were all the dead bodies!

 a

38

So  Sennacherib  king  of  Assyria  broke  camp
and  withdrew.  He  returned  to  Nineveh  and
One day, while he was worship-
stayed there.
ing  in  the  temple  of  his  god  Nisroch,  his  sons
Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword
and  escaped  to  the  land  of  Ararat.  And  his  son
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
(2 Kings 20:1–11 ;  2 Chronicles 32:24–31)

38

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
2
will not recover.’

”

3

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and
saying, “Please, O LORD, re-
prayed to the LORD,
member how I have walked before You faithfully
and  with  wholehearted  devotion;  I  have  done
what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept
4
bitterly.
5

And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, say-
“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the
ing,
LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have
heard  your  prayer;  I  have  seen  your  tears.  Be-
And I
hold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
will deliver you and this city from the hand of the
king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
This will
be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do
When they got up
b 6
a 36
I  will  make  the  sun’s
what  He  has  promised:
d 13
In the quiet

In the middle

7

6

8

b

c 10
Hebrew

I cried out
MT and LXX; DSS includes

This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after

10
his illness and recovery:

 c

I said, “In the prime

 of my life

I must go through the gates of Sheol
and be deprived of the remainder of my

11

years.”

I said, “I will never again see the LORD,

even the LORD, in the land of the living;

12

I will no longer look on mankind

with those who dwell in this world.

My dwelling has been picked up and removed

from me

like a shepherd’s tent.

I have rolled up my life like a weaver;
He cuts me off from the loom;
from day until night You make an end of
 d

13

me.
I composed myself

 until the morning.
Like a lion He breaks all my bones;
from day until night You make an end of

14

15

me.

I chirp like a swallow or crane;

I moan like a dove.

My eyes grow weak as I look upward.

O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

What can I say?

He has spoken to me, and He Himself has

done this.

I will walk slowly all my years

16

because of the anguish of my soul.

O Lord, by such things men live,

and in all of them my spirit finds life.

You have restored me to health

17

and have let me live.
Surely for my own welfare

I had such great anguish;

but Your love has delivered me from

the pit of oblivion,

18

for You have cast all my sins behind Your

back.

For Sheol cannot thank You;
Death cannot praise You.
Those who descend to the Pit

for My sake and for the sake of My servant David

cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

; see 2 Kings

20:6.

Or

 or

Or

; see Targum Yonaton.

650    |    Isaiah 38:19

19

The living, only the living, can thank You,

as I do today;

20

fathers will tell their children
about Your faithfulness.

The LORD will save me;

we will play songs on stringed

instruments

all the days of our lives

21

in the house of the LORD.

Now  Isaiah  had  said,  “Prepare  a  lump  of
pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will
22
recover.”

And  Hezekiah  had  asked,  “What  will  be  the
Hezekiah Shows His Treasures
sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
(2 Kings 20:12–19)

39

At  that  time  Merodach-baladan  son  of
Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and
2
a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Heze-
And Hezekiah wel-
kiah’s illness and recovery.
comed the envoys gladly and showed them what
was  in  his  treasure  house—the  silver,  the  gold,
the  spices,  and  the  precious  oil,  as  well  as  his
entire  armory—all  that  was  found  in  his  store-
houses. There was nothing in his palace or in all
3
his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

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 to me from a distant land,” Hezekiah
4
replied, “from Babylon.”

“What  have  they  seen  in  your  palace?”  Isaiah

asked.

“They  have  seen  everything  in  my  palace,”  an-
swered  Hezekiah.  “There  is  nothing  among  my
5
treasures that I did not show them.”

6

7

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of
The  time  will  surely  come
the  LORD  of  Hosts:
when everything in your palace and all that your
fathers have stored up until this day will be car-
ried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the
And some of your descendants, your own
LORD.
flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs
8
in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

thought, “At least there will be peace and secu-
Prepare the Way for the LORD
rity in my lifetime.”
(Mt. 3:1–12 ;  Mk. 1:1–8 ;  Lk. 3:1–20 ;  Jn. 1:19–28)

40

2

“Comfort, comfort My people,”
says your God.

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and proclaim to her

that her forced labor has been completed;

her iniquity has been pardoned.
For she has received from the hand

3

of the LORD

double for all her sins.”

A voice of one calling:

 a
“Prepare the way for the LORD in the
wilderness;
b

4

make a straight highway for our God in

the desert.

Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill made low;

c

the uneven ground will become smooth,
5
d

and the rugged land a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
and all humanity together will see it.”

The Enduring Word  (1 Peter 1:22–25)

6

A voice says, “Cry out!”

And I asked, “What should I cry out?”

“All flesh is like grass,
7

and all its glory like the flowers of the

field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall

when the breath of the LORD blows

8

on them;

indeed, the people are grass.

 e

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

Here Is Your God!  (Romans 11:33–36)

but the word of our God stands forever.”

9

Go up on a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good news.

Raise your voice loudly,

f

O Jerusalem, herald of good news.

Lift it up,

do not be afraid!

A voice of one calling in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the LORD

But  Hezekiah  said  to  Isaiah,  “The  word  of
a 3
the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he
c 4
shall be brought low. All the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains.
cited in Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23
and all flesh together will see it.
on a high mountain. O herald of good news to Jerusalem, lift it up,

Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
LXX
f 9

LXX

b 3

e 8

Or

make straight the paths of our God

Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill
;

d 5

O herald of good news to Zion, go up
Literally

 Cited in Luke 3:5

 Cited in Luke 3:6

Cited in 1 Peter 1:24–25

Or

10

Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and His arm establishes His rule.

11

His reward is with Him,

23

He stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell
 d

in.

and His recompense accompanies Him.

He brings the princes to nothing

Isaiah 41:2    |    651

He tends His flock like a shepherd;

He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart.
He gently leads the nursing ewes.

12

Who has measured the waters in the hollow

of his hand,

or marked off the heavens with the span

of his hand?

25

Who has held the dust of the earth in a

basket,

13

or weighed the mountains on a scale
a
and the hills with a balance?

 b

14

Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
or informed Him as His counselor?
Whom did He consult to enlighten Him,

and who taught Him the paths of justice?

Who imparted knowledge to Him
and showed Him the way of

15

understanding?

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered a speck of dust on the
 c

16

scales;

He lifts up the islands

 like fine dust.

Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel,

17

nor its animals enough for a burnt

offering.

All the nations are as nothing before Him;
He regards them as nothingness and

18

emptiness.

19

To whom will you liken God?

To what image will you compare Him?

To an idol that a craftsman casts

20

and a metalworker overlays with gold
and fits with silver chains?

One lacking such an offering chooses wood

that will not rot.

He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol

21

that will not topple.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been declared to you from the

beginning?

22

Have you not understood since the

foundation of the earth?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the

earth;
mind of the LORD
its dwellers are like grasshoppers.
coastlands
judges

b 13

e 1

a 13
d 23

Or
Or

; see also LXX.

Or

; also in verse 5

Or

24

and makes the rulers
meaningless.

 of the earth

No sooner are they planted, no sooner are

they sown,

no sooner have their stems taken root in

the ground,

than He blows on them and they wither,

and a whirlwind sweeps them away like

stubble.

26

“To whom will you liken Me,

or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high:
Who created all these?

He leads forth the starry host by number;

He calls each one by name.

Because of His great power and mighty

27

strength,

not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,

and why do you assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,

28

and my claim is ignored by my God”?

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary;

29

His understanding is beyond searching

out.

30

He gives power to the faint

and increases the strength of the weak.

31

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon the LORD will

renew their strength;

they will mount up with wings like eagles;

God’s Help to Israel

they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint.

e

41

“Be silent before Me, O islands,
and let the peoples renew their

     strength.

Let them come forward and testify;

2

let us together draw near for judgment.

Who has aroused one from the east
and called him to his feet in

  f

c 15

coastlands

?
Cited in Romans 11:34 and 1 Corinthians 2:16

from the east, whom victory meets at every step

righteousness

Or

f 2

652    |    Isaiah 41:3

He hands nations over to him

and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.

3

He pursues them, going on safely,

4

hardly touching the path with his feet.
Who has performed this and carried it out,
calling forth the generations from the

beginning?

You will thresh the mountains and crush

16

them,

and reduce the hills to chaff.

You will winnow them, and a wind will carry

them away;

a gale will scatter them.

But you will rejoice in the LORD;

17

you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy seek water, but there is

I, the LORD—the first and the last—
5

none;

I am He.”

The islands see and fear;

6

the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward.

Each one helps the other

7

and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,

and he who wields the hammer
cheers him who strikes the anvil,

saying of the welding, “It is good.”

8

He nails it down so it will not be toppled.

9

“But you, O Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
descendant of Abraham My friend—
I brought you from the ends of the earth

their tongues are parched with thirst.

18

I, the LORD, will answer them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will open rivers on the barren heights,

and fountains in the middle of the valleys.

19

I will turn the desert into a pool of water,
and the dry land into flowing springs.

I will plant cedars in the wilderness,
 a
acacias, myrtles, and olive trees.

20

I will set cypresses

 in the desert,

elms and boxwood together,

so that all may see and know,

may consider and understand,

that the hand of the LORD has done this

and the Holy One of Israel has

Meaningless Idols

created it.”

and called you from its farthest corners.

21

I said, ‘You are My servant.’

10

I have chosen and not rejected you.

Do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will surely help you;
I will uphold you with My righteous right

11

hand.

Behold, all who rage against you

will be ashamed and disgraced;

12

those who contend with you

“Present your case,” says the LORD.

22

“Submit your arguments,” says the King of

Jacob.

“Let them come and tell us what will happen.

Tell the former things,

so that we may reflect on them and know the

23

outcome.

Or announce to us what is coming.

Tell us the things that are to come,

so that we may know that you are gods.

will be reduced to nothing and will perish.

24

Yes, do something good or evil,

You will seek them but will not find them.
Those who wage war against you will

13

come to nothing.
For I am the LORD your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

14

and tells you: Do not fear,

I will help you.

Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm,

O few men of Israel.

15

I will help you,” declares the LORD.

that we may look on together in dismay.

Behold, you are nothing

25

and your work is of no value.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

I have raised up one from the north, and he

has come—

one from the east who calls on My name.

He will march over rulers as if they were

26

mortar,

like a potter who treads the clay.

“Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Who has declared this from the beginning,

Behold, I will make you into a threshing

sledge,

a 19

new and sharp, with many teeth.
pines

junipers

firs

so that we may know,

and from times past,

so that we may say: ‘He was right’?

Or

 or

 or

No one announced it, no one foretold it,

27

no one heard your words.

 a

I was the first to tell Zion:
‘Look, here they are!’
And I gave to Jerusalem

28

a herald of good news.
When I look, there is no one;

there is no counselor among them;

29

when I ask them,

they have nothing to say.
See, they are all a delusion;

their works amount to nothing;
Here Is My Servant  (Matthew 12:15–21)
their images are as empty as the wind.

42

“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold,
My Chosen One, in whom My soul

     delights.

I will put My Spirit on Him,
2

and He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not cry out or raise His voice,

3

nor make His voice heard in the streets.

A bruised reed He will not break

and a smoldering wick He will not

4

extinguish;

 b
He will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow weak or discouraged

before He has established justice on

the earth.

 c

In His law the islands will put their

hope.”

5

This is what God the LORD says—
He who created the heavens

and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and its offspring,

who gives breath to the people on it
6
and life to those who walk in it:

“I, the LORD, have called you
for a righteous purpose,
and I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and appoint you

to be a covenant for the people
7
and a light to the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring prisoners out of the dungeon

8

and those sitting in darkness
out from the prison house.

Isaiah 42:19    |    653

I will not yield My glory to another
9

or My praise to idols.

Behold, the former things have happened,

and now I declare new things.

Before they spring forth

A New Song of Praise  (Ps. 98:1–9 ; Ps. 149:1–9)

I proclaim them to you.”

10

Sing to the LORD a new song—

His praise from the ends of the earth—
you who go down to the sea, and all that is

d

11

in it,
you islands,

 and all who dwell in them.

Let the desert and its cities raise their voices;

let the villages of Kedar cry aloud.

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

12

let them cry out from the mountaintops.

Let them give glory to the LORD

13

and declare His praise in the islands.
The LORD goes forth like a mighty one;
He stirs up His zeal like a warrior.

He shouts; yes, He roars

14

in triumph over His enemies:

“I have kept silent from ages past;

I have remained quiet and restrained.
But now I will groan like a woman in labor;

15

I will at once gasp and pant.

I will lay waste the mountains and hills
 e
and dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn the rivers into dry land

16

and drain the marshes.

I will lead the blind by a way they did not

know;

I will guide them on unfamiliar paths.
I will turn darkness into light before them
and rough places into level ground.

17

These things I will do for them,
and I will not forsake them.

But those who trust in idols

and say to molten images, ‘You are our

gods!’
Israel Is Deaf and Blind

will be turned back in utter shame.

18

Listen, you deaf ones;

19

look, you blind ones, that you may see!

Who is blind but My servant,

or deaf like the messenger I am sending?

Who is blind like My covenant partner,

I am the LORD;

that is My name!
Formerly I said to Zion:

a 27
nations will put their hope

Or

b 4

bruised

c 4

In His teaching the coastlands will put their hope

or blind like the servant of the LORD?

In His name the

Or

Or

d 10

coastlands

e 15

coastlands
; LXX

islands

; cited in Matthew 12:18–21

Or

; also in verse 12

Or

 or

654    |    Isaiah 42:20

20

5

Though seeing many things, you do not keep

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

watch.

Though your ears are open, you do not

hear.”

21

The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His

22

righteousness,

to magnify His law and make it glorious.

But this is a people plundered and looted,
all trapped in caves or imprisoned in

dungeons.

They have become plunder with no one to

rescue them,

23

and loot with no one to say, “Send them

back!”

24

Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen and obey hereafter?

Who gave Jacob up for spoil,

and Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the LORD,

against whom we have sinned?

25

They were unwilling to walk in His ways,
and they would not obey His law.

So He poured out on them His furious anger

and the fierceness of battle.

It enveloped them in flames,

but they did not understand;

it consumed them,
Israel’s Only Savior

but they did not take it to heart.

43

But now, this is what the LORD says—
He who created you, O Jacob,
and He who formed you, O Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
2

I have called you by your name; you are

Mine!

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you go through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3

For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

 a

I give Egypt for your ransom,

4

Cush

 and Seba in your place.
Because you are precious and honored in My

sight,

and because I love you,

a 3

I will give men in exchange for you
and nations in place of your life.

b 14

6

I will bring your offspring from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’

Bring My sons from afar,

7

and My daughters from the ends of the

earth—

everyone called by My name and created for

8

My glory,

whom I have indeed formed and made.”

Bring out a people who have eyes but are

9

blind,

and who have ears but are deaf.

All the nations gather together
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,

and proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses to vindicate

them,

so that others may hear and say, “It is

true.”

10

“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“and My servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider and believe Me

and understand that I am He.

11

Before Me no god was formed,

and after Me none will come.

12

I, yes I, am the LORD,

and there is no Savior but Me.

I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.

So you are My witnesses,” declares the

13

LORD,
“that I am God.

Even from eternity I am He,

A Way in the Wilderness

and none can deliver out of My hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”

14

Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,

the Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake, I will send to Babylon
and bring them all as fugitives,

b

15

even the Chaldeans,

in the ships in which they rejoice.

I am the LORD, your Holy One,

16

the Creator of Israel, and your King.”

Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the

sea

and a path through the surging waters,

That is, the upper Nile region

That is, the Babylonians

17

The LORD Has Chosen Israel

Isaiah 44:11    |    655

who brings out the chariots and horses,
the armies and warriors together,

to lie down, never to rise again;

18

to be extinguished, snuffed out like

a wick:

19

“Do not call to mind the former things;
pay no attention to the things of old.
Behold, I am about to do something new;

even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness

20

and streams in the desert.

 a

b

The beasts of the field will honor Me,

the jackals

 and the ostriches,

because I provide water in the wilderness

21

and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to My chosen people.

The people I formed for Myself
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
will declare My praise.
(Judges 2:10–15 ;  Jeremiah 2:23–37)

22

But you have not called on Me, O Jacob,

23

because you have grown weary of Me,

O Israel.

You have not brought Me sheep for burnt

offerings,

24

nor honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
nor wearied you with frankincense.
You have not bought Me sweet cane with

your silver,

nor satisfied Me with the fat of your

sacrifices.

But you have burdened Me with your sins;

25

you have wearied Me with your iniquities.

I, yes I, am He

who blots out your transgressions

26

for My own sake

and remembers your sins no more.

Remind Me, let us argue the matter together.

27

State your case, so that you may be

vindicated.
Your first father sinned,

28

and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.

So I will disgrace the princes of your

 c

sanctuary,

44

2

But now listen, O Jacob My servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.

This is the word of the LORD, your Maker,

who formed you from the womb and who

will help you:
d

“Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant,

3

Jeshurun,

 whom I have chosen.

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and currents on the dry ground.

I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants,

4

and My blessing on your offspring.

 e

They will sprout among the grass

5

like willows

 by flowing streams.
One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD,’

another will call himself by the name

of Jacob,

and still another will write on his hand, ‘The

6

LORD’s,’

and will take the name of Israel.”

Thus says the LORD,

the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD

of Hosts:

7

 “I am the first and I am the last,
and there is no God but Me.

Who then is like Me?
Let him say so!

Let him declare his case before Me,

since I established an ancient people.

Let him foretell the things to come,

8

and what is to take place.

Do not tremble or fear.

Have I not told you and declared it

long ago?
You are My witnesses!

Is there any God but Me?

9

There is no other Rock;
I know not one.”

All makers of idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are

worthless.

Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend,

10

so they are put to shame.

11

Who fashions a god or casts an idol
which profits him nothing?

Behold, all his companions will be put to

shame,

a 20

and I will devote Jacob to destruction
serpents
cherem

and Israel to reproach.”

dragons

b 20

and daughters of an ostrich

for the craftsmen themselves are only

and daughters of an owl
human.

c 28

 or
d 2 Jeshurun
 refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an

the upright one

Forms of the

Literally

poplars

 or

e 4

 means

, a term of endearment for Israel.

Or

Or
Hebrew
offering.

656    |    Isaiah 44:12

Let them all assemble and take their stand;
they will all be brought to terror and

12

shame.

The blacksmith takes a tool

and labors over the coals;
he fashions an idol with hammers

and forges it with his strong arms.

13

Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength;
he fails to drink water and grows faint.
The woodworker extends a measuring line;

he marks it out with a stylus;

he shapes it with chisels

and outlines it with a compass.
He fashions it in the likeness of man,

14

like man in all his glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.

 a

He cuts down cedars

or retrieves a cypress

 or oak.

Shall I make something detestable with the

20

rest of it?

Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

He feeds on ashes.

His deluded heart has led him astray,

and he cannot deliver himself or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand

Jerusalem to Be Restored
a lie?”

21

Remember these things, O Jacob,

for you are My servant, O Israel.

I have made you, and you are My servant;

22

O Israel, I will never forget you.

I have blotted out your transgressions like a

cloud,

23

and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has

He lets it grow strong among the trees of the

done this;

forest.

15

He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it

grow.

It serves as fuel for man.

He takes some of it to warm himself,

shout aloud, O depths of the earth.

Break forth in song, O mountains,
you forests and all your trees.
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
and revealed His glory in Israel.

24

and he kindles a fire

and bakes his bread.

He also fashions it into a god and

16

worships it;

he makes an idol and bows down to it.

He burns half of it in the fire,

and he roasts meat on that half.

He eats the roast and is satisfied.

17

Indeed, he warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”

From the rest he makes a god, his graven

image.

He bows down to it and worships;

he prays to it and says,

18

“Save me, for you are my god.”

They do not comprehend or discern,

for He has shut their eyes so they cannot

see

19

and closed their minds so they cannot

understand.

And no one considers in his heart,

no one has the knowledge or insight

to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

a 14

and I baked bread on its coals;
fir
pine
I roasted meat and I ate.

juniper

Or

 or

 or

Thus says the LORD,

your Redeemer who formed you from the

womb:

“I am the LORD,

who has made all things,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

25

who by Myself spread out the earth,

who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,

who confounds the wise

26

and turns their knowledge into nonsense,

who confirms the message of His servant

and fulfills the counsel of His messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,

‘She will be inhabited,’
and of the cities of Judah,

27

‘They will be rebuilt, and I will restore

their ruins,’

who says to the depths of the sea,

28

‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

who says of Cyrus,

‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’

who says of Jerusalem,
‘She will be rebuilt,’

and of the temple,

‘Let its foundation be laid.’

”

God Calls Cyrus
(2 Chronicles 36:22–23 ;  Ezra 1:1–4)

45

 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus

11

Isaiah 45:19    |    657

Thus says the LORD,

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

“Concerning things to come, do you question

His anointed,

12

Me about My sons,

whose right hand I have grasped

to subdue nations before him,

to disarm kings,

to open the doors before him,

so that the gates will not be shut:

 a

2

“I will go before you

and level the mountains;

I will break down the gates of bronze
3
and cut through the bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
4

the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

For the sake of Jacob My servant
and Israel My chosen one,

I call you by name;

5

I have given you a title of honor,
though you have not known Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;

there is no God but Me.
I will equip you for battle,
6

though you have not known Me,

so that all may know,

from where the sun rises to where it sets,

that there is none but Me;
7

I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form the light and create the darkness;

8

I bring prosperity and create calamity.
I, the LORD, do all these things.

Drip down, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down

righteousness.

Let the earth open up that salvation may

sprout

9

and righteousness spring up with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.

Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—

one clay pot among many.

 b

Does the clay ask the potter,
‘What are you making?’

Does your work say,

10

‘He has no hands’?

Woe to him who says to his father,
‘What have you begotten?’

or to his mother,

a 2

‘What have you brought forth?’

level the terrain

b 9

”

or instruct Me in the work of My hands?

It is I who made the earth

and created man upon it.

It was My hands that stretched out the

13

heavens,

and I ordained all their host.

I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness,

and I will make all his ways straight.

He will rebuild My city

and set My exiles free,

14

but not for payment or reward,
says the LORD of Hosts.”

This is what the LORD says:
c

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise

of Cush,

along with the Sabeans, men of stature,

will come over to you
and will be yours;

they will trudge behind you;

they will come over in chains and bow

down to you.
They will confess to you:

‘God is indeed with you, and there is no

15

other;

there is no other God.’

”

16

Truly You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior.

They will all be put to shame and humiliated;
the makers of idols will depart together in

17

disgrace.

But Israel will be saved by the LORD
with an everlasting salvation;

you will not be put to shame or humiliated,

18

to ages everlasting.

For thus says the LORD,

who created the heavens—He is God;

He formed the earth and fashioned it;

He established it;

He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited:

19

“I am the LORD,

and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret,

from a place in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,

c 14

‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’

DSS and LXX; MT

Cited in Romans 9:20

That is, the upper Nile region

658    |    Isaiah 45:20

I, the LORD, speak the truth;

20

I say what is right.

Come, gather together, and draw near,
you fugitives from the nations.

21

Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood
and pray to a god that cannot save.

Speak up and present your case—

yes, let them take counsel together.

Who foretold this long ago?

Who announced it from ancient times?

Was it not I, the LORD?

There is no other God but Me,

22

a righteous God and Savior;
there is none but Me.

Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth;

for I am God,

23

and there is no other.
By Myself I have sworn;

truth has gone out from My mouth,
a word that will not be revoked:
a

Every knee will bow before Me,

24

every tongue will swear allegiance.

Surely they will say of Me,

‘In the LORD alone are righteousness
”

and strength.’

All who rage against Him

25

will come to Him and be put to shame.

In the LORD all descendants of Israel
will be justified and will exult.

Babylon’s Idols

46

Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.
Their idols weigh down beasts and

             cattle.

The images you carry are burdensome,

2

a load to the weary animal.

The gods cower; they crouch together,

3

unable to relieve the burden;
but they themselves go into captivity.

“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,

4

carried along since birth.

Even to your old age, I will be the same,
and I will bear you up when you turn

gray.

5

To whom will you liken Me or count Me

equal?

6

To whom will you compare Me, that

we should be alike?
They pour out their bags of gold

and weigh out silver on scales;
they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into

7

a god,

so they can bow down and worship.

They lift it to their shoulder

and carry it along;

they set it in its place, and there it stands,

not budging from that spot.

They cry out to it, but it does not answer;
8
it saves no one from his troubles.

Remember this and be brave;

9

take it to heart, you transgressors!
Remember what happened long ago,

10

for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me.

I declare the end from the beginning,

and from ancient times what is still

to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,

11

and all My good pleasure I will

accomplish.’

I summon a bird of prey from the east,

a man for My purpose from a far-off land.

Truly I have spoken,

and truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it,

12

and I will surely do it.

13

Listen to Me, you stubborn people,

far removed from righteousness:
I am bringing My righteousness near;

it is not far away, and My salvation will

not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion
The Humiliation of Babylon

and adorn Israel with My splendor.

47

“Go down and sit in the dust,
O Virgin Daughter of Babylon.
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called

 b

2

tender or delicate.

Take millstones and grind flour;

remove your veil;

I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and deliver you.
every tongue will swear

a 23

every tongue will swear by God

strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,
and wade through the streams.

b 1

Literally

; LXX

Babylonians; also in verse 5

; cited in Romans 14:11

That is, the

3

Your nakedness will be uncovered

and your shame will be exposed.

14

your astrologers who observe the stars,
who monthly predict your fate.

Isaiah 48:8    |    659

I will take vengeance;
4
I will spare no one.

”

Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His

5

name—

is the Holy One of Israel.

6

“Sit in silence and go into darkness,
O Daughter of the Chaldeans.
For you will no longer be called
the queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with My people;
I profaned My heritage,
and I placed them under your control.

You showed them no mercy;

7

even on the elderly you laid a most heavy

yoke.

You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’

8

You did not take these things to heart
or consider their outcome.

So now hear this,

O lover of luxury who sits securely,

who says to herself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me.

I will never be a widow

9

or know the loss of children.’

These two things will overtake you in a

moment,
in a single day:

loss of children, and widowhood.

They will come upon you in full measure,

10

in spite of your many sorceries

and the potency of your spells.
You were secure in your wickedness;

you said, ‘No one sees me.’

Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray;
you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none

11

besides me.’

But disaster will come upon you;

you will not know how to charm it away.

A calamity will befall you

that you will be unable to ward off.

12

Devastation will happen to you
suddenly and unexpectedly.

So take your stand with your spells
and with your many sorceries,
with which you have wearied yourself

from your youth.

13

Perhaps you will succeed;

perhaps you will inspire terror!

You are wearied by your many counselors;
let them come forward now and save

you—

Surely they are like stubble;

the fire will burn them up.
They cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
There will be no coals to warm them

15

or fire to sit beside.

This is what they are to you—

those with whom you have labored and

traded from youth—
each one strays in his own direction;
not one of them can save you.

Israel’s Stubbornness

48

“Listen to this, O house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of

      Israel,

who have descended from the line of Judah,
who swear by the name of the LORD,

who invoke the God of Israel—

2

but not in truth or righteousness—

who indeed call yourselves after the holy city

3

and lean on the God of Israel;
the LORD of Hosts is His name.

I foretold the former things long ago;
they came out of My mouth and I

4

proclaimed them.

Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew that you are stubborn;

5

your neck is iron and your forehead is

bronze.

Therefore I declared it to you long ago;

I announced it before it came to pass,
so that you could not claim, ‘My idol has done

this;

6

my carved image and molten god has

ordained it.’

You have heard these things; look at them all.

Will you not acknowledge them?

From now on I will tell you of new things,
7

hidden things unknown to you.
They are created now, and not long ago;

you have not heard of them before today.

So you cannot claim,

8

‘I already knew them!’

You have never heard; you have never

understood;

for a long time your ears have not been

open.

For I knew how deceitful you are;

you have been called a rebel from birth.

660    |    Isaiah 48:9

9

19

For the sake of My name I will delay My

wrath;

10

for the sake of My praise I will restrain it,
so that you will not be cut off.

See, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of

11

affliction.

For My own sake, My very own sake, I will

act;

Deliverance Promised to Israel

for how can I let Myself be defamed?
I will not yield My glory to another.

12

Listen to Me, O Jacob,

and Israel, whom I have called:

13

I am He; I am the first,
and I am the last.

Surely My own hand founded the earth,
and My right hand spread out the

heavens;
when I summon them,

14

they stand up together.

Come together, all of you, and listen:

Which of the idols has foretold these

things?

The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His

desire against Babylon,
a
and His arm will be against the

15

Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken;

yes, I have called him.

I have brought him,

16

and he will succeed in his mission.

Come near to Me and listen to this:

From the beginning I have not spoken in

secret;

from the time it happened, I was there.”

And now the Lord GOD has sent me,

17

accompanied by His Spirit.

Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,

the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,

Your descendants would have been as
countless as the sand,

 b

and your offspring as numerous as its

grains;

20

their name would never be cut off

or eliminated from My presence.”

Leave Babylon!

Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare it with a shout of joy,

proclaim it,

let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying,
“The LORD has redeemed His servant

21

Jacob!”

They did not thirst when He led them

through the deserts;

He made water flow for them from the

22

rock;

He split the rock, and water gushed out.

“There is no peace,” says the LORD,
The Servant and Light to the Gentiles
(Acts 13:42–52)

“for the wicked.”

 c

49

Listen to Me, O islands;
pay attention, O distant peoples:

The LORD called Me from the womb;
2

from the body of My mother He named

Me.

He made My mouth like a sharp sword;
He hid Me in the shadow of His hand.

He made Me like a polished arrow;

3

He hid Me in His quiver.

He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,

in whom I will display My glory.”

4

But I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent My strength in futility and

vanity;

yet My vindication is with the LORD,
5
and My reward is with My God.”

And now says the LORD,

who formed Me from the womb to be His

Servant,

to bring Jacob back to Him,

18

who teaches you for your benefit,
who directs you in the way you should go.

that Israel might be gathered to Him—
for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,

6

If only you had paid attention to My

commandments,

and My God is My strength—

He says: “It is not enough for You to be My

your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like waves of
b 19

the sea.

coastlands

a 14
c 1

Servant,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
like the sand, and your offspring like its grains
and to restore the protected ones of Israel.

That is, the Babylonians; also in verse 20

Literally

Or

I will also make You a light for the nations,
to bring My salvation to the ends of the

 a

7

earth.”

Thus says the LORD,

the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel,
to Him who was despised and abhorred by

the nation,

to the Servant of rulers:
“Kings will see You and rise,

and princes will bow down,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,

the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen

You.”

8

This is what the LORD says:

“In the time of favor I will answer You,
and in the day of salvation I will help

 b

You;

I will keep You and appoint You

to be a covenant for the people,

to restore the land,
9

to apportion its desolate inheritances,

to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Show

yourselves.’

10

They will feed along the pathways,

and find pasture on every barren hill.

They will not hunger or thirst,
c

Isaiah 49:25    |    661

16

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of

17

My hands;

 f

your walls are ever before Me.

Your builders

 hasten back;
your destroyers and wreckers depart

18

from you.

Lift up your eyes and look around.

They all gather together; they come to

you.

19

As surely as I live,” declares the LORD,
“you will wear them all as jewelry
and put them on like a bride.
For your ruined and desolate places

and your ravaged land

will now indeed be too small for your people,
and those who devoured you will be far

20

away.

Yet the children of your bereavement

will say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;

make room for us to live here.’

21

Then you will say in your heart,

‘Who has begotten these for me?

I was bereaved and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.
So who has reared them?

Look, I was left all alone,

22

so where did they come from?’

”

nor will scorching heat or sun beat down

This is what the Lord GOD says:

on them.

For He who has compassion on them will

11

guide them

and lead them beside springs of water.

12

13

I will turn all My mountains into roads,
and My highways will be raised up.
d
Behold, they will come from far away,
from the north and from the west,
and from the land of Aswan.

”

e

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth;
break forth in song, O mountains!
For the LORD has comforted His people,
and He will have compassion on His

afflicted ones.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;

the Lord has forgotten me!”

14

15

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the son of her

womb?

“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations,

 g
and raise My banner to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their

23

shoulders.

Kings will be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

They will bow to you facedown
and lick the dust at your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD;

24

those who hope in Me will never be put to

shame.”

Can the plunder be snatched from

 h

the mighty,

25

or the captives of a tyrant

be delivered?

Indeed, this is what the LORD says:

“Even the captives of the mighty will be taken

away,

a 6
c 10
f 17

b 8

Even if she could forget,
I will not forget you!
d 12
LXX

Cited in Acts 13:47
g 22
Your sons
Cited in Revelation 7:16
DSS; MT

Or
Hebrew

In the time of favor I heard You, and in the day of salvation I helped You;

and the plunder of the tyrant will be

retrieved;

from the sea
in their bosom

e 12

h 24

the land of Sinim
 cited in 2 Cor. 6:2
of the righteous

That is, a region in southern Egypt (from DSS); MT
DSS, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also verse 25); MT

662    |    Isaiah 49:26

8

I will contend with those who contend with

The One who vindicates Me is near.

26

you,

and I will save your children.

I will make your oppressors eat their own

flesh;

they will be drunk on their own blood, as

with wine.

Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD,

Israel’s Sin

am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob.”

50

This is what the LORD says:

Who will dare to contend with Me?
Let us confront each other!

9

Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me!
Surely the Lord GOD helps Me.

Who is there to condemn Me?

10

See, they will all wear out like a garment;

the moths will devour them.

Who among you fears the LORD

and obeys the voice of His Servant?

Who among you walks in darkness

and has no light?

“Where is your mother’s certificate

11

Let him trust in the name of the LORD;

       of divorce

with which I sent her away?

Or to which of My creditors

did I sell you?

Look, you were sold for your iniquities,
2

and for your transgressions your mother

was sent away.

Why was no one there when I arrived?

Why did no one answer when I called?

Is My hand too short to redeem you?

Or do I lack the strength to deliver you?

Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea;
I turn the rivers into a desert;

the fish rot for lack of water
3

and die of thirst.

I clothe the heavens in black

and make sackcloth their covering.”

The Servant’s Obedience
(Matthew 27:27–31 ;  Mark 15:16–20 ;
Luke 22:63–65 ;  John 19:1–15)

4

The Lord GOD has given Me

the tongue of discipleship,
to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning;
5

He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

The Lord GOD has opened My ears,
and I have not been rebellious,
nor have I turned back.

6

I offered My back to those who struck Me,

and My cheeks to those who tore out My

5

beard.

7

I did not hide My face from scorn and

spittle.

Because the Lord GOD helps Me,
I have not been disgraced;

let him lean on his God.

Behold, all you who kindle a fire,

who array yourselves with firebrands,

walk in the light of your fire

and of the firebrands you have lit!

Salvation for Zion

This is what you will receive from My hand:
You will lie down in a place of torment.

51

“Listen to Me, you who pursue
righteousness,

you who seek the LORD:

Look to the rock from which you were cut,
and to the quarry from which you were

2

hewn.

Look to Abraham your father,

and to Sarah who gave you birth.

When I called him, he was but one;

3

then I blessed him and multiplied him.

For the LORD will comfort Zion

and will look with compassion on all her

ruins;

He will make her wilderness like Eden

and her desert like the garden of the LORD.

4

Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and melodious song.

Pay attention to Me, My people,
and listen to Me, My nation;

for a law will go out from Me,

and My justice will become a light to the

nations;

I will bring it about quickly.

My righteousness draws near,
My salvation is on the way,
and My arms will bring justice to the

 a
nations.

therefore I have set My face like flint,

The islands

 will look for Me

a 5

and I know that I will not be put to shame.
coastlands

and wait in hope for My arm.

Or

6

 a

Isaiah 52:2    |    663

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth below;

to establish

 the heavens, to found the earth,

God’s Fury Removed

and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’

”

for the heavens will vanish like smoke,

17

the earth will wear out like a garment,
and its people will die like gnats.

But My salvation will last forever,

and My righteousness will never fail.

Listen to Me, you who know what is right,
you people with My law in your hearts:

Do not fear the scorn of men;

8

do not be broken by their insults.
For the moth will devour them like a

garment,

and the worm will eat them like wool.

But My righteousness will last forever,

My salvation through all generations.”

7

9

Awake, awake,

put on strength, O arm of the LORD.

Wake up as in days past,

as in generations of old.

10

Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces,
who pierced through the dragon?
Was it not You who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,

11

who made a road in the depths of the sea

for the redeemed to cross over?

So the redeemed of the LORD will return

12

and enter Zion with singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.
“I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Awake, awake!

Rise up, O Jerusalem,

you who have drunk from the hand of the

LORD

the cup of His fury;

you who have drained the goblet to the

18

dregs—

the cup that makes men stagger.

Among all the sons she bore,

19

there is no one to guide her;
among all the sons she brought up,
there is no one to take her hand.

These pairs have befallen you:

20

devastation and destruction,
famine and sword.
Who will grieve for you?
Who can comfort you?
Your sons have fainted;

 b

they lie at the head of every street,
like an antelope in a net.

They are full of the wrath of the LORD,

21

the rebuke of your God.

22

Therefore now hear this, you afflicted one,

drunken, but not with wine.
Thus says your Lord, the LORD,

even your God, who defends His people:

“See, I have removed from your hand

the cup of staggering.

13

Why should you be afraid of mortal man,
of a son of man who withers like grass?

But you have forgotten the LORD, your

23

From that goblet, the cup of My fury,

you will never drink again.
I will place it in the hands of your

Maker,

who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.

You live in terror all day long

because of the fury of the oppressor

14

who is bent on destruction.

But where is the fury of the oppressor?

The captive will soon be freed;

15

he will not die in the dungeon,
and his bread will not be lacking.

For I am the LORD your God

who stirs up the sea so that its waves

16

roar—

the LORD of Hosts is His name.
I have put My words in your mouth,

a 16

and covered you with the shadow of
to plant

b 19
My hand,

Or

DSS, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; MT

tormentors,

who told you: ‘Lie down, so we can walk

over you,’

so that you made your back like the ground,

Deliverance for Jerusalem

like a street to be traversed.”

52

Awake, awake,
clothe yourself with strength,

     O Zion!

Put on your garments of splendor,

O Jerusalem, holy city!

For the uncircumcised and unclean
2

will no longer enter you.

Shake off your dust!

Rise up and sit on your throne,

How can I comfort you?

O Jerusalem.

664    |    Isaiah 52:3

3

Remove the chains from your neck,
O captive Daughter of Zion.

For this is what the LORD says:

“You were sold for nothing,

and without money you will be

redeemed.”

4

For this is what the Lord GOD says:

“At first My people went down to Egypt to

live,

5

then Assyria oppressed them without

cause.

And now what have I here?
declares the LORD.

For My people have been taken without

a

cause;

those who rule them taunt,
declares the LORD,
b

and My name is blasphemed continually

6

all day long.

Therefore My people will know My name;
therefore they will know on that day

that I am He who speaks.
7

Here I am!”

How beautiful on the mountains

c

are the feet of those who bring good

news,

who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings,

8

who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,

together they shout for joy.

For every eye will see

9

when the LORD returns to Zion.

Break forth in joy, sing together,

O ruins of Jerusalem,

10

for the LORD has comforted His people;

He has redeemed Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared His holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
 d

11

Depart, depart, go out from there!

Touch no unclean thing;

for the LORD goes before you,

The Servant Exalted
(Philippians 2:5–11)

and the God of Israel is your rear guard.

13

 e

Behold, My Servant will prosper;

14

He will be raised and lifted up and highly

 f

exalted.

Just as many were appalled at Him

—

His appearance was disfigured beyond

that of any man,

15

and His form was marred beyond human

 g

likeness—
so He will sprinkle

 many nations.

Kings will shut their mouths because of

Him.

For they will see what they have not been

told,

h

and they will understand what they have

The Suffering Servant
(Acts 8:26–40 ;  1 Peter 2:21–25)

not heard.

53

2

Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the

 i

     LORD been revealed?

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no stately form or majesty to attract
3

us,

no beauty that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

Like one from whom men hide their faces,
He was despised, and we esteemed Him

4

not.

 j

Surely He took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows;
yet we considered Him stricken,
5

struck down by God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was
k
6

l
and by His stripes we are healed.

upon Him,

12

come out from it, purify yourselves,

you who carry the vessels of the LORD.

We all like sheep have gone astray,

each one has turned to his own way;

a 5

For you will not leave in a hurry

wail
nor flee in haste,
c 7
startle
Cited in Romans 10:15
i 1
LXX

at You
Romans 2:24
Or

DSS and Vulgate; MT

h 15

g 15

b 5

in Romans 15:21
Matthew 8:17 and 1 Peter 2:24

Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:17
l 6
Cited in John 12:38 and Romans 10:16

LXX

k 5

j 4

Cited in 1 Peter 2:24

Cited in 1 Peter 2:25

and the LORD has laid upon Him

—on account of you My name is blasphemed continually among the Gentiles

the iniquity of us all.

e 13

will act wisely

f 14

d 11

LXX
For those who were not told will see, and those who have not heard will understand.

This One bears our sins and is pained for us

Or

; cited in
Syriac; Hebrew
 Cited
; cited in

7

Future Blessings for Zion

Isaiah 54:9    |    665

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet He did not open His mouth.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is

8

silent,

so He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was

taken away,

and who can recount His

descendants?
 a

For He was cut off from the land of the

living;

He was stricken for the transgression

of My people.

A Grave Assigned
(Matthew 27:57–61 ;  Mark 15:42–47 ;
Luke 23:50–56 ;  John 19:38–42)

9

He was assigned a grave with the

wicked,

and with a rich man in His death,
b

although He had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him

c

and to cause Him to suffer;

and when His soul is made a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring, He will prolong

His days,

11

and the good pleasure of the LORD will

prosper in His hand.

 d
After the anguish of His soul,
He will see the light of life

 and be

satisfied.

54

“Shout for joy, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth in song and cry aloud,
you who have never travailed;

because more are the children of the desolate

 h

woman

than of her who has a husband,”

2

says the LORD.

“Enlarge the site of your tent,

stretch out the curtains of your dwellings,
do not hold back.
Lengthen your ropes

i

3

and drive your stakes in deep.

For you will spread out to the right and left;
your descendants will dispossess the

4

nations

and inhabit the desolate cities.

Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to

shame;

do not be intimidated, for you will not be

humiliated.

For you will forget the shame of your youth
and will remember no more the reproach

5

of your widowhood.
For your husband is your Maker—

the LORD of Hosts is His name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth.

6

For the LORD has called you back,

like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit,

like the rejected wife of one’s youth,”

7

says your God.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant will

“For a brief moment I forsook you,

12

justify many,

and He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with

e

the great,

f

and He will divide the spoils with the

strong,

because He has poured out His life unto

death,

g

and He was numbered with the

transgressors.
Yet He bore the sin of many

and made intercession for the

8

but with great compassion I will bring you

back.
In a surge of anger

I hid My face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness I will have

9

compassion on you,”

says the LORD your Redeemer.

j

“For to Me this is like the days of Noah,

when I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again cover the earth.
So I have sworn that I will not be angry

with you
or rebuke you.

a 8
earth;
d 11

LXX

In humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the

transgressors.

b 9

c 10

and though He makes His life a guilt offering

 cited in Acts 8:32–33.

h 1

waters of Noah
22:37

DSS (see also LXX); MT does not include
Cited in Galatians 4:27

Or

the light of life
Cited in 1 Peter 2:22

i 2

and strengthen your stakes
Or

.

e 12
Or

many
j 9

f 12

numerous

g 12

For this is like the

Or
Some manuscripts

Cited in Luke

666    |    Isaiah 54:10

10

Though the mountains may be removed

I will make with you an everlasting

c

and the hills may be shaken,

4

covenant—

My loving devotion will not depart from you,
and My covenant of peace will not be

My loving devotion promised to David.
Behold, I have made him a witness to the

broken,”

says the LORD, who has compassion

on you.

11

5

nations,

a leader and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon a nation you do not

“O afflicted city, lashed by storms,

without solace,

a

12

surely I will set your stones in antimony

and lay your foundations with sapphires.

13

I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
Then all your sons will be taught by the

b

14

LORD,

and great will be their prosperity.
In righteousness you will be established,

far from oppression,
for you will have no fear.
Terror will be far removed,

15

for it will not come near you.

16

If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me;

whoever assails you will fall before you.

Behold, I have created the craftsman
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its task;

17

and I have created the destroyer

to wreak havoc.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

and you will refute every tongue that

accuses you.

This is the heritage of the servants of the

LORD,

and their vindication is from Me,”

Invitation to the Needy

declares the LORD.

55

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;

and you without money,
come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk

2

without money and without cost!

Why spend money on that which is not bread,
and your labor on that which does not

satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of

3

foods.

Incline your ear and come to Me;
b 13

lapis lazuli
listen, so that your soul may live.

a 11

c 3

know,

and nations who do not know you will run

to you.

For the LORD your God, the Holy One of

6

Israel,

has bestowed glory on you.”

Seek the LORD while He may be found;

7

call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked man forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his

thoughts;

let him return to the LORD,

that He may have compassion,

and to our God,
8

for He will freely pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,”

declares the LORD.

9

10

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return without watering the

earth,

11

making it bud and sprout,

and providing seed to sow and food to eat,

so My word that proceeds from My mouth

will not return to Me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please,

and it will prosper where I send it.

12

You will indeed go out with joy
and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song

before you,

13

and all the trees of the field will clap their

 d

hands.

Instead of the thornbush, the cypress

 will

grow,

and instead of the brier, the myrtle will

spring up;

this will make a name for the LORD,
an everlasting sign, never to be

d 13

destroyed.”
pine

juniper

fir

Or

Cited in John 6:45

Cited in Acts 13:34

Or

 or

 or

Salvation for Foreigners

10

Isaiah 57:8    |    667

56

This is what the LORD says:

“Maintain justice and do what is right,

2

for My salvation is coming soon,
and My righteousness will be revealed.

Blessed is the man who does this,

and the son of man who holds it fast,

who keeps the Sabbath without

profaning it

and keeps his hand from doing

any evil.”

3

Let no foreigner who has joined himself

to the LORD say,

“The LORD will utterly exclude me

from His people.”

4

And let the eunuch not say,
“I am but a dry tree.”

For this is what the LORD says:

“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
5

who choose what pleases Me
and hold fast to My covenant—

I will give them, in My house and within My

walls,

a memorial and a name
better than that of sons and daughters.

I will give them an everlasting name

6

that will not be cut off.

And the foreigners who join themselves

to the LORD
to minister to Him,

to love the name of the LORD,
and to be His servants—

all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it
7

and who hold fast to My covenant—

I will bring them to My holy mountain

and make them joyful in My house of

prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on My altar,

 a

for My house will be called a house of prayer

8

for all the nations.”

Thus declares the Lord GOD,

who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will gather to them still others

Israel’s Sinful Leaders

besides those already gathered.”

9

Israel’s watchmen are blind,
they are all oblivious;

they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;

they are dreamers lying around,

11

loving to slumber.

Like ravenous dogs,

they are never satisfied.

They are shepherds with no discernment;

12

they all turn to their own way,
each one seeking his own gain:

“Come, let me get the wine,

let us imbibe the strong drink,
and tomorrow will be like today,
The Blessed Death of the Righteous

only far better!”

57

The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;

devout men are taken away,
while no one considers

2

that the righteous are taken away
from the presence of evil.

God Condemns Idolatry

Those who walk uprightly enter into peace;
they find rest, lying down in death.

3

“But come here, you sons of a sorceress,

4

you offspring of adulterers and

prostitutes!
Whom are you mocking?

At whom do you sneer and stick out your

tongue?

Are you not children of transgression,

5

offspring of deceit,

who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every luxuriant tree,

who slaughter your children in the valleys,

6

under the clefts of the rocks?

Your portion is among the smooth stones of

the valley;

indeed, they are your lot.

Even to them you have poured out a drink

offering

7

and offered a grain offering.
Should I relent because of these?

On a high and lofty hill you have made your

8

bed,

and there you went up to offer sacrifices.

Come, all you beasts of the field;

a 7

eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.

Behind the door and doorpost

you have set up your memorial.

Cited in Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, and Luke 19:46

668    |    Isaiah 57:9

Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed;
you climbed up and opened it wide.
And you have made a pact with those whose

9

bed you have loved;

 a

18

yet he kept turning back

to the desires of his heart.

I have seen his ways,
but I will heal him;

you have gazed upon their nakedness.

19

I will guide him and restore comfort

You went to Molech

 with oil

 b

and multiplied your perfumes.

You have sent your envoys

10

 a great distance;

you have descended even to Sheol itself.

You are wearied by your many journeys,

but you did not say, “There is no hope!”

11

You found renewal of your strength;
therefore you did not grow weak.

to him and his mourners,
bringing praise to their lips.

Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the

20

LORD,

“and I will heal them.”

But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,

21

for it cannot be still,
and its waves churn up mire and muck.

Whom have you dreaded and feared,

so that you lied and failed
to remember Me or take this to heart?

Is it not because I have long been silent

12

that you do not fear Me?

I will expose your righteousness and your

13

works,

and they will not profit you.

When you cry out,

let your companies of idols deliver you!

Yet the wind will carry off all of them,
a breath will take them away.

But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit

the land
Healing for the Repentant

and possess My holy mountain.”

14

And it will be said,

“Build it up, build it up, prepare the way,

15

take every obstacle out of the way of My

people.”

“There is no peace,” says my God,

True Fasts and Sabbaths
“for the wicked.”

58

“Cry aloud, do not hold back!
Raise your voice like a ram’s horn.
Declare to My people their transgression
2
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek Me

and delight to know My ways,
like a nation that does what is right

and does not forsake the justice of their

God.

They ask Me for righteous judgments;
3

they delight in the nearness of God.”

“Why have we fasted,

and You have not seen?

Why have we humbled ourselves,
and You have not noticed?”

“Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as
4

you please,

For thus says the One who is high and lifted

and you oppress all your workers.

up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is

Holy:

“I dwell in a high and holy place,

You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.

You cannot fast as you do today
5

and have your voice be heard on high.

and with the oppressed and humble in

Is this the fast I have chosen:

spirit,

to restore the spirit of the lowly

16

a day for a man to deny himself,

to bow his head like a reed,

and revive the heart of the contrite.

and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?

For I will not accuse you forever,
nor will I always be angry;

for then the spirit of man would grow weak

17

before Me—

the breath of life I have made.

I was enraged by his sinful greed,

a 9

to the king
so I struck him and hid My face in anger;

idols

b 9

Or

Or

Will you call this a fast

6

and a day acceptable to the LORD?

Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:

to break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and tear off every yoke?

7

2

Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your

But your iniquities have built barriers

between you and your God,

home,

and your sins have hidden His face from you,

3

to clothe the naked when you see him,

so that He does not hear.

Isaiah 59:13    |    669

and not to turn away

8

from your own flesh and blood?

For your hands are stained with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;

Then your light will break forth like the

dawn,

and your healing will come quickly.
Your righteousness will go before you,
9

and the glory of the LORD will be your

rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I

am.’

If you remove the yoke from your midst,

10

the pointing of the finger and malicious

talk,

and if you give yourself to the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted soul,

11

then your light will go forth in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.

The LORD will always guide you;

He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land
and strengthen your frame.

12

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;

you will restore the age-old foundations;

13

you will be called Repairer of the Breach,
Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.

If you turn your foot from breaking the

Sabbath,

from doing as you please on My holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight,

and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
if you honor it by not going your own way

14

or seeking your own pleasure or speaking

idle words,

then you will delight yourself in the LORD,

and I will make you ride on the heights of

the land

and feed you with the heritage of your

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
father Jacob.”

Sin Separates Us from God
(Psalm 14:1–7 ;  Psalm 53:1–6 ;  Romans 3:9–20)

59

 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too

short to save,
b 8

misery

nor His ear too dull to hear.

a 7

LXX

Cited in Romans 3:15–17

your lips have spoken lies,

4

and your tongue mutters injustice.

No one calls for justice;

no one pleads his case honestly.
They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies;

5

they conceive mischief and give birth to

iniquity.

They hatch the eggs of vipers
and weave a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;

6

crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing,
and they cannot cover themselves with

their works.
Their deeds are sinful deeds,
7

and acts of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to evil;

they are swift to shed innocent blood.

 a

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;

8

b

ruin and destruction

 lie in their wake.

The way of peace they have not known,

and there is no justice in their tracks.
They have turned them into crooked paths;
no one who treads on them will know

9

peace.

Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

10

Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall,

groping like those without eyes.
We stumble at midday as in the twilight;

11

among the vigorous we are like the dead.

We all growl like bears

and moan like doves.

12

We hope for justice, but find none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

For our transgressions are multiplied before

You,

and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions are indeed with us,

13

and we know our iniquities:
rebelling and denying the LORD,
turning away from our God,

670    |    Isaiah 59:14

speaking oppression and revolt,

14

conceiving and uttering lies from the

but the LORD will rise upon you,

3

and His glory will appear over you.

heart.

So justice is turned away,

and righteousness stands at a distance.
For truth has stumbled in the public square,

15

and honesty cannot enter.

Truth is missing,

and whoever turns from evil becomes

 a

prey.

16

The LORD looked and was displeased

that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no man;

Nations will come to your light,

4

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around:

They all gather and come to you;

your sons will come from afar,

5

and your daughters will be carried on the

arm.

Then you will look and be radiant,

and your heart will tremble and swell

with joy,

because the riches of the sea will be brought

He was amazed that there was no one to

to you,

intercede.

6

and the wealth of the nations will come to

17

So His own arm brought salvation,

you.

and His own righteousness sustained Him.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on His head;

Caravans of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah,

and all from Sheba will come,

He put on garments of vengeance

The Covenant of the Redeemer

and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.

18

So He will repay according to their deeds:

19

fury to His enemies,
retribution to His foes,
and recompense to the islands.

b

So shall they fear the name of the LORD

where the sun sets,
and His glory where it rises.
c
For He will come like a raging flood,
driven by the breath of the LORD.

20

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from

d

transgression,

21

”   declares the LORD.
 e

f

“As  for  Me,  this  is  My  covenant  with  them,”
says  the  LORD.  “My  Spirit  will  not  depart  from
you,
 and My words that I have put in your mouth
will  not  depart  from  your  mouth  or  from  the
mouths of your children and grandchildren, from
Future Glory for Zion
now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.

60

2

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises

      upon you.

For behold, darkness covers the earth,
and it was evil in His eyes

and thick darkness is over the peoples;

a 15
the LORD will drive him back
f 21

Hebrew

7

bearing gold and frankincense
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to

you;

the rams of Nebaioth will serve you
and go up on My altar with acceptance;
8
I will adorn My glorious house.
Who are these who fly like clouds,
 g
like doves to their shelters?

9

 h

Surely the islands

 will wait for Me,

with the ships of Tarshish
to bring your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,

 in the lead,

to the honor of the LORD your God,

10

the Holy One of Israel,
for He has glorified you.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.

11

Although I struck you in anger,

yet in favor I will show you mercy.

Your gates will always stand open;

they will never be shut, day or night,
so that the wealth of the nations may be

12

brought into you,

with their kings being led in procession.
For the nation or kingdom that will not serve

13

you will perish;

it will be utterly destroyed.

i

The glory of Lebanon will come to you—

its cypress,
 elm, and boxwood together—
When the enemy comes like a raging flood, the Spirit of

d 20

coastlands

b 18
to remove godlessness from Jacob

c 19

e 21

My Spirit, who is upon you,
LXX

g 9

Or

coastlands

h 9

Or

a fleet of trading ships

i 13

pine

juniper

fir

; cited in Romans 11:26

Cited in Rom. 11:27

Literally

Or

Or

Or

 or

 or

to adorn the place of My sanctuary,

14

The

and I will glorify the place of My feet.
 sons of your oppressors
will come and bow down to you;

all who reviled you

will fall facedown at your feet
and call you the City of the LORD,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15

Whereas you have been forsaken and

despised,

with no one passing through,
I will make you an everlasting pride,

16

a joy from age to age.

You will drink the milk of nations

and nurse at the breasts of royalty;
you will know that I, the LORD, am your

Savior

17

and your Redeemer, the Mighty One

of Jacob.

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold;
I will bring silver in place of iron,

bronze instead of wood,

and iron instead of stones.

18

I will appoint peace as your governor
and righteousness as your ruler.

No longer will violence be heard in your land,

nor ruin or destruction within your

borders.

But you will name your walls Salvation

19

and your gates Praise.

No longer will the sun be your light by day,
nor the brightness of the moon shine on

 a

your night;

b

20

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your splendor.

Your sun will no longer set,

and your moon will not wane;

21

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your sorrow will cease.

Then all your people will be righteous;
they will possess the land forever;

they are the branch of My planting,

22

the work of My hands,
so that I may be glorified.

The least of you will become a thousand,
and the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the LORD;

The Year of the LORD’s Favor  (Luke 4:16–30)

Isaiah 61:9    |    671

61

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me,
because the LORD has anointed Me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,
2

to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners,

 d

c

3

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all who mourn,
to console the mourners in Zion—

to give them a crown of beauty for ashes,

the oil of joy for mourning,

and a garment of praise for a spirit

of despair.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that He may be

4

glorified.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the places long

devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities,
5

the desolations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,

6

and foreigners will be your plowmen and

vinedressers.

But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
they will speak of you as ministers of our

God;

you will feed on the wealth of nations,
7
and you will boast in their riches.
Instead of shame, My people will have a

double portion,

and instead of humiliation, they will

rejoice in their share;

and so they will inherit a double portion

8

in their land,

and everlasting joy will be theirs.

For I, the LORD, love justice;

I hate robbery and iniquity;

in My faithfulness I will give them their

recompense

9

and make an everlasting covenant with

them.

Their descendants will be known among the

nations,

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the LORD has

in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

shine on you

a 19
and recovery of sight to the blind

d 2

b 19

DSS, LXX, and Targum Yonaton; MT

your beauty

blessed.
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD
Or

Heb.; LXX

c 1

to proclaim liberty to the captives

; cited in Luke 4:18

Or

; cited in Luke 4:19

672    |    Isaiah 61:10

10

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
my soul will exult in my God;

for He has clothed me with garments of

salvation

and wrapped me in a robe of

righteousness,

11

as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress,
as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its growth,

and as a garden enables seed to spring up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and

praise

Zion’s Salvation and New Name

to spring up before all the nations.

62

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not

     keep still,

until her righteousness shines like a bright

2

light,

her salvation like a blazing torch.
Nations will see your righteousness,

and all kings your glory.
You will be called by a new name

3

that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

You will be a crown of glory in the hand

4

of the LORD,

a

a royal diadem in the palm of your God.

 b

No longer will you be called Forsaken,
c
nor your land named Desolate;
but you will be called Hephzibah,

 d

and your land Beulah;

5

for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be His bride.

For as a young man marries a young woman,

so your sons will marry you;

and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
6

so your God will rejoice over you.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted

watchmen;

they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the LORD

7

shall take no rest for yourselves,

nor give Him any rest

8

until He establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.

The LORD has sworn by His right hand

and by His mighty arm:

“Never again will I give your grain
Shemamah
b 4
to your enemies for food,
It is I, speaking in righteousness,

Azubah

a 4
e 1

c 4 Hephzibah

nor will foreigners drink the new wine

9

for which you have toiled.
For those who harvest grain

will eat it and praise the LORD,

and those who gather grapes

10

will drink the wine in My holy courts.”

Go out, go out through the gates;

prepare the way for the people!

Build it up, build up the highway;

11

clear away the stones;
raise a banner for the nations!

Behold, the LORD has proclaimed

to the ends of the earth,

“Say to Daughter Zion:

See, your Savior comes!
Look, His reward is with Him,

12

and His recompense goes before Him.”

And they will be called the Holy People,

the Redeemed of The LORD;
and you will be called Sought Out,

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

A City Not Forsaken.

63

Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah with crimson-stained

      garments?
Who is this robed in splendor,

e

marching in the greatness of His strength?

“It is I, proclaiming vindication,
2

mighty to save.”

Why are Your clothes red,

3

and Your garments like one who treads

the winepress?

“I have trodden the winepress alone,

and no one from the nations was with Me.

I trampled them in My anger

and trod them down in My fury;
their blood spattered My garments,
and all My clothes were stained.

4

For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

5

and the year of My redemption had come.

I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was appalled that no one assisted.

So My arm brought Me salvation,
6
and My own wrath upheld Me.
I trampled the nations in My anger;
in My wrath I made them drunk
and poured out their blood on the
My delight is in her

d 4 Beulah

ground.”

married

Hebrew
Or

Hebrew

 means

.

 means

.

God’s Mercies Recalled

16

Isaiah 64:7    |    673

7

I will make known the LORD’s loving

devotion

and His praiseworthy acts,

because of all that the LORD has done for

17

us—

Yet You are our Father,

though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not acknowledge us.

You, O LORD, are our Father;

our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your

name.

the many good things for the house of

Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from

Israel

Your ways

according to His great compassion and

and harden our hearts from fearing You?

8

loving devotion.

For He said, “They are surely My people,

9

sons who will not be disloyal.”
So He became their Savior.
 a

In all their distress, He too was afflicted,
 saved

and the Angel of His Presence

them.

In His love and compassion He redeemed

them;

10

He lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.

But they rebelled

and grieved His Holy Spirit.

11

So He turned and became their enemy,
and He Himself fought against them.

Then His people remembered the days of old,

the days of Moses.

Where is He who brought them through the

sea

with the shepherds of His flock?

Where is the One who set

12

His Holy Spirit among them,

who sent His glorious arm

to lead them by the right hand of Moses,

who divided the waters before them

13

14

who led them through the depths
like a horse in the wilderness,
so that they did not stumble?
Like cattle going down to the valley,

the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.

You led Your people this way

A Prayer for Mercy
(Jeremiah 14:19–22)

to make for Yourself a glorious name.

15

to gain for Himself everlasting renown,

5

18

Return, for the sake of Your servants,

the tribes of Your heritage.

For a short while Your people possessed

Your holy place,

19

but our enemies have trampled Your

sanctuary.

We have become like those You never ruled,

A Prayer for God’s Power

like those not called by Your name.

64

 If only You would rend the heavens

and come down,

2

so that mountains would quake at Your

presence,

as fire kindles the brushwood

and causes the water to boil,

to make Your name known to Your enemies,
so that the nations will tremble at Your

3

presence!

When You did awesome works that we did

not expect,

4

You came down, and the mountains
trembled at Your presence.

From ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides You,

b

who acts on behalf of those who wait for

Him.

You welcome those who gladly do right,

who remember Your ways.

Surely You were angry, for we sinned.

6

How can we be saved if we remain in our

sins?

Each of us has become like something

unclean,
 c

and all our righteous acts are like filthy

rags;

Look down from heaven and see,

we all wither like a leaf,

from Your holy and glorious habitation.

7

and our iniquities carry us away like the

Where are Your zeal and might?

wind.

Your yearning and compassion for me are
restrained.
b 4
angel of His presence

No one calls on Your name
like a stained menstrual garment

or strives to take hold of You.

c 6

a 9

Or

Cited in 1 Corinthians 2:9

Or

674    |    Isaiah 64:8

For You have hidden Your face from us

both for your iniquities

 a

7

8

and delivered us into the hand

 of our

iniquity.

and for those of your fathers,”

says the LORD.

But now, O LORD, You are our Father;

9

we are the clay, and You are the potter;
we are all the work of Your hand.

Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure;
do not remember our iniquity forever.

8

 “Because they burned incense on the

mountains

and scorned Me on the hills,

I will measure into their laps

full payment for their former deeds.”

Oh, look upon us, we pray;
we are all Your people!

10

Your holy cities have become a wilderness.

11

Zion has become a wasteland and
Jerusalem a desolation.
Our holy and beautiful temple,

where our fathers praised You,

12

has been burned with fire,

and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

After all this, O LORD,

will You restrain Yourself?

Will You keep silent

Judgments and Promises  (Romans 10:1–21)

and afflict us beyond measure?

65

“I revealed Myself to those who did not

ask for Me;

b

This is what the LORD says:

“As the new wine is found in a cluster of

grapes,

and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it

contains a blessing,’

so I will act on behalf of My servants;
9

I will not destroy them all.

And I will bring forth descendants from

Jacob,

and heirs from Judah;

d

10

My elect will possess My mountains,

and My servants will dwell there.
Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,

and the Valley of Achor a resting place for

11

herds,

for My people who seek Me.

I was found by those who did not seek

But you who forsake the LORD,

 e

Me.

To a nation that did not call My name,
2
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
All day long I have held out My hands

 c

to an obstinate people
who walk in the wrong path,
3

who follow their own imaginations,
to a people who continually provoke Me

to My face,

4

sacrificing in the gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick,

sitting among the graves,

spending nights in secret places,

eating the meat of pigs

5

and polluted broth from their bowls.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself;

do not come near me, for I am holier than

you!’

Such people are smoke in My nostrils,
6

a fire that burns all day long.
Behold, it is written before Me:

who forget My holy mountain,

f

12

who set a table for Fortune

and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

I will destine you for the sword,

and you will all kneel down to be

slaughtered,

because I called and you did not answer,

I spoke and you did not listen;

13

you did evil in My sight

and chose that in which I did not delight.”

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

“My servants will eat,

but you will go hungry;

My servants will drink,

but you will go thirsty;

14

My servants will rejoice,

but you will be put to shame.

My servants will shout for joy with a glad

heart,

15

but you will cry out with a heavy heart
and wail with a broken spirit.

I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will pay it back into their laps,

a 7
disobedient and obstinate people
possess them
Gad

LXX, Syriac, and Targum Yonaton; MT

e 11

You will leave behind your name
c 2
as a curse for My chosen ones,

b 1

to a

d 9

and heirs to My mountains out of Judah; My elect will
Cited in Romans 10:20

LXX

Meni

f 11

have made us melt in the hand

Hebrew

; cited in Romans 10:21
, the Babylonian god of fortune

Or

Hebrew

, the Babylonian god of fate

and the Lord GOD will slay you;

but the food of the serpent

 will be dust.

Isaiah 66:7    |    675

 b

16

but to His servants He will give another

name.

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land

will do so by the God of truth,
and whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear by the God of truth.

For the former troubles will be forgotten

A New Heaven and a New Earth
(Revelation 21:1–8)

and hidden from My sight.

17

For behold, I will create

new heavens and a new earth.

a

18

The former things will not be remembered,

nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I create;

19

for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem

and take delight in My people.
The sounds of weeping and crying
will no longer be heard in her.

20

No longer will a nursing infant live but a few

days,

or an old man fail to live out his years.
For the youth will die at a hundred years,
and he who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.

21

They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their

22

fruit.

No longer will they build houses for others to

inhabit,

nor plant for others to eat.
For as is the lifetime of a tree,

so will be the days of My people,
and My chosen ones will fully enjoy

23

the work of their hands.

They will not labor in vain

or bear children doomed to disaster;

for they will be a people blessed by the

24

LORD—

they and their descendants with them.

Even before they call, I will answer,

25

and while they are still speaking, I will

hear.

a 17

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,

a new heaven and a new earth
      c 2

snake

They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,”

says the LORD.

Heaven Is My Throne

66

This is what the LORD says:

“Heaven is My throne,
and earth is My footstool.

What kind of house will you build for Me?
 c
2
Or where will My place of repose be?

Has not My hand made all these things?
And so they came into being,”

declares the LORD.

“This is the one I will esteem:

3

he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
who trembles at My word.

Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who

slays a man;

whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who

breaks a dog’s neck;

whoever presents a grain offering is like one

who offers pig’s blood;

whoever offers frankincense is like one

who blesses an idol.

Indeed, they have chosen their own ways
4
and delighted in their abominations.

So I will choose their punishment

and I will bring terror upon them,
because I called and no one answered,

I spoke and no one listened.

But they did evil in My sight

5

and chose that in which I did not delight.”

You who tremble at His word,
hear the word of the LORD:

“Your brothers who hate you

and exclude you because of My name

have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified

6

that we may see your joy!’
But they will be put to shame.”

Hear the uproar from the city;

listen to the voice from the temple!

It is the voice of the LORD,

Rejoice with Jerusalem

repaying His enemies what they deserve!

7

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
before she was in pain, she delivered

a boy.

b 25

nachash

LXX
most cases as

; see also Isaiah 66:22 and Revelation 21:1.

Hebrew

; translated in

Cited in Acts 7:49–50

676    |    Isaiah 66:8

8

17

Who has heard of such as this?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day

or a nation be delivered in an instant?

Yet as soon as Zion was in labor,
9
she gave birth to her children.

Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and

not deliver it?”

says the LORD.

“Or will I who deliver close the womb?”

10

says your God.

Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her,

all who love her.
Rejoice greatly with her,

11

all who mourn over her,

so that you may nurse and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;

you may drink deeply and delight yourselves

12

in her glorious abundance.
For this is what the LORD says:
“I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the wealth of nations like a flowing

stream;

13

you will nurse and be carried on her arm,

and bounced upon her knees.

As a mother comforts her son,

14

so will I comfort you,
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

When you see, you will rejoice,

and you will flourish like grass;

then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to

His servants,

but His wrath will be shown to His

Final Judgments against the Wicked
15

enemies.

For behold, the LORD will come with fire—
His chariots are like a whirlwind—

16

to execute His anger with fury

and His rebuke with flames of fire.

For by fire and by His sword,

the LORD will execute judgment on

all flesh,

“Those who consecrate and purify themselves
to enter the groves—to follow one in the center
of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin
and  rats—will  perish  together,”  declares  the
18
LORD.

 a

“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am
  to  gather  all  nations  and  tongues,  and

coming
19
they will come and see My glory.

I will establish a sign among them, and I will
send  survivors  from  among  them  to  the  na-
tions—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud;
  far  away  who
to  Tubal,  Javan,  and  the  islands
have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.

 b

20

So  they  will  proclaim  My  glory  among  the  na-
tions.
And  they  will  bring  all  your  brothers
from  all  the  nations  as  a  gift  to  the  LORD  on
horses  and  chariots  and  wagons,  on  mules  and
camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the
LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in
21
a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”

“And I will select some of them as priests and

22
Levites,” says the LORD.

c
“For just as the new heavens and the

new earth,

which I will make, will endure

declares the LORD,

before Me,”

“so your descendants and your name will

23

endure.

From one New Moon to another

and from one Sabbath to another,

all mankind will come to worship before Me,”

24

says the LORD.

“As they go forth, they will see the corpses

of the men who have rebelled against Me;

d

for their worm will never die,

their fire will never be quenched,

and they will be a horror

and many will be slain by the LORD.

          to all mankind.”

a 18
earth

And I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming

b 19

coastlands

c 22

the new heaven and the new

d 24

Literally
; see also Isaiah 65:17 and Revelation 21:1.

Or

LXX

Cited in Mark 9:48

Jeremiah

The Call of Jeremiah

12

1

These  are  the  words  of  Jeremiah  son  of
Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the

2
territory of Benjamin.

3

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the
thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon
king  of Judah,
and  through  the  days of  Jehoia-
kim  son  of  Josiah  king  of  Judah,  until  the  fifth
month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Jo-
siah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem
4
went into exile.
5
The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

 a

“You have observed correctly,” said the LORD,
 over My word to accomplish

“for I am watching
13
it.”

Again the word of the LORD came to me, ask-

ing, “What do you see?”

“I  see  a  boiling  pot,”  I  replied,  “and  it  is  tilting
14
toward us from the north.”

15

Then the LORD said to me, “Disaster from the
north  will  be  poured  out  on  all  who  live  in  the
For I am about to summon all the clans
land.
and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD.

“Their kings will come and set up their

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew

thrones

you,

and before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as a prophet to

the nations.”

6

“Ah,  Lord  GOD,”  I  said,  “I  surely  do  not  know

7
how to speak, for I am only a child!”

But the LORD told me:

“Do not say,

‘I am only a child.’

For to everyone I send you,

you must go,

and all that I command you,
8

you must speak.
Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,”

declares the LORD.

9

Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched

my mouth, and said to me:

10

“Behold, I have put My words

in your mouth.

See, I have appointed you today
over nations and kingdoms

to uproot and tear down,

11

to destroy and overthrow,
to build and plant.”

And the word of the LORD came to me, asking,

“Jeremiah, what do you see?”

at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.

16

They will attack all her surrounding walls

and all the other cities of Judah.
I will pronounce My judgments against

them

for all their wickedness,
because they have forsaken Me,

and they have burned incense to other

gods

17

and worshiped the works of their
b

own hands.

Get  yourself  ready.

  Stand  up  and  tell  them
everything that I command you. Do not be intim-
18
idated by them, or I will terrify you before them.
Now  behold,  this  day  I  have  made  you  like  a
fortified  city,  an  iron  pillar,  and  bronze  walls
against the whole land—against the kings of Ju-
dah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the
They will fight against you but will never
land.
overcome  you,  since  I  am  with  you  to  deliver
Israel Has Forsaken God
you,” declares the LORD.

19

2

2

Now the word of the LORD came to me, say-
ing,
“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Je-

rusalem that this is what the LORD says:

‘I remember the devotion of your youth,

your love as a bride,

how you followed Me in the wilderness,

a 12
“I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

watching

almond tree

in a land not sown.

b 17

Gird up your loins.

The Hebrew for

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

Hebrew

678    |    Jeremiah 2:3

3

Israel was holy to the LORD,

the firstfruits of His harvest.

All who devoured her
were found guilty;
disaster came upon them,’
declares the LORD.

”

4

13

“For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me,

the fountain of living water,

and they have dug their own cisterns—

The Consequence of Israel’s Sin

broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

5

14

Hear  the  word  of  the  LORD,  O  house  of  Jacob,
This

and all you families of the house of Israel.
is what the LORD says:

 “What fault did your fathers find in Me
that they strayed so far from Me?

They followed worthless idols,

6

and became worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD
who brought us up from the land

of Egypt,

who led us through the wilderness,

through a land of deserts and pits,

a land of drought and darkness,

7

a land where no one travels and no one

lives?’

I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and bounty,
but you came and defiled My land
8

and made My inheritance detestable.

The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the LORD?’

The experts in the law no longer

knew Me,

and the leaders rebelled against Me.

The prophets prophesied by Baal
and followed useless idols.

9

Therefore, I will contend with you again,

declares the LORD,
and I will bring a case

10

 a

against your children’s children.

Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus

and take a look;

send to Kedar and consider carefully;
see if there has ever been anything

11

like this:

Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods at all.)

 b

But My people have exchanged their Glory

12

for useless idols.

Be stunned by this, O heavens;

be shocked and utterly appalled,”
their glorious God

Kittim

a 10

c 16

declares the LORD.

e 18
Hebrew

River

Hebrew

b 11
the River
Or

Is Israel a slave?

15

Was he born into slavery?
Why then has he become prey?
The young lions have roared at him;
they have sounded their voices.

They have laid waste his land;

16

his cities lie in ruins, without

 c

inhabitant.

The men of Memphis

17

 and Tahpanhes

have shaved the crown of your head.

Have you not brought this on yourself
by forsaking the LORD your God
when He led you in the way?

18

Now what will you gain on your way

 d

to Egypt

to drink the waters of the Nile
What will you gain on your way

?

 e

19

to Assyria

to drink the waters of the Euphrates

?

Your own evil will discipline you;

your own apostasies will reprimand you.

Consider and realize

how evil and bitter it is

for you to forsake the LORD your God

and to have no fear of Me,”

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

20

“For long ago you broke your yoke

and tore off your chains,
saying, ‘I will not serve!’

Indeed, on every high hill

21

and under every green tree
you lay down as a prostitute.
I had planted you like a choice vine

from the very best seed.

How could you turn yourself before Me

22

into a rotten, wild vine?

Although you wash with lye

and use an abundance of soap,

the stain of your guilt

is still before Me,”  declares the Lord GOD.
of Shihor
Noph

d 18

LXX; Hebrew

Hebrew

, a branch of the Nile

Israel’s Unfaithfulness
(Judges 2:10–15 ;  Isaiah 43:22–28)

23

“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;
I have not run after the Baals’?
Look at your behavior in the valley;

acknowledge what you have done.

24

You are a swift young she-camel
galloping here and there,

a wild donkey at home in the wilderness,

sniffing the wind in the heat of her desire.
Who can restrain her passion?

25

All who seek her need not weary themselves;

in mating season they will find her.

You should have kept your feet from

going bare

and your throat from being thirsty.

But you said, ‘It is hopeless!
For I love foreign gods,
and I must go after them.’

26

As the thief is ashamed when he is

caught,

so the house of Israel is disgraced.

27

They, their kings, their officials,

their priests, and their prophets

say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’

and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’

They have turned their backs to Me

and not their faces.

Yet in the time of trouble, they say,

28

‘Rise up and save us!’

But where are the gods you made for

yourselves?

Let them rise up in your time of trouble
and save you if they can;
for your gods are as numerous
as your cities, O Judah.

29

Why do you bring a case against Me?
You have all rebelled against Me,”

declares the LORD.

30

“I have struck your sons in vain;
they accepted no discipline.

Your own sword has devoured your prophets

31

like a voracious lion.”

Jeremiah 3:5    |    679

32

Does a maiden forget her jewelry
or a bride her wedding sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me
for days without number.

33

How skillfully you pursue love!

34

Even the most immoral of women
could learn from your ways.
Moreover, your skirts are stained

with the blood of the innocent poor,
though you did not find them breaking in.

35

But in spite of all these things
you say, ‘I am innocent.
Surely His anger will turn from me.’

Behold, I will judge you,

36

because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

How impulsive you are,

37

constantly changing your ways!
You will be disappointed by Egypt
just as you were by Assyria.
Moreover, you will leave that place
with your hands on your head,

The Wages of the Harlot

for the LORD has rejected those you trust;
you will not prosper by their help.”

3

 “If a man divorces his wife
and she leaves him to marry another,

can he ever return to her?

Would not such a land be completely

defiled?

But you have played the harlot with many

lovers—

and you would return to Me?”

declares the LORD.

2

“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and

see.

Is there any place where you have not

been violated?

You sat beside the highways waiting for your

lovers,

like a nomad in the desert.

You have defiled the land
3

with your prostitution and wickedness.
Therefore the showers have been withheld,

You  people  of  this  generation,  consider  the

and no spring rains have fallen.

word of the LORD:

“Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of dense darkness?

Why do My people say,

‘We are free to roam;
we will come to You no more’?

Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute;
4

you refuse to be ashamed.

Have you not just called to Me,

5

‘My Father, You are my friend from youth.

Will He be angry forever?

Will He be indignant to the end?’

680    |    Jeremiah 3:6

This you have spoken,

Judah Follows Israel’s Example

but you keep doing all the evil you can.”

6

Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to
me,  “Have  you  seen  what  faithless  Israel  has
done? She has gone up on every high hill and un-
7
der every green tree to prostitute herself there.
I  thought  that  after  she  had  done  all  these
things, she would return to Me. But she did not
8
return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.

 a

She saw

 that because faithless Israel had com-
mitted adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce
and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Ju-
9
dah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.
Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had de-
filed  the  land  and  committed  adultery  with
Yet in spite of all this, her un-
stones and trees.
faithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all
her  heart,  but  only  in  pretense,”  declares  the
A Call to Repentance  (Hos. 14:1–3 ;  Zech. 1:1–6)
LORD.
11

10

12

And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has
shown  herself  more  righteous  than  unfaithful
Go,  proclaim  this  message  toward  the
Judah.
north:

‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD.
‘I will no longer look on you with anger,

13

for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD.

‘I will not be angry forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt,

that you have rebelled against the LORD

your God.

You have scattered your favors to foreign

gods

under every green tree
and have not obeyed My voice,’

declares the LORD.
”

14

“Return,  O  faithless  children,”  declares  the
LORD,  “for  I  am  your  master,  and  I  will  take
15
you—one  from  a  city  and  two  from  a  family—
Then  I  will  give  you
and  bring  you  to  Zion.
shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you
16
with knowledge and understanding.”

“In  those  days,  when  you  multiply  and  in-
crease in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will
no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the
LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will
remember it or miss it, nor will another one be
a 8
made.

I saw

DSS, one LXX manuscript, and Syriac; MT

17

18

At  that  time  they  will  call  Jerusalem  The
Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be
gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the
LORD. They will no longer follow the stubborn-
In  those  days  the
ness  of  their  evil  hearts.
house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel,
and they will come together from the land of the
north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an
19
inheritance.

Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons

and give you a desirable land,

the most beautiful inheritance

of all the nations!’

20

I thought you would call Me ‘Father’

and never turn away from following Me.

But as a woman may betray her husband,
so you have betrayed Me, O house

declares the LORD.

21

of Israel,”

A voice is heard on the barren heights,

the children of Israel weeping and begging

for mercy,

22

because they have perverted their ways
and forgotten the LORD their God.

“Return, O faithless children,

and I will heal your faithlessness.”

23

“Here we are. We come to You,

for You are the LORD our God.
Surely deception comes from the hills,

and commotion from the mountains.

24

Surely the salvation of Israel
is in the LORD our God.

From our youth, that shameful god

has consumed what our fathers have

worked for—

25

their flocks and herds,

their sons and daughters.
Let us lie down in our shame;
let our disgrace cover us.

We have sinned against the LORD our God,

both we and our fathers;
from our youth even to this day

we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD

A Plea to Return

our God.”

4

“If you will return, O Israel,
return to Me,” declares the LORD.

“If you will remove your detestable idols from

My sight

and no longer waver,

Jeremiah 4:24    |    681

2

12

and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD

lives,’

a wind too strong for that comes from Me.
sift;
13
Now I also pronounce judgments against them.”

in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,

then the nations will be blessed by Him,

and in Him they will glory.”

3

For  this  is  what  the  LORD  says  to  the  men  of

Judah and Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground,
4

and do not sow among the thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,

and remove the foreskins of your hearts,
O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem.

Otherwise, My wrath will break out

like fire

Disaster from the North

and burn with no one to extinguish it,
because of your evil deeds.”

5

Announce in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and

say:

Behold, he advances like the clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!

14

Wash the evil from your heart,

O Jerusalem,

so that you may be saved.

15

How long will you harbor

wicked thoughts within you?
For a voice resounds from Dan,

16

proclaiming disaster from the hills

of Ephraim.

Warn the nations now!

Proclaim to Jerusalem:

“A besieging army comes from a distant land;
they raise their voices against the cities of

17

Judah.

They surround her like men guarding

a field,

“Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land.

18

because she has rebelled against Me,”

Cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble yourselves
6

and let us flee to the fortified cities.’

Raise a signal flag toward Zion.
Seek refuge! Do not delay!

For I am bringing disaster from the north,
7

and terrible destruction.

A lion has gone up from his thicket,

and a destroyer of nations has set out.

He has left his lair

to lay waste your land.

Your cities will be reduced to ruins
8

and lie uninhabited.

So put on sackcloth,
mourn and wail,

9

for the fierce anger of the LORD

has not turned away from us.”

“In that day,” declares the LORD,

“the king and officials will lose their

courage.

The priests will tremble in fear,

10

and the prophets will be astounded.”

Then  I  said,  “Ah,  Lord  GOD,  how  completely
You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by
saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at
11
our throats.”

At  that  time  it  will  be  said  to  this  people
and to Jerusalem, “A searing wind from the bar-
ren  heights  in  the  desert  blows  toward  the
daughter of My people, but not to winnow or to

declares the LORD.

“Your ways and deeds

have brought this upon you.

This is your punishment; how bitter it is,

Lamentation for Judah

because it pierces to the heart!”

19

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!

Oh, the pain in my chest!
My heart pounds within me;

I cannot be silent.

20

For I have heard the sound of the horn,

the alarm of battle.

Disaster after disaster is proclaimed,
for the whole land is laid waste.
My tents are destroyed in an instant,

21

my curtains in a moment.

22

How long must I see the signal flag
and hear the sound of the horn?

“For My people are fools;

they have not known Me.

They are foolish children,

without understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,

23

but they know not how to do good.”

I looked at the earth,

and it was formless and void;

24

I looked to the heavens,
and they had no light.
I looked at the mountains,

and behold, they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.

682    |    Jeremiah 4:25

25

26

I looked, and no man was left;

all the birds of the air had fled.

I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert.

All its cities were torn down

before the LORD,

27

before His fierce anger.

For this is what the LORD says:

28

“The whole land will be desolate,

but I will not finish its destruction.

Therefore the earth will mourn

They have made their faces harder than stone

4

and refused to repent.

Then I said, “They are only the poor;

they have played the fool,

for they do not know the way of the LORD,

5

the justice of their God.

I will go to the powerful
and speak to them.

Surely they know the way of the LORD,

the justice of their God.”

and the heavens above will grow dark.

But they too, with one accord, had broken the

I have spoken, I have planned,

29

and I will not relent or turn back.”

Every city flees

at the sound of the horseman and archer.

They enter the thickets

and climb among the rocks.

30

Every city is abandoned;
no inhabitant is left.

And you, O devastated one, what will

you do,

though you dress yourself in scarlet,

though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry,
though you enlarge your eyes with paint?

You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers

31

despise you;

they want to take your life.

For I hear a cry like a woman in labor,

a cry of anguish like one bearing her first

child—

the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for

breath,

stretching out her hands to say,

“Woe is me,
No One Is Just

for my soul faints before the murderers!”

5

 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem.
Look now and take note; search her

squares.

If you can find a single person,
anyone who acts justly,
anyone who seeks the truth,
2

then I will forgive the city.

6

yoke

and torn off the chains.

Therefore a lion from the forest will strike

them down,

a wolf from the desert will ravage them.

A leopard will lie in wait near their cities,
and everyone who ventures out will be

torn to pieces.

For their rebellious acts are many,
7

and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.

“Why should I forgive you?

Your children have forsaken Me
and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I satisfied their needs, yet they committed

adultery

8

and assembled at the houses of

prostitutes.

They are well-fed, lusty stallions,

9

each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
Should I not punish them for these things?”

declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge Myself
on such a nation as this?

10

Go up through her vineyards and ravage

them,

but do not finish them off.

11

Strip off her branches,

for they do not belong to the LORD.
For the house of Israel and the house of

Judah

have been utterly unfaithful to Me,”

declares the LORD.

12

Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD

They have lied about the LORD and said:

3

lives,’

they are swearing falsely.”

O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You struck them, but they felt no pain.

You finished them off,

a 13

let this befall them.

but they refused to accept discipline.

Literally

“He will not do anything; harm will not come

13

to us;

we will not see sword or famine.

The prophets are but wind,

a

for the word is not in them.
So let their own predictions befall them.

”

Judgment Proclaimed

14

Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts

says:

“Because you

 have spoken this word,

15

I will make My words a fire in your mouth
and this people the wood it consumes.
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against

you,

O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.

“It is an established nation,

an ancient nation,

16

a nation whose language you do not know

and whose speech you do not understand.

17

Their quivers are like open graves;

they are all mighty men.

They will devour your harvest and food;
they will consume your sons and

daughters;

they will eat up your flocks and herds;

they will feed on your vines and fig trees.

With the sword they will destroy

18

the fortified cities in which you trust.”

19

“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I
will not make a full end of you.
And when the
people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our
God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell
them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served
foreign  gods  in  your  land,  so  will  you  serve
20
foreigners in a land that is not your own.’

”

Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim

21
it in Judah:

“Hear this,

O foolish and senseless people,

22

who have eyes but do not see,

who have ears but do not hear.

Do you not fear Me?”
declares the LORD.

“Do you not tremble before Me,

the One who set the sand as the boundary

for the sea,

an enduring barrier it cannot cross?
The waves surge, but they cannot prevail.

They roar but cannot cross it.

23

But these people have stubborn and

24

rebellious hearts.

They have turned aside and gone away.

They have not said in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,

Jeremiah 6:5    |    683

25

who keeps for us the appointed weeks of

harvest.’

26

Your iniquities have diverted these from you;
your sins have deprived you of My bounty.

For among My people are wicked men;
they watch like fowlers lying in wait;
they set a trap to catch men.

27

Like cages full of birds,

so their houses are full of deceit.
Therefore they have become powerful

and rich.

28

They have grown fat and sleek,

and have excelled in the deeds of the

wicked.

They have not taken up the cause of the

fatherless,

that they might prosper;

nor have they defended

29

the rights of the needy.

Should I not punish them for these things?”

declares the LORD.

“Should I not avenge Myself
on such a nation as this?

30

31

A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in the land.
The prophets prophesy falsely,

and the priests rule by their own

authority.

My people love it so,

Jerusalem’s Final Warning

but what will you do in the end?

6

“Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin;
flee from Jerusalem!

Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa;

send up a signal over Beth-haccherem,

for disaster looms from the north,

2

even great destruction.

a

3

Though she is beautiful and delicate,
I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.

Shepherds and their flocks
will come against her;

they will pitch their tents all around her,

4

each tending his own portion:

‘Prepare for battle against her;

rise up, let us attack at noon.
Woe to us, for the daylight is fading;
the evening shadows grow long.

5

who gives the rains, both autumn and spring,

a 2

To a lovely and delicate woman I have likened the Daughter of Zion

in season,

Rise up, let us attack by night
and destroy her fortresses!’

”

Or

684    |    Jeremiah 6:6

6

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Cut down the trees

and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem.

This city must be punished;
7

there is nothing but oppression in

her midst.

As a well gushes

 its water,

so she pours out her evil.

Violence and destruction resound in her;
8

sickness and wounds are ever

before Me.

Be forewarned, O Jerusalem,

or I will turn away from you;

9

I will make you a desolation,

a land without inhabitant.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Glean the remnant of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine.

Pass your hand once more like a grape

10

gatherer

over the branches.”

To whom can I give this warning?

a

Who will listen to me?
Look, their ears are closed,
so they cannot hear.

See, the word of the LORD has become

11

offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
But I am full of the LORD’s wrath;
I am tired of holding it back.

“Pour it out on the children in the street,

and on the young men gathered together.
For both husband and wife will be captured,

12

the old and the very old alike.

No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.

So they will fall among the fallen;

when I punish them, they will collapse,”

says the LORD.

16

This is what the LORD says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look.

Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the

good way?’

Then walk in it, and you will find rest for

17

your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’
But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’

18

Therefore hear, O nations,

19

and learn, O congregations,
what will happen to them.

Hear, O earth! I am bringing disaster on this

people,

the fruit of their own schemes,

because they have paid no attention to My

20

word

and have rejected My instruction.

What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba

or sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;
your sacrifices do not please Me.”

21

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

“I will lay stumbling blocks before this

people;

An Invasion from the North

fathers and sons alike will be staggered;
friends and neighbors will perish.”

22

Their houses will be turned over to others,

This is what the LORD says:

their fields and wives as well,

for I will stretch out My hand

against the inhabitants of the land,”

declares the LORD.

13

“For from the least of them to the greatest,

all are greedy for gain;

14

from prophet to priest,
all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of My people

with very little care,

15

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace at all.

Are they ashamed of the abomination they

a 10

uncircumcised

b 23
have committed?

javelin

Hebrew

Or

“Behold, an army is coming

from the land of the north;

23

a great nation is stirred up

 b

from the ends of the earth.
They grasp the bow and spear;

they are cruel and merciless.

Their voice roars like the sea,
and they ride upon horses,
lined up like men in formation

24

against you, O Daughter of Zion.”

We have heard the report;
our hands hang limp.
Anguish has gripped us,

pain like that of a woman in labor.

25

10

Jeremiah 7:24    |    685

26

Do not go out to the fields;
do not walk the road.
For the enemy has a sword;
terror is on every side.
O daughter of my people,

dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in

ashes.

Mourn with bitter wailing,

as you would for an only son,

27

for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.

a

“I have appointed you to examine My people

28

like ore,

so you may know and try their ways.

All are hardened rebels,

walking around as slanderers.

29

They are bronze and iron;
all of them are corrupt.
The bellows blow fiercely,

blasting away the lead with fire.

30

The refining proceeds in vain,

for the wicked are not purged.

They are called rejected silver,

Jeremiah’s Message at the Temple Gate

because the LORD has rejected them.”

7

2

3

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from
“Stand in the gate of the
the LORD, saying,
house  of  the  LORD  and  proclaim  this  message:
Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Ju-
dah  who  enter  through  these  gates  to  worship
Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God
the LORD.
of Israel: Correct your ways and deeds, and I will
Do not trust in decep-
let you live in this place.
tive words, saying:

4

 ‘This is the temple of the LORD,
the temple of the LORD,
the temple of the LORD.’

5

6

For if you really correct your ways and deeds, if
if  you  no
you  act  justly  toward  one  another,
longer  oppress  the  foreigner  and  the  fatherless
and the widow, and if you no longer shed inno-
cent blood in this place or follow other gods to
then  I will let  you  live  in  this
your  own harm,
place, in the land that I gave to your fathers for-
8
ever and ever.

7

9

But look, you keep trusting in deceptive words
Will you steal and murder, commit
to no avail.
adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and
a 27
follow  other  gods  that  you  have  not  known,
rising up early and speaking,

to examine My people, a fortress

b 11

11

and  then  come  and  stand  before  Me  in  this
house,  which  bears  My  Name,  and  say,  ‘We  are
delivered,  so  we  can  continue  with  all  these
Has  this  house,  which  bears
abominations’?
  in  your
My  Name,  become  a  den  of  robbers
12
sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.

 b

 c

14

13

But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first
made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did
to it because of the wickedness of My people Is-
And now, because you have done all these
rael.
things,  declares  the  LORD,  and  because  I  have
  but  you  would
spoken  to  you  again  and  again
not listen, and I have called to you but you would
therefore what I did to Shiloh I will
not answer,
now  do  to  the  house  that  bears  My  Name,  the
house in which you trust, the place that I gave to
And I will cast you out of
you and your fathers.
My  presence,  just  as  I  have  cast  out  all  your
Judah’s Idolatry Persists
brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.
16

15

18

17

As for you, do not pray for these people, do not
offer a plea or petition on their behalf, and do not
Do you not
beg Me, for I will not listen to you.
see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and
in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem?
The  sons  gather
wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women
knead the dough to make cakes for the Queen of
Heaven;  they  pour  out  drink  offerings  to  other
But am I the One
gods to provoke Me to anger.
they are provoking? declares the LORD. Is it not
20
themselves they spite, to their own shame?

19

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Be-
hold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on
this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the
field and the produce of the land, and it will burn
21
and not be extinguished.

22

This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Is-
rael, says: Add your burnt offerings to your other
For
sacrifices  and  eat  the  meat  yourselves!
when  I  brought  your  fathers  out  of  the  land  of
Egypt,  I  did  not  merely  command  them  about
but this is what
burnt offerings and sacrifices,
I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your
God, and you will be My people. You must walk
in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it
24
may go well with you.

23

Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but
they followed the stubborn inclinations of their
c 13
own  evil  hearts.  They  went  backward  and  not

I have spoken to you,

Or

Cited in Mt. 21:13, Mk. 11:17, and Lk. 19:46

Lit.

686    |    Jeremiah 7:25

25

From the day your fathers came out
forward.
a
of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you
26
all  My  servants  the  prophets  again  and  again.

Yet they would not listen to Me or incline their
ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more
27
evil than their fathers.

28

When you tell them all these things, they will
not listen to you. When you call to them, they will
not answer.
Therefore you must say to them,
‘This  is  the  nation  that  would  not  listen  to  the
voice  of  the  LORD  their  God  and  would  not
receive correction. Truth has perished; it has dis-
appeared from their lips.
Cut off your hair and
throw  it  away.  Raise  up  a  lamentation  on  the
barren  heights,  for  the  LORD  has  rejected  and
The Valley of Slaughter
forsaken the generation of His wrath.’
30

29

31

For the people of Judah have done evil in My
sight, declares the LORD. They have set up their
abominations in the house that bears My Name,
They have built the high
and so have defiled it.
places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so
they could burn their sons and daughters in the
fire—something I never commanded, nor did it
32
even enter My mind.

So  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  declares
the  LORD,  when  this  place  will  no  longer  be
called  Topheth  and  the  Valley  of  Ben-hinnom,
but the Valley of Slaughter. For they will bury the
33
dead  in  Topheth  until  there  is  no  more  room.
The corpses of this people will become food for
the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the  earth,
34
and there will be no one to scare them away.

I will remove from the cities of Judah and the
streets of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and glad-
ness and the voices of the bride and bridegroom,
Judah’s Sin and Punishment
for the land will become a wasteland.”

8

2

“At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones
of  the  kings of  Judah,  the bones  of  the offi-
cials,  the  bones  of  the  priests,  the  bones  of  the
prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusa-
They
lem  will  be  removed  from  their  graves.
will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all
the host of heaven which they have loved, served,
followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones
will  not  be  gathered  up  or  buried,  but  will
And
become  like  dung  lying  on  the  ground.
a 25
wherever I have banished them, the remnant of

3

this  evil  family  will  choose  death  over  life,”
4
declares the LORD of Hosts.

So  you  are  to  tell  them  this  is  what  the  LORD

says:

“Do men fall and not get up again?
5

Does one turn away and not return?
Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?

They cling to deceit;
6

they refuse to return.
I have listened and heard;

they do not speak what is right.
No one repents of his wickedness,
asking, ‘What have I done?’

Everyone has pursued his own course
7
like a horse charging into battle.

Even the stork in the sky

 b

knows her appointed seasons.

The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush

keep their time of migration,

but My people do not know

8

the requirements of the LORD.

How can you say, ‘We are wise,

and the Law of the LORD is with us,’
when in fact the lying pen of the scribes
9

has produced a deception?
The wise will be put to shame;

they will be dismayed and trapped.

Since they have rejected the word of

10

the LORD,

what wisdom do they really have?
Therefore I will give their wives to other

men

and their fields to new owners.

For from the least of them to the greatest,

all are greedy for gain;

11

from prophet to priest,
all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of the daughter of My

people

with very little care,

12

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace at all.

Are they ashamed of the abomination they

have committed?

No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.

So they will fall among the fallen;

when I punish them, they will collapse,
says the LORD.

b 7

I have sent you all My servants the prophets daily, rising up early and sending (them).

Literally

identification of some of these birds is uncertain.

The precise

13

22

I will take away their harvest,

declares the LORD.

Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is no physician there?

There will be no grapes on the vine,

Why then has the health of the daughter

nor figs on the tree,

and even the leaf will wither.

A Lament over Zion

of my people
not been restored?

Jeremiah 9:10    |    687

Whatever I have given them will be lost

The People Respond

to them.”

14

9

Oh, that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears!

Why are we just sitting here?

Gather together,

I would weep day and night
2

over the slain daughter of my people.

let us flee to the fortified cities and perish

If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the

there,

for the LORD our God has doomed us.
He has given us poisoned water to drink,

15

because we have sinned against

the LORD.

We hoped for peace,

but no good has come,

for a time of healing,

16

but there was only terror.

The snorting of enemy horses

is heard from Dan.

At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds,

the whole land quakes.

They come to devour the land and everything

17

in it,

the city and all who dwell in it.

“For behold, I will send snakes

among you,

wilderness,

I would abandon my people and depart

from them,
for they are all adulterers,
3

a crowd of faithless people.

“They bend their tongues like bows;
lies prevail over truth in the land.

For they proceed from evil to evil,

and they do not take Me into account,”

declares the LORD.

4

“Let everyone guard against his neighbor;

do not trust any brother,
for every brother deals craftily,
5

and every friend spreads slander.

Each one betrays his friend;
no one tells the truth.

They have taught their tongues to lie;
6

they wear themselves out committing

 b

vipers that cannot be charmed,
and they will bite you,”
Jeremiah Weeps for His People

declares the LORD.

18

 a

7

iniquity.

You dwell

 in the midst of deception;

declares the LORD.

in their deceit they refuse to know Me,”

19

My sorrow is beyond healing;

my heart is faint within me.

Listen to the cry of the daughter of my people

from a land far away:

“Is the LORD no longer in Zion?
Is her King no longer there?”

“Why have they provoked Me to anger

20

with their carved images,
with their worthless foreign idols?”

“The harvest has passed, the summer

21

has ended,

but we have not been saved.”

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Behold, I will refine them and test them,
8

 c
for what else can I do
because of

 the daughter of My people?

Their tongues are deadly arrows;

they speak deception.

With his mouth a man speaks peace to his
9

neighbor,

but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
Should I not punish them for these things?

declares the LORD.
Should I not avenge Myself

on such a nation as this?”

10

For the brokenness of the daughter of my

I will take up a weeping and wailing for the

people I am crushed.
b 6

O my Comforter in sorrow,
I mourn; horror has gripped me.

a 18

mountains,
c 7

a dirge over the wilderness pasture,

because of the wickedness of

Or

That is, Jeremiah dwells (the Heb. is singular)

LXX

688    |    Jeremiah 9:11

21

for they have been scorched so no one passes

For death has climbed in through our

through,

and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
Both the birds of the air and the beasts have

11

fled;

they have gone away.

 a
“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble,

a haunt for jackals;

and I will make the cities of Judah a

12

desolation,
without inhabitant.”

Who  is  the  man  wise  enough  to  understand
this?  To  whom  has  the  mouth  of  the  LORD
spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land
destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one
13
can pass through it?

And  the  LORD  answered,  “It  is  because  they
have forsaken My law, which I set before them;
14
they  have  not  walked  in  it  or  obeyed  My  voice.
Instead, they have followed the stubbornness
of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their
15
fathers taught them.”

16

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the
God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people
wormwood  and  give  them  poisoned  water  to
I  will  scatter  them  among  the  nations
drink.
that neither they nor their fathers have known,
and  I  will  send  a  sword  after  them  until  I  have
17
finished them off.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

18

“Take note, and summon the wailing women;
send for the most skillful among them.

Let them come quickly

and take up a lament over us,

that our eyes may overflow with tears,

19

and our eyelids may gush with water.

For the sound of wailing
is heard from Zion:
‘How devastated we are!

How great is our shame!
For we have abandoned the land

20

because our dwellings have been torn

down.’

”

windows;

it has entered our fortresses

to cut off the children from the streets,

the young men from the town squares.

Declare that this is what the LORD says:

“The corpses of men will fall like dung

upon the open field,

like newly cut grain behind the reaper,

with no one to gather it.”

22

23

This is what the LORD says:

24

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
nor the strong man in his strength,
nor the wealthy man in his riches.
But let him who boasts boast in this,
b

that he understands and knows Me,

c

that I am the LORD,

who exercises loving devotion,

justice and righteousness on the earth—

declares the LORD.

for I delight in these things,”

25

26

“Behold,  the  days  are  coming,”  declares  the
LORD,  “when  I  will  punish  all  who  are  circum-
cised  only  in  the  flesh—
Egypt,  Judah,  Edom,
Ammon,  Moab,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the
desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all
these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole
The Sovereignty of God
house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

10

2

Hear the word that the LORD speaks to
This is what the
you, O house of Israel.

LORD says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations

or be terrified by the signs in the heavens,
though the nations themselves are

3

terrified by them.

For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut down a tree from the forest;

it is shaped with a chisel
4

by the hands of a craftsman.
They adorn it with silver and gold

5

and fasten it with hammer and nails,
so that it will not totter.

Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD.
Open your ears to the word of His mouth.

Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,

their idols cannot speak.

Teach your daughters to wail,
dragons
serpents
and one another to lament.

b 24

a 11

They must be carried
c 24

because they cannot walk.

loving devotion

chesed

love

Cited in 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17

loyalty to a covenant

Forms of the Hebrew

Or

 or
kindness

goodness
are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, and

faithfulness

, as well as

mercy

,

,

; the range of meaning includes

,

.

Jeremiah 10:25    |    689

16

Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,
6
and neither can they do any good.”

The Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for He is the Maker of all things,

There is none like You, O LORD.

7

You are great, and Your name is mighty in

power.

Who would not fear You, O King of nations?

This is Your due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

8

and in all their kingdoms,
there is none like You.

But they are altogether senseless and foolish,
instructed by worthless idols made of

9

wood!

Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish,

and gold from Uphaz—

the work of a craftsman

from the hands of a goldsmith.
Their clothes are blue and purple,

10

all fashioned by skilled workers.

But the LORD is the true God;

He is the living God and eternal King.

The earth quakes at His wrath,

11

and the nations cannot endure His

indignation.

Thus  you  are  to  tell  them:  “These  gods,  who
have  made  neither  the  heavens  nor  the  earth,
will perish from this earth and from under these
12
heavens.”

 a

The LORD made the earth by His power;

He established the world by His

wisdom

13

and stretched out the heavens by His

understanding.

When He thunders,

the waters in the heavens roar;

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

14

storehouses.

Every man is senseless and devoid of

knowledge;

every goldsmith is put to shame by

his idols.

15

For his molten images are a fraud,
and there is no breath in them.

and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—

The Coming Captivity of Judah

the LORD of Hosts is His name.

17

18

Gather up your belongings from this land, you
For this is what the LORD

who live under siege.
says:

“Behold, at this time I will sling out

the inhabitants of the land
and bring distress upon them

19

so that they may be captured.”

Woe to me because of my brokenness;

my wound is grievous!

But I said, “This is truly my sickness,

20

and I must bear it.”
My tent is destroyed,

and all its ropes are snapped.
My sons have departed from me

and are no more.

I have no one left to pitch my tent

21

or set up my curtains.

For the shepherds have become senseless;

they do not seek the LORD.
Therefore they have not prospered,
and all their flock is scattered.

22

Listen! The sound of a report is coming—
a great commotion from the land to

the north.

It will make the cities of Judah a

b

23

desolation,
a haunt for jackals.

I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his

24

own;

no one who walks directs his own steps.

Correct me, O LORD,

but only with justice—

not in Your anger,

25

or You will bring me to nothing.

Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge You,

and on the families

that do not call on Your name.

For they have devoured Jacob;

They are worthless, a work to be mocked.

In the time of their punishment they will

they have consumed him and finished

him off;

a 11

perish.

b 22

serpents

they have devastated his homeland.
dragons

The original text of this verse is in Aramaic.

Or

 or

690    |    Jeremiah 11:1

The Broken Covenant

11

2

3

4

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from the LORD:
“Listen to the words of
this covenant and tell them to the men of Judah
You  must  tell
and  the  residents  of  Jerusalem.
them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
says: Cursed is the man who does not obey the
which  I  commanded
words  of  this  covenant,
your forefathers when I brought them out of the
land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  iron  furnace,  saying,
‘Obey Me, and do everything I command you, and
5
you  will  be  My  people,  and  I  will  be  your  God.’
This was in order to establish the oath I swore
to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing
with milk and honey, as it is to this day.”
6
“Amen, LORD,” I answered.

a

7

Then the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these
words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem,  saying:  Hear  the  words  of  this  cove-
For  from  the  time  I
nant  and  carry  them  out.
brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt un-
til  today,  I  strongly  warned  them  again  and
Yet they would
again,
not obey or incline their ears, but each one fol-
lowed  the  stubbornness  of  his  evil  heart.  So  I
brought on them all the curses of this covenant I
had commanded them to follow but they did not
9
keep.”

 saying, ‘Obey My voice.’

8

10

And the LORD told me, “There is a conspiracy
among the men of Judah and the residents of Je-
They  have  returned  to  the  sins  of
rusalem.
their forefathers who refused to obey My words.
They  have  followed  other  gods  to  serve  them.
The  house  of
the  house  of
Israel  and
Judah  have  broken  the  covenant  I  made  with
11
their fathers.

12

Therefore  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:  ‘I  am
about  to  bring  upon  them  a  disaster  that  they
cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will
Then the cities of Judah and
not listen to them.
the  residents  of  Jerusalem  will  go  and  cry  out
to  the  gods  to  which  they  have  been  burning
incense,  but  these  gods  certainly  will  not  save
Your  gods  are
them  in  their  time  of  disaster.
indeed as numerous as your cities, O Judah; the
altars  of  shame  you  have  set  up—the  altars  to
burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets
14
of Jerusalem.’

13

not be listening when they call out to Me in their
15
time of disaster.

What right has My beloved in My house,

having carried out so many evil schemes?

16

Can consecrated meat avert your doom?

When you are wicked, then you rejoice.
The LORD once called you a flourishing olive

tree,

beautiful with well-formed fruit.

17

But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire,
and its branches will be consumed.

The LORD of Hosts, who planted you, has de-
creed disaster against you on account of the evil
that  the  house  of  Israel  and  the  house of  Judah
have brought upon themselves, provoking Me to
A Plot against Jeremiah  (Jeremiah 18:18–23)
anger by burning incense to Baal.”
18

19

And the LORD informed me, so I knew.
Then You showed me their deeds.

For I was like a gentle lamb led to

slaughter;

I did not know that they had plotted

against me:

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of

the living,

20

that his name may be remembered

no more.”

 b

O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously,

who examines the heart

 and mind,
let me see Your vengeance upon them,

for to You I have committed my cause.

21

22

Therefore  this

is  what  the  LORD  says
concerning the people of Anathoth who are seek-
ing your life and saying, “You must not prophesy
in the name of the LORD, or you will die by our
hand.”
So this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
“I will punish them. Their young men will die by
23
the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.
There will be no remnant, for I will bring dis-
aster  on  the  people  of  Anathoth  in  the  year  of
The Prosperity of the Wicked
their punishment.”

12

Righteous are You, O LORD,
when I plead before You.

Yet about Your judgments

I wish to contend with You:

As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not
a 7
raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will

I earnestly warned them, rising up early and warning (them),

Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
the kidneys
Why do all the faithless live at ease?

b 20

Literally

Hebrew

2

You planted them, and they have taken root.
They have grown and produced fruit.

a

12

All the land is laid waste,

but no man takes it to heart.

Jeremiah 13:7    |    691

You are ever on their lips,
3

but far from their hearts.
But You know me, O LORD;

You see me and test my heart toward You.

Drag away the wicked like sheep to the
4

slaughter

and set them apart for the day of carnage.

How long will the land mourn

and the grass of every field be withered?

Because of the evil of its residents,

the animals and birds have been swept

away,

for the people have said,
God’s Answer to Jeremiah

“He cannot see what our end will be.”

5

“If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in a peaceful land,
6

how will you do in the thickets of the

Jordan?
Even your brothers—

your own father’s household—

even they have betrayed you;

even they have cried aloud against you.

Do not trust them,
7

though they speak well of you.

I have forsaken My house;

I have abandoned My inheritance.

I have given the beloved of My soul
8
into the hands of her enemies.
My inheritance has become to Me

like a lion in the forest.
She has roared against Me;
9
therefore I hate her.
Is not My inheritance to Me
 b

like a speckled bird of prey
with other birds of prey

 circling against

her?

10

Go, gather all the beasts of the field;

bring them to devour her.

Many shepherds have destroyed My

vineyard;

they have trampled My plot of ground.

11

They have turned My pleasant field

into a desolate wasteland.
They have made it a desolation;

their kidneys

b 9

desolate before Me, it mourns.

a 2

Over all the barren heights in the wilderness

the destroyers have come,
for the sword of the LORD devours

13

from one end of the earth to the other.
No flesh has peace.

They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.

They have exhausted themselves to

no avail.

Bear the shame of your harvest
because of the fierce anger of
A Message for Israel’s Neighbors
(Amos 1:1–15)

the LORD.”

14

This is what the LORD says: “As for all My evil
neighbors who attack the inheritance that I be-
queathed  to  My  people  Israel,  I  am  about  to
uproot  them  from  their  land,  and  I  will  uproot
the house of Judah from among them.
But after
I have uprooted them, I will once again have com-
passion  on  them  and  return  each  one  to  his
16
inheritance and to his land.

15

And if they will diligently learn the ways of My
people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely
as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My
people  to  swear  by  Baal—then  they  will  be  es-
tablished among My people.
But if they will not
obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot
The Linen Loincloth
it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”

17

13

This  is  what  the  LORD  said  to  me:  “Go
and  buy  yourself  a  linen  loincloth  and
put it around your waist, but do not let it touch
2
water.”

So I bought a loincloth in accordance with the
3
word of the LORD, and I put it around my waist.

4

Then the word of the LORD came to me a second
“Take  the  loincloth  that  you  bought  and
 and hide

time:
are wearing, and go at once to Perath
5
it there in a crevice of the rocks.”

 c

So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD had

6
commanded me.

7

Many days later the LORD said to me, “Arise, go
to Perath, and get the loincloth that I commanded
you to hide there.”
So I went to Perath and dug
up  the  loincloth,  and  I  took  it  from  the  place
where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined—of
no use at all.

to the Euphrates

c 4

like a speckled hyena with birds of prey

Hebrew
verses 5–7

Or

Or possibly

; similarly in

692    |    Jeremiah 13:8

8

9

19

10

Then the word of the LORD came to me:

“This
is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin
the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusa-
These evil people, who refuse to listen to
lem.
My words, who follow the stubbornness of their
own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve
and  worship  them,  they  will  be  like  this  loin-
11
cloth—of no use at all.

For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist,
so I have made the whole house of Israel and the
whole  house  of  Judah  cling  to  Me,  declares  the
LORD,  so  that  they  might  be  My  people  for  My
renown  and  praise  and  glory.  But  they  did  not
The Wineskins
listen.
12

Therefore you are to tell them that this is what
the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every wineskin
shall be filled with wine.’

And when they reply, ‘Don’t we surely know that
13
every  wineskin  should  be  filled  with  wine?’
then you are to tell them that this is what the
LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness
all who live in this land—the kings who sit on Da-
vid’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the
I will smash them against
people of Jerusalem.
one another, fathers and sons alike, declares the
LORD. I will allow no mercy or pity or compas-
Captivity Threatened
sion to keep Me from destroying them.’
15

14

”

16

Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant,

for the LORD has spoken.
Give glory to the LORD your God
before He brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the dusky mountains.

You wait for light,

17

but He turns it into deep gloom and thick

darkness.
But if you do not listen,

I will weep in secret because of your pride.

My eyes will overflow with tears,

18

because the LORD’s flock has been taken

captive.

Say to the king

and to the queen mother:

“Take a lowly seat,

The cities of the Negev have been shut tight,

and no one can open them.

20

All Judah has been carried into exile,

wholly taken captive.
Lift up your eyes and see

those coming from the north.
Where is the flock entrusted to you,
the sheep that were your pride?

21

What will you say when He sets over you

close allies whom you yourself trained?

22

Will not pangs of anguish grip you,
as they do a woman in labor?

And if you ask yourself,

“Why has this happened to me?”
It is because of the magnitude of your
a

iniquity

23

that your skirts have been stripped off
and your body has been exposed.
 change his skin,

Can the Ethiopian

 b

or the leopard his spots?

Neither are you able to do good—

24

you who are accustomed to doing evil.

25

“I will scatter you like chaff

driven by the desert wind.

This is your lot,

the portion I have measured to you,”

declares the LORD,

26

“because you have forgotten Me
and trusted in falsehood.

27

So I will pull your skirts up over your face,

that your shame may be seen.
Your adulteries and lustful neighings,

your shameless prostitution

on the hills and in the fields—

I have seen your detestable acts.

Woe to you, O Jerusalem!

Drought, Famine, Sword, and Plague

How long will you remain unclean?”

14

2

This is the word of the LORD that came
to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

“Judah mourns

and her gates languish.
Her people wail for the land,

3

and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
The nobles send their servants for water;

they go to the cisterns, but find no water;
their jars return empty.

for your glorious crowns have fallen from
b 23
and your heels have suffered violence

your heads.”

a 22

They are ashamed and humiliated;
that Cushite

they cover their heads.

Literally

Nile region

Hebrew

; that is, probably a person from the upper

4

The ground is cracked

because no rain has fallen on the land.

5

The farmers are ashamed;
they cover their heads.

Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn

6

fawn

because there is no grass.

 a

Wild donkeys stand on barren heights;

7

they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail for lack of pasture.”

Although our iniquities testify against us, O

LORD,

act for the sake of Your name.
Indeed, our rebellions are many;
we have sinned against You.

8

O Hope of Israel,

its Savior in times of distress,

9

why are You like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays but a night?
Why are You like a man taken by surprise,

like a warrior powerless to save?

Yet You are among us, O LORD,

and we are called by Your name.

10

Do not forsake us!

This is what the LORD says about this people:

“Truly they love to wander;

they have not restrained their feet.

So the LORD does not accept them;

11

He will now remember their iniquity
and punish them for their sins.”

12

Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the
well-being  of  this  people.
Although  they  may
fast,  I  will  not  listen  to  their  cry;  although  they
may  offer  burnt  offerings  and  grain  offerings,  I
will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them
13
off by sword and famine and plague.”

“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets
are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or
suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in
14
this place.’

”

“The  prophets  are  prophesying  lies  in  My
name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or
appoint them or speak to them. They are proph-
esying to you a false vision, a worthless divina-
15
tion, the futility and delusion of their own minds.

Therefore this is what the LORD says about the
prophets  who  prophesy  in  My  name:  I  did  not
send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will
serpents
a 6
touch this land.’

dragons

Or

 or

Jeremiah 15:2    |    693

16

By  sword  and  famine  these  very  prophets  will
And the people to whom they
meet their end!
prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jeru-
salem  because  of  famine  and  sword.  There  will
be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons
or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil
17
upon them.

You are to speak this word to them:

‘My eyes overflow with tears;

day and night they do not cease,
for the virgin daughter of my people

18

has been shattered by a crushing blow,
a severely grievous wound.

If I go out to the country,

I see those slain by the sword;

if I enter the city,

I see those ravaged by famine!

For both prophet and priest

A Prayer for Mercy
(Isaiah 63:15–19)

travel to a land they do not know.’

”

19

Have You rejected Judah completely?

Do You despise Zion?
Why have You stricken us

so that we are beyond healing?

We hoped for peace,

but no good has come,
and for the time of healing,

20

but there was only terror.

We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD,

21

the guilt of our fathers;
indeed, we have sinned against You.

For the sake of Your name do not despise us;
do not disgrace Your glorious throne.

Remember Your covenant with us;

22

do not break it.

Can the worthless idols of the nations bring

rain?

Do the skies alone send showers?
Is this not by You, O LORD our God?

Judgment to Continue

So we put our hope in You,
for You have done all these things.

15

Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Mo-
ses and Samuel should stand before Me,
My heart would not go out to this people. Send
If they
them from My presence, and let them go!
ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them
that this is what the LORD says:

2

694    |    Jeremiah 15:3

‘Those destined for death, to death;

 a

those destined for the sword, to the

sword;

those destined for famine, to famine;
and those destined for captivity, to

captivity.’

3

I will appoint over them four kinds of destroy-
ers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs
to drag away, and the birds of the air and beasts
I will make
of the earth to devour and destroy.
them  a  horror  to  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth
because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king
5
of Judah did in Jerusalem.

4

Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?

Who will mourn for you?

Who will turn aside
6

to ask about your welfare?

You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD.

You have turned your back.

So I will stretch out My hand against you

7

and I will destroy you;
I am weary of showing compassion.

I will scatter them with a winnowing fork

at the gates of the land.

I will bereave and destroy My people
8

who have not turned from their ways.
I will make their widows more numerous

than the sand of the sea.
I will bring a destroyer at noon

12

in your time of trouble,

in your time of distress.

13

Can anyone smash iron—

iron from the north—or bronze?

Your wealth and your treasures
I will give up as plunder,
without charge for all your sins
within all your borders.

 b

14

Then I will enslave you to your enemies

in a land

 you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.”

15

You understand, O LORD;

remember me and attend to me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.

In Your patience, do not take me away.
Know that I endure reproach for Your

16

honor.

Your words were found, and I ate them.

Your words became my joy
and my heart’s delight.

17

For I bear Your name,

O LORD God of Hosts.

I never sat with the band of revelers,
nor did I celebrate with them.

18

Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,
for You have filled me with indignation.

Why is my pain unending,

and my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?

against the mothers of young men.

You have indeed become like a mirage

I will suddenly bring upon them

9

anguish and dismay.

The mother of seven will grow faint;
she will breathe her last breath.
Her sun will set while it is still day;

she will be disgraced and humiliated.

And the rest I will put to the sword

in the presence of their enemies,”

Jeremiah’s Woe

declares the LORD.

10

Woe to me, my mother,

that you have borne me,
a man of strife and conflict

in all the land.

11

I have neither lent nor borrowed,

yet everyone curses me.

The LORD said:

to me—

The LORD’s Promise

water that is not there.

19

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

“If you return, I will restore you;
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak words that are noble

instead of worthless,
you will be My spokesman.
It is they who must turn to you,

20

but you must not turn to them.

Then I will make you a wall to this people,

a fortified wall of bronze;

they will fight against you

but will not overcome you,

21

for I am with you to save and deliver you,

declares the LORD.

I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked

and redeem you from the grasp of

a 2

“Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose;
b 14
surely I will intercede with your enemy

Then I will cause your enemies to bring you into a land

the ruthless.”

See Revelation 13:10.

Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also Jeremiah 17:4); most Hebrew

manuscripts

Disaster Predicted

16

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
“You  must  not  marry  or  have

3
sons or daughters in this place.”

4

For this is what the LORD says concerning the
sons  and  daughters  born  in  this  place,  and  the
mothers who bore them, and the fathers who fa-
“They  will  die  from
thered  them  in  this  land:
deadly  diseases.  They  will  not  be  mourned  or
buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They
will  be  finished  off  by  sword  and  famine,  and
their  corpses  will  become  food  for  the  birds  of
5
the air and beasts of the earth.”

Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Do not en-
ter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not
go  to  mourn  or  show  sympathy,  for  I  have  re-
moved from this people My peace, My loving de-
6
votion, and My compassion,” declares the LORD.

7

“Both great and small will die in this land. They
will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone
No food
cut himself or shave his head for them.
will be offered to comfort those who mourn the
dead; not even a cup of consolation will be given
8
for the loss of a father or mother.

You  must  not  enter  a  house  where  there  is
9
feasting and sit down with them to eat and drink.
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: I am going to remove from this place,
before  your  very  eyes  and  in  your  days,  the
sounds  of  joy  and  gladness,  the  voices  of  the
10
bride and bridegroom.

When  you  tell  these  people  all  these  things,
they  will  ask  you,  ‘Why  has  the  LORD  pro-
nounced all this great disaster against us? What
is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have com-
11
mitted against the LORD our God?’

12

Then  you  are  to  answer  them:  ‘It  is  because
your  fathers  have  forsaken  Me,  declares  the
LORD, and followed other gods, and served and
worshiped  them.  They  abandoned  Me  and  did
And  you  have  done
not  keep  My  instruction.
more evil than your fathers. See how each of you
follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead
So I will cast you out of this land
of obeying Me.
into a land that neither you nor your fathers have
known. There you will serve other gods day and
God Will Restore Israel
night, for I will show you no favor.’
14

13

Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the
LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out

Jeremiah 17:4    |    695

15

Instead they will say, ‘As
of the land of Egypt.’
surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israel-
ites  up  out  of  the  land  of  the  north  and  all  the
other lands to which He had banished them.’ For
I will return them to their land that I gave to their
16
forefathers.

But for now I will send for many fishermen, de-
clares the LORD, and they will catch them. After
that I will send for many hunters, and they will
hunt  them  down  on  every  mountain  and  hill,
17
even from the clefts of the rocks.

For  My  eyes  are  on  all  their  ways.  They
18
are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not
And I will first repay
concealed from My eyes.
them double their iniquity and their sin, because
they have defiled My land with the carcasses of
their  detestable  idols,  and  they  have  filled  My
19
inheritance with their abominations.”

O LORD, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge in the day of distress,

the nations will come to You

from the ends of the earth, and they will

say,

20

“Our fathers inherited nothing but lies,
worthless idols of no benefit at all.

Can man make gods for himself?

21

Such are not gods!”

“Therefore behold, I will inform them,

and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;

then they will know

The Sin and Punishment of Judah
that My name is the LORD.

17

“The sin of Judah is written with an iron

stylus,

engraved with a diamond point

2

on the tablets of their hearts

and on the horns of their altars.

Even their children remember their altars

3

and Asherah poles

by the green trees and on the high hills.

O My mountain in the countryside,
I will give over your wealth
and all your treasures as plunder,
because of the sin of your high places,

4

within all your borders.
And you yourself will relinquish

the inheritance that I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies
in a land that you do not know,

for you have kindled My anger;

it will burn forever.”

696    |    Jeremiah 17:5

5

This is what the LORD says:

 a

“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind,
who makes mere flesh his strength
6
and turns his heart from the LORD.

He will be like a shrub in the desert;

he will not see when prosperity comes.

He will dwell in the parched places of the

7

desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the

8

LORD,

You know that the utterance of my lips

17

was spoken in Your presence.

18

Do not become a terror to me;

You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but do not let me be put to shame.

Let them be terrified,

but do not let me be terrified.
Bring upon them the day of disaster

and shatter them with double destruction.

Restoring the Sabbath
(Nehemiah 13:15–22)

whose confidence is in Him.

He is like a tree planted by the waters

19

that sends out its roots toward the stream.

It does not fear when the heat comes,
and its leaves are always green.
It does not worry in a year of drought,
nor does it cease to produce fruit.
9

The heart is deceitful above all things

10

and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
I, the LORD, search the heart;

 b

I examine the mind

11

to reward a man according to his way,

by what his deeds deserve.

Like a partridge hatching eggs it did

not lay

is the man who makes a fortune unjustly.
In the middle of his days his riches will desert

him,

Jeremiah’s Prayer for Deliverance

and in the end he will be the fool.”

12

A glorious throne, exalted from the

13

beginning,

is the place of our sanctuary.

O LORD, the hope of Israel,

all who abandon You will be put to shame.

All who turn away will be written in

the dust,

14

for they have abandoned the LORD,
the fountain of living water.

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;

15

save me, and I will be saved,
for You are my praise.

Behold, they keep saying to me,

16

“Where is the word of the LORD?
Let it come now!”

But I have not run away from being Your

This  is  what  the  LORD  said  to  me:  “Go  and
stand at the gate of the people, through which the
kings of Judah go in and out; and stand at all the
20
other gates of Jerusalem.

22

21

Say  to  them,  ‘Hear  the  word  of  the  LORD,
O kings of Judah, all people of Judah and Jerusa-
This  is
lem  who  enter  through  these  gates.
what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves;
do not carry a load or bring it through the gates
You must not
of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
carry a load out of your houses or do any work
on the Sabbath day, but you must keep the Sab-
bath day holy, just as I commanded your forefa-
Yet they would not listen or incline their
thers.
ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not
24
listen or receive My discipline.

23

25

If, however, you listen carefully to Me, says the
LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this
city  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  keep  the  Sabbath
day holy, and do no work on it,
then kings and
princes will enter through the gates of this city.
They  will  sit  on  the  throne  of  David,  riding  in
chariots and on horses with their officials, along
with the men of Judah and the residents of Jeru-
26
salem,  and  this  city  will  be  inhabited  forever.
And people will come from the cities of Judah
and the places around Jerusalem, from the land
  the  hill
of  Benjamin,  and  from  the  foothills,
country, and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings
and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense,
27
and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.

c

But  if  you  do  not  listen  to  Me  to  keep  the
Sabbath  day  holy  by  not  carrying  a  load  while
entering  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  on  the  Sabbath
day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its
gates to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’

lowlands

”

shepherd;
b 10
arm

I have not desired the day of despair.

kidneys

c 26

a 5

Shephelah

Hebrew

Hebrew

Hebrew

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

The Potter and the Clay

16

Jeremiah 19:3    |    697

18

2

4

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from the LORD:
“Go down at once to the
potter’s house, and there I will give you My mes-
3
sage.”

So I went down to the potter’s house and saw
But the vessel that he
him working at the wheel.
was shaping from the clay became flawed in his
hand;  so  he  formed  it  into  another  vessel,  as  it
5
seemed best for him to do.
6

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“O house of Israel, declares the LORD, can I not
treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just like
clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand,
7
O house of Israel.

8

At any time I might announce that a nation or
kingdom  will  be  uprooted,  torn  down,  and  de-
But if that nation I warned turns from
stroyed.
its  evil,  then  I  will  relent  of  the  disaster  I  had
9
planned to bring.

And  if  at  another  time  I  announce  that  I  will
10
build  up  and  establish  a  nation  or  kingdom,
and if it does evil in My sight and does not lis-
ten  to  My  voice,  then  I  will  relent  of  the  good  I
11
had intended for it.

Now  therefore,  tell  the men  of Judah  and  the
residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD
says:  ‘Behold,  I  am  planning  a  disaster  for  you
and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each
of  you,  from  your  evil  ways,  and  correct  your
12
ways and deeds.’

But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will fol-
low our own plans, and each of us will act accord-
13
ing to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

”

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

“Inquire among the nations:

Who has ever heard things like these?
Virgin Israel has done a most terrible

14

thing.

Does the snow of Lebanon

ever leave its rocky slopes?

Or do its cool waters flowing from a distance

15

ever run dry?

Yet My people have forgotten Me.

They burn incense to worthless idols
that make them stumble in their ways,

They have made their land a desolation,

a perpetual object of scorn;
all who pass by will be appalled

17

and shake their heads.

I will scatter them before the enemy

like the east wind.

I will show them My back and not My face
Another Plot against Jeremiah  (Jer. 11:18–23)

in the day of their calamity.”

18

Then  some  said,  “Come,  let  us  make  plans
against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to
the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle
to  the  prophet.  Come,  let  us  denounce  him  and
19
pay no heed to any of his words.”

20

Attend to me, O LORD.

Hear what my accusers are saying!

Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before You
to speak good on their behalf,
to turn Your wrath from them.

21

Therefore, hand their children over to

famine;

pour out the power of the sword upon

them.

Let their wives become childless and

widowed;

let their husbands be slain by disease,
their young men struck down by the

22

sword in battle.

Let a cry be heard from their houses

when You suddenly bring raiders against

them,

23

for they have dug a pit to capture me

and have hidden snares for my feet.

But You, O LORD, know all their deadly plots

against me.

Do not wipe out their guilt
or blot out their sin from Your sight.

Let them be overthrown before You;

The Broken Jar

deal with them in the time of Your anger.

19

This is what the LORD says: “Go and buy
a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the
2
elders  of  the  people  and  leaders  of  the  priests,
and go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom near the

3

entrance of the Potsherd Gate.

leaving the ancient roads

to walk on rutted bypaths
instead of on the highway.

Proclaim there the words I speak to you,
saying,
‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and
residents of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD of

698    |    Jeremiah 19:4

4

Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring
such disaster on this place that the ears of all who
because  they  have  aban-
hear  of  it  will  ring,
doned  Me  and  made  this  a  foreign  place.  They
have burned incense in this place to other gods
that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings
of Judah have ever known. They have filled this
They have
place with the blood of the innocent.
built high places to Baal on which to burn their
children  in  the  fire  as  offerings  to  Baal—some-
thing I never commanded or mentioned, nor did
6
it even enter My mind.

5

7

So  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  declares  the
LORD,  when  this  place  will  no  longer  be  called
 a
Topheth  or  the  Valley  of  Ben-hinnom,  but  the
Valley of Slaughter.
the  plans  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem.  I  will  make
them fall by the sword before their enemies, by
the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will
give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air
8
and the beasts of the earth.

And in this place I will ruin

b

9

I will make this city a desolation and an object
of  scorn.
  All  who  pass  by  will  be  appalled  and
will scoff at all her wounds.
I will make them eat
the  flesh  of  their  sons  and  daughters,  and  they
will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and dis-
tress  inflicted  on  them  by  their  enemies  who
10
seek their lives.’

11

Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence
and you are to
of the men who accompany you,
proclaim  to  them  that  this  is  what  the LORD  of
Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city,
like  one  shatters  a  potter’s  jar  that  can  never
again be repaired. They will bury the dead in To-
12
pheth until there is no more room to bury them.

13

This is what I will do to this place and to its res-
idents,  declares  the  LORD.  I  will  make  this  city
like Topheth.
The houses of Jerusalem and the
houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like
that  place,  Topheth—all  the  houses  on  whose
rooftops  they  burned  incense  to  all  the  host  of
heaven and poured out drink offerings to other
14
gods.”

Then Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where
the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood
in  the  courtyard  of  the  house  of  the  LORD  and
“This is what the
proclaimed to all the people,
LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I
jar
a 7
am  about  to  bring  on  this  city  and  on  all  the
c 3 Magor-missabib

terror on every side

ruin

15

villages  around  it  every  disaster  I  have  pro-
nounced  against  them,  because  they  have  stiff-
Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah
ened their necks so as not to heed My words.’
”

20

When Pashhur the priest, the son of Im-
mer and the chief official in the house of
2
the  LORD,  heard  Jeremiah  prophesying  these
he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and
things,
put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin,
3
which was by the house of the LORD.

The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah
c
from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD
4
does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.

5

For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you
a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They
will  fall  by  the  sword  of  their  enemies  before
your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the
king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to
I will give
Babylon and put them to the sword.
away all the wealth of this city—all its products
and valuables, and all the treasures of the kings
of  Judah—to  their  enemies.  They  will  plunder
6
them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon.
And  you,  Pashhur,  and  all  who  live  in  your
house, will go into captivity. You will go to Baby-
lon,  and  there  you  will  die  and  be  buried—you
and all your friends to whom you have prophe-
Jeremiah’s Complaint
sied these lies.’
7

”

You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was

deceived.

You have overcome me and prevailed.

I am a laughingstock all day long;

8

everyone mocks me.

For whenever I speak, I cry out;

I proclaim violence and destruction.

For the word of the LORD has become

9

to me

a reproach and derision all day long.

If I say, “I will not mention Him

or speak any more in His name,”
His message becomes a fire burning in

my heart,

shut up in my bones,

and I become weary of holding it in,

10

and I cannot prevail.

For I have heard the whispering of many:

“Terror is on every side!
and a hissing
b 8
Report him; let us report him!”

The Hebrew term for

 sounds like the Hebrew for

; see verses 1 and 10.

Literally

 means

 or

.

the man who lives in terror

All my trusted friends
watch for my fall:

“Perhaps he will be deceived

11

so that we may prevail against him
and take our vengeance upon him.”

But the LORD is with me like a fearsome

warrior.

Therefore, my persecutors will stumble

and will not prevail.

Since they have not succeeded, they will be

utterly put to shame,

12

with an everlasting disgrace that will

never be forgotten.
O LORD of Hosts, who examines the

 a

righteous,
who sees the heart

 and mind,

13

let me see Your vengeance upon them,

for to You I have committed my cause.

Sing to the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

14

For He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.

Cursed be the day I was born!

15

May the day my mother bore me never be

blessed.

Cursed be the man who brought my father

the news,

16

saying, “A son is born to you,”
bringing him great joy.
May that man be like the cities

that the LORD overthrew without

compassion.

May he hear an outcry in the morning

17

and a battle cry at noon,

because he did not kill me in the womb
so that my mother might have been

18

my grave,

and her womb forever enlarged.

Why did I come out of the womb

Jerusalem Will Fall to Babylon

to see only trouble and sorrow,
and to end my days in shame?

21

2

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent
to  him  Pashhur  son  of  Malchijah  and  the  priest
“Please
Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said,
inquire  of  the  LORD  on  our  behalf,  since  Nebu-
  king  of  Babylon  is  waging  war
chadnezzar
a 12
against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us
, a variant of
Heb.

Nebuchadrezzar

Hebrew

kidneys

b 2

 b

Jeremiah 21:13    |    699

something like all His past wonders, so that Neb-
3
uchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

4

But  Jeremiah  answered,  “You  are  to  tell
Zedekiah  that
this  is  what  the  LORD,  the  God
of Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weap-
 c
ons  of  war  in  your  hands,  with  which  you  are
fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans
who  besiege  you  outside  the  wall,  and  I  will
5
assemble  their  forces  in  the  center  of  this  city.
And I Myself will fight against you with an out-
stretched  hand  and  a  mighty  arm,  with  anger,
fury, and great wrath.
I will strike down the res-
idents of this city, both man and beast. They will
7
die in a terrible plague.’

6

‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over
Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the peo-
ple in this city who survive the plague and sword
and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will
put them to the sword; he will not spare them or
8
show pity or compassion.’

9

Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this
is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you
the way of life and the way of death.
Whoever
stays  in  this  city  will  die  by  sword  and  famine
and  plague,  but  whoever  goes  out  and  surren-
ders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live;
For I
he will retain his life like a spoil of war.
have set My face against this city to bring disaster
and not good, declares the LORD. It will be deliv-
ered  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  who
A Message to the House of David
will destroy it with fire.’
11

10

Moreover,  tell  the  house  of  the  king  of  Judah
O  house  of

to  hear  the  word  of  the  LORD.
David, this is what the LORD says:

12

‘Administer justice every morning,

and rescue the victim of robbery

from the hand of his oppressor,

or My wrath will go forth like fire
and burn with no one to extinguish it

because of their evil deeds.

13

Behold, I am against you who dwell above the

valley,

atop the rocky plateau—
declares the LORD—

you who say, “Who can come against us?

Nebuchadnezzar

Who can enter our dwellings?”

c 4
 (king of Babylon), which occurs frequently
That is, the Babylonians; also in verse 9

in Jeremiah. The latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency.

700    |    Jeremiah 21:14

14

I will punish you as your deeds deserve,

declares the LORD.

I will kindle a fire in your forest

that will consume everything around

A Warning to Judah’s Kings
”

you.’

22

3

2

This is what the LORD says: “Go down to
the palace of the king of Judah and pro-
saying, ‘Hear the word
claim this message there,
of  the  LORD,  O  king  of  Judah,  who  sits  on  the
throne of David—you and your officials and your
This is what the
people who enter these gates.
LORD  says:  Administer  justice  and  righteous-
ness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand
of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the
foreigner,  the  fatherless,  or  the  widow.  Do  not
4
shed innocent blood in this place.

5

For  if  you  will  indeed  carry  out  these  com-
mands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will
enter through the gates of this palace riding on
chariots and horses—they and their officials and
But if you do not obey these words,
their people.
then I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that
A Warning about the Palace
this house will become a pile of rubble.’
6

”

11

 a

For  this  is  what  the  LORD  says  concerning
Shallum
  son  of Josiah,  king of Judah, who  suc-
ceeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from
this place: “He will never return,
but he will die
in the place to which he was exiled; he will never
A Warning about Jehoiakim
see this land again.”
13

12

“Woe to him who builds his palace by

unrighteousness,

and his upper rooms without justice,
who makes his countrymen serve without

14

pay,

and fails to pay their wages,
who says, ‘I will build myself a great

palace,

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he cuts windows in it,
panels it with cedar,
 b
and paints it with vermilion.

15

Does it make you a king to excel

 in cedar?

Did not your father have food and drink?
He administered justice and righteousness,

16

and so it went well with him.

He took up the cause of the poor and needy,

and so it went well with him.

17

Is this not what it means to know Me?”

For this is what the LORD says concerning the

declares the LORD.

house of the king of Judah:

“You are like Gilead to Me,

like the summit of Lebanon;

but I will surely turn you into a desert,
7
like cities that are uninhabited.
I will appoint destroyers against you,

each man with his weapons,

and they will cut down the choicest of

8

your cedars

and throw them into the fire.

And many nations will pass by this city and ask
one  another,  ‘Why  has  the  LORD  done  such  a
9
thing to this great city?’

Then people will reply, ‘Because they have for-
saken  the  covenant  of  the  LORD  their  God  and
A Warning about Shallum
have worshiped and served other gods.’
10

”

“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing

except your own dishonest gain,

on shedding innocent blood,

18

on practicing extortion and oppression.”

Therefore this is what the LORD says concern-

ing Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’

19

They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

He will be buried like a donkey,

20

dragged away and thrown outside the

gates of Jerusalem.

Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan;

cry out from Abarim,

21

for all your lovers have been crushed.

Do not weep for him who is dead;

do not mourn his loss.

Weep bitterly for him who is exiled,

I warned you when you were secure.

You said, ‘I will not listen.’

22

This has been your way from youth,

that you have not obeyed My voice.

a 11 Shallum

for he will never return
Jehoahaz
to see his native land.
 was also called

b 15

because you enclose yourself

The wind will drive away all your shepherds,
and your lovers will go into captivity.

.

Or

23

Then you will be ashamed and humiliated

a

because of all your wickedness.

O inhabitant of Lebanon,
nestled in the cedars,

how you will groan when pangs of anguish

come upon you,

A Warning to Coniah

agony like a woman in labor.”

24

 b

25

“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even
if  you,  Coniah
  son  of  Jehoiakim  king  of  Judah,
were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull
In  fact,  I  will  hand  you  over  to  those
you  off.
you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebu-
c
26
chadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  and  to  the  Chalde-
ans.
I will hurl you and the mother who gave
you birth into another land, where neither of you
You
were born—and there you both will die.
28
will never return to the land for which you long.”

27

Is this man Coniah a despised and shattered

pot,

a jar that no one wants?

29

Why are he and his descendants hurled out
and cast into a land they do not know?

O land, land, land,

30

hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the LORD says:

“Enroll this man as childless,

a man who will not prosper in his

lifetime.

None of his descendants will prosper

David’s Righteous Branch

to sit on the throne of David
or to rule again in Judah.”

23

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and
scatter  the  sheep  of  My  pasture!”  de-

2
clares the LORD.

Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Is-
rael, says about the shepherds who tend My peo-
ple:  “You  have  scattered  My  flock  and  driven
them away, and have not attended to them. Be-
hold,  I  will  attend  to  you  for  the  evil  of  your
3
deeds, declares the LORD.

Then  I  Myself  will  gather  the  remnant  of  My
flock from all the lands to which I have banished
them,  and  I  will  return  them  to  their  pasture,
I will
where they will be fruitful and multiply.
raise  up  shepherds  over  them  who  will  tend
a 23
them,  and  they  will  no  longer  be  afraid  or
up for David’s line
c 25
That is, the palace in Jerusalem; see 1 Kings 7:2.
That is, the Babylonians

d 5

Or

4

Jeremiah 23:12    |    701

dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the
5
LORD.

Behold, the days are coming,
 d

declares the LORD,

when I will raise up for David
a righteous Branch,

and He will reign wisely as King

6

and will administer justice and
righteousness in the land.

In His days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell securely.
And this is His name by which He will
e

7

be called:

The LORD Our Righteousness.

8

So  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  declares  the
LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out
Instead they will say, ‘As
of the land of Egypt.’
surely  as  the  LORD  lives,  who  brought  and  led
the descendants of the house of Israel up out of
the  land  of  the  north  and  all  the  other  lands  to
which  He  had  banished  them.’  Then  they  will
Lying Prophets
dwell once more in their own land.”
9

As for the prophets:

My heart is broken within me,
and all my bones tremble.
I have become like a drunkard,

like a man overcome by wine,

because of the LORD,

10

because of His holy words.
For the land is full of adulterers—

because of the curse, the land mourns
and the pastures of the wilderness have

dried up—
their course is evil

11

and their power is misused.

“For both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even in My house I have found their

declares the LORD.

wickedness,”

12

“Therefore their path will become slick;

they will be driven away into the darkness

and fall into it.

For I will bring disaster upon them
in the year of their punishment,”

declares the LORD.

b 24 Coniah
e 6

Jehoiachin

YHWH Tsidqenu

 is a variant of

; also in verse 28.

Hebrew

702    |    Jeremiah 23:13

13

22

“Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw an offensive thing:

They prophesied by Baal

14

And

and led My people Israel astray.
 among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a horrible thing:

They commit adultery
and walk in lies.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns his back on

wickedness.

They are all like Sodom to Me;

15

the people of Jerusalem are like

Gomorrah.”

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says

concerning the prophets:

“I will feed them wormwood

and give them poisoned water to drink,

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

16

ungodliness has spread throughout the

land.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets

who prophesy to you.

They are filling you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,

17

not from the mouth of the LORD.

They keep saying to those who despise Me,

‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’

and to everyone who walks in the

18

stubbornness of his own heart,

‘No harm will come to you.’

But which of them has stood in the council of

the LORD

to see and hear His word?
Who has given heed to His word

19

and obeyed it?

Behold, the storm of the LORD
has gone out with fury,
a whirlwind swirling down

20

upon the heads of the wicked.

The anger of the LORD will not turn back
until He has fully accomplished the

purposes of His heart.

In the days to come

21

you will understand this clearly.

I did not send these prophets,

yet they have run with their message;

I did not speak to them,

yet they have prophesied.

But if they had stood in My council,

they would have proclaimed My words to

My people

and turned them back

23

from their evil ways and deeds.”

“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD,

24
“and not a God far away?”

“Can a man hide in secret places where I can-

not see him?” declares the LORD.

“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares
25
the LORD.

27

26

“I have heard the sayings of the prophets who
prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a
How  long  will  this  continue  in  the
dream!’
hearts  of  these  prophets  who  prophesy  false-
hood, these prophets of the delusion of their own
They suppose the dreams that they tell
minds?
one  another  will  make  My  people  forget  My
name,  just  as  their  fathers  forgot  My  name
28
through the worship of Baal.

29

Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but
let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For
what is straw compared to grain?” declares the
“Is not My word like fire,” declares the
LORD.
30
LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

“Therefore behold,” declares the LORD, “I am
against the prophets who steal from one another
31
words they attribute to Me.”

“Yes,”  declares  the  LORD,  “I  am  against  the
prophets  who  wag  their  own  tongues  and  pro-
32
claim, ‘The LORD declares it.’

”

“Indeed,”  declares  the  LORD,  “I  am  against
those  who  prophesy  false  dreams  and  retell
them to lead My people astray with their reckless
lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded
them,  and  they  are  of  no  benefit  at  all  to  these
False Prophecies
people,” declares the LORD.
33

“Now when this people or a prophet or priest
asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you
are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake
34
you, declares the LORD.’

As  for  the  prophet  or  priest  or  anyone  who
claims,  ‘This  is  the  burden  of  the  LORD,’  I  will
35
punish that man and his household.

This  is  what  each  man  is  to  say  to  his  friend
and  to  his  brother:
‘What  has  the  LORD
answered?’  or  ‘What  has  the  LORD  spoken?’

36

But refer no more to the burden of the LORD,
for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that
you  pervert  the  words  of  the  living  God,  the
37
LORD of Hosts, our God.

Thus you are to say to the prophet: ‘What has
the  LORD  answered  you?’  and  ‘What  has  the
38
LORD spoken?’

But  if  you  claim,  ‘This  is  the  burden  of  the
LORD,’ then this is what the LORD says: Because
you have said, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’
39
and I specifically told you not to make this claim,
therefore I will surely forget you and will cast
you  out  of  My  presence,  both  you  and  the  city
that I gave to you and your fathers.
And I will
bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual
The Good and Bad Figs
humiliation that will never be forgotten.”

40

Jeremiah 25:10    |    703

9

10

of Jerusalem—those remaining in this land and
those  living  in  the  land  of  Egypt.
I  will  make
them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms
of  the  earth,  a  disgrace  and  an  object  of  scorn,
ridicule,  and  cursing  wherever  I  have  banished
And I will send against them sword and
them.
famine and plague, until they have perished from
Seventy Years of Captivity
the land that I gave to them and their fathers.’

”

25

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
concerning all the people of Judah in the
fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Ju-
dah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar
So the prophet Jeremiah spoke
king of Babylon.
to all the people of Judah and all the residents of
3
Jerusalem as follows:

2

24

 a

After  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon
had carried away Jeconiah
 son of Jehoi-
akim king of Judah, as well as the officials of Ju-
dah and the craftsmen and metalsmiths from Je-
 the
rusalem, and had brought them to Babylon,
LORD  showed  me  two  baskets  of  figs  placed  in
One basket had
front of the temple of the LORD.
very good figs, like those that ripen early, but the
other  basket  contained  very  poor  figs,  so  bad
3
they could not be eaten.

2

b

“Jeremiah,” the LORD asked, “what do you see?”

“Figs!” I replied. “The good figs are very good, but
the bad figs are very bad, so bad they cannot be
4
eaten.”
5

c

6

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the ex-
iles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this
I will keep
place to the land of the Chaldeans.
My eyes on them for good and will return them
to  this  land.  I  will  build  them  up  and  not  tear
them  down;  I  will  plant  them  and  not  uproot
I will give them a heart to know Me, that
them.
I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will
be their God, for they will return to Me with all
8
their heart.

7

“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon
king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three
years—the  word  of  the  LORD  has  come  to  me,
4
 but
and I have spoken to you again and again,
And the LORD has sent all
you have not listened.
His  servants  the  prophets  to  you  again  and
 but you have not listened or inclined your
again,
5
ear to hear.

d

e

The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you,
from  your  evil  ways  and  deeds,  and  you  can
dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you
Do not follow
and your fathers forever and ever.
other  gods  to  serve  and  worship  them,  and  do
not provoke Me to anger with the works of your
7
hands. Then I will do you no harm.’

6

‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to
Me,’  declares  the  LORD,  ‘so  you  have  provoked
8
Me to anger with the works of your hands.’

9

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
‘Because  you  have  not  obeyed  My  words,
be-
hold, I will summon all the families of the north,
declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant
Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  whom  I  will
bring against this land, against its residents, and
against all the surrounding nations. So I will de-
vote  them  to  destruction
  and  make  them  an
object  of  horror  and  contempt,  an  everlasting
10
desolation.

f

But  like  the  bad  figs,  so  bad  they  cannot  be
eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zede-
Jehoiachin
a 1 Jeconiah
kiah king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant
Babylon
c 5
 is a variant of
you, rising up early and sending (them),

; see 2 Kings 24:12.

d 3
f 9

b 1

Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds
of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and
bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the

metalsmiths, and had brought them from Jerusalem to

I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking,

e 4

to

Or

cherem

That is, the Babylonians

Literally
Forms of the Hebrew

Literally
 refer to the giving over of things or persons,

either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

704    |    Jeremiah 25:11

11

28

And this whole land will be-
light of the lamp.
come  a  desolate  wasteland,  and  these  nations
12
will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

But  when  seventy  years  are  complete,  I  will
a
punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the
  for  their  guilt,  declares
land  of  the  Chaldeans,
the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting deso-
13
lation.

14

I will bring upon that land all the words I have
pronounced against it, all that is written in this
book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all
For many nations and great kings
the nations.
will enslave them, and I will repay them accord-
ing to their deeds and according to the work of
The Cup of God’s Wrath
”
their hands.’

15

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said
to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine
16
of  wrath,  and  make  all  the  nations  to  whom  I
And they will drink and
send you drink from it.
stagger and go out of their minds, because of the
17
sword that I will send among them.”

21

19

18

20

So  I  took  the  cup  from  the  LORD’s  hand  and
made  all  the  nations  drink  from  it,  each  one  to
to make them a
whom the LORD had sent me,
ruin, an object of horror and contempt and curs-
ing,  as  they  are  to  this  day—Jerusalem  and  the
Pharaoh
cities of Judah, its kings and officials;
king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his
all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz;
people;
all  the  kings  of  the  Philistines:  Ashkelon,  Gaza,
Edom,
Ekron,  and  the  remnant  of  Ashdod;
Moab, and the Ammonites;
all the kings of Tyre
and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the
Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the cor-
sea;
all the kings of Arabia, and
ners of their hair;
25
all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the
26
all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;
desert;
all the kings of the north, both near and far, one
after  another—all  the  kingdoms  on  the  face  of
the  earth.  And  after  all  of  them,  the  king  of
27
Sheshach

 will drink it too.

22

23

24

 b

“Then you are to tell them that this is what the
LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get
drunk,  and  vomit.  Fall  down  and  never  get  up
again,  because  of  the  sword  I  will  send  among
a 12
you.’
the rams

b 26 Sheshach

29

If they refuse to take the cup from your hand
and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what
the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must
For  behold,  I  am  beginning  to  bring
drink  it!
disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how
could you possibly go unpunished? You will not
go  unpunished,  for  I  am  calling  down  a  sword
upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the
30
LORD of Hosts.’

So you are to prophesy all these words against

them and say to them:

‘The LORD will roar from on high;

He will raise His voice from His holy

habitation.

He will roar loudly over His pasture;
like those who tread the grapes,

He will call out with a shout

31

against all the inhabitants of the earth.
The tumult will resound to the ends of the

earth

because the LORD brings a charge against

the nations.

He brings judgment on all mankind

and puts the wicked to the sword,’

”

declares the LORD.

32

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Behold! Disaster is spreading
from nation to nation;

a mighty storm is rising

33

from the ends of the earth.”

Those  slain  by  the  LORD  on  that  day  will  be
spread  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other.
They  will  not  be  mourned,  gathered,  or  buried.
The Cry of the Shepherds
They will be like dung lying on the ground.
34

Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;

roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For the days of your slaughter have come;
you will fall and be shattered like fine

c

35

pottery.

Flight will evade the shepherds,

36

and escape will elude the leaders of the

flock.

Hear the cry of the shepherds,

the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the LORD is destroying their

c 34
pasture.

you will fall like the best of

That is, the Babylonians

 is a code name for Babylon.

Hebrew; LXX

37

38

The peaceful meadows have been silenced
because of the LORD’s burning anger.

death, for he has prophesied against this city, as
12
you have heard with your own ears!”

Jeremiah 26:23    |    705

He has left His den like a lion,

for their land has been made

 a
a desolation

by the sword

 of the oppressor,

and because of the fierce anger of

A Warning to the Cities of Judah

the LORD.

26

2

At  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Jehoia-
kim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word
“This  is  what  the  LORD
came  from  the  LORD:
says: Stand in the courtyard of the house of the
LORD and speak all the words I have commanded
you to speak to all the cities of Judah who come
Perhaps
to worship there. Do not omit a word.
they will listen and turn—each from his evil way
of life—so that I may relent of the disaster I am
planning to bring upon them because of the evil
4
of their deeds.

3

5

And  you  are  to  tell  them  that  this  is  what  the
LORD says: ‘If you do not listen to Me and walk in
and if you
My law, which I have set before you,
 b
do  not  listen  to  the  words  of  My  servants  the
prophets, whom I have sent you again and again
then I will make
even though you did not listen,
this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an
object  of  cursing  among  all  the  nations  of  the
Jeremiah Threatened with Death
earth.’
7

”

6

8

Now the priests and prophets and all the people
heard  Jeremiah  speaking  these  words  in  the
house of the LORD,
and as soon as he had fin-
ished telling all the people everything the LORD
had  commanded  him  to  say,  the  priests  and
prophets and all the people seized him, shouting,
How dare you prophesy
“You must surely die!
in the name of the LORD that this house will be-
come like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and
deserted!”

9

And all the people assembled against Jeremiah in
10
the house of the LORD.

When the officials of Judah heard these things,
they went up from the king’s palace to the house
of the LORD and sat there at the entrance of the
11
New Gate.

Then the priests and prophets said to the offi-
a 38
cials and all the people, “This man is worthy of
sent you, rising up early and sending (them),

c 18

14

13

But Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the
people, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against
this house and against this city all the words that
So now, correct your ways and
you have heard.
deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God,
so  that  He  might  relent  of  the  disaster  He  has
As for me, here I am
pronounced against you.
in your hands; do to me what you think is good
But know for certain that if you put
and right.
me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon
yourselves, upon this city, and upon its residents;
for truly the LORD has sent me to speak all these
Jeremiah Spared from Death
words in your hearing.”
16

15

Then  the  officials  and  all  the  people  told  the
priests and prophets, “This man is not worthy of
death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the
17
LORD our God!”

18

Some  of  the  elders  of  the  land  stood  up  and
said to the whole assembly of the people,
“Mi-
cah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hez-
ekiah  king  of  Judah  and  told  all  the  people  of
Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

‘Zion will be plowed like a field,

 c
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
and the temple mount a wooded ridge.’

19

Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in
Judah  put  him  to  death?  Did  Hezekiah  not  fear
the  LORD  and  seek  His  favor,  and  did  not  the
LORD relent of the disaster He had pronounced
against  them?  But  we  are  about  to  bring  great
The Prophet Uriah
harm on ourselves!”
20

d

21

Now  there  was  another  man  prophesying  in
the  name  of  the  LORD,  Uriah  son  of  Shemaiah
from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this
city  and  against  this  land  the  same  things  that
Jeremiah  did.
King  Jehoiakim  and  all  his
mighty  men  and  officials  heard  his  words,  and
the  king  sought  to  put  him  to  death.  But  when
Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and went
22
to Egypt.

Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elna-
23
than son of Achbor along with some other men.
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him
I have
to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword
d 20

according to all the words of Jeremiah

anger

b 5

Some Heb. manuscripts and LXX (see also Jer. 46:16 and Jer. 50:16); most Heb. manuscripts

Literally

 c

Micah 3:12

Literally

706    |    Jeremiah 26:24

and his body thrown into the burial place of the
24
common people.

Nevertheless,  Ahikam  son  of  Shaphan  sup-
ported  Jeremiah,  so he  was  not  handed  over  to
The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
the people to be put to death.

27

 a

At  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Zede-
kiah
  son  of  Josiah  king  of  Judah,  this
This is

2

b

word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.
what the LORD said to me:

3
“Make  for  yourself  a  yoke  out  of  leather  straps
Send word to the kings
and put it on your neck.
of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through
the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zede-
Give  them  a  message  from
kiah  king  of  Judah.
the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to
5
their masters:

4

6

7

By  My  great  power  and  outstretched  arm,  I
made  the  earth  and  the  men  and  beasts  on  the
So now
face of it, and I give it to whom I please.
I have placed all these lands under the authority
of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I
have even made the beasts of the field subject to
All nations will serve him and his son and
him.
grandson, until the time of his own land comes;
then many nations and great kings will enslave
8
him.

As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve
Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  and  does  not
place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that
nation by sword and famine and plague, declares
9
the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.

10

But as for you, do not listen to your prophets,
your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your
mediums,  or  your  sorcerers  who  declare,  ‘You
For  they
will  not  serve  the  king  of  Babylon.’
prophesy to  you a lie that will serve to remove
you from your land; I will banish you and you will
But the nation that will put its neck un-
perish.
der  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon  and  serve
him, I will leave in its own land, to cultivate it and
12
reside in it, declares the LORD.”

11

13

And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same
message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the
king  of  Babylon;  serve  him  and  his  people,  and
Why should you and your people die by
live!
sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has
decreed  against  any  nation  that  does  not  serve
a 1
the king of Babylon?
Jehoiakim

b 1
d 4 Jeconiah

14

15

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who
say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for
For  I  have
they  are  prophesying  to  you  a  lie.
not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they
are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I
will banish you, and you will perish—you and the
16
prophets who prophesy to you.”

Then  I  said  to  the  priests  and  to  all  this
people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen
to the words of your prophets who prophesy to
you,  saying,  ‘Look,  very  soon  now  the  articles
from the house of the LORD will be brought back
17
from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Baby-
18
lon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

If they are indeed prophets and the word of the
LORD is with them, let them now plead with the
LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the
house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Ju-
19
dah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.

21

20

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about
the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the
articles  that  remain  in  this  city,
which  Nebu-
 c
chadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he
carried Jeconiah
 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah
into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with
all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.
Yes, this
is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says
about the articles that remain in the house of the
LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in
Jerusalem:
‘They  will  be  carried  to  Babylon
and  will  remain  there  until  the  day  I  attend  to
them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
them back and restore them to this place.’

22

”

28

2

In the fifth month of that same year, the
fourth  year,  near  the  beginning  of  the
reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Han-
aniah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to
me in the house of the LORD in the presence of
“This is what the
the priests and all the people:
LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have bro-
Within two
ken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
years I will restore to this place all the articles of
the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar king
of  Babylon  removed  from  here  and  carried  to
 d
And  I  will  restore  to  this  place  Jeco-
Babylon.
niah
 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with
all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’

3

4

c 20 Jeconiah

Jehoiachin

A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also verses 3 and 12, and Jeremiah 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts

Jehoiachin

24:12.

 is a variant of

; see 2 Kings 24:12.

Most LXX manuscripts do not include this verse.

 is a variant of

; see 2 Kings

declares  the  LORD,  ‘for  I will break  the  yoke  of
5
the king of Babylon.’

”

Then  the  prophet  Jeremiah  replied  to  the
prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests
6
and  all  the  people  who  were  standing  in  the
“Amen!”  Jeremiah  said.
house  of  the  LORD.
“May  the  LORD  do  so!  May  the  LORD  fulfill  the
words you have prophesied, and may He restore
the articles of His house and all the exiles back to
7
this place from Babylon.

8

Nevertheless,  listen  now  to  this  message  I  am
speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all
The prophets of old who preceded
the people.
you and me prophesied war, disaster, and plague
As for
against many lands and great kingdoms.
the  prophet  who  prophesies  peace,  only  if  the
word of the prophet comes true will the prophet
10
be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”

9

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off
11
the  neck  of  Jeremiah  the  prophet  and  broke  it.
And in the presence of all the people Hananiah
proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In this
way,  within  two  years  I  will  break  the  yoke  of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of
all the nations.’
12
At  this,  Jeremiah  the  prophet  went  on  his  way.
But  shortly  after  Hananiah  the  prophet  had
13
broken  the  yoke  off  his  neck,  the  word  of  the
“Go and tell Hananiah
LORD came to Jeremiah:
that this is what the LORD says: ‘You have broken
a  yoke  of  wood,  but  in  its  place  you  have  fash-
14
ioned a yoke of iron.’

”

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: ‘I have put a yoke of iron on the neck
of  all  these  nations  to  make  them  serve  Nebu-
chadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve
him. I have even given him control of the beasts
15
of the field.’

”

16

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet
Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not
send you, but you have persuaded this people to
Therefore this is what the LORD
trust in a lie.
says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of
the earth. You will die this year because you have
17
preached rebellion against the LORD.’

”

And in the seventh month of that very year, the
Jehoiachin

prophet Hananiah died.
a 2 Jeconiah

b 9

Jeremiah 29:14    |    707

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

29

a

2

This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah
the  prophet  sent  from  Jerusalem  to  the
surviving  elders  among  the  exiles  and  to  the
priests,  the  prophets,  and  all  the  others  Nebu-
chadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem
 the
to Babylon.
queen mother, the court officials, the officials of
Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the met-
The
alsmiths had been exiled from Jerusalem.)
letter  was  entrusted  to  Elasah  son  of  Shaphan
and  Gemariah  son  of  Hilkiah,  whom  Zedekiah
king  of  Judah  sent  to  King  Nebuchadnezzar  in
Babylon. It stated:

(This was after King Jeconiah,
3

4

6

5

This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried
away  from  Jerusalem  to  Babylon:
“Build
houses  and  settle  down.  Plant  gardens  and
eat  their  produce.
Take  wives  and  have
sons  and  daughters.  Take  wives  for  your
sons and give your daughters in marriage, so
that they too may have sons and daughters.
Seek  the
Multiply  there;  do  not  decrease.
prosperity  of  the  city  to  which  I  have  sent
you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf,
8
for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

7

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God
of  Israel,  says:  “Do  not  be  deceived  by  the
prophets  and  diviners  among  you,  and  do
9
not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
For they are falsely prophesying to you in
My name; I have not sent them, declares the
LORD.”

 b

10

13

11

For this is what the LORD says: “When Baby-
lon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to
you  and  confirm  My  promise  to  restore  you  to
For I know the plans I have for you,
this place.
declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not
12
to  harm  you,  to  give  you  a  future  and  a  hope.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray
You will seek Me
to Me, and I will listen to you.
and find Me when you search for Me with all your
I  will  be  found  by  you,  declares  the
heart.
LORD, and I will restore you from captivity
 and
gather  you  from  all  the  nations  and  places  to
which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I
will  restore  you  to  the  place  from  which  I  sent
you into exile.”

14

 c

c 14
 is a variant of

restore your fortunes

; see 2 Kings 24:12.

Some translators close the written portion of this letter later

in the chapter.

Or

708    |    Jeremiah 29:15

15

16

Because you may say, “The LORD has raised up
this  is  what  the
for  us  prophets  in  Babylon,”
LORD  says  about  the  king  who  sits  on  David’s
throne and all the people who remain in this city,
your brothers who did not go with you into ex-
ile—

this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

17

18

 “I will send against them sword and famine and
plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so
I will pursue them
bad they cannot be eaten.
with sword and famine and plague. I will make
them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—
a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and
reproach among all the nations to which I banish
I will do this because they have not lis-
them.
tened  to  My words,  declares  the  LORD, which  I
sent to them again and again
 through My serv-
ants  the  prophets.  And  neither  have  you  exiles
20
listened, declares the LORD.”

19

 a

22

So hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles I
21
have  sent  away  from  Jerusalem  to  Babylon.
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Is-
rael,  says  about  Ahab  son  of  Kolaiah  and  Zede-
kiah  son  of  Maaseiah,  who  are  prophesying  to
you lies in My name: “I will deliver them to Neb-
uchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  will  kill
Because of them,
them before your very eyes.
all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use
this  curse:  ‘May  the  LORD  make  you  like  Zede-
kiah  and  Ahab,  whom  the  king  of  Babylon
For they have committed
roasted in the fire!’
an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with
the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in
My name, which I did not command them to do. I
am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares
The Message to Shemaiah
the LORD.”
24
25

23

You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that
this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Is-
rael, says: “In your own name you have sent out
letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest
 b
Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests.
You said to Zephaniah:

26

‘The  LORD  has  appointed  you  priest  in
place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the
house of the LORD, responsible for any mad-
man who acts like a prophet—you must put
So now, why
him in stocks and neck irons.
have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth,
For
who  poses  as  a  prophet  among  you?

28

27

c 3

restore the fortunes of

a 19

I sent to them, rising up early and sending (to them)

he has sent to us in Babylon, claiming: Since
the  exile  will  be  lengthy,  build  houses  and
settle down; plant gardens and eat their pro-
duce.’

”

29

(Zephaniah the priest, however, had read this

30
letter to Jeremiah the prophet.)
31

32

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“Send a message telling all the exiles what the
LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite.
Because  Shemaiah  has  prophesied  to  you—
though  I  did  not  send  him—and  has  made  you
this is what the LORD says: ‘I will
trust in a lie,
surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his
descendants. He will have no one left among this
people, nor will he see the good that I will bring
to  My  people,  declares  the  LORD,  for  he  has
The Restoration of Israel and Judah
preached rebellion against the LORD.’
(Ezekiel 28:25–26)

”

30

2

3

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
“This is what the LORD,
from the LORD:
the  God  of  Israel,  says:  ‘Write  in  a  book  all  the
words that I have spoken to you.
For behold, the
 c
days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will
  My  people  Israel  and
restore  from  captivity
Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will
4
possess it.’

”

5

These are the words that the LORD spoke con-
Yes,  this  is  what  the

cerning  Israel  and  Judah.
LORD says:

“A cry of panic is heard—
6

a cry of terror, not of peace.

Ask now, and see:

Can a male give birth?
Why then do I see every man

with his hands on his stomach like

7

a woman in labor

and every face turned pale?

How awful that day will be!
None will be like it!

It is the time of Jacob’s distress,
8
but he will be saved out of it.

On that day,

declares the LORD of Hosts,
I will break the yoke off their necks

and tear off their bonds,
You said
and no longer will strangers enslave them.

Zephaniah

b 25

Literally
added for clarity.

Or

Hebrew

; the addressee

 is

9

Instead, they will serve the LORD their God

10

and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.

As for you, O Jacob My servant, do not be

afraid,

declares the LORD,
and do not be dismayed,

O Israel.

For I will surely save you out of a distant

place,

your descendants from the land of their

captivity!

11

Jacob will return to quiet and ease,
with no one to make him afraid.

For I am with you to save you,

declares the LORD.

Though I will completely destroy all the

nations to which I have scattered you,

I will not completely destroy you.

Yet I will discipline you justly,

12

and will by no means leave you

unpunished.”

For this is what the LORD says:

13

“Your injury is incurable;

your wound is grievous.

There is no one to plead your cause,

14

no remedy for your sores,
no recovery for you.

All your lovers have forgotten you;

they no longer seek you,

for I have struck you as an enemy

would,

with the discipline of someone cruel,

15

because of your great iniquity
and your numerous sins.

Why do you cry out over your wound?

Your pain has no cure!
Because of your great iniquity
and your numerous sins
I have done these things to you.

16

Nevertheless, all who devour you will be

devoured,

and all your adversaries—every one

of them—

will go off into exile.

17

Those who plundered you will be plundered,
and all who raided you will be raided.
But I will restore your health and heal your

wounds,
restore from captivity
declares the LORD,

a 18

Or

Or

Jeremiah 31:3    |    709

18

because they call you an outcast,
Zion, for whom no one cares.”

 a
This is what the LORD says:

“I will restore the fortunes of

 Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings.
And the city will be rebuilt on her own ruins,
and the palace will stand in its rightful

19

place.

Thanksgiving will proceed from them,

a sound of celebration.

I will multiply them, and they will not be

decreased;

20

I will honor them, and they will not be

belittled.

Their children will be as in days of old,

and their congregation will be established

21

before Me;

and I will punish all their oppressors.

Their leader will be one of their own,

and their ruler will arise from their midst.

And I will bring him near, and he will

approach Me,

for who would dare on his own to

declares the LORD.

22

approach Me?”

23

“And you will be My people,
and I will be your God.”

Behold, the storm of the LORD
has gone out with fury,
a whirlwind swirling down

24

upon the heads of the wicked.

The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn

back

until He has fully accomplished the

purposes of His heart.

In the days to come

Mourning Turned to Joy  (Matthew 2:16–18)

you will understand this.

31

“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will
be  the  God  of  all  the  families  of  Israel,

2
and they will be My people.”

This is what the LORD says:

“The people who survived the sword
found favor in the wilderness
when Israel went to find rest.”

3

 b

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have drawn you with loving

b 3

The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying

devotion.

710    |    Jeremiah 31:4

4

13

Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt,

Then the maidens will rejoice with dancing,

O Virgin Israel.

Again you will take up your tambourines
5

young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,

and go out in joyful dancing.

14

and give them comfort and joy for their

Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of

sorrow.

6

Samaria;

the farmers will plant and enjoy the fruit.
For there will be a day when watchmen will

I will fill the souls of the priests abundantly,
declares the LORD.
and will fill My people with My goodness,”

15

call out

on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Arise, let us go up to Zion,
”
to the LORD our God!’

7

For this is what the LORD says:

“Sing with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremost of the nations!

Make your praises heard, and say,
‘O LORD, save Your people,
the remnant of Israel!’

8

Behold, I will bring them from the land of the

north

and gather them from the farthest parts of

the earth,

including the blind and the lame,

9

expectant mothers and women in labor.
They will return as a great assembly!

They will come with weeping,

and by their supplication I will lead them;

I will make them walk beside streams of

waters,

on a level path where they will not

stumble.
For I am Israel’s Father,

10

Hear, O nations, the word of the LORD,

and proclaim it in distant coastlands:

“The One who scattered Israel will gather

11

them and keep them
as a shepherd keeps his flock.
For the LORD has ransomed Jacob

12

and redeemed him from the hand that had

overpowered him.

This is what the LORD says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

 a

16

This is what the LORD says:

“Keep your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,

for the reward for your work will come,

declares the LORD.

17

Then your children will return
from the land of the enemy.
So there is hope for your future,

declares the LORD,

and your children will return
 b

18

to their own land.

I have surely heard Ephraim’s

 moaning:

‘You disciplined me severely,
like an untrained calf.
Restore me, that I may return,

19

for You are the LORD my God.

After I returned, I repented;

thigh in grief.

I was ashamed and humiliated

20

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me,

a delightful child?

Though I often speak against him,

 c

I still remember him.

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I have great compassion for him,”

declares the LORD.

and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

and after I was instructed, I struck my

They will come and shout for joy on the

21

heights of Zion;

they will be radiant over the bounty of the

LORD—

the grain, new wine, and oil,

and the young of the flocks and herds.
Their life will be like a well-watered garden,

and never again will they languish.

b 18

a 15
for him

“Set up the road markers,
put up the signposts.
Keep the highway in mind,

the road you have traveled.

Return, O Virgin Israel,

return to these cities of yours.

c 20

My bowels yearn

Cited in Matthew 2:18

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 20

Hebrew

22

How long will you wander,
O faithless daughter?
 a

For the LORD has created a new thing

23

in the land—
a woman will shelter

 a man.”

24

b
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Is-
rael, says: “When I restore them from captivity,
they will once again speak this word in the land
of  Judah  and  in  its  cities:  ‘May  the  LORD  bless
you,  O  righteous  dwelling  place,  O  holy  moun-
And  Judah  and  all  its  cities  will  dwell
tain.’
25
together in the land, the farmers and those who
move  with  the  flocks,
for  I  will  refresh  the
The New Covenant  (Hebrews 8:6–13)
weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”
26

At  this  I  awoke  and  looked  around.  My  sleep

27
had been most pleasant to me.

“The  days  are  coming,”  declares  the  LORD,
“when  I  will  sow  the  house  of  Israel  and  the
28
house of Judah with the seed of man and of beast.
Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear
down,  to  demolish,  destroy,  and  bring  disaster,
so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”
29
declares the LORD.

“In those days, it will no longer be said:

Jeremiah 32:2    |    711

I will put My law in their minds

and inscribe it on their hearts.

34

And I will be their God,

and they will be My people.

No longer will each man teach his neighbor

or his brother,

saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know Me,

from the least of them to the greatest,

declares the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquities

35

and will remember their sins no more.”

 d

Thus  says  the  LORD,  who  gives  the  sun  for
light  by  day,  who  sets  in  order  the  moon  and
stars  for  light  by  night,  who  stirs  up  the  sea  so
that  its  waves  roar—the  LORD  of  Hosts  is  His
36
name:

“Only if this fixed order departed from My

presence,
declares the LORD,

would Israel’s descendants ever cease

37

to be a nation before Me.”

This is what the LORD says:

“Only if the heavens above could be

measured

and the foundations of the earth below

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

searched out

30

and the teeth of the children are set

on edge.’

Instead,  each  will  die  for  his  own  iniquity.  If
anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will
31
be set on edge.

Behold, the days are coming, declares

the LORD,

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

32

and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their fathers
when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt—

c

a covenant they broke,

though I was a husband to them,

”

declares the LORD.

33

“But this is the covenant I will make with the

house of Israel

would I reject all of Israel’s descendants

declares the LORD.

because of all they have done,”

38

 e

40

39

“The  days  are  coming,”

  declares  the  LORD,
“when  this  city  will  be  rebuilt  for  Me,  from  the
The
tower  of  Hananel  to  the  Corner  Gate.
measuring  line  will  once  again  stretch  out
straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward
The whole valley of the dead bodies and
Goah.
ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Val-
ley, to the corner of the Horse Gate to  the east,
will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be
Jeremiah Buys Hanamel’s Field
uprooted or demolished.”

32

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from the LORD in the tenth year of Zede-
kiah  king  of  Judah,  which  was  the  eighteenth
At that time the army
year of Nebuchadnezzar.
of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem,
and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the

for they did not abide in My

c 32

2

after those days, declares the LORD.
will return to
will surround

b 23

restore their fortunes

a 22
covenant, and I disregarded them
e 38

 or
Behold, the days

Or

Or

d 34
Behold, the days are coming

Hebrew; LXX

Literally

; see also Syriac.
; alternate MT reading

Cited in Hebrews 8:8–12 and Hebrews 10:16–17

712    |    Jeremiah 32:3

courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace
3
of the king of Judah.

a

4

For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him,
saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You
claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to
deliver this city into the hand of the king of Bab-
Zedekiah  king  of
ylon,  and  he  will  capture  it.
Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chal-
deans,
  but  he  will  surely be  delivered  into  the
hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with
him face to face and see him eye to eye.
He will
take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay un-
til I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight
6
against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’

”

5

7

8

Jeremiah replied, “The word of the LORD came
to me, saying:
Behold! Hanamel, the son of your
uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy for
yourself  my  field  in  Anathoth,  for  you  have  the
Then,  as  the
right  of  redemption  to  buy  it.’
LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me
in  the  courtyard  of  the  guard  and  urged  me,
‘Please  buy  my  field  in  Anathoth  in  the  land  of
Benjamin,  for  you  own  the  right  of  inheritance
and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’
9
Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

”

b

11

10

So  I  bought  the  field  in  Anathoth  from  my
cousin  Hanamel,  and  I  weighed  out  seventeen
shekels of silver.
I signed and sealed the deed,
called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on
Then I took the deed of purchase—
the scales.
12
the sealed copy with its terms and conditions, as
and I gave this deed to
well as the open copy—
Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the
sight  of  my  cousin  Hanamel  and  the  witnesses
who  were  signing  the  purchase  agreement  and
13
all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

14

15

In  their  sight  I  instructed  Baruch,

“This  is
what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:
Take these deeds—both the sealed copy and the
open  copy  of  the  deed  of  purchase—and  put
them  in  a  clay  jar  to  preserve  them  for  a  long
For  this is what  the  LORD  of Hosts,  the
time.
God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
will again be bought in this land.”
16

17

After I had given the deed of purchase to Ba-
“Oh,
ruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
a 4
Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the

c 18

into the bosom

earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.
18
Nothing is too difficult for You!

 c

You show loving devotion to thousands but lay
the iniquity of the fathers into the laps
 of their
19
children  after  them,  O  great  and  mighty  God
the  One
whose  name  is  the  LORD  of  Hosts,
great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes
are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward
each one according to his ways and according to
20
the fruit of his deeds.

You performed signs and wonders in the land
of Egypt, and You do so to this very day, both in
Israel  and  among  all  mankind.  And  You  have
made a name for Yourself, as is the case to this
21
day.

22

You brought Your people Israel out of the land
of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong
hand  and  an  outstretched  arm,  and  with  great
You  gave  them  this land  that You had
terror.
sworn to give their fathers, a land flowing with
23
milk and honey.

24

They came in and possessed it, but they did not
obey Your voice or walk in Your law. They failed
to perform all that You commanded them to do,
and so You have brought upon them all this dis-
See  how  the  siege  ramps  are  mounted
aster.
against the city to capture it. And by sword and
famine and plague, the city has been given into
the  hands  of  the  Chaldeans  who  are  fighting
against it. What You have spoken has happened,
25
as You now see!

Yet You, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy for
yourself  the  field  with  silver  and  call  in  wit-
nesses, even though the city has been delivered
The LORD Answers Jeremiah
into the hands of the Chaldeans!’
26
27

”

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is

28
anything too difficult for Me?

29

Therefore this is what the LORD says: Behold,
I am about to deliver this city into the hands of
the  Chaldeans  and  of  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of
And the Chalde-
Babylon, who will capture it.
ans who are fighting against this city will come
in,  set  it  on  fire,  and  burn  it,  along  with  the
houses  of  those  who  provoked  Me  to  anger  by
burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by
pouring out drink offerings to other gods.

b 9 17 shekels

That is, the Babylonians; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29, and 43

 is approximately 6.8 ounces or 193.8

grams of silver.

Hebrew

30

For  the  children  of  Israel  and  of  Judah  have
done  nothing  but  evil  in  My  sight  from  their
youth; indeed, they have done nothing but pro-
voke  Me  to  anger  by  the  work  of  their  hands,
31
declares the LORD.

32

For  this  city  has  aroused  My  wrath  and  fury
from the day it was built until now. Therefore I
because of all
will remove it from My presence
the evil the children of Israel and of Judah have
done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings,
their  officials,  their  priests  and  prophets,  the
33
men  of  Judah,  and  the  residents  of  Jerusalem.
They  have  turned  their  backs  to  Me  and  not
their  faces.  Though  I  taught  them  again  and
 they would not listen or respond to disci-
again,
34
pline.

a

They  have  placed  their  abominations  in  the
35
house that bears My Name, and so have defiled it.
They have built the high places of Baal in the
Valley  of  Ben-hinnom  to  make  their  sons  and
daughters  pass  through  the  fire  to  Molech—
something I never commanded them, nor had it
ever entered My mind, that they should commit
A Promise of Restoration  (Ezekiel 11:13–21)
such an abomination and cause Judah to sin.
36

37

Now  therefore,  about  this  city  of  which  you
say, ‘It will be delivered into the hand of the king
of Babylon by sword and famine and plague,’ this
I will
is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
surely  gather  My  people  from  all  the  lands  to
which I have banished them in My furious anger
38
and  great  wrath,  and  I  will  return  them  to  this
b
They will
place and make them dwell in safety.
be  My  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God.
I  will
give  them  one  heart  and  one  way,  so  that  they
will  always  fear  Me  for  their  own  good  and  for
40
the good of their children after them.

39

I will make an everlasting covenant with them:
I will never turn away from doing good to them,
and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they
Yes,  I  will  re-
will  never  turn  away  from  Me.
joice  in  doing  them  good,  and  I  will  faithfully
plant them in this land with all My heart and with
42
all My soul.

41

Jeremiah 33:11    |    713

44

about  which  you  are  saying,  ‘It  is  a  desolation,
without man or beast; it has been delivered into
Fields will be pur-
the hands of the Chaldeans.’
chased  with  silver,  and  deeds  will  be  signed,
sealed, and witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in
the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cit-
ies  of  Judah—the  cities  of  the  hill  country,  the
 and the Negev—because I will restore
foothills,
The Excellence of the Restored Nation
them from captivity,

 declares the LORD.”

d

c

33

e

2

While Jeremiah was still confined in the
courtyard of  the guard, the word of the
“Thus  says
LORD  came  to  him  a  second  time:
the  LORD  who  made  the  earth,
  the  LORD  who
formed  it  and  established  it,  the  LORD  is  His
Call  to  Me,  and  I  will  answer  and  show
name:
you  great  and  unsearchable  things  you  do  not
4
know.

3

For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says
about the houses of this city and the palaces of
the kings of Judah that have been torn down for
5
defense against the siege ramps and the sword:
  and  to  fill
those  places  with  the  corpses  of  the  men  I  will
strike down in My anger and in My wrath. I have
hidden  My  face  from  this  city  because  of  all  its
6
wickedness.

The  Chaldeans  are  coming  to  fight

  f

 g

7

Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and heal-
ing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them
the abundance of peace and truth.
I will restore
8
Judah and Israel from captivity
 and will rebuild
And I will cleanse them
them as in former times.
from all the iniquity they have committed against
Me,  and  will  forgive  all  their  sins  of  rebellion
9
against Me.

So  this  city  will  bring  Me  renown,  joy,  praise,
and  glory  before  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,
who will hear of all the good I do for it. They will
tremble in awe because of all the goodness and
10
prosperity that I will provide for it.

This is what the LORD says: In this place you
say is a wasteland without man or beast, in the
cities  of  Judah  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem
that  are  deserted—inhabited  by  neither  man
the
nor  beast—there  will  be  heard  again
sounds  of  joy  and  gladness,  the  voices  of  the
bride  and  bridegroom,  and  the  voices  of  those
bringing  thank  offerings  into  the  house  of  the
LORD, saying:

Shephelah

c 44

11

43

For this is what the LORD says: Just as I have
brought all this great disaster on this people, so I
will bring on them all the good I have promised
I taught them, rising up early and teaching,
a 33
And  fields  will  be  bought  in  this  land
them.
lowlands
d 44
f 5

They are coming to fight the Chaldeans

Literally

b 38

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

Or

LXX; Hebrew

Or

; that is, the Babylonians

Or

restore their fortunes

Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:16

g 7

        e 2
restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel

who made it
Hebrew

 or

714    |    Jeremiah 33:12

 ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts,

for the LORD is good;
 a
His loving devotion endures forever.’

For I will restore the land from captivity
12
former times, says the LORD.

 as in

13

This  is  what  the  LORD  of  Hosts  says:  In  this
desolate place, without man or beast, and in all
its  cities,  there  will  once  more  be  pastures  for
b
In the cities of
shepherds to rest their flocks.
the hill country, the foothills,
 and the Negev, in
the land of Benjamin and the cities surrounding
Jerusalem,  and  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  the  flocks
will again pass under the hands of the one who
The Covenant with David
counts them, says the LORD.
14

Behold, the days are coming,

declares the LORD,

when I will fulfill the gracious promise

that I have spoken
to the house of Israel

15

and the house of Judah.
In those days and at that time

I will cause to sprout for David a

righteous Branch,
and He will administer justice

16

and righteousness in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved,

and Jerusalem will dwell securely,

and this is the name by which it will

c

17

be called:

The LORD Our Righteousness.

18

For  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:  David  will
never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house
nor will the priests who are Levites
of Israel,
ever fail to have a man before Me to offer burnt
offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to present
19
sacrifices.”
20

And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“This is what the LORD says: If you can break
My covenant with the day and My covenant with
21
the night, so that day and night cease to occupy
then  My  covenant  may
their  appointed  time,
also be broken with David My servant and with
My ministers the Levites who are priests, so that
22
David will not have a son to reign on his throne.
As  the  hosts  of  heaven  cannot  be  counted
and as the sand on the seashore cannot be meas-
ured,  so  too  will  I  multiply  the  descendants  of
My servant David and the Levites who minister
a 11
before Me.”
c 16
Or
Hebrew

restore the fortunes of the land
d 26

restore their fortunes
Hebrew

YHWH Tsidqenu

b 13

Or

23

24

25

Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jere-
miah:
“Have you not noticed what these people
are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two fami-
lies He had chosen’? So they despise My people
This is
and no longer regard them as a nation.
what the LORD says: If I have not established My
covenant with the day and the night and the fixed
then  I would  also
order  of  heaven  and  earth,
reject the descendants of Jacob and of My servant
David, so as not to take from his descendants rul-
ers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity
 and
A Prophecy against Zedekiah
will have compassion on them.”

26

 d

34

2

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from  the  LORD  when  Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, all his army, all the earthly king-
doms under his control, and all the other nations
were  fighting  against  Jerusalem  and  all  its  sur-
The  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,
rounding  cities.
told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of
Judah  and  tell  him  that  this  is  what  the  LORD
says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into
the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn
And  you  yourself  will  not  escape  his
it  down.
grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered
into  his  hand.  You  will  see  the  king  of  Babylon
eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and
4
you will go to Babylon.

3

5

Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king
of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning
you will die
you: You will not die by the sword;
in peace. As spices were burned for your fathers,
the  former  kings  who  preceded  you,  so  people
will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O mas-
ter!’ For I Myself have spoken this word, declares
6
the LORD.”

7

In  Jerusalem,  then,  Jeremiah  the  prophet
relayed  all  these  words  to  Zedekiah  king  of
Judah
as  the  army  of  the  king  of  Babylon  was
fighting against Jerusalem and the remaining cit-
ies  of  Judah—against  Lachish  and  Azekah.  For
these were the only fortified cities remaining in
Freedom for Hebrew Slaves
Judah.
8

After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with
all  the  people  in  Jerusalem  to  proclaim  liberty,
the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
that
each  man  should  free  his  Hebrew  slaves,  both
 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

lowlands

9

Shephelah

10

male and female, and no one should hold his fel-
So all the officials and all
low Jew in bondage.
the  people  who  entered  into  this  covenant
agreed  that  they  would  free  their  menservants
and  maidservants  and  no  longer  hold  them  in
but
bondage. They obeyed and released them,
later they changed their minds and took back the
menservants  and  maidservants  they  had  freed,
12
and they forced them to become slaves again.
13

11

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah
“This is what the LORD,
from the LORD, saying,
the  God  of  Israel,  says:  I  made  a  covenant  with
your forefathers when I brought them out of the
14
land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:
Every seventh year, each of you must free his
Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He
may  serve  you  six  years,  but  then  you  must  let
him go free. But your fathers did not listen or in-
15
cline their ear.

16

Recently  you  repented  and  did  what  pleased
Me;  each  of  you  proclaimed  freedom  for  his
neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the
But now you have
house that bears My Name.
changed  your  minds  and  profaned  My  name.
Each of you has taken back the menservants and
maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go
wherever  they  wanted,  and  you  have  again
17
forced them to be your slaves.

Therefore  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:  You
have  not  obeyed  Me;  you  have  not  proclaimed
freedom,  each  man  for  his  brother  and  for  his
neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, de-
clares  the  LORD—freedom  to  fall  by  sword,  by
plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror
18
to all the kingdoms of the earth.

19

20

And  those  who  have  transgressed  My  cove-
nant  and  have  not  fulfilled  the  terms  of  the
covenant  they  made  before  Me,  I  will  treat  like
the calf they cut in two in order to pass between
The officials of Judah and Jerusalem,
its pieces.
the court officials, the priests, and all the people
of the land who passed between the pieces of the
calf,
I will deliver into the hands of their ene-
mies who seek their lives. Their corpses will be-
come food for the birds of the air and the beasts
And I will deliver Zedekiah king of
of the earth.
Judah and his officials into the hands of their en-
emies  who  seek  their  lives,  to  the  army  of  the
king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.
Jehonadab
a 6 Jonadab

21

Jeremiah 35:13    |    715

22

Behold,  I  am  going  to  give  the  command,  de-
clares  the  LORD,  and  I  will  bring  them  back  to
this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and
burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah
The Obedience of the Rechabites
a desolation, without inhabitant.”

35

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
2
from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim
son of Josiah king of Judah:
“Go to the house of
the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to
one of the chambers of the house of the LORD to
3
offer them a drink of wine.”

4

So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of
Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—
the  entire  house  of  the  Rechabites—
and  I
brought  them  into  the  house  of  the  LORD,  to  a
chamber  occupied  by  the  sons  of  Hanan  son  of
Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was near the
chamber  of  the  officials,  which  was  above  the
chamber  of  Maaseiah  son  of  Shallum  the  door-
5
keeper.

Then I set pitchers full of wine and some cups
before  the  men  of  the  house  of  the  Rechabites,
6
and I said to them, “Drink some wine.”
 a

7

“We do not drink wine,” they replied, “for our
forefather Jonadab
 son of Rechab commanded
us, ‘Neither you nor your descendants are ever to
Nor are you ever to build a house or
drink wine.
sow  seed  or  plant  a  vineyard.  Those  things  are
not  for  you.  Instead,  you  must  live  in  tents  all
your lives, so that you may live a long time in the
8
land where you wander.’

And we have obeyed the voice of our forefather
Jonadab son of Rechab in all he commanded us.
So we have not drunk wine all our lives—neither
9
we  nor  our  wives  nor  our  sons  and  daughters.
Nor have we built houses in which to live, and
we  have  not  owned  any  vineyards  or  fields  or
crops.
But  we  have  lived  in  tents  and  have
obeyed  and  done  exactly  as  our  forefather  Jon-
11
adab commanded us.

10

 b

So  when  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon
marched into the land, we said: ‘Come, let us go
into Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chal-
deans
 and the Arameans.’ So we have remained
Judah Rebuked
in Jerusalem.”
12
13

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
“This  is  what  the  LORD  of  Hosts,  the  God  of
b 11

 is a variant of

; here and throughout this chapter; see 2 Kings 10:15.

That is, the Babylonians

716    |    Jeremiah 35:14

Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the
residents of Jerusalem: ‘Will you not accept dis-
14
cipline and obey My words?’ declares the LORD.

The words of Jonadab son of Rechab have been
carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink
wine, and they have not drunk it to this very day
because they have obeyed the command of their
forefather.  But  I  have  spoken  to  you  again  and
15
again,

 and you have not obeyed Me!

 b

a

Again and again I have sent you

 all My serv-
ants the prophets, proclaiming: ‘Turn now, each
of you, from your wicked ways, and correct your
actions. Do not go after other gods to serve them.
Live in the land that I have given to you and your
fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear or lis-
tened  to  Me.
Yes,  the  sons  of  Jonadab  son  of
Rechab carried out the command their forefather
gave them, but these people have not listened to
17
Me.

16

Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts,
the  God  of  Israel,  says:  ‘Behold,  I  will  bring  to
Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the
disaster  I  have  pronounced  against  them,  be-
cause  I  have  spoken  to  them  but  they  have  not
obeyed, and I have called to them but they have
18
not answered.’

”

Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Recha-
bites: “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the com-
mand of your forefather Jonadab and have kept
19
all  his  commandments  and  have  done  all  that
he  charged  you  to  do,
this  is  what  the  LORD
of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  says:  Jonadab  son
of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand
Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple
before Me.’

”

36

2

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Jo-
siah king of Judah, this word came to Jer-
emiah from the LORD:
“Take a scroll and write
on it all the words I have spoken to you concern-
ing Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day
I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until
Perhaps when the people of Judah hear
today.
about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them,
each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then
4
I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

3

So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and at
the  dictation  of  Jeremiah,  Baruch  wrote  on  a
scroll all the words that the LORD had spoken to
But I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking,
a 14
Jeremiah.
Lit.

5

Then  Jeremiah  commanded  Baruch,  “I  am  re-
6
stricted;  I  cannot  enter  the  house  of  the  LORD;
so you are to go to the house of the LORD on a
day  of  fasting,  and  in  the  hearing  of  the  people
you are to read the words of the LORD from the
scroll  you  have  written  at  my  dictation.  Read
them in the hearing of all the people of Judah who
7
are coming from their cities.

Perhaps they will bring their petition before the
LORD,  and  each  one  will  turn  from  his  wicked
way;  for  great  are  the  anger  and  fury  that  the
8
LORD has pronounced against this people.”

So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jer-
emiah the prophet had commanded him. In the
house of the LORD he read the words of the LORD
9
from the scroll.

10

Now  in  the  ninth  month  of  the  fifth  year  of
Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast be-
fore the LORD was proclaimed to all the people
of  Jerusalem  and  all  who  had  come  there  from
the cities of Judah.
From the chamber of Gema-
riah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the
upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate
of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the
scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all
Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Palace
the people.
11

12

When  Micaiah  son  of  Gemariah,  the  son  of
Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from
the scroll,
he went down to the scribe’s cham-
ber  in  the  king’s  palace,  where  all  the  officials
were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of
Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son
of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the
other officials.
And Micaiah reported to them
all the words he had heard Baruch read from the
14
scroll in the hearing of the people.

13

Then  all  the  officials  sent  word  to  Baruch
through  Jehudi  son  of  Nethaniah,  the  son  of
Shelemiah,  the  son  of  Cushi,  saying,  “Bring  the
scroll that you read in the hearing of the people,
and come here.”

So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went
15
to them.

“Please sit down,” they said, “and read it in our

hearing.”
16
So Baruch read it in their hearing.

When  they  had  heard  all  these  words,  they
b 15
turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch,

Rising up early and sending (you), I have sent you

Lit.

“Surely  we  must  report  all  these  words  to  the
17
king.”

“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you
write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dicta-
18
tion?”

“It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He re-
cited all these words to me and I wrote them in
19
ink on the scroll.”

Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jer-
emiah  must  hide  yourselves  and  tell  no  one
Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll
where you are.”
20

So the officials went to the king in the court-
yard. And having stored the scroll in the chamber
of Elishama the scribe, they reported everything
21
to the king.

Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and
he  took  it  from  the  chamber  of  Elishama  the
scribe.  And  Jehudi  read  it  in  the  hearing  of  the
king and all the officials who were standing be-
22
side him.

23

Since it was the ninth month, the king was sit-
ting  in  his  winter  quarters  with  a  fire  burning
And  as  soon  as  Jehudi  had  read
before  him.
three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them
off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the
firepot, until the entire scroll had been consumed
24
by the fire.

25

Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his
servants did not become frightened or tear their
Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and
garments.
26
Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll,
Instead, the king
he would not listen to them.
commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well
as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Ab-
deel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the
Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll
prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
27

28

After the king had burned the scroll containing
the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s
dictation,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  Jere-
“Take  another  scroll  and  rewrite  on  it
miah:
the very words that were on the original scroll,
29
which Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.

You are to proclaim concerning Jehoiakim king
of  Judah  that  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:  You
Jehoiachin
a 1 Coniah
have burned the scroll and said, ‘Why have you

b 3 Jehucal

Jeremiah 37:10    |    717

written  on  it  that  the  king  of  Babylon  would
surely come and destroy this land and deprive it
30
of man and beast?’

Therefore this is what the LORD says about Je-
hoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit
on David’s throne, and his body will be thrown
31
out and exposed to heat by day and frost by night.
I  will  punish  him  and  his  descendants  and
servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them,
on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of
Judah,  all  the  calamity  about  which  I  warned
32
them but they did not listen.”

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it
to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at Jere-
miah’s dictation he wrote on it all the words of
the  scroll  that  Jehoiakim  king  of  Judah  had
burned in the fire. And many similar words were
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah
added to them.

37

 a

2

Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  made
Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah,
and he reigned in place of Coniah
 son of Jehoia-
kim.
But  he  and  his  officers  and  the  people  of
the land refused to obey the words that the LORD
3
had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

 b

Yet  King  Zedekiah  sent  Jehucal

  son  of  Shele-
miah  and  Zephaniah  the  priest,  the  son  of
Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the mes-
4
sage, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!”

 c

Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among
5
the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.
Pharaoh’s  army  had  left  Egypt,  and  when  the
 who were besieging Jerusalem heard

Chaldeans
6
the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

7

Then  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  Jeremiah
the prophet:
“This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah,
who  sent  you  to  Me:  Behold,  Pharaoh’s  army,
which has marched out to help you, will go back
to  its  own  land  of  Egypt.
Then  the  Chaldeans
will return and fight against this city. They will
9
capture it and burn it down.

8

10

This  is  what  the  LORD  says:  Do  not  deceive
yourselves  by  saying,  ‘The  Chaldeans  will  go
away for good,’ for they will not!
Indeed, if you
were to strike down the entire army of the Chal-
deans  that  is  fighting  against  you,  and  only
wounded  men  remained  in  their  tents,  they
c 5
Jucal
would still get up and burn this city down.”

 is a variant of

.

 is a variant of

; see Jeremiah 38:1.

That is, the Babylonians;

also in verses 8, 9, 13, and 14

718    |    Jeremiah 37:11

Jeremiah Imprisoned

11

12

13

When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jeru-
salem  for  fear  of  Pharaoh’s  army,
Jeremiah
 a
started  to  leave  Jerusalem  to  go  to  the  land  of
Benjamin to claim his portion there
 among the
people.
But when he reached the Gate of Ben-
jamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was
Irijah  son  of  Shelemiah,  the  son  of  Hananiah,
seized  him  and  said,  “You  are  deserting  to  the
14
Chaldeans!”

“That  is  a  lie,”  Jeremiah  replied.  “I  am  not

deserting to the Chaldeans!”

But  Irijah  would  not  listen  to  him;  instead,  he
15
arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

The  officials  were  angry  with  Jeremiah,  and
they beat him and placed him in jail in the house
of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into
16
a prison.

So  Jeremiah  went  into  a  cell  in  the  dungeon

17
and remained there a long time.

Later,  King  Zedekiah  sent  for  Jeremiah  and
received him in his palace, where he asked him
privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?”

“There  is,”  Jeremiah  replied.  “You  will be  deliv-
18
ered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

Then  Jeremiah  asked  King  Zedekiah,  “How
have  I  sinned  against  you  or  your  servants  or
19
these  people,  that  you  have  put  me  in  prison?
Where  are  your  prophets  who  prophesied  to
you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come
against you or this land’?
But now please lis-
ten,  O  my  lord  the  king.  May  my  petition  come
before you. Do not send me back to the house of
21
Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

20

So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to
be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given
a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers,
until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jere-
Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern
miah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

38

 b
Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah
son of Pashhur, Jucal
 son of Shelemiah,
2
and  Pashhur  son  of  Malchijah  heard  that  Jere-
“This  is
miah  had  been  telling  all  the  people:
what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city
 c
will  die  by  sword  and  famine  and  plague,  but
whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans
 will live;
to divide from there
a 12
he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he

b 1 Jucal

d 7

3

This is what the LORD says: This city
will live.
will  surely  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the
army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture
4
it.”

Then  the  officials  said  to  the  king,  “This  man
ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors
who remain in this city, as well as all the people,
by speaking such words to them; this man is not
seeking the well-being of these people, but their
5
ruin.”

“Here  he  is,”  replied  King  Zedekiah.  “He  is  in
your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop
6
you.”

So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the
cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in
the  courtyard  of  the  guard.  They  lowered  Jere-
miah  with  ropes  into  the  cistern,  which  had  no
water  but  only  mud,  and  Jeremiah  sank  down
 e
7
into the mud.

d

Now Ebed-melech the Cushite,

 a court official

9

in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been
8
put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at
Ebed-melech  went  out
the  Gate  of  Benjamin,
from the king’s palace and said to the king,
“My
lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in
all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet.
They have dropped him into the cistern, where
he will starve to death, for there is no more bread
10
in the city.”

So  the  king  commanded  Ebed-melech  the
Cushite,  “Take  thirty  men  from  here  with  you
and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern
11
before he dies.”

Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and
went  to  the  king’s  palace,  to  a  place  below  the
storehouse.  From  there  he  took  old  rags  and
worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes
12
to Jeremiah in the cistern.

Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah,
“Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your
arms  to  pad  the  ropes.”  Jeremiah  did  so,
and
they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him
out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the
14
courtyard of the guard.

13

Then  King  Zedekiah  sent  for  Jeremiah  the
prophet and received him at the third entrance
to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you
something,”  said  the  king  to  Jeremiah.  “Do  not
hide anything from me.”
eunuch
; see Jeremiah 37:3.

That is, the Babylonians; also in

e 7

c 2

Jehucal

Literally

 is a variant of

verses 18, 19, and 23

Probably from the upper Nile region

Or

Jeremiah 39:10    |    719

15

27

“If I tell you,” Jeremiah replied, “you will surely
put  me  to  death.  And  even  if  I  give  you  advice,
16
you will not listen to me.”

But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah,
“As  surely  as  the  LORD  lives,  who  has  given  us
this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you
into  the  hands  of  these  men  who  are  seeking
17
your life.”

When  all  the  officials  came  to  Jeremiah  and
questioned  him,  he  relayed  to  them  the  exact
words  the  king  had  commanded  him  to  say.  So
they said no more to him, for no one had over-
And  Jeremiah  re-
heard  the  conversation.
mained  in  the  courtyard  of  the  guard  until  the
day Jerusalem was captured.
The Fall of Jerusalem
(2 Kings 25:1–12 ;  2 Chronicles 36:15–21)

28

18

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what
the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If
you indeed surrender to the officers of the king
of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be
burned down, and you and your household will
But if you do not surrender to the of-
survive.
ficers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be
delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They
will burn it down, and you yourself will not es-
19
cape their grasp.’

”

But  King  Zedekiah  said  to  Jeremiah,  “I  am
afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chal-
deans,  for  the  Chaldeans  may  deliver  me  into
20
their hands to abuse me.”

21

“They  will  not  hand  you  over,”  Jeremiah  re-
plied. “Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am
telling you, that it may go well with you and you
But if you refuse to surrender, this is
may live.
All the
the word that the LORD has shown me:
women who remain in the palace of the king of
Judah  will  be  brought out to  the  officials  of  the
king of Babylon, and those women will say:

22

‘They misled you and overcame you—
those trusted friends of yours.

23

Your feet sank into the mire,
and they deserted you.’

All your wives and children will be brought out
to  the  Chaldeans.  And  you  yourself  will  not  es-
cape  their  grasp,  for  you  will  be  seized  by  the
king  of  Babylon,  and  this  city  will  be  burned
24
down.”

25

Then  Zedekiah  warned  Jeremiah,  “Do  not  let
anyone know about this conversation, or you will
If the officials hear that I have spoken with
die.
you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us
what  you  said  to  the  king  and  what  he  said  to
26
you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’
then tell them, ‘I was presenting to the king my
petition  that  he  not  return  me  to  the  house  of
a 3
Jonathan to die there.’
d 4

Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsekim

Rabmag

b 3

Or

”

c 3
the Jordan Valley
Hebrew

also in verse 13.
verse 13.
Or

39

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Ju-
dah,  in  the  tenth  month,  Nebuchadnez-
zar  king  of  Babylon  marched  against  Jerusalem
2
with  his  entire  army  and  laid  siege  to  the  city.
And  on  the  ninth  day  of  the  fourth  month  of
3
Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city was breached.

 a

Then all the officials of the king of Babylon en-
b
tered and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer
c
of  Samgar,  Nebo-sarsekim
Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag,
4
the officials of the king of Babylon.

the  Rabsaris,
 and all the rest of

d

5

When  Zedekiah  king  of  Judah  and  all  the  sol-
diers  saw  them,  they  fled.  They  left  the  city  at
night  by  way  of  the  king’s  garden,  through  the
gate  between  the  two  walls,  and  they  went  out
 e
along the route to the Arabah.
But the army of
the Chaldeans
 pursued them and overtook Zed-
ekiah  in  the  plains  of  Jericho.  They  seized  him
and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where
6
he pronounced judgment on him.

7

There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered
the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also
killed  all  the nobles  of  Judah.
Then  he  put  out
Zedekiah’s  eyes  and  bound  him  with  bronze
8
chains to take him to Babylon.

The Chaldeans set fire to the palace of the king
and to the houses of the people, and they broke
9
down the walls of Jerusalem.

10

Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried
away to Babylon the remnant of the people who
had remained in the city, along with the desert-
ers who had defected to him.
But Nebuzaradan
left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor
people who had no property, and at that time he
gave them vineyards and fields.

Rabsaris

e 5
 is the title of the chief soothsayer or chief of princes in the Assyrian military; also in

 is the title of the chief eunuch in the Assyrian military;

Hebrew

That is, the Babylonians; also in verse 8

720    |    Jeremiah 39:11

Jeremiah Delivered

11

Now  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  had
given orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzara-
“Take  him,
dan  captain  of  the  guard,  saying,
look after him, and do not let any harm come to
13
him; do for him whatever he says.”

12

 a

shazban
14
mag

So  Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard,  Nebu-
 the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-
, and all the captains of the king of Babylon
had  Jeremiah  brought  from  the  courtyard  of
the guard, and they turned him over to Gedaliah
son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him
home.  So  Jeremiah  remained  among  his  own
15
people.

16

And while Jeremiah had been confined in the
courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD had
come  to  him:
“Go  and  tell  Ebed-melech  the
Cushite that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the
God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to fulfill My words
against this city for harm and not for good, and
17
on that day they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
But I will deliver you on that day, declares the
LORD,  and  you  will  not  be  delivered  into  the
For  I  will
hands  of  the  men  whom  you  fear.
surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the
sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will
escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares
Jeremiah Remains in Judah
the LORD.’

”

18

40

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
from  the  LORD  after  Nebuzaradan  cap-
tain  of  the  guard  had  released  him  at  Ramah,
having found him bound in chains among all the
captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being
2
exiled to Babylon.

4

The  captain  of  the  guard  found  Jeremiah  and
3
said  to  him,  “The  LORD  your  God  decreed  this
and  now  the  LORD  has
disaster  on  this  place,
fulfilled it; He has done just as He said. Because
you  people  have  sinned  against  the  LORD  and
have  not  obeyed  His  voice,  this  thing  has  hap-
But now, behold, I am freeing you
pened to you.
today from the chains that were on your wrists.
If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, then
come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems
wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no
farther.  Look,  the  whole  land  is  before  you.
Wherever  it  seems  good  and  right  to  you,  go
a 13 Nebushazban
there.”

Nebo-sarsekim

c 9

5

But before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan
added,  “Return  to  Gedaliah  son  of  Ahikam,  the
son  of  Shaphan,  whom  the  king  of  Babylon  has
appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with
him among the people, or go anywhere else that
seems right.” Then the captain of the guard gave
6
him a ration and a gift and released him.

So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at
Mizpah  and  stayed  with  him  among  the  people
Gedaliah Governs in Judah
who were left in the land.
(2 Kings 25:22–24)

7

8

When  all  the  commanders  and  men  of  the
armies  in  the  field  heard  that  the  king  of
Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam
over the land and that he had put him in charge
of the men, women, and children who were the
poorest  of  the  land  and  had  not  been  exiled
they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—
to Babylon,
Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan
the  sons  of  Kareah,  Seraiah  son  of  Tanhumeth,
the  sons  of  Ephai  the  Netophathite,  and  Jeza-
9
niah
 son of the Maacathite—they and their men.

 b

10

Gedaliah  son  of  Ahikam,  the  son  of  Shaphan,
c
swore  an  oath  to  them  and  their men, assuring
them, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans.
Live  in  the  land  and  serve  the  king  of  Babylon,
As  for  me,  I will
and  it will go  well  with  you.
stay in Mizpah to represent you before the Chal-
deans  who  come  to  us.  As  for  you,  gather  wine
grapes, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your
storage  jars,  and  live  in  the  cities  you  have
11
taken.”

12

When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and
all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon
had  left  a  remnant  in  Judah  and  had  appointed
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over
they all returned from all the places to
them,
which they had been banished and came to the
land  of  Judah,  to  Gedaliah  at  Mizpah.  And  they
gathered an abundance of wine grapes and sum-
The Plot against Gedaliah
mer fruit.
13

14

Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the
commanders  of  the  armies  in  the  field  came  to
and said to him, “Are you
Gedaliah at Mizpah
aware that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent
Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?”

b 8 Jezaniah

Jaazaniah

25:23.

That is, the Babylonians; also in verse 10

 is possibly a variant of

; see verse 3.

 is a variant of

; see 2 Kings

Jeremiah 42:4    |    721

along  with  all  the  others  who  remained  in
Mizpah—over  whom  Nebuzaradan  captain  of
the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam.
Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and
Johanan Rescues the Captives
set off to cross over to the Ammonites.
11

12

When Johanan son of Kareah and all the com-
manders of the armies with him heard of all the
crimes that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had com-
they  took  all  their  men  and  went  to
mitted,
fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. And they found
13
him near the great pool in Gibeon.

14

When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan
son  of  Kareah  and  all  the  commanders  of  the
army with him, they rejoiced,
and all the peo-
ple whom Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah
15
turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.
But  Ishmael  son  of  Nethaniah  and  eight  of
his men escaped from Johanan and went to the
16
Ammonites.

 b

Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the com-
manders of the armies with him took the whole
remnant  of  the  people  from  Mizpah  whom  he
had  recovered  from  Ishmael  son  of  Nethaniah
after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam:
the  soldiers,  women,  children,  and  court  offi-
And
 he had brought back from Gibeon.
cials
18
they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, near
c
to
Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt
escape  the  Chaldeans.
  For  they  were  afraid  of
the Chaldeans because Ishmael son of Nethaniah
had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom
A Warning against Going to Egypt
the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

17

42

 d

2

Then  all  the  commanders  of  the  forces,
along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jeza-
  son  of  Hoshaiah,  and  all  the  people  from
niah
Jeremiah
the least to the greatest, approached
the  prophet  and  said,  “May  our  petition  come
before you; pray to the LORD your God on behalf
of  this  entire  remnant.  For  few  of  us  remain  of
3
the  many,  as  you  can  see  with  your  own  eyes.
Pray that the LORD your God will tell us the way

4
we should walk and the thing we should do.”

15
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to
Gedaliah at Mizpah. “Let me go and kill Ishmael
son of Nethaniah,” he said. “No one will know it.
Why should he take your life and scatter all the
people  of  Judah  who  have  gathered  to  you,  so
16
that the remnant of Judah would perish?”

But  Gedaliah  son  of  Ahikam  said  to  Johanan
son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing! What you
The Murder of Gedaliah  (2 Kings 25:25–26)
are saying about Ishmael is a lie.”

41

2

In  the  seventh  month,  Ishmael  son  of
Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was
a  member  of  the  royal  family  and  one  of  the
king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Geda-
liah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal
Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah
together there.
and the ten men who were with him got up and
struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom
the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the
Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were
land.
 a
with  Gedaliah  at  Mizpah,  as  well  as  the  Chal-
4
dean

 soldiers who were there.
5

3

On the second day after the murder of Gedaliah,
when no one yet knew about it,
eighty men who
had shaved off their beards, torn their garments,
and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh,
and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frank-
And Ishmael
incense for the house of the LORD.
son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet
them, weeping as he went.

6

7

When  Ishmael  encountered  the  men,  he  said,
“Come  to  Gedaliah  son  of  Ahikam.”
And  when
they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah
and  the  men  with  him  slaughtered  them  and
8
threw them into a cistern.

But ten of the men among them said to Ishmael,
“Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the
field—wheat,  barley,  oil,  and  honey!”  So  he  re-
9
frained from killing them with the others.

Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown
all  the  bodies  of  the  men  he  had  struck  down
along with Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa
had  made  for  fear  of  Baasha  king  of  Israel.  Ish-
10
mael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of
eunuchs
a 3
the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king

Babylonian

b 16

c 18

Or

Or

“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet.
“I will surely pray to the LORD your God as you
request,  and  I  will  tell  you  everything  that  the
LORD answers. I will not withhold a word from
you.”
That is, the Babylonians

; see Jeremiah 43:2.

Hebrew; LXX

Azariah

d 1

722    |    Jeremiah 42:5

5

19

6

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a
true and faithful witness against us if we do not
act  upon  every  word  that  the  LORD  your  God
Whether  it  is  pleasant  or
sends  you  to  tell  us.
unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD
our God to whom we are sending you, so that it
may go well with us when we obey the voice of
7
the LORD our God!”
8

After  ten  days  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to
Jeremiah,
and he summoned Johanan son of Ka-
reah, all the commanders of the forces who were
with him, and all the people from the least to the
9
greatest.

10

Jeremiah  told  them,  “Thus  says  the  LORD,  the
God  of  Israel,  to  whom  you  sent  me  to  present
‘If  you  will  indeed  stay  in  this
your  petition:
land,  then  I  will  build  you  up  and  not  tear  you
down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I
will  relent  of  the  disaster  I  have  brought  upon
11
you.

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom
you now  fear;  do  not  be  afraid  of  him, declares
12
the  LORD,  for  I  am  with  you  to  save  you  and
deliver  you  from  him.
And  I  will  show  you
compassion, and he will have compassion on you
13
and restore you to your own land.’

15

14

But  if  you say,  ‘We  will not  stay  in  this land,’
and you thus disobey the voice of the LORD your
and if you say, ‘No, but we will go to the
God,
land of Egypt and live there, where we will not
see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or
then  hear  the  word  of  the
hunger  for  bread,’
LORD, O remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are deter-
then the
mined to go to Egypt and reside there,
sword you fear will overtake you there, and the
famine you dread will follow on your heels into
So  all  who  re-
Egypt,  and  you  will  die  there.
solve  to  go  to  Egypt  to  reside  there  will  die  by
sword and famine and plague. Not one of them
will  survive  or  escape  the  disaster  I  will  bring
18
upon them.’

16

17

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel,  says:  ‘Just  as  My  anger  and  wrath  were
poured out on the residents of Jerusalem, so will
My  wrath  be  poured  out  on  you  if  you  go  to
Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and
horror, of vilification and disgrace, and you will
a 3
never see this place again.’

That is, the Babylonians

20

The  LORD  has  told  you,  O  remnant  of  Judah,
‘Do  not  go  to  Egypt.’  Know  for  sure  that  I  have
For  you  have  deceived
warned  you  today!
yourselves by sending me to the LORD your God,
saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf,
and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it
21
to us and we will do it.’

For  I  have  told  you  today,  but  you  have  not
22
obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He
has sent me to tell you.
Now therefore, know
for  sure  that  by  sword  and  famine  and  plague
you will die in the place where you desire to go
Jeremiah Taken to Egypt
to reside.”

43

2

When  Jeremiah  had  finished  telling  all
the  people  all  the  words  of  the  LORD
their  God—everything  that  the  LORD  had  sent
Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan
him to say—
son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to
Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has
not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to
Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is in-
reside there.’
citing you against us to deliver us into the hands
  so  that  they  may  put  us  to
of  the  Chaldeans,
4
death or exile us to Babylon!”

3

a

5

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the command-
ers of the forces disobeyed the command of the
Instead, Jo-
LORD to stay in the land of Judah.
hanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of
the  forces  took  the  whole  remnant  of  Judah,
those who had returned to the land of Judah from
6
all the nations to which they had been scattered,
the  men,  the  women,  the  children,  the  king’s
daughters,  and  everyone  whom  Nebuzaradan
captain of the guard had allowed to remain with
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as
well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of
7
Neriah.

So they entered the land of Egypt because they
did  not  obey  the  voice  of  the  LORD,  and  they
8
went as far as Tahpanhes.
9

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at
“In  the  sight  of  the  Jews,  pick  up
Tahpanhes:
some large stones and bury them in the clay of
the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s
10
palace at Tahpanhes.

Then  tell  them  that  this  is  what  the  LORD  of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My
servant  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  and  I

Jeremiah 44:18    |    723

9

As a result, you will be cut off and will become an
object  of  cursing  and  reproach  among  all  the
Have  you  forgotten  the
nations  of  the  earth.
wickedness of your fathers and of the kings of Ju-
dah  and  their  wives,  as  well  as  the  wickedness
that you and your wives committed in the land of
To this
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
day they have not humbled themselves or shown
reverence,  nor  have  they  followed  My  instruc-
tion or the statutes that I set before you and your
11
fathers.

10

12

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the
God of Israel, says: I will set My face to bring dis-
And  I  will  take
aster  and  to  cut  off  all  Judah.
away the remnant of Judah who have resolved to
go to the land of Egypt to reside there; they will
meet their end. They will all fall by the sword or
be  consumed  by  famine.  From  the  least  to  the
greatest,  they  will  die  by  sword  or  famine;  and
they will become an object of cursing and horror,
13
of vilification and reproach.

14

I  will  punish  those  who  live  in  the  land  of
Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, by sword and
famine and plague,
so that none of the remnant
of  Judah  who  have  gone  to  reside  in  Egypt  will
escape or survive to return to the land of Judah,
where they long to return and live; for none will
The Stubbornness of the People
return except a few fugitives.”
15

g

16

 said to Jeremiah,
17

Then  all  the  men  who  knew  that  their  wives
were burning incense to other gods, and all the
women  standing  by—a  great  assembly—along
with all the people living in the land of Egypt and
in Pathros,
“As for the word
you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD,
we  will  not  listen  to  you!
Instead,  we  will  do
everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense
to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings
to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our
officials  did  in  the  cities  of  Judah  and  in  the
streets of Jerusalem.

18

At  that  time  we  had  plenty  of  food  and  good
But  from  the
things,  and we  saw no  disaster.
time we stopped burning incense to the Queen of
Heaven  and  pouring  out  drink  offerings  to  her,
we have lacked everything and have been perish-
ing by sword and famine.”

He will demolish the pillars of Heliopolis in On

He

11

will set his throne over these stones that I have
embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion
over them.
He will come and strike down the
land  of  Egypt,  bringing  death  to  those  destined
for death, captivity to those destined for captiv-
ity,  and  the  sword  to  those  destined  for  the
12
sword.

a

I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of
Egypt,  and  Nebuchadnezzar  will  burn  those
  So he
temples  and take  their  gods  as  captives.
will  wrap  himself  with  the  land  of  Egypt  as  a
shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he
He will de-
will depart from there unscathed.
molish the sacred pillars of the temple of the sun
 and he will burn down the
in the land of Egypt,
Judgment on the Jews in Egypt
temples of the gods of Egypt.’

13

”

b

44

 c

 e

2

—and  in  the  land  of  Pathros:

This  is  the  word  that  came  to  Jeremiah
concerning all the Jews living in the land
 d
of  Egypt
—in  Migdol,  Tahpanhes,  and  Mem-
“This  is
phis
what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:
You  have  seen  all  the  disaster  that  I  brought
against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and
3
behold,  they  lie  today  in  ruins  and  desolation

because of the evil they have done.

f

They  provoked  Me  to  anger  by  continuing  to
burn incense and to serve other gods that neither
Yet I
they nor you nor your fathers ever knew.
sent you all My servants the prophets again and
  saying:  ‘Do  not  do  this  detestable  thing
again,
5
that I hate.’

4

6

But they did not listen or incline their ears; they
did not turn from their wickedness or stop burn-
Therefore My wrath
ing incense to other gods.
and anger poured out and burned in the cities of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so that they
7
have become the desolate ruin they are today.

8

So now, this is what the LORD God of Hosts, the
God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great
harm  to  yourselves  by  cutting  off  from  Judah
man and woman, child and infant, leaving your-
Why are you provok-
selves without a remnant?
ing  Me  to  anger  by  the  work  of  your  hands  by
burning  incense  to  other  gods  in  the  land  of
Egypt, where you have gone to reside?
a 12
will demolish the pillars of Heliopolis in Egypt
c 1

and he will burn them and take them captive

northern Egypt

Lower Egypt

Literally

d 1

Or

in the land of Egypt at Pathros

; also in verse 15

f 4
 or

b 13

also in verse 15
possibly

Literally

Noph
the prophets, rising up early and sending (them),

; Hebrew

e 1
g 15

He will demolish the pillars of Beth-shemesh in the land of Egypt
 or
southern Egypt

Upper Egypt

LXX

LXX; Hebrew

Or
That is, in Lower and Upper Egypt;

 or

;

724    |    Jeremiah 44:19

19

30

“Moreover,”  said  the  women,  “when  we
burned  incense  to  the  Queen  of  Heaven  and
poured out drink offerings to her, was it without
our husbands’ knowledge that we made sacrifi-
cial cakes in her image and poured out drink of-
Calamity for the Jews
ferings to her?”
20

know  that  My  threats  of  harm  against  you  will
This is what the LORD says: Be-
surely stand.
hold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt
into the hands of his enemies who seek his life,
just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the en-
Jeremiah’s Message to Baruch
emy who was seeking his life.”

21

22

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men
and women, who were answering him,
“As for
the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and
in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem—you,  your  fathers,
your kings, your officials, and the people of the
land—did  the  LORD  not  remember  and  bring
this  to  mind?
So  the  LORD  could  no  longer
endure  the  evil  deeds  and  detestable  acts  you
committed, and your land became a desolation,
a horror, and an object of cursing, without inhab-
itant,  as  it  is  this  day.
Because  you  burned
incense  and  sinned  against  the  LORD  and  did
not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in His in-
struction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this
24
disaster has befallen you, as you see today.”

23

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including
all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all
25
those  of  Judah  who  are  in  the  land  of  Egypt.
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Is-
rael, says: As for you and your wives, you have
spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your
hands your words: ‘We will surely perform our
vows that we have made to burn incense to the
Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings
to her.’ Go ahead, then, do what you have prom-
26
ised! Keep your vows!

Nevertheless,  hear  the  word  of  the  LORD,  all
you  people  of  Judah  living  in  Egypt:  Behold,  I
have  sworn  by  My  great  name,  says  the  LORD,
that never again will any man of Judah living in
the  land  of  Egypt  invoke  My  name  or  say,  ‘As
27
surely as the Lord GOD lives.’

I am watching over them for harm and not for
good, and every man of Judah who is in the land
of  Egypt will  meet his  end  by  sword  or  famine,
28
until they are finished off.

Those who escape the sword will return from
Egypt  to  Judah,  few  in  number,  and  the  whole
remnant of Judah who went to dwell in the land
of Egypt will know whose word will stand, Mine
29
or theirs!

This will be a sign to you that I will punish you
a 4
in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may

Thus you shall say to him:

Literally

45

This  is  the  word  that  Jeremiah  the
prophet  spoke  to  Baruch  son  of  Neriah
when he wrote these words on a scroll at the dic-
tation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim
2
son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says
You  have  said,  ‘Woe  is  me  be-
to  you,  Baruch:
cause the LORD has added sorrow to my pain! I
am  worn  out  with  groaning  and  have  found  no
4
rest.’

”

 a

5

Thus Jeremiah was to say to Baruch:

 “This is
what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will
demolish  what  I  have  built  and  uproot  what  I
But as for you, do you seek great
have planted.
things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring
disaster  on  every  living  creature,  declares  the
LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life
Judgment on Egypt
as a spoil of war.”

46

2

This is the word of the LORD about the
nations—the  word  that  came  to  Jere-
concerning  Egypt  and  the
miah  the  prophet
army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was
defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River
by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth
3
year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:

“Deploy your shields, small and large;

4

advance for battle!

Harness the horses; mount the steeds;

take your positions with helmets on!

5

Polish your spears;
put on armor!

Why am I seeing this?

They are terrified,

they are retreating;
their warriors are defeated,

they flee in haste without looking

back;

terror is on every side!”

declares the LORD.

6

17

“The swift cannot flee,

There they will cry out:

Jeremiah 46:27    |    725

and the warrior cannot escape!
In the north by the River Euphrates

they stumble and fall.

Who is this, rising like the Nile,

8

like rivers whose waters churn?

Egypt rises like the Nile,

and its waters churn like rivers,
boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;

7

9

18

‘Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise;
he has let the appointed time pass him by.’

As surely as I live, declares the King,
whose name is the LORD of Hosts,

there will come one who is like Tabor among

19

the mountains

and like Carmel by the sea.

Pack your bags for exile,

I will destroy the cities and their people.’

O daughter dwelling in Egypt!

Advance, O horses! Race furiously,

 a

O chariots!

20

For Memphis will be laid waste,
destroyed and uninhabited.

Let the warriors come forth—

Egypt is a beautiful heifer,

Cush

10

 and Put carrying their shields,

21

but a gadfly from the north is coming

men of Lydia drawing the bow.
For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of

Hosts,

a day of vengeance against His foes.
The sword will devour until it is satisfied,
until it is quenched with their blood.

For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a

sacrifice

11

in the land of the north by the River

Euphrates.

Go up to Gilead for balm,

O Virgin Daughter of Egypt!
In vain you try many remedies,

12

but for you there is no healing.
The nations have heard of your shame,
and your outcry fills the earth,

because warrior stumbles over warrior

13

against her.

Even the mercenaries among her

are like fattened calves.

They too will turn back;

together they will flee, they will not stand

their ground,

for the day of calamity is coming upon

22

them—

the time of their punishment.

c

Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent,

for the enemy will advance in force;

23

with axes they will come against her

like woodsmen cutting down trees.

They will chop down her forest, declares the

LORD,

dense though it may be,

24

for they are more numerous than locusts;

and both of them have fallen together.”

they cannot be counted.

This is the word that the LORD spoke to Jere-
miah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchad-
nezzar  king  of  Babylon  to  strike  the  land  of
14
Egypt:

“Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in

 b

Migdol;

proclaim it in Memphis

 and Tahpanhes:

15

‘Take your positions and prepare yourself,

for the sword devours those around you.’

Why have your warriors been laid low?
They cannot stand, for the LORD has

16

thrust them down.
They continue to stumble;

indeed, they have fallen over one another.
They say, ‘Get up! Let us return to our people

and to the land of our birth,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’
b 14

Noph

a 9

The Daughter of Egypt will be put to shame;
she will be delivered into the hands of the

25

people of the north.”

d

The  LORD  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  says:
“Behold,  I  am  about  to  punish  Amon  god  of
Thebes,
  along  with  Pharaoh,  Egypt  with  her
26
gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.
I will deliver them into the hands of those who
seek  their  lives—of  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of
Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will
27
be inhabited as in days of old, declares the LORD.

But you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid,

and do not be dismayed, O Israel.
For I will surely save you out of a distant

place,

your descendants from the land of

their captivity!

c 22

nachash

snake

d 25
That is, the upper Nile region

Amon of No

LXX; Hebrew

; also in verse 19

Hebrew

; translated in most

cases as

Hebrew

726    |    Jeremiah 46:28

28

Jacob will return to quiet and ease,
with no one to make him afraid.

And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid,
declares the LORD, for I am with you.
Though I will completely destroy all the

nations to which I have banished you,

I will not completely destroy you.

Yet I will discipline you justly,

and will by no means leave you
Judgment on the Philistines  (Zeph. 2:4–7)

unpunished.”

47

This is the word of the LORD that came
to  Jeremiah  the  prophet  about  the
2
Philistines  before  Pharaoh  struck  down  Gaza.

This is what the LORD says:

“See how the waters are rising from the north
and becoming an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and its fullness,

the cities and their inhabitants.

The people will cry out,
3

and all who dwell in the land will wail

at the sound of the galloping hooves of

stallions,

the rumbling of chariots,
and the clatter of their wheels.

The fathers will not turn back for their sons;

4

their hands will hang limp.

For the day has come

to destroy all the Philistines,

to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
every remaining ally.

Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the
5

Philistines,

a

the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
The people of Gaza will shave their heads in

mourning;

b

Ashkelon will be silenced.

O remnant of their valley,

6

how long will you gash yourself?

‘Alas, O sword of the LORD,
how long until you rest?

Return to your sheath;
cease and be still!’

7

How can it rest

Judgment on Moab  (Isaiah 15:1–9)

48

Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:

“Woe to Nebo,

for it will be devastated.

Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced;

2

the fortress will be shattered and

dismantled.

 c

There is no longer praise for Moab;

in Heshbon
 they devise evil against her:
d
‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’

You too, O people of Madmen,
3

silenced;

 will be

the sword will pursue you.
A voice cries out from Horonaim:

4

‘Devastation and great destruction!’

e

Moab will be shattered;

her little ones will cry out.

For on the ascent to Luhith

they weep bitterly as they go,
and on the descent to Horonaim
cries of distress resound
over the destruction:
‘Flee! Run for your lives!

5

6

7

f

Become like a juniper in the desert.

’

Because you trust in your works and

treasures,

you too will be captured,
and Chemosh will go into exile
8

with his priests and officials.

The destroyer will move against every city,

and not one town will escape.

The valley will also be ruined,

9

and the high plain will be destroyed,
as the LORD has said.

 g

Put salt on Moab,

for she will be laid waste;
her cities will become desolate,

10

with no one to dwell in them.
Cursed is the one who is remiss

in doing the work of the LORD,

11

and cursed is he who withholds
his sword from bloodshed.

Moab has been at ease from youth,
settled like wine on its dregs;

he has not been poured from vessel to vessel

when the LORD has commanded it?

or gone into exile.

He has appointed it against Ashkelon
and the shore of its coastland.”
d 2

Madmen

b 5

a 4
plot
That is, Crete
heard as far away as Zoar
.

The name of the Moabite town

That is, the Mediterranean coast or plain

like a wild donkey

like Aroer

f 6

g 9

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away

 sounds like the Hebrew for
Hebrew; LXX

Or

 or

Or

So his flavor has remained the same,
Heshbon
c 2
and his aroma is unchanged.
e 4

silenced
The Hebrew for

her cries are

12

26

Therefore behold, the days are coming,

“Make him drunk,

declares the LORD,

because he has magnified himself against

when I will send to him wanderers,

the LORD;

Jeremiah 48:35    |    727

13

who will pour him out.
They will empty his vessels
and shatter his jars.

Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,

14

just as the house of Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.

27

so Moab will wallow in his own vomit,

and he will also become a laughingstock.

Was not Israel your object of ridicule?
Was he ever found among thieves?

28

For whenever you speak of him

you shake your head.

15

How can you say, ‘We are warriors,
mighty men ready for battle’?

Moab has been destroyed

Abandon the towns and settle among the

rocks,

O dwellers of Moab!

and its towns have been invaded;

29

Be like a dove

the best of its young men

have gone down in the slaughter,

16

declares the King,

whose name is the LORD of Hosts.

17

Moab’s calamity is at hand,

and his affliction is rushing swiftly.
Mourn for him, all you who surround him,

everyone who knows his name;

tell how the mighty scepter is shattered—

18

the glorious staff!

Come down from your glory; sit on parched

ground,

O daughter dwelling in Dibon,

for the destroyer of Moab has come against

19

you;

he has destroyed your fortresses.

Stand by the road and watch,

O dweller of Aroer!

20

Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping,

‘What has happened?’

Moab is put to shame, for it has been

shattered.
Wail and cry out!
Declare by the Arnon

that Moab is destroyed.

a

21

22
23

Judgment has come upon the high plain—

upon Holon, Jahzah,

 and Mephaath,
upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

24

upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-

meon,

upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of

25

Moab,

those far and near.

The horn of Moab has been cut off,

declares the LORD.

and his arm is broken,”

that nests at the mouth of a cave.
We have heard of Moab’s pomposity,
his exceeding pride and conceit,
his proud arrogance and haughtiness of

30

heart.
I know his insolence,”

declares the LORD,

31

“but it is futile.
His boasting is as empty as his deeds.

32

Therefore I will wail for Moab;
I will cry out for all of Moab;
I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
 c

I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah,

b

more than I weep for Jazer.

d

Your tendrils have extended to the sea;

they reach even to Jazer.
The destroyer has descended

33

on your summer fruit and grape harvest.

Joy and gladness are removed from the

orchard

and from the fields of Moab.

I have stopped the flow of wine from the

presses;

34

no one treads them with shouts of joy;
their shouts are not for joy.

There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh;
they raise their voices to Jahaz,

from Zoar to Horonaim and

Eglath-shelishiyah;

35

for even the waters of Nimrim have dried

up.

In Moab, declares the LORD,

I will bring an end

to those who make offerings on the high

places

a 21 Jahzah
c 32

Jahaz

b 31 Kir-heres

and burn incense to their gods.

Kir-hareseth

 is a variant of

d 32
; see verse 34.

 is a variant of

to the Sea of Jazer
; also in verse 36; see Isaiah 16:7.

Probably the Dead Sea

Two Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts

728    |    Jeremiah 48:36

36

Therefore My heart laments like a flute

The people of Chemosh have perished;

for Moab;

it laments like a flute for the men of

Kir-heres,

because the wealth they acquired has

perished.

37

For every head is shaved

and every beard is clipped;

38

on every hand is a gash,

and around every waist is sackcloth.

On all the rooftops of Moab

and in the public squares,

everyone is mourning;

for I have shattered Moab like an

unwanted jar,”

39

declares the LORD.

“How shattered it is! How they wail!

How Moab has turned his back in shame!

Moab has become an object of ridicule

40

and horror

to all those around him.”

For this is what the LORD says:

41

“Behold, an eagle swoops down

and spreads his wings against Moab.

Kirioth has been taken,

and the strongholds seized.

42

In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Moab will be destroyed as a nation

43

because he vaunted himself against

the LORD.

Terror and pit and snare await you,
O dweller of Moab,”

declares the LORD.

44

“Whoever flees the panic
will fall into the pit,

and whoever climbs from the pit
will be caught in the snare.

For I will bring upon Moab

the year of their punishment,”

declares the LORD.

45

“Those who flee will stand helpless in

Heshbon’s shadow,

because fire has gone forth from Heshbon
and a flame from within Sihon.
It devours the foreheads of Moab

46

a 47

and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
restore the fortunes of Moab
c 4

Woe to you, O Moab!

b 1

their king

d 6

your valleys flowing
Or

Or

and 1 Kings 11:7.

Or

for your sons have been taken into exile
and your daughters have gone into

47

captivity.
a

Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from
declares the LORD.

captivity,

”

Here ends the judgment on Moab.
Judgment on the Ammonites

49

Concerning the Ammonites, this is what
the LORD says:

“Has Israel no sons?

 b
Is he without heir?

Why then has Milcom
of Gad?

 taken possession

2

Why have his people settled in their

cities?

Therefore, behold, the days are coming,

declares the LORD,

when I will sound the battle cry

against Rabbah of the Ammonites.

It will become a heap of ruins,

and its villages will be burned.

Then Israel will drive out their
dispossessors,

3

says the LORD.

Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been

destroyed;

cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!

Put on sackcloth and mourn;

run back and forth within your walls,

for Milcom will go into exile
4

together with his priests and officials.

c

Why do you boast of your valleys—

your valleys so fruitful,
O faithless daughter?

You trust in your riches and say,
5
‘Who can come against me?’

Behold, I am about to bring terror upon you,

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts,
from all those around you.
You will each be driven headlong,
6

with no one to regather the fugitives.
d
Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites

from captivity,

”

Judgment on Edom  (Obadiah 1:1–14)

declares the LORD.

Milcom
restore the fortunes of the Ammonites

Molech

;
Or

 is a variant of

; also in verse 3; see Leviticus 18:21

Jeremiah 49:27    |    729

7

Concerning  Edom,  this  is  what  the  LORD  of

Hosts says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
8

Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?

Turn and run!

Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan,
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time I punish him.

9

If grape gatherers came to you,

along with their neighbors,”

says the LORD,

19

“no one will dwell there;

no man will abide there.

Behold, one will come up like a lion

from the thickets of the Jordan to the

watered pasture.

For in an instant I will chase Edom from her

land.

Who is the chosen one I will appoint

for this?

would they not leave some gleanings?

For who is like Me, and who can challenge

Were thieves to come in the night,

10

would they not steal only what they

20

Me?

What shepherd can stand against Me?”

wanted?

But I will strip Esau bare;

I will uncover his hiding places,
and he will be unable to conceal himself.

His descendants will be destroyed

11

along with his relatives and neighbors,
and he will be no more.

Abandon your orphans; I will preserve their

12

lives.

Let your widows trust in Me.”

13

For this is what the LORD says: “If those who
do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can
you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go
For by
unpunished, for you must drink it too.
Myself  I  have  sworn,  declares  the  LORD,  that
Bozrah  will  become  a  desolation,  a  disgrace,  a
ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins
14
forever.”

I have heard a message from the LORD;

an envoy has been sent to the nations:
“Assemble yourselves to march against her!

15

Rise up for battle!”

“For behold, I will make you small among

16

nations,

despised among men.

The terror you cause

and the pride of your heart
have deceived you,

a

O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks,

O occupiers of the mountain summit.
Though you elevate your nest like the eagle,
declares the LORD.
even from there I will bring you down,”

17

Therefore hear the plans

that the LORD has drawn up against Edom

and the strategies He has devised
against the people of Teman:

Surely the little ones of the flock will be

dragged away;

b

21

certainly their pasture will be made

desolate because of them.

c

22

At the sound of their fall the earth will quake;

their cry will resound to the Red Sea.
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down,

spreading its wings over Bozrah.

In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men

will be like the heart of a woman
Judgment on Damascus  (Isaiah 17:1–14)

in labor.

23

Concerning Damascus:

“Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,
for they have heard a bad report;

 d

24

they are agitated like the sea;

their anxiety cannot be calmed.

Damascus has become feeble;
she has turned to flee.

Panic has gripped her;

25

anguish and pain have seized her
like a woman in labor.

26

How is the city of praise not forsaken,

the town that brings Me joy?

For her young men will fall in the streets,
and all her warriors will be silenced in

declares the LORD of Hosts.

that day,”

27

18

“Edom will become an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will scoff at all her wounds.
of Sela

b 20

a 16

As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown

their pasture will be appalled at their fate

“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will consume the fortresses of

Ben-hadad.”
d 23
Sea of Reeds

c 21

on the sea

by the sea

Or

Or

Or

Hebrew

 or

730    |    Jeremiah 49:28

Judgment on Kedar and Hazor

28

Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor,
which  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  de-
feated, this is what the LORD says:

29

“Rise up, advance against Kedar,

and destroy the people of the east!

They will take their tents and flocks,

their tent curtains and all their goods.
They will take their camels for themselves.
They will shout to them: ‘Terror is on

30

every side!’

Run! Escape quickly!

Lie low, O residents of Hazor,”

declares the LORD,

“for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has drawn up a plan against you;
he has devised a strategy against you.

31

Rise up, advance against a nation at ease,

declares the LORD.

one that dwells securely,”

“They have no gates or bars;

32

they live alone.

Their camels will become plunder,

and their large herds will be spoil.
I will scatter to the wind in every direction

those who shave their temples;

I will bring calamity on them

declares the LORD.

33

from all sides,”

I will bring disaster upon them,

even My fierce anger,”

declares the LORD.

“I will send out the sword after them

38

until I finish them off.
I will set My throne in Elam,

and destroy its king and officials,”

declares the LORD.

39

“Yet in the last days,

b

I will restore Elam from captivity,

”

declares the LORD.

A Prophecy against Babylon

50

This  is  the  word  that  the  LORD  spoke
through  Jeremiah  the  prophet  concern-

 c

2
ing Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans:

“Announce and declare to the nations;
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
hold nothing back when you say,

‘Babylon is captured;

Bel is put to shame;

Marduk is shattered,

3

her images are disgraced,
her idols are broken in pieces.’

For a nation from the north will come against

her;

it will make her land a desolation.

a

No one will live in it;

Hope for Israel and Judah

both man and beast will flee.”

“Hazor will become a haunt for jackals,

a desolation forever.
No one will dwell there;

Judgment on Elam

no man will abide there.”

34

This  is  the  word  of  the  LORD  that  came  to
Jeremiah  the  prophet  concerning  Elam  at  the
35
beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

36

“Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow,
the mainstay of their might.

I will bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,

and I will scatter them
to all these winds.
There will not be a nation

37

to which Elam’s exiles will not go.
So I will shatter Elam before their foes,
serpents
before those who seek their lives.

dragons

b 39

a 33

restore the fortunes of Elam

Or

 or

Or

4

“In those days and at that time,

declares the LORD,

the children of Israel and the children

of Judah

5

will come together, weeping as they come,
and will seek the LORD their God.

They will ask the way to Zion

and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and join themselves to

the LORD

6

in an everlasting covenant
that will never be forgotten.

My people are lost sheep;

their shepherds have led them astray,
causing them to roam the mountains.
They have wandered from mountain to hill;
they have forgotten their resting place.
That is, the Babylonians; also in vv. 8, 25, 35, and 45

c 1

7

16

All who found them devoured them,

Cut off the sower from Babylon,

Jeremiah 50:24    |    731

and their enemies said,

‘We are not guilty,

for they have sinned against the LORD,

8

their true pasture,

the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

Flee from the midst of Babylon;

9

depart from the land of the Chaldeans;
be like the he-goats that lead the flock.

For behold, I stir up and bring against

Babylon

an assembly of great nations from the

land of the north.

They will line up against her;

from the north she will be captured.
Their arrows will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.

 a

10

Chaldea

 will be plundered;

all who plunder her will have their fill,”

declares the LORD.

Babylon’s Fall Is Certain

11

“Because you rejoice,

because you sing in triumph—
you who plunder My inheritance—

and the one who wields the sickle

at harvest time.

In the face of the oppressor’s sword,
each will turn to his own people,
each will flee to his own land.

Redemption for God’s People

17

Israel is a scattered flock,
chased away by lions.

The first to devour him

was the king of Assyria;
the last to crush his bones

18

was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”

Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the

God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and

19

his land

as I punished the king of Assyria.

I will return Israel to his pasture,

and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan;

his soul will be satisfied

20

on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

In those days and at that time,

12

because you frolic like a heifer treading grain

declares the LORD,

and neigh like stallions,

your mother will be greatly ashamed;

she who bore you will be disgraced.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

13

Because of the wrath of the LORD,

she will not be inhabited;
she will become completely desolate.

All who pass through Babylon will be

14

horrified

and will hiss at all her wounds.

a search will be made for Israel’s guilt,

but there will be none,

and for Judah’s sins,

but they will not be found;

for I will forgive

The Destruction of Babylon
the remnant I preserve.

21

Go up against the land of Merathaim,

 b

c

and against the residents of Pekod.

Kill them

 and devote them to destruction.

Do all that I have commanded you,”

declares the LORD.

Line up in formation around Babylon,

22

all you who draw the bow!
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows!

15

For she has sinned against the LORD.
Raise a war cry against her on every side!

She has thrown up her hands in

surrender;
her towers have fallen;

her walls are torn down.

Since this is the vengeance of the LORD,
take out your vengeance upon her;

23

“The noise of battle is in the land—
the noise of great destruction.
How the hammer of the whole earth

lies broken and shattered!

What a horror Babylon has become

24

among the nations!

I laid a snare for you, O Babylon,

and you were caught before you

knew it.

as she has done,
Babylonia
do the same to her.

b 21

a 10

Avenge, O sword,

c 21

You were found and captured

because you challenged the LORD.

cherem

Or

LXX

Forms of the Hebrew

 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 26.

732    |    Jeremiah 50:25

25

35

The LORD has opened His armory

A sword is against the Chaldeans,

and brought out His weapons of wrath,

declares the LORD,

for this is the work of the Lord GOD

36

against those who live in Babylon,

26

of Hosts

in the land of the Chaldeans.

Come against her

from the farthest border.

Break open her granaries;

pile her up like mounds of grain.

27

Devote her to destruction;
leave her no survivors.

Kill all her young bulls;

let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come—

the time of their punishment.

28

Listen to the fugitives and refugees

from the land of Babylon,

declaring in Zion the vengeance of the LORD

29

our God,

the vengeance for His temple.
Summon the archers against Babylon,

all who string the bow.

Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.

Repay her according to her deeds;
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel.

30

Therefore, her young men will fall in the

streets,

and all her warriors will be silenced in

declares the LORD.

31

that day,”

“Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,”

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts,

32

“for your day has come,

the time when I will punish you.
The arrogant one will stumble and fall

with no one to pick him up.
And I will kindle a fire in his cities

to consume all those around him.”

33

and against her officials and wise men.

A sword is against her false prophets,

and they will become fools.
A sword is against her warriors,

37

and they will be filled with terror.

A sword is against her horses and chariots

and against all the foreigners in her midst,
and they will become like women.

A sword is against her treasuries,
and they will be plundered.
A drought is upon her waters,
and they will be dried up.
For it is a land of graven images,

38

39

and the people go mad over idols.

a

So the desert creatures and hyenas will live

 b

there
and ostriches

 will dwell there.

40

It will never again be inhabited

or lived in from generation to generation.

As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah

declares the LORD,

along with their neighbors,”

41

“no one will dwell there;

no man will abide there.

Behold, an army is coming from the north;

a great nation and many kings are stirred

42

up

 c

from the ends of the earth.
They grasp the bow and spear;

they are cruel and merciless.

Their voice roars like the sea,
and they ride upon horses,
lined up like men in formation

43

against you, O Daughter of Babylon.
The king of Babylon has heard the report,

and his hands hang limp.

Anguish has gripped him,

44

pain like that of a woman in labor.

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
and the sons of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to release them.

34

Their Redeemer is strong;

the LORD of Hosts is His name.
He will fervently plead their case

a 38

so that He may bring rest to the earth,
b 39
go mad with fear
but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.

daughters of an ostrich

Or

Literally

 or

Behold, one will come up like a lion

from the thickets of the Jordan to the

watered pasture.

For in an instant I will chase Babylon from

her land.

Who is the chosen one I will appoint for

this?

For who is like Me, and who can challenge

Me?
daughters of an owl

What shepherd can stand against Me?”
Or

c 42

javelin

Jeremiah 51:16    |    733

45

9

Therefore hear the plans

“We tried to heal Babylon,

that the LORD has drawn up against

but she could not be healed.

Babylon

Abandon her!

and the strategies He has devised

against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the little ones of the flock will be

Let each of us go to his own land,
for her judgment extends to the sky
and reaches to the clouds.”

10

dragged away;

46

certainly their pasture will be made
desolate because of them.

At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth

11

“The LORD has brought forth our vindication;

come, let us tell in Zion
what the LORD our God has

accomplished.”

 d

will quake;

Judgment on Babylon

a cry will be heard among the nations.

51

This is what the LORD says:

 a

“Behold, I will stir up against Babylon

2

and against the people of Leb-kamai
the spirit of a destroyer.
I will send strangers to Babylon

to winnow her and empty her land;

for they will come against her from every side
3

in her day of disaster.

Do not let the archer bend his bow

or put on his armor.
Do not spare her young men;

4

 b

devote all her army to destruction!
And they will fall slain in the land of the

c

5

Chaldeans,

and pierced through in her streets.

For Israel and Judah have not been

abandoned

by their God, the LORD of Hosts,

though their land is full of guilt
6

before the Holy One of Israel.”

Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives!
Do not be destroyed in her punishment.
For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance;

7

He will pay her what she deserves.
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the

LORD,

making the whole earth drunk.

The nations drank her wine;
8

therefore the nations have gone mad.

Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been

shattered.

Wail for her; get her balm for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.

a 1 Leb-kamai

Sharpen the arrows!
Fill the quivers!

The LORD has aroused the spirit
of the kings of the Medes,

because His plan is aimed at Babylon

to destroy her,

for it is the vengeance of the LORD—

12

vengeance for His temple.

Raise a banner against the walls of Babylon;

post the guard;
station the watchmen;

prepare the ambush.

For the LORD has both devised and

accomplished

13

what He spoke against the people of

Babylon.

You who dwell by many waters,

rich in treasures,
your end has come;

14

the thread of your life is cut.

The LORD of Hosts has sworn by Himself:

“Surely I will fill you up with men as with

locusts,

Praise to the God of Jacob  (Isaiah 25:1–12)

and they will shout in triumph over you.”

15

The LORD made the earth by His power;

He established the world by His wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by His

16

understanding.

When He thunders,

the waters in the heavens roar;

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

b 3

storehouses.

cherem
c 4

 is a code name for Chaldea, that is, Babylonia.
d 11

Forms of the Hebrew

Fill the hand with the shields!

things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
also in v. 54

LXX and some translations of the Hebrew; literally

 or

 refer to the giving over of
Take up the shields!
That is, the Babylonians;

734    |    Jeremiah 51:17

17

Every man is senseless and devoid of

28

Appoint a captain against her;

knowledge;

every goldsmith is put to shame by his

bring up horses like swarming locusts.
Prepare the nations for battle against her—

idols.

18

For his molten images are a fraud,
and there is no breath in them.

They are worthless, a work to be mocked.

19

In the time of their punishment they will

perish.

The Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for He is the Maker of all things,
and of the tribe of His inheritance—
the LORD of Hosts is His name.

Babylon’s Punishment

20

“You are My war club,

My weapon for battle.
With you I shatter nations;

21

with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
With you I shatter the horse and rider;

22

with you I shatter the chariot and driver.

With you I shatter man and woman;

with you I shatter the old man and

the youth;

23

with you I shatter the young man and the

maiden.

With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock;

with you I shatter the farmer and his

the kings of the Medes,

29

their governors and all their officials,

and all the lands they rule.

The earth quakes and writhes

because the LORD’s intentions against

Babylon stand:

30

to make the land of Babylon a desolation,

without inhabitant.

The warriors of Babylon have stopped

fighting;

they sit in their strongholds.

Their strength is exhausted;

31

they have become like women.
Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze,
the bars of her gates are broken.
One courier races to meet another,

and messenger follows messenger,

to announce to the king of Babylon

32

that his city has been captured from end

to end.

The fords have been seized,
the marshes set on fire,
and the soldiers are terrified.”

33

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of

oxen;

Israel, says:

24

with you I shatter the governors and

officials.

“The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing

 a

floor

Before your very eyes I will repay

at the time it is trampled.

Babylon and all the dwellers of Chaldea
for all the evil they have done in Zion,”

declares the LORD.

25

“Behold, I am against you,
O destroying mountain,

you who devastate the whole earth,

declares the LORD.

I will stretch out My hand against you;

26

I will roll you over the cliffs
and turn you into a charred mountain.
No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone

or a foundation stone,
because you will become desolate

declares the LORD.

27

forever,”

“Raise a banner in the land!

Blow the ram’s horn among the nations!

Prepare the nations against her.

a 24

Summon the kingdoms against her—
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
That is, Babylonia; also in verse 35

b 34

Or

expelled me

In just a little while

34

her harvest time will come.”

“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has

devoured me;

he has crushed me.

He has set me aside like an empty vessel;
he has swallowed me like a monster;

b

35

he filled his belly with my delicacies

and vomited me out.

May the violence done to me

and to my flesh
be upon Babylon,”

says the dweller of Zion.

“May my blood be on the dwellers of

36

Chaldea,”
says Jerusalem.

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

“Behold, I will plead your case

and take vengeance on your behalf;

Jeremiah 51:58    |    735

37

I will dry up her sea

and make her springs run dry.
Babylon will become a heap of rubble,

a

49

because the destroyers from the north

declares the LORD.

will come against her,”

a haunt for jackals,

38

an object of horror and scorn,

without inhabitant.

39

They will roar together like young lions;

they will growl like lion cubs.
While they are flushed with heat,

I will serve them a feast,
and I will make them drunk
so that they may revel;

then they will fall asleep forever and never

40

wake up,
declares the LORD.

I will bring them down like lambs to the

41

slaughter,

 b

like rams with male goats.

“Babylon must fall

on account of the slain of Israel,

50

just as the slain of all the earth

have fallen because of Babylon.
You who have escaped the sword,

depart and do not linger!

51

Remember the LORD from far away,
and let Jerusalem come to mind.”

“We are ashamed because we have heard

reproach;

disgrace has covered our faces,

52

because foreigners have entered

the holy places of the LORD’s house.”

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming,”

How Sheshach

 has been captured!

The praise of all the earth has been seized.

declares the LORD,

“when I will punish her idols,

42

What a horror Babylon has become

among the nations!

43

The sea has come up over Babylon;

she is covered in turbulent waves.
Her cities have become a desolation,

a dry and arid land,
a land where no one lives,

44

where no son of man passes through.

I will punish Bel in Babylon.

I will make him spew out what he

swallowed.

45

The nations will no longer stream to him;
even the wall of Babylon will fall.

 c

Come out of her, My people!

46

Save your lives, each of you,
from the fierce anger of the LORD.

Do not let your heart grow faint,

and do not be afraid
when the rumor is heard in the land;

for a rumor will come one year—

and then another the next year—

of violence in the land

47

and of ruler against ruler.

Therefore, behold, the days are coming

when I will punish the idols of Babylon.

Her entire land will suffer shame,
and all her slain will lie fallen

48

within her.

Then heaven and earth and all that is

a 37

in them

b 41 Sheshach
serpents
will shout for joy over Babylon

dragons

53

and throughout her land the wounded will

groan.

Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,

the destroyers I send will come against her,”

54

declares the LORD.

“The sound of a cry

comes from Babylon,

the sound of great destruction

55

from the land of the Chaldeans!
For the LORD will destroy Babylon;
He will silence her mighty voice.
The waves will roar like great waters;

56

the tumult of their voices will resound.

For a destroyer is coming against her—

against Babylon.

Her warriors will be captured,

and their bows will be broken,
for the LORD is a God of retribution;

57

He will repay in full.

I will make her princes and wise men drunk,

along with her governors, officials,

and warriors.

Then they will fall asleep forever

and not wake up,”

declares the King,

58

whose name is the LORD of Hosts.

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled,

c 45

and her high gates consumed by fire.

Or

 or

 is a code name for Babylon.

See Revelation 18:4.

736    |    Jeremiah 51:59

6

So the labor of the people will be for nothing;
the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel

Jeremiah’s Message to Seraiah
the flames.”

59

60

This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet
gave to the quartermaster Seraiah son of Neriah,
the  son  of  Mahseiah,  when  he  went  to  Babylon
with King Zedekiah of Judah in the fourth year of
Jeremiah  had  written  on  a
Zedekiah’s  reign.
single  scroll  about  all  the  disaster  that  would
come  upon  Babylon—all  these  words  that  had
61
been written concerning Babylon.

And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to
62
Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,
and say, ‘O LORD, You have promised to cut off
this  place  so  that  no  one  will  remain—neither
man  nor  beast.  Indeed,  it  will  be  desolate
63
forever.’

64

When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone
Then you
to it and cast it into the Euphrates.
are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and
never  rise  again,  because  of  the  disaster  I  will
bring  upon  her.  And  her  people  will  grow
weary.’
The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted
Here end the words of Jeremiah.
(Psalm 74:1–23 ;  Psalm 79:1–13 ;
2 Kings 24:18–20 ;  2 Chronicles 36:11–14)

”

52

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
2
Libnah.

3

And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD,
For because of the
just as Jehoiakim had done.
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
4
Babylon.

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 the city
and built a siege wall all around it.
was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s elev-
a 7
enth year.

5

 a

7

By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine
in  the  city was  so  severe  that  the  people  of  the
Then the city was breached;
land had no food.
and though the Chaldeans
 had surrounded the
city, all the men of war fled the city by night by
way of the gate between the two walls near the
king’s garden.

8

b

They headed toward the Arabah,
but the army
of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook
Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his whole
9
army deserted him.

The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him
up  to  the  king  of  Babylon  at  Riblah  in  the  land
of  Hamath,  where  he  pronounced  judgment  on
10
Zedekiah.

11

There  at  Riblah  the  king  of  Babylon  slaugh-
tered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and
he also killed all the officials of Judah.
Then he
put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze
shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept
The Temple Destroyed
him in custody until his dying day.
(2 Kings 25:8–17)

12

13

On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nine-
teenth  year  of  Nebuchadnezzar’s  reign  over
Babylon,  Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard,  a
servant  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  entered  Jerusa-
He burned down the house of the LORD,
lem.
the  royal  palace,  and  all  the  houses  of  Jerusa-
And the whole
lem—every significant building.
army  of  the  Chaldeans  under  the  captain  of  the
15
guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

14

Then  Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard  car-
ried  into  exile  some  of  the  poorest  people  and
those  who  remained  in  the  city,  along  with
the  deserters  who  had  defected  to  the  king  of
But
Babylon  and  the  rest  of  the  craftsmen.
Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard  left  behind
some of the poorest of the land to tend the vine-
17
yards and fields.

16

18

Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze
pillars  and  stands  and  the  bronze  Sea  in  the
house  of  the  LORD,  and  they  carried  all  the
They  also  took  away  the
bronze  to  Babylon.
pots,  shovels,  wick  trimmers,  sprinkling  bowls,
19
dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the
The  captain  of  the  guard
temple  service.
also  took  away  the  basins,  censers,  sprinkling
bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and drink offering

the Jordan Valley

b 7

That is, the Babylonians; similarly in verses 8, 9, 14, and 17

Or

bowls—anything  made  of  pure  gold  or  fine
20
silver.

As  for  the  two  pillars,  the  Sea,  the  twelve
bronze  bulls  under  it,  and  the  movable  stands
that King Solomon had made for the house of the
LORD,  the  weight  of  the  bronze  from  all  these
Each pillar was
articles was beyond measure.
b
eighteen cubits tall and twelve cubits in circum-
22
ference;
  each  was  hollow,  four  fingers  thick.

21

 a

c

The  bronze  capital  atop  one  pillar  was  five
cubits  high,
  with  a  network  of  bronze  pome-
23
granates  all  around.  The  second  pillar,  with  its
Each  capital  had
pomegranates,  was  similar.
ninety-six pomegranates on the sides, and a total
of a hundred pomegranates were above the sur-
Captives Carried to Babylon
rounding network.
(2 Kings 25:18–21)

24

25

The  captain  of  the  guard  also  took  away
Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of
Of
second  rank,  and  the  three  doorkeepers.
those still in the city, he took a court official who
had been appointed over the men of war, as well
as seven trusted royal advisers. He also took the
scribe  of  the  captain  of  the  army,  who  had  en-
listed the people of the land, and sixty men who
26
were found in the city.

Nebuzaradan  captain  of  the  guard  took  them
and  brought  them  to  the  king  of  Babylon  at

Jeremiah 52:34    |    737

27

There at Riblah in the land of Hamath,
Riblah.
the  king  of  Babylon  struck  them  down  and  put
them  to  death.  So  Judah  was  taken  into  exile,
28
away from its own land.

These are the people Nebuchadnezzar carried

away:
29
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832

30
people from Jerusalem;

in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year,
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried
away 745 Jews.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison
So in all, 4,600 people were taken away.
(2 Kings 25:27–30)

31

 a

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of
the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin
king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-
 Jehoi-
merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned
achin  king  of  Judah  and  released  him  from
prison.
And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and
set  his  throne  above  the  thrones  of  the  other
33
kings who were with him in Babylon.

32

34

So  Jehoiachin  changed  out  of  his  prison
clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table
for the rest of his life.
And the king of Babylon
provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest
of his life, until the day of his death.

a 21

b 21 4 fingers

c 22 5 cubits

Each pillar was approximately 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference (8.2 meters high and 5.5 meters in

circumference).
or 2.3 meters.

 is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.

 is approximately 7.5 feet

Lamentations

How Lonely Lies the City!  (2 Kings 24:10–17)

 a

1

 lonely lies the city,

How
 once so full of people!

8

Her enemies looked upon her,
laughing at her downfall.

Jerusalem has sinned greatly;

She who was great among the nations

therefore she has become an object of

has become a widow.
The princess of the provinces
2

has become a slave.

She weeps aloud in the night,

with tears upon her cheeks.

Among all her lovers

there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.

3

Judah has gone into exile

under affliction and harsh slavery;

she dwells among the nations
but finds no place to rest.

All her pursuers have overtaken her
4
in the midst of her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn,

because no one comes to her appointed

feasts.

All her gates are deserted;
her priests groan,

her maidens grieve,
5

and she herself is bitter with anguish.

Her foes have become her masters;

her enemies are at ease.

For the LORD has brought her grief

because of her many transgressions.

Her children have gone away
6

as captives before the enemy.

All the splendor has departed
from the Daughter of Zion.

Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
they lack the strength to flee
7
in the face of the hunter.

In the days of her affliction and wandering
Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.

When her people fell into enemy hands

b 8

her shame

she received no help.
This chapter is an acrostic poem

a 1

scorn.

 b
All who honored her now despise her,
for they have seen her nakedness;
she herself groans and turns away.

9

Her uncleanness stains her skirts;
she did not consider her end.

Her downfall was astounding;

there was no one to comfort her.

10

Look, O LORD, on my affliction,

for the enemy has triumphed!

The adversary has seized
all her treasures.

For she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary—
those You had forbidden

to enter Your assembly.

11

All her people groan

as they search for bread.

They have traded their treasures for food

to keep themselves alive.
Look, O LORD, and consider,

for I have become despised.

12

Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Look around and see!
Is there any sorrow like mine,
which was inflicted on me,
which the LORD made me suffer
on the day of His fierce anger?

13

He sent fire from on high,

and it overpowered my bones.

He spread a net for my feet
and turned me back.

14

He made me desolate,

faint all the day long.

c

My transgressions are bound into a yoke,

knit together by His hand;
they are draped over my neck,

and the Lord has broken my strength.

c 14

He has delivered me into the hands
of those I cannot withstand.

He kept watch over my sins

Or

Other Hebrew mss. and LXX

15

God’s Anger over Jerusalem

Lamentations 2:8    |    739

The Lord has rejected

 a

all the mighty men in my midst;
He has summoned an army against me

to crush my young warriors.

Like grapes in a winepress,

16

the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter

of Judah.

For these things I weep;

my eyes flow with tears.

For there is no one nearby to comfort me,

no one to revive my soul.

My children are destitute

17

because the enemy has prevailed.

Zion stretches out her hands,

but there is no one to comfort her.
The LORD has decreed against Jacob

that his neighbors become his foes.

Jerusalem has become

18

an unclean thing among them.

The LORD is righteous,

yet I rebelled against His

command.

Listen, all you people;

look upon my suffering.
My young men and maidens
have gone into captivity.

19

I called out to my lovers,

but they have betrayed me.

My priests and elders
perished in the city

20

while they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.

See, O LORD, how distressed I am!

I am churning within;

my heart is pounding within me,

for I have been most rebellious.

21

Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is death.

People have heard my groaning,

but there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that You have caused it.
May You bring the day You have announced,

so that they may become like me.

22

Let all their wickedness come before You,

and deal with them
as You have dealt with me

because of all my transgressions.

For my groans are many,
b 1
has set a time for me
and my heart is faint.

a 15

 b

2

 How

 the Lord has covered the Daughter

of Zion

with the cloud of His anger!

He has cast the glory of Israel
from heaven to earth.

2

He has abandoned His footstool
in the day of His anger.

Without pity the Lord has swallowed up

all the dwellings of Jacob.
In His wrath He has demolished

the fortified cities of the Daughter of

Judah.

He brought to the ground and defiled
3
her kingdom and its princes.

 c
In fierce anger He has cut off

every horn

 of Israel

and withdrawn His right hand

at the approach of the enemy.

He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
4
that consumes everything around it.

He has bent His bow like an enemy;
His right hand is positioned.

Like a foe He has killed

all who were pleasing to the eye;
He has poured out His wrath like fire
5

on the tent of the Daughter of Zion.

The Lord is like an enemy;

He has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces
and destroyed her strongholds.

He has multiplied mourning and lamentation
6

for the Daughter of Judah.

He has laid waste His tabernacle like a garden

booth;

He has destroyed His place of meeting.

The LORD has made Zion forget

her appointed feasts and Sabbaths.

In His fierce anger

7

He has despised both king and priest.

The Lord has rejected His altar;

He has abandoned His sanctuary;
He has delivered the walls of her palaces

into the hand of the enemy.

They have raised a shout in the house of the

8

LORD

as on the day of an appointed feast.

The LORD determined to destroy

c 3
the wall of the Daughter of Zion.

all the strength

Or

This chapter is an acrostic poem

Or

740    |    Lamentations 2:9

He stretched out a measuring line

and did not withdraw His hand from

destroying.

He made the ramparts and walls lament;
9

together they waste away.

Her gates have sunk into the ground;

He has destroyed and shattered their bars.

Her king and her princes are exiled among

the nations,
the law is no more,
and even her prophets

10

11

find no vision from the LORD.

The elders of the Daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence.

They have thrown dust on their heads

and put on sackcloth.

The young women of Jerusalem

have bowed their heads to the ground.

My eyes fail from weeping;
I am churning within.

My heart is poured out in grief

over the destruction of the daughter of my

people,

12

because children and infants faint

in the streets of the city.

They cry out to their mothers:

“Where is the grain and wine?”

as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,

as their lives fade away

13

in the arms of their mothers.

What can I say for you?

To what can I compare you,
O Daughter of Jerusalem?

To what can I liken you,

that I may console you,
O Virgin Daughter of Zion?

For your wound is as deep as the sea.

14

Who can ever heal you?

The visions of your prophets

were empty and deceptive;
they did not expose your guilt
to ward off your captivity.

15

The burdens they envisioned for you
were empty and misleading.

All who pass by

clap their hands at you in scorn.

“Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of all the earth?”

16

All your enemies

open their mouths against you.

They hiss and gnash their teeth,

saying, “We have swallowed her up.
This is the day for which we have waited.

We have lived to see it!”

The LORD has done what He planned;
He has accomplished His decree,

which He ordained in days of old;

He has overthrown you without pity.

 a

He has let the enemy gloat over you

and exalted the horn
b

 of your foes.

17

18

The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.

O wall of the Daughter of Zion,

let your tears run down like a river
day and night.
Give yourself no relief,

and your eyes no rest.

c

19

Arise, cry out in the night

from the first watch of the night.

Pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to Him

for the lives of your children

who are fainting from hunger

on the corner of every street.

20

Look, O LORD, and consider:

Whom have You ever treated like this?

Should women eat their offspring,
the infants they have nurtured?
Should priests and prophets be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?

21

Both young and old lie together
in the dust of the streets.
My young men and maidens
have fallen by the sword.

You have slain them in the day of Your anger;

22

You have slaughtered them without

compassion.

You summoned my terrors on every side,
as for the day of an appointed feast.

In the day of the LORD’s anger
no one escaped or survived;

They hiss and shake their heads
at the Daughter of Jerusalem:
b 18

the strength

a 17

Their heart cries out to the Lord.

my enemy has destroyed

those I nurtured and reared.

c 19

Or

Literally

That is, between six and nine at night

The Prophet’s Afflictions

23

Lamentations 3:44    |    741

 a

3

2

 am the man who has seen affliction

 I
under the rod of God’s wrath.

He has driven me away and made me walk

3

in darkness instead of light.
Indeed, He keeps turning His hand

against me all day long.

He has worn away my flesh and skin;

5

He has shattered my bones.

He has besieged me and surrounded me

6

with bitterness and hardship.
He has made me dwell in darkness

like those dead for ages.

4

7

He has walled me in so I cannot escape;

8

He has weighed me down with chains.

Even when I cry out and plead for help,

9

He shuts out my prayer.

10

He has barred my ways with cut stones;
He has made my paths crooked.

11

He is a bear lying in wait,

a lion hiding in ambush.

He forced me off my path and tore me

12

to pieces;

He left me without help.

He bent His bow

13

and set me as the target for His arrow.

14

He pierced my kidneys
with His arrows.

15

I am a laughingstock to all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.

He has filled me with bitterness;

16

He has intoxicated me with wormwood.

17

18

He has ground my teeth with gravel
and trampled me in the dust.
My soul has been deprived of peace;

I have forgotten what prosperity is.

So I say, “My strength has perished,

The Prophet’s Hope

along with my hope from the LORD.”

19

20

Remember my affliction and wandering,

the wormwood and the gall.

21

Surely my soul remembers

and is humbled within me.

25

28

24

They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in Him.”

26

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him.

27

It is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is still young.

29

Let him sit alone in silence,

for the LORD has laid it upon him.

30

Let him bury his face in the dust—
perhaps there is still hope.

Let him offer his cheek to the one who would

31

strike him;

let him be filled with reproach.

32

For the Lord will not
cast us off forever.

Even if He causes grief, He will show

33

compassion

according to His abundant loving devotion.

34

For He does not willingly afflict
or grieve the sons of men.

35

To crush underfoot

all the prisoners of the land,

36

to deny a man justice

before the Most High,

to subvert a man in his lawsuit—

God’s Justice

of these the Lord does not approve.

37

38

Who has spoken and it came to pass,
unless the Lord has ordained it?

39

Do not both adversity and good

come from the mouth of the Most High?

Why should any mortal man complain,

in view of his sins?

40

41

42

Let us examine and test our ways,
and turn back to the LORD.
Let us lift up our hearts and hands

to God in heaven:

43

“We have sinned and rebelled;
You have not forgiven.”

Yet I call this to mind,

22

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the loving devotion
we are not consumed,
for His mercies never fail.

a 1
b 22

chesed
love

 b

You have covered Yourself in anger and

 of the LORD

You have killed without pity.

44

pursued us;

You have covered Yourself with a cloud
that no prayer can pass through.

loving devotion

This chapter is an acrostic poem, each 3–verse stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
; the

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
, and

Forms of the Hebrew
range of meaning includes

loyalty to a covenant

faithfulness

, as well as

kindness

mercy

.

,

,

,

742    |    Lamentations 3:45

45

The Distress of Zion

You have made us scum and refuse

46

among the nations.

47

All our enemies

open their mouths against us.
Panic and pitfall have come upon us—

48

devastation and destruction.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes

49

over the destruction of the daughter of

my people.

50

My eyes overflow unceasingly,

without relief,

51

until the LORD

looks down from heaven and sees.

My eyes bring grief to my soul

because of all the daughters of my city.

52

54

55

58

53

Without cause my enemies
hunted me like a bird.

They dropped me alive into a pit
and cast stones upon me.
The waters flowed over my head,

and I thought I was going to die.

56

I called on Your

 name, O LORD,
out of the depths of the Pit.

57

You heard my plea:

“Do not ignore my cry for relief.”
You drew near when I called on You;

You said, “Do not be afraid.”

59

You defend my cause, O Lord;

You redeem my life.

You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done

60

to me;

vindicate my cause!

61

You have seen all their malice,
all their plots against me.

62

O LORD, You have heard their insults,

all their plots against me—
the slander and murmuring of my

63

assailants

against me all day long.

64

When they sit and when they rise,
see how they mock me in song.

You will pay them back what they deserve, O

65

LORD,

 a

4

2

 the gold has become tarnished,

How
the pure gold has become dull!
The gems of the temple lie scattered

on every street corner.

How the precious sons of Zion,

once worth their weight in pure gold,

are now esteemed as jars of clay,
3
the work of a potter’s hands!

 b

Even jackals

 offer their breasts

to nurse their young,

but the daughter of my people has become

4

cruel,

like an ostrich in the wilderness.

The nursing infant’s tongue

clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth.

Little children beg for bread,
5

but no one gives them any.

Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets;

those brought up in crimson
6
huddle in ash heaps.

 c

The punishment

 of the daughter of my

people

is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in an instant
7

without a hand turned to help her.

Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,
whiter than milk;
 d
their bodies were more ruddy than rubies,
8

e

their appearance

 like sapphires.

But now their appearance is blacker than

soot;

they are not recognized in the streets.

Their skin has shriveled on their bones;

9

it has become as dry as a stick.

Those slain by the sword are better off
than those who die of hunger,
who waste away, pierced with pain
because the fields lack produce.

10

The hands of compassionate women
have cooked their own children,

who became their food

in the destruction of the daughter

of my people.

according to the work of their hands.

11

66

Put a veil of anguish over their hearts;
may Your curse be upon them!
You will pursue them in anger and
exterminate them

from under Your heavens, O LORD.
d 7
serpents

dragons

iniquity

c 6

a 1
b 3

The LORD has exhausted His wrath;

He has poured out His fierce anger;

He has kindled a fire in Zion,

their polishing

and it has consumed her foundations.
their hair

lapis lazuli

e 7

This chapter is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Or

Hebrew

 or

 or

Or

Or

12

A Prayer for Restoration

Lamentations 5:22    |    743

The presence of the LORD has scattered

9

there is no one to deliver us from their

13

14

16

17

18

19

20

The kings of the earth did not believe,

nor any people of the world,

that an enemy or a foe

could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

But this was for the sins of her prophets

and the guilt of her priests,

who shed the blood of the righteous

in her midst.

They wandered blind in the streets,

defiled by this blood,

so that no one dared

15

to touch their garments.

“Go away! Unclean!”

men shouted at them.

“Away, away! Do not touch us!”
So they fled and wandered.
Among the nations it was said,

“They can stay here no longer.”

them;

He regards them no more.
The priests are shown no honor;

the elders find no favor.

All the while our eyes were failing
as we looked in vain for help.

We watched from our towers

They stalked our every step,

so that we could not walk in our streets.

Our end drew near, our time ran out,

for our end had come!

Those who chased us were swifter

than the eagles in the sky;

they pursued us over the mountains

and ambushed us in the wilderness.

The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life,

was captured in their pits.

We had said of him,

21

“Under his shadow we will live among the

nations.”

So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom,

you who dwell in the land of Uz.
Yet the cup will pass to you as well;

22

you will get drunk and expose yourself.

O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is

a

complete;

He will not prolong your exile.
But He will punish your iniquity,

a 22

O Daughter of Edom;
He will not exile you again
He will expose your sins.

Or

5

 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to

2

us.

Look and see our disgrace!

Our inheritance has been turned over to

3

strangers,

our houses to foreigners.

We have become fatherless orphans;

4

our mothers are widows.
We must buy the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.

5

We are closely pursued;

6

we are weary and find no rest.

We submitted to Egypt and Assyria

7

to get enough bread.

8

Our fathers sinned and are no more,
but we bear their punishment.

Slaves rule over us;

hands.

10

We get our bread at the risk of our lives

because of the sword in the wilderness.

11

Our skin is as hot as an oven

with fever from our hunger.

12

Women have been ravished in Zion,
virgins in the cities of Judah.

elders receive no respect.
Young men toil at millstones;

14

boys stagger under loads of wood.

15

The elders have left the city gate;

the young men have stopped their music.

16

Joy has left our hearts;

our dancing has turned to mourning.

17

The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!

18

Because of this, our hearts are faint;

because of these, our eyes grow dim—
because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate,

19

patrolled by foxes.

You, O LORD, reign forever;

20

Your throne endures from generation to

generation.

21

Why have You forgotten us forever?

Why have You forsaken us for so long?
Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may

22

return;

renew our days as of old,

unless You have utterly rejected us

and remain angry with us beyond

measure.

for a nation that could not save us.

13

Princes have been hung up by their hands;

Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s Vision by the River Kebar
(Psalm 137:1–9)

1

In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the
fourth month, while I was among the exiles
by  the  River  Kebar,  the  heavens  opened  and  I
2
saw visions of God.

a

3

On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth
the word
year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
 b
of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest,
the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans
 by
the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was
The Four Living Creatures
upon him.
4

I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the
north,  a great  cloud  with fire  flashing back  and
forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center
and within
of the fire was a gleam like amber,
it was the form of four living creatures.

5

c

6

7

And  this  was  their  appearance:  They  had  a  hu-
but  each  had  four  faces  and  four
man  form,
wings.
Their legs were straight, and the soles of
their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming
8
like polished bronze.

9

Under their wings on their four sides they had
human hands. All four living creatures had faces
and wings,
and their wings were touching one
another. They did not turn as they moved; each
10
one went straight ahead.

The form of their faces was that of a man, and
each of the four had the face of a lion on the right
side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the
face of an eagle.

Such were their faces.

11

Their wings were spread upward; each had two
wings  touching  the  wings  of  the  creature  on
12
either  side,  and  two  wings  covering  its  body.
Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever
the spirit would go, they would go, without turn-
13
ing as they moved.

In  the  midst  of  the  living  creatures  was
the  appearance  of  glowing  coals  of  fire,  or  of
a 1
torches. Fire moved back and forth between the
d 24

b 3
Shaddai

from God

c 4

14

living  creatures;  it  was  bright,  and  lightning
The  creatures  were  darting
flashed  out  of  it.
The Four Wheels
back and forth as quickly as flashes of lightning.
15

17

16

When I looked at the living creatures, I saw a
wheel on the ground beside each creature with
its four faces.
The workmanship of the wheels
looked  like  the  gleam  of  beryl,  and  all  four  had
the  same  likeness.  Their  workmanship  looked
like  a  wheel  within  a  wheel.
As  they  moved,
they went in any of the four directions, without
pivoting as they moved.
Their rims were high
19
and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes
all  around.
So  as  the  living  creatures  moved,
the  wheels  moved  beside  them,  and  when  the
creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also
20
rose.

18

21

Wherever the spirit would go, they would go,
and  the  wheels  would  rise  alongside  them,
because the spirit of the living creatures was in
the  wheels.
When  the  creatures  moved,  the
wheels  moved;  when  the  creatures  stood  still,
the  wheels  stood  still;  and  when  the  creatures
rose from the ground, the wheels rose alongside
them,  because  the  spirit  of  the  living  creatures
The Divine Glory
was in the wheels.
22

23

Spread out above the heads of the living crea-
tures  was  the  likeness  of an  awesome  expanse,
gleaming like crystal.
And under the expanse,
their  wings  stretched  out  toward  one  another.
24
Each one also had two wings covering its body.

When the creatures moved, I heard the sound
d
of their wings like the roar of many waters, like
 like the tumult of an
the voice of the Almighty,
army.
25
When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
And  there  came  a  voice  from  above  the  ex-
panse  over  their  heads  as  they  stood  still  with
26
their wings lowered.

Or

Hebrew

That is, the Babylonians

Or

; similarly in verse 27

The center of the fire looked like glowing metal

Above  the  expanse  over  their  heads  was  the
likeness  of  a  throne  with  the  appearance  of

27

sapphire, and on the throne high above was a fig-
ure like that of a man.
From what seemed to be
His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what
looked  like  fire  within  it  all  around.  And  from
what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what
looked  like  fire;  and  brilliant  light  surrounded
28
Him.

The appearance of the brilliant light all around
Him  was  like  that  of  a  rainbow  in  a  cloud  on  a
rainy  day.  This  was  the  appearance  of  the  like-
ness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it,
Ezekiel’s Call
I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

2

a

2

“Son of man,
your feet and I will speak to you.”

” He said to me, “stand up on
And as He
spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on
3
my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you
to  the  Israelites,  to  a  rebellious  nation  that  has
rebelled  against  Me.  To  this  very  day  they  and
their fathers have rebelled against Me.
They are
obstinate  and  stubborn  children.  I  am  sending
you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is
5
what the Lord GOD says.’

4

And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for
they are a rebellious house—they will know that
6
a prophet has been among them.

But  you,  son  of  man,  do  not  be  afraid  of  them
or  their  words.  Do  not  be  afraid,  though  briers
and thorns surround you, and you dwell among
scorpions.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  their  words  or
dismayed  by  their  presence,  though  they  are  a
But speak My words to them,
rebellious house.
whether  they  listen  or  refuse  to  listen,  for  they
8
are rebellious.

7

And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do
not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open
9
your mouth and eat what I give you.”

10

Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to
which  He  unrolled
me,  and  in  it  was  a  scroll,
before me. And written on the front and back of
it  were  words  of  lamentation,  mourning,  and
Ezekiel Eats the Scroll  (Revelation 10:1–11)
woe.

3

Ezekiel 3:17    |    745

2

3

So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat and fill your

stomach with this scroll I am giving you.”

So  I  ate,  and  it  was  as  sweet  as  honey  in  my
4
mouth.

6

Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the
5
house  of  Israel  and  speak  My  words  to  them.
For you are not being sent to a people of unfa-
miliar  speech  or  difficult  language,  but  to  the
house  of  Israel—
not  to  the  many  peoples  of
unfamiliar  speech  and  difficult  language  whose
words  you  cannot  understand.  Surely  if  I  had
sent  you  to  them,  they  would  have  listened  to
7
you.

But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen
to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me.
For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and
8
hard-hearted.

9

Behold,  I  will  make  your  face  as  hard  as  their
faces,  and  your  forehead  as  hard  as  their  fore-
heads.
I  will  make  your  forehead  like  a  dia-
mond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them
or dismayed at their presence, even though they
10
are a rebellious house.”

“Son of man,” He added, “listen carefully to all
11
the words I speak to you, and take them to heart.
Go  to  your  people,  the  exiles;  speak  to  them
and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’
12
whether they listen or refuse to listen.”

 b

Then  the  Spirit

  lifted  me  up,  and  I  heard  a
great rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the
glory  of  the  LORD  in  His  dwelling  place!
It
was the sound of the wings of the living creatures
brushing  against  one  another  and  the  sound  of
14
the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.

13

”

 c

So  the  Spirit  lifted  me  up  and  took  me  away,
and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my
15
spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by
the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where
they sat and remained there among them, over-
A Watchman for Israel
whelmed.
16

17

At the end of seven days the word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
“Son of man, I have made
you  a  watchman  for  the  house  of  Israel.  When-
ever you hear a word from My mouth, give them
a warning from Me.

sound behind me as the

c 12

“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you
find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak
Son of Adam

b 12

a 1
to the house of Israel.”
glory of the LORD rose from its place!

the wind

Or

; here and throughout Ezekiel

Or

; also in verse 14

Or

746    |    Ezekiel 3:18

18

4

a

If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’
but  you  do  not  warn  him or  speak  out  to  warn
him  from  his  wicked  way  to  save  his  life,  that
wicked  man  will  die  in  his  iniquity,
  and  I  will
But if you
hold you responsible for his blood.
warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his
wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his
20
iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.

19

b

Now  if  a  righteous  man  turns  from  his  right-
eousness  and  commits  iniquity,  and  I  put  a
stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did
  and  the
not  warn  him,  he  will  die  in  his  sin,
righteous  acts  he  did  will  not  be  remembered.
21
And  I  will  hold  you  responsible  for  his  blood.
But if you warn the righteous man not to sin,
and he does not sin, he will indeed live because
he heeded your warning, and you will have saved
22
yourself.”

And there the hand of the LORD was upon me,
and  He  said  to  me,  “Get  up,  go  out  to  the  plain,
23
and there I will speak with you.”

So I got up and went out to the plain, and be-
hold,  the  glory  of  the  LORD  was  present  there,
like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and
24
I fell facedown.

Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my
25
feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut your-
self  inside  your  house.
And  you,  son  of  man,
they will tie with ropes, and you will be bound so
that you cannot go out among the people.
I will
make  your  tongue  stick  to  the  roof  of  your
mouth, and you will be silent and unable to re-
27
buke them, though they are a rebellious house.

26

But  when  I  speak  with  you,  I  will  open  your
mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the
Lord GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen;
and whoever refuses, let him refuse, for they are
A Sign of Jerusalem’s Siege
a rebellious house.

4

“Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it
2
before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusa-
Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege
lem.
wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it,
3
and place battering rams around it on all sides.
Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron
wall  between  yourself  and  the  city.  Turn  your
face  toward  it  so  that  it  is  under  siege,  and  be-
for his sin
a 18
siege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
Or
“Behold, my soul has never been made unclean.
food.

for his iniquity
d 11 A sixth of a hin

; also in verse 19

b 20

f 16

Or

5

Then lie down on your left side and place the in-
iquity  of  the house  of  Israel  upon  yourself.  You
are to bear their iniquity for the number of days
you lie on your side.
For I have assigned to you
390  days,  according  to  the  number  of  years  of
their iniquity. So you shall bear the iniquity of the
6
house of Israel.

When you have completed these days, lie down
again, but on your right side, and bear the iniq-
uity of the house of Judah. I have assigned to you
You must turn your
40 days, a day for each year.
face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm
8
bared, and prophesy against it.

7

Now behold, I will tie you up with ropes so you
cannot turn from side to side until you have fin-
The Defiled Bread
ished the days of your siege.
9

But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and
spelt;  put  them  in  a  single  container  and  make
them into bread for yourself. This is what you are
 c
10
to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side.
You are to weigh out twenty shekels of food
11
to eat each day, and you are to eat it at set times.

 d

You are also to measure out a sixth of a hin of
12
water
  to  drink,  and  you  are  to  drink  it  at  set
times.
And you shall eat the food as you would
a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human
13
excrement in the sight of the people.”

Then the LORD said, “This is how the Israelites
will eat their defiled bread among the nations to
14
which I will banish them.”

e

“Ah,  Lord  GOD,”  I  said,  “I  have  never  defiled
myself.
  From  my  youth  until  now  I  have  not
eaten  anything  found  dead  or  mauled  by  wild
beasts.  No  unclean  meat  has  ever  entered  my
15
mouth.”

“Look,” He replied, “I will let you use cow dung
instead of human excrement, and you may bake
16
your bread over that.”

 f

Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut
  of  food  in  Jerusalem.  They  will
off  the  supply
anxiously  eat  bread  rationed  by  weight,  and  in
So
despair they will drink water by measure.
they  will  lack  food  and  water;  they  will  be  ap-
palled at the sight of one another wasting away
c 10 20 shekels
in their iniquity.

17

“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said,

e 14

staff

 is approximately 8 ounces or 228 grams of

 is approximately 0.65 quarts or 0.61 liters of water.

Hebrew

Hebrew

The Razor of Judgment

13

Ezekiel 6:9    |    747

5

2

“As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword,
use  it  as  a  barber’s  razor,  and  shave  your
head and beard. Then take a set of scales and di-
When the days of the siege have
vide the hair.
ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair in-
side the city; you are also to take a third and slash
it with the sword all around the city; and you are
to scatter a third to the wind. For I will unleash a
3
sword behind them.

4

But you are to take a few strands of hair and se-
cure them in the folds of your garment.
Again,
take a few of these, throw them into the fire, and
burn them. From there a fire will spread to the
5
whole house of Israel.

6

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This is Jerusa-
lem,  which  I  have  set  in  the  center  of  the
nations, with countries all around her.
But she
has rebelled against My ordinances more wick-
edly  than  the  nations,  and  against  My  statutes
worse  than  the  countries  around  her.  For  her
people  have  rejected  My  ordinances  and  have
7
not walked in My statutes.’

 a

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You
have been more insubordinate than the nations
around you; you have not walked in My statutes
or kept My ordinances, nor have you even con-
formed
 to the ordinances of the nations around
8
you.’

9

10

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Be-
hold,  I  Myself  am  against  you,  Jerusalem,  and  I
will execute judgments among you in the sight of
the nations.
Because of all your abominations, I
will do to you what I have never done before and
will never do again.
As a result, fathers among
you will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fa-
thers. I will execute judgments against you and
Famine, Sword, and Dispersion
scatter all your remnant to every wind.’
11

Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord
GOD,  because  you  have  defiled  My  sanctuary
with all your detestable idols and abominations,
I Myself will withdraw My favor; I will not look
12
upon you with pity, nor will I spare you.

A third of your people will die by plague or be
consumed by famine within you, a third will fall
by the sword outside your walls, and a third I will
scatter  to  every  wind  and  unleash  a  sword  be-
a 7
hind them.
So it will be

them

d 16

c 16

staff

And when My anger is spent and I have vented
My wrath against them, I will be appeased. And
when I have spent My wrath on them, they will
14
know that I, the LORD, in My zeal have spoken.

15

So you will be

I  will  make  you  a  ruin  and  a  disgrace  among
 b
the  nations  around  you,  in  the  sight  of  all  who
 a reproach and a taunt,
pass by.
a  warning  and  a  horror  to  the  nations  around
you,  when  I  execute  judgments  against  you  in
anger, wrath, and raging fury. I, the LORD, have
16
spoken.

 c

 d

17

When I shower you

 with the deadly arrows of
famine and destruction that I will send to destroy
you,  I  will  intensify  the  famine  against  you  and
cut off your supply
I will send famine
 of food.
and wild beasts against you, and they will leave
you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep
through you, and I will bring a sword against you.
Judgment against Idolatry
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
(Deuteronomy 4:15–31 ;  Deuteronomy 12:29–32)

6

2

And the word of the LORD came to me, say-
“Son of man, set your face against the
ing,
3
mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.

4

You are to say: ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the
word of the Lord GOD! This is what the Lord GOD
says  to  the  mountains  and  hills,  to  the  ravines
and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against
you, and I will destroy your high places.
Your al-
tars will be demolished and your incense altars
will be smashed; and I will cast down your slain
before your idols.
I will lay the corpses of the Is-
raelites before their idols and scatter your bones
6
around your altars.

5

Wherever you live, the cities will be laid waste
and  the  high  places  will  be  demolished,  so  that
your  altars  will  be  laid  waste  and  desecrated,
your idols smashed and obliterated, your incense
7
altars  cut  down,  and  your  works  blotted  out.
The slain will fall among you, and you will know

A Remnant to Be Blessed
that I am the LORD.
8

Yet I will leave a remnant, for some of you will
escape the sword when you are scattered among
9
the nations and throughout the lands.

Then  in  the  nations  to  which  they  have  been
carried  captive,  your  survivors  will  remember

My ordinances; you have even conformed

b 15

Some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac
Hebrew

Hebrew

DSS, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; MT

748    |    Ezekiel 6:10

Me—how I have  been  grieved  by  their  adulter-
ous  hearts  that  turned  away  from  Me,  and  by
their  eyes  that  lusted  after  idols.  So  they  will
loathe themselves for the evil they have done and
for all their abominations.
And they will know
that I am the LORD; I did not declare in vain that
11
I would bring this calamity upon them.

10

12

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Clap  your
hands,  stomp  your  feet,  and  cry  out  “Alas!”  be-
cause  of  all  the  wicked  abominations  of  the
house of Israel, who will fall by sword and famine
and  plague.
He  who  is  far  off  will  die  by  the
plague, he who is near will fall by the sword, and
he who remains will die by famine. So I will vent
13
My fury upon them.

14

Then you will know that I am the LORD, when
their slain lie among their idols around their al-
tars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops,
and  under  every  green  tree  and  leafy  oak—the
places where they offered fragrant incense to all
their idols.
I will stretch out My hand against
a
them, and wherever they live I will make the land
a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah.
The Hour of Doom
Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

”

7

2

And the word of the LORD came to me, say-
“O  son  of  man,  this  is  what  the  Lord
ing,

GOD says to the land of Israel:

‘The end! The end has come
3

upon the four corners of the land.

The end is now upon you,

The time has come;
the day is near;

there is panic on the mountains
8
instead of shouts of joy.

Very soon I will pour out My wrath upon you

and vent My anger against you;
I will judge you according to your ways

9

and repay you for all your abominations.

I will not look on you with pity,

nor will I spare you,

but I will punish you for your ways

and for the abominations among you.
Then you will know that it is I, the LORD,

10

who strikes the blow.

Behold, the day is here!

It has come!
Doom has gone out,

11

the rod has budded,
arrogance has bloomed.

c

Their violence has grown into a rod

to punish their wickedness.

None of them will remain:
none of their multitude,

12

none of their wealth,

and nothing of value.

The time has come;

the day has arrived.
Let the buyer not rejoice

13

and the seller not mourn,
for wrath is upon the whole multitude.

The seller will surely not recover what

and I will unleash My anger against you.

I will judge you according to your ways

4

he sold

while both remain alive.

and repay you for all your abominations.

For the vision concerning the whole

I will not look on you with pity,

nor will I spare you,

but I will punish you for your ways

and for the abominations among you.

5

Then you will know that I am the LORD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says:

 b

‘Disaster! An unprecedented disaster

—

6

behold, it is coming!

The end has come!

The end has come!

It has roused itself against you.

7

multitude
will not be revoked,

and because of their iniquity,

The Desolation of Israel

not one of them will preserve his life.

14

They have blown the trumpet

and made everything ready,

15

but no one goes to war,

for My wrath is upon the whole multitude.

The sword is outside;

plague and famine are within.

Behold, it has come!
Doom has come to you,

a 14

O inhabitants of the land.

Those in the country will die by the sword,
and those in the city will be devoured
b 5
by famine and plague.

A unique disaster

Riblah

c 11
Or

The violence has grown

, as in most

Disaster after disaster

Most Hebrew manuscripts; Vulgate and a few Hebrew manuscripts

into a rod of wickedness
Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac

Literally

16

The survivors will escape

17

and live in the mountains,
moaning like doves of the valley,
each for his own iniquity.

18

Every hand will go limp,

and every knee will turn to water.

They will put on sackcloth,

and terror will overwhelm them.

Shame will cover all their faces,

and all their heads will be shaved.

19

They will throw their silver into the streets,

and their gold will seem unclean.
Their silver and gold cannot save them
in the day of the wrath of the LORD.

They cannot satisfy their appetites

or fill their stomachs with wealth,

20

for it became the stumbling block
that brought their iniquity.

His beautiful ornaments

they transformed into pride

and used them to fashion

their vile images and detestable idols.

21

Therefore I will make these

into something unclean for them.

And I will hand these things over

as plunder to foreigners

22

and loot to the wicked of the earth,

who will defile them.

I will turn My face away from them,

and they will defile My treasured place.

23

Violent men will enter it,
and they will defile it.

Forge the chain,

24

for the land is full of crimes of bloodshed,
and the city is full of violence.

So I will bring the most wicked of nations
to take possession of their houses.

I will end the pride of the mighty,

25

and their holy places will be profaned.

26

Anguish is coming!

They will seek peace, but find none.

Disaster upon disaster will come,

and rumor after rumor.

Then they will seek a vision from a prophet,
but instruction from the priests will

27

perish,

as will counsel from the elders.

The king will mourn,

the prince will be clothed with despair,
and the hands of the people of the land
as glowing metal

gate of the altar

b 5
will tremble.

a 2

Or

Or

Ezekiel 8:11    |    749

I will deal with them according to their

conduct,

and I will judge them by their own

standards.

The Vision of Idolatry in the Temple

Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

”

8

In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth
month, I was sitting in my house, and the el-
ders of Judah were sitting before me; and there
2
the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.

Then  I  looked  and  saw  a  figure  like  that  of  a
man. From His waist down His appearance was
a
3
like fire, and from His waist up He was as bright
He stretched out what
as the gleam of amber.
looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my
head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth
and heaven and carried me in visions of God to
Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the
inner  court,  where  the  idol  that  provokes  jeal-
4
ousy was seated.

5

And there I saw the glory of the God of Israel,
like  the  vision  I  had  seen  in  the  plain.
“Son  of
man,” He said to me, “now lift up your eyes to the
north.”

 b

So  I  lifted  up  my  eyes  to  the  north,  and  in  the
entrance north of the Altar Gate
 I saw this idol
6
of jealousy.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what
they are doing—the great abominations that the
house  of  Israel  is  committing—to  drive  Me  far
from My sanctuary? Yet you will see even greater
7
abominations.”

Then  He  brought  me  to  the  entrance  to  the

8
court, and I looked and saw a hole in the wall.

“Son of man,” He told me, “dig through the wall.”

So  I  dug  through  the  wall  and  discovered  a
9
doorway.

Then He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked

10
abominations they are committing here.”

So  I  went  in  and  looked,  and  engraved  all
around the wall was every kind of crawling crea-
11
ture and detestable beast, along with all the idols
Before them stood sev-
of the house of Israel.
enty elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah
son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had
a  censer  in  his  hand,  and  a  fragrant  cloud  of
incense was rising.

750    |    Ezekiel 8:12

12

5

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what
the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the
darkness
, each at the shrine of his own idol? For
they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the
13
LORD has forsaken the land.’

”

Again, He told me, “You will see them commit-

14
ting even greater abominations.”

Then  He  brought  me  to  the  entrance  of  the
north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw
15
women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.

a

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this?
Yet you will see even greater abominations than
16
these.”

So  He  brought  me  to  the  inner  court  of  the
house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to
the temple of the LORD, between the portico and
the altar, were about twenty-five men with their
backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces
toward  the  east;  and  they  were  bowing  to  the
17
east in worship of the sun.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this?
Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit
the  abominations  they  are  practicing  here,  that
they must also fill the land with violence and con-
tinually  provoke  Me  to  anger?  Look,  they  are
There-
even putting the branch to their nose!
fore I will respond with wrath. I will not look on
them with pity, nor will I spare them. Although
they shout loudly in My ears, I will not listen to
Execution of the Idolaters
them.”

18

9

Then  I  heard  Him  call  out  in  a  loud  voice,
saying,  “Draw  near,  O  executioners  of  the
2
city, each with a weapon of destruction in hand.”

And I saw six men coming from the direction of
the  Upper  Gate,  which  faces  north,  each  with  a
weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was
another man clothed in linen who had a writing
kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside
3
the bronze altar.

4

Then  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  rose  from
above  the  cherubim,  where  it  had  been,  and
moved  to  the  threshold  of  the  temple.  And  He
called  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen  who  had  the
“Go throughout the city of
writing kit at his side.
Jerusalem,”  said  the  LORD,  “and  put  a  mark  on
the  foreheads  of  the  men  sighing  and  groaning
Sprout of Life
a 14 Tammuz
over all the abominations committed there.”

6

And as I listened, He said to the others, “Follow
him  through  the  city  and  start  killing;  do  not
Slaughter  the  old
show  pity  or  spare  anyone!
men,  the  young  men  and  maidens,  the  women
and children; but do not go near anyone who has
the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary.”

So they began with the elders who were before
7
the temple.

Then  He  told  them,  “Defile  the  temple  and  fill

the courts with the slain. Go forth!”

So  they  went  out  and  began  killing  throughout
8
the city.

While they were killing, I was left alone. And I
fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord GOD, when
You pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem, will You
9
destroy the entire remnant of Israel?”

10

He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel
and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of
bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For
they  say,  ‘The  LORD  has  forsaken  the  land;  the
But  as  for  Me,  I  will  not
LORD  does  not  see.’
look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. I
will  bring  their  deeds  down  upon  their  own
11
heads.”

Then the man clothed in linen with the writing
kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You
God’s Glory Exits the Temple
commanded.”

10

2

And I looked and saw above the expanse,
above  the  heads  of  the  cherubim,  the
And the LORD
likeness of a throne of sapphire.
said  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  “Go  inside  the
wheelwork  beneath  the  cherubim.  Fill  your
hands with burning coals from among the cheru-
bim  and  scatter  them  over  the  city.”  And  as  I
3
watched, he went in.

4

Now when the man went in, the cherubim were
standing on the south side of the temple, and a
Then  the  glory  of
cloud  filled  the  inner  court.
the  LORD  rose  from  above  the  cherubim  and
stood over the threshold of the temple. The tem-
ple was filled with the cloud, and the court was
filled  with  the  brightness  of  the  glory  of  the
The sound of the wings of the cherubim
LORD.
could be heard as far as the outer court, like the
6
voice of God Almighty

 when He speaks.

5

 b

When  the  LORD  commanded  the  man  clothed
in  linen,  saying,  “Take  fire  from  within  the

El-Shaddai

b 5

, meaning

, was a Sumerian god of fertility.

Hebrew

7

wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man
Then one of
went in and stood beside a wheel.
the  cherubim  reached  out  his  hand  and  took
some of the fire that was among them. And he put
it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who
(The  cherubim  ap-
received  it  and  went  out.
peared to have the form of human hands under
9
their wings.)

8

11

10

Then I looked and saw four wheels beside the
cherubim,  one  wheel  beside  each  cherub.  And
As for
the wheels gleamed like a beryl stone.
their appearance, all four had the same form, like
a  wheel  within  a  wheel.
When  they  moved,
they would go in any of the four directions, with-
out  turning  as  they  moved.  For  wherever  the
head faced, the cherubim would go in that direc-
12
tion, without turning as they moved.

Their  entire  bodies,  including  their  backs,
hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as
I  heard  the  wheels
were  their  four  wheels.
14
being called “the whirling wheels.”

13

Each of the cherubim had four faces: the first
face  was  that  of  a  cherub,  the  second  that  of  a
man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that
15
of an eagle.

16

Then the cherubim rose upward. These were
the living creatures I had seen by the River Ke-
bar.
When  the  cherubim  moved,  the  wheels
moved beside them, and even when they spread
their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels
did  not  veer  away  from  their  side.
When  the
cherubim stood still, the wheels also stood still,
and  when  they  ascended,  the  wheels  ascended
with  them,  for  the  spirit  of  the  living  creatures
18
was in the wheels.

17

19

Then the glory of the LORD moved away from
the threshold of the temple and stood above the
cherubim.
As  I  watched,  the  cherubim  lifted
their  wings  and  rose  up  from  the  ground,  with
the wheels beside them as they went. And they
stopped  at  the  entrance  of  the  east  gate  of  the
house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of
20
Israel above them.

21

These  were  the  living  creatures  I  had  seen
beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and
Each had four
I knew that they were cherubim.
22
faces  and  four  wings,  with  what  looked  like
Their  faces
human  hands  under  their  wings.
looked like the faces I had seen by the River Ke-
a 3
bar. Each creature went straight ahead.

cauldron

Or

Ezekiel 11:16    |    751

Evil in High Places

11

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought
me to the gate of the house of the LORD
that faces east. And there at the entrance of the
gate  were  twenty-five  men.  Among  them  I  saw
Jaazaniah  son  of  Azzur  and  Pelatiah  son  of
And
Benaiah,  who  were leaders  of  the  people.
the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the
men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this
They  are  saying,  ‘Is  not  the  time  near  to
city.
build  houses?  The  city  is  the  cooking  pot,
  and
we  are  the  meat.’
Therefore  prophesy  against
5
them; prophesy, O son of man!”

4

2

3

a

And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told
me  to  declare  that  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:
“That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel;
6
and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
You have multiplied those you killed in this city

7
and filled its streets with the dead.

8

9

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The
slain you have laid within this city are the meat,
and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from
it.
You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword
against you, declares the Lord GOD.
I will bring
you out of the city and deliver you into the hands
of  foreigners,  and  I  will  execute  judgments
against  you.
You  will  fall  by  the  sword,  and  I
will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then
11
you will know that I am the LORD.

10

12

The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you
be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the
borders of Israel.
Then you will know that I am
the LORD. For you have neither followed My stat-
utes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have
conformed  to  the  ordinances  of  the  nations
A Promise of Restoration  (Jeremiah 32:36–44)
around you.”
13

Now  as  I  was  prophesying,  Pelatiah  son  of
Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out
in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the
14
remnant of Israel to a complete end?”

15

Then the word of the LORD came to me,  say-
“Son  of  man,  your  brothers—your  rela-
ing,
tives, your fellow exiles, and
 the whole house of
Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusa-
lem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD;
16
this land has been given to us as a possession.’

Therefore  declare  that  this  is  what  the  Lord
GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among
the  nations  and  scattered  them  among  the

752    |    Ezekiel 11:17

countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanc-
tuary  for  them  in  the  countries  to  which  they
17
have gone.’

Therefore  declare  that  this  is  what  the  Lord
GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and
assemble  you  from  the  countries  to  which  you
have been scattered, and I will give back to you
18
the land of Israel.’

19

When they return to it, they will remove all its
detestable things and all its abominations.
And
I  will  give  them  singleness  of  heart  and  put  a
20
new spirit within them; I will remove their heart
of  stone  and  give  them  a  heart  of  flesh,
so
that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordi-
nances, and practice them. Then they will be My
21
people, and I will be their God.

But as for those whose hearts pursue detesta-
ble  things  and  abominations,  I  will  bring  their
conduct  down  upon  their  own  heads,  declares
God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem
the Lord GOD.”
22

23

Then  the  cherubim,  with  the  wheels  beside
them,  spread  their  wings,  and  the  glory  of  the
God of Israel was above them.
And the glory of
the LORD rose up from within the city and stood
24
over the mountain east of the city.

a

And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back
 to the exiles in the vision given by
to Chaldea,
25
the  Spirit  of  God.  After  the  vision  had  gone  up
from me,
I told the exiles everything the LORD
Signs of the Coming Captivity
had shown me.

12

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
“Son of man, you are living in a
rebellious  house.  They  have  eyes  to  see  but  do
not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they
3
are a rebellious house.

Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile.
In broad daylight, set out from your place and go
to another as they watch. Perhaps they will un-
4
derstand,  though  they  are  a  rebellious  house.
Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they
watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out
5
like those who go into exile.

6

As  they  watch,  dig  through  the  wall  and  carry
And  as  they
your  belongings  out  through  it.
watch,  lift  your  bags  to  your  shoulder  and  take
them out at dusk; cover your face so that you can-
not see the land. For I have made you a sign to
b 11
Babylonia
a 24
the house of Israel.”

‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as I have done

7

So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my
bags  for  exile  by  day,  and  in  the  evening  I  dug
through the wall by hand. I took my belongings
out  at  dusk,  carrying  them  on  my  shoulder  as
8
they watched.
9

And in the morning the word of the LORD came
“Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious
to me, saying,
10
house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’
Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘This  burden  concerns  the  prince  in  Jerusalem
11
and all the house of Israel who are there.’

b

12

You  are  to  say,  ‘I  am  a  sign  to  you.’  Just  as  it
happened here,
 so will it be done to them; they
And at dusk the
will go into exile as captives.
prince among them will lift his bags to his shoul-
der and go out. They will dig through the wall to
bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot
But I will spread My net over him,
see the land.
and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him
to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will
14
not see it, and there he will die.

13

15

And I will scatter to every wind all the attend-
ants  around  him  and  all  his  troops,  and  I  will
And  they
draw  a  sword  to  chase  after  them.
will know  that  I  am  the  LORD,  when I disperse
them  among  the  nations  and  scatter  them
16
throughout the countries.

But I will spare a few of them from sword and
famine and plague, so that in the nations to which
they go, they can recount all their abominations.
17
Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

18

Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son of man, eat your bread with trem-
saying,
19
bling, and drink your water with quivering and
Then  tell  the  people  of  the  land  that
anxiety.
this is what the Lord GOD says about those living
in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will
eat  their  bread  with  anxiety  and  drink  their
water in dread, for their land will be stripped of
everything in it because of the violence of all who
The  inhabited  cities  will  be  laid
dwell  in  it.
waste, and the land will become desolate. Then
The Presumptuous Proverb
you will know that I am the LORD.’
21

20

”

22

Again the word of the LORD came to me, say-
“Son of man, what is this proverb that you

ing,
have in the land of Israel:

‘The days go by,

and every vision fails’?

Or

Lit.

; some translators close the quotation after the verse.

23

10

Ezekiel 13:23    |    753

Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and
in Israel they will no longer recite it.’

24

But  say  to  them:  ‘The  days  are  at  hand  when
For there will be
every vision will be fulfilled.
25
no  more  false  visions  or  flattering  divinations
because I, the LORD,
within the house of Israel,
will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be
fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebel-
lious house, I will speak a message and bring it to
26
pass, declares the Lord GOD.’
27

”

Furthermore,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to
“Son  of  man,  take  note  that  the
me,  saying,
house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees
is for many years from now; he prophesies about
28
the distant future.’

Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any
longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, de-
Reproof of False Prophets  (Micah 2:6–11)
”
clares the Lord GOD.’

13

2

4

3

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  prophesy  against
saying,
the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying.
Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagi-
This is what
nation: Hear the word of the LORD!
the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets
who follow their own spirit yet have seen noth-
Your  prophets,  O  Israel,  are  like  foxes
ing.
You did not go up to the gaps
among the ruins.
or restore the wall around the house of Israel so
that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the
6
LORD.

5

They  see  false  visions  and  speak  lying  divina-
tions.  They  claim,  ‘Thus  declares  the  LORD,’
when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait
7
for the fulfillment of their message.

Haven’t  you  seen  a  false  vision  and  spoken
a  lying  divination  when  you  proclaim,  ‘Thus
declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spo-
8
ken?

9

Therefore  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:
Because  you have  uttered  vain  words  and  seen
false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord
My hand will be against the prophets who
GOD.
see  false  visions  and  speak  lying  divinations.
They will not belong to the council of My people
or be recorded in the register of the house of Is-
rael, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then
you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

11

Because they have led My people astray, say-
ing, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and white-
tell those
washing any flimsy wall that is built,
whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will
12
come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging
Surely
down, and a windstorm will burst forth.
when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked,
‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered
13
it?’

14

Therefore  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:
In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My
anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with de-
I  will  tear  down  the  wall  you
structive  fury.
whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that
its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and
you  will  be  destroyed  within  it.  Then  you  will
15
know that I am the LORD.

And after I have vented My wrath against the
wall and against those who whitewashed it, I will
16
say  to  you:  ‘The  wall  is  gone,  and  so  are  those
those prophets of Israel
who whitewashed it—
who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of
peace for her when there was no peace, declares
Reproof of False Prophetesses
the Lord GOD.’
17

Now,  O  son  of  man,  set  your  face  against  the
daughters  of  your  people  who  prophesy  out  of
18
their  own  imagination.  Prophesy  against  them
and  tell  them  that  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD
says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms
on  their  wrists  and  make  veils  for  the  heads  of
people of every height, in order to ensnare their
19
souls.  Will  you  ensnare  the  souls  of  My  people
but preserve your own?
You have profaned Me
among  My  people  for  handfuls  of  barley  and
scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would
listen, you have killed those who should not have
20
died and spared those who should not have lived.

21

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See,
I  am  against  the  magic  charms  with  which  you
ensnare  souls  like  birds,  and  I  will  tear  them
from your arms. So I will free the souls you have
ensnared  like  birds.
I  will  also  tear  off  your
veils and deliver My people from your hands, so
that  they  will  no  longer  be  prey  in  your  hands.
22
Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Because you have disheartened the righteous
with your lies, even though I have caused them
no  grief,  and  because  you  have  encouraged  the
wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save
therefore  you  will  no  longer  see
their  lives,

23

754    |    Ezekiel 14:1

false visions or practice divination. I will deliver
My people from your hands. Then you will know
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
that I am the LORD.”
(Romans 14:13–23 ;  1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

14

2
Then  some  of  the  elders  of  Israel  came
3
And the word
and sat down before me.
“Son  of  man,
of  the  LORD  came  to  me,  saying,
these men have set up idols in their hearts and
put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.
4
Should I consult with them in any way?

Therefore speak to them and tell them that this
is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite
sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stum-
bling block before his face, and then comes to the
prophet, I the LORD will answer him according
so that I may take hold of
to his great idolatry,
the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of
6
their idols, they are all estranged from Me.’

5

7

Therefore  tell  the  house  of  Israel  that  this  is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away
from  your  idols;  turn  your  faces  away  from  all
For  when  any  Israelite  or
your  abominations.
any  foreigner  dwelling  in  Israel  separates  him-
self from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts
a  wicked  stumbling  block  before  his  face,  and
then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the
I will set My face
LORD will answer him Myself.
against that man and make him a sign and a prov-
erb;  I  will  cut  him  off  from  among  My  people.
9
Then you will know that I am the LORD.

8

10

But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message,
then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will
stretch out My hand against him and destroy him
from among My people Israel.
They will bear
their  punishment—the  punishment  of  the  in-
11
quirer will be the same as that of the prophet—
in order that the house of Israel may no longer
stray  from  Me  and  no  longer  defile  themselves
with  all  their  transgressions.  Then  they  will  be
My  people  and  I  will  be  their  God,  declares  the
Four Dire Judgments
Lord GOD.’
”
12
13

 a

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting
unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it
to cut off its supply
 of food, to send famine upon
14
it,  and  to  cut  off  from  it  both  man  and  beast,
then  even  if  these  three  men—Noah,  Daniel,
and  Job—were  in  it,  their  righteousness  could
a 13
deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.

staff

Hebrew

15

16

Or  if  I  send  wild  beasts  through  the  land  to
leave it childless and desolate, with no man pass-
ing  through  it  for  fear  of  the  beasts,
then  as
surely  as  I  live,  declares  the  Lord  GOD,  even  if
these three men were in it, they could not deliver
their own sons or daughters. They alone would
17
be delivered, but the land would be desolate.

Or if I bring a sword against that land and say,
18
‘Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I cut off from
then as surely as I live,
it both man and beast,
declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men
were in it, they could not deliver their own sons
19
or daughters. They alone would be delivered.

20

Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out
My wrath upon it through bloodshed, cutting off
then as surely as I
from it both man and beast,
live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel,
and  Job  were  in  it,  they  could  not  deliver  their
own  sons  or  daughters.  Their  righteousness
21
could deliver only themselves.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘How much
worse  will  it  be  when  I  send  against  Jerusalem
My  four  dire  judgments—sword,  famine,  wild
beasts,  and  plague—in  order  to  cut  off  from  it
22
both man and beast?

Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—
sons  and  daughters  who  will  be  brought  out.
They  will  come  out  to  you,  and  when  you  see
their conduct and actions, you will be comforted
regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jeru-
They
salem—all  that  I  have  brought  upon  it.
will  bring  you  consolation  when  you  see  their
conduct  and  actions,  and  you  will  know  that  it
was not without cause that I have done all these
Jerusalem the Useless Vine
things within it,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

23

15

2

3

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son of man, how does the wood
saying,
of the vine surpass any other branch among the
trees in the forest?
Can wood be taken from it to
make
Or
useful?
can  one  make  from  it  a  peg  on  which  to  hang
4
utensils?

something

5

No,  it  is  cast  into  the  fire  for  fuel. The  fire  de-
vours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can
Even  when  it  was
it  be  useful  for  anything?
whole,  it  could  not  be  made  useful.  How  much
less can it ever be useful when the fire has con-
sumed it and charred it!

6

14

Ezekiel 16:29    |    755

7

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Like
the wood of the vine among the trees of the for-
est, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will
And I will set
give up the people of Jerusalem.
My face against them. Though they may have es-
caped  the  fire,  yet  another  fire  will  consume
them. And when I set My face against them, you
8
will know that I am the LORD.

Thus I will make the land desolate, because they
Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness
have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

16

2

4

3

Again the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
“Son of man, confront Jerusalem
and tell her that this is
with her abominations
what  the  Lord  GOD  says  to  Jerusalem:  Your
origin  and  your  birth  were  in  the  land  of  the
Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your
On the day of your birth your
mother a Hittite.
cord was not cut, nor were you washed with wa-
ter for cleansing. You were not rubbed with salt
No one cared enough for
or wrapped in cloths.
you to do even one of these things out of compas-
sion for you. Instead, you were thrown out into
the open field, because you were despised on the
6
day of your birth.

5

7

Then  I  passed  by  and  saw  you  wallowing  in
your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I
said to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’
I
made you thrive like a plant of the field. You grew
up and matured and became very beautiful. Your
breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you
8
were naked and bare.

10

Then I passed by and saw you, and you were in-
deed  old  enough  for  love. So  I  spread  My  cloak
over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged
Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you,
9
and  you  became  Mine,  declares  the  Lord  GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your
blood, and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you
in  embroidered  cloth  and  gave  you  sandals  of
fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and cov-
ered you with silk.
I adorned you with jewelry,
and  I  put  bracelets  on  your  wrists  and  a  chain
around  your  neck.
I  put  a  ring  in  your  nose,
earrings  on  your  ears,  and  a  beautiful  crown
13
upon your head.

12

11

So you were adorned with gold and silver, and
your  clothing  was  made  of  fine  linen,  silk,  and
embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and
a 29
oil.  You  became  very  beautiful  and  rose  to  be

Babylonia

Or

Your fame spread among the nations on
queen.
account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the
splendor  I  bestowed  on  you,  declares  the  Lord
15
GOD.

16

But because of your fame, you trusted in your
beauty  and  played  the  harlot.  You  lavished
your  favors  on  everyone  who  passed  by,  and
You took
your beauty was theirs for the asking.
some  of  your  garments  and  made  colorful  high
places for yourself, and on them you prostituted
yourself. Such things should not have happened;
17
never should they have occurred!

18

You also took the fine jewelry of gold and sil-
ver  I  had  given  you,  and  you  made  male  idols
with  which  to  prostitute  yourself.
You  took
19
your embroidered garments to cover them, and
And
you  set  My  oil  and  incense  before  them.
you set before them as a pleasing aroma the food
I  had  given  you—the  fine  flour,  oil,  and  honey
that  I  had  fed  you.  That  is  what  happened,  de-
20
clares the Lord GOD.

You  even  took  the  sons  and  daughters  you
bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols.
You
Was  your  prostitution  not  enough?
slaughtered My children and delivered them up
22
through the fire to idols.

21

And in all your abominations and acts of pros-
titution, you did not remember the days of your
youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing
23
in your own blood.

24

25

Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord GOD. And
you
in  addition  to  all  your  other  wickedness,
built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty
shrine  in  every  public  square.
At  the  head
of  every  street  you  built  your  lofty  shrines  and
degraded your beauty. With increasing promis-
26
cuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.
You  prostituted  yourself  with  your  lustful
neighbors,  the  Egyptians,  and  increased  your
27
promiscuity to provoke Me to anger.

28

Therefore I stretched out My hand against you
and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the
desire  of  those  who  hate  you,  the  daughters  of
the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd
conduct.
Then  you  prostituted  yourself  with
29
the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied.
a
Even after that, you were still not satisfied.
So
you extended your promiscuity to Chaldea,
 the
land of merchants—but even with this you were
not satisfied!

756    |    Ezekiel 16:30

30

a

 your heart,
31

How weak-willed is

 declares the
Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts
But when you built
of a shameless prostitute!
your  mounds  at  the  head  of  every  street  and
made your lofty shrines in every public square,
you were not even like a prostitute, because you
32
scorned

 payment.

33

34

You  adulterous  wife!  You  receive  strangers
instead  of  your  own  husband!
Men  give  gifts
to  all  their  prostitutes,  but  you  gave  gifts  to  all
your  lovers.  You  bribed  them  to  come  to  you
So your
from everywhere for your illicit favors.
prostitution  is  the  opposite  of  that  of  other
women:  No  one  solicited  your  favors,  and  you
paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the
Judgment on Jerusalem
very opposite!
35

36

own head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not
committed this lewdness on top of all your other
44
abominations?

Behold,  all  who  speak  in  proverbs  will  quote

this proverb about you:
45

‘Like mother, like daughter.’

46

You  are  the  daughter  of  your  mother,  who
despised her husband and children. You are the
sister  of  your  sisters,  who  despised  their  hus-
bands  and  children.  Your  mother  was  a  Hittite
and your father an Amorite.
Your older sister
was  Samaria,  who  lived  with  her  daughters  to
your north; and your younger sister was Sodom,
47
who  lived  with  her  daughters  to  your  south.
And  you  not  only  walked  in  their  ways  and
practiced their abominations, but soon you were
48
more depraved than they were.

37

Therefore,  O  prostitute,  hear  the  word  of  the
LORD!
This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Be-
cause you poured out your wealth and exposed
your  nakedness  in  your  promiscuity  with  your
lovers and with all your detestable idols, and be-
cause  of  the  blood  of  your  children  which  you
therefore I will surely gather all
gave to them,
the  lovers  with  whom  you  found  pleasure,  all
those  you  loved  and  all  those  you  hated.  I  will
gather  them  against  you  from  all  around  and
expose  you  before  them,  and  they  will  see  you
And I will sentence you to
completely naked.
the punishment of women who commit adultery
and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon
39
you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

38

40

Then I will deliver you into the hands of your
lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear
down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your
clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you na-
They  will  bring  a  mob  against
ked  and  bare.
you,  who  will  stone  you  and  cut  you  to  pieces
Then they will burn down
with their swords.
your houses and execute judgment against you in
the sight of many women.

41

42

I  will  put  an  end  to  your  prostitution,  and  you
So I will lay to
will never again pay your lovers.
rest My wrath against you, and My jealousy will
turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no
43
longer angry.

Because  you  did  not  remember  the  days  of
your youth, but enraged Me with all these things,
How feverish is your heart,
a 30
I  will  surely  bring  your  deeds  down  upon  your
d 57
of Sodom and her daughters

b 50

49

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your
sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you
Now this was
and your daughters have done.
the  iniquity  of  your  sister  Sodom:  She  and  her
daughters  were  arrogant,  overfed,  and  compla-
50
cent;  they  did  not  help  the  poor  and  needy.
Thus they were haughty and committed abom-
inations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as
51
you have seen.

b

52

Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the
sins you did. You have multiplied your abomina-
tions beyond theirs, and all the abominations you
have committed have made your sisters appear
righteous.
So  now  you  must  bear  your  dis-
grace,  since  you  have  brought  justification  for
your  sisters.  For  they  appear  more  righteous
than you, because your sins were more vile than
theirs. So you too must bear your shame and dis-
grace, since you have made your sisters appear
53
righteous.

c

But  I  will  restore  Sodom  and  her  daughters
from  captivity,
  as  well  as  Samaria  and  her
54
daughters.  And  I  will  restore  you  along  with
So  you  will  bear  your  disgrace  and  be
them.
55
ashamed of all you did to comfort them.

56

And  your  sisters,  Sodom  with  her  daughters
and  Samaria  with  her  daughters,  will  return  to
their former state. You and your daughters will
Did you not
also return to your former state.
57
treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn in
before your wickedness
the day of your pride,
was uncovered? Even so, you are now scorned by
restore the fortunes
 and all those around her,
the daughters of Edom
Aram

as I have seen

c 53

 d

Or

A few Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; MT

Or

Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate

58

and by the daughters of the Philistines—all those
You will bear the
around you who despise you.
consequences of your lewdness and your abomi-
The Covenant Remembered
nations, declares the LORD.
59

For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal
with you according to your deeds, since you have
60
despised  the  oath  by  breaking  the  covenant.
But I will remember the covenant I made with
you in the days of your youth, and I will establish
Then  you
an  everlasting  covenant  with  you.
will remember your ways and be ashamed when
you receive your older and younger sisters. I will
give them to you as daughters, but not because of
62
My covenant with you.

61

63

So I will establish My covenant with you, and
so  that
you  will  know  that  I  am  the  LORD,
when  I  make  atonement  for  all  you  have  done,
you  will  remember  and  be  ashamed  and  never
again open your mouth because of your disgrace,
The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine
declares the Lord GOD.”
(Matthew 13:24–30)

17

Now the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  pose  a  riddle;
saying,
and tell

speak a parable to the house of Israel
them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

3

2

a

‘A great eagle with great wings and long

pinions,

full of feathers of many colors,

came to Lebanon

4

and took away the top of the cedar.

He plucked off its topmost shoot,

5

carried it to the land of merchants,
and planted it in a city of traders.
He took some of the seed of the land

 b

and planted it in fertile soil;
he placed it by abundant waters
6
and set it out like a willow.

It sprouted and became a spreading vine,
low in height, with branches turned

toward him;

yet its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine and yielded branches

7

and sent out shoots.

But there was another great eagle

with great wings and many feathers.

And behold, this vine bent its roots

Ezekiel 17:18    |    757

It stretched out its branches to him from

8

its planting bed,
so that he might water it.
It had been planted in good soil

by abundant waters

9

in order to yield branches and bear fruit

and become a splendid vine.’

So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord

GOD says:

‘Will it flourish?

Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its

fruit
so that it shrivels?

All its foliage will wither!

It will not take a strong arm or many people

10

to pull it up by its roots.

Even if it is transplanted,

will it flourish?

Will it not completely wither when the east

wind strikes?

It will wither on the bed where it

The Parable Explained

sprouted.’

”

11
12

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not

know what these things mean?’

 c

13

Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to
Jerusalem,  carried  off  its  king  and  officials,  and
He
brought  them  back  with  him  to  Babylon.
took a member of the royal family
 and made a
covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then
he carried away the leading men of the land,
so
that the kingdom would be brought low, unable
to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his cov-
15
enant.

14

But this king rebelled against Babylon by send-
ing  his  envoys  to Egypt  to  ask  for  horses  and  a
large  army.  Will  he  flourish?  Will  the  one  who
does  such  things  escape?  Can  he  break  a  cove-
16
nant and yet escape?’

17

‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he
will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who
enthroned  him,  whose  oath  he  despised  and
Pharaoh  with  his
whose  covenant  he  broke.
mighty army and vast horde will not help him in
battle, when ramps are built and siege walls con-
He  despised
structed  to  destroy  many  lives.
the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he

in a field of seed

b 5

18

a 3 Pinions
c 13

Hebrew

toward him.
the royal seed
 are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers.

Hebrew

758    |    Ezekiel 17:19

5

gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things,
19
he will not escape!’

Now suppose a man is righteous and does what
6
is just and right:

20

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As
surely  as  I  live,  I  will  bring  down  upon  his
head My oath that he despised and My covenant
I  will  spread  My  net  over  him
that  he  broke.
and  catch  him  in  My  snare.  I  will  bring  him  to
Babylon  and  execute  judgment  upon  him  there
All
for  the  treason  he  committed  against  Me.
  will  fall  by  the  sword,  and
his  choice  troops
those  who  survive  will  be  scattered  to  every
wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have
22
spoken.’

21

 a

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the

cedar,

and I will set it out.

I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost

shoots,

23

and I will plant it on a high and lofty

mountain.

I will plant it on the mountain heights

of Israel

so that it will bear branches;

it will yield fruit

and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind will nest under it,

24

Then all the trees of the field will know

that I am the LORD.
I bring the tall tree down

and make the low tree tall.

I dry up the green tree

and make the withered tree flourish.

I, the LORD, have spoken,
The Soul Who Sins Will Die
and I have done it.’

”

18

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
“What  do  you  people  mean  by
saying,

quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

and the teeth of the children are set on

edge’?

4

3

As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you
will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
Be-
hold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and
son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who
a 21
will die.

All his fleeing troops

He does not eat at the mountain

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife

7

or approach a woman during her period.

He does not oppress another,

but restores the pledge to the debtor.

He does not commit robbery,

8

but gives his bread to the hungry
and covers the naked with clothing.

He does not engage in usury
or take excess interest,

but he withholds his hand from iniquity

9

and executes true justice between men.

He follows My statutes

and faithfully keeps My ordinances.

That man is righteous;
surely he will live,

10

declares the Lord GOD.

Now suppose that man has a violent son, who
11
sheds  blood  or  does  any  of  these  things,
though the father has done none of them:

12

Indeed, the son eats at the mountain
and defiles his neighbor’s wife.
He oppresses the poor and needy;

he commits robbery
and does not restore a pledge.

he commits abominations.

He engages in usury

and takes excess interest.

Will this son live? He will not! Since he has com-
mitted all these abominations, he will surely die;
14
his blood will be on his own head.

Now suppose this son has a son who sees all
the  sins  his  father  has  committed,  considers
15
them, and does not do likewise:

He does not eat at the mountain

16

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

He does not oppress another,

or retain a pledge, or commit robbery.

17

He gives his bread to the hungry
 b

and covers the naked with clothing.

He withholds his hand from harming

the poor

and takes no interest or usury.

b 17

He keeps My ordinances

and follows My statutes.

He withholds his hand from iniquity

taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

13

He lifts his eyes to idols;

Many Hebrew manuscripts; MT

Hebrew; LXX

Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity.
18
He will surely live.

As for his father, he will die for his own iniq-
uity,  because  he  practiced  extortion,  robbed
his brother, and did what was wrong among his
19
people.

Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear

the iniquity of his father?’

Since  the  son  has  done  what  is  just  and  right,
carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely
20
live.

The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son
will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a fa-
ther  will  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  his  son.  The
righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon
him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will
21
fall upon him.

22

But if the wicked man turns from all the sins
he  has  committed,  keeps  all  My  statutes,  and
does what is just and right, he will surely live; he
None of the transgressions he has
will not die.
committed will be held against him. Because of
23
the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.
Do  I  take  any  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the
wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I pre-
24
fer that he turn from his ways and live?

But  if  a  righteous  man  turns  from  his  right-
eousness and practices iniquity, committing the
same  abominations  as  the  wicked,  will  he  live?
None of the righteous acts he did will be remem-
bered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he
25
has committed, he will die.

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is
26
unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

If  a  righteous  man  turns  from  his  righteous-
ness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He
27
will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

28

But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness
he has committed and does what is just and right,
Because he considered and
he will save his life.
turned from all the transgressions he had com-
29
mitted, he will surely live; he will not die.

Yet  the  house  of  Israel  says,  ‘The  way  of  the

Lord is not just.’

30

Ezekiel 19:10    |    759

31

Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you,
each  according  to  his  ways,  declares  the  Lord
GOD.  Repent  and  turn  from  all  your  transgres-
sions, so that your iniquity will not become your
Cast  away  from  yourselves  all  the
downfall.
transgressions you have committed, and fashion
for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why
32
should you die, O house of Israel?

For  I  take  no  pleasure  in  anyone’s  death,  de-

A Lament for the Princes of Israel
clares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

19

2

“As  for  you,  take  up  a  lament  for  the
princes of Israel

and say:

‘What was your mother?

A lioness among the lions!

She lay down among the young lions;

3

she reared her cubs.

She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a young lion.

After learning to tear his prey,

4

he devoured men.

When the nations heard of him,
he was trapped in their pit.
With hooks they led him away

5

to the land of Egypt.

When she saw that she had waited in vain,

that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs

6

and made him a young lion.

He prowled among the lions,
and became a young lion.
After learning to tear his prey,

7

 a

he devoured men.

He broke down their strongholds
and devastated their cities.

The land and everything in it

8

shuddered at the sound of his roaring.

Then the nations set out against him
from the provinces on every side.

9

They spread their net over him;
he was trapped in their pit.

With hooks they caged him

and brought him to the king of Babylon.

They brought him into captivity

10

so that his roar was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.
b

Your mother was like a vine in your

Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not
your ways that are unjust?
b 10
He knew their widows
a 7

He seized their widows

vineyard,

planted by the water;

in your bloodline

Or

 or

Some Heb. mss.; most Hebrew manuscripts

760    |    Ezekiel 19:11

11

it was fruitful and full of branches

because of the abundant waters.
It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s

scepter.

It towered high above the thick

branches,
conspicuous for its height

and for its dense foliage.

12

But it was uprooted in fury,
cast down to the ground,
and the east wind dried up its fruit.

Its strong branches were stripped off

13

and they withered;
the fire consumed them.

14

Now it is planted in the wilderness,

in a dry and thirsty land.

Fire has gone out from its main branch

and devoured its fruit;
on it no strong branch remains
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’
Israel’s Rebellion in Egypt
This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”

20

In the seventh year, on the tenth day of
the fifth month, some of the elders of Is-
rael  came  to  inquire  of  the  LORD,  and  they  sat
2
down before me.
3

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son  of  man,  speak  to  the  elders  of  Israel  and
tell  them  that  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:
Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I
live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the
4
Lord GOD.

5

Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of
man?  Confront  them  with  the  abominations  of
their fathers
and tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore
an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob
and  made  Myself  known to  them  in  the  land  of
Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am
6
the LORD your God.’

7

On  that  day  I  swore  to  bring  them  out  of  the
land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out
for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the
glory  of  all  lands.
And  I  said  to  them:  ‘Each  of
you  must  throw  away  the  abominations  before
his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with
8
the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

But they rebelled against Me and refused to lis-
a 11
ten.  None  of  them  cast  away  the  abominations
See Leviticus 18:5; also in Ezekiel 20:13 and 21.

9

before  their  eyes,  and  they  did  not  forsake  the
idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath
upon  them  and  vent  My  anger  against  them  in
the land of Egypt.
But I acted for the sake of My
name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes
of the nations among whom they were living, in
whose  sight  I  had  revealed  Myself  to  Israel  by
Israel’s Rebellion in the Wilderness
bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
10

11

a

So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and
And I gave them
led them into the wilderness.
My statutes and made known to them My ordi-
12
nances—for the man who does these things will
live by them.
I also gave them My Sabbaths as
a sign between us, so that they would know that
13
I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in
follow  My
the  wilderness.  They  did  not
statutes  and  they  rejected  My  ordinances—
though the man who does these things will live
by  them—and  they  utterly  profaned  My  Sab-
baths.  Then  I  resolved  to  pour  out  My  wrath
upon them and put an end to them in the wilder-
But I acted for the sake of My name, so
ness.
that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the
15
nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

14

16

Moreover,  with  an  uplifted  hand  I  swore  to
them  in  the  wilderness  that  I  would  not  bring
them into the land that I had given them—a land
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  the  glory  of  all
because  they  kept  rejecting My  ordi-
lands—
nances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and pro-
17
faning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually
Yet  I  looked  on  them
went  after  their  idols.
with pity and did not destroy them or bring them
18
to an end in the wilderness.

19

In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do
not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep
their ordinances or defile yourselves with their
I am the LORD your God; walk in My stat-
idols.
20
utes,  keep  My  ordinances,  and  practice  them.
Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign
between us, so that you may know that I am the
21
LORD your God.’

But the children rebelled against Me. They did
not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My
ordinances—though  the  man  who  does  these
things will live by them—and they profaned My
Sabbaths.  So  I  resolved  to  pour  out  My  wrath
upon  them  and  vent  My  anger  against  them  in

22

But  I  withheld  My  hand  and
the  wilderness.
acted for the sake of My name, so that it would
not  be  profaned  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations  in
23
whose sight I had brought them out.

24

However,  with  an  uplifted  hand  I  swore  to
them in the wilderness that I would scatter them
among  the  nations  and  disperse  them  through-
For  they  did  not  practice  My
out  the  lands.
ordinances,  but  they  rejected  My  statutes  and
profaned  My  Sabbaths,  fixing  their  eyes  on  the
25
idols of their fathers.

26

I also gave them over to statutes that were not
good  and  ordinances  by  which  they  could  not
live.
And I pronounced them unclean through
their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the
fire—so  that  I  might  devastate  them,  in  order
Israel’s Rebellion in the Land
that they would know that I am the LORD.
27

Therefore,  son  of  man,  speak  to  the  house  of
Israel,  and  tell  them  that  this  is  what  the  Lord
GOD  says:  In  this  way  also  your  fathers  blas-
28
phemed  Me  by  their  unfaithfulness  against  Me.
When I brought them into the land that I swore
to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy
tree,  there  they  offered  their  sacrifices,  pre-
sented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their
fragrant incense, and poured out their drink of-
So  I  asked  them:  ‘What  is  this  high
ferings.
place to which you go?’
30
(And to this day it is called Bamah.

29

)

a

b

31

Therefore  tell  the  house  of  Israel  that  this  is
what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Will  you  defile  your-
selves  the  way  your  fathers  did,  prostituting
When
yourselves  with  their  abominations?
you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the
  you  continue  to  defile  yourselves  with  all
fire,
your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by
you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares
32
the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like
the  peoples  of  the  lands,  serving  wood  and
stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to
Judgment and Restoration
pass.
33

Ezekiel 20:47    |    761

 c
outpoured  wrath  I  will  bring  you  out  from  the
 from the lands to which
peoples and gather you
And I will bring you
you have been scattered.
into  the  wilderness  of  the  nations,  where  I  will
36
enter into judgment with you face to face.

35

d

37

Just  as  I  entered  into  judgment  with  your  fa-
thers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt,
 so I
will  enter  into  judgment  with  you,  declares  the
I will make you pass under the rod
Lord GOD.
38
and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
And  I  will  purge  you  of  those  who  rebel  and
transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the
land in which they dwell, but they will not enter
the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am
39
the LORD.

And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what
the  Lord  GOD  says:  Go  and  serve  your  idols,
every one of you. But afterward, you will surely
listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy
40
name with your gifts and idols.

For on My holy mountain, the high mountain
of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole
house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the
land.  There  I  will  accept  them  and  will  require
your  offerings  and  choice  gifts,  along  with  all
41
your holy sacrifices.

When I bring you from the peoples and gather
you from the lands to which you have been scat-
tered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And
I will show My holiness through you in the sight
of  the  nations.
Then  you  will  know  that  I  am
the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Is-
43
rael, the land that I swore to give your fathers.

42

There  you  will  remember  your  ways  and  all
the  deeds  with  which  you  have  defiled  your-
44
selves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the
Then  you  will  know,  O
evils  you  have  done.
house of Israel, that I am the LORD, when I have
dealt with you for the sake of My name and not
according to your wicked ways and corrupt acts,
A Prophecy against the South
declares the Lord GOD.”
45
46

e
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son of man, set your face toward the south,
preach against it, and prophesy against the forest
Say  to  the  forest  of  the  Negev:
of  the  Negev.
Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord
GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it
will  devour  all  your  trees,  both  green  and  dry.
receive you
The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it
toward Teman
LXX

; see also 2

c 34

47

As  surely  as  I  live,  declares  the  Lord  GOD,
with  a  strong  hand,  an  outstretched  arm,  and
outpoured  wrath  I  will  rule  over  you.
With
high place
a 29 Bamah
a  strong  hand,  an  outstretched  arm,  and
d 36
.

Literally

b 31

34

 means
Corinthians 6:17.

in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt

making your sons pass through the fire
e 46

Or

Hebrew

762    |    Ezekiel 20:48

48
every face

 from south to north will be scorched.
Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have

49
kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of

God’s Sword of Judgment
me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’

”

21

2

3

And the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  set  your  face
saying,
against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctu-
and
aries.  Prophesy  against  the  land  of  Israel
tell  her  that  this  is  what  the  LORD  says:  ‘I  am
against you, and I will draw My sword from its
sheath  and  cut  off  from  you  both  the  righteous
Because I will cut off both the
and the wicked.
righteous and the wicked, My sword will be un-
5
sheathed against everyone from south to north.
Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have
taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it
6
again.’

4

7

But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their
And
eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.
when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are
to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every
heart  will  melt,  and  every  hand  will  go  limp.
Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to
water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen,
8
declares the Lord GOD.”
9

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is

what the Lord says:
‘A sword, a sword,

10

sharpened and polished—
it is sharpened for the slaughter,

polished to flash like lightning!

11

Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son?
The sword despises every such stick.
The sword is appointed to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand.
It is sharpened and polished,

12

to be placed in the hand of the slayer.

Cry out and wail,
O son of man,

for the sword is wielded against My people;
it is against all the princes of Israel!

a

13

They are tossed to the sword with My people;

therefore strike your thigh.

Surely testing will come!

And what if even the scepter,

which the sword despises,
does not continue?
beat your breast

declares the Lord GOD.
’

a 12

Or

14

‘So then, son of man,

prophesy and strike your hands together.

Let the sword strike two times,

even three.

It is a sword that slays,

15

a sword of great slaughter
closing in on every side!

So that their hearts may melt
and many may stumble,

I have appointed at all their gates

a sword for slaughter.

16

Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning;

it is drawn for slaughter.

Slash to the right;

17

set your blade to the left—
wherever your blade is directed.

I too will strike My hands together,
and I will satisfy My wrath.’

  I, the LORD, have spoken.”

18
19

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for
the  sword  of  the  king  of  Babylon  to  take,  both
starting from the same land. And make a signpost
Mark
where the road branches off to each city.
out one road for the sword to come against Rab-
bah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah
21
into fortified Jerusalem.

20

For  the  king  of  Babylon  stands  at  the  fork  in
the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek
an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the
22
idols, he examines the liver.

In his right hand appears the portent for Jeru-
salem,  where  he  is  to  set  up  battering  rams,  to
call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct
the  battering  rams  against  the  gates,  to  build  a
ramp, and to erect a siege wall.
It will seem like
a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn
allegiance  to  him,  but  it  will  draw  attention  to
24
their guilt and take them captive.

23

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Be-
cause  you  have  drawn  attention  to  your  guilt,
exposing  your  transgressions,  so  that  your  sins
are  revealed  in  all  your  deeds—because  you
have come to remembrance—you shall be taken
25
in hand.

And you, O profane and wicked prince of

Israel,

the day has come for your final

punishment.’

26

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Remove the turban,

and take off the crown.

Things will not remain as they are:

27

Exalt the lowly
and bring low the exalted.

A ruin, a ruin,

I will make it a ruin!
And it will not be restored

belongs,

until the arrival of Him to whom it
a
to whom I have assigned the right
’

of judgment.

28

Now  prophesy,  son  of  man,  and  declare  that
this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says  concerning  the
Ammonites and their contempt:

‘A sword! A sword

is drawn for slaughter,

29

polished to consume,

to flash like lightning—

while they offer false visions for you
and lying divinations about you—

to be placed on the necks

of the wicked who are slain,

whose day has come,

30

the time of their final punishment.

Return the sword to its sheath!

In the place where you were created,

31

in the land of your origin,
I will judge you.

I will pour out My anger upon you;
I will breathe the fire of My fury

against you;

32

I will hand you over to brutal men,

skilled in destruction.
You will be fuel for the fire.

Your blood will stain your own

land.

You will not be remembered,

The Sins of Jerusalem

for I, the LORD, have spoken.’

”

22

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
“As for you, son of man, will you
saying,
judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of
3
bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abom-
and tell her that this is what the Lord
inations
GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by
shedding  blood  within  her  walls  and  making
you are guilty of the blood
idols to defile herself,
a 27
you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols

4

of Him to whom it rightfully belongs, to whom I have given it.

Or

Or

Ezekiel 22:20    |    763

you have made. You have brought your days to a
close  and  have  come  to  the  end  of  your  years.
Therefore  I  have  made  you  a  reproach  to  the
Those
nations  and  a  mockery  to  all  the  lands.
near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full
6
of turmoil.

5

7

See  how  every  prince  of  Israel within  you  has
used  his  power  to  shed  blood.
Father  and
mother are treated with contempt. Within your
walls the foreign resident is exploited, the father-
8
less and the widow are oppressed.

9

You have despised My holy things and profaned
My  Sabbaths.
Among  you  are  slanderous  men
bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat
on the mountain shrines and commit acts of in-
10
decency.

11

In you they have uncovered the nakedness of
their fathers; in you they violate women during
their  menstrual  impurity.
One  man  commits
an  abomination  with  his  neighbor’s  wife;  an-
other  wickedly  defiles  his daughter-in-law;  and
yet  another  violates  his  sister,  his  own  father’s
12
daughter.

In you they take bribes to shed blood. You en-
gage  in  usury,  take  excess  interest,  and  extort
your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, de-
13
clares the Lord GOD.

15

14

Now look, I strike My hands together against
your unjust gain and against the blood you have
shed in your midst.
Will your courage endure
or  your  hands  be  strong  in  the  day  I  deal  with
you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.
I
will disperse you among the nations and scatter
you throughout the lands; I will purge your un-
cleanness.
And  when  you  have  defiled  your-
self
  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations,  then  you  will
The Refining Furnace
know that I am the LORD.’
”
17
18

16

 b

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son  of  man,  the  house  of  Israel  has  become
dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and
lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of
19
silver.

20

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Be-
cause all of you have become dross, behold, I will
gather you into Jerusalem.
Just as one gathers
silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace
to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in
My  anger  and  wrath,  leave  you  there,  and  melt
And when I have allotted you your inheritance
you.

b 16

764    |    Ezekiel 22:21

21

22

Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you
with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted
within the city.
As silver is melted in a furnace,
so you will be melted within the city. Then you
will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My
Israel’s Wicked Leaders
wrath upon you.’
23

”

24

And  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  me,
saying,
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of
indignation,  you  are  a  land  that  has  not  been
25
cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’

 a

The conspiracy of the princes

 in her midst is
lion  tearing  its  prey.  They
like  a  roaring
devour the people, seize the treasures and pre-
26
cious things, and multiply the widows within her.

Her priests do violence to My law and profane
My  holy  things.  They  make  no  distinction  be-
tween the holy and the common, and they fail to
distinguish  between  the  clean  and  the  unclean.
They  disregard  My  Sabbaths,  so  that  I  am  pro-
27
faned among them.

Her officials within her are like wolves tearing
their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives
28
for dishonest gain.

Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false
visions  and  lying  divinations,  saying,  ‘This  is
what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not
29
spoken.

The  people  of  the  land  have  practiced  extor-
tion  and  committed  robbery.  They  have  op-
pressed the poor and needy and have exploited
30
the foreign resident without justice.

31

I searched for a man among them to repair the
wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of
the  land,  so  that  I  should  not  destroy  it.  But  I
found no one.
So I have poured out My indig-
nation upon them and consumed them with the
fire of My fury. I have brought their ways down
The Two Adulterous Sisters
upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

c

was  named  Oholibah.
  They  became  Mine  and
gave  birth  to  sons  and  daughters.  As  for  their
identities,  Oholah  is  Samaria,  and  Oholibah  is
5
Jerusalem.

6

Oholah  prostituted  herself  while  she  was  still
Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—
warriors
clothed  in  blue,  governors  and  com-
manders,  all  desirable  young  men,  horsemen
mounted on steeds.
She offered sexual favors to
all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all
8
the idols of those for whom she lusted.

7

9

10

She did not give up the prostitution she began
in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth,
caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their
lust upon her.
Therefore I delivered her into the
hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she
lusted.
They  exposed  her  nakedness,  seized
her  sons  and  daughters,  and  put  her  to  the
sword.  Thus  she  became  a  byword  among
11
women, and they executed judgment against her.

12

Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and
prostitution she was more depraved than her sis-
She too lusted after the Assyrians—gover-
ter.
nors  and  commanders,  warriors  dressed  in
splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desira-
And  I  saw  that  she  too  had
ble  young  men.
defiled herself; both of them had taken the same
14
path.

13

e

16

But  Oholibah  carried  her  prostitution  even
d
further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall,
15
images of the Chaldeans,
 engraved in vermilion,
wearing belts on their waists and flowing tur-
bans on their heads; all of them looked like offic-
ers  of  the  Babylonians  in  Chaldea,
  the  land  of
their birth.
At the sight of them, she lusted for
17
them  and  sent  messengers  to  them  in  Chaldea.
Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed
of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after
she had been defiled by them, she turned away in
18
disgust.

23

2

3

Again the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  there  were  two
saying,
and
women,  daughters  of  the  same  mother,
they  played  in  Egypt,  prostituting  themselves
from  their  youth.  Their  breasts  were  fondled
The
there,  and  their  virgin  bosoms  caressed.
her own tent
a 25
older  was  named  Oholah,
  and  her  sister
the tent is in her
 or

LXX; Hebrew

c 4 Oholibah

b 4 Oholah

prophets

 means

4

b

d 14

e 15

19

When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and
exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her
in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sis-
ter.
Yet  she  multiplied  her  promiscuity,  re-
membering the days of her youth, when she had
prostituted  herself  in  the  land  of  Egypt
and
lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like
those  of  donkeys  and  whose  emission  was  like
she worships at a tent shrine
that of stallions.
So you revisited the indecency
she is a tent shrine

20

21

adulteress with Assyria.
adulterous wife.

That is, the Babylonians

Or

; also in verse 16

 means

Babylonia
 or

, a metaphor for Samaria as an

, a metaphor for Jerusalem as an

of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your
Oholibah to Be Plagued
bosom and pressed your young breasts.
22

Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those
from  whom  you  turned  away  in  disgust.  And  I
23
will  bring  them  against  you  from  every  side—
the  Babylonians  and  all  the  Chaldeans,  the
men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyri-
ans with them—all desirable young men, gover-
nors  and  commanders,  officers  and  men  of
24
renown, mounted on horses.

a

25

They will come against you with a host of peo-
ples,
 with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They
will array themselves against you on every side
with buckler and shield and helmet. I will dele-
gate judgment to them, and they will punish you
according  to  their  own  standards.
And  I  will
set  My  jealous  rage  against  you,  and  they  will
deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses
and  ears,  and  your  survivors  will  fall  by  the
sword. They will seize your sons and daughters,
26
and  your  remnant  will  be  consumed  by  fire.
They will strip off your clothes and take your
fine jewelry.
So I will put an end to your inde-
cency and prostitution, which began in the land
of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them
28
or remember Egypt anymore.’

27

29

For  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘Surely  I
will deliver you into the hands of those you hate,
from whom you turned away in disgust.
They
will treat you with hatred, take all for which you
have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so
that  the  shame  of  your  prostitution  will  be  ex-
posed.  Your  indecency  and  promiscuity
have
brought these things upon you, because you have
prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled
yourself with their idols.
Because you have fol-
lowed the path of your sister, I will put her cup
32
into your hand.’

31

30

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘You will drink your sister’s cup,

a cup deep and wide.

33

It will bring scorn and derision,

for it holds so much.

You will be filled with drunkenness

and grief,

with a cup of devastation and

desolation,

a 24
the fire

They will all come against you from the north     b 37
c 40

the cup of your sister Samaria.
they sent

Sabeans

d 42

Ezekiel 23:47    |    765

34

You will drink it and drain it;
you will dash it to pieces,

and tear your breasts.

For I have spoken,’  declares the Lord GOD.

35

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Be-
cause  you  have  forgotten  Me  and  have  cast  Me
behind  your  back,  you  must  bear  the  conse-
Judgment on Both Sisters
quences of your indecency and prostitution.’
36

”

37

Then  the  LORD  said  to  me:  “Son  of  man,
will  you  pass  judgment  against  Oholah  and
Oholibah? Then declare to them their abomina-
For they have committed adultery, and
tions.
blood  is  on  their  hands.  They  have  committed
adultery with their idols. They have even sacri-
ficed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the
38
fire

 as food for their idols.

 b

They have also done this to Me: On that very
39
same  day,  they  defiled  My  sanctuary  and  pro-
faned  My  Sabbaths.
On  the  very  day  they
slaughtered  their  children  for  their  idols,  they
entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did
40
this inside My house.

 c

41

Furthermore, you sisters sent

 messengers for
men who came from afar; and behold, when they
arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes,
You sat on
and adorned yourself with jewelry.
42
a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on
ac-
which you had set My incense and My oil,
companied  by  the  sound  of  a  carefree  crowd.
Drunkards
  were  brought  in  from  the  desert
along with men from the rabble, who put brace-
lets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your
43
head.

 d

Then I said of her who had grown old in adul-
teries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for
44
that is all she is!’

45

And  they  slept  with  her  as  with  a  prostitute;
they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd
But righteous men will sentence them
women.
to the punishment of those who commit adultery
and  bloodshed,  because  they  are  adulteresses
46
with blood on their hands.

47

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob
against  them  and  consign  them  to  terror  and
The  mob  will  stone  them  and  cut
plunder.
them down with their swords. They will kill their

passed their children, whom they bore to Me, through

LXX

Hebrew

Or

Literally

766    |    Ezekiel 23:48

49

48
sons and daughters and burn down their houses.
So I will put an end to indecency in the land,
and all the women will be admonished not to im-
They  will  repay  you  for
itate  your  behavior.
your  indecency,  and  you  will  bear  the  conse-
quences  of  your  sins  of  idolatry.  Then  you  will
The Parable of the Cooking Pot
”
know that I am the Lord GOD.’

24

2

In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the
tenth month, the word of the LORD came
“Son of man, write down today’s
to me, saying,
3
date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has
Now speak a parable to
laid siege to Jerusalem.
this  rebellious  house  and  tell  them  that  this  is
what the Lord GOD says:

‘Put the pot on the fire;

4

put it on and pour in the water.

Put in the pieces of meat,
every good piece—

thigh and shoulder—
5

fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest of the flock

and pile the fuel beneath it.

Bring it to a boil

and cook the bones in it.’

6

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Woe to the city of bloodshed,
to the pot now rusted,
whose rust will not come off!

a

Empty it piece by piece;

7

cast no lots for its contents.

For the blood she shed is still within her;
she poured it out on the bare rock;

she did not pour it on the ground

8

to cover it with dust.
In order to stir up wrath
and take vengeance,

9

I have placed her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.’

Yes, this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!

10

I, too, will pile the kindling high.
Pile on the logs and kindle the fire;

cook the meat well
and mix in the spices;

11

let the bones be burned.
Set the empty pot on its coals

until it becomes hot and its copper glows.

a 6

Then its impurity will melt within;

let no lot fall upon it
its rust will be consumed.

Or

12

It has frustrated every effort;

13

its thick rust has not been removed,
even by the fire.

Because of the indecency of your

uncleanness
I tried to cleanse you,
but you would not be purified

from your filthiness.
You will not be pure again

14

until My wrath against you has

subsided.
I, the LORD, have spoken;

the time is coming, and I will act.

I will not refrain or show pity,

nor will I relent.

I will judge you

according to your ways and deeds,’

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

declares the Lord GOD.”

15
16

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away
the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you
17
must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put
on your turban and strap your sandals on your
feet;  do  not  cover  your  lips  or  eat  the  bread  of
18
mourners.”

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in
the evening my wife died. And the next morning
19
I did as I had been commanded.

Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us

20
what these things you are doing mean to us?”
21

So  I  answered  them,  “The  word  of  the  LORD
came  to  me,  saying:
Tell  the  house  of  Israel
that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about
to  desecrate  My  sanctuary,  the  pride  of  your
power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of
your  soul.  And  the  sons  and  daughters  you  left
22
behind will fall by the sword.’

Then you will do as I have done: You will not
23
cover  your  lips  or  eat  the  bread  of  mourners.
Your  turbans  will  remain  on  your  heads  and
your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or
weep, but you will waste away because of your
24
sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do
everything that he has done. When this happens,
25
you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

And  you,  son  of  man,  know  that  on the  day  I
take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—

27

the  desire  of  their  eyes  which  uplifted  their
26
souls—and  their  sons  and  daughters  as  well,
on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the
On that day your mouth will be opened
news.
to him who has escaped; you will speak and no
longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and
A Prophecy against Ammon
they will know that I am the LORD.”

25

2

4

3

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  set  your  face
saying,
against  the  Ammonites  and  prophesy  against
Tell the Ammonites to hear the word of
them.
the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Because you exclaimed, “Aha!” when My sanctu-
ary  was  profaned,  when  the  land  of  Israel  was
laid  waste,  and  when  the  house  of  Judah  went
therefore I will indeed give you as a
into exile,
possession to the people of the East. They will set
up their camps and pitch their tents among you.
I
They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.
will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Am-
  a  resting  place  for  sheep.  Then  you  will
mon
6
know that I am the LORD.’

5

 a

7

For  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘Because
you clapped your hands and stomped your feet
and rejoiced over the land of Israel with a heart
full of contempt,
therefore I will indeed stretch
out My hand against you and give you as plunder
to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples
and  exterminate  you  from  the  countries.  I  will
destroy  you,  and  you  will  know  that  I  am  the
A Prophecy against Moab
LORD.’
8

 b

10

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab
9
and Seir
 said, “Look, the house of Judah is like
all  the  other  nations,”
therefore  I  will  indeed
expose the flank of Moab beginning with its fron-
tier  cities—Beth-jeshimoth,  Baal-meon,  and
Kiriathaim—the glory of the land.
I will give it
along with the Ammonites as a possession to the
people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no
longer be remembered among the nations.
So
I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will
A Prophecy against Edom
know that I am the LORD.’
12

11

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘Because
Edom  acted  vengefully  against  the  house  of  Ju-
13
dah,  and  in  so  doing  incurred  grievous  guilt,
a 5
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will
the eleventh year
Hebrew

and the Ammonites
d 7

LXX does not include

Nebuchadrezzar

b 8

Ezekiel 26:10    |    767

14

stretch  out  My  hand  against  Edom  and  cut  off
from  it  both  man  and  beast.  I  will  make  it  a
wasteland,  and  from  Teman  to  Dedan  they  will
fall by the sword.
I will take My vengeance on
Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they
will deal with Edom according to My anger and
wrath.  Then  they  will  know  My  vengeance,  de-
A Prophecy against the Philistines
clares the Lord GOD.’
15

16

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because the
Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance
with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient
therefore this is what the Lord GOD
hostility,
says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against
the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites
I will
and destroy the remnant along the coast.
execute great vengeance against them with furi-
ous  reproof. Then  they  will  know  that I  am  the
A Prophecy against Tyre  (Isaiah 23:1–18)
LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’

17

”

26

c

2

3

4

In  the  eleventh  month  of  the  twelfth
year,
 on the first day of the month, the
“Son of
word of the LORD came to me, saying,
man,  because  Tyre  has  said  of  Jerusalem,  ‘Aha!
The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung
open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:
filled,’
‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise
up many nations against you, as the sea brings up
They  will  destroy  the  walls  of  Tyre
its  waves.
and  demolish  her  towers.  I  will  scrape  the  soil
She will be-
from her and make her a bare rock.
come a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have
6
spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become
and the villages on her
plunder for the nations,
mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they
7
will know that I am the LORD.’

5

 d

8

For  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘Behold,  I
will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchad-
nezzar
  king  of  Babylon,  king  of  kings,  with
horses  and  chariots,  with  cavalry  and  a  great
company  of  troops.
He  will  slaughter  the  vil-
lages  of  your  mainland  with  the  sword;  he  will
set up siege works against you, build a ramp to
your walls, and raise his shields against you.
He
will direct the blows of his battering rams against
your walls and tear down your towers with his
axes.
His multitude of horses will cover you in
c 1
their dust.
Nebuchadnezzar
.

Likely reading of the original Hebrew text; MT

10

In

9

and Seir

throughout Ezekiel for consistency.

Hebrew

, a variant of

 (king of Babylon). The latter spelling is used

768    |    Ezekiel 26:11

A Lament for Tyre

11

When he enters your gates as an army entering a
breached  city,  your  walls  will  shake  from  the
The
noise  of  cavalry,  wagons,  and  chariots.
hooves of his horses will trample all your streets.
He  will  slaughter  your  people  with  the  sword,
12
and  your  mighty  pillars  will  fall  to  the  ground.
They will plunder your wealth and pillage your
merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear
down  your  beautiful  homes,  and  throw  your
13
stones and timber and soil into the water.

So I will silence the sound of your songs, and
14
the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.
I will make you a bare rock, and you will be-
come a place to spread the fishing nets. You will
never  be  rebuilt,  for  I,  the  LORD,  have  spoken,
15
declares the Lord GOD.’

This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will
not  the  coastlands  quake  at  the  sound  of  your
downfall,  when  the  wounded  groan  at  the
16
slaughter in your midst?

All  the  princes  of  the  sea  will  descend  from
their  thrones,  remove  their  robes,  and  strip  off
their  embroidered  garments.  Clothed  with  ter-
ror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every
Then  they  will
moment,  appalled  over  you.
lament for you, saying,

17

“How you have perished, O city of renown

inhabited by seafaring men—
she who was powerful on the sea,

 a

18

along with her people,

who imposed terror on all peoples!

Now the coastlands tremble

on the day of your downfall;

the islands in the sea

19

are dismayed by your demise.”

’

20

For  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘When  I
make you a desolate city like other deserted cit-
ies, and when I raise up the deep against you so
that  the  mighty  waters  cover  you,
then  I  will
bring you down with those who descend to the
Pit,  to  the  people  of  antiquity.  I  will  make  you
dwell  in  the  earth  below  like  the  ancient  ruins,
with  those  who  descend  to  the  Pit,  so  that  you
21
 in
will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor
I will make you an object
the land of the living.
of horror, and you will be no more. You will be
sought,  but  will  never  be  found,’  declares  the
a 17
Lord GOD.”
e 6
Or

on all her inhabitants

or take your place

Kittim

b 20

f 13

 b

LXX
That is, Greece

Hebrew

27

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
3
saying,
“Now you, son of man, take up a
lament  for  Tyre.
Tell  Tyre,  who  dwells  at  the
gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on
many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says:

You have said, O Tyre,

4

‘I am perfect in beauty.’

5

Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders perfected your beauty.

d

 c

They constructed all your planking

with cypress

 from Senir.

They took a cedar from Lebanon

6

to make a mast for you.

Of oaks from Bashan

they made your oars;

 e

of wood from the coasts of Cyprus

7

they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.

Of embroidered fine linen from Egypt

they made your sail,
which served as your banner.

Of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah

8

they made your awning.

The men of Sidon and Arvad
were your oarsmen.
Your men of skill, O Tyre,

9

were there as your captains.
The elders of Gebal were aboard as

shipwrights,
repairing your leaks.

All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came alongside to barter for your

10

merchandise.

Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put

served as warriors in your army.

They hung their shields and helmets on your

11

walls;

they gave you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech

manned your walls all around,

and the men of Gammad
were in your towers.

They hung their shields around your walls;
12

they perfected your beauty.

Tarshish  was  your  merchant  because  of
your great wealth of goods; they exchanged
13
silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.

f

c 5

Javan,

  Tubal,  and  Meshech  were  your
merchants.  They  exchanged  slaves  and
bronze utensils for your merchandise.
Or

That is, Mount Hermon

juniper

pine

d 5

 or

 or

fir

14

The  men  of  Beth-togarmah  exchanged
horses,  war  horses,  and  mules  for  your
 a
15
wares.

The  men  of  Dedan

  were  your  clients;
many  coastlands  were  your  market;  they
16
paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

 b

Aram

 was your customer because of your
many  products;  they  exchanged  turquoise,
purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral,
17
and rubies for your wares.

Judah  and  the  land  of  Israel  traded  with
you;  they  exchanged  wheat  from  Minnith,
cakes  and  honey,  oil  and  balm  for  your
18
merchandise.

c

19

Because of your many products and your
great  wealth  of  goods,  Damascus  traded
with  you  wine  from  Helbon,  wool  from
and  casks  of  wine  from  Izal  for
Zahar,
 d
your  wares.
  Wrought  iron,  cassia,  and
e
sweet  cane
  were  exchanged  for  your
20
merchandise.

Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths

21
for riding.

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were
your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and
22
goats.

The  merchants  of  Sheba  and  Raamah
traded  with  you;  for  your  wares  they  ex-
changed  gold,  the  finest  of  all  spices,  and
23
precious stones.

24

Haran, Canneh, and Eden traded with you,
and so did the merchants of Sheba, Asshur,
In  your  marketplace  they
and  Chilmad.
traded  with you  fine garments  of  blue,  em-
broidered work, and multicolored rugs with
 f
cords tightly twisted and knotted.

25

The ships of Tarshish

carried your merchandise.

26

And you were filled with heavy cargo

in the heart of the sea.

Your oarsmen have brought you

onto the high seas,

27

but the east wind will shatter you

in the heart of the sea.

Your wealth, wares, and merchandise,

your sailors, captains, and shipwrights,
your merchants and all the warriors within

Ezekiel 28:2    |    769

28

will sink into the heart of the sea
on the day of your downfall.

29

The countryside will shake

when your sailors cry out.

All who handle the oars

will abandon their ships.

30

The sailors and all the captains of the sea

will stand on the shore.

They will raise their voices for you

and cry out bitterly.

31

They will throw dust on their heads

and roll in ashes.

They will shave their heads for you

and wrap themselves in sackcloth.

They will weep over you

32

with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.

As they wail and mourn over you,

they will take up a lament for you:

33

‘Who was ever like Tyre,

silenced in the middle of the sea?

When your wares went out to sea,
you satisfied many nations.
You enriched the kings of the earth
with your abundant wealth and

34

merchandise.

Now you are shattered by the seas
in the depths of the waters;

35

your merchandise and the people among you

have gone down with you.
All the people of the coastlands

36

are appalled over you.
Their kings shudder with fear;
their faces are contorted.

Those who trade among the nations

hiss at you;

you have come to a horrible end

A Prophecy against the Ruler of Tyre

and will be no more.’

”

28

2

And the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  tell  the  ruler  of
saying,

Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Your heart is proud,

and you have said,

‘I am a god;

I sit in the seat of gods
in the heart of the sea.’

Yet you are a man and not a god,

a 15

Rhodes

b 16

you,

with all the other people on board,

—and Dan and Javan from Uzal (traded) for your wares

though you have regarded your heart
as that of a god.
e 19
calamus
d 19

were among your

Edom

c 19

Hebrew; LXX
f 25

merchandise
reading; MT

A fleet of trading ships

Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac

Probable

Or

Or

Or

770    |    Ezekiel 28:3

3

15

4

Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you!
By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained your wealth

5

and amassed gold and silver
for your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading

you have increased your wealth,

but your heart has grown proud
6

because of it.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

Because you regard your heart
7

as the heart of a god,

behold, I will bring foreigners against you,

the most ruthless of nations.

They will draw their swords

8

9

against the beauty of your wisdom
and will defile your splendor.
They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.

Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’

in the presence of those who slay you?

You will be only a man, not a god,

10

in the hands of those who wound you.
You will die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of foreigners.

declares the Lord GOD.”

For I have spoken,

A Lament for the King of Tyre

11

12

Again the word of the LORD came to me, say-
ing,
“Son  of  man,  take  up  a  lament  for
the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the
Lord GOD says:

From the day you were created

16

you were blameless in your ways—
until wickedness was found in you.

By the vastness of your trade,

you were filled with violence, and you

sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace

from the mountain of God,

17

and I banished you, O guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

Your heart grew proud of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom because

of your splendor;
so I cast you to the earth;

18

I made you a spectacle before kings.

By the multitude of your iniquities

and the dishonesty of your trading
you have profaned your sanctuaries.

So I made fire come from within you,

and it consumed you.

19

I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the eyes of all who saw you.

All the nations who know you
are appalled over you.

You have come to a horrible end

A Prophecy against Sidon
”

and will be no more.’

20
21

22

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Son  of  man,  set  your  face  against  Sidon  and
And you are to declare

prophesy against her.
that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

and I will be glorified within you.

They will know that I am the LORD

23

when I execute judgments against her
and demonstrate My holiness through her.

13

‘You were the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden,

the garden of God.

 a

I will send a plague against her

and shed blood in her streets;

the slain will fall within her,

Every kind of precious stone adorned you:

while the sword is against her on every

ruby, topaz, and diamond,

b
beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire,

 turquoise, and emerald.

Your mountings and settings were crafted in

14

gold,

prepared on the day of your creation.

You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

for I had ordained you.

You were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.

a 13

side.

24

Then they will know that I am the LORD.

For  the  people  of  Israel  will  no  longer  face  a
pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around
them who treat them with contempt. Then they
The Restoration of Israel  (Jeremiah 30:1–17)
will know that I am the Lord GOD.’
25

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I gather
the  house  of  Israel  from  the  peoples  among

lapis lazuli

b 13

The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.

Or

whom they have been scattered, I will show My-
self holy among them in the sight of the nations.

26

Then they will dwell in their own land, which I
have given to My servant Jacob.
And there they
will dwell securely, build houses, and plant vine-
yards.  They  will  dwell  securely  when  I  execute
judgments  against  all  those  around  them  who
treat them with contempt. Then they will know
A Prophecy against Pharaoh
”
that I am the LORD their God.’

29

2

In  the  tenth  year,  on  the  twelfth  day  of
the  tenth  month,  the word  of  the  LORD
“Son of man, set your face
came to me, saying,
3
against  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  and  prophesy
Speak to him
against him and against all Egypt.
and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Behold, I am against you,

O Pharaoh king of Egypt,

O great monster who lies
among his rivers,

who says, ‘The Nile is mine;

4

I made it myself.’

But I will put hooks in your jaws

and cause the fish of your streams
to cling to your scales.

5

I will haul you up out of your rivers,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
I will leave you in the desert,

you and all the fish of your streams.

You will fall on the open field
and will not be taken away
or gathered for burial.

I have given you as food

6

to the beasts of the earth
and the birds of the air.
Then all the people of Egypt

will know that I am the LORD.

For you were only a staff of reeds

7

to the house of Israel.

When Israel took hold of you with their

hands,

you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;

when they leaned on you,

a

you broke, and their backs were

The Desolation of Egypt

wrenched.

8

Ezekiel 29:21    |    771

9

The land of Egypt will become a
man and beast.
desolate  wasteland.  Then  they  will  know  that  I
am the LORD.
10
Because  you  said,  ‘The  Nile  is  mine;  I  made  it,’
therefore  I  am  against  you  and  against  your
rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a
b
desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as
No foot of man or
far as the border of Cush.
beast will pass through, and it will be uninhab-
12
ited for forty years.

11

I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  a  desolation
among desolate lands, and her cities will lie des-
olate for forty years among the ruined cities. And
I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations
13
and scatter them throughout the countries.

14

For this is what the Lord GOD says: At the end
of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the
 c
I will re-
nations to which they were scattered.
store Egypt from captivity
 and bring them back
to  the  land  of  Pathros,  the  land  of  their  origin.
15
There they will be a lowly kingdom.

16

Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will
never  again exalt  itself  above  the  nations.  For  I
will  diminish  Egypt  so  that  it  will  never  again
Egypt will never again be
rule over the nations.
an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will
remind  them  of  their  iniquity  in  turning  to  the
Egyptians.  Then  they  will  know  that  I  am  the
Egypt the Reward of Nebuchadnezzar
Lord GOD.”
17

18

In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of
the  first  month,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king
me, saying,
of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously
against  Tyre.  Every  head  was  made  bald  and
every  shoulder  made  raw.  But  he  and his  army
received no wages from Tyre for the labor they
19
expended on it.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will
give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon,  who  will  carry  off  its  wealth,  seize  its
spoil,  and  remove  its  plunder.  This  will  be  the
I have given him the land
wages for his army.
of  Egypt  as  the  reward  for  his  labor, because  it
21
was done for Me, declares the Lord GOD.

20

In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the
house  of  Israel,  and  I  will  open  your  mouth  to
speak  among  them.  Then  they  will  know  that  I
am the LORD.”

b 10

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will
a 7
bring a sword against you and cut off from you
c 14

restore the fortunes of Egypt

and you caused their loins to shake.

Syriac (see also LXX and Vulgate); Hebrew
Or

That is, the upper Nile region

772    |    Ezekiel 30:1

A Lament for Egypt

30

2

Again the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son of man, prophesy and de-
saying,

clare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

Wail, ‘Alas
3

for that day!’
For the day is near,

the Day of the LORD is near.

a

It will be a day of clouds,
4

a time of doom for the nations.

 b

A sword will come against Egypt,

and there will be anguish in Cush

when the slain fall in Egypt,
its wealth is taken away,
5
and its foundations are torn down.

c

Cush, Put, and Lud,

and all the various peoples,
as well as Libya and the men of the

6

covenant land,

will fall with Egypt by the sword.

For this is what the LORD says:

The allies of Egypt will fall,

 d
and her proud strength will collapse.

From Migdol to Syene

they will fall by the sword within her,

declares the Lord GOD.

7

8

They will be desolate among desolate lands,
and their cities will lie among ruined

cities.

Then they will know that I am the LORD

9

when I set fire to Egypt
and all her helpers are shattered.

On that day messengers will go out from Me
in ships to frighten Cush out of complacency.
Anguish will come upon them on the day of
Egypt’s doom.

 For it is indeed coming.

e

10

This is what the Lord GOD says:

I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt

11

by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of

Babylon.

He and his people with him,

the most ruthless of the nations,
will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt

12

and fill the land with the slain.

a 3

I will make the streams dry up

and sell the land to the wicked.
e 9
Hebrew does not include
Sin

h 15

.

of doom

b 4

Aswan; see Isaiah 49:12
15 and 16
Hebrew

Hebrew
; also in verse 16

the day of Egypt

f 13

By the hands of foreigners I will bring

desolation

upon the land and everything in it.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

13

This is what the Lord GOD says:

f

I will destroy the idols

and put an end to the images in Memphis.

There will no longer be a prince in Egypt,

14

and I will instill fear in that land.

15

I will lay waste Pathros,
set fire to Zoan,
and execute judgment on Thebes.
I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium,

g

h

16

the stronghold of Egypt,
and cut off the crowds of Thebes.

I will set fire to Egypt,

Pelusium will writhe in anguish,

Thebes will be split open,

17

and Memphis will face daily distress.

 i

The young men of On and Pi-beseth

18

will fall by the sword,
and those cities will go into captivity.
The day will be darkened in Tahpanhes
when I break the yoke of Egypt
and her proud strength comes to an end.

A cloud will cover her,

19

and her daughters will go into captivity.

So I will execute judgment on Egypt,

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

and they will know that I am the LORD.”

20

21

In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the
first month, the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son of man, I have broken the arm of
saying,
Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound
up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the
22
sword.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Be-
hold,  I  am  against  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt.  I  will
break his arms, both the strong one and the one
already  broken,  and  will  make  the  sword  fall
I  will  disperse  the  Egyptians
from  his  hand.
among the nations and scatter them throughout
24
the lands.

23

I  will  strengthen  the  arms  of  Babylon’s  king
and place My sword in his hand, but I will break
the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him
I will strengthen
like a mortally wounded man.
g 14
Or

Aven and Pi-beseth

d 6
No

Lydia

Noph

c 5

25

i 17

That is, the upper Nile region; also in vv. 5 and 9
Heliopolis and Bubastis
LXX; Hebrew

; also in v. 16

Hebrew

That is,
; also in vv.

That is,

, as in LXX; Hebrew

the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms
will fall limp.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I
place  My  sword  in  the  hand  of  Babylon’s  king,
I will
and he wields it against the land of Egypt.
disperse  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations  and
scatter  them  throughout  the  lands.  Then  they
Egypt Will Fall like Assyria
will know that I am the LORD.”

26

31

2

In  the  eleventh  year,  on  the  first  day  of
the  third  month,  the  word  of  the  LORD
“Son of man, say to Pharaoh

came to me, saying,
king of Egypt and to his multitude:

‘Who can be compared
3
to your greatness?

Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches that shaded the

forest.
It towered on high;

4

its top was among the clouds.

The waters made it grow;

the deep springs made it tall,

directing their streams all around its base

5

and sending their channels to all the trees

of the field.

Therefore it towered higher

than all the trees of the field.

Its branches multiplied,

and its boughs grew long

as it spread them out

6

because of the abundant waters.

All the birds of the air

nested in its branches,
and all the beasts of the field

gave birth beneath its boughs;

7

all the great nations
lived in its shade.

It was beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its limbs,

for its roots extended
8

to abundant waters.
 a

The cedars in the garden of God

could not rival it;

the cypresses

 could not compare with its

 b

branches,
nor the plane trees

 match its boughs.

No tree in the garden of God
9

could compare with its beauty.

Ezekiel 32:2    |    773

10

 c

d

11

Therefore  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:
‘Since it became great
 in height and set its top
among the clouds,
 and it grew proud on account
I delivered it into the hand of the
of its height,
ruler  of  the  nations,  for  him  to  deal  with  it  ac-
12
cording to its wickedness. I have banished it.

Foreigners,  the  most  ruthless  of  the  nations,
cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on
the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay
broken in all the earth’s ravines. And all the peo-
13
ples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.

14

All  the  birds  of  the  air  nested  on  its  fallen
trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among
This  happened  so  that  no  other
its  boughs.
trees by the waters would become great in height
and set their tops among the clouds, and no other
well-watered trees would reach them in height.
For they have all been consigned to death, to the
depths of the earth, among the mortals who de-
15
scend to the Pit.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘On the day it
was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I
covered the deep because of it; I held back its riv-
ers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made
Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field
fainted because of it.
I made the nations quake
at the sound of its downfall, when I cast it down
to Sheol with those who descend to the Pit.

16

17

Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best
of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were con-
soled in the earth below.
They too descended
with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its
allies they had lived in its shade among the na-
18
tions.

Who  then  is  like  you  in  glory  and  greatness
among  the  trees  of  Eden?  You  also  will  be
brought  down  to  the  depths  of  the  earth  to  be
with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the un-
circumcised, with those slain by the sword. This
is  Pharaoh  and  all  his  multitude,  declares  the
A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt
Lord GOD.’

”

32

2

In the twelfth year, on the first day of the
twelfth  month,  the  word  of  the  LORD
“Son of man, take up a la-
came to me, saying,
ment for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

‘You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas.

I made it beautiful with its many branches,

You thrash about in your rivers,

a 8

the envy of all the trees of Eden,
firs
pines
which were in the garden of God.’

junipers

chestnut

b 8

juniper

c 10

churning up the waters with your feet
d 10
and muddying the streams.’

you became great

through the thick boughs

Or

 or

 or

Possibly

 or

Heb.

Or

774    |    Ezekiel 32:3

3

14

This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will spread My net over you

4

with a company of many peoples,
and they will draw you up in My net.

I will abandon you on the land

and hurl you into the open field.

I will cause all the birds of the air

to settle upon you,

and all the beasts of the earth
5
to eat their fill of you.

a

I will put your flesh on the mountains

6

and fill the valleys with your remains.

I will drench the land

with the flow of your blood,
all the way to the mountains—
7
the ravines will be filled.

When I extinguish you,

I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.

Then I will let her waters settle

and will make her rivers flow like oil,’

declares the Lord GOD.

15

‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation

and empty it of all that filled it,
when I strike down all who live there,

16

then they will know that I am the LORD.’

This is the lament they will chant for her; the
daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt
and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares
Egypt Cast into the Pit
the Lord GOD.”
17

c

In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the
18
month,
 the word of the LORD came to me, say-
“Son  of  man,  wail  for  the  multitudes  of
ing,
Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the
mighty  nations  to  the  depths  of  the  earth  with
19
those who descend to the Pit:

I will cover the sun with a cloud,
8

and the moon will not give its light.

All the shining lights in the heavens

Whom do you surpass in beauty?

20

Go down and be placed with the

uncircumcised!

I will darken over you,
and I will bring darkness
upon your land,’

9

declares the Lord GOD.

They will fall among those slain by the sword.

The sword is appointed!

Let them drag her away

21

along with all her multitudes.

‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction

 b

10

among the nations,

Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst

of Sheol

about Egypt and her allies:

in countries

 you do not know.

‘They have come down and lie with the

I will cause many peoples

to be appalled over you,

and their kings will shudder in horror

because of you

when I brandish My sword before them.

On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.’

11

22

uncircumcised,

with those slain by the sword.’

Assyria is there with her whole company;

her graves are all around her.

23

All of them are slain,

fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit,

and her company is all around her grave.

For this is what the Lord GOD says:

All of them are slain,

12

‘The sword of the king of Babylon

will come against you!
I will make your hordes fall

by the swords of the mighty,
the most ruthless of all nations.
They will ravage the pride of Egypt

13

fallen by the sword—
those who once spread terror
in the land of the living.

24

Elam is there

with all her multitudes around her grave.

All of them are slain,

and all her multitudes will be destroyed.

fallen by the sword—

I will slaughter all her cattle

beside the abundant waters.

those who went down uncircumcised

to the earth below,

No human foot will muddy them again,
b 9

your lofty stature
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.

when I lead you into captivity among the nations, into countries

who once spread their terror
in the land of the living.

on the fifteenth day of the first month

a 5
c 17

Or
Presumably the fifteenth day of the twelfth month (see verse 1); LXX

Hebrew; LXX

.

32

Ezekiel 33:11    |    775

25

They bear their disgrace

with those who descend to the Pit.

For I will spread My terror
in the land of the living,

Among the slain they prepare
a resting place for Elam

with all her hordes,

with her graves all around her.

All of them are uncircumcised,

slain by the sword,

although their terror was once spread

in the land of the living.

They bear their disgrace

26

with those who descend to the Pit.
They are placed among the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are there
with all their multitudes,
with their graves all around them.

All of them are uncircumcised,

slain by the sword,

27

because they spread their terror

in the land of the living.

a

They do not lie down

with the fallen warriors of old,

who went down to Sheol

with their weapons of war,
 b

whose swords were placed under their

heads,
whose shields

 rested on their bones,

28

although the terror of the mighty

was once in the land of the living.

But you too will be shattered

29

and lie down among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.

Edom is there,

and all her kings and princes,

who despite their might

are laid among those slain by the sword.

30

They lie down with the uncircumcised,
with those who descend to the Pit.

All the leaders of the north

and all the Sidonians are there;

they went down in disgrace with the slain,

despite the terror of their might.

They lie uncircumcised

with those slain by the sword

and bear their shame

31

with those who descend to the Pit.

Pharaoh will see them

and be comforted over all his multitude—
declares the Lord GOD.

Pharaoh and all his army,
slain by the sword,

a 27

warriors of the uncircumcised

b 27

LXX; Heb.

so that Pharaoh and all his multitude
will be laid to rest among the

uncircumcised,

declares the Lord GOD.”

with those slain by the sword,

Ezekiel the Watchman for Israel

33

2

Again the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son of man, speak to your peo-
saying,
ple  and  tell  them:  ‘Suppose  I  bring  the  sword
against a land, and the people of that land choose
a man from among them, appointing him as their
and  he  sees  the  sword  coming
watchman,
against  that  land  and  blows  the  ram’s  horn  to
4
warn the people.

3

5

Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but
fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes
and takes him away, his blood will be on his own
Since he heard the sound of the horn but
head.
failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on
his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he
6
would have saved his life.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and
fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the
sword comes and takes away a life, then that one
will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold
7
the watchman accountable for his blood.’

8

As  for  you,  O  son  of  man,  I  have  made  you  a
watchman  for  the  house  of  Israel;  so  hear  the
word from My mouth and give them the warning
If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man,
from Me.
you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to
dissuade  him  from  his  way,  then  that  wicked
man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you ac-
But  if  you  warn  the
countable  for  his  blood.
wicked  man  to  turn  from  his  way,  and  he  does
c
not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you
The Message of the Watchman
will have saved your life.
10

9

Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of
Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our trans-
gressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we
are wasting away because of them! How can we
11
live?’

Say  to  them:  ‘As  surely  as  I  live,  declares
the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of
iniquities
the  wicked,  but  rather  that  the  wicked  should
See Acts 20:25–26

    c 9

Likely reading of the original Heb.; MT

776    |    Ezekiel 33:12

turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from
your evil ways! For why should you die, O house
12
of Israel?’

Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The
righteousness of the righteous man will not de-
liver him in the day of his transgression; neither
will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him
to stumble on the day he turns from his wicked-
ness. Nor will the righteous man be able to sur-
13
vive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’

If  I  tell  the  righteous  man  that  he  will  surely
live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and
commits  iniquity,  then  none  of  his  righteous
works will be remembered; he will die because
14
of the iniquity he has committed.

15

But  if  I  tell  the  wicked  man,  ‘You  will  surely
die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is
just and right—
if he restores a pledge, makes
restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in
the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—
None of
then he will surely live; he will not die.
the  sins  he  has  committed  will  be  held  against
him. He has done what is just and right; he will
17
surely live.

16

18

Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not
If  a
just.’  But  it  is  their  way  that  is  not  just.
righteous man turns from his righteousness and
commits  iniquity,  he  will  die  for  it.
But  if  a
wicked man turns from his wickedness and does
20
what is just and right, he will live because of this.

19

Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’
But I will judge each of you according to his ways,
Word of Jerusalem’s Fall
O house of Israel.”
21

In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day
of  the  tenth  month,  a  fugitive  from  Jerusalem
came  to  me  and  reported,  “The  city  has  been
22
taken!”

Now  the  evening  before  the  fugitive  arrived,
the  hand  of  the  LORD  was  upon  me,  and  He
opened my mouth before the man came to me in
the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was
23
no longer mute.
24

Then  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  me,
saying,
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in
the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only
one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are
many; surely the land has been given to us as a
possession.’

25

26

Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift
up  your  eyes  to  your  idols,  and  shed  blood.
Should  you  then  possess  the  land?
You  have
relied on your swords, you have committed de-
testable  acts,  and  each  of  you  has  defiled  his
neighbor’s  wife.  Should  you  then  possess  the
27
land?’

28

Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by
the sword, those in the open field I will give to be
devoured  by  wild  animals,  and  those  in  the
strongholds and caves will die by plague.
I will
make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of
her strength will come to an end. The mountains
of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will
pass  through.
Then  they  will  know  that  I  am
the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate
waste because of all the abominations they have
30
committed.’

29

As for you, son of man, your people are talking
about  you  near  the  city  walls  and  in  the  door-
ways of their houses. One speaks to another, each
saying  to  his  brother,  ‘Come  and  hear  the  mes-
31
sage that has come from the LORD!’

32

So My people come to you as usual, sit before
you,  and  hear  your  words;  but  they  do  not  put
them  into  practice.  Although  they  express  love
with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest
gain.
Indeed, you are to them like a singer of
love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully
plays an instrument. They hear your words but
do  not  put  them  into  practice.
So  when  it
comes  to  pass—and  surely  it  will  come—then
they  will  know  that  a  prophet  has  been  among
A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds
them.”

33

34

2

Then the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
“Son  of  man,  prophesy  against
the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them
that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the
shepherds  of  Israel,  who  only  feed  themselves!
You
Should not the shepherds feed their flock?
eat  the  fat,  wear  the  wool,  and  butcher  the  fat-
4
tened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

3

You have not strengthened the weak, healed the
sick,  bound  up  the  injured,  brought  back  the
strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have
They
ruled  them  with  violence  and  cruelty.
were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when
they were scattered they became food for all the

5

6

20

Ezekiel 35:4    |    777

My  flock  went  astray  on  all  the
wild  beasts.
mountains  and  every  high  hill.  They  were  scat-
tered over the face of all the earth, with no one to
7
search for them or seek them out.’

8

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the
‘As  surely  as  I  live,  declares  the  Lord
LORD:
GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has
become prey and food for every wild beast, and
because  My  shepherds  did  not  search  for  My
flock but fed themselves instead,
therefore, you
10
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!’

9

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am
against  the  shepherds,  and  I  will  demand  from
them  My  flock  and  remove  them  from  tending
the flock, so that they can no longer feed them-
selves.  For  I  will  deliver  My  flock  from  their
The Good Shepherd
mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’
(Psalm 23:1–6 ;  John 10:1–21)

11

12

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I
Myself  will  search  for  My  flock  and  seek  them
As  a  shepherd  looks  for  his  scattered
out.
sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look
for My flock.

13

14

I  will  rescue  them  from  all  the  places  to  which
they were scattered on a day of clouds and dark-
I  will  bring  them  out  from  the  peoples,
ness.
gather them from the countries, and bring them
into their own land. I will feed them on the moun-
tains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settle-
I  will  feed  them  in  good
ments  of  the  land.
pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be
their grazing land. There they will lie down in a
good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture
15
on the mountains of Israel.
16
I will tend My flock and make them lie down,
I  will  seek  the  lost,
declares  the  Lord  GOD.
bring  back  the  strays,  bind  up  the  broken,  and
strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I
17
will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’

18

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says  to  you,  My
flock:  ‘I  will  judge  between  one  sheep  and  an-
other, between the rams and the goats.
Is it not
enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must
you  also  trample  the  rest  of  the  pasture  with
your  feet?  Is it  not  enough  for  you  to drink  the
clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with
Why  must  My  flock  feed  on  what
your  feet?
your  feet  have  trampled,  and  drink  what  your
feet have muddied?’

19

23

22

Therefore  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says  to
21
them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat
sheep and the lean sheep.
Since you shove with
flank  and  shoulder,  butting  all  the  weak  ones
with  your  horns  until  you  have  scattered  them
abroad,
I will save My flock, and they will no
longer  be  prey.  I  will  judge  between  one  sheep
and  another.
I  will  appoint  over  them  one
shepherd,  My  servant  David,  and  he  will  feed
24
them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant
David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD,
The Covenant of Peace
have spoken.
25

26

27

I will make with them a covenant of peace and
rid  the  land  of  wild  animals,  so  that  they  may
dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the
forest.
I will make them and the places around
My  hill  a  blessing.  I  will  send  down  showers  in
season—showers of blessing.
The trees of the
field will give their fruit, and the land will yield
its produce; My flock will be secure in their land.
Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I
have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered
28
them from the hands that enslaved them.

They  will  no  longer  be  prey  for  the  nations,
and  the  beasts  of  the  earth  will  not  consume
them. They will dwell securely, and no one will
29
frighten them.

30

And  I  will  raise  up  for  them  a  garden  of
renown,  and  they  will  no  longer  be  victims  of
famine  in  the  land  or  bear  the  scorn  of  the  na-
tions.
Then  they  will  know  that  I,  the  LORD
their God, am with them, and that they, the house
31
of Israel, are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.

‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My
people,  and  I  am  your  God,’  declares  the  Lord
A Prophecy against Mount Seir
GOD.”

35

2

Moreover, the word of the LORD came to
me,  saying,
“Son  of  man,  set  your  face
and

against Mount Seir and prophesy against it,
declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:

3

Behold, I am against you,

O Mount Seir.

I will stretch out My hand against you
4
and make you a desolate waste.

I will turn your cities into ruins,

and you will become a desolation.

Then you will know that I am the LORD.

778    |    Ezekiel 35:5

5

6

Because  you  harbored  an  ancient  hatred  and
delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the
time  of  their  disaster  at  the  final  stage  of  their
therefore  as  surely  as  I  live,  de-
punishment,
clares the Lord GOD, I will give you over to blood-
shed  and  it  will  pursue  you.  Since  you  did  not
7
hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.

8

I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will
I will fill
cut off from it those who come and go.
its mountains with the slain; those killed by the
9
sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and
I will make you a perpetual
in all your ravines.
desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited.
10
Then you will know that I am the LORD.

11

Because you have said, ‘These two nations and
countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’
even though the LORD was there,
therefore as
surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will treat
you  according  to  the  anger  and  jealousy  you
showed  in  your  hatred  against  them,  and  I  will
make  Myself  known  among  them  when  I  judge
12
you.

13

Then  you  will  know  that  I,  the  LORD,  have
heard  every  contemptuous  word  you  uttered
against  the  mountains  of  Israel  when  you  said,
‘They  are  desolate;  they  are  given  to  us  to  de-
You  boasted  against  Me  with  your
vour!’
mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I
14
heard it Myself!

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  While  the
15
whole  earth  rejoices,  I  will  make  you  desolate.
As  you  rejoiced  when  the  inheritance  of  the
house  of  Israel  became  desolate,  so  will  I  do  to
you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir,
and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that
A Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel
I am the LORD.

36

2

3

“And  you,  son  of  man,  prophesy  to  the
mountains  of  Israel  and  say:  O  moun-
This
tains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Because  the  enemy
has  said  of  you,  ‘Aha!  The  ancient  heights  have
therefore  prophesy
become  our  possession,’
and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:
Because they have made you desolate and have
trampled you on every side, so that you became
a possession of the rest of the nations and were
4
taken  up  in  slander  by  the  lips  of  their  talkers,
therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word

of the Lord GOD.

5

This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains
and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the deso-
late ruins and abandoned cities, which have be-
come a spoil and a mockery to the rest of the na-
tions  around  you.
Therefore  this  is  what  the
Lord GOD says: Surely in My burning zeal I have
spoken  against  the  rest  of  the  nations,  and
against all Edom, who took My land as their own
possession with wholehearted joy and utter con-
6
tempt, so that its pastureland became plunder.

Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Is-
rael  and  tell  the  mountains  and  hills,  the
ravines  and  valleys,  that  this  is  what  the  Lord
GOD says: Behold, I have spoken in My burning
zeal because you have endured the reproach of
7
the nations.

8

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I have
sworn with an uplifted hand that surely the na-
tions  around  you  will  endure  reproach  of  their
But  you,  O  mountains  of  Israel,  will  pro-
own.
duce  branches  and  bear  fruit  for  My  people  Is-
9
rael, for they will soon come home.

10

11

For behold, I am on your side; I will turn toward
I will mul-
you, and you will be tilled and sown.
tiply the people upon you—the house of Israel in
its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the
I will fill you with people and an-
ruins rebuilt.
imals, and they will multiply and be fruitful. I will
make  you  as inhabited  as you  once were,  and  I
will  make  you  prosper  more  than  before.  Then
12
you will know that I am the LORD.

Yes, I will cause My people Israel to walk upon
you; they will possess you, and you will be their
inheritance, and you will no longer deprive them
13
of their children.

14

For  this  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Because
people say to you, ‘You devour men and deprive
therefore you will
your nation of its children,’
15
no longer devour men or deprive your nation of
I  will  no
its  children,  declares  the  Lord  GOD.
longer allow the taunts of the nations to be heard
against  you,  and  you  will  no  longer  endure  the
reproach of the peoples or cause your nation to
A New Heart and a New Spirit
stumble, declares the Lord GOD.”
(Romans 8:9–11 ;  Galatians 5:16–26)

16

17

Again the word of the LORD came to me, say-
ing,
“Son  of  man,  when  the  people  of  Israel
lived  in  their  land,  they  defiled  it  by  their  own
ways and deeds. Their behavior before Me was

18

33

Ezekiel 37:9    |    779

So
like the uncleanness of a woman’s impurity.
I poured out My wrath upon them because of the
blood  they  had  shed  on  the  land,  and  because
19
they had defiled it with their idols.

20

I dispersed them among the nations, and they
were  scattered  throughout  the  lands.  I  judged
them according to their ways and deeds.
And
wherever  they  went  among  the  nations,  they
profaned  My  holy  name,  because  it  was  said  of
them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they
But I had concern for My
had to leave His land.’
holy  name,  which  the  house  of  Israel  had  pro-
22
faned among the nations to which they had gone.

21

23

Therefore  tell  the  house  of  Israel  that  this  is
what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake
that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy
name, which you profaned among the nations to
I will show the holiness of My
which you went.
great name, which has been profaned among the
nations—the  name  you  have  profaned  among
them. Then the nations will know that I am the
LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My
24
holiness in you before their eyes.

26

25

For I will take you from among the nations and
gather  you  out  of  all  the  countries,  and  I  will
I will also
bring you back into your own land.
sprinkle  clean  water  on  you,  and  you  will  be
clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities
I will give you a new heart
and all your idols.
and  put  a  new  spirit  within  you;  I  will  remove
27
your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit within you and cause
you  to  walk  in  My  statutes  and  to  carefully  ob-
28
serve My ordinances.

29

Then you will live in the land that I gave your
forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be
your God.
I will save you from all your unclean-
ness. I will summon the grain and make it plenti-
I will
ful, and I will not bring famine upon you.
also  make  the  fruit  of  the  trees  and  the  crops
of  the  field  plentiful,  so  that  you  will  no  longer
bear reproach among the nations on account of
31
famine.

30

32

Then  you  will  remember  your  evil  ways  and
wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for
It is not for
your iniquities and abominations.
your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—
let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced
for your ways, O house of Israel!
a 5

spirit

Or

; also in verses 6, 9, and 10

34

This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I
cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause
the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be re-
The  desolate  land  will  be  cultivated  in-
built.
35
stead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass
Then they will say, ‘This land that was
through.
desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The
cities  that  were  once  ruined,  desolate,  and  de-
36
stroyed are now fortified and inhabited.’

Then the nations around you that remain will
know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was de-
stroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate.
37
I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.

This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I
will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for
38
them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.
Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jeru-
salem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined
cities  will  be  filled  with  flocks  of  people.  Then
The Valley of Dry Bones
they will know that I am the LORD.”

37

2

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and
He brought me out by His Spirit and set
me down in the middle of the valley, and it was
full of bones.
He led me all around among them,
and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the
3
valley, and indeed, they were very dry.

Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones

come to life?”
4
“O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.”

 a

5

6

And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these
bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of
This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says  to
the  LORD!
these  bones:  I  will  cause  breath
  to  enter  you,
I will attach tendons
and you will come to life.
to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover
you with skin. I will put breath within you so that
you will come to life. Then you will know that I
7
am the LORD.’

”

8

So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And
as  I  prophesied,  there  was  suddenly  a  noise,  a
rattling,  and  the  bones  came  together,  bone  to
As  I  looked  on,  tendons  appeared  on
bone.
them,  flesh  grew,  and  skin  covered  them;  but
9
there was no breath in them.

Then  He  said  to  me,  “Prophesy  to  the  breath;
prophesy,  son  of  man,  and  tell  the  breath  that
this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the

780    |    Ezekiel 37:10

four  winds,  O  breath,  and  breathe  into  these
10
slain, so that they may live!”

So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and
the  breath  entered  them,  and  they  came  to  life
11
and stood on their feet—a vast army.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones
are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are say-
ing,  ‘Our  bones  are  dried  up,  and  our  hope  has
12
perished; we are cut off.’

13

14

Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open
your graves and bring you up from them, and I
Then
will bring you back to the land of Israel.
you,  My  people,  will  know  that  I  am  the  LORD,
when I open your graves and bring you up from
I will put My Spirit in you and you will
them.
live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then
you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and
One Nation with One King
I will do it, declares the LORD.’
15

”

16

 a
Again the word of the LORD came to me, say-
ing,
“And you, son of man, take a single stick
and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Is-
raelites associated with him.’ Then take another
stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the
stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel
Then join them together
associated with him.’
into one stick, so that they become one in your
18
hand.

17

19

When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain
you are to tell
to us what you mean by these?’
them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will
take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with
him, and I will put them together with the stick
of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and
20
they will become one in My hand.’

21

When the sticks on which you write are in your
hand and in full view of the people,
you are to
tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I
will take the Israelites out of the nations to which
they have gone, and I will gather them from all
around and bring them into their own land.
I
will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land,  on  the
mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over
all of them. Then they will no longer be two na-
tions  and  will  never  again  be  divided  into  two
branch
a 16
kingdoms.
their dwelling places where they sinned
Or
prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal

; also in verses 17, 19, and 20

b 23

c 27

22

f 3

23

b

They  will  no  longer  defile  themselves  with
their  idols  or  detestable  images,  or  with  any  of
their  transgressions.  I  will  save  them  from  all
 and I will
their apostasies by which they sinned,
24
cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I
My servant David will be king
will be their God.
over them, and there will be one shepherd for all
of  them.  They  will  follow  My  ordinances  and
25
keep and observe My statutes.

26

They will live in the land that I gave to My serv-
ant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live
there forever with their children and grandchil-
dren, and My servant David will be their prince
And  I  will  make  a  covenant  of  peace
forever.
with  them;  it  will  be  an  everlasting  covenant.  I
will establish them and multiply them, and I will
My
set  My  sanctuary  among  them  forever.
d
dwelling place
 will be with them; I will be their
Then the na-
God, and they will be My people.
tions  will  know  that  I  the  LORD  sanctify  Israel,
A Prophecy against Gog
when My sanctuary is among them forever.’

”

27

28

 c

38

2

f

4

And the word of the LORD came to me,
“Son  of  man,  set  your  face
saying,
e
against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince
3
  Prophesy  against  him
of  Meshech  and  Tubal.
and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:
Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of
I will turn you around, put
Meshech and Tubal.
hooks  in  your  jaws,  and  bring  you  out  with  all
your army—your horses, your horsemen in full
armor, and a great company armed with shields
Per-
and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.
6
sia, Cush,
 and Put will accompany them, all with
as well as Gomer with all
shields and helmets,
its troops, and Beth-togarmah from the far north
7
with all its troops—the many nations with you.

5

g

8

Get  ready;  prepare  yourself,  you  and  all  your
company gathered around you; you will be their
After a long time you will be summoned.
guard.
In the latter years you will enter a land that has
recovered  from  war,  whose  people  were  gath-
ered  from  many  nations  to  the  mountains  of
Israel,  which  had  long  been  desolate.  They  had
been brought out from the nations, and all now
You  and  all  your  troops,  and
dwell  securely.
many peoples with you will go up, advancing like
a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering
the land.
d 27

of Magog, the

e 2

all

9

My tabernacle

Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal

Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also LXX); most Heb. manuscripts
Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:16

g 5

Or

Or

Or

That is, the upper Nile region

10

11

This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day,
thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will de-
You  will  say,  ‘I  will  go  up
vise  an  evil  plan.
against  a  land  of  unwalled  villages;  I  will  come
against a quiet people who dwell securely, all of
in
them living without walls or bars or gates—
order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder,
to  turn  a  hand  against  the  desolate  places  now
inhabited and against a people gathered from the
nations, who have acquired livestock and posses-
13
sions and who live at the center of the land.’

12

 a

Sheba  and  Dedan  and  the  merchants  of  Tar-
shish  with  all  its  villages
  will  ask,  ‘Have  you
come  to  capture  the  plunder?  Have  you  assem-
bled your hordes to carry away loot, to make off
with silver and gold, to take cattle and goods, to
14
seize great spoil?’

 b

15

Therefore prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog
that this is what the Lord GOD says: On that day
when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will
you not take notice of this?
And you will come
from  your  place  out  of  the  far  north—you  and
many  peoples  with  you,  all  riding  horses—a
mighty horde, a huge army.
You will advance
against My people Israel like a cloud covering the
land. It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that
I will bring you against My land, so that the na-
tions may know Me when I show Myself holy in
17
you before their eyes.

16

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  Are  you  the
one  of  whom  I  have  spoken  in  former  days
through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who
18
in those times prophesied for years that I would
bring you against them?
Now on that day when
Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the
19
Lord GOD, My wrath will flare up.

20

In  My  zeal  and  fiery  rage  I  proclaim  that  on
that day there will be a great earthquake in the
land of Israel.
The fish of the sea, the birds of
the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that
crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the
face of the earth will tremble at My presence. The
mountains  will  be  thrown  down,  the  cliffs  will
21
collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.

22

And I will summon a sword against Gog on all
My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every
man’s sword will be against his brother.
I will
execute  judgment  upon  him  with  plague  and
bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hail-
a 13
stones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops

will you not rouse yourself?
multitude of Gog

e 11 Hamon-gog

young lions

b 14

Ezekiel 39:14    |    781

23

and on the many nations with him.
I will mag-
nify and sanctify Myself, and I will reveal Myself
in the sight of many nations. Then they will know
The Slaughter of Gog’s Armies
that I am the LORD.

39

c

2

“As  for  you,  O  son  of  man,  prophesy
against Gog and declare that this is what
the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O
I will
Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
turn you around, drive you along, bring you up
from  the  far  north,  and  send  you  against  the
Then I will strike the bow
mountains of Israel.
from your left hand and dash down the arrows
4
from your right hand.

3

On  the  mountains  of  Israel  you  will  fall—you
and  all  your  troops  and  the  nations  with  you.  I
will give you as food to every kind of ravenous
bird  and  wild  beast.
You  will  fall  in  the  open
6
field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.

5

I  will  send  fire  on  Magog  and  on  those  who
7
dwell  securely  in  the  coastlands,  and  they  will
know that I am the LORD.
So I will make My holy
name known among My people Israel and will no
longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations
will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Is-
rael.
Yes, it is coming, and it will surely happen,
declares the Lord GOD. This is the day of which I
9
have spoken.

8

10

Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will
go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—
the  bucklers and  shields,  the  bows  and  arrows,
the  clubs  and  spears.  For  seven  years  they  will
use  them  for  fuel.
They  will  not  gather  wood
from  the  countryside  or  cut  it  from  the  forests,
for they will use the weapons for fuel. They will
loot  those  who  looted  them  and  plunder  those
11
who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.

d

And on that day I will give Gog a burial place in
Israel,  the  Valley  of  the  Travelers,  east  of  the
Sea.
 It will block those who travel through, be-
e
cause Gog and all his hordes will be buried there.
12
So  it  will  be  called  the  Valley  of  Hamon-gog.

13

For  seven  months  the  house  of  Israel  will  be
burying them in order to cleanse the land.
All
the people of the land will bury them, and it will
bring  them  renown  on  the  day  I  display  My
14
glory,

 declares the Lord GOD.

f

And men will be employed to continually pass
c 1
Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal
through  the  land  to  cleanse  it  by  burying  the
f 13
Or

d 11
and the day I display My glory will be a day of

That

Or
renown
is, the Dead Sea

LXX

 means

.

Or

782    |    Ezekiel 39:15

29

invaders who remain on the ground. At the end
15
of the seven months they will begin their search.
As  they  pass  through  the  land,  anyone  who
sees a human bone will set up a pillar next to it,
until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley
(Even  the  city  will  be  named
of  Hamon-gog.
17
Hamonah.

) And so they will cleanse the land.

16

a

18

And  as  for  you,  son  of  man,  this  is  what  the
Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and
to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come
together  from  all  around  to  the  sacrificial  feast
that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the
mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and
You will eat the flesh of the mighty
drink blood.
and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as
though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—
At the sac-
all the fattened animals of Bashan.
rifice I am preparing, you will eat fat until you are
20
gorged  and  drink  blood  until  you  are  drunk.
And at My table you will eat your fill of horses
and riders, of mighty men and warriors of every
Israel to Be Restored
kind,’ declares the Lord GOD.
21

19

22

23

I will display My glory among the nations, and
all the nations will see the judgment that I exe-
From
cute and the hand that I lay upon them.
that  day  forward  the  house  of  Israel  will  know
And the nations
that I am the LORD their God.
will know that the house of Israel went into exile
for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to
Me.  So  I  hid  My  face  from  them  and  delivered
them into the hands of their enemies, so that they
I dealt with them accord-
all fell by the sword.
ing to their uncleanness and transgressions, and
25
I hid My face from them.

24

 b

 c

26

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now
I will restore Jacob from captivity
 and will have
compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I
They will for-
will be jealous for My holy name.
get
  their  disgrace  and  all  the  treachery  they
committed against Me, when they dwell securely
27
in  their  land,  with  no  one  to  frighten  them.
When I bring them back from the peoples and
gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I
will  show  My  holiness  in  them  in  the  sight  of
Then they will know that I am
many nations.
multitude
a 16 Hamonah
the  LORD  their  God,  when  I  regather  them  to
bear

horde

b 25

28

d 5 6 long cubits
 means

their own land, not leaving any of them behind
And I will
after their exile among the nations.
no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour
out My Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the
The Man with a Measuring Rod  (Zech. 2:1–5)
Lord GOD.”

40

In  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  our  exile,  at
the  beginning  of  the  year,  on  the  tenth
day  of  the  month—in  the  fourteenth  year  after
Jerusalem had been struck down—on that very
day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He
In visions of God He took me to
took me there.
the  land  of  Israel  and  set  me  on  a  very  high
mountain, on whose southern slope was a struc-
3
ture that resembled a city.

2

4

So He took me there, and I saw a man whose ap-
pearance was like bronze. He was standing in the
gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod
“Son of man,” he said to me, “look
in his hand.
with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay at-
tention to everything I am going to show you, for
that is why you have been brought here. Report
The East Gate
to the house of Israel everything you see.”
5

And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area.
 d
Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s
hand was six long cubits
 (each measuring a cu-
bit  and  a  handbreadth),  and  he  measured  the
6
wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.

 f

e

7

Then  he  came  to  the  gate  facing  east  and
climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of
the gate to be one rod deep.
Each gate chamber
was  one  rod  long  and  one  rod  wide,  and  there
were  five  cubits
  between  the  gate  chambers.
8
The  inner  threshold  of  the  gate  by  the  portico
9
Then he meas-
facing inward was one rod deep.
ured the portico of the gateway inside;
it was
eight cubits deep,
 and its jambs were two cubits
thick.
 And the portico of the gateway faced the
10
temple.

 g

h

i

There were three gate chambers on each side
of  the  east  gate,  each  with  the  same  measure-
11
ments, and the gateposts on either side also had
j
And he measured the
the same measurements.
width of the gateway entrance to be ten cubits,
They will
and its length was thirteen cubits.

c 26

k

restore the fortunes of Jacob

 or

.

Or

A few Heb. manuscripts; MT

e 6

one reed deep, even one threshold, one reed deep.

, the length of the reed used for measuring, is approximately 10.5 feet or 3.2 meters; similarly in

Hebrew

verses 6, 7, and 12. The long cubit of about 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters is the basic unit of length throughout Ezekiel 40
to 48.
 is approximately 8.75 feet or 2.7
meters; also in verses 30 and 48.
mately 14 feet or 4.3 meters.
mately 17.5 feet or 5.3 meters.

i 9 2 (long) cubits
Literally
k 11 13 (long) cubits

h 9 8 (long) cubits
j 11 10 (long) cubits

 is approximately 22.75 feet or 6.9 meters.

 is approximately 3.5 feet or 1.1 meters.

 is approxi-

 is approxi-

g 8

f 7 5 (long) cubits
the portico of the gateway inside, one rod

12

13

In front of each gate chamber was a wall one
cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits
Then  he  measured  the  gateway  from
square.
the  roof  of  one  gate  chamber  to  the  roof  of
 a
the  opposite  one;  the  distance  was  twenty-five
14
cubits

 from doorway to doorway.

b

Next he measured the gateposts to be sixty cu-
15
bits high.
 The gateway extended around to the
And  the  distance
gatepost  of  the  courtyard.
from the entrance of the gateway to the far end
16
of its inner portico was fifty cubits.

 d

c

The gate chambers and their side pillars

 had
beveled  windows  all  around  the  inside  of  the
gateway.  The  porticos  also  had  windows  all
around on the inside. Each side pillar was deco-
The Outer Court
rated with palm trees.
17

18

Then he brought me into the outer court, and
there were chambers and a pavement laid out all
around  the  court.  Thirty  chambers  faced  the
pavement,
which  flanked  the  gateways  and
corresponded to the length of the gates; this was
19
the lower pavement.

 e

Then he measured the distance from the front
of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner
court; it was a hundred cubits
 on the east side
The North Gate
as well as on the north.
20

21

22

He also measured the length and width of the
Its
gateway  of  the  outer  court  facing  north.
three gate chambers on each side, its side pillars,
and its portico all had the same measurements as
the  first  gate:  fifty  cubits  long  and  twenty-five
cubits  wide.
Its  windows,  portico,  and  palm
trees had the same measurements as those of the
gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its
23
portico opposite them.

There was a gate to the inner court facing the
north  gate,  just  as  there  was  on  the  east.  He
measured the distance from gateway to gateway
The South Gate
to be a hundred cubits.
24

Ezekiel 40:39    |    783

25

measurements as the others.
Both the gateway
and its portico had windows all around, like the
other  windows.  It  was  fifty  cubits  long  and
Seven steps led up to
twenty-five cubits wide.
it, and its portico was opposite them; it had palm
27
trees on its side pillars, one on each side.

26

The  inner  court  also  had  a  gate  facing  south,
and  he  measured  the  distance  from  gateway  to
The Gates of the Inner Court
gateway toward the south to be a hundred cubits.
28

29

Next  he  brought  me  into  the  inner  court
through  the  south  gate,  and  he  measured  the
south gate; it had the same measurements as the
Its gate chambers, side pillars, and por-
others.
tico  had  the same  measurements  as  the  others.
Both the gateway and its portico had windows all
around;  it  was  fifty  cubits  long  and  twenty-five
(The  porticoes  around  the  inner
cubits  wide.
court  were  twenty-five  cubits  long  and  five  cu-
bits  deep.
Its  portico  faced  the  outer  court,
and  its  side  pillars  were  decorated  with  palm
32
trees. Eight steps led up to it.

31

30

)

f

33

And he brought me to the inner court on the
east  side,  and  he  measured  the  gateway;  it  had
Its gate
the same measurements as the others.
chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same
measurements  as  the  others.  Both  the  gateway
and  its  portico  had  windows  all  around.  It  was
34
fifty  cubits  long  and  twenty-five  cubits  wide.
Its  portico  faced  the  outer  court,  and  its  side
pillars were decorated with palm trees on each
35
side. Eight steps led up to it.

36

Then  he  brought  me  to  the  north  gate  and
measured  it.  It  had  the  same  measurements  as
as  did  its  gate  chambers,  side
the  others,
pillars,  and  portico.  It  also  had  windows  all
around.  It  was  fifty  cubits  long  and  twenty-five
cubits wide.
 faced the outer court,
and  its  side  pillars  were  decorated  with  palm
Eight Tables for Sacrifices
trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
38

Its portico

37

 g

 h

39

There was a chamber with a doorway by the
portico
  in  each  of  the  inner  gateways.  There
Inside the
the burnt offering was to be washed.
portico of the gateway were two tables on each
side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings,
and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.

b 14 60 (long)

 is approximately 87.5 feet or 26.7 meters; also in
g 37

; here and throughout Ezekiel 40 and 41.

f 30

Then he led me to the south side, and I saw a
gateway  facing  south.  He  measured  its  side
a 13 25 (long) cubits
pillars  and  portico,  and  they  had  the  same
cubits

c 15 50 (long) cubits

gateposts
 is approximately 105 feet or 32 meters.

d 16

e 19 100 (long) cubits
verses 21, 25, 29, 33, and 36.

Or

 or

 or
h 38

 is approximately 43.75 feet or 13.3 meters; also in verses 21, 25, 29, 30, 33, and 36.

projecting walls

jambs

dividing wall
approximately 43.75 feet long and 8.75 feet deep (13.3 meters long and 2.7 meters deep).
verses 26, 31, and 34); Hebrew

 is approximately 175 feet or 53.3 meters; also in verses 23, 27, and 47.

at the jambs

Hebrew

jambs

 or

The porticoes were
LXX and Vulgate (see also

784    |    Ezekiel 40:40

40

Inside the Temple

41

Outside, as one goes up to the entrance of the
north gateway, there were two tables on one side
and  two  more  tables  on  the  other  side  of  the
So there were four tables inside
gate’s portico.
the  gateway  and  four  outside—eight  tables  in
all—on  which  the  sacrifices  were  to  be  slaugh-
42
tered.

There  were  also  four  tables  of  dressed  stone
for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half long,
a  cubit  and  a  half  wide,  and  a  cubit  high.
  On
these were placed the utensils used to slaughter
43
the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.

a

b

c

The  double-pronged  hooks,

  each  a  hand-
  were  fastened  all  around  the
breadth  long,
inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering
Chambers for Ministry
was to be placed on the tables.
44

d

 e

Outside the inner gate, within the inner court,
were two chambers,
 one beside the north gate
and  facing  south,  and  another  beside  the  south
45
gate

 and facing north.

46

Then the man said to me: “The chamber that
faces south is for the priests who keep charge of
the temple,
and the chamber that faces north
is  for  the  priests  who  keep  charge  of  the  altar.
These are the sons of Zadok, the only Levites who
The Inner Court
may approach the LORD to minister before Him.”
47

Next he measured  the court. It was square,  a
hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide.
48
And the altar was in front of the temple.

f

h

49

Then he brought me to the portico of the tem-
ple and measured the side pillars of the portico
to  be  five  cubits  on  each side.  The width  of  the
gateway  was  fourteen  cubits  and  its  sidewalls
were three cubits on either side.
The portico
i
  and  twelve  cubits
was  twenty  cubits  wide
deep,
 There were col-
a 42
umns by the side pillars, one on each side.
d 44
and 53.3 centimeters high).

 and ten steps led up to it.

shelves

b 43

Or

 g

41

l

 j

k

2

Then the man brought me into the outer
sanctuary and measured the side pillars
to be six cubits wide
The width
 on each side.
 m
of the entrance was ten cubits,
 and the sides of
the entrance were five cubits
 on each side. He
also measured the length of the outer sanctuary
to be forty cubits, and the width to be twenty cu-
3
bits.

n

o

4

And he went into the inner sanctuary and meas-
ured  the  side  pillars  at  the  entrance  to  be  two
 The entrance was six cubits wide,
cubits wide.
p
and  the  walls  on  each  side  were  seven  cubits
Then he measured the room adjacent to
wide.
r
the  inner  sanctuary
  to  be  twenty  cubits  long
s
and twenty cubits wide.
 And he said to me, “This
Outside the Temple
is the Most Holy Place.
5

”

 q

t

6

7

Next he measured the wall of the temple to be
six cubits thick, and the width of each side room
around  the  temple  was  four  cubits.
The  side
rooms were arranged one above another in three
levels of thirty rooms each. There were ledges all
around  the  wall  of  the  temple  to  serve  as  sup-
ports  for  the  side  rooms,  so  that  the  supports
would not be fastened into the wall of the temple
The  side  rooms  surrounding  the  temple
itself.
widened  at  each  successive  level,  because  the
structure  surrounding  the  temple  ascended  by
stages  corresponding  to  the  narrowing  of  the
temple wall as it rose upward. And so a stairway
went  up  from  the  lowest  story  to  the  highest,
8
through the middle one.

9

I  saw  that  the  temple  had  a  raised  base  all
around  it,  forming  the  foundation  of  the  side
rooms. It was the full length of a rod, six long cu-
The outer wall of the side rooms was five
bits.
cubits thick, and the open area between the side
and  the  outer  chambers
rooms  of  the  temple
was  twenty  cubits  wide  all  around  the  temple.

10

c 43 A handbreadth

within the inner court were chambers for the singers

The tables were approximately 2.6 feet in length and width, and 1.75 feet high (79.2 centimeters in length and width,
 is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters long.
LXX; the

The width of the gateway was three cubits on either side.

g 49 20 (long) cubits

the east gateway

LXX; Hebrew

LXX; Hebrew

e 44

f 48

h 49

12 (long) cubits

gateway was approximately 24.5 feet or 7.5 meters wide, with sidewalls approximately 5.25 feet or 1.6 meters wide on
either side. Hebrew
or 10.7 meters.
approximately 19.25 feet or 5.9 meters.
side—the width of the tent
l 2 10 (long) cubits
feet or 3.2 meters; also in verses 3, 5, and 8.

 is approximately 21 feet or 6.4 meters; Hebrew

k 1
LXX; Hebrew

and steps led up to it

m 2 5 (long) cubits

eleven cubits deep

j 1 6 (long) cubits

; that is,
on each

LXX;

i 49

 is approximately 10.5

 is approximately 35 feet

One Hebrew manuscript and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts
 is

 is approximately 17.5 feet or 5.3 meters.

o 3 2 (long) cubits

n 2

approximately 8.75 feet or 2.7 meters; also in verses 9, 11, and 12.
q 4
p 3 7 (long) cubits
long and 35 feet wide (21.3 meters long and 10.7 meters wide).
t 5 4 (long) cubits
approximately 35 feet long and 35 feet wide (10.7 meters long and 10.7 meters wide).

 is approximately 12.25 feet or 3.7 meters.

Or

the length of the inner sanctuary

The outer sanctuary was approximately 70 feet

r 4
 is approximately 3.5 feet or 1.1 meters.
the Holy of Holies

s 4

The room was

Or

 is approximately 7 feet or 2.1 meters.

11

The side rooms opened into this area, with one
entrance on the north and another on the south.
12
The open area was five cubits wide all around.

a

Now the building that faced the temple court-
yard on the west was seventy cubits wide,
 and
the wall of the building was five cubits thick all
13
around, with a length of ninety cubits.

b

c

Then he measured the temple to be a hundred
cubits  long,
  and  the  temple  courtyard  and  the
14
building with its walls were also a hundred cu-
bits long.
The width of the temple courtyard on
the east, including the front of the temple, was a
The Interior Structures
hundred cubits.
15

Next  he  measured  the  length  of  the  building
facing  the  temple  courtyard  at  the  rear  of  the
temple, including its galleries on each side; it was
a hundred cubits. The outer sanctuary, the inner
16
sanctuary,  and  the  porticoes  facing  the  court,
as well as the thresholds and the beveled win-
dows and the galleries all around with their three
levels opposite the threshold, were overlaid with
wood  on  all sides.  They were  paneled  from  the
ground to the windows, and the windows were
17
covered.

19

In the space above the outside of the entrance
to  the  inner  sanctuary  on  all  the  walls,  spaced
18
evenly  around  the  inner  and  outer  sanctuary,
were  alternating  carved  cherubim  and  palm
the face of a
trees. Each cherub had two faces:
man was toward the palm tree on one side, and
the face of a young lion was toward the palm tree
on the other side. They were carved all the way
around the temple.
Cherubim and palm trees
were  carved  on  the wall  of  the  outer  sanctuary
21
from the floor to the space above the entrance.

20

The  outer  sanctuary  had  a  rectangular  door-
frame,  and  the  doorframe  of  the  sanctuary  was
22
similar.

d
There was an altar of wood three cubits high
and  two  cubits  square.
  Its  corners,  base,  and
sides were of wood. And the man told me, “This
23
is the table that is before the LORD.”

24

Both the outer sanctuary and the inner sanctu-
and each door had two

a 12 70 (long) cubits
ary had double doors,

c 13 100 (long) cubits

Ezekiel 42:12    |    785

25

26

swinging panels. There were two panels for one
door  and  two  for  the  other.
Cherubim  and
palm trees like those on the walls were carved on
the doors of the outer sanctuary, and there was a
wooden canopy outside, on the front of the por-
There  were  beveled  windows  and  palm
tico.
trees  on  the  sidewalls  of  the  portico.  The  side
Chambers for the Priests
rooms of the temple also had canopies.

42

2

Then the man led me out northward into
the outer court, and he brought me to the
group  of  chambers  opposite  the  temple  court-
The
yard and the outer wall on the north side.
building  with  the  door  facing  north  was  a  hun-
dred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
Gallery
faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty
 that belonged to the inner court and op-
cubits
posite the pavement that belonged to the outer
4
court.

3

e

 f

g

In front of the chambers was an inner walkway
 Their

ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long.
5
doors were on the north.

7

Now the upper chambers were smaller because
the galleries took more space from the chambers
6
on  the  lower  and  middle  floors  of  the  building.
For they were arranged in three stories, and un-
like the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper
chambers were set back further than the lower
An outer wall in front of the
and middle floors.
chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to
For  the
the  chambers  and  the  outer  court.
chambers  on  the  outer  court  were  fifty  cubits
9
long, while those facing the temple were a hun-
And  below  these  chambers
dred  cubits  long.
was the entrance on the east side as one enters
10
them from the outer court.

8

 h

11

On the south side

 along the length of the wall
of the outer court were chambers adjoining the
courtyard  and  opposite  the  building,
with  a
passageway in front of them, just like the cham-
bers that were on the north. They had the same
length and width, with similar exits and dimen-
And  corresponding  to  the  doors  of  the
sions.
chambers  that  were  facing  south,  there  was  a
door in front of the walkway that was parallel to
the wall extending eastward.

b 12 90 (long) cubits

12

d 22

long

 is approximately 122.5 feet or 37.3 meters.

 is approximately 157.5 feet or 48
e 2
 is approximately 175 feet or 53.3 meters; similarly in verses 14 and 15.

meters.
altar was approximately 5.25 feet high and 3.5 feet square (1.6 meters high and 1.1 meters square)
approximately 175 feet long and 87.5 feet wide (53.3 meters long and 26.7 meters wide).
approximately 35 feet or 10.7 meters.
meters wide and 53.3 meters long). Hebrew

ten cubits wide and a cubit long.
h 10
LXX. The walkway was approximately 17.5 feet wide and 175 feet long (5.3

; the
The building was

f 3 20 (long) cubits

LXX; Hebrew

east side

g 4

Or

 is

786    | Ezekiel 42:13

13

6

14

Then the man said to me, “The north and south
chambers  facing  the  temple  courtyard  are  the
holy chambers where the priests who approach
the LORD will eat the most holy offerings. There
they  will  place  the  most  holy  offerings—the
grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt of-
ferings—for the place is holy.
Once the priests
have entered the holy area, they must not go out
into  the  outer  court  until  they  have  left  behind
the  garments  in  which  they  minister,  for  these
are holy. They are to put on other clothes before
The Outer Measurements
they approach the places that are for the people.”
15

Now  when  the  man  had  finished  measuring
the interior of the temple area, he led me out by
the  gate  that  faced  east,  and  he  measured  the
area all around:

16

a

With a measuring rod he measured the

17
east side to be five hundred cubits long.
He measured the north side to be five

18
hundred cubits long.

He measured the south side to be five

19
hundred cubits long.

20

And he came around and measured the
west side to be five hundred cubits long.

So  he  measured  the  area  on  all  four  sides.  It
had  a  wall  all  around,  five  hundred  cubits  long
and  five  hundred  cubits  wide,  to  separate  the
The Glory of the LORD Returns to the Temple
holy from the common.

43

2
Then  the  man  brought  me  back  to  the
and I saw the glory
gate that faces east,
of  the  God  of  Israel  coming  from  the  east.  His
voice was like the roar of many waters, and the
3
earth shone with His glory.

 b

4

The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen
when He came
 to destroy the city and like the
visions  I  had  seen  by  the  River  Kebar.  I  fell
facedown,
and  the  glory  of  the  LORD  entered
the  temple  through  the  gate  facing  east.
Then
the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the
inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the
temple.
a 16

five hundred cubits

5

While the man was standing beside me, I heard
7
someone speaking to me from inside the temple,
and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place
of  My  throne  and  the  place  for  the  soles  of  My
feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites for-
ever. The house of Israel will never again defile
 c
My holy name—neither they nor their kings—by
their  prostitution  and  by  the  funeral  offerings
for  their  kings  at  their  deaths.
When  they
placed their threshold next to My threshold and
their doorposts beside My doorposts, with only a
wall between Me and them, they defiled My holy
name  by  the  abominations  they  committed.
9
Therefore  I  have  consumed  them  in  My  anger.
Now let them remove far from Me their prosti-
tution  and  the  funeral  offerings  for  their  kings,
10
and I will dwell among them forever.

8

d

 e

11

As  for  you,  son  of  man,  describe  the  temple
to  the  people  of  Israel,  so  that  they  may  be
ashamed  of  their  iniquities.  Let  them  measure
 of all they
and if they are ashamed
the plan,
have done, then make known to them the design
of the temple—its arrangement and its exits and
entrances—its  whole  design  along  with  all  its
statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down in their
sight, so that they may keep its complete design
12
and all its statutes and may carry them out.

This is the law of the temple: All its surround-
ing territory on top of the mountain will be most
The Altar of Sacrifice
holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.
13

 f

These  are  the  measurements  of  the  altar  in
long cubits
 (a cubit and a handbreadth): Its gut-
ter shall be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a
rim of one span
 around its edge.

14

 g

h

The  space
And  this  is  the  height  of  the  altar:
from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge
shall  be  two  cubits,  and  the  ledge  one  cubit
  The  space  from  the  smaller  ledge  to  the
wide.
larger  ledge  shall  be  four  cubits,  and  the  ledge
15
one cubit wide.

i

The altar hearth shall be four cubits high, and
four horns shall project upward from the hearth.

five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about

 from verse 17 LXX and implied in verses 16, 18, 19, and 20 is approx. 875 feet or 266.7

when I

See LXX;
c 7

meters in length. Hebrew
came
meters; similarly in verses 17, 18, 19, and 20.
and they will be ashamed
Or
; also in verse 9

the monuments

long cubit

f 13

b 3
d 7

The

for their kings on their high places

, that is approx. 5,250 feet or 1,600
Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Heb. manuscripts
Or

Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate
, about 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters, is the basic unit for linear
i 14
 is approx. 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters.

The space was to

h 14

e 11

g 13 One span

measurement throughout Ezekiel 40–48.
be approx. 3.5 feet (1.1 meters), and the ledge was to be approx. 1.75 feet wide (53.3 centimeters wide).
was to be approx. 7 feet (2.1 meters), and the ledge was to be approx. 1.75 feet wide (53.3 centimeters wide).

The space

16

a
The altar hearth shall be square at its four cor-
17
ners, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide.

b

 c

The ledge shall also be square, fourteen cubits
 with a rim of half
 and a gutter of a cubit all around it. The

long and fourteen cubits wide,
a cubit
18
steps of the altar shall face east.”

19

20

Then He said to me: “Son of man, this is what
the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the statutes for the
altar  on  the  day  it  is  constructed,  so  that  burnt
offerings may be sacrificed on it and blood may
You are to give a young bull
be splattered on it:
from  the  herd  as  a  sin  offering  to  the  Levitical
priests who are of the family of Zadok, who ap-
proach  Me  to  minister  before  Me,  declares  the
You  are  to  take  some  of  its  blood
Lord  GOD.
and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the
four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim;
thus you will cleanse the altar and make atone-
Then you are to take away the bull
ment for it.
for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed
22
part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.

21

On  the  second  day  you are  to  present  an  un-
blemished male goat as a sin offering, and the al-
23
tar  is  to  be  cleansed  as  it  was  with  the  bull.
When you have finished the purification, you
are to present a young, unblemished bull and an
You  must
unblemished  ram  from  the  flock.
present them before the LORD; the priests are to
sprinkle  salt  on  them  and  sacrifice  them  as  a
25
burnt offering to the LORD.

24

26

For seven days you are to provide a male goat
daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a
young  bull  and  a  ram  from  the  flock,  both  un-
For  seven  days  the  priests  are  to
blemished.
d
make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; so
they  shall  consecrate  it.
At  the  end  of  these
days,  from  the  eighth  day on,  the  priests  are  to
present your burnt offerings and peace offerings
on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the
The East Gate Assigned to the Prince
Lord GOD.’

27

”

44

2

The  man  then  brought  me  back  to  the
outer  gate  of  the  sanctuary  that  faced
east, but it was shut.
And the LORD said to me,
“This  gate  is  to  remain  shut.  It  shall  not  be
opened,  and  no  man  shall  enter  through  it,  be-
cause  the  LORD,  the  God  of  Israel,  has  entered
Only
through  it.  Therefore  it  will  remain  shut.
a 16 12 (long) cubits
the prince himself may sit inside the gateway to
c 17 A half cubit

3

Ezekiel 44:14    |    787

eat in the presence of the LORD. He must enter
by way of the portico of the gateway and go out
4
the same way.”

5

Then  the  man  brought  me  to  the  front  of  the
temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw
the glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell
The  LORD  said  to  me: “Son  of  man,
facedown.
pay attention; look carefully with your eyes and
listen closely with your ears to everything I tell
you  concerning  all  the  statutes  and  laws  of  the
house of the LORD. Take careful note of the en-
trance  to  the  temple,  along  with  all  the  exits  of
Reproof of the Levites
the sanctuary.
6

7

Tell  the  rebellious  house  of  Israel  that  this  is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘I have had enough of all
In  addi-
your  abominations,  O  house  of  Israel.
tion to all your other abominations, you brought
in  foreigners  uncircumcised  in  both  heart  and
flesh  to  occupy  My  sanctuary;  you  defiled  My
temple  when  you  offered  My  food—the  fat  and
And  you
the  blood;  you  broke  My  covenant.
have not kept charge of My holy things, but have
appointed others to keep charge of My sanctuary
9
for you.’

8

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  No  foreigner
uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My
sanctuary—not  even  a  foreigner  who  lives
10
among the Israelites.

11

Surely  the  Levites  who  wandered  away  from
Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered
away from Me after their idols, will bear the con-
Yet  they  shall  be
sequences  of  their  iniquity.
ministers in My sanctuary, having charge of the
gates of the temple and ministering there. They
shall slaughter the burnt offerings and other sac-
rifices  for  the  people  and  stand  before  them  to
12
minister to them.

13

Because they ministered before their idols and
became  a  stumbling  block  of  iniquity  to  the
house of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted
hand concerning them that they would bear the
consequences of their iniquity, declares the Lord
They must not approach Me to serve Me
GOD.
as priests or come near any of My holy things or
the most holy things. They will bear the shame of
Yet  I
the  abominations  they  have  committed.
will appoint them to keep charge of all the work
for the temple and everything to be done in it.

14

b 17 14 (long) cubits

d 26

fill its hand
 is approximately 24.5 feet or 7.5 meters.

 is approximately 21 feet or 6.4 meters.
 is approximately 10.5 inches or 26.7 centimeters.

Hebrew

788    |    Ezekiel 44:15

The Duties of the Priests

28

15

But  the  Levitical  priests,  who  are  descended
from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctu-
ary when the Israelites went astray from Me, are
to approach Me to minister before Me. They will
stand  before  Me  to  offer  Me  fat  and  blood,  de-
They alone shall enter My
clares the Lord GOD.
sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister
17
before Me. They will keep My charge.

16

18

When they enter the gates of the inner court,
they are to wear linen garments; they must not
wear anything made of wool when they minister
at the gates of the inner court or inside the tem-
They  are  to  wear  linen  turbans  on  their
ple.
heads  and  linen  undergarments  around  their
waists. They must not wear anything that makes
19
them perspire.

When  they  go  out  to  the  outer  court,  to  the
people, they are to take off the garments in which
they  have  ministered,  leave  them  in  the  holy
chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they
do not transmit holiness to the people with their
20
garments.

22

They  must  not  shave  their  heads  or  let  their
21
hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.
No priest may drink wine before he enters the
And they shall not marry a widow
inner court.
or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of
the  descendants  of  the  house  of  Israel,  or  a
They are to teach My people
widow of a priest.
the difference between the holy and the common
and show them how to discern between the clean
24
and the unclean.

23

In  any  dispute,  they  shall  officiate  as  judges
and  judge  according  to  My  ordinances.  They
must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My
appointed  feasts,  and  they  must  keep  My  Sab-
25
baths holy.

27

26

A priest must not defile himself by going near
a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a
son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sis-
and after he is cleansed, he
ter, he may do so,
And on
must count off seven days for himself.
the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner
court, to minister in the sanctuary, he must pre-
a 1
sent his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.
cubits
kilometers wide). Hebrew
d 3

25,000 cubits long and 10,000 wide

 is approximately 875 feet or 266.7 meters.
f 5

the Holy of Holies

e 3

In regard to their inheritance, I am their inher-
itance.  You  are  to  give  them  no  possession  in
29
Israel, for I am their possession.

30

They shall eat the grain offerings, the sin offer-
ings, and the guilt offerings. Everything in Israel
The
devoted to the LORD will belong to them.
best  of  all  the  firstfruits  and  of  every  contribu-
tion  from  all  your  offerings  will  belong  to  the
priests. You are to give your first batch of dough
to  the  priest,  so  that  a  blessing  may  rest  upon
The priests may not eat any bird
your homes.
Consecration of the Land
or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.

31

45

“When  you  divide  the  land  by  lot  as  an
inheritance,  you  are  to  set  aside  a  por-
tion  for  the  LORD,  a  holy  portion  of  the  land
 This
25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits wide.
2
entire tract of land will be holy.
b

 c
Within this area there is to be a section for the

a

sanctuary  500  cubits  square,
3
around it for open land.

  with  50  cubits

e

d

4

From this holy portion, you are to measure off a
length  of  25,000  cubits  and  a  width  of  10,000
cubits,
 and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most
Holy Place.
It will be a holy portion of the land
to  be  used  by  the  priests  who  minister  in  the
sanctuary, who draw near to minister before the
LORD. It will be a place for their houses, as well
5
as a holy area for the sanctuary.

An adjacent area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000
cubits wide shall belong to the Levites who min-
ister in the temple; it will be their possession for
6
towns in which to live.

f

g

As the property of the city, you are to set aside
an  area  5,000  cubits  wide  and  25,000  cubits
long,
 adjacent to the holy district. It will belong
The Prince’s Portion
to the whole house of Israel.
7

Now  the  prince  will  have  the  area  bordering
each  side  of  the  area  formed  by  the  holy
district  and  the  property  of  the  city,  extending
westward  from  the  western  side  and  eastward
from the eastern side, running lengthwise from
the  western  boundary  to  the  eastern  boundary
This
and  parallel  to  one  of  the tribal  portions.
land will be his possession in Israel.

8

b 2 500 (long)

LXX; the holy portion was to be approximately 8.3 miles long and 6.6 miles wide (13.3 kilometers long and 10.7

c 2 50 (long) cubits

. See also verses 3 and 5 and Ezekiel 48:9.
g 6

their possession, twenty chambers

 is approximately 87.5 feet or 26.7 meters.

The portion was to be approximately 8.3 miles long and 3.3 miles wide (13.3 kilometers long and 5.3 kilometers wide);

similarly in verse 5.
LXX; Hebrew
the city was to be approximately 1.7 miles wide and 8.3 miles long (2.7 kilometers wide and 13.3 kilometers long).

The property of

Or

9

And My princes will no longer oppress My peo-
ple, but will give the rest of the land to the house
For  this  is
of  Israel  according  to  their  tribes.
what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘Enough,  O  princes  of
Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and
do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My
Honest Scales  (De. 25:13–16 ;  Prov. 11:1–3)
people, declares the Lord GOD.’
a
10

b

You must use honest scales, a just ephah,

11
a just bath.

 and

The  ephah  and  the  bath  shall  be  the  same
quantity so that the bath will contain a tenth of a
homer,  and  the  ephah  a  tenth  of  a  homer;  the
d
12
homer will be the standard measure for both.

c

The  shekel  will  consist  of  twenty  gerahs.
Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fif-
Offerings and Feasts
teen shekels will equal one mina.
13

e

 g

This is the contribution you are to offer: a sixth
f
of  an  ephah  from  each  homer  of  wheat,  and  a
14
sixth  of  an  ephah  from  each  homer  of  barley.
The prescribed portion of oil, measured by the
bath,  is  a  tenth  of  a  bath  from  each  cor
  (a  cor
15
consists  of  ten  baths  or  one  homer,  since  ten
baths  are  equivalent  to  a  homer).
And  one
sheep shall be given from each flock of two hun-
dred  from  the  well-watered  pastures  of  Israel.
These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings,
and peace offerings, to make atonement for the
16
people, declares the Lord GOD.

17

All the people of the land must participate in
this contribution for the prince in Israel.
And it
shall be the prince’s part to provide the burnt of-
ferings,  grain  offerings,  and  drink  offerings  for
the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—for all the
appointed  feasts  of  the  house  of  Israel.  He  will
provide the sin offerings,
 grain offerings, burnt
offerings,  and  peace  offerings  to  make  atone-
18
ment for the house of Israel.

h

This  is what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘On  the  first
day of the first month you are to take a young bull
And
without blemish and purify the sanctuary.
a 10 An ephah
the priest is to take some of the blood from the
c 11 A homer

19

Ezekiel 46:5    |    789

sin  offering  and  put  it  on  the  doorposts  of  the
temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the al-
20
tar,  and  on  the  gateposts  of  the  inner  court.
You must do the same thing on the seventh day
of the month for anyone who strays unintention-
ally  or  in  ignorance.  In  this  way  you  will  make
21
atonement for the temple.

23

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first  month  you
are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days,
22
during  which  unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten.
On that day the prince shall provide a bull as a
sin offering for himself and for all the people of
Each day during the seven days of the
the land.
feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams
without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD,
He
along  with  a  male  goat  for  a  sin  offering.
shall also provide as a grain offering an ephah for
25
each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with
Dur-
a hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.
ing the seven days of the feast that begins on the
fifteenth day of the seventh month,
 he is to make
the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offer-
The Prince’s Offerings
ings, grain offerings, and oil.’

24

i

j

46

2

“This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  says:  ‘The
gate  of  the  inner  court  that  faces  east
must  be  kept  shut  during  the  six  days  of  work,
but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New
The prince is to enter
Moon it shall be opened.
from the outside through the portico of the gate-
way and stand by the gatepost, while the priests
sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings.
He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the
gate  and  then  depart,  but  the  gate  must  not  be
On  the  Sabbaths  and  New
shut  until  evening.
Moons the people of the land are also to bow in
worship before the LORD at the entrance to that
4
gateway.

3

5

The  burnt  offering  that  the  prince  presents  to
the  LORD  on  the  Sabbath  day  shall  be  six
unblemished  male  lambs  and  an  unblemished
The  grain  offering  with  the  ram  shall  be
ram.
one ephah,
 and the grain offering with the lambs
shall  be  as  much  as  he  is  able,  along  with  a

b 10 A bath

k

d 12 20 gerahs
gallons or 22 liters.

 is a dry measure of approx. 20 dry quarts or 22 liters.

 was a liquid measure of approx. 5.8

e 12

 was a dry measure of approx. 6.24 bushels or 220 liters; also in verses 13 and 14.

a tenth of a bath

a sixth of an ephah

 is equivalent to one shekel (approx. 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
common mina was 50 shekels. Sixty shekels weighed approx. 1.5 pounds or 683.8 grams.
purification offerings
 was approx. 3.3 dry quarts or 3.7 liters.
harvest of wheat and of barley;
i 24
one’s oil;
j 25
Shelters

Literally
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as

 was approx. 2.3 quarts or 2.2 liters.

a hin of oil for each ephah

the Feast of Ingathering

h 17

Or

That is, 60 shekels total; elsewhere, the

That is, a sixtieth of the
That is, one percent of
; also in verses 19, 22, 23, 25

the Feast of

the Feast of Booths

; that is, approx. 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of oil for each ephah of grain

k 5 An ephah

 or

 and originally called

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

 is approx. 20

dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 38.3 pounds or 17.4 kilograms of grain); also in verses 7 and 11.

f 13
g 14

790    |    Ezekiel 46:6

6

7

On  the  day  of  the  New
hin  of  oil  per  ephah.
Moon  he  shall  offer  a  young,  unblemished  bull,
He is to
six lambs, and a ram without blemish.
provide a grain offering of an ephah with the bull,
an ephah with the ram, and as much as he is able
8
with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah.
When the prince enters, he shall go in through
the portico of the gateway, and he shall go out the
9
same way.

When  the  people  of  the  land  come  before  the
LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by
the  north  gate  to  worship  must  go  out  by  the
south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate
must go out by the north gate. No one is to return
through the gate by which he entered, but each
10
must go out by the opposite gate.

When the people enter, the prince shall go in
11
with them, and when they leave, he shall leave.
At the festivals and appointed feasts, the grain
offering shall be an ephah with a bull, an ephah
with  a  ram,  and  as  much  as  one  is  able  to  give
12
with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah.

When  the  prince  makes  a  freewill  offering  to
the  LORD,  whether  a  burnt  offering  or  a  peace
offering, the gate facing east must be opened for
him. He is to offer his burnt offering or peace of-
fering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then
he shall go out, and the gate must be closed after
13
he goes out.

 a

14

And  you  shall  provide  an  unblemished  year-
old lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD;
You are also
you are to offer it every morning.
 b
to provide with it every morning a grain offering
of a sixth of an ephah
to moisten the fine flour—a grain offering to the
Thus they
LORD. This is a permanent statute.
shall provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the
16
oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.’

 with a third of a hin of oil

15

17

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘If the prince
gives a gift to any of his sons as an inheritance, it
will  belong  to  his  descendants.  It  will  become
But if he gives a
their property by inheritance.
gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it
will belong to that servant until the year of free-
dom; then it will revert to the prince. His inher-
18
itance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs.

The  prince  must  not  take  any  of  the  inher-
itance of the people by evicting them from their
property. He is to provide an inheritance for his
a 14 A sixth of an ephah
sons from his own property, so that none of My
a third of a hin of olive oil

The Courts for Boiling and Baking
people will be displaced from his property.’
19

”

20

Then  the  man  brought  me  through  the  en-
trance at the side of the gate into the holy cham-
bers facing north, which belonged to the priests,
and he showed me a place there at the far west-
and  said  to  me,  “This  is  the  place
ern  end
where  the  priests  shall  boil  the  guilt  offering
and  the  sin  offering,  and where  they  shall  bake
the grain offering, so that they do not bring them
into the outer court and transmit holiness to the
21
people.”

c

22

Then he brought me into the outer court and
led  me  around  to  its  four  corners,  and  I  saw  a
In  the
separate  court  in  each  of  its  corners.
four  corners  of  the  outer  court  there  were  en-
closed  courts,  each  forty  cubits  long  and  thirty
23
cubits wide.
  Each  of  the  four  corner  areas  had
Around  the  inside  of
the  same  dimensions.
each  of  the  four  courts  was  a  row  of  masonry
with  ovens  built  at  the  base  of  the  walls  on  all
24
sides.

And  he  said  to  me,  “These  are  the  kitchens
where  those  who  minister  at  the  temple  will
Waters from under the Temple
cook the sacrifices offered by the people.”

47

the

Then the man brought me back to the en-
I  saw
trance  of
water  flowing  from  under  the  threshold  of  the
temple  toward  the  east  (for  the  temple  faced
east).  The  water  was  coming  down  from  under
2
the south side of the temple, south of the altar.

temple,  and

Next he brought me out through the north gate
and led me around the outside to the outer gate
facing  east,  and  there  I  saw  the  water  trickling
3
out from the south side.

 d

As  the  man  went  eastward  with  a  measuring
line  in  his  hand,  he  measured  off  a  thousand
4
cubits

 and led me through ankle-deep water.

Then he measured off a thousand cubits and led

me through knee-deep water.

Again he measured a thousand cubits and led me
5
through waist-deep water.

Once again he measured off a thousand cubits,
but  now  it  was  a  river  that  I  could  not  cross,
because  the  water  had  risen  and  was  deep
enough for swimming—a river that could not be
crossed on foot.
d 3 1,000 (long) cubits

Or
The enclosed courts were approximately 70 feet long

b 14

c 22

 is approx. 3.3 dry quarts or 3.7 liters (probably about 4.2 pounds or 1.9 kilograms of flour).

; that is, approx. 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters

and 52.5 feet wide (21.3 meters long and 16 meters wide).

 is approx. 1,750 feet or 533.4 meters.

6

“Son of man, do you see this?” he asked. Then he

7
led me back to the bank of the river.

8

When I arrived, I saw a great number of trees
along both banks of the river.
And he said to me,
“This water flows out to the eastern region and
b
a
goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into
9
the Dead Sea,

 the water there becomes fresh.

Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms
of living creatures and a great number of fish, be-
cause it flows there and makes the waters fresh;
so  wherever  the  river  flows,  everything  will
10
flourish.

c

Fishermen  will  stand  by  the  shore;  from  En-
gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to
catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great
11
Sea.

But the swamps and marshes will not become

12
fresh; they will be left for salt.

Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all
kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and
their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear
fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows
to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their
The Borders of the Land
leaves for healing.”
13

d

This is what the Lord GOD says: “These are the
boundaries by which you are to divide the land
as  an  inheritance  among  the  twelve  tribes  of
Israel; Joseph shall receive two portions.
You
are  to  divide  it  equally  among  them.  Because
I  swore  with  an  uplifted  hand  to  give  it  to
your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an
15
inheritance.

14

16

This shall be the boundary of the land:
On  the  north  side  it  will  extend  from  the
 e
Great Sea by way of Hethlon through Lebo-
hamath to Zedad,
Berothah, and Sibraim
(which is on the border between Damascus
and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which
is on the border of Hauran.
So the border
will  run  from  the  Sea  to  Hazar-enan,  along
the  northern  border  of  Damascus,  with  the
territory of Hamath to the north. This will be
18
the northern boundary.

17

On  the  east  side  the  border  will  run
between  Hauran  and  Damascus,  along  the
Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel,
b 8
to the Eastern Sea and as far as Tamar.
 This
d 13
Literally

is healed

Hebrew

the Sea

f

a 8

Ezekiel 48:9    |    791

19
will be the eastern boundary.

 g

On the south side it will run from Tamar to
the  waters  of  Meribath-kadesh,  and  along
the  Brook  of  Egypt
  to  the  Great  Sea.  This
20
will be the southern boundary.

And on the west side, the Great Sea will be
the  boundary  up  to  a  point  opposite  Lebo-
hamath. This will be the western boundary.

21

22

You are to divide this land among yourselves
according to the tribes of Israel.
You shall allot
it  as  an  inheritance  for  yourselves  and  for  the
foreigners who dwell among you and who have
children. You are to treat them as native-born Is-
raelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an
inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
In what-
ever  tribe  a  foreigner  dwells,  you  are  to  assign
The Portions for the Tribes
his inheritance there,” declares the Lord GOD.

23

48

“Now these are the names of the tribes:

At the northern frontier, Dan will have
one portion bordering the road of Hethlon to
Lebo-hamath and running on to Hazar-enan
on the border of Damascus with Hamath to
the north, and extending from the east side
2
to the west side.

Asher will have one portion bordering the

3
territory of Dan from east to west.

Naphtali  will  have  one  portion  bordering

4
the territory of Asher from east to west.

Manasseh will have one portion bordering

5
the territory of Naphtali from east to west.

Ephraim  will  have  one  portion  bordering
6
the territory of Manasseh from east to west.
Reuben will have one portion bordering the

7
territory of Ephraim from east to west.

Judah will have one portion bordering the

The Portions for the Priests and Levites
territory of Reuben from east to west.

8

h

Bordering  the  territory  of  Judah,  from  east  to
west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It
will be 25,000 cubits wide,
 and the length of a
tribal portion from east to west. In the center will
9
be the sanctuary.

i

The special portion you set apart to the LORD
shall  be  25,000  cubits  long  and  10,000  cubits
wide.

c 10

e 16
verses 15, 19, and 20
Sea and as far as Tamar
of Egypt
i 9 10,000 (long) cubits
.

LXX; MT

h 8 25,000 (long) cubits

; Hebrew

15  . . . through Lebo to Zedad, 16 Hamath, Berothah, and Sibraim

; similarly in verses 9 and 11
of Israel. And along the Eastern Sea you are to measure.

Since Levi had no portion, Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh received land as two tribes.

That is, the Mediterranean Sea; also in

of Israel, to the Dead

g 19

f 18

 is approximately 8.3 miles or 13.3 kilometers; also in verses 9, 10, 13, 15, 20, and 21.

See Syriac; that is,

Hebrew does not include

 is approximately 3.3 miles or 5.3 kilometers; also in verses 10, 13, and 18.

792    |    Ezekiel 48:10

10

This will be the holy portion for the priests. It
will  be  25,000  cubits  long  on  the  north  side,
10,000  cubits  wide  on  the  west  side,  10,000
cubits wide on the east side
, and 25,000 cubits
11
long on the south side. In the center will be the
sanctuary of the LORD.
It will be for the conse-
crated  priests,  the  descendants  of  Zadok,  who
kept  My  charge  and  did  not  go  astray  as  the
Levites did when the Israelites went astray.
It
will be a special portion for them set apart from
the land, a most holy portion
 adjacent to the ter-
13
ritory of the Levites.

12

 a

Bordering the territory of the priests, the Le-
vites  shall  have  an  area  25,000  cubits  long  and
10,000  cubits  wide.  The  whole  length  will  be
14
25,000  cubits,  and  the  width  10,000  cubits.
They must not sell or exchange any of it, and
they must not transfer this best part of the land,
The Common Portion
for it is holy to the LORD.
15

 b

16

The  remaining  area,  5,000  cubits

  wide  and
25,000 cubits long, will be for common use by the
city, for houses, and for pastureland. The city will
 c
be in the center of it
and will have these meas-
 on the north side, 4,500
urements: 4,500 cubits
cubits on the south side, 4,500 cubits on the east
17
side, and 4,500 cubits on the west side.

 d

The pastureland of the city will extend 250 cu-
  to  the  north,  250  cubits  to  the  south,  250

bits
18
cubits to the east, and 250 cubits to the west.

The  remainder  of  the  length  bordering  the
holy  portion  and  running  adjacent  to  it  will  be
10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits
19
on the west side. Its produce will supply food for
the workers of the city.
The workers of the city
who cultivate it will come from all the tribes of
20
Israel.

The entire portion will be a square, 25,000 cu-
bits  by  25,000  cubits.  You  are  to  set  apart  the
The Portion for the Prince
holy portion, along with the city property.
21

The remaining area on both sides of the holy
portion and of the property of the city will belong
to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the
tribal  portions,  extending  eastward  from  the
25,000 cubits of the holy district toward the east-
ern  border,  and  westward  from  the  25,000  cu-
bits to the western border. And in the center of
a 12
them will be the holy portion and the sanctuary

     b 15 5,000 (long) cubits

a Most Holy Place

22
of the temple.

So the Levitical property and the city property
will lie in the center of the area belonging to the
prince—the  area  between  the  borders  of  Judah
The Portions for the Remaining Tribes
and Benjamin.
23

As for the rest of the tribes:
Benjamin will have one portion extending
24
from the east side to the west side.

Simeon  will  have  one  portion  bordering
25
the territory of Benjamin from east to west.
Issachar  will  have  one  portion  bordering

26
the territory of Simeon from east to west.

Zebulun  will  have  one  portion  bordering

27
the territory of Issachar from east to west.

28

And Gad will have one portion bordering

the territory of Zebulun from east to west.

f

29

The  southern  border  of  Gad  will  run  from
 e
Tamar  to  the  waters  of  Meribath-kadesh,  then
along  the  Brook  of  Egypt
  and  out  to  the  Great
This is the land you are to allot as an in-
Sea.
heritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be
The City Gates and Dimensions
their portions,” declares the Lord GOD.
30

31

“These will be the exits of the city:
Beginning  on  the  north  side,  which  will  be
4,500 cubits long,
the gates of the city will
be  named  after  the  tribes  of  Israel.  On  the
north side there will be three gates: the gate
of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of
32
Levi.

On  the  east  side,  which  will  be  4,500
cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate
of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate
33
of Dan.

On the south side, which will be 4,500 cu-
bits long, there will be three gates: the gate
of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate
34
of Zebulun.

35

And on the west side, which will be 4,500
cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate
of  Gad,  the  gate  of  Asher,  and  the  gate  of
Naphtali.
g
The  perimeter  of  the  city  will  be  18,000
 and from that day on the name of the city

h

THE LORD IS THERE.
d 17 250 (long) cubits

c 16 4,500 (long) cubits

”
g 35 18,000
 is approximately

cubits,
will be:

.
Hebrew

Or
is  approximately 1.5 miles or 2.4 kilometers; also in verses 30, 32, 33, and 34.
(long) cubits
437.5 feet or 133.4 meters.

Hebrew does not include

f 28
YHWH Shammah

 is approximately 1.7 miles or 2.7 kilometers.

of Egypt

That is, the Mediterranean Sea

h 35

e 28

 is approximately 6 miles or 9.6 kilometers.

Daniel

Daniel Removed to Babylon

1

2

In  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim
king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Bab-
ylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
And the
Lord  delivered  into  his  hand  Jehoiakim  king  of
Judah,  along with  some  of  the  articles  from  the
house of God. He carried these off to the land of
Shinar,
  to  the  house  of  his  god,  where  he  put
3
them in the treasury of his god.

a

 b

4

 and the nobility—

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his
court  officials,  to  bring  in  some  Israelites  from
the royal family
young men
without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom,
knowledgeable, quick to understand, and quali-
fied  to  serve  in  the  king’s palace—and  to  teach
them the language and literature of the Chalde-
5
ans.

c

The king assigned them daily provisions of the
royal food and wine. They were to be trained for
three  years,  after  which  they  were  to  enter  the
6
king’s service.

Among  these  young  men  were  some  from
7
Judah:  Daniel,  Hananiah,  Mishael,  and  Azariah.
The  chief  official  gave  them  new  names:
To  Daniel  he  gave  the  name  Belteshazzar;  to
Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to
Daniel’s Faithfulness
Azariah, Abednego.
8

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not
defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he
asked the chief official for permission not to de-
9
file himself.

10

Now God had granted Daniel favor and compas-
sion from the chief official,
but he said to Dan-
iel,  “I  fear  my  lord  the  king,  who  has  assigned
your food and drink. For why should he see your
faces  looking  thinner  than  those  of  the  other
young  men  your  age?  You  would  endanger  my
11
head before the king!”

13

servants  for  ten  days.  Let  us  be  given  only
vegetables  to  eat  and  water  to  drink.
Then
compare  our  appearances  with  those  of  the
young  men  who  are  eating  the  royal  food,  and
deal  with  your  servants  according  to  what  you
14
see.”

15

So he consented to this and tested them for ten
days.
And at the end of ten days, they looked
healthier and better nourished than all the young
men  who  were  eating  the  king’s  food.
So  the
steward continued to withhold their choice food
and  the  wine  they  were  to  drink,  and  he  gave
Daniel’s Wisdom
them vegetables instead.
17

16

To these four young men God gave knowledge
and  understanding  in  every  kind  of  literature
and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds
18
of visions and dreams.

19

Now  at  the  end  of  the  time  specified  by  the
king,  the  chief  official  presented  them  to
Nebuchadnezzar.
And  the  king  spoke  with
them, and among all the young men he found no
one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Aza-
20
riah. So they entered the king’s service.

In every matter of wisdom and understanding
about which the king consulted them, he found
them ten times better than all the magicians and
enchanters in his entire kingdom.
And Daniel
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

21

2

 d

2

In  the  second  year  of  his  reign,  Nebuchad-
nezzar  had  dreams  that  troubled his  spirit,
So the king gave orders
and sleep escaped him.
to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers,
  to  explain  his  dreams.  When
and  astrologers
they came and stood before the king,
he said to
them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anx-
4
ious to understand it.”

3

e

Then  the  astrologers  answered  the  king  in
  “O  king,  may  you  live  forever!  Tell
Aramaic,
your  servants  the  dream,  and  we  will  give  the
interpretation.”

Chaldeans

d 2

c 4

Then  Daniel  said  to  the  steward  whom  the
chief  official  had  appointed  over  Daniel,  Hana-
from the seed of the kingdom
a 2
niah,  Mishael,  and  Azariah,
“Please  test  your

b 3

12

e 4
That is, Babylonia

verses 4, 5, and 10

The original text from this point of Daniel 2:4 through Daniel 7:28 is in Aramaic.

Hebrew

That is, the Babylonians

Or

; also in

794    |    Daniel 2:5

5

The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is
final: If you do not tell me the dream and its in-
terpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your
houses will be reduced to rubble.
But if you tell
me the dream and its interpretation, you will re-
ceive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.
7
So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

6

“Blessed be the name of God forever

and ever,

21

for wisdom and power belong to

Him.

He changes the times and seasons;

He removes kings and establishes

them.

They answered a second time, “Let the king tell
the  dream  to  his  servants,  and we  will give  the
8
interpretation.”

22

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals the deep and hidden

9

The king replied, “I know for sure that you are
stalling for time because you see that my word is
final.
If  you do  not  tell me  the  dream,  there  is
only one decree for you. You have conspired to
speak  before  me  false  and  fraudulent  words,
hoping  the  situation  will  change.  Therefore  tell
me the dream, and I will know that you can give
10
me its interpretation.”

11

The astrologers answered the king, “No one on
earth  can  do  what  the  king  requests!  No  king,
however great and powerful, has ever asked an-
ything like this of any magician, enchanter, or as-
trologer.
What the king requests is so difficult
that  no  one  can  tell  it  to  him  except  the  gods,
12
whose dwelling is not with mortals.”

13

This response made the king so angry and fu-
rious that he gave orders to destroy all the wise
men  of  Babylon.
So  the  decree  went  out  that
the wise men were to be executed, and men went
to  look  for  Daniel  and  his  friends  to  execute
The Dream Revealed to Daniel
them.
14

When  Arioch,  the  commander  of  the  king’s
guard, went out to execute the wise men of Bab-
15
ylon, Daniel responded with discretion and tact.
“Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he

asked.
16
Then  Arioch  explained  the  situation  to  Daniel.
So  Daniel  went  in  and  asked  the  king  to  give
him  some  time,  so  that  he  could  give  him  the
17
interpretation.

18

Then  Daniel  returned  to  his  house  and  ex-
plained  the  matter  to  his  friends  Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
urging them to plead for
mercy  from  the  God  of  heaven  concerning  this
mystery,  so  that  Daniel  and  his  friends  would
not  be  killed  with  the  rest  of  the  wise  men  of
19
Babylon.

20

During the night, the mystery was revealed to
Daniel  in  a  vision,  and  he  blessed  the  God  of
heaven

and declared:

things;

23

He knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with Him.
To You, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
because You have given me
wisdom and power.

And now You have made known to me

what we have requested,
for You have made known to us

Daniel Interprets the Dream

the dream of the king.”

24

Therefore  Daniel  went  to  Arioch,  whom  the
king  had  appointed  to  destroy  the  wise  men  of
Babylon,  and  said  to  him,  “Do  not  execute  the
wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king,
25
and I will give him the interpretation.”

Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king
and said to him, “I have found a man among the
exiles from Judah who will tell the king the inter-
26
pretation.”

The  king  responded  to  Daniel,  whose  name
was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me what I
27
saw in the dream, as well as its interpretation?”

28

Daniel  answered  the  king, “No wise man,  en-
chanter, medium, or magician can explain to the
But
king  the  mystery  of  which  he  inquires.
there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,
and He has made known to King Nebuchadnez-
zar  what  will  happen  in  the  latter  days.  Your
dream and the visions that came into your mind
29
as you lay on your bed were these:

30

As you lay on your bed, O king, your thoughts
turned to the future, and the Revealer of Myster-
ies made known to you what will happen.
And
to  me  this  mystery  has  been  revealed,  not  be-
cause  I  have  more  wisdom  than  any  man  alive,
but  in  order  that  the  interpretation  might  be
made known to the king, and that you may un-
derstand the thoughts of your mind.

31

 a

32

As you, O king, were watching, a great statue
appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood be-
fore you, and its form was awesome.
The head
of  the  statue  was  pure  gold,  its  chest  and  arms
33
were  silver,  its  belly  and  thighs  were  bronze,
its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron

b

34
and part clay.

35

As you watched, a stone was cut out,

 but not
by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of
Then the iron,
iron and clay, and crushed them.
clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and
became like chaff on the threshing floor in sum-
mer.  The  wind  carried  them  away,  and  not  a
trace of them could be found. But the stone that
had struck the statue became a great mountain
36
and filled the whole earth.

This was the dream; now we will tell the king

37
its interpretation.

38

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the
God  of  heaven  has  given  sovereignty,  power,
Wherever the sons of men
strength, and glory.
or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He
has given them into your hand and has made you
39
ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.

But  after  you,  there  will  arise  another  king-

dom, inferior to yours.

Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the
40
whole earth.

42

41

Finally,  there  will  be  a  fourth  kingdom  as
strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all
things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will
And  just  as
shatter  and  crush  all  the  others.
you saw that the feet and toes were made partly
of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a
divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron
will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with
And  as  the  toes  of  the  feet  were  partly
clay.
iron  and  partly  clay,  so  this  kingdom  will  be
partly strong and partly brittle.
As you saw the
iron  mixed  with  clay,  so  the  peoples
  will  mix
with one another but will not hold together any
44
more than iron mixes with clay.

43

 c

In the days of those kings, the God of heaven
will  set  up  a  kingdom  that  will  never  be  de-
stroyed,  nor  will  it  be  left  to  another  people.  It
will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to
And just as
an end, but will itself stand forever.
b 34
a 31
you  saw  a  stone  being  cut  out  of  the  mountain
d 1

image

image

e 1

45

Daniel 3:7     |    795

without human hands, and it shattered the iron,
bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has
told the king what will happen in the future.

The dream is true, and its interpretation is trust-
Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel
worthy.”
46

47

At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face,
paid homage to Daniel, and ordered that an offer-
The king
ing and incense be presented to him.
said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods
and  Lord  of  kings,  the  Revealer  of  Mysteries,
48
since you were able to reveal this mystery.”

49

Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him
many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the
entire province of Babylon and chief administra-
And  at
tor  over  all  the  wise  men  of  Babylon.
Daniel’s  request,  the  king  appointed  Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province
of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Statue
court.

3

 d

2

King  Nebuchadnezzar  made  a  golden
e
statue
  sixty  cubits  high  and  six  cubits
wide,
 and he set it up on the plain of Dura in the
Then King Nebuchadnez-
province of Babylon.
zar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects,
governors,  advisers,  treasurers,  judges,  magis-
trates, and all the other officials of the provinces
to  attend  the  dedication  of  the  statue  he  had
3
set up.

So  the  satraps,  prefects,  governors,  advisers,
treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers
of the provinces assembled for the dedication of
the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up,
4
and they stood before it.

5

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “O people of
every nation and language, this is what you are
commanded:
As soon as you hear the sound of
f
the  horn,  flute,  zither,  lyre,  harp,  pipes,  and  all
 you must fall down and worship
kinds of music,
6
the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has
And  whoever  does  not  fall  down  and
set  up.
worship  will  immediately  be  thrown  into  the
7
blazing fiery furnace.”

Therefore,  as  soon  as  all the  people  heard  the
sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all
cut out from a mountain       c 43
kinds  of  music,  the  people  of  every  nation  and

the seed of men

Or

Or

; here and through the rest of Daniel 2

f 5

LXX

Aramaic

; here and throughout Daniel 3

The statue was approximately 90 feet high and 9 feet wide (27.4 meters

high and 2.7 meters wide).

The precise identification of some musical instruments in this chapter is uncertain.

796    |    Daniel 3:8

language  would  fall  down  and  worship  the
golden  statue  that  King  Nebuchadnezzar  had
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Accused
set up.
8

 a

9

10

At  this  time  some  astrologers

  came  forward
saying  to
and  maliciously  accused  the  Jews,
King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live for-
You,  O  king,  have  issued  a  decree  that
ever!
everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute,
zither,  lyre,  harp,  pipes,  and  all  kinds  of  music
11
must  fall  down  and  worship  the  golden  statue,
and that whoever does not fall down and wor-
12
ship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
But there are some Jews you have appointed to
manage  the  province  of  Babylon—Shadrach,
Meshach,  and  Abednego—who  have  ignored
you, O king, and have refused to serve your gods
13
or worship the golden statue you have set up.”

15

14

Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, sum-
moned  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego.  So
and
these men were brought before the king,
Nebuchadnezzar  said  to  them,  “Shadrach,  Me-
shach,  and  Abednego,  is  it  true  that  you  do  not
serve  my  gods  or  worship  the  golden  statue  I
Now when you hear the sound of
have set up?
the  horn,  flute,  zither,  lyre,  harp,  pipes,  and  all
kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and
worship the statue I have made, very good. But if
you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once
into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will
16
be able to deliver you from my hands?”

18

Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego  replied  to
17
the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to
 b
If the God whom we
answer you in this matter.
serve exists, then He is able
 to deliver us from
the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O
But even if He does not, let it be known to
king.
you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or
The Fiery Furnace
worship the golden statue you have set up.”
19

20

At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage,
and  the  expression  on  his  face  changed  toward
Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego.  He  gave  or-
ders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than
and he commanded some mighty men of
usual,
valor  in  his  army  to  tie  up  Shadrach,  Meshach,
and Abednego and throw them into the blazing
21
fiery furnace.

22

23

The  king’s  command  was  so  urgent  and  the
furnace  so  hot  that  the  fiery  flames  killed  the
men  who  carried  up  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and
Abednego.
And  these  three  men,  Shadrach,
Meshach,  and  Abednego,  firmly  bound,  fell  into
24
the blazing fiery furnace.

Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in
amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not
throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?”
25
“Certainly, O king,” they replied.

“Look!”  he  exclaimed.  “I  see  four  men,  un-
 c
bound  and  unharmed,  walking  around  in  the
26
”
fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!

Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of
the  blazing  fiery  furnace  and  called  out,  “Shad-
rach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  servants  of  the
Most High God, come out!”

27

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out
and when the satraps, prefects, gov-
of the fire,
ernors, and royal advisers had gathered around,
they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies
of  these  men.  Not  a  hair  of  their  heads  was
singed,  their  robes  were  unaffected,  and  there
28
was no smell of fire on them.

 d

29

Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God
of  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  who  has
sent His angel
 and delivered His servants who
trusted  in  Him.  They  violated  the  king’s  com-
mand and risked their lives rather than serve or
There-
worship any god except their own God.
fore  I  decree  that  the  people  of  any  nation  or
language who say anything offensive against the
God  of  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego  will
be  cut  into  pieces  and  their  houses  reduced  to
rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver
30
in this way.”

Then  the  king  promoted  Shadrach,  Meshach,

Nebuchadnezzar Confesses God’s Kingdom
and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

4

King Nebuchadnezzar,

To the people of every nation and language

2

who dwell in all the earth:

I am pleased
May your prosperity be multiplied.
to declare the signs and wonders that the Most
3
High God has performed for me.

So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers,
turbans,  and  other  clothes,  and  they  were
b 17
a 8
thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.

Chaldeans

If this be so, then the God whom we serve is able

How great are His signs,

like the Son of God
how mighty His wonders!

c 25

d 28

Angel

Or

Or

Or

Or

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

Let his mind be changed from that of a

16

Daniel 4:24     |    797

His dominion endures from generation to

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Tree

generation.

4

5

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and
I had a dream, and it
flourishing in my palace.
6
frightened me; while I was in my bed, the images
So I issued
and visions in my mind alarmed me.
a  decree  that  all  the  wise  men  of  Babylon  be
a
7
brought before me to interpret the dream for me.
When  the magicians,  enchanters,  astrologers,
and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but
8
they could not interpret it for me.

9

But  at  last,  into  my  presence  came  Daniel
(whose  name  is  Belteshazzar  after  the  name  of
my  god,  and  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  the  holy
“O Belteshaz-
gods). And I told him the dream:
zar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit
of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery baf-
fles you. So explain to me the visions I saw in my
In  these  vi-
dream,  and  their  interpretation.
sions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this
come to pass:

10

There was a tree in the midst of the land,

11

and its height was great.
The tree grew large and strong;
its top reached the sky,

and it was visible

12

to the ends of the earth.

Its leaves were beautiful,
its fruit was abundant,
and upon it was food for all.

Under it the beasts of the field found shelter,
in its branches the birds of the air nested,
and from it every creature was fed.

13

b

As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of
  a  holy  one,  coming  down

14

my  mind  a  watcher,
from heaven.

He called out in a loud voice:

‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.

Let the beasts flee from under it,

15

and the birds from its branches.
But leave the stump with its roots in the

ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it,
in the tender grass of the field.

Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven
and graze with the beasts on the grass of
Chaldeans

an angelic watcher

a messenger

a 7

b 13
the earth.

man,

17

and let him be given the mind of a beast
till seven times pass him by.

This decision is the decree of the watchers,
the verdict declared by the holy ones,
so that the living will know

that the Most High rules over the kingdom

of mankind

18

and gives it to whom He wishes,
setting over it the lowliest of men.’

This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar,
saw.  Now,  Belteshazzar,  tell  me  the  interpreta-
tion, because none of the wise men of my king-
dom  can  interpret  it  for  me.  But  you  are  able,
Daniel Interprets the Second Dream
because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
19

For  a  time,  Daniel,  who  was  also  known  as
Belteshazzar,  was  perplexed,  and  his  thoughts
alarmed him.

So  the  king  said,  “Belteshazzar,  do  not  let  the
dream or its interpretation alarm you.”

“My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may the dream
apply to those who hate you, and its interpreta-
20
tion to your enemies!

21

The tree you saw that grew large and strong,
whose top reached the sky and was visible to all
whose  foliage  was  beautiful  and
the  earth,
whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all,
under which the beasts of the field lived, and in
22
whose  branches  the  birds  of  the  air  nested—
you, O king, are that tree! For you have become
great  and  strong;  your  greatness  has  grown  to
reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the
23
ends of the earth.

And  you,  O  king,  saw  a  watcher,  a  holy  one,

coming down from heaven and saying:

‘Cut down the tree and destroy it,

but leave the stump with its roots in the

ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it,

in the tender grass of the field.

Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
and graze with the beasts of the field
till seven times pass him by.’

24

This  is  the  interpretation,  O  king,  and  this  is
the decree that the Most High has issued against
my lord the king:

Or

Or

 or

; also in verses 17 and 23

798    |    Daniel 4:25

25

You  will  be  driven  away  from  mankind,  and
your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field.
You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched
with  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  seven  times  shall
pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most
High  rules  over  the  kingdom  of  mankind  and
26
gives it to whom He wishes.

27

As for the command to leave the stump of the
tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored
to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven
Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to
rules.
you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing
what is right, and from your iniquities by show-
ing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be
The Second Dream Fulfilled
an extension of your prosperity.”
28
29

30

All  this  happened  to  King  Nebuchadnezzar.
Twelve months later, as he was walking on the
roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
the king ex-
claimed,  “Is  this not  Babylon  the  Great,  which  I
myself  have  built  as  a  royal  residence  by  the
might of my power and for the glory of my maj-
31
esty?”

32

While the words were still in the king’s mouth,
a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you,
King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has de-
You will be driven away from
parted from you.
mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and
you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times
will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the
Most  High  rules  over  the  kingdom  of  mankind
33
and gives it to whom He wishes.”

At  that  moment  the  sentence  against  Nebu-
chadnezzar  was  fulfilled.  He  was  driven  away
from  mankind.  He  ate  grass  like  an  ox,  and  his
body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until
his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his
Nebuchadnezzar Restored
nails like the claws of a bird.
34

But at the end of those days I, Nebuchadnez-
zar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was re-
stored to me. Then I praised the Most High, and I
honored and glorified Him who lives forever:

“For His dominion is an everlasting

dominion,

35

and His kingdom endures from generation

to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are counted as nothing,
predecessor

Later

b 2

a 1

grandfather

and He does as He pleases

with the army of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.

36

There is no one who can restrain His hand
”
or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

At the same time my sanity was restored, my
honor and splendor returned to me for the glory
of  my  kingdom.  My  advisers  and  nobles  sought
me out, and I was restored to my throne, and sur-
passing  greatness  was  added  to  me.
Now  I,
Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the
King of heaven, for all His works are true and all
His ways are just. And He is able to humble those
Belshazzar’s Feast
who walk in pride.
a

37

5

2

Later,
 King Belshazzar held a great feast for
a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine
Under  the  influence  of  the  wine,
with  them.
 b
Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and
silver  vessels  that  Nebuchadnezzar  his  father
had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that
the  king  could  drink  from  them,  along  with  his
3
nobles, his wives, and his concubines.

Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had
been taken from the temple, the house of God in
Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along
4
with  his  nobles,  his  wives,  and  his  concubines.
As they drank the wine, they praised their gods
of  gold  and  silver,  bronze  and  iron,  wood  and
The Handwriting on the Wall
stone.
5

At that moment the fingers of a human hand ap-
peared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near
the  lampstand  in  the  royal  palace.  As  the  king
his  face
watched  the  hand  that  was  writing,
grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that
his  hips  gave  way  and  his  knees  knocked  to-
7
gether.

6

c

The king called out for the enchanters, astrolo-
gers,
 and diviners to be brought in, and he said
to  these  wise  men  of  Babylon,  “Whoever  reads
this  inscription  and  tells  me  its  interpretation
will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain
placed around his neck, and he will be made the
8
third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

9

So  all  the  king’s  wise  men  came  in,  but  they
could not read the inscription or interpret it for
Then King Belshazzar became even more
him.
terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his
nobles were bewildered.

Many years later

c 7

Chaldeans

Aramaic does not include

. Some translators include

about 30 years.

Or

 or

; also in verses 11, 13, and 18.

 to account for the time elapsed, probably
; also in verse 11

Or

Daniel 6:3     |    799

10

 a

21

Hearing  the  outcry  of  the  king  and  his
nobles, the queen
 entered the banquet hall. “O
king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let
11
your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.
There is a man in your kingdom who has the
spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your
father he was found to have insight, intelligence,
and wisdom like that of the gods.

from  his  royal  throne,  and  his  glory  was  taken
He was driven away from mankind,
from him.
and  his  mind  was  like  that  of  a  beast.  He  lived
with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox,
and  his  body  was  drenched  with  the  dew  of
heaven  until  he  acknowledged  that  the  Most
High  God  rules  over  the  kingdom  of  mankind,
22
setting over it whom He wishes.

b

Your  father,  King  Nebuchadnezzar,  appointed
him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrolo-
12
gers,  and  diviners.  Your  own  father,  the  king,
did  this  because  Daniel,  the  one  he  named
Belteshazzar,  was  found  to  have  an  extraordi-
nary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding,
and  the  ability  to  interpret  dreams,  explain
riddles,  and  solve  difficult  problems.  Summon
Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the inter-
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting
pretation.”
13

14

So  Daniel  was  brought  before  the  king,  who
asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my
father  the  king  brought  from  Judah?
I  have
heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that
you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary
15
wisdom.

16

Now  the  wise  men  and  enchanters  were
brought  before  me  to  read  this  inscription  and
interpret it for me, but they could not give its in-
But I have heard about you, that
terpretation.
you are able to give interpretations and solve dif-
ficult  problems.  Therefore,  if  you  can  read  this
inscription  and  give  me  its  interpretation,  you
will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain
placed around your neck, and you will be made
17
the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

18

In response, Daniel said to the king, “You may
keep  your  gifts  for  yourself  and  give  your  re-
wards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read
the  inscription  for  the  king  and  interpret  it  for
As for you, O king, the Most High God gave
him.
your  father  Nebuchadnezzar  sovereignty  and
Because  of  the
greatness,  glory  and  honor.
greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of
every nation and language trembled in fear be-
fore  him.  He  killed  whom  he  wished  and  kept
alive  whom  he  wished;  he  exalted  whom  he
20
wished and humbled whom he wished.

19

queen mother

But  when  his  heart  became  arrogant  and  his
a 10
spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed
e 28 Peres
d 27 Tekel
 or
Or
Or

weighed
 or

descendant

successor

b 22

Persia

f 30

But you his son,

 O Belshazzar, have not hum-
23
bled your heart, even though you knew all this.
Instead, you have exalted yourself against the
Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were
brought to you, and as you drank wine from them
with  your  nobles,  wives,  and  concubines,  you
praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and
iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear
or understand. But you have failed to glorify the
God who holds in His hand your very breath and
Therefore He sent the hand that
all your ways.
25
wrote the inscription.

24

26

Now this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
 c

And this is the interpretation of the message:

 means that God has numbered the

MENE
27
days of your reign and brought it to an end.

 d

TEKEL
 e

 means that you have been

28
weighed on the scales and found deficient.

PERES

 means that your kingdom has

29

been divided and given over to the Medes
and Persians.”

Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they
clothed  Daniel  in  purple,  placed  a  gold  chain
around  his  neck,  and  proclaimed  him  the  third
30
highest ruler in the kingdom.

  f

31

That  very  night  Belshazzar  king  of  the
and Darius the Mede re-

Chaldeans
The Plot against Daniel
ceived the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

 was slain,

6

2

Now  it  pleased  Darius  to  appoint  120
satraps  to  rule  throughout  the  kingdom,
and over them three administrators, including
Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable
Soon, by
so that the king would not suffer loss.
his  extraordinary  spirit,  Daniel  distinguished
himself  among  the  administrators  and  satraps.
So  the  king  planned  to  set  him  over  the  whole
grandson       c 26 Mene
kingdom.
Parsin

numbered
divided

3

 sounds like the Aramaic for
) sounds like the Aramaic for

.

 sounds like the Aramaic for

.

 (the singular of

and for

.

That is, the Babylonians

800    |    Daniel 6:4

4

16

Thus  the  administrators  and  satraps  sought  a
charge  against  Daniel  concerning  the  kingdom,
but they could find no charge or corruption, be-
cause he was trustworthy, and no negligence or
Finally these men
corruption was found in him.
said, “We will never find any charge against this
Daniel  unless  we  find  something  against  him
6
concerning the law of his God.”

5

7

So  the  administrators  and  satraps  went  to-
gether to the king and said, “O King Darius, may
All  the  royal  administrators,
you  live  forever!
prefects,  satraps,  advisers,  and  governors  have
agreed  that  the  king  should  establish  an  ordi-
nance and enforce a decree that for thirty days
anyone  who  petitions  any  god  or  man  except
8
you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign
the  document  so  that  it  cannot  be  changed—in
accordance with the law of the Medes and Per-
9
sians, which cannot be repealed.”

Therefore  King  Darius  signed  the  written

Daniel in the Lions’ Den
decree.
10

11

Now when Daniel learned that the document
had been signed, he went into his house, where
the windows of his upper room opened toward
Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on
his  knees,  prayed,  and  gave  thanks  to  his  God,
Then  these  men
just  as  he  had  done  before.
went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and
imploring  his  God.
So  they  approached  the
king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you
not  sign  a  decree  that  for  thirty  days  any  man
who petitions any god or man except you, O king,
will be thrown into the den of lions?”

12

The  king  replied,  “According  to  the  law  of  the
Medes and Persians the order stands, and it can-
13
not be repealed.”

Then  they  told  the  king,  “Daniel,  one  of  the
exiles  from  Judah,  shows  no  regard  for  you,
O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He
14
still makes his petition three times a day.”

As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply
distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel,
15
and he labored until sundown to rescue him.

So the king gave the order, and they brought

Daniel and threw him into the den of lions.

The  king  said  to  Daniel,  “May  your  God,  whom
17
you serve continually, deliver you!”

A  stone  was  brought  and  placed  over  the
mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his
own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles,
so  that  nothing  concerning  Daniel  could  be
18
changed.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the
night fasting. No entertainment was brought be-
19
fore him, and sleep fled from him.

20

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and
When he reached
hurried to the den of lions.
the  den,  he  cried  out  in  a  voice  of  anguish,  “O
Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  God, has  your  God,
whom you serve continually, been able to deliver
21
you from the lions?”

22

Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live for-
My  God  sent  His  angel  and  shut  the
ever!
mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I
was found innocent in His sight, and I have done
23
no wrong against you, O king.”

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift
Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted
out  of  the  den,  no  wounds  whatsoever  were
24
found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

At the command of the king, the men who had
falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown
into the den of lions—they and their children and
wives. And before they had reached the bottom
of  the  den,  the  lions  overpowered  them  and
Darius Honors God
crushed all their bones.
25

Then King Darius wrote to the people of every
26
nation and language throughout the land: “May
your prosperity abound.
I hereby decree that
in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble
in fear before the God of Daniel:

For He is the living God,

and He endures forever;

27

His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and His dominion will never end.

He delivers and rescues;

He performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth,

Then  the  men  approached  the  king  together
and said to him, “Remember, O king, that by the
law of the Medes and Persians no decree or ordi-
a 28
nance established by the king can be changed.”

prospered during the reign of Darius, that is, the reign of Cyrus

28

for He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

 a

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius

and the reign of Cyrus

 the Persian.

Or

Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts
(Revelation 13:1–10)

7

In  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Belshazzar
over  Babylon,  Daniel  had  a  dream,  and  vi-
sions  passed  through  his  mind  as  he  lay  on  his
bed.  He  wrote  down  the  dream,  and  this  is  the
2
summary of his account.

Daniel  declared:  “In  my  vision  in  the  night  I
looked,  and  suddenly  the  four  winds  of  heaven
were  churning  up  the  great  sea.
Then  four
great beasts came up out of the sea, each one dif-
ferent from the others:

4

3

a

The

 first beast was like a lion, and it had the
wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings
were  torn  off  and  it  was  lifted  up  from  the
ground and made to stand on two feet like a
5
man and given the mind of a man.

Suddenly  another  beast  appeared,  which
looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of
its  sides,  and  it  had  three  ribs  in  its  mouth
between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and
6
gorge yourself on flesh!’

Next, as I watched, suddenly another beast
appeared.  It  was  like  a  leopard,  and  on  its
back  it  had  four  wings  like  those  of  a  bird.
The  beast  also  had  four  heads,  and  it  was
7
given authority to rule.

After this, as I watched in my vision in the
night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and
it  was  terrifying—dreadful  and  extremely
strong—with  large  iron  teeth.  It  devoured
and  crushed;  then  it  trampled  underfoot
whatever  was  left.  It  was  different  from  all
8
the  beasts  before  it,  and  it  had  ten  horns.
While I was contemplating the horns, sud-
denly  another  horn,  a  little  one,  came  up
among  them,  and  three  of  the  first  horns
were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes
like those of a man and a mouth that spoke
words of arrogance.

Daniel’s Vision of the Ancient of Days
9

As I continued to watch,

thrones were set in place,

and the Ancient of Days took His seat.

His clothing was white as snow,

and the hair of His head was like pure

wool.

a 2

His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.

the Great Sea

10

Daniel 7:20     |    801

A river of fire was flowing,

coming out from His presence.

Thousands upon thousands attended Him,

and myriads upon myriads stood

before Him.
The court was convened,

11

and the books were opened.

Then I kept watching because of the arrogant
words the horn was speaking. As I continued to
watch,  the  beast  was  slain,  and  its  body  was
As
destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
for  the  rest  of  the  beasts,  their  dominion  was
removed, but they were granted an extension of
Daniel’s Vision of the Son of Man
life for a season and a time.
13

12

In my vision in the night I continued to watch,

 b

c

and I saw One like the Son of Man

14

coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into His presence.

And He was given dominion,

glory, and kingship,

that the people of every nation and

language
should serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

that will not pass away,

and His kingdom is one

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

that will never be destroyed.

15

16

I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the vi-
sions  in  my  mind  alarmed  me.
I  approached
one  of  those  who  were  standing  there,  and  I
asked him the true meaning of all this.
17
So he told me the interpretation of these things:
‘These  four  great  beasts  are  four  kings  who
will arise from the earth.
But the saints of the
Most High will receive the kingdom and possess
19
it forever—yes, forever and ever.’

18

20

Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the
fourth  beast,  which  was  different  from  all  the
others—extremely  terrifying—devouring  and
crushing with iron teeth and bronze claws, then
trampling underfoot whatever was left.
I also
wanted to know about the ten horns on its head
and  the  other  horn  that  came  up,  before  which
three of them fell—the horn whose appearance
was  more  imposing  than  the  others,  with  eyes
c 13
and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Or

See Matthew 24:30,

one like a son of man

b 13

Perhaps

, that is, the Mediterranean Sea

Matthew 26:64, Mark 13:26, Mark 14:62, Luke 21:27, Revelation 1:13, and Revelation 14:14.

802    |    Daniel 7:21

21

As  I  watched,  this  horn  was  waging  war
22
against  the  saints  and  prevailing  against  them,
until  the  Ancient  of  Days  arrived  and  pro-
nounced  judgment  in  favor  of  the  saints  of  the
Most High, and the time came for them to possess
23
the kingdom.

24

This  is  what  he  said:  ‘The  fourth  beast  is  a
fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, dif-
ferent  from  all  the  other  kingdoms,  and  it  will
devour  the  whole  earth,  trample  it  down,  and
crush it.
And the ten horns are ten kings who
will rise from this kingdom. After them another
king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and
subdue three kings.
He will speak out against
the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most
High,  intending  to  change  the  appointed  times
and  laws;  and  the  saints  will  be  given  into  his
26
hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

25

27

But the court will convene, and his dominion
will  be  taken  away  and  completely  destroyed
forever.
Then the sovereignty, dominion, and
greatness  of  the  kingdoms  under  all  of  heaven
will be given to the people, the saints of the Most
High.  His  kingdom  will  be  an  everlasting  king-
28
dom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

Thus  ends  the matter. As  for me, Daniel, my
thoughts  troubled  me  greatly,  and  my  face
Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and the Goat
turned pale. But I kept the matter to myself.”

8

2

In  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  King
Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel,
subsequent to the one that had appeared to me
And in the vision I saw myself in the cit-
earlier.
adel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the
3
vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.

4

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two
horns standing beside the canal. The horns were
long, but one was longer than the other, and the
I saw the ram charg-
longer one grew up later.
ing toward the west and the north and the south.
No  animal  could  stand  against  him,  and  there
was no deliverance from his power. He did as he
5
pleased and became great.

6

As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat
with  a  prominent  horn  between  his  eyes  came
out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire
He came to-
earth without touching the ground.
ward  the  two-horned  ram  I  had  seen  standing
beside the canal and rushed at him with furious
of Javan
a 12
I  saw  him  approach  the  ram  in  a  rage
power.
Or

on account of transgression

Hebrew

b 21

7

against him, and he struck the ram and shattered
his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand
against  him,  and  the  goat  threw  him  to  the
ground and trampled him, and no one could de-
8
liver the ram from his power.

Thus  the  goat  became  very  great,  but  at  the
height  of  his  power,  his  large  horn  was  broken
off,  and  four  prominent  horns  came  up  in  its
9
place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.

10

From one of these horns a little horn emerged
and grew extensively toward the south and the
It grew as
east and toward the Beautiful Land.
high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some
11
of the host and some of the stars to the earth and
It magnified itself, even to the
trampled them.
Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice
a
And
and overthrew the place of His sanctuary.
in the rebellion,
 the host and the daily sacrifice
were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to
13
the ground and prospered in whatever it did.

12

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another
holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfill-
ment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebel-
lion that causes desolation, and the surrender of
14
the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”

He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and
mornings;  then  the  sanctuary  will  be  properly
Gabriel Interprets Daniel’s Vision
restored.”
15

16

While  I,  Daniel,  was  watching  the  vision  and
trying  to  understand  it,  there  stood  before  me
one  having  the  appearance  of  a  man.
And  I
heard  the  voice  of  a  man  calling  from  between
the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision
17
to this man.”

As he came near to where I stood, I was terri-

fied and fell facedown.

“Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the
18
vision concerns the time of the end.”

While  he  was  speaking  with  me,  I  fell  into  a

deep sleep, with my face to the ground.

19

and
Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,
said, “Behold, I will make known to you what will
happen  in  the  latter  time  of  wrath,  because  it
20
concerns the appointed time of the end.

21
The two-horned ram that you saw represents
b
The shaggy goat
  and  the  large

the kings of Media and Persia.
represents  the  king  of  Greece,

22

The
horn  between  his  eyes  is  the  first  king.
four horns that replaced the broken one repre-
sent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation
23
but will not have the same power.

24

In  the  latter  part  of  their  reign,  when  the
rebellion  has  reached  its  full  measure,  an  inso-
lent  king,  skilled  in  intrigue,  will  come  to  the
His power will be great, but it will not
throne.
be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and
succeed  in  whatever  he  does.  He  will  destroy
25
the  mighty  men  along  with  the  holy  people.
Through  his  craft  and  by  his  hand,  he  will
cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he
will make himself great. In a time of peace he will
destroy many, and he will even stand against the
Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken off, but
26
not by human hands.

The  vision  of  the  evenings  and  the  mornings
that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal
27
up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”

I,  Daniel,  was  exhausted  and  lay  ill  for  days.
Then I got up and went about the king’s business.
I  was  confounded  by  the  vision;  it  was  beyond
Daniel’s Prayer for His People
understanding.

a

 b

2

  —

 a
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes,
Mede by descent, who was made ruler over
in  the  first
the  kingdom  of  the  Chaldeans
year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the
sacred books, according to the word of the LORD
to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Je-
So I turned
rusalem would last seventy years.
my  attention  to  the  Lord  God  to  seek  Him  by
prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and
4
ashes.

3

c

 d

5

And  I  prayed  to  the  LORD  my  God  and  con-
fessed,  “O,  Lord,  the  great  and  awesome  God,
  to
who  keeps  His  covenant  of  loving  devotion
those  who  love  Him  and  keep  His  command-
ments,
we  have  sinned  and  done  wrong.  We
have  acted  wickedly  and  rebelled.  We  have
6
turned away from Your commandments and or-
We have not listened to Your servants
dinances.
the  prophets,  who  spoke  in  Your  name  to  our
kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the
7
land.

To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this
c 2
a 1
day  we  are  covered  with  shame—the  men  of

Ahasuerus

b 1

9

Daniel 9:18     |    803

Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near
and  far,  in  all  the  countries  to  which  You  have
8
driven  us  because  of  our  unfaithfulness  to  You.
O  LORD,  we  are  covered  with  shame—our
kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we
9
have sinned against You.

10

To  the  Lord  our  God  belong  compassion  and
forgiveness,  even  though  we  have  rebelled
and have not obeyed the voice of
against Him
the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He
11
set before us through His servants the prophets.

12

All  Israel  has  transgressed  Your  law  and
turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the
oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses
the  servant  of  God  has  been  poured  out  on  us,
You have
because we have sinned against You.
carried  out  the  words  spoken  against  us  and
against  our  rulers  by  bringing  upon  us  a  great
disaster.  For  under  all  of  heaven,  nothing
has ever been done like what has been done to
13
Jerusalem.

14

Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this
disaster  has  come  upon  us,  yet  we  have  not
sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning
from our iniquities and giving attention to Your
Therefore the LORD has kept the calam-
truth.
ity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD
our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have
15
not obeyed His voice.

16

Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your peo-
ple out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand,
and who made for Yourself a name renowned to
this  day,  we  have  sinned;  we  have  acted  wick-
O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous
edly.
acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn
away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy moun-
tain;  for  because  of  our  sins  and  the  iniquities
of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a
17
reproach to all around us.

18

So  now,  our  God,  hear  the  prayers  and  peti-
tions  of  Your  servant.  For  Your  sake,  O  Lord,
cause  Your  face  to  shine  upon  Your  desolate
sanctuary.
Incline  Your  ear,  O  my  God,  and
hear;  open  Your  eyes  and  see  the  desolation  of
the  city  that  bears  Your  name.  For  we  are  not
presenting  our  petitions  before  You  because  of
our  righteous  acts,  but  because  of  Your  great
compassion.

d 4

loving devotion

chesed
Hebrew
love

Hebrew
includes

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as

That is, the Babylonians
mercy

faithfulness

kindness

See Jeremiah 25:11–12 and Jeremiah 29:10.

loyalty to a covenant

; the range of meaning

Forms of the

,

,

,

, and

, as well as

.

804    |    Daniel 9:19

19

O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and
act!  For  Your  sake,  O  my  God,  do  not  delay,
because  Your  city  and  Your  people  bear  Your
Gabriel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks
name.”
20

22

21

While I was speaking, praying, confessing my
sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting
my petition before the LORD my God concerning
while I was still praying,
His holy mountain—
Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision,
came to me in swift flight about the time of the
He instructed me and spoke
evening sacrifice.
with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to
At the be-
give you insight and understanding.
ginning  of  your  petitions,  an  answer  went  out,
and  I  have  come  to  tell  you,  for  you  are  highly
precious.  So  consider  the  message  and  under-
 a
24
stand the vision:

23

Seventy  weeks

  are  decreed  for  your  people
and your holy city to stop their transgression, to
put  an  end  to  sin,  to  make  atonement  for
iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to
seal  up  vision  and  prophecy,  and  to  anoint  the
25
Most Holy Place.

b

c

Know and understand this: From the issuance
of  the  decree  to  restore  and  rebuild  Jerusalem
until the Messiah,
 the Prince, there will be seven
weeks  and  sixty-two  weeks.  It  will  be  rebuilt
26
with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

d

Then  after  the  sixty-two  weeks
will be cut off and will have nothing.

  the  Messiah

e

27

Then the people of the prince who is to come will
destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will
come like a flood, and until the end there will be
And  he
war;  desolations  have  been  decreed.
will  confirm  a  covenant  with  many  for  one
 but in the middle of the week he will put
week,
an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing
of  the  temple  will  come  the  abomination  that
g
causes desolation,
 until the decreed destruction
Daniel’s Vision by the Tigris
is poured out upon him.

”

f

10

understanding of the message was given to him
2
in a vision.
3

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three
full weeks.
I ate no rich food, no meat or wine
entered  my  mouth,  and  I  did  not  anoint  myself
4
with oil until the three weeks were completed.

5

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as
I was standing on the bank of the great river, the
I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was
Tigris,
a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine
gold from Uphaz around his waist.
His body was
like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning,
his  eyes  like flaming  torches,  his  arms and  legs
like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice
7
like the sound of a multitude.

6

Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me
did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them,
8
and they ran and hid themselves.

9

So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No
strength remained in me; my face grew deathly
I heard the sound of
pale, and I was powerless.
his  words,  and  as  I  listened,  I  fell  into  a  deep
10
sleep, with my face to the ground.
11

Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trem-
bling  on  my hands  and  knees.
He  said  to me,
“Daniel,  you  are  a  man  who  is  highly  precious.
Consider carefully the words that I am about to
say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to
you.”

And  when  he  had  said  this  to  me,  I  stood  up
12
trembling.

“Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the
first day that you purposed to understand and to
humble  yourself  before  your  God,  your  words
13
were heard, and I have come in response to them.
However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia
opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael,
one  of  the  chief  princes,  came  to  help  me,  for  I
14
had  been  left  there  with  the  kings  of  Persia.
Now I have come to explain to you what will
happen to your people in the latter days, for the
15
vision concerns those days.”

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,
a  message  was  revealed  to  Daniel,  who
was called Belteshazzar. The message was true,
a 24
  And  the
and  it  concerned  a  great  conflict.
the Anointed One
c 25

While he was speaking these words to me, I set
my face toward the ground and became speech-
And suddenly one with the likeness of a
less.
d 26
; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26
; liter-
And on the wing (will come) the abomination that causes

Then after sixty-two sevens

the Most Holy One

the Holy of Holies

Seventy sevens

for one seven

the Most Holy
Or
e 27
ally
Or
desolation,
Or
consummation is poured out upon (him who) is desolate.

; similarly again in this verse

f 27
; also in verse 26
Literally

And on the wing of abominations (will come) one who causes desolation,

g 27
true and greatly burdensome

until the decreed

Hebrew

b 24

h 1

 or

Or

16

h

 or

Or

Literally

 a

 touched my lips, and I opened my mouth
man
and said to the one standing before me, “My lord,
because  of  the  vision,  I  am  overcome  with  an-
How can I, your
guish, and I have no strength.
servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no
18
strength, nor is any breath left in me.”
19

17

Again  the  one  with  the  likeness  of  a  man
“Do not be
touched me and strengthened me.
afraid,  you  who  are  highly  precious,”  he  said.
“Peace  be  with  you!  Be  strong  now;  be  very
strong!”

As  he  spoke  with  me,  I  was  strengthened  and
said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened
20
me.”

“Do  you  know  why  I  have  come  to  you?”  he
said.  “I  must  return  at  once  to  fight  against  the
 b
prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, be-
But first
hold, the prince of Greece
I  will  tell  you  what  is  inscribed  in  the  Book  of
Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me
Kings of the South and North
against these, except Michael your prince.

 will come.

21

11

2
tect him.

“And  I,  in  the  first  year  of  Darius  the
Mede,  stood  up  to  strengthen  and  pro-

Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more
kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who
will be far richer than all the others. By the power
of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the
3
kingdom of Greece.

c

4

Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with
great  authority  and  do  as  he  pleases.
But  as
soon  as  he  is  established,  his  kingdom  will  be
broken  up  and  parceled  out  toward  the  four
winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants,
nor  will  it  have  the  authority  with  which  he
ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and
5
given to others.

The king of the South will grow strong, but one
of his commanders will grow even stronger and
6
will rule his own kingdom with great authority.

Daniel 11:19     |    805

 e

she will be given up, along with her royal escort
7
 and the one who supported her.
and her father

  f

8

But one from her family line

 will rise up in his
place,  come  against  the  army  of  the  king  of  the
North,  and  enter  his  fortress,  fighting  and  pre-
He will take even their gods captive to
vailing.
Egypt, with their metal images and their precious
vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will
stay away from the king of the North,
who will
invade  the  realm  of  the  king  of  the  South  and
10
then return to his own land.

9

But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a
great  army,  which  will  advance  forcefully,
sweeping  through  like  a  flood,  and  will  again
carry the battle as far as his fortress.
In a rage,
the king of the South will march out to fight the
king of the North, who will raise a large army, but
12
it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.

11

13

When  the  army  is  carried  off,  the  king  of  the
South will be proud in heart and will cast down
tens of thousands, but he will not triumph.
For
 g
the  king  of  the  North  will  raise  another  army,
larger  than  the  first,  and  after  some  years
  he
will  advance  with  a  great  army  and  many  sup-
14
plies.

In  those  times  many  will  rise  up  against  the
king of the South. Violent ones among your own
people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the
15
vision, but they will fail.

16

Then the king of the North will come, build up
a  siege  ramp,  and  capture  a  fortified  city.  The
forces of the South will not stand; even their best
troops  will  not  be  able  to  resist.
The  invader
will  do  as  he  pleases,  and  no  one  will  stand
against  him.  He  will  establish  himself  in  the
17
Beautiful  Land,  with  destruction  in  his  hand.
He will resolve to come with the strength of his
whole  kingdom,  and  will  reach  an  agreement
with  the  king  of  the  South.  He  will  give  him  a
daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the
kingdom,  but  his  plan  will  not  succeed  or  help
18
him.

h

After some years they will form an alliance, and
the daughter of the king of the South will go to
the king of the North to seal the agreement. But
his  daughter  will  not  retain  her  position  of
with the likeness of sons of man
a 16
 endure. At that time
power, nor will his strength
c 2
of Javan
the hand of a man

of Javan

 d

Most MT manuscripts; literally

f 7

b 20
a branch from her roots

him or support him
Syriac.

Literally

Hebrew

g 13
Hebrew

Hebrew

19

Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and
capture many of them. But a commander will put
an end to his reproach and will turn it back upon
him.
After  this,  he  will  turn  back  toward  the
fortresses  of  his  own  land,  but  he  will  stumble
and fall and be no more.
offspring
at the end of the times
Or

child
but she will not stand with
; see Vulgate and

; DSS, LXX, and one MT manuscript

with the likeness of

e 6
h 17

d 6

Or
Or

806    |    Daniel 11:20

20

35

In his place one will arise who will send out a
tax  collector  for  the  glory  of  the  kingdom;  but
within  a  few  days  he  will  be  destroyed,  though
21
not in anger or in battle.

22

In  his  place  a  despicable  person  will  arise;
royal honors will not be given to him, but he will
come in a time of peace and seize the kingdom by
Then a flood of forces will be swept
intrigue.
away  before  him  and  destroyed,  along  with  a
23
prince of the covenant.

24

After an alliance is made with him, he will act
deceitfully; for he will rise to power with only a
In a time of peace, he will invade
few people.
the richest provinces and do what his fathers and
forefathers  never  did.  He  will  lavish  plunder,
loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will plot
25
against the strongholds—but only for a time.

26

And with a large army he will stir up his power
and  his  courage  against  the  king  of  the  South,
who  will  mobilize  a  very  large  and  powerful
army  but  will  not  withstand  the  plots  devised
Those  who  eat  from  his  provi-
against  him.
sions will seek to destroy him; his army will be
27
swept away, and many will fall slain.

28

And  the  two  kings,  with  their  hearts  bent  on
evil, will speak lies at the same table, but to no
avail, for still the end will come at the appointed
The king of the North will return to his
time.
land with great wealth, but his heart will be set
against the holy covenant; so he will do damage
29
and return to his own land.

 a

Ships of Kittim

At the appointed time he will invade the South
30
again,  but  this  time  will  not  be  like  the  first.
 will come against him, and he
will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage
against the holy covenant and do damage. So he
will return and show favor to those who forsake
the holy covenant.
His forces will rise up and
desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish
the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of
32
desolation.

31

With flattery he will corrupt those who violate
33
the covenant, but the people who know their God
Those with insight will
will firmly resist him.
instruct many, though for a time they will fall by
34
sword or flame, or be captured or plundered.

Now  when  they  fall,  they  will  be  granted  a
b 39
a 30
little  help,  but  many  will  join  them  insincerely.
d 43

Mediterranean islands

western coastlands

e 44

Some of the wise will fall so that they may be
refined,  purified,  and  made  spotless  until  the
time  of  the  end,  for  it  will  still  come  at  the  ap-
The King Who Exalts Himself
pointed time.
36

37

Then the king will do as he pleases and will ex-
alt and magnify himself above every god, and he
will  speak  monstrous  things  against  the  God  of
gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath
is completed, for what has been decreed must be
accomplished.
He will show no regard for the
gods  of  his  fathers,  nor  for  the  one  desired  by
women,  nor  for  any  other  god,  because  he  will
38
magnify himself above them all.

And  in  their  place,  he  will  honor  a  god  of
fortresses—a  god  his  fathers  did  not  know—
39
with  gold,  silver,  precious  stones,  and  riches.
He will attack the strongest fortresses with the
help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those
who acknowledge him, making them rulers over
40
many and distributing the land for a price.
c

b

At the time of the end, the king of the South will
engage him in battle,
 but the king of the North
will storm out against him with chariots, horse-
men,  and  many  ships,  invading  many  countries
He
and  sweeping  through  them  like  a  flood.
will  also  invade  the  Beautiful  Land,  and  many
countries  will  fall.  But  these  will  be  delivered
from  his  hand:  Edom,  Moab,  and  the  leaders  of
42
the Ammonites.

41

43

He will extend his power over many countries,
He
and not even the land of Egypt will escape.
will  gain  control  of  the  treasures  of  gold  and
 d
silver  and  over  all  the  riches  of  Egypt,  and  the
44
Libyans and Cushites

 will also submit to him.

But  news  from  the  east  and  the  north  will
e
alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to
45
destroy many and devote them to destruction.

He  will  pitch  his  royal  tents  between  the  sea
and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet
The End Times  (Revelation 1:1–3)
his end with no one to help him.

12

“At  that  time  Michael,  the  great  prince
who stands watch over your people, will
rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes
of which will not have occurred from the begin-
ning  of  nations  until  that time.  But  at  that  time
your  people—everyone  whose  name  is  found
for a reward
written in the book—will be delivered.
Hebrew
 refer to the giving over of things or

will thrust at him

c 40
cherem

Or
 or
That is, people from the upper Nile region

Or

Forms of the Hebrew

persons, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.

2

b

a

3

And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will
awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  but  others  to
shame  and  everlasting  contempt.
Then  the
wise  will  shine  like  the  brightness  of  the  heav-
 and those who lead many to righteousness
ens,
4
will shine like the stars forever and ever.

c

But  you,  Daniel,  shut  up  these  words  and  seal
the  book  until  the  time  of  the  end.  Many  will
5
roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”

6

Then  I,  Daniel,  looked  and  saw  two  others
standing there, one on this bank of the river and
one on the opposite bank.
One of them said to
the man dressed in linen, who was above the wa-
ters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment
7
of these wonders?”

And the man dressed in linen, who was above
the waters of the river, raised his right hand and
his  left  hand  toward  heaven,  and  I  heard  him
swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will

Daniel 12:13     |    807

be for a time, and times, and half a time. When
the  power  of  the  holy  people  has  finally  been
8
shattered, all these things will be completed.”

I  heard,  but  I  did  not  understand.  So  I  asked,
“My  lord,  what  will  be  the  outcome  of  these
9
things?”

10

“Go  on  your  way,  Daniel,”  he  replied,  “for  the
words are closed up and sealed until the time of
the end.
Many will be purified, made spotless,
and refined, but the wicked will continue to act
wickedly.  None  of  the  wicked  will  understand,
11
but the wise will understand.

And  from  the  time  the  daily  sacrifice  is  abol-
ished and the abomination of desolation set up,
there  will  be  1,290  days.
Blessed  is  he  who
13
waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

12

But as for  you, go on your way until the end.
You  will  rest,  and  then  you  will  arise  to  your
inheritance at the end of the days.”

a 2

b 3

expanse

firmament

c 3

See John 5:29 and Revelation 11:18.

Or

 or

; see also Genesis 1:6–8.

See Matthew 13:43.

Hosea

Hosea’s Wife and Children

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

1

This  is  the  word  of  the  LORD  that  came  to
Hosea  son  of  Beeri  in  the  days  of  Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and
2
of Jeroboam son of Jehoash,

 king of Israel.

a

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He
told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and
have  children  of  adultery,  because  this  land  is
flagrantly  prostituting  itself  by  departing  from
3
the LORD.”

So  Hosea  went  and  married  Gomer  daughter
of  Diblaim,  and  she  conceived  and  bore  him  a
4
son.

b

Then  the  LORD  said  to  Hosea,  “Name  him
Jezreel,
  for  soon  I  will  bring  the  bloodshed  of
Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an
end to the kingdom of Israel.
And on that day I
will  break  the  bow  of  Israel  in  the  Valley  of
6
Jezreel.”

5

c

Gomer  again  conceived  and  gave  birth  to  a
daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her
Lo-ruhamah,
 for I will no longer have compas-
7
sion  on  the  house  of  Israel,  that  I  should  ever
forgive them.
Yet I will have compassion on the
house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow
or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but
8
by the LORD their God.”

9

After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer con-
And  the  LORD
  for  you  are  not  My

ceived  and  gave  birth  to  a  son.
e
said,  “Name  him  Lo-ammi,
10
people, and I am not your God.

d

 f

11

Yet  the  number  of  the  Israelites  will  be  like
the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or
counted. And it will happen that in the very place
where  it  was  said  to  them,  ‘You  are  not  My
people,’  they  will  be  called  ‘sons  of  the  living
God.’
Then  the  people  of  Judah  and  of  Israel
will be gathered together, and they will appoint
for themselves one leader, and will go up out of
a 1
the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.
received mercy
Hebrew
g 1

b 4 Jezreel
not My people

d 9 Lo-ammi
, a variant of
h 1

Jehoash

Joash

Ammi
.

Mercy is shown
 means

2

2

 g

 h

 “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’
and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

Rebuke your mother,

rebuke her,

for she is not My wife,

and I am not her husband.

Let her remove the adultery from her face

3

and the unfaithfulness from between her

breasts.

Otherwise, I will strip her naked

and expose her like the day of her birth.

I will make her like a desert

4

and turn her into a parched land,
and I will let her die of thirst.

I will have no compassion on her children,

5

because they are the children of adultery.

For their mother has played the harlot
and has conceived them in disgrace.

For she thought,

‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me bread and water,
6

wool and linen, oil and drink.’

 i

Therefore, behold,

I will hedge up her path
I will enclose her with a wall,

7

 with thorns;

so she cannot find her way.

She will pursue her lovers but not catch

them;

she will seek them but not find them.

Then she will say,

8

‘I will return to my first husband,
for then I was better off than now.’

For she does not acknowledge

that it was I who gave her grain,
new wine, and oil,

who lavished on her silver and gold—
9

which they crafted for Baal.

Therefore I will take back My grain in its time

and My new wine in its season;
I will take away My wool and linen,

Hebrew

Or

; Hebrew

, which means

God sows

she has not
c 6 Lo-ruhamah
which were given to cover her nakedness.

e 9
 means
Ruhamah
.

Hebrew

f 10
I am not yours
; also in verse 11.
she has received mercy

i 6

 means
Cited in Romans 9:26
Hebrew

your path

10

19

And then I will expose her lewdness

So I will betroth you to Me forever;

Hosea 4:1     |    809

in the sight of her lovers,

and no one will deliver her

11

out of My hands.

I will put an end to all her exultation:

12

her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—
all her appointed feasts.

I will destroy her vines and fig trees,

which she thinks are the wages paid by

her lovers.

So I will make them into a thicket,

13

and the beasts of the field will devour

them.

I will punish her for the days of the Baals
when she burned incense to them,
when she adorned herself with rings and

jewelry,

and went after her lovers.

declares the LORD.

But Me she forgot,”
God’s Mercy to Israel

14

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her
and lead her to the wilderness,
and speak to her tenderly.

 a

15

There I will give back her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor
into a gateway of hope.

There she will respond as she did

16

in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

In that day,”

declares the LORD,

 b

 c

“you will call Me ‘my Husband,’

17

and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’

For I will remove from her lips the names of

18

the Baals;

no longer will their names be invoked.

On that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field and the birds

of the air

and the creatures that crawl on the

ground.

And I will abolish bow and sword

I will betroth you in righteousness and
 d

20

justice,
in loving devotion

 and compassion.

21

And I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will know the LORD.”

“On that day I will respond—”

declares the LORD—

22

“I will respond to the heavens,

and they will respond to the earth.
And the earth will respond to the grain,

e

23

to the new wine and oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.

And I will sow her as My own in the land,
 f
and I will have compassion on ‘No
 g

Compassion.’

 h

I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’

‘You are My people,’

and they will say,

Hosea Redeems His Wife  (Zechariah 2:6–13)
”

‘You are my God.’

3

Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to
 i
your wife again, though she is loved by an-
other
 and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD
loves  the  Israelites,  though  they  turn  to  other
2
gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.

 k
”

j

l

3

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver

 and
a homer and a lethech of barley.
Then I said to
her, “You must live with me for many days; you
must not be promiscuous or belong to another,
4
and I will do the same for you.”

5

For the Israelites must live many days without
king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar,
Afterward, the peo-
and without ephod or idol.
ple of Israel will return and seek the LORD their
God and David their king. They will come trem-
bling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last
God’s Case against His People
days.

4

 Hear the word of the LORD,
O children of Israel,
for the LORD has a case

against the people of the land:

a 15 Achor

and battle in the land,
c 16
b 16
trouble
and will make them lie down in safety.
loving devotion
Hebrew
loyalty to a covenant

 means
faithfulness

my Ishi

.
kindness
mercy
here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
ruhamah
,
i 1
; LXX

g 23
I will love her who was not loved
Go show love to a woman who is loved by another

, as well as

Hebrew

, and

l 2

Lo-ammi
.
a homer and a half of barley
Literally

j 1
Hebrew

Or

“There is no truth, no loving devotion,
my Baal

and no knowledge of God in the land!

chesed

d 19

love
Forms of the Hebrew
f 23
God sows

e 22 Jezreel
; the range of meaning includes
h 23
 means
.
and love raisin cakes
Cited in Romans 9:25 and 1 Peter 2:10

,
Hebrew
k 2 15 shekels

 are translated

goodness
Lo-
,

a homer of barley and a wineskin full of wine
; that is, a total of approximately 9.36 bushels or 330

 is approximately

6 ounces or 171 grams of silver.
liters (probably about 436 pounds or 198 kilograms of barley); LXX

Or

810    |    Hosea 4:2

2

Cursing and lying,

murder and stealing,
and adultery are rampant;

3

one act of bloodshed follows another.

Therefore the land mourns,

and all who dwell in it will waste away

with the beasts of the field and the birds

4

of the air;

even the fish of the sea disappear.

But let no man contend;

let no man offer reproof;
a
for your people are like those
who contend with a priest.

5

You will stumble by day,

and the prophet will stumble with you by

6

night;

so I will destroy your mother—

My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you as My priests.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
7

I will also forget your children.

The more they multiplied,
 b

the more they sinned against Me;

they exchanged their Glory
8
for a thing of disgrace.

 c

9

They feed on the sins

 of My people
and set their hearts on iniquity.

And it shall be

like people, like priest.

10

I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.

They will eat but not be satisfied;

they will be promiscuous but not multiply.

11

For they have abandoned the LORD to give

      themselves
to promiscuity, wine, and new wine,
which take away understanding.

12

My people consult their wooden idols,

and their divining rods inform them.
For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray
and they have played the harlot against

13

their God.

They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
b 7
for My case is against you, O priests
because their shade is pleasant.
the sin offerings

d 15 Beth-aven

h 3

 means

e 17

a 4
c 8
Or
of God
Or
wrapped her

14

And so your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

I will not punish your daughters

when they prostitute themselves,

nor your daughters-in-law

when they commit adultery.
For the men themselves go off with

prostitutes

and offer sacrifices with shrine

prostitutes.

So a people without understanding

15

will come to ruin.

Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,

may Judah avoid such guilt!

d

Do not journey to Gilgal,

do not go up to Beth-aven,

16

and do not swear on oath,

‘As surely as the LORD lives!’

For Israel is as obstinate
as a stubborn heifer.

17

18

 e

Can the LORD now shepherd them
like lambs in an open meadow?
 is joined to idols;

Ephraim

leave him alone!

When their liquor is gone,

 f

19

they turn to prostitution;
their rulers

 dearly love disgrace.

 g

The whirlwind has wrapped them

in its wings,
Judgment on Israel and Judah

and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

5

 “Hear this, O priests!
Take heed, O house of Israel!
        Give ear, O royal house!
For this judgment is against you

2

3

because you have been a snare at Mizpah,
a net spread out on Tabor.
The rebels are deep in slaughter;
but I will chastise them all.

h

I know all about Ephraim,

and Israel is not hidden from Me.

For now, O Ephraim,

4

you have turned to prostitution;
Israel is defiled.

Their deeds do not permit them

to return to their God,

they exchanged their glorious God

for a spirit of prostitution is within them,
and they do not know the LORD.

I will exchange their glory

house of wickedness
Or

f 18

 (Syriac); MT

her shields

g 19

. This is a derogatory term for Bethel, which means
Hebrew

Hebrew

house
has

; see 1 Kings 12:28–29.

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel
That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verses 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14

5

The Unrepentance of Israel and Judah

Hosea 6:11     |    811

Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
Israel and Ephraim stumble in their

6

iniquity;

even Judah stumbles with them.
They go with their flocks and herds

to seek the LORD,
but they do not find Him;

7

He has withdrawn Himself from them.

They have been unfaithful to the LORD;
 a

for they have borne illegitimate children.

Now the New Moon
8

along with their land.

 will devour them

Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah,
the trumpet in Ramah;
raise the battle cry in Beth-aven:

 b

9

Lead on, O Benjamin!
Ephraim will be laid waste
on the day of rebuke.
Among the tribes of Israel

10

I proclaim what is certain.

The princes of Judah

 c

are like those who move boundary

stones;
I will pour out My fury

11

upon them like water.

Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
for he is determined to follow worthless

d

12

idols.

So I am like a moth to Ephraim,

13

and like decay to the house of Judah.

When Ephraim saw his sickness

and Judah his wound,

e

then Ephraim turned to Assyria
and sent to the great king.

14

But he cannot cure you
or heal your wound.

For I am like a lion to Ephraim

and like a young lion to the house of

Judah.

I, even I, will tear them to pieces

and then go away.

15

I will carry them off

where no one can rescue them.

Then I will return to My place

until they admit their guilt and seek

My face;

6

 Come, let us return to the LORD.

 For He has torn us to pieces,
       but He will heal us;

He has wounded us,

2

but He will bind up our wounds.

After two days He will revive us;
on the third day He will raise

3

us up,

that we may live in His presence.

So let us know—

let us press on to know the LORD.

As surely as the sun rises,

He will appear;

He will come to us like the rain,

like the spring showers that water

 f

4

the earth.

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim

?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
For your loyalty is like a morning mist,
like the early dew that vanishes.

5

Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;

I have slain them by the words of

6

My mouth,

g

and My judgments go forth like lightning.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.

7

 h

But they, like Adam, have transgressed

 the

8

covenant;

there they were unfaithful to Me.

Gilead is a city of evildoers,

9

tracked with footprints of blood.

Like raiders who lie in ambush,
so does a band of priests;

they murder on the way to Shechem;

10

surely they have committed atrocities.

In the house of Israel

I have seen a horrible thing:

Ephraim practices prostitution there,

11

and Israel is defiled.

in their affliction they will earnestly seek
their New Moon feast

the coming month

Me.”

b 8 Beth-aven

a 7

house of God

c 10

to follow human precepts

 or

Or

d 11
for Bethel, which means
g 6
Or
My people

e 13

to King Jareb
; see 1 Kings 12:28–29.
h 7

f 4

 means

As at Adam, they have transgressed

See Proverbs 22:28 and Proverbs 23:10.

. This is a derogatory term
i 11

restore the fortunes of

Or

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 10

Cited in Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7

Or

Or

Also for you, O Judah,

a harvest is appointed,

i

when I restore

My people from captivity.

house of wickedness

812    |    Hosea 7:1

Ephraim’s Iniquity

13

7

 a

When I heal Israel,
the iniquity of Ephraim
as well as the crimes of Samaria.

 will be exposed,

For they practice deceit and thieves break in;
2

bandits raid in the streets.

But they fail to consider in their hearts

that I remember all their evil.
Now their deeds are all around them;

3

they are before My face.

4

They delight the king with their evil,
and the princes with their lies.

They are all adulterers,

like an oven heated by a baker

who needs not stoke the fire

5

from the kneading to the rising of the

dough.

The princes are inflamed with wine

on the day of our king;

so he joins hands

6

with those who mock him.
 b

For they prepare their heart like an oven

while they lie in wait;
all night their anger smolders;

7

Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!

Destruction to them, for they have

rebelled against Me!

14

Though I would redeem them,
they speak lies against Me.

They do not cry out to Me from their hearts
 d

when they wail upon their beds.

They slash themselves

 for grain and

15

new wine,

but turn away from Me.

Although I trained and strengthened

16

their arms,

they plot evil against Me.

They turn, but not to the Most High;

they are like a faulty bow.

Their leaders will fall by the sword
for the cursing of their tongue;

for this they will be ridiculed
Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind
in the land of Egypt.

8

Put the ram’s horn to your lips!
An eagle looms over the house of the

LORD,

because the people have transgressed
2

My covenant

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

and rebelled against My law.

All of them are hot as an oven,

and they devour their rulers.

All their kings fall;
8

not one of them calls upon Me.

9

Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is an unturned cake.
Foreigners consume his strength,

but he does not notice.

Even his hair is streaked with gray,

10

but he does not know.

Israel’s arrogance testifies against them,

yet they do not return to the LORD their

11

God;

despite all this, they do not seek Him.

So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless

dove—

12

calling out to Egypt, then turning to

Assyria.

As they go, I will spread My net over them;
I will bring them down like birds of the

Israel cries out to Me,

3

“O our God, we know You!”

4

But Israel has rejected good;

an enemy will pursue him.

They set up kings, but not by Me.

They make princes, but without My

approval.

With their silver and gold they make
5

themselves idols,
e
to their own destruction.

He has rejected your calf,

 O Samaria.

My anger burns against them.

How long will they be
6

incapable of innocence?
For this thing is from Israel—

a craftsman made it, and it is not God.

It will be broken to pieces,
7
that calf of Samaria.

For they sow the wind,

and they shall reap the whirlwind.

There is no standing grain;

air.
I will chastise them

c

what sprouts fails to yield flour.

a 1
them according to what was reported against them in the assembly.

when I hear them flocking together.

Even if it should produce,
their baker sleeps

b 6
the foreigners would swallow it up.
d 14

c 12

I will chastise

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verses 8 and 11

They gather together

calf idol

e 5

Literally

Or

Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; see 1 Kings

18:28. Most Hebrew manuscripts

Or

; see 1 Kings 12:29.

8

6

Hosea 9:15     |    813

Israel is swallowed up!

9

Now they are among the nations
like a worthless vessel.

10

 a

For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey on its own.
Ephraim

 has hired lovers.
Though they hire allies among the nations,

I will now round them up,
and they will begin to diminish

under the oppression of the king of

princes.

11

For even if they flee destruction,

Egypt will gather them
and Memphis will bury them.

Their precious silver will be taken over

7

by thistles,

and thorns will overrun their tents.

The days of punishment have come;

the days of retribution have arrived—
let Israel know it.

The prophet is called a fool,

and the inspired man insane,

12

Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin,

because of the greatness
8

they became his altars for sinning.

Though I wrote for them the great things of

of your iniquity and hostility.
The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman,

c

13

My law,

they regarded them as something strange.

Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me,

and though they eat the meat,
the LORD does not accept them.
Now He will remember their iniquity and

14

punish their sins:
They will return to Egypt.

Israel has forgotten his Maker and built

palaces;

Judah has multiplied its fortified cities.

But I will send fire upon their cities,
and it will consume their citadels.

Israel’s Punishment

9

 Do not rejoice, O Israel,
with exultation like the nations,
for you have played the harlot against

your God;

2

you have made love for hire on every

threshing floor.

The threshing floor and winepress will not

3

feed them,

and the new wine will fail them.

They will not remain

 b

in the land of the LORD;

4

Ephraim

 will return to Egypt
and eat unclean food in Assyria.

They will not pour out wine offerings to the

LORD,

and their sacrifices will not please Him,

but will be to them like the bread of

mourners;

all who eat will be defiled.

For their bread will be for themselves;

5

along with my God,

yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his
9

paths.

Hostility is in the house of his God!
They have deeply corrupted themselves

as in the days of Gibeah;
He will remember their guilt;
He will punish their sins.

10

I found Israel like grapes in the

wilderness.

I saw your fathers as the firstfruits
of the fig tree in its first season.

But they went to Baal-peor,

and consecrated themselves to

Shame;

11

so they became as detestable
as the thing they loved.

Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird,
with no birth, no pregnancy, and no

12

conception.

Even if they raise their children,

I will bereave them of each one.

13

Yes, woe be to them

when I turn away from them!

I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,

planted in a meadow.
But Ephraim will bring out

14

his children for slaughter.

Give them, O LORD—

what will You give?

15

Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that dry up!

All their evil appears at Gilgal,
for there I hated them.

I will drive them from My house

it will not enter the house of the LORD.

for the wickedness of their deeds.

a 9

What will you do on the appointed day,
on the day of the LORD’s feast?

c 8

b 3
The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, the people of my God

all their leaders are rebellious.

I will no longer love them;

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 11

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; similarly in

verses 8, 11, 13, and 16

Or

814    |    Hosea 9:16

16

Ephraim is struck down;
their root is withered;
they cannot bear fruit.
Even if they bear children,

17

I will slay the darlings of their wombs.

My God will reject them

9

Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned,

O Israel,

and there you have remained.
 g

10

Did not the battle in Gibeah

overtake the sons of iniquity?
I will chasten them when I please;

because they have not obeyed Him;

nations will be gathered against them

and they shall be wanderers

Retribution for Israel’s Sin
among the nations.

11

to put them in bondage

for their double transgression.

10

Israel was a luxuriant vine,
yielding fruit for himself.

The more his fruit increased,

the more he increased the altars.

The better his land produced,

2

the better he made the sacred pillars.

Their hearts are devious;

now they must bear their guilt.
The LORD will break down their altars
3
and demolish their sacred pillars.

Surely now they will say,
“We have no king,

4

for we do not revere the LORD.
What can a king do for us?”

They speak mere words;

Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves

to thresh;

but I will place a yoke on her fair neck.

12

I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow,
and Jacob will break the hard ground.

Sow for yourselves righteousness

and reap the fruit of loving devotion;
break up your unplowed ground.

For it is time to seek the LORD

13

until He comes and sends righteousness
upon you like rain.

You have plowed wickedness and reaped

injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

14

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in the multitude of your mighty men,

with false oaths they make covenants.

the roar of battle will rise against your

So judgment springs up

people,

like poisonous weeds in the furrows

so that all your fortresses will be

5

of a field.

a

The people of Samaria will fear
for the calf of Beth-aven.

Indeed, its people will mourn over it
with its idolatrous priests—
those who rejoiced in its glory—

6

for it has been taken from them into exile.

b
Yes, it will be carried to Assyria
as tribute to the great king.

 c

Ephraim

 will be seized with shame;

d

7

Israel will be ashamed of its wooden

idols.

8

Samaria will be carried off with her king
like a twig on the surface of the water.

 e

The high places of Aven
it is the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles will overgrow their

 will be destroyed—

altars.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover

 f

demolished

as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel

in the day of battle,

15

when mothers were dashed to pieces

along with their children.

Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.

When the day dawns,

Out of Egypt I Called My Son  (Matt. 2:13–15)

the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.

11

2

h

When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.
i

But the more I called Israel,

the farther they departed from Me.

They sacrificed to the Baals
3

 j

and burned incense to carved images.

It was I who taught Ephraim
taking them by the arms,

 to walk,

but they never realized

that it was I who healed them.

house of God
of its own counsel

e 8

of wickedness

d 6
f 8

us!”

house of wickedness
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
c 6
to King Jareb

a 5 Beth-aven
b 6
Aven
g 9
called them, the more they went from them.

 means

Or

Or

. This is a derogatory term for Bethel, which is

; see 1 Kings 12:28–29.

Did not the battle overtake the sons of iniquity in Gibeah?

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also v. 11

h 1

 is a reference to Beth-aven (a derogatory term for Bethel); see verse 5.

j 3

Cited in Matthew 2:15
That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verses 8, 9, and 12

i 2

Or
;
The more they
Cited in Luke 23:30; see also Rev. 6:16.
LXX; Hebrew

Or

4

4

 d

I led them with cords of kindness,

Yes, he struggled with the angel

 and

Hosea 13:2     |    815

with ropes of love;

I lifted the yoke from their necks
5
and bent down to feed them.

Will they not return to the land of Egypt

6

and be ruled by Assyria
because they refused to repent?
A sword will flash through their cities;

7

it will destroy the bars of their gates
and consume them in their own plans.

My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call to the Most High,
He will by no means exalt them.

God’s Love for Israel

8

How could I give you up, O Ephraim?

How could I surrender you, O Israel?

How could I make you like Admah?

How could I treat you like Zeboiim?

My heart is turned within Me;
9
My compassion is stirred!

prevailed;

he wept and sought His favor;

 e

he found Him at Bethel

5

and spoke with Him there

—

the LORD God of Hosts,

6

the LORD is His name of renown.

But you must return to your God;
maintain love and justice,
and always wait on your God.

7

A merchant loves to defraud

8

with dishonest scales in his hands.

And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become!

I have found wealth for myself.
In all my labors, they can find in me
9

no iniquity that is sinful.”
But I am the LORD your God

ever since the land of Egypt.
I will again make you dwell in tents,

10

as in the days of the appointed feast.

I will not execute the full fury of My anger;

I spoke through the prophets

I will not destroy Ephraim again.

For I am God and not man—

10

the Holy One among you—
and I will not come in wrath.
They will walk after the LORD;
He will roar like a lion.

When He roars,

11

His children will come trembling from the

west.

They will come trembling like birds from

Egypt

and like doves from the land of Assyria.

Then I will settle them in their homes,

declares the LORD.

12

Ephraim surrounds Me with lies,
the house of Israel with deceit;
a

but Judah still walks with God

A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob
and is faithful to the Holy One.

12

 b

 feeds on the wind
Ephraim
and pursues the east wind all day long;

he multiplies lies and violence;
he makes a covenant with Assyria
2
and sends olive oil to Egypt.

3

 c
The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah.
 according to his ways

He will punish Jacob
and repay him according to his deeds.
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel,
and Judah is unruly against God, the faithful Holy One
and in his vigor he wrestled with God.
d 4

he deceives

he grasps the heel
g 1

a 12
c 2 Jacob
Or

 means

 or

.

Or

11

and multiplied their visions;
I gave parables through the prophets.

Is there iniquity in Gilead?

They will surely come to nothing.

Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?

12

Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones
 f
in the furrows of the field.
Jacob fled to the land of Aram

13

and Israel worked for a wife—
for a wife he tended sheep.

But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out

14

of Egypt,

and by a prophet he was preserved.

Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,

so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon

him

God’s Anger against Israel

and repay him for his contempt.

 g

13

 When Ephraim
trembling;

 spoke, there was

he was exalted in Israel.

But he incurred guilt through Baal,

and he died.

2

Now they sin more and more

and make for themselves cast images,

idols skillfully made from their silver,
all of them the work of craftsmen.

 h
 offer human

People say of them, “They

b 1
e 4

Angel

sacrifice and kiss the calves!”

and there He spoke with us

f 12

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in vv. 8, 14
“The men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”
That
LXX and Syriac; MT

h 2

is, NW Mesopotamia

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in v. 12

Or

816    |    Hosea 13:3

3

Therefore they will be like the morning mist,

His fountain will fail,

like the early dew that vanishes,
like chaff blown from a threshing floor,

like smoke through an open window.

4

Yet I am the LORD your God

ever since the land of Egypt;

5

you know no God but Me,

for there is no Savior besides Me.

6

I knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought.

When they had pasture,

they became satisfied;
when they were satisfied,

7

8

their hearts became proud,
and as a result they forgot Me.
So like a lion I will pounce on them;

like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack

them,

and I will tear open their chests.
There I will devour them like a lion,

Death and Resurrection  (1 Cor. 15:50–58)
9

like a wild beast tearing them apart.

You are destroyed, O Israel,

10

because you are against Me—
 a
against your helper.

Where is your king now

to save you in all your cities,
and the rulers to whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
So in My anger I gave you a king,

11

12

14

13

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;

his sin is stored up.

Labor pains come upon him,
but he is an unwise son.

When the time arrives,

he fails to present himself at the opening

8

of the womb.

b

I will ransom them from the power of Sheol;

I will redeem them from Death.
 c
Where, O Death, are your plagues?
Where, O Sheol, is your sting?

Judgment on Samaria

Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

15

Although he flourishes among his brothers,

an east wind will come—

and his spring will run dry.
The wind will plunder his treasury

of every precious article.

16

Samaria will bear her guilt

because she has rebelled against her God.

They will fall by the sword;

A Call to Repentance (Jer. 3:11–25 ;  Zech. 1:1–6)

their little ones will be dashed to pieces,
and their pregnant women ripped open.

14

2

 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled by your iniquity.

Bring your confessions

and return to the LORD.

Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity

and receive us graciously,

d

that we may present
3
the fruit of our lips.
Assyria will not save us,

nor will we ride on horses.
We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’
to the work of our own hands.

A Promise of God’s Blessing

For in You the fatherless find compassion.”

4

I will heal their apostasy;
I will freely love them,
for My anger has turned away from them.

5

I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like the lily
and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

6

7

and his splendor will be like the olive tree,
his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.

They will return and dwell in his shade;

they will grow grain and blossom like the

vine.

His renown will be like the wine of

e
Lebanon.

O Ephraim,

 what have I to do

anymore with idols?

 f

It is I who answer and watch over him.

9

I am like a flourishing cypress;
your fruit comes from Me.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these

things;

whoever is discerning, let him know them.

a wind from the LORD

a 10
Shall I be your King now        b 14
rising up from the desert.
c 14
that we may present our lips as sacrificial bulls

Or

e 8

Where, O Death, is your penalty? Where, O Hades, is your sting?

Or
LXX

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?

For the ways of the LORD are right,
and the righteous walk in them
but the rebellious stumble in them.

 Cited in 1 Cor. 15:55
That is, the northern kingdom of Israel

d 2
f 8

pine

juniper
LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

fir

Or

 or

 or

and in My wrath I took him away.

His shoots will sprout,

Joel

The Invasion of Locusts

11

1

2

This  is  the  word  of  the  LORD  that  came  to
Joel son of Pethuel:

Hear this, O elders;

and give ear, all who dwell in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your

3

days

or in the days of your fathers?

Tell it to your children;

let your children tell it to their

4

children,

and their children to the next generation.

What the devouring locust has left,
the swarming locust has eaten;
what the swarming locust has left,
the young locust has eaten;
a
and what the young locust has left,
5
the destroying locust has eaten.

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep;
wail, all you drinkers of wine,

because of the sweet wine,

6

for it has been cut off from your mouth.

For a nation has invaded My land,
powerful and without number;

its teeth are the teeth of a lion,

7

and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness.

It has laid waste My grapevine
and splintered My fig tree.

It has stripped off the bark and thrown it

away;

A Call to Mourning

the branches have turned white.

8

Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth,

9

grieving for the husband of her youth.

Grain and drink offerings have been

cut off

from the house of the LORD;

the priests are in mourning,

10

those who minister before the LORD.

The field is ruined;

the land mourns.

For the grain is destroyed,

Be dismayed, O farmers,
wail, O vinedressers,
over the wheat and barley,

12

because the harvest of the field has

perished.

The grapevine is dried up,

and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, palm, and apple—

all the trees of the orchard—are withered.
A Call to Repentance
Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.
(Amos 5:4–15 ;  Zephaniah 2:1–3 ;  Luke 13:1–5)

13

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;

wail, O ministers of the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,

O ministers of my God,

14

because the grain and drink offerings

are withheld from the house of your God.

Consecrate a fast;

proclaim a solemn assembly!

Gather the elders

and all the residents of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,

and cry out to the LORD.

15

Alas for the day!

For the Day of the LORD is near,

b

16

and it will come

as destruction from the Almighty.

Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes—

17

joy and gladness

from the house of our God?

The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods;

the storehouses are in ruins;
the granaries are broken down,

18

for the grain has withered away.

How the cattle groan!

The herds wander in confusion

because they have no pasture.

19

Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

To You, O LORD, I call,

for fire has consumed the open pastures
and flames have scorched all the trees of

b 15

Shaddai

a 4

the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails.

the field.

The precise identification of the four kinds of locusts mentioned here is uncertain.

Hebrew

818    |    Joel 1:20

20

Even the beasts of the field pant for You,

Indeed, His camp is very large,

The Army of Locusts  (Amos 7:1–9)

for the streams of water have dried up,
and fire has consumed the open pastures.

for mighty are those who obey His

command.

2

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion;
sound the alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the Day of the LORD is coming;
indeed, it is near—

2

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness.

Like the dawn overspreading the mountains

a great and strong army appears,

such as never was of old,

3

nor will ever be in ages to come.

Before them a fire devours,

and behind them a flame scorches.
The land before them is like the Garden of

Eden,

but behind them, it is like a desert

4

wasteland—

surely nothing will escape them.
a
Their appearance is like that of horses,
and they gallop like swift steeds.

5

With a sound like that of chariots

they bound over the mountaintops,
like the crackling of fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army deployed for battle.

6

Nations writhe in horror before them;

7

every face turns pale.
They charge like mighty men;

they scale the walls like men of war.

Each one marches in formation,

8

not swerving from the course.

They do not jostle one another;
each proceeds in his path.
They burst through the defenses,

9

never breaking ranks.

They storm the city;

they run along the wall;

they climb into houses,

10

entering through windows like thieves.

Before them the earth quakes;

the heavens tremble.

The sun and moon grow dark,

11

and the stars lose their brightness.

a 4

The LORD raises His voice
like cavalry

like charioteers
in the presence of His army.
loving devotion

b 13

For the Day of the LORD is great and very

dreadful.
Return with All Your Heart
Who can endure it?

12

“Yet even now,”

declares the LORD,

“return to Me with all your heart,

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

13

So rend your hearts and not your garments,

and return to the LORD your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in loving

b

14

devotion.

And He relents from sending disaster.

Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave a blessing behind Him—

15

grain and drink offerings

for the LORD your God.

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion,

16

consecrate a fast,
proclaim a sacred assembly.

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the aged, gather the children,
even those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.

17

Let the priests who minister before the LORD
weep between the portico and the altar,

saying, “Spare Your people, O LORD,
and do not make Your heritage a

reproach,

an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,

Restoration Promised

‘Where is their God?’

”

18

19

Then the LORD became jealous for His land,

and He spared His people.

And the LORD answered His people:

“Behold, I will send you

grain, new wine, and oil,
and by them you will be satisfied.

I will never again make you
chesed

a reproach among the nations.
goodness

faithfulness

kindness

love

mercy

Or

loyalty to a covenant
the Scriptures as

 or

Forms of the Hebrew

; the range of meaning includes

,

.

 are translated here and in most cases throughout
, as well as

, and

,

,

20

29

Joel 3:8     |    819

The northern army I will drive away from

you,

a

banishing it to a barren and desolate land,

b

its front ranks into the Eastern Sea,

and its rear guard into the Western Sea.

And its stench will rise;

its foul odor will ascend.

21

For He has done great things.

22

Do not be afraid, O land;
rejoice and be glad,
for the LORD has done great things.

Do not be afraid, O beasts of the field,

for the open pastures have turned green,
c

23

the trees bear their fruit,

and the fig tree and vine yield their best.

Be glad, O children of Zion,

and rejoice in the LORD your God,
for He has given you the autumn rains

for your vindication.
He sends you showers,

24

both autumn and spring rains, as before.

The threshing floors will be full of grain,

25

and the vats will overflow with new wine

and oil.

I will repay you for the years eaten by

locusts—

the swarming locust, the young locust,

 d

the destroying locust, and the devouring

26

locust

—

My great army that I sent against you.

You will have plenty to eat,
until you are satisfied.

You will praise the name of the LORD your

God,

who has worked wonders for you.

27

My people will never again

be put to shame.

Then you will know that I am present in

Israel

and that I am the LORD your God,
and there is no other.
My people will never again

I Will Pour Out My Spirit  (Acts 2:14–36)

be put to shame.

28

And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all

people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

30

Even on My menservants and maidservants,
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens and on

 e

31

the earth,

blood and fire and columns
The sun will be turned to darkness
  f

and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and

 of smoke.

32

And everyone who calls on the name of

awesome

 Day of the LORD.
 g
the LORD
will be saved;

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

there will be deliverance, as the LORD

has promised,
The LORD Judges the Nations

among the remnant called by the LORD.

3

2

 “Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from

h

captivity,

I will gather all the nations

i

and bring them down to the Valley of

Jehoshaphat.

There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning My people, My inheritance,

Israel,

whom they have scattered among the
3

nations

as they divided up My land.

They cast lots for My people;

4

they bartered a boy for a prostitute
and sold a girl for wine to drink.

Now  what  do  you  have  against  Me,  O  Tyre,
Sidon,  and  all  the  regions  of  Philistia?  Are  you
rendering against Me a recompense? If you retal-
iate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return
For  you
your  recompense  upon  your  heads.
took My silver and gold and carried off My finest
k
You sold the people
treasures to your temples.
  to  send
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  to  the  Greeks,
7
them far from their homeland.

5

6

j

Behold,  I  will  rouse  them  from  the  places  to
8
which you sold them; I will return your recom-
pense upon your heads.
I will sell your sons and
daughters into the hands of the people of Judah,
and  they  will  sell  them  to  the  Sabeans—to  a
distant nation.”

b 20

your young men will see visions.
dreadful

a 20
d 25
That is, the Dead Sea
f 31
The precise identification of the four kinds of insects mentioned here is uncertain.
Jerusalem
i 2 Jehoshaphat
Or

Indeed, the LORD has spoken.
h 1
palaces

That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
restore the fortunes of Judah and
g 32
k 6

clouds
Literally
LXX
to the peoples of Javan

Cited in Acts 2:17–21 and Romans 10:13

their strength
billows

the LORD judges

c 22
e 30

glorious

; LXX

 or

Or

j 5

 means

; also in verse 12.

Or

Or

820    |    Joel 3:9

9

Proclaim this among the nations:

But the LORD will be a refuge for His

“Prepare for war;

rouse the mighty men;

let all the men of war

10

advance and attack!

Beat your plowshares into swords

11

and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

Come quickly, all you surrounding nations,

and gather yourselves.
Bring down Your mighty ones,

O LORD.

12

Let the nations be roused

and advance to the Valley of

Jehoshaphat,

13

for there I will sit down

to judge all the nations on every side.

a

Swing the sickle,

for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full;

the wine vats overflow

because their wickedness is great.

14

Multitudes, multitudes

15

in the valley of decision!
For the Day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.

16

The sun and moon will grow dark,

and the stars will no longer shine.

The LORD will roar from Zion

and raise His voice from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth will tremble.

people,

a stronghold for the people

Blessings for God’s People
of Israel.

17

Then you will know that I am the LORD your

God,

who dwells in Zion, My holy

mountain.
Jerusalem will be holy,

18

never again to be overrun by

foreigners.

And in that day the mountains will drip with

sweet wine,

and the hills will flow with milk.
All the streams of Judah will run with

water,

and a spring will flow from the house

b

19

of the LORD

to water the Valley of Acacias.

Egypt will become desolate,

and Edom a desert wasteland,

because of the violence done to the people of

20

Judah,

in whose land they shed innocent blood.

But Judah will be inhabited forever,

21

and Jerusalem from generation to

generation.

c

For I will avenge their blood,

which I have not yet avenged.

”

For the LORD dwells in Zion.

a 13
the harvest has come
which I have not yet pardoned.

b 18

Valley of Shittim

c 21

For I will pardon their bloodguilt,

LXX

; see also Mark 4:29.

Or

Or

Amos

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors (Jer. 12:14–17)

9

1

 a

 b

These  are  the  words  of  Amos,  who  was
among  the  sheepherders
  of  Tekoa—what
 before the
he saw concerning Israel two years
 c
earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of
 was king of
Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash
Israel.

He said:

2

“The LORD roars from Zion

and raises His voice from Jerusalem;

3

the pastures of the shepherds mourn,

and the summit of Carmel withers.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Damascus, even

d

four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

because they threshed Gilead
4

with sledges of iron.

5

So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael
to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
I will break down the gates of Damascus;
 from the Valley

I will cut off the ruler

 e

 f

of Aven

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Tyre,

even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,
because they delivered up a whole

congregation of exiles to Edom
and broke a covenant of brotherhood.
So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre

10

11

to consume its citadels.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Edom, even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

because he pursued his brother with the

sword

and stifled all compassion;

12

his anger raged continually,

and his fury flamed incessantly.

So I will send fire upon Teman

13

to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,

even four,

and the one who wields the scepter in

Beth-eden.

says the LORD.
The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,”

I will not revoke My judgment,
because they ripped open the pregnant

14

women of Gilead

6

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Gaza, even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

because they exiled a whole population,
7

delivering them up to Edom.

So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza,

8

to consume its citadels.
I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod

and the one who wields the scepter in

Ashkelon.

I will turn My hand against Ekron,

and the remnant of the Philistines will

says the Lord GOD.

in order to enlarge their territory.

So I will kindle a fire in the walls of Rabbah

to consume its citadels

15

amid war cries on the day of battle

 g

and a violent wind on the day of tempest.
says the LORD.

Their king will go into exile

 —
he and his princes together,”
Judgment on Moab, Judah, and Israel

2

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Moab,

h

even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

perish,”
sheep breeders

a 1
punishment
Or
g 15

I will not revoke it
Or

Milcom will go into exile

b 1

during the two years

c 1

I will not revoke the

because he burned to lime
Joash

the bones of Edom’s king.
Jehoash
f 5 Aven
the inhabitants
Or

d 3

e 5
, a variant of
Or
; Milcom, also called Molech, was god of the Ammonites; see Leviticus 18:21 and

; also in verses 6, 9, 11, and 13

I will not revoke it

Hebrew

 means

wickedness

.

; Hebrew

; also in verses 4 and 6

; Hebrew

h 1

I will not revoke the punishment

Possibly
1 Kings 11:7.

Or

822    |    Amos 2:2

2

12

So I will send fire against Moab

to consume the citadels of Kerioth.

Moab will die in tumult,
3

amid war cries and the sound of

the ram’s horn.
I will cut off the ruler of Moab

and kill all the officials with him,”

says the LORD.

4

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Judah,

even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

because they reject the Law of the LORD

and fail to keep His statutes;

they are led astray by the lies
5

in which their fathers walked.

6

So I will send fire upon Judah

to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three transgressions of Israel,

even four,

I will not revoke My judgment,

because they sell the righteous for silver
7
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor

as on the dust of the earth;
they push the needy out of their way.

A man and his father
8

have relations with the same girl
and so profane My holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.

a

b

And in the house of their God,

9

they drink wine obtained through fines.

Yet it was I who destroyed

the Amorite before them,

though his height was like that of the cedars,

and he was as strong as the oaks.

10

Yet I destroyed his fruit above

and his roots below.

And I brought you up from the land

of Egypt

and led you forty years in the wilderness,

11

that you might take possession
of the land of the Amorite.

I raised up prophets from your sons

and Nazirites from your young men.

Is this not true,

declares the LORD.

O children of Israel?”
of their gods

b 8

a 8
appointment to meet

“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to

13

prophesy.

14

Behold, I am about to crush you in your place

as with a cart full of grain.

Escape will fail the swift,

15

the strong will not prevail by his strength,
and the mighty will not save his life.

16

The archer will not stand his ground,
the fleet of foot will not escape,
and the horseman will not save his life.

Even the bravest of mighty men
will flee naked on that day,”

Witnesses against Israel

declares the LORD.

3

Hear  this  word  that  the  LORD  has  spoken
against you, O children of Israel, against the
whole family that I brought up out of the land of
2
Egypt:

 c

“Only you have I known

from all the families of the earth;

3

therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.”

 d

Can two walk together

4

without agreeing where to go?

Does a lion roar in the forest
when he has no prey?

Does a young lion growl in his den

5

if he has caught nothing?

Does a bird land in a snare

where no bait has been set?
Does a trap spring from the ground
6
when it has nothing to catch?

If a ram’s horn sounds in a city,
do the people not tremble?

If calamity comes to a city,
7

has not the LORD caused it?

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing His plan
to His servants the prophets.

8

The lion has roared—
who will not fear?

The Lord GOD has spoken—
9
who will not prophesy?

Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod
and to the citadels of Egypt:

“Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;

see the great unrest in the city
d 3
and the acts of oppression in her midst.”

without an

chosen

c 2

they drink the wine of those who have been fined

Or

Or

Or

Or

10

“For they know not how to do right,”

declares the LORD.

“They store up violence and destruction

11

in their citadels.”
 a

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

“An enemy

 will surround the land;

12

he will pull down your strongholds
and plunder your citadels.”

Amos 4:12     |    823

d

Bring your sacrifices every morning,
5
your tithes every three days.

Offer leavened bread as a thank offering,
and loudly proclaim your freewill

offerings.

For that is what you children of Israel love
declares the Lord GOD.

to do,”

6

 e

“I afflicted all your cities with cleanness of

This is what the LORD says:

teeth

“As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of

the lion

two legs or a piece of an ear,

so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be

rescued

b

13

having just the corner of a bed
or the cushion of a couch.

14

Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,
declares the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.

On the day I punish Israel for their

transgressions,

I will visit destruction on the altars

of Bethel;

15

the horns of the altar will be cut off,
and they will fall to the ground.
I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses of ivory will also perish,

declares the LORD.
and the great houses will come to an end,”

Punishment Brings No Repentance

4

 Hear this word,
you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,

you women who oppress the poor

and crush the needy,
who say to your husbands,

“Bring us more to drink.”

2

The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness:

“Behold, the days are coming
3

when you will be taken away with hooks,
and your posterity with fishhooks.
You will go out through broken walls,
each one straight ahead of her,
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,

declares the LORD.

c

”

4

and all your towns with lack of bread,
yet you did not return to Me,”

declares the LORD.

7

“I also withheld the rain from you

when the harvest was three months away.

I sent rain on one city

but withheld it from another.

One field received rain;
8

another without rain withered.
People staggered from city to city

for water to drink,
but they were not satisfied;

yet you did not return to Me,”

declares the LORD.

9

“I struck you with blight and mildew

in your growing gardens and vineyards;
the locust devoured your fig and olive trees,
declares the LORD.

yet you did not return to Me,”

10

“I sent plagues among you
like those of Egypt;

I killed your young men with the sword,
along with your captured horses.

I filled your nostrils with the stench of your

camp,

yet you did not return to Me,”

declares the LORD.

11

“Some of you I overthrew

  f

as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and you were like a firebrand

 snatched from

declares the LORD.

a blaze,

yet you did not return to Me,”

12

“Therefore, that is what I will do

to you, O Israel,

and since I will do this to you,

“Go to Bethel and transgress;
a 11
b 12
An adversary
rebel even more at Gilgal!
in Damascus on their couches
f 11

a burning stick

Or

Or

so will the Israelites be snatched away, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and
c 3

prepare to meet your God, O Israel!
d 4

with empty stomachs

years

e 6

That is,

That is, possibly Mount Hermon

Or

That is,

824    |    Amos 4:13

13

10

For behold, He who forms the mountains,

There are those who hate the one who

who creates the wind
and reveals His thoughts to man,

who turns the dawn to darkness

reproves in the gate

11

and despise him who speaks with

integrity.

A Lamentation against Israel

and strides on the heights of the earth—
the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”

Therefore, because you trample on the poor

and exact from him a tax of grain,

5

2

Hear  this  word,  O  house  of  Israel,  this
lamentation I take up against you:

“Fallen is Virgin Israel,
never to rise again.

3

She lies abandoned on her land,
with no one to raise her up.”

This is what the Lord GOD says:

“The city that marches out a thousand

strong

will have but a hundred left,

and the one that marches out a hundred

strong

will have but ten left in the house of

A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13–20 ;  Zephaniah 2:1–3 ;  Luke 13:1–5)

Israel.”

4

For this is what the LORD says to the house of

Israel:
5

“Seek Me and live!

Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal;
do not journey to Beersheba,
for Gilgal will surely go into exile,

6

a

and Bethel will come to nothing.

Seek the LORD and live,

or He will sweep like fire through the

house of Joseph;

you will never live

in the stone houses you have built;

you will never drink the wine

from the lush vineyards you have planted.

12

For I know that your transgressions are

many

and your sins are numerous.

13

You oppress the righteous by taking bribes;

you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such

14

times,

for the days are evil.

Seek good, not evil,

so that you may live.

15

And the LORD, the God of Hosts,

will be with you, as you have claimed.

Hate evil and love good;

establish justice in the gate.

Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts,
Woe to Rebellious Israel  (Acts 7:39–43)

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16

Therefore  this  is  what  the  LORD,  the  God  of

Hosts, the Lord, says:

“There will be wailing in all the public

squares

and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets.

17

The farmer will be summoned to mourn,

and the mourners to wail.

There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through your midst,”

says the LORD.

it will devour everything,

7

with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.

18

There are those who turn justice into

8

wormwood

and cast righteousness to the ground.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns darkness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who summons the waters of the sea

Woe to you who long for the Day of the

LORD!

19

What will the Day of the LORD be for you?
It will be darkness and not light.

It will be like a man who flees from a lion,

only to encounter a bear,

or who enters his house and rests his hand

and pours them over the face of the

20

against the wall,

9

earth—

the LORD is His name—

He flashes destruction on the strong,

a 5

so that fury comes upon the stronghold.

to Aven

only to be bitten by a snake.

Will not the Day of the LORD
be darkness and not light,
even gloom with no brightness in it?

Hebrew

, a reference to Beth-aven, a derogatory term for Bethel; see Hosea 4:15.

21

“I hate, I despise your feasts!

22

I cannot stand the stench of your solemn

assemblies.

Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and

grain offerings,
I will not accept them;

23

for your peace offerings of fattened cattle

I will have no regard.

24

Take away from Me the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river,

25

and righteousness like an ever-flowing

stream.

Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings

26

forty years in the wilderness, O house of

Israel?

a

You have taken along Sakkuth your king

27

and Kaiwan your star god,
the idols you made for yourselves.
Therefore I will send you into exile beyond

 b

Damascus,”

says the LORD, whose name is the God of
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion  (Luke 6:24–26)

Hosts.

6

 Woe to those at ease in Zion
and those secure on Mount Samaria,

the distinguished ones of the foremost nation,

2

to whom the house of Israel comes.

Cross over to Calneh and see;

go from there to the great Hamath;
then go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Amos 7:4     |    825

The Pride of Israel

8

The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD,

the God of Hosts, has declared:

“I abhor Jacob’s pride

and detest his citadels,
so I will deliver up the city
and everything in it.”

10

9

And if there are ten men left in one house, they
 c
too  will  die.
And  when  the  relative  who  is  to
burn the bodies
 picks them up to remove them
from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is any-
one else with you?”

“None,” that person will answer.

“Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of
11
the LORD must not be invoked.”

For the LORD gives a command:

“The great house will be smashed to pieces,

12

and the small house to rubble.”

 d

“Do horses gallop on the cliffs?

Does one plow the sea

 with oxen?

But you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into

 e

13

wormwood—
you who rejoice in Lo-debar
‘Did we not take Karnaim

14

 f
 and say,
 by our own

strength?’

For behold, I will raise up a nation
against you, O house of Israel,”

declares the LORD, the God of Hosts,

Are you better than these kingdoms?

3

Is their territory larger than yours?

“and they will oppress you

You dismiss the day of calamity

4

and bring near a reign of violence.

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory,

and lounge upon your couches.

You dine on lambs from the flock
5
and calves from the stall.

You improvise songs on the harp like David

6

and invent your own musical instruments.

You drink wine by the bowlful

and anoint yourselves with the finest oils,

but you fail to grieve

7

over the ruin of Joseph.

Therefore, you will now go into exile

from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the
The Locusts, Fire, and Plumb Line  (Joel 2)

Arabah.”

7

g

2

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  showed  me:
He was preparing swarms of locusts just af-
ter the king’s harvest, as the late spring crop was
And  when  the  locusts  had  eaten
coming  up.
every green plant in the land, I said, “Lord GOD,
please forgive! How will Jacob survive, since he
3
is so small?”

So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not

4
happen,” He said.

as the first of the captives,
and your feasting and lounging

a 26
will come to an end.
to make a funeral fire to honor the dead
g 1

horn

LXX

This  is  what  the  Lord  GOD  showed  me:  The
Lord  GOD  was  calling  for  judgment  by  fire.  It
consumed the great deep and devoured the land.
f 13 Karnaim
Or
A swarm of locusts coming from the east; and, behold, one grasshopper, king Gog.

b 27
e 13 Lo-debar

Does one plow (there)

c 10

nothing
Cited in Acts 7:42–43
 means

.

d 12

You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan

means

, a symbol of strength.

LXX

Literally

826    |    Amos 7:5

5

Then  I  said,  “Lord  GOD,  please  stop!  How  will

6
Jacob survive, since he is so small?”

Your land will be divided by a measuring line,

and you yourself will die on pagan

 soil.

 c

So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not

7
happen either,” said the Lord GOD.

This  is  what  He  showed  me:  Behold,  the  Lord
was  standing  by  a  wall  true  to  plumb,  with  a
plumb  line  in  His  hand.
“Amos,  what  do  you
see?” asked the LORD.

8

“A plumb line,” I replied.

“Behold,” said the Lord, “I am setting a plumb line
among  My  people  Israel;  I  will  no  longer  spare
9
them:

The high places of Isaac will be deserted,

and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid

waste;

and I will rise up against the house of

Amaziah Accuses Amos

Jeroboam
with My sword.”

10

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word
to  Jeroboam  king  of  Israel,  saying,  “Amos  has
conspired against you in the midst of the house
11
of  Israel.  The  land  cannot  bear  all  his  words,

for this is what Amos has said:

‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,

12

and Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their homeland.’

”

And  Amaziah  said  to  Amos,  “Go  away,  you
seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread
there  and  do  your  prophesying  there.
But
never  prophesy  at  Bethel  again,  because  it  is
the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the
14
kingdom.”

13

 a

 b

“I was not

 a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was
I the son
 of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman
But  the
and  a  tender  of  sycamore-fig  trees.
LORD took me from following the flock and said
16
to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’

15

Now,  therefore,  hear  the  word  of  the  LORD.

You say:

‘Do not prophesy against Israel;

17

do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by
b 14
I am not
the sword.
palace
f 3
Or

nor am I the son
g 5

a 14
women
Or

Hebrew

c 17

Or

Or

The Basket of Summer Fruit

And Israel will surely go into exile,
away from their homeland.’

”

8

2

d

This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I saw
a basket of summer fruit.

“Amos, what do you see?” He asked.

“A basket of summer fruit,” I replied.

So the LORD said to me, “The end has come for
 e
3
My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”

 f

“In that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “the songs

of the temple
4
the corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!”

 will turn to wailing. Many will be

Hear this, you who trample the needy,

5

who do away with the poor of the land,
asking, “When will the New Moon be over,

that we may sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end,
 g

that we may market wheat?

Let us reduce the ephah and increase the
6

shekel;

let us cheat with dishonest scales.

Let us buy the poor with silver

7

and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the chaff with the wheat!”

The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob:
8

“I will never forget any of their deeds.

Will not the land quake for this,
and all its dwellers mourn?
All of it will swell like the Nile;

9

it will surge and then subside
like the Nile in Egypt.

And in that day,

declares the Lord GOD,

I will make the sun go down at noon,

10

and I will darken the earth in the daytime.

I will turn your feasts into mourning

and all your songs into lamentation.
I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth

and every head to be shaved.

I will make it like a time of mourning for an

11

only son,

and its outcome like a bitter day.

Let us reduce the measure and increase the price

Behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord GOD,
the singing
d 1
when I will send a famine on the land—

ripe fruit

e 3

unclean

Or

; also in verse 2

Or

not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the

12

LORD.

People will stagger from sea to sea
and roam from north to east,

13

seeking the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.

In that day the lovely young women—

14

the young men as well—
will faint from thirst.

Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria
and say, ‘As surely as your god lives,

 a

O Dan,’
or, ‘As surely as the way
lives’—
The Destruction of Israel

 of Beersheba

they will fall, never to rise again.”

9

I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and
He said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars

so that the thresholds shake.

Topple them on the heads of all the people,
and I will kill the rest with the sword.

None of those who flee will get away;
2
none of the fugitives will escape.

Though they dig down to Sheol,

from there My hand will take them;

and though they climb up to heaven,
3
from there I will pull them down.

Though they hide themselves atop Carmel,
there I will track them and seize them;
and though they hide from Me at the bottom

 b

of the sea,

4

there I will command the serpent

to bite them.

Though they are driven by their enemies into

captivity,

there I will command the sword

to slay them.
I will fix My eyes upon them

5

for harm and not for good.”

The Lord GOD of Hosts,

He who touches the earth and it melts,
and all its dwellers mourn—

all the land rises like the Nile,
6

then sinks like the river of Egypt—
He builds His upper rooms in the heavens
and founds His vault upon the earth.

He summons the waters of the sea

and pours them over the face of the earth.
nachash
b 3
the god
The LORD is His name.

a 14
d 7

7

 c

Amos 9:15     |    827

“Are you not like the Cushites
O children of Israel?”

declares the LORD.

 to Me,

“Did I not bring Israel

d
up from the land of Egypt,

the Philistines from Caphtor,
8

and the Arameans from Kir?
Surely the eyes of the Lord GOD
are on the sinful kingdom,

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of
declares the LORD.

Jacob,”

9

“For surely I will give the command,

and I will shake the house of Israel

among all the nations

10

as grain is sifted in a sieve;
but not a pebble will reach the ground.

All the sinners among My people

will die by the sword—

all those who say,

‘Disaster will never draw near or confront

A Promise of Restoration  (Acts 15:5–21)

us.’

”

11

“In that day I will restore

the fallen tent of David.

12

I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old,

 a

that they may possess the remnant of Edom
declares the LORD, who will do this.
and all the nations that bear My name,”

13

“Behold, the days are coming,”

declares the LORD,

“when the plowman will overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes, the sower of

seed.

14

The mountains will drip with sweet wine,

with which all the hills will flow.
 b
I will restore My people Israel from

captivity;

they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined

cities.

They will plant vineyards and drink their

15

wine;

they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

I will firmly plant them in their own land,

never again to be uprooted
from the land that I have given them,”

says the LORD your God.

snake

c 7

Or

That is, Crete

Hebrew

; translated in most cases as

That is, people from the upper Nile region

Obadiah

The Destruction of Edom  (Jeremiah 49:7–22)

9

1

This is the vision of Obadiah:

This is what the Lord GOD says about

Edom—

We have heard a message from the LORD;

an envoy has been sent among the nations

to say, “Rise up,

2

and let us go to battle against her!”—

“Behold, I will make you small among the

3

nations;

you will be deeply despised.

 a

The pride of your heart has deceived you,
O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks
whose habitation is the heights,

who say in your heart,
4

‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

Though you soar like the eagle

and make your nest among the stars,
even from there I will bring you

declares the LORD.

5

down,”

“If thieves came to you,
if robbers by night—
oh, how you will be ruined—

would they not steal only what they

wanted?

If grape gatherers came to you,
6

would they not leave some gleanings?

But how Esau will be pillaged,

7

his hidden treasures sought out!

All the men allied with you

will drive you to the border;

the men at peace with you
 b

will deceive and overpower you.

Those who eat your bread
will set a trap for you
without your awareness of it.

8

In that day, declares the LORD,

will I not destroy the wise men of

Edom

and the men of understanding
in the retreats of Sela
in the mountains of Esau?

b 7

a 3

Then your mighty men, O Teman,

will be terrified,

10

so that everyone in the mountains of Esau
will be cut down in the slaughter.

Because of the violence against your brother

Jacob,

11

you will be covered with shame
and cut off forever.
On the day you stood aloof

while strangers carried off his wealth

12

and foreigners entered his gate
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were just like one of them.
But you should not gloat in that day,
your brother’s day of misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
 c
in the day of their destruction,

nor boast proudly

13

in the day of their distress.

You should not enter the gate of My people

in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over their affliction
in the day of their disaster,

nor loot their wealth

14

in the day of their disaster.

Nor should you stand at the crossroads

to cut off their fugitives,
nor deliver up their survivors
in the day of their distress.

The Deliverance of Israel

15

For the Day of the LORD is near

for all the nations.

As you have done, it will be done to you;

16

your recompense will return upon your

own head.

For as you drank on My holy mountain,

so all the nations will drink continually.

17

They will drink and gulp it down;

they will be as if they had never existed.
But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance,

and it will be holy,
and the house of Jacob
c 12

Those who eat

will reclaim their possession.

nor enlarge your mouth

Or

Hebrew does not include

.

Hebrew

18

Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire,
and the house of Joseph a burning flame;

but the house of Esau will be stubble—

Jacob will set it ablaze and consume it.

Therefore no survivor will remain

from the house of Esau.”

For the LORD has spoken.

19

Those from the Negev will possess the moun-

 a

tains of Esau;
those from the foothills

 will possess the

Obadiah 1:21     |    829

They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and

20

Samaria,

and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
And the exiles of this host of the Israelites

will possess the land of the Canaanites as

far as Zarephath;

and the exiles from Jerusalem who are in

21

Sepharad

 b

will possess the cities of the Negev.

The deliverers will ascend

 Mount Zion

to rule over the mountains of Esau.

land of the Philistines.

And the kingdom will belong to the LORD.

a 19
Those being delivered will go up

Shephelah

lowlands

b 21

The deliverers will go up from

Hebrew

 or

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

Or

; LXX

Jonah

Jonah Flees from the LORD
(Nahum 1:1–15)

Jonah Cast into the Sea

11

1

2

Now  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  Jonah
“Get  up!  Go  to  the
son  of  Amittai,  saying,
great  city  of  Nineveh  and  preach  against  it,  be-
3
cause its wickedness has come up before Me.”

Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away
from the presence of the LORD. He went down to
Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he
paid  the  fare  and  went  aboard  to  sail  for  Tar-
The Great Storm
shish, away from the presence of the LORD.
(Acts 27:13–26)

4

5

Then  the  LORD  hurled  a  great  wind  upon
the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the
The sail-
ship was in danger of breaking apart.
ors  were  afraid,  and  each  cried  out  to  his  own
god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea
to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to
the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down
6
and fell into a deep sleep.

The captain approached him and said, “How can
you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Per-
haps this God will consider us, so that we may not
7
perish.”

“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us
cast  lots  to  find  out  who  is  responsible  for  this
calamity that is upon us.”
8
So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame
for this calamity that is upon us? What is your oc-
cupation, and where have you come from? What
9
is your country, and who are your people?”

“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the
LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea
10
and the dry land.”

Then the men were even more afraid and said
to  him,  “What  have  you  done?”  The  men  knew
that  he  was  fleeing  from  the  presence  of  the
LORD, because he had told them.
the men dug in
a 13

Hebrew

Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so
they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to
12
calm this sea for us?”

“Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into
the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know
that I am to blame for this violent storm that has
13
come upon you.”

 a

Nevertheless, the men rowed hard

 to get back
to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was
14
raging against them more and more.

So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD,
do not let us perish on account of this man’s life!
Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O
15
LORD, have done as You pleased.”

Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into

16
the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.

Then  the  men  feared  the  LORD  greatly,  and
they  offered  a  sacrifice  to  the  LORD  and  made
17
vows to Him.

Now  the  LORD  had  appointed  a  great  fish  to
swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and
Jonah’s Prayer
three nights in the belly of the fish.

2

2

From  inside  the  fish,  Jonah  prayed  to  the
LORD his God,

saying:

“In my distress I called to the LORD,

and He answered me.

From the belly of Sheol I called for help,

3

and You heard my voice.
For You cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the current swirled about me;

4

all Your breakers and waves swept

over me.

At this, I said,

‘I have been banished from Your sight;

yet I will look once more

toward Your holy temple.’

5

The waters engulfed me

to take my life;

the watery depths closed around me;
6

the seaweed wrapped around my head.
To the roots of the mountains I descended;
the earth beneath me barred me in

forever!

But You raised my life from the pit,
7

O LORD my God!

As my life was fading away,
I remembered the LORD.

My prayer went up to You,
8
to Your holy temple.

a

9

Those who cling to worthless idols
forsake His loving devotion.

But I, with the voice of thanksgiving,

will sacrifice to You.

10

I will fulfill what I have vowed.

Salvation is from the LORD!”

And  the  LORD  commanded  the  fish,  and  it

The Ninevites Repent
vomited Jonah onto dry land.
(Matthew 12:38–42 ;  Luke 11:29–32)

3

2

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a
second time:
“Get up! Go to the great city of
Nineveh  and  proclaim  to  it  the  message  that  I
3
give you.”

This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in
b

accordance with the word of the LORD.

c

4

Now  Nineveh  was  an  exceedingly  great  city,
On the first day
requiring a three-day journey.
of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and pro-
claimed,  “Forty  more  days  and  Nineveh  will  be
5
overturned!”

And  the  Ninevites  believed  God.  They  pro-
claimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the
6
greatest of them to the least.

When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got
up from his throne, took off his royal robe, cov-
7
ered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Let  no  man  or  beast,  herd  or  flock,  taste
8
anything at all. They must not eat or drink.
Furthermore,  let  both  man  and  beast  be
chesed
covered  with  sackcloth,  and  have  everyone
love
Forms of the Hebrew
b 3
range of meaning includes
became angry

was a great city to God
e 6

a 8

,

Jonah 4:11     |    831

9

call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn
from his evil ways and from the violence in
his hands.
Who knows? God may turn and
relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so
that we will not perish.”

10

When  God  saw  their  actions—that  they  had
turned  from  their  evil  ways—He  relented  from
the  disaster  He  had  threatened  to  bring  upon
Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion
them.

4

d

2
Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and
he  became  angry.
So  he  prayed  to  the
LORD,  saying,  “O  LORD,  is  this  not  what  I  said
while I was still in my own country? This is why
I  was  so  quick  to  flee  toward  Tarshish.  I  knew
that You are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow  to  anger,  abounding  in  loving  devotion—
And
One  who  relents  from  sending  disaster.
now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it
4
is better for me to die than to live.”

3

But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be

5
angry?”

e

6

Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it,
where  he  made  himself  a  shelter  and  sat  in  its
shade to see what would happen to the city.
So
the LORD God appointed a vine,
 and it grew up
to  provide  shade  over  Jonah’s  head  to  ease  his
discomfort, and Jonah was greatly pleased with
7
the plant.

When dawn came the next day, God appointed
a  worm  that  attacked  the  plant  so  that  it
8
withered.

As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorch-
ing east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s
head so that he grew faint and wished to die, say-
9
ing, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any right to

be angry about the plant?”
10
“I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!”

11

But the LORD said, “You cared about the plant,
which  you  neither  tended  nor  made  grow.  It
So
sprang up in a night and perished in a night.
should I not care about the great city of Nineveh,
which has more than 120,000 people who cannot
tell  their  right  hand  from  their  left,  and  many
cattle as well?”

loving devotion

kindness

goodness
 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as
c 3
, and
,
qiqayon

mercy
great city, a three-day journey

faithfulness

, as well as

d 1

,

loyalty to a covenant

.

It was exceedingly evil to Jonah, and he

; the

Or

Literally

Or

Hebrew

; that is, possibly the castor oil plant; also in verses 7, 9, and 10

Micah

Judgment to Come  (Isaiah 7:17–25)

9

1

This  is  the  word  of  the  LORD  that  came  to
Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham,
Ahaz,  and  Hezekiah,  kings  of  Judah—what  he
2
saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:

Hear, O peoples, all of you;

listen, O earth, and everyone in it!

May the Lord GOD bear witness against you,

3

the Lord from His holy temple.
For behold, the LORD comes forth

from His dwelling place;
He will come down and tread

4

on the high places of the earth.
The mountains will melt beneath Him,
and the valleys will split apart,

like wax before the fire,
5

like water rushing down a slope.

All this is for the transgression of Jacob
and the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what is the high place of Judah?
6

Is it not Jerusalem?

Therefore I will make Samaria

a heap of rubble in the open field,
a planting area for a vineyard.
I will pour her stones into the valley
7
and expose her foundations.

All her carved images will be smashed to

pieces;

all her wages will be burned in the fire,
and I will destroy all her idols.

Weeping and Mourning

Since she collected the wages of a prostitute,
they will be used again on a prostitute.

8

Because of this I will lament and wail;
I will walk barefoot and naked.

 a

b

For her wound is incurable;

it has reached even Judah;

it has approached the gate of my people,
 c

10

as far as Jerusalem itself.

d

11

Do not tell it in Gath;

 do not weep at all.

Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.

e

Depart in shameful nakedness,

 f
O dwellers of Shaphir.

The dwellers of Zaanan
will not come out.

 g

12

Beth-ezel

 is in mourning;
 h
its support is taken from you.

For the dwellers of Maroth

 pined for good,
but calamity came down from the LORD,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.

13

i

Harness your chariot horses,

O dweller of Lachish.

You were the beginning of sin to the

Daughter of Zion,

14

for the transgressions of Israel were found
 k

in you.

 j

 l

Therefore, send farewell gifts
Moresheth-gath;
the houses of Achzib
to the kings of Israel.

m

15

 to

 will prove deceptive

I will again bring a conqueror against you,

16

O dweller of Mareshah.
The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.
Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair
in mourning for your precious children;

make yourselves as bald as an eagle,

Woe to Oppressors

for they will go from you into exile.

2

 Woe to those who devise iniquity
and plot evil on their beds!

At morning’s light they accomplish it
2

because the power is in their hands.

They covet fields and seize them;

they take away houses.

I will howl like a jackal

a 8

a dragon
a serpent
and mourn like an ostrich.

b 8
d 10 Beth-leaphrah
Literally
g 11 Beth-ezel

Or
the Hebrew for
i 13 Lachish
the Hebrew for
gift
 sounds like the Hebrew term for

l 14 Achzib

tell
 or
come out
.
dowry

.

They deprive a man of his home,

like daughters of an ostrich
house of dust
adjoining house
.
j 14

like daughters of an owl

c 10 Gath
a fellow man of his inheritance.
f 11 Zaanan
pleasant
e 11 Shaphir
 or
h 12 Maroth
give dowry

 means

k 14 Moresheth

.
 sounds like the Hebrew for

 means
 means

team of horses
deception

.
m 15 Mareshah
Or
.

Hebrew for

 or

.

 means

.

 sounds like the Hebrew for

.

conqueror
 sounds like the
.

 sounds like
bitter
 sounds like

3

13

Micah 3:9     |    833

Therefore this is what the LORD says:

“I am planning against this nation a disaster
from which you cannot free your necks.

Then you will not walk so proudly,
4
for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day they will take up a proverb

against you

and taunt you with this bitter lamentation:

‘We are utterly ruined!

He has changed the portion of my people.

How He has removed it from me!
5

He has allotted our fields to traitors.’

”

Therefore, you will have no one in the
assembly of the LORD

Reproof of False Prophets  (Ezekiel 13:1–16)

to divide the land by lot.

6

“Do not preach,” they preach.

7

“Do not preach these things;
disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should it be said, O house of Jacob,

“Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient?
Are these the things He does?”

Do not My words bring good
8

to him who walks uprightly?
But of late My people have risen up

like an enemy:

You strip off the splendid robe
9

from unsuspecting passersby
like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of My people
from their pleasant homes.

10

You take away My blessing

from their children forever.

Arise and depart,

for this is not your place of rest,

11

because its defilement brings destruction—

a grievous destruction!
If a man of wind were to come

and say falsely,

 a

“I will preach to you of wine and strong

drink,”

he would be just the preacher for this

The Remnant of Israel  (Micah 5:7–15)

people!

12

I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
I will collect the remnant of Israel.

One who breaks open the way
will go up before them;

they will break through the gate,

and go out by it.

Their King will pass through before them,

Rulers and Prophets Condemned
the LORD as their leader.

3

Then I said:

2

“Hear now, O leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Should you not know justice?

You hate good and love evil.

3

You tear the skin from my people
and strip the flesh from their bones.

You eat the flesh of my people
after stripping off their skin
and breaking their bones.

You chop them up like flesh for the

4

cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

Then they will cry out to the LORD,
but He will not answer them.

5

At that time He will hide His face from them

because of the evil they have done.

This is what the LORD says:

“As for the prophets

who lead My people astray,

who proclaim peace

while they chew with their teeth,

but declare war against one
6

who puts nothing in their mouths:

Therefore night will come over you without

visions,

and darkness without divination.

The sun will set on these prophets,
7

and the daylight will turn black over them.

Then the seers will be ashamed

and the diviners will be disgraced.

They will all cover their mouths
8

because there is no answer from God.”

As for me, however, I am filled with power

by the Spirit of the LORD,

with justice and courage,

9

to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.

Now hear this, O leaders of the house

of Jacob

I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in the midst of its pasture—
“I will prophesy to you for wine and strong drink”
a noisy throng.

a 11

and rulers of the house of Israel,

who despise justice

and pervert all that is right,

Or

834    |    Micah 3:10

10

11

who build Zion with bloodshed
and Jerusalem with iniquity.

Her leaders judge for a bribe,

her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets practice divination for

money.

Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying,

12

“Is not the LORD among us?
No disaster can come upon us.”

Therefore, because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
The Mountain of the House of the LORD
(Isaiah 2:1–4)

and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

4

 In the last days the mountain of the house

I will assemble the outcast,
7

even those whom I have afflicted.
And I will make the lame into a remnant,
the outcast into a strong nation.

Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount

8

Zion

from that day and forever.
 a

And you, O watchtower of the flock,

O stronghold

 of the Daughter of Zion—

the former dominion will be restored to you;
sovereignty will come to the Daughter of

9

Jerusalem.”

Why do you now cry aloud?

Is there no king among you?

Has your counselor perished

10

so that anguish grips you like a woman in

of the LORD

labor?

will be established as the chief of the

Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion,

mountains;

2

it will be raised above the hills,

and the peoples will stream to it.

And many nations will come and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the

LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us His ways,

so that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion

3

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Then He will judge between many peoples
and arbitrate for strong nations far and

wide.

Then they will beat their swords into

plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer take up the sword
4

against nation,

nor will they train anymore for war.
And each man will sit under his own vine

and under his own fig tree,

with no one to frighten him.
5

For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has

spoken.
Though all the nations

may walk in the name of their gods,

yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our

God

The Restoration of Zion  (Zechariah 8:1–23)

forever and ever.

6

a 8

“On that day,” declares the LORD,

hill
“I will gather the lame;

And you, Migdal-eder, the Ophel

b 13

Or

; Hebrew

Or

like a woman in labor.

For now you will leave the city
and camp in the open fields.

You will go to Babylon;

there you will be rescued;
there the LORD will redeem you

11

from the hand of your enemies!

But now many nations

have assembled against you,

12

saying, “Let her be defiled,

and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
But they do not know the thoughts of

the LORD

or understand His plan,

13

for He has gathered them

like sheaves to the threshing floor.

Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron

and hooves of bronze
 b

to break to pieces many peoples.

Then you will devote

 their gain to the LORD,

A Ruler from Bethlehem  (Matthew 2:1–12)
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

5

 Now, O daughter of troops,
mobilize your troops;
       for a siege is laid against us!
With a rod they will strike the cheek
2

of the judge of Israel.

 c

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are small among the clans

of Judah,

 d

devote to destruction

out of you will come forth for Me
—
One to be ruler over Israel
Cited in Matt. 2:6

thousands

d 2

c 2

Or

Micah 6:9     |    835

One whose origins are of old,
3
from the days of eternity.

14

so that you will no longer bow down
to the work of your own hands.

Therefore Israel will be abandoned

I will root out the Asherah poles from your

until she who is in labor has given birth;

15

midst

then the rest of His brothers will return
4

to the children of Israel.

He will stand and shepherd His flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD His God.

And they will dwell securely,
5

for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.

 a

And He will be our peace

when Assyria invades our land
and tramples our citadels.

We will raise against it seven shepherds,
6

even eight leaders of men.

And they will rule the land of Assyria with the

sword,

and demolish your cities.

I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
upon the nations that have not obeyed

The Case against Israel
Me.”

6

Hear now what the LORD says:

“Arise, plead your case before the

2

mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment,
you enduring foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against His people,
3

and He will argue it against Israel:

‘My people, what have I done to you?

and the land of Nimrod with the blade

4

Testify against Me how I have wearied

drawn.
So He will deliver us

when Assyria invades our land
The Remnant of Jacob  (Micah 2:12–13)
and marches into our borders.

7

Then the remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples

like dew from the LORD,

like showers on the grass,

which do not wait for man
8
or linger for mankind.

Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the

nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which tramples and tears as it passes
9

through,

with no one to rescue them.

10

Your hand will be lifted over your foes,
and all your enemies will be cut off.

“In that day,”

declares the LORD,

11

“I will remove your horses from among you

and wreck your chariots.

12

I will remove the cities of your land

13

and tear down all your strongholds.
I will cut the sorceries from your hand,
and you will have no fortune-tellers.

I will also cut off the carved images

a 5

their peace
and sacred pillars from among you,

Acacia Grove

b 5

Or

Or

you!

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of

slavery.
I sent Moses before you,
5

as well as Aaron and Miriam.

My people, remember what Balak king of

Moab counseled

 b

and what Balaam son of Beor answered.

Remember your journey from Shittim

 to

Gilgal,

6

so that you may acknowledge the
”
righteousness of the LORD.’

With what shall I come before the LORD
when I bow before the God on high?
Should I come to Him with burnt offerings,
7

with year-old calves?

Would the LORD be pleased with thousands

of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my

8

transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you

but to act justly, to love mercy,

The Punishment of Israel

and to walk humbly with your God?

9

The voice of the LORD calls out to the city
(and it is sound wisdom to fear Your

name):

836    |    Micah 6:10

“Heed the rod

10

and the One who ordained it.

Can I forget any longer,

O house of the wicked,
the treasures of wickedness

11

and the short ephah, which is accursed?

12

Can I excuse dishonest scales
or bags of false weights?

For the wealthy of the city
are full of violence,

and its residents speak lies;

13

their tongues are deceitful in their

mouths.

14

Therefore I am striking you severely,
to ruin you because of your sins.

You will eat but not be satisfied,

and your hunger will remain with you.
What you acquire, you will not preserve;
and what you save, I will give to the

15

sword.

You will sow but not reap;

you will press olives but not anoint

yourselves with oil;

16

you will tread grapes but not drink the

wine.

You have kept the statutes of Omri

and all the practices of Ahab’s house;
you have followed their counsel.
Therefore I will make you a desolation,
and your inhabitants an object of

contempt;

a

you will bear the scorn of the

Israel’s Great Misery
”
(Matthew 10:34–39 ;  Luke 12:49–53)

nations.

7

Woe is me!

For I am like one gathering summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;

there is no cluster to eat,
2

no early fig that I crave.

The godly man has perished from the earth;
there is no one upright among men.

They all lie in wait for blood;
3

they hunt one another with a net.

Both hands are skilled at evil;

the prince and the judge demand

a bribe.

a 16

When the powerful utters his evil desire,
scorn of My people

they all conspire together.
e 12

b 4
the River

your punishment

4

The best of them is like a brier;

the most upright is sharper than a

hedge of thorns.

b

The day for your watchmen has come,
5

the day of your visitation.
Now is the time of their confusion.

Do not rely on a friend;

do not trust in a companion.

c

Seal the doors of your mouth
6

from her who lies in your arms.

For a son dishonors his father,

a daughter rises against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her

mother-in-law.

d

A man’s enemies are the members

Israel’s Confession and Comfort
of his own household.

7

But as for me, I will look to the LORD;

8

I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

Do not gloat over me, my enemy!

Though I have fallen, I will arise;

though I sit in darkness,
9

the LORD will be my light.

Because I have sinned against Him,

I must endure the rage of the LORD,

until He argues my case

and executes justice for me.
He will bring me into the light;
I will see His righteousness.

10

Then my enemy will see

and will be covered with shame—

she who said to me,

“Where is the LORD your God?”

My eyes will see her;

11

at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.

The day for rebuilding your walls will

come—

12

the day for extending your

boundary.

On that day they will come to you
e

from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

even from Egypt to the Euphrates,

13

from sea to sea and mountain to

mountain.

Then the earth will become desolate

because of its inhabitants,
as the fruit of their deeds.

in your bosom

d 6

c 5

LXX; Hebrew
see also Luke 12:53.

Hebrew

Or

Hebrew

Cited in Matthew 10:35–36;

God’s Compassion on Israel

14

Shepherd with Your staff Your people,

the flock of Your inheritance.

a

They live alone in a woodland,
surrounded by pastures.

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead,

as in the days of old.

15

As in the days when you came out

16

of Egypt,

I will show My wonders.

Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their might.

They will put their hands over their

17

mouths,

and their ears will become deaf.
They will lick the dust like a snake,

like reptiles slithering on the ground.

Micah 7:20     |    837

They will come trembling from their

strongholds

18

in the presence of the LORD our God;
they will tremble in fear of You.

Who is a God like You,

who pardons iniquity

and passes over the transgression

of the remnant of His inheritance—
who does not retain His anger forever,

19

  b

because He delights in loving devotion?

He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.

20

You will cast out all our sins
into the depths of the sea.

You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and loving devotion to Abraham,

as You swore to our fathers
from the days of old.

a 14

in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel
loving devotion

b 18

chesed
love

goodness

kindness

faithfulness

Or

mercy
throughout the Scriptures as

loyalty to a covenant

Forms of the Hebrew

; the range of meaning includes

, as well as

.

 are translated here and in most cases
, and
,

,

,

Nahum

The Burden against Nineveh  (Jonah 1:1–3)

12

1

This is what the LORD says:

2

This is the burden against Nineveh, the book
of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:

“Though they are allied and numerous,

yet they will be cut down and pass away.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;

the LORD is avenging and full of wrath.

The LORD takes vengeance on His foes
3
and reserves wrath for His enemies.

The LORD is slow to anger
and great in power;
the LORD will by no means

leave the guilty unpunished.

His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
4

and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
He makes all the rivers run dry.

Bashan and Carmel wither,
5

and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

The mountains quake before Him,

and the hills melt away;

the earth trembles at His presence—
6
the world and all its dwellers.
Who can withstand His indignation?

Who can endure His burning anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire;

7

even rocks are shattered before Him.

The LORD is good,

8

a stronghold in the day of distress;
He cares for those who trust in Him.

 a

But with an overwhelming flood

9

He will make an end of Nineveh
and pursue His enemies into darkness.

Whatever you plot against the LORD,

He will bring to an end.

Affliction will not rise up

10

a second time.

For they will be entangled as with thorns

and consumed like the drink of a

11

drunkard—

like stubble that is fully dry.
From you, O Nineveh, comes forth

13

Though I have afflicted you, O Judah,

I will afflict you no longer.

For I will now break their yoke from your

14

neck

and tear away your shackles.”

The LORD has issued a command concerning

you, O Nineveh:

“There will be no descendants
to carry on your name.

I will cut off the carved image and cast idol

from the house of your gods;

15

I will prepare your grave,

for you are contemptible.”

Look to the mountains—

the feet of one who brings good news,
who proclaims peace!

Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;

fulfill your vows.

For the wicked will never again march

through you;

The Overthrow of Nineveh

they will be utterly cut off.

2

 One who scatters advances
against you, O Nineveh.

Guard the fortress!
 b
Watch the road!

Brace yourselves!

2

Summon all your strength!

For the LORD will restore the splendor of

Jacob

like the splendor of Israel,

3

though destroyers have laid them waste
and ruined the branches of their vine.

The shields of his mighty men are red;

the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet.

The fittings of the chariots flash like fire

on the day they are prepared,

c
and the spears of cypress
have been brandished.

pine

juniper

a 8

a plotter of evil against the LORD,
b 1
a counselor of wickedness.

of her place

Strengthen your loins!

c 3

they are prepared, and the horsemen rush to and fro.

fir
Literally

or

; LXX and Syriac

Hebrew

Hebrew; alternately, the spears may be of

 or

4

2

The chariots dash through the streets;

The crack of the whip,

Nahum 3:12     |    839

they rush around the plazas,

appearing like torches,
5

darting about like lightning.

He summons his nobles;

they stumble as they advance.

They race to its wall;
6

the protective shield is set in place.

7

The river gates are thrown open
and the palace collapses.

It is decreed that the city be exiled

and carried away;

her maidservants moan like doves,
8
and beat upon their breasts.

Nineveh has been like a pool of water

throughout her days,
but now it is draining away.

“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
9

but no one turns back.

“Plunder the silver!

Plunder the gold!”

There is no end to the treasure,

10

an abundance of every precious thing.

She is emptied!

Yes, she is desolate and laid waste!

Hearts melt, knees knock,

bodies tremble, and every face grows

pale!

11

Where is the lions’ lair

or the feeding ground of the young lions,

where the lion and lioness prowled with

12

their cubs,

with nothing to frighten them away?

The lion mauled enough for its cubs

and strangled prey for the lioness.

13

It filled its dens with the kill,

and its lairs with mauled prey.

“Behold, I am against you,”

declares the LORD of Hosts.

“I will reduce your chariots to cinders,

and the sword will devour your young

lions.

I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”

Judgment on Nineveh

3

 Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder,
No-amon

never without prey.

b 9

a 8

Hebrew

That is, the upper Nile region

the rumble of the wheel,

galloping horse
3

and bounding chariot!

Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;

heaps of slain,

mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
4

they stumble over their dead—

because of the many harlotries of the harlot,

the seductive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
5

and clans by her witchcraft.

“Behold, I am against you,”

declares the LORD of Hosts.
“I will lift your skirts over your face.
6

I will show your nakedness to the nations
and your shame to the kingdoms.

I will pelt you with filth

7

and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.

Then all who see you

will recoil from you and say,

‘Nineveh is devastated;

who will grieve for her?’

Where can I find

8

comforters for you?”

a

Are you better than Thebes,

stationed by the Nile with water around

her,

whose rampart was the sea,
9

 b

whose wall was the water?

Cush

10

 and Egypt were her boundless
strength;

Put and Libya were her allies.

Yet she became an exile;

she went into captivity.

Her infants were dashed to pieces
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,

11

and all her nobles were bound in chains.

You too will become drunk;
you will go into hiding
and seek refuge from the enemy.

12

All your fortresses are fig trees

with the first ripe figs;

when shaken, they fall

into the mouth of the eater!

840    |    Nahum 3:13

13

Look at your troops—

they are like your women!

The gates of your land

14

are wide open to your enemies;
fire consumes their bars.

Draw your water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.

17

The young locust strips the land

 a

and flies away.

 b

Your guards

 are like the swarming locust,
 like clouds of locusts

and your scribes
that settle on the walls on a cold day.

18

When the sun rises, they fly away,
and no one knows where.

15

Work the clay and tread the mortar;

O king of Assyria, your shepherds

repair the brick kiln!

There the fire will devour you;
the sword will cut you down
and consume you like a young locust.

Make yourself many like the young

locust;

16

make yourself many like the swarming

locust!

You have multiplied your merchants
more than the stars of the sky.

slumber;
your officers sleep.

19

Your people are scattered on the mountains

with no one to gather them.
There is no healing for your injury;

your wound is severe.
All who hear the news of you
applaud your downfall,
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?

a 17

princes

b 17

marshals

Or

Or

Habakkuk

Habakkuk’s First Complaint

1

2

This  is  the  burden  that  Habakkuk  the
prophet received in a vision:

How long, O LORD, must I call for help

but You do not hear,
or cry out to You, “Violence!”
3
but You do not save?

Why do You make me see iniquity?

Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me.

4

Strife is ongoing, and conflict

abounds.

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked hem in the righteous,

The LORD’s Answer

so that justice is perverted.

5

 a

“Look at the nations and observe—

be utterly astounded!

6

For I am doing a work in your days
that you would never believe
even if someone told you.
 c
For behold, I am raising up the

b

Chaldeans

—

that ruthless and impetuous nation
which marches through the breadth of

7

the earth

to seize dwellings not their own.

They are dreaded and feared;

8

from themselves they derive justice

and sovereignty.

Their horses are swifter than leopards,
fiercer than wolves of the night.

Their horsemen charge ahead,

and their cavalry comes from afar.

They fly like a vulture,
9

swooping down to devour.
All of them come bent on violence;

their hordes advance like the east

10

wind;

11

They laugh at every fortress

and build up siege ramps to seize it.

Then they sweep by like the wind

and pass through.

They are guilty;

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint  (Psalm 11:1–7)

their own strength is their god.”

12

Are You not from everlasting,

O LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.

O LORD, You have appointed them

to execute judgment;

13

O Rock, You have established them

for correction.

Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.

So why do You tolerate the faithless?

Why are You silent

14

while the wicked swallow up

15

those more righteous than themselves?
You have made men like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things that have no ruler.
 with a hook;

The foe pulls all of them up

 d

he catches them in his dragnet,
and gathers them in his fishing net;

16

so he rejoices gladly.

Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet

and burns incense to his fishing net,
for by these things his portion is sumptuous

17

and his food is rich.

Will he, therefore, empty his net

and continue to slay nations without

The LORD Answers Again
mercy?

2

2

 I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the ramparts.
I will watch to see what He will say to me,

and how I should answer when corrected.

Then the LORD answered me:

they gather prisoners like sand.

“Write down this vision

They scoff at kings

a 5
pulls all of them up

Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish!

b 5
and make rulers an object of scorn.

LXX

Cited in Acts 13:41

c 6

and clearly inscribe it on tablets,
so that a herald may run with it.
That is, the Babylonians

d 15

Literally

He

842    |    Habakkuk 2:3

3

14

For the vision awaits an appointed time;
it testifies of the end and does not lie.

Though it lingers, wait for it,
a
4

since it will surely come and will not

For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the

15

LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

delay.

 b

Look at the proud one; his soul is not
 c

5

upright
 d

 —

but the righteous will live by faith

—

and wealth

 indeed betrays him.

He is an arrogant man never at rest.

He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,

and like Death, he is never satisfied.

He gathers all the nations to himself

Woe to the Chaldeans

and collects all the peoples as his own.

6

Will not all of these take up a taunt against

him,

speaking with mockery and derision:

‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his

7

and makes himself rich with many loans!
How long will this go on?’

18

Will not your creditors suddenly arise

8

and those who disturb you awaken?
Then you will become their prey.

Because you have plundered many nations,
the remnant of the people will plunder

you—

because of your bloodshed against man

and your violence against the land, the

9

city,

and all their dwellers.

Woe to him who builds his house

by unjust gain,

to place his nest on high

10

and escape the hand of disaster!
You have plotted shame for your house

e

11

by cutting off many peoples
and forfeiting your life.

For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters will echo it from the

12

woodwork.

13

Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed

and establishes a town by iniquity!
Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts

that the labor of the people only feeds the

fire,

Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin until they are

16

drunk,

in order to gaze at their nakedness!

You will be filled with shame instead of glory.

 f

You too must drink
and expose your uncircumcision!

17

The cup in the LORD’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.

For your violence against Lebanon will

overwhelm you,

and the destruction of animals will terrify

you,

because of your bloodshed against men

and your violence against the land, the

city,

and all their dwellers.

What use is an idol,

that a craftsman should carve it—

or an image,

a teacher of lies?

19

For its maker trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.
Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’

or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’
Can it give guidance?

20

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

yet there is no breath in it at all.”

But the LORD is in His holy temple;

Habakkuk’s Prayer

let all the earth be silent before Him.

3

2

 g

This  is  a  prayer  of  Habakkuk  the  prophet,
according to Shigionoth:

O LORD, I have heard the report of You;

I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds.

Revive them in these years;

3

make them known in these years.
In Your wrath, remember mercy!

God came from Teman,

and the Holy One from Mount Paran.

Selah h

a 3
b 4

Though He lingers, wait for Him, since He will surely come and will not delay
and the nations weary themselves in vain?
faithfulness

If he should draw back, My soul has no pleasure in him    c 4

Or
LXX

g 1 Shigionoth
Hebrews 10:38

d 5

wine

e 10

sinning against your soul

Or

DSS; MT

Literally

; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:37.
f 16
; cited in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and
h 3 Selah

and stagger

Interlude
DSS, LXX, and Syriac

 is probably a musical term indicating the setting for the prayer.

 or

 is probably a musical

or literary term; also in verses 9 and 13.

His glory covered the heavens,
4

and His praise filled the earth.
His radiance was like the sunlight;
rays flashed from His hand,
where His power is hidden.

5

Plague went before Him,

6

and fever followed in His steps.
He stood and measured the earth;

He looked and startled the nations;

the ancient mountains crumbled;
the perpetual hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.

7

I saw the tents of Cushan in distress;

8

the curtains of Midian were trembling.

Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD?

Was Your wrath against the streams?

Selah

Did You rage against the sea
9

when You rode on Your horses,
on Your chariots of salvation?

You brandished Your bow;

You called for many arrows.

10

You split the earth with rivers.
The mountains saw You and quaked;

11

torrents of water swept by.
The deep roared with its voice
and lifted its hands on high.

Sun and moon stood still

in their places

12

at the flash of Your flying arrows,

at the brightness of Your shining spear.

13

You marched across the earth with fury;
You threshed the nations in wrath.
You went forth for the salvation of Your

people,

to save Your anointed.

Habakkuk 3:19    |    843

You crushed the head of the house of the

Selah

wicked

and stripped him from head to toe.

14

With his own spear You pierced his head,
when his warriors stormed out to

scatter us,
gloating as though ready

15

to secretly devour the weak.

You trampled the sea with Your horses,

16

churning the great waters.

I heard and trembled within;

my lips quivered at the sound.

Decay entered my bones;

I trembled where I stood.

Yet I must wait patiently for the day

of distress

to come upon the people who

Habakkuk Rejoices
invade us.

17

Though the fig tree does not bud
and no fruit is on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

18

though the sheep are cut off from the fold

and no cattle are in the stalls,

yet I will exult in the LORD;

19

I will rejoice in the God of my

salvation!

GOD the Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like those of a deer;
For the choirmaster.
He makes me walk upon the heights!
With stringed instruments.

Zephaniah

Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah
(Matthew 13:36–43)

1

This  is  the  word  of  the  LORD  that  came  to
Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah,
the  son  of  Amariah,  the  son  of  Hezekiah,  in  the
2
days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

“I will completely sweep away

everything from the face of the earth,”

declares the LORD.

3

“I will sweep away man and beast;

I will sweep away the birds of the air,

and the fish of the sea,

a
and the idols with their wicked

worshipers.

I will cut off mankind

from the face of the earth,”

declares the LORD.

4

“I will stretch out My hand against Judah

and against all who dwell in Jerusalem.
I will cut off from this place every remnant of

Baal,

5

the names of the idolatrous and pagan

priests—

those who bow on the rooftops

to worship the host of heaven,
those who bow down and swear by
6

the LORD

b

but also swear by Milcom,

and those who turn back

from following the LORD,

neither seeking the LORD
nor inquiring of Him.”

The Day of the LORD
(Malachi 4:1–6 ;  1 Thess. 5:1–11 ;  2 Peter 3:8–13)

7

8

“On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice

I will punish the princes,

the sons of the king,
9

and all who are dressed in foreign

apparel.
On that day I will punish

 d
all who leap over the threshold,

c

10

who fill the house of their master
with violence and deceit.
On that day,” declares the LORD,

e

“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,

a wail from the Second District,
f

11

and a loud crashing from the hills.

 g

Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow,

12

for all your merchants
all who weigh out silver will be cut off.

 will be silenced;

And at that time I will search Jerusalem with

lamps

h

and punish the men settled in

complacency,

who say to themselves,

13

‘The LORD will do nothing,
either good or bad.’

Their wealth will be plundered
and their houses laid waste.

They will build houses but not inhabit them,
and plant vineyards but never drink their

14

wine.

The great Day of the LORD is near—

near and coming quickly.
Listen, the Day of the LORD!

15

Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.

That day will be

a day of wrath,

a day of trouble and distress,

a day of destruction and desolation,

Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD,

a day of darkness and gloom,

16

for the Day of the LORD is near.

Indeed, the LORD has prepared

a sacrifice;

a 3

He has consecrated His guests.
and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble
d 9

b 5

by their king
the temple of their gods
;
the Mortar

f 11

Or
the market district

c 9
the Mishneh

Or

and 1 Kings 11:7.
thickening on the dregs
Jerusalem; Hebrew

See 1 Samuel 5:5.

Or

Or

 or

Or
Or

a day of clouds and blackness,
a day of horn blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities,
and against the high corner towers.
Molech
the Second Quarter
all the people of Canaan

Milcom
e 10
g 11

 is a variant of

; see Leviticus 18:21

h 12
, a newer section of

Or

17

I will bring such distress on mankind
that they will walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the

LORD.

18

Their blood will be poured out like dust

and their flesh like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to deliver them
on the Day of the LORD’s wrath.
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of His jealousy.”

a

For indeed, He will make a sudden end

A Call to Repentance
of all who dwell on the earth.
(Joel 1:13–20 ;  Amos 5:4–15 ;  Luke 13:1–5)

2

2

 Gather yourselves, gather together,
O shameful nation,

 b

before the decree takes effect

and the day passes like chaff,

Zephaniah 2:15    |    845

Judgment on Moab and Ammon
(Isaiah 16:1–14 ;  Jeremiah 48:1–47)

8

“I have heard the reproach of Moab

and the insults of the Ammonites,

who have taunted My people

9

and threatened their borders.

Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel,

 “surely Moab will be like Sodom

and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,
a perpetual wasteland.

The remnant of My people will plunder them;

10

the remainder of My nation will

dispossess them.”

This they shall have in return for their pride,
for taunting and mocking the people
of the LORD of Hosts.

11

before the burning anger of the LORD comes

The LORD will be terrifying to them

upon you,

when He starves all the gods of the earth.

3

before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes

upon you.

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth

who carry out His justice.
Seek righteousness; seek humility.
Perhaps you will be sheltered
Judgment on the Philistines  (Jer. 47:1–7)
on the day of the LORD’s anger.

4

For Gaza will be abandoned,

and Ashkelon left in ruins.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
5
and Ekron will be uprooted.
Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast,
O nation of the Cherethites!

The word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines:

“I will destroy you,
6

and no one will be left.”

 c

7

with wells
sheep.

 for shepherds and folds for

The coast will belong to the remnant of the

house of Judah;

there they will find pasture.
They will lie down in the evening
among the houses of Ashkelon,

d

for the LORD their God will attend to them

of all the people living in the land
and restore their captives.

b 2

a 18
e 12

Or
That is, people from the upper Nile region

screech owl

desert owl

f 14
Hebrew

animals rendered

 and

 is uncertain.

So the seacoast will become a land of pastures,

15

Then the nations of every shore
will bow in worship to Him,
Judgment on Cush and Assyria
each in its own place.

12

e

“You too, O Cushites,

13

will be slain by My sword.”

And He will stretch out His hand against the

north

and destroy Assyria;

He will make Nineveh a desolation,

14

as dry as a desert.

f

Herds will lie down in her midst,

 g

creatures of every kind.

Both the desert owl and screech owl

will roost atop her pillars.

Their calls will sound from the window,

but desolation will lie on the threshold,
for He will expose the beams of cedar.

This carefree city

that dwells securely,

that thinks to herself:

“I am it, and there is none besides me,”

what a ruin she has become,
a resting place for beasts.
Everyone who passes by her
caves
c 6
hisses and shakes his fist.
beasts of every nation
Or

camps
g 14

d 7

 or

Or

is given birth

their fortunes

Hebrew

The precise identification of the

846    |    Zephaniah 3:1

Judgment on Jerusalem

11

3

2

 Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!

She heeded no voice;

she accepted no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD;
3

she has not drawn near to her God.

Her princes are roaring lions;

4

her judges are evening wolves,
leaving nothing for the morning.

Her prophets are reckless,

faithless men.

Her priests profane the sanctuary;
5
they do violence to the law.
The LORD within her is righteous;

He does no wrong.

He applies His justice morning by morning;

Purification of the Nations

He does not fail at dawn,
yet the unjust know no shame.

6

“I have cut off the nations;

their corner towers are destroyed.

I have made their streets deserted
with no one to pass through.

Their cities are laid waste,
7

with no man, no inhabitant.
I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me
and accept correction.’

Then her dwelling place would not be cut off
despite all for which I punished her.

But they rose early
8

to corrupt all their deeds.

Therefore wait for Me,”
declares the LORD,

a

“until the day

I rise to testify.

For My decision is to gather nations,

to assemble kingdoms,

to pour out upon them My indignation—

all My burning anger.

A Faithful Remnant

For all the earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.

9

For then I will restore

pure lips to the peoples,

10

that all may call upon the name of the LORD
and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

 b

From beyond the rivers of Cush

a 8

My worshipers, My scattered people,
b 10
will bring Me an offering.

rise up to plunder

He will renew you with His love

d 20

LXX and Syriac; Hebrew

and Syriac

Or

On that day you will not be put to shame

for any of the deeds
by which you have transgressed

against Me.

For then I will remove from among you
those who rejoice in their pride,
and you will never again be haughty

12

on My holy mountain.

But I will leave within you a meek and

humble people,

13

and they will trust in the name of the

LORD.
The remnant of Israel

will no longer do wrong or speak lies,

nor will a deceitful tongue

be found in their mouths.
But they will feed and lie down,

Israel’s Restoration

with no one to make them tremble.”

14

Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

15

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

The LORD has taken away your punishment;

16

He has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you;
no longer will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem:

17

“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands fall limp.
The LORD your God is among you;
 c

He is mighty to save.

He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you with His love;
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18

“I will gather those among you who grieve

19

over the appointed feasts,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

Behold, at that time,

I will deal with all who afflict you.

I will save the lame

and gather the scattered;

20

and I will appoint praise and fame

for the disgraced throughout the earth.

At that time I will bring you in;

yes, at that time I will gather you.

For I will give you fame and praise

 d

among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your captives
before your very eyes,”
c 17

He will be silent in His love

says the LORD.

your fortunes
That is, the upper Nile region

Or

; LXX

Haggai

A Call to Rebuild the Temple  (Ezra 5:1–5)

10

1

In the second year of the reign of Darius, on
the first day of the sixth month, the word of
the  LORD  came  through  Haggai  the  prophet  to
Zerubbabel  son  of  Shealtiel,  governor  of  Judah,
and to Joshua son of Jehozadak,
 the high priest,
that this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
stating

2

a

“These people say, ‘The time has not yet come

to rebuild the house of the LORD.’

”

3

Then the word of the LORD came through Hag-
4
gai the prophet, saying:

“Is it a time for you yourselves

5

to live in your paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?”

Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says:
6
“Consider carefully your ways.

You have planted much
but harvested little.

You eat but never have enough.

You drink but never have your fill.

You put on clothes but never get

warm.

7

You earn wages to put into a bag pierced

through.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
8

“Consider carefully your ways.

Go up into the hills,

bring down lumber, and build the house,

so that I may take pleasure in it and

9

be glorified,
says the LORD.
You expected much,

but behold, it amounted to little.
And what you brought home, I blew

away.

Why? declares the LORD of Hosts.

Because My house still lies in ruins,

a 1 Jehozadak

while each of you is busy
with his own house.

Jozadak

Therefore, on account of you

the heavens have withheld their

dew

11

and the earth has withheld its

crops.

I have summoned a drought

on the fields and on the mountains,

on the grain, new wine, and oil,

and on whatever the ground yields,

on man and beast,

The People Obey

and on all the labor of your hands.”

12

Then  Zerubbabel  son  of  Shealtiel  and  Joshua
son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as all the
remnant  of  the  people,  obeyed  the  voice  of  the
LORD  their  God  and  the  words  of  the  prophet
Haggai,  because  the  LORD  their  God  had  sent
13
him. So the people feared the LORD.

Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, delivered

the message of the LORD to the people:

“I am with you,”

14

declares the LORD.

So  the  LORD  stirred  the  spirit  of  Zerubbabel
son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit
of  Joshua  son  of  Jehozadak,  the  high  priest,  as
well as the spirit of all the remnant of the people.
And they came and began the work on the house
on the twenty-
of the LORD of Hosts, their God,
fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year
The Coming Glory of God’s House
of King Darius.

15

2

2

On  the  twenty-first  day  of  the  seventh
month, the word of the LORD came through
“Speak to Zerubba-
Haggai the prophet, saying:
b
bel  son  of  Shealtiel,  governor  of  Judah,  and  to
  the  high  priest,  and
Joshua  son  of  Jehozadak,
3
also  to  the  remnant  of  the  people.  Ask  them,
‘Who  is  left  among  you  who  saw  this  house
in  its  former  glory?  How  does  it  look  to  you
now?  Does  it  not  appear  to  you  like  nothing  in
comparison?’

b 2 Jehozadak

Jozadak

 is a variant of

; also in verses 12 and 14; see Ezra 3:2.

 is a variant of

; also in

verse 4; see Ezra 3:2.

848    |    Haggai 2:4

4

But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,

declares the LORD.

Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak,

the high priest.

And be strong, all you people of the land,

declares the LORD.
Work! For I am with you,
5

declares the LORD of Hosts.
This is the promise I made to you
when you came out of Egypt.
And My Spirit remains among you;

do not be afraid.”

6

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Once more, in a little while,
a

I will shake the heavens and the

7

earth,

the sea and the dry land.

I will shake all the nations,

and they will come with all their

treasures,

and I will fill this house with glory,
8

says the LORD of Hosts.

The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,

9

declares the LORD of Hosts.

The latter glory of this house

will be greater than the former,
says the LORD of Hosts.

Blessings for a Defiled People

And in this place I will provide peace,
declares the LORD of Hosts.”

10

12

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,
in  the  second  year  of  Darius,  the  word  of  the
11
LORD  came  to  Haggai  the  prophet,  saying,
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the
If  a  man  carries  conse-
priests  for  a  ruling.
crated  meat  in  the  fold  of  his  garment,  and  it
touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food,
does that item become holy?’
13
“No,” replied the priests.

”

14
“Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.

Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people
and  this  nation  before  Me,  declares  the  LORD,
and so it is with every work of their hands; what-
15
ever they offer there is defiled.

 b

c

16

Now  consider  carefully  from  this  day  for-
ward:
 Before one stone was placed on another
in  the  temple  of  the  LORD,
from  that  time,
when  one  came  expecting  a  heap  of  twenty
d
 there were but ten. When one
ephahs of grain,
came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths,
I  struck  you—all  the
there  were  but  twenty.
work  of  your  hands—with  blight,  mildew,  and
hail,  but  you  did  not  turn  to  Me,  declares  the
18
LORD.

17

19

Consider  carefully  from  this  day  forward—
from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,
the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was
Is  there  still  seed  in
laid—consider  carefully:
the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and
the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from
Zerubbabel the LORD’s Signet Ring
this day on, I will bless you.”
20

21

For  the  second  time  that  day,  the  twenty-
fourth day of the month, the word of the LORD
“Tell  Zerubbabel
came  to  Haggai,  saying,
governor of Judah that I am about to shake the
22
heavens and the earth:

I will overturn royal thrones
and destroy the power
of the kingdoms of the nations.

I will overturn chariots and their riders;

23

horses and their riders will fall,
each by the sword of his brother.

On that day,

declares the LORD of Hosts,

I will take you, My servant,

Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
declares the LORD,

So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by con-
tact  with  a  corpse  touches  any  of  these,  does  it
become defiled?”

and I will make you like My signet ring,

for I have chosen you,
declares the LORD of Hosts.”

a 6
out fifty from the winepress

b 15

backward

c 16

a heap of twenty

d 16

to draw

Cited in Hebrews 12:26

Or

; also in verse 18

Literally

Literally

Zechariah

A Call to Repentance
(Jeremiah 3:11–25 ;  Hosea 14:1–3)

1

In the eighth month of the second year of Da-
rius,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  the
prophet  Zechariah  son  of  Berechiah,  the  son  of
2
Iddo, saying:
3

“The  LORD  was  very  angry  with  your  fathers.
So tell the people that this is what the LORD of
Hosts  says:  ‘Return  to  Me,  declares  the  LORD
of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD
4
of Hosts.’

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former
prophets proclaimed that this is what the LORD
of Hosts says: ‘Turn now from your evil ways and
deeds.’

But they did not listen or pay attention to Me, de-
5
clares the LORD.

6

Where are your fathers now? And the prophets,
But did not My words and
do they live forever?
My statutes, which I commanded My servants the
prophets, overtake your fathers? They repented
and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts purposed to
do to us according to our ways and deeds, so He
The Vision of the Horses
has done to us.’
7

”

a

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  eleventh
month, the month of Shebat,
 in the second year
of  Darius,  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to  the
prophet  Zechariah  son  of  Berechiah,  the  son  of
8
Iddo.

I looked out into the night and saw a man riding
on a red horse. He was standing among the myr-
tle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red,
9
sorrel, and white horses.

“What are these, my lord?” I asked.

And the angel who was speaking with me replied,
10
“I will show you what they are.”

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees
explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent
a 7 Shebat
to patrol the earth.”

they have overdone the punishment

b 15

11

And the riders answered the angel of the LORD
who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We
have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth
12
is at rest and tranquil.”

Then  the  angel  of  the  LORD  said,  “How  long,
O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from
Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You
13
have been angry these seventy years?”

So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words

14
to the angel who was speaking with me.

15

Then  the  angel  who  was  speaking  with  me
said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD
of  Hosts  says:  ‘I  am  very  jealous  for  Jerusalem
but I am fiercely angry with the na-
and Zion,
tions that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but
16
they have added to the calamity.

’

b

Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will re-
turn  to  Jerusalem  with  mercy,  and  there  My
house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts,
and a measuring line will be stretched out over
17
Jerusalem.’

Proclaim further that this is what the LORD of
Hosts  says:  ‘My  cities  will  again  overflow  with
prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and
The Vision of the Horns and the Craftsmen
choose Jerusalem.’
18

19

”

Then  I  looked  up  and  saw  four  horns.

So  I
asked  the  angel  who  was  speaking  with  me,
“What are these?”

And he told me, “These are the horns that have
20
scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
21

Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.

“What are these coming to do?” I asked.

And He replied, “These are the horns that scat-
tered Judah so that no one could raise his head;
but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and
throw down these horns of the nations that have
lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to
scatter it.”

 is the eleventh month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of January and

February.

Or

850    |    Zechariah 2:1

The Vision of the Measuring Line
(Ezekiel 40:1–4)

2

2

Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with
a measuring line in his hand.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to de-
3
termine its width and length.”

4

5

Then the angel who was speaking with me went
forth,  and  another  angel  came  forward  to  meet
him
and  said  to  him, “Run  and  tell  that  young
man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls be-
cause  of  the  multitude  of  men  and  livestock
For  I will be  a wall  of  fire  around  it,
within it.
declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within
”  The Redemption of Zion  (Hosea 3:1–5)
it.’
6

“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,”
declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like
7
the  four  winds  of  heaven,”  declares  the  LORD.
“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the

8
Daughter of Babylon!”
 a

 b

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After
 against the nations that
His Glory has sent Me
9
have  plundered  you—for  whoever  touches  you
I  will  surely
touches  the  apple
wave  My  hand  over  them,  so  that  they  will  be-
come plunder for their own servants. Then you
10
will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”

  of  His  eye—

11

“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion,
for  I  am  coming  to  dwell  among  you,”  declares
“On that day many nations will join
the LORD.
themselves  to  the  LORD,  and  they  will  become
My people. I will dwell among you, and you will
12
know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.
And the LORD will take possession of Judah as
13
His  portion  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  He  will  once
Be  silent  before  the
again  choose  Jerusalem.
LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from
The Vision of Joshua the High Priest
His holy dwelling.”

3

 c

 d

Then the angel showed me Joshua the high
  of  the
priest  standing  before  the  angel
 standing at his right hand to

LORD, with Satan
2
accuse him.

And the LORD said to Satan: “The LORD rebukes
a 8
you,  Satan!  Indeed,  the  LORD,  who  has  chosen

After the Glorious One has sent Me

 e

Jerusalem,  rebukes  you!  Is  not  this  man  a  fire-
3
brand

 snatched from the fire?”

4

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as
he stood before the angel.
So the angel said to
those  standing  before  him,  “Take  off  his  filthy
clothes!”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your
iniquity,  and  I  will  clothe  you  with  splendid
5
robes.”

Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his
head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head,
and they clothed him, as the angel of the LORD
6
stood by.
7

Then the angel of the LORD gave this charge to
Joshua:
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘If
you walk in My ways and keep My instructions,
then you will govern My house and will also have
charge of My courts; and I will give you a place
8
among these who are standing here.

9

Hear  now,  O  high  priest  Joshua,  you  and
your companions seated before you, who are in-
deed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My
f
See the stone I have set be-
servant, the Branch.
fore  Joshua;  on  that  one  stone  are  seven  eyes.
Behold,  I  will  engrave  on  it  an  inscription,  de-
clares the LORD of Hosts, and I will remove the
On that day,
iniquity of this land in a single day.
declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite
your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig
The Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees
tree.’

”

10

4

Then  the  angel  who  was  speaking  with  me
returned  and  woke  me,  as  a  man  is  awak-

2
ened from his sleep.

“What do you see?” he asked.

3

“I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a
bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven
There  are  also  two  olive
spouts  to  the  lamps.
trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl
4
and the other on its left.”

“What  are  these,  my  lord?”  I  asked  the  angel

5
who was speaking with me.

“Do you not know what they are?” replied the

angel.

Or

e 2

a burning stick

 or
f 9

facets

Or

verses 3, 4, 5, and 6; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.
verse 2

That is,

Or

That is,

 or

After He has honored Me and sent Me

the pupil
“No, my lord,” I answered.
the Accuser

b 8

d 1

c 1

Angel
the Adversary
Or

; also in
; also in

6

The Vision of the Woman in a Basket

Zechariah 6:8    |    851

7

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD
to  Zerubbabel:  Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but
What are
by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
you,  O  great  mountain?  Before  Zerubbabel  you
will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the
capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace
8
to it!’
9

”

10

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the founda-
tion of this house, and his hands will complete it.
Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has
For who has despised the day
sent me to you.
  of  the
of  small  things?  But  these  seven  eyes
LORD,  which  scan  the  whole  earth,  will  rejoice
  in  the  hand  of
when  they  see  the  plumb  line
11
Zerubbabel.”

 a

 b

Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive
12
trees  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  lampstand?”
And  I  questioned  him  further,  “What  are  the
 c
two  olive  branches  beside  the  two  gold  pipes
13
from which the golden oil

 pours?”

“Do  you  not  know  what  these  are?”  he

inquired.
14
“No, my lord,” I replied.

 d

 e

So he said, “These are the two anointed ones
who  are  standing  beside  the  Lord  of  all  the
The Vision of the Flying Scroll
earth.”

5

2

Again I lifted up my eyes and saw before me
a flying scroll.

“What do you see?” asked the angel.

f
“I  see  a  flying  scroll,”  I  replied,  “twenty  cubits
3
long and ten cubits wide.

”

4

Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going
out over the face of all the land, for according to
one  side  of  the  scroll,  every  thief  will  be  re-
moved;  and  according  to  the  other  side,  every
I will send it out, de-
perjurer will be removed.
clares  the  LORD  of  Hosts,  and  it  will  enter  the
house  of  the  thief  and  the  house  of  him  who
swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside
his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and
stones.”
a 10
e 14

the chosen capstone

facets

b 10

c 12

f 2
An ephah

5

 g

 h
  is  going

Then the angel who was speaking with me came
forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and
6
see what is approaching.”

“What is it?” I asked.

And  he  replied,  “A  measuring  basket
forth.” Then he continued, “This is their iniquity
7
in all the land.”

And  behold,  the  cover  of  lead  was  raised,  and

8
there was a woman sitting inside the basket.

“This  is  Wickedness,”  he  said.  And  he  shoved
her down into the basket, pushing down the lead
9
cover over its opening.

Then  I lifted  up  my  eyes  and  saw  two  women
approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their
wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted
10
up the basket between heaven and earth.

“Where  are  they  taking  the  basket?”  I  asked

11
the angel who was speaking with me.

i

“To build a house for it in the land of Shinar,
”
he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket will
The Vision of the Four Chariots
be set there on its pedestal.”

6

And again I lifted up my eyes and saw four
chariots  coming  out  from  between  two
The  first
mountains—mountains  of  bronze.
3
chariot had red horses, the second black horses,
the third white horses, and the fourth dappled

2

4
horses—all of them strong.

So  I  inquired  of  the  angel  who  was  speaking

5
with me, “What are these, my lord?”

 j

6

And the angel told me, “These are the four spir-
its
  of  heaven,  going  forth  from  their  station
before the Lord of all the earth.
The one with the
black  horses  is  going  toward  the  land  of  the
north, the one with the white horses toward the
west,
  and  the  one  with  the  dappled  horses
7
toward the south.”

k

As the strong horses went out, they were eager
to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, “Go
8
and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.

Then  the  LORD  summoned  me  and  said,  “Be-
hold,  those  going  to  the  land  of  the  north  have
given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”

the two sons of new oil

d 14

from which the gold

Or
See Revelation 11:4.
their eye
appearance
4.6 meters wide).
Or
them

Or
g 6

h 6

their
The flying scroll was approximately 30 feet long and 15 feet wide (9.1 meters long and
the one with the white horses after

k 6
One Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts

winds

i 11

j 5

Hebrew

Hebrew

 or (literally)

That is, Babylonia

Or

Or

852    |    Zechariah 6:9

The Crown and the Temple

9
10

The word of the LORD also came to me, saying,
“Take  an  offering  from  the  exiles—from
Heldai,  Tobijah,  and  Jedaiah,  who  have  arrived
from  Babylon—and  go  that  same  day  to  the
Take silver
house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
a
and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the
12
head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

11

13

And  you  are  to  tell  him  that  this  is  what  the
LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name
is  the  Branch,  and  He  will  branch  out  from  His
Yes, He
place and build the temple of the LORD.
  the  LORD;  He  will  be
will  build  the  temple  of
clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and
 and
rule. And He will be a priest on His throne,
14
there will be peaceful counsel between the two.’

b

c

 d

15

The  crown  will  reside  in  the  temple  of  the
LORD as a memorial to Helem,
 Tobijah, Jedaiah,
and  the  gracious
Even
those far away will come and build the temple of
the  LORD,  and  you  will  know  that  the  LORD  of
Hosts has sent Me to you. This will happen if you
A Call to Justice and Mercy
diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

  son  of  Zephaniah.

7

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of
e
the  LORD  came  to  Zechariah  on  the  fourth

2
day  of  the  ninth  month,  the  month  of  Chislev.

f

Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and
3
Regem-melech,  along  with  their  men,
  to  plead
before  the  LORD
by  asking  the  priests  of  the
house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the proph-
ets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as
4
I have done these many years?”

5

6

Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me,
“Ask all the people of the land and the
saying,
priests,  ‘When  you  fasted  and  mourned  in  the
fifth and seventh months for these seventy years,
And when
was it really for Me that you fasted?
you were eating and drinking, were you not do-
Are  these  not
ing  so  simply  for  yourselves?
the  words  that  the  LORD  proclaimed  through
the  earlier  prophets,  when  Jerusalem  and  its
surrounding towns were populous and prosper-
  were
ous,  and  the  Negev  and  the  foothills
b 13
a 11 Jehozadak
”
inhabited?’
Heldai
 is a variant of

; see Ezra 3:2.

and Josiah

and Hen

Jozadak

d 14

7

 g

Or

8

9

Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah,
 h
“This  is  what  the  LORD  of  Hosts  says:

saying,
‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion
and  compassion  to  one  another.
Do  not  op-
press the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner
or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts
11
against one another.’

10

i

12

But they refused to pay attention and turned a
stubborn  shoulder;  they  stopped  up  their  ears
from hearing.
They made their hearts like flint
and would not listen to the law or to the words
that  the  LORD  of  Hosts  had  sent  by  His  Spirit
through the earlier prophets. Therefore great an-
13
ger came from the LORD of Hosts.

14

And just as I had called and they would not lis-
ten, so when they called I would not listen, says
the LORD of Hosts.
But I scattered them with a
whirlwind  among  all  the  nations  that  they  had
not known, and the land was left desolate behind
them so that no one could come or go. Thus they
The Restoration of Jerusalem  (Micah 4:6–13)
turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”

8

2

Again the word of the LORD of Hosts came to
me, saying:
This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am
3
jealous for her with great fervor.”

This  is  what  the  LORD  says:  “I  will  return  to
Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will
be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of
the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Moun-
4
tain.”

5

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men
and old women will again sit along the streets of
Jerusalem,  each  with  a  staff  in  hand  because  of
great  age.
And  the  streets  of  the  city  will  be
6
filled with boys and girls playing there.”

 j

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “If this is
  in  the  eyes  of  the  remnant  of  this
impossible
people in these days, should it also be impossible
7
in My eyes?” declares the LORD of Hosts.

8

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will save
My people from the land of the east and from the
land of the west.
I will bring them back to dwell
in Jerusalem, where they will be My people, and
I will be their faithful and righteous God.”

And there will be a priest on His throne

c 14

e 1 Chislev
f 2

Hebrew; Syriac
Bethel-sharezer had sent Regem-melech,
 is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar

h 9

; see verse 10.

g 7

along with his men,
Shephelah
calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and December.
chesed
love
goodness
heavy to hear

 are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as

kindness
j 6

loyalty to a covenant

lowlands

 or
mercy

; see verse 10.

; Syriac

Or

Or
loving devotion

; that is, the western foothills of Judea

i 11

Forms of the Hebrew
; the range of meaning includes

they made their ears too

,

,

, and

, as well as

.

Hebrew

Hebrew
faithfulness
marvelous
,

Or

; twice in this verse

9

The Burden against Israel’s Enemies

Zechariah 9:9    |    853

10

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your
hands be strong, you who now hear these words
spoken by the prophets who were present when
the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple,
the  house  of  the  LORD  of  Hosts.
For  before
those  days  neither  man  nor  beast  received
wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for
anyone who came or went, for I had turned every
man  against  his  neighbor.
But  now  I  will  not
treat  the  remnant  of  this  people  as  I  did  in  the
12
past,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

11

9

 This is the burden of the word of the LORD
against the land of Hadrach
and Damascus its resting place—

for the eyes of men

 a

and of all the tribes of Israel
—
are upon the LORD
and also against Hamath,
which borders it,
as well as Tyre and Sidon,

2

3

though they are very shrewd.

13

“For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will
yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce,
and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant
of this people I will give all these things as an in-
heritance.
As you have been a curse among the
nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so
I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not
14
be afraid; let your hands be strong.”

15

16

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Just
as  I  resolved  to  bring  disaster  upon  you  when
your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not
relent,” says the LORD of Hosts,
“so now I have
resolved  to  do  good  again  to  Jerusalem  and  Ju-
dah. Do not be afraid.
These are the things you
17
must do: Speak truth to one another, render true
and sound judgments in your gates,
do not plot
evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do
not  love  to  swear  falsely,  for  I  hate  all  these
18
things,” declares the LORD.
19

Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to
“This  is  what  the  LORD  of  Hosts
me,  saying,
says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh,
and  the  tenth  months  will  become  times  of  joy
and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Ju-
dah.  Therefore  you  are  to  love  both  truth  and
20
peace.”

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples
21
will  yet  come—the  residents  of  many  cities—
and the residents of one city will go to another,
saying:  ‘Let  us  go  at  once  to  plead  before  the
LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am
going.’
And many peoples and strong nations
will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem
23
and to plead before the LORD.”

22

Tyre has built herself a fortress;

4

she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.

b

Behold, the Lord will impoverish her
and cast her wealth into the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.

5

Ashkelon will see and fear;

Gaza will writhe in agony,

as will Ekron,

for her hope will wither.

6

There will cease to be a king in Gaza,
and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.

A mixed race will occupy Ashdod,

7

and I will cut off the pride of the

Philistines.

I will remove the blood from their mouths

and the abominations from between their

teeth.

Then they too will become a remnant for our

 c

God;

8

they will become like a clan
and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
But I will camp around My house because of

 in Judah,

an army,

because of those who march to and fro,
and never again will an oppressor overrun

My people,
Zion’s Coming King
(Matthew 21:1–11 ;  Mark 11:1–11 ;
Luke 19:28–40 ;  John 12:12–19)

for now I keep watch with My own eyes.

9

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Daughter of

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those
days  ten  men  from  the  nations  of  every  tongue
will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us
go with you, for we have heard that God is with
a 1
you.’
leader
Or

for the eye of the LORD is on all men and all the tribes of Israel
”

righteous and endowed with salvation

d 9

e 9

Jerusalem!

d
See, your King comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
b 4
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

strike down her power on the sea

e

Or

Or

Cited in Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15

c 7

like a

Or

854    |    Zechariah 9:10

10

 a

2

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
 the horse from Jerusalem,
and
and the bow of war will be broken.
Then He will proclaim peace to the nations.
 b
His dominion will extend from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates

11

to the ends of the earth.

As for you,

because of the blood of My

covenant,

12

I will release your prisoners
from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold,
O prisoners of hope;

even today I declare

13

that I will restore to you double.

For I will bend Judah as My bow

and fit it with Ephraim.
c
I will rouse your sons, O Zion,
against the sons of Greece.
I will make you like the sword
The LORD Will Save His People

of a mighty man.

14

Then the LORD will appear over them,
and His arrow will go forth like

lightning.

The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn
and advance in the whirlwinds of the

15

south.

The LORD of Hosts will shield them.

They will destroy and conquer with

slingstones;

16

they will drink and roar as with wine.
And they will be filled like sprinkling bowls,
drenched like the corners of the altar.
On that day the LORD their God will save

them

as the flock of His people;

for like jewels in a crown

17

they will sparkle over His land.

How lovely they will be,
and how beautiful!

Judah and Israel Will Be Restored

Grain will make the young men flourish,
and new wine, the young women.

10

Ask the LORD for rain in springtime;
the LORD makes the storm clouds,

and He will give everyone showers of rain

For idols speak deceit

and diviners see illusions;

they tell false dreams

and offer empty comfort.

Therefore the people wander like sheep,
3
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

d

“My anger burns against the shepherds,

and I will punish the leaders.

For the LORD of Hosts attends to His flock,

the house of Judah;

He will make them

4

like His royal steed in battle.

The cornerstone will come from Judah,

the tent peg from him,
as well as the battle bow

5

and every ruler together.

They will be like mighty men in battle,

trampling the enemy in the mire of the

streets.

They will fight because the LORD is with

6

them,

and they will put the horsemen to shame.

I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them because I have

compassion on them,

and they will be as though I had not

rejected them.
For I am the LORD their God,
7
and I will answer them.

Ephraim will be like a mighty man,

and their hearts will be glad as with wine.

Their children will see it and be

8

joyful;

their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.

I will whistle for them to gather,
for I have redeemed them;
and they will be as numerous
9

as they once were.

Though I sow them among the nations,
they will remember Me in distant

lands;

10

they and their children
will live and return.

I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.

I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon
until no more room is found for

a 10
goats

and crops in the field.

b 10

the River

c 13

them.

the sons of Javan

d 3

these male

That is, the northern kingdom of Israel

Hebrew

Hebrew

Or

11

12

Zechariah 12:6    |    855

They will pass through the sea of distress

and strike the waves of the sea;
all the depths of the Nile will dry up.

The pride of Assyria will be brought

12

down,

and the scepter of Egypt will depart.

I will strengthen them in the LORD,
and in His name they will walk,”

declares the LORD.

The Doomed Flock

11

2

Open your doors, O Lebanon,
that the fire may consume your cedars!

a

Wail, O cypress,

 for the cedar has fallen;

the majestic trees are ruined!

Wail, O oaks of Bashan,

3

for the dense forest has been cut down!

Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,

for their glory is in ruins.

Listen to the roaring of the young lions,
for the thickets of the Jordan are

destroyed.

5

4

This  is  what  the  LORD  my  God  says:  “Pasture
whose  buyers
the  flock  marked  for  slaughter,
slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell
them  say,  ‘Blessed  be  the  LORD,  for  I  am  rich!’
Even  their  own  shepherds  have  no  compassion
6
on them.

For  I  will  no  longer  have  compassion  on  the
people  of  the  land,  declares  the  LORD,  but
behold,  I  will  cause  each  man  to  fall  into  the
hands of his neighbor and his king, who will dev-
astate the land, and I will not deliver it from their
7
hands.”

8

So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, es-
pecially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for
myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other
And  in  one
Union,  and  I  pastured  the  flock.
month I dismissed three shepherds.

9
My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their
Then  I  said,  “I  will  no
souls  also  detested  me.
longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the
perishing  perish;  and  let  those  who  remain  de-
Thirty Pieces of Silver  (Matthew 27:3–10)
vour one another’s flesh.”
10

b

11

Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in
two,
 revoking the covenant I had made with all
the nations.
It was revoked on that day, and so
the afflicted of the flock who were watching me
fir
a 2
knew that it was the word of the LORD.

broke it

juniper

b 10

pine

Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give
me  my  wages;  but  if  not,  keep  them.”  So  they
13
weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.

And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the pot-
ter”—this magnificent price at which they valued
me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw
14
them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Then  I  cut  in  two  my  second  staff  called
Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah
15
and Israel.

16

And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more
For  be-
the  equipment  of  a  foolish  shepherd.
hold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who
will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young,
nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but
he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and
17
tear off their hooves.

Woe to the worthless shepherd,

who deserts the flock!
May a sword strike his arm

and his right eye!

May his arm be completely withered
The Coming Deliverance of Jerusalem
and his right eye utterly blinded!”

12

This is the burden of the word of the
LORD concerning Israel.

Thus  declares  the  LORD,  who  stretches  out  the
heavens  and  lays  the  foundation  of  the  earth,
2
who forms the spirit of man within him:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunk-
enness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will
3
be besieged, as well as Jerusalem.

On  that  day,  when  all  the  nations  of  the  earth
gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy
stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it
4
away will be severely injured.

On  that  day,  declares  the  LORD,  I  will  strike
every  horse  with  panic,  and  every  rider  with
madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house
of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the
5
horses of the nations.

Then  the  leaders  of  Judah  will  say  in  their
hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength,
6
for the LORD of Hosts is their God.’

On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a
firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among
the  sheaves;  they  will  consume  all  the  peoples

Or

 or

 or

Or

; similarly in verse 14

856    |    Zechariah 12:7

around them on the right and on the left, while
7
the people of Jerusalem remain secure there.

8

The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so
that  the  glory  of  the  house  of  David  and  of  the
people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that
On that day the LORD will defend the
of Judah.
people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among
 a
them will be like David, and the house of David
will be like God, like the angel
 of the LORD going
9
before them.

So  on  that  day  I  will  set  out  to  destroy  all  the

Mourning the One They Pierced
nations that come against Jerusalem.
(John 19:31–37)

10

 b

d

Then I will pour out on the house of David and
c
on the people of Jerusalem a spirit
 of grace and
prayer, and they will look on Me,
 the One they
  They  will mourn  for  Him  as  one
have  pierced.
mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for
11
Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as
12
in
great  as  the  wailing  of  Hadad-rimmon
the  plain  of  Megiddo.
The  land  will  mourn,
each clan on its own: the clan of the house of Da-
13
vid and their wives, the clan of the house of Na-
than and their wives,
the clan of the house of
Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their
wives,
and  all  the  remaining  clans  and  their
An End to Idolatry
wives.

14

13

“On that day a fountain will be opened to
the house of David and the people of Je-
2
rusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I
will erase the names of the idols from the land,
and  they  will  no  longer  be  remembered.  I  will
also remove the prophets and the spirit of impu-
3
rity

 from the land.

 e

And  if  anyone  still  prophesies,  his  father  and
mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall
not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely
in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies,
his father and mother who bore him will pierce
4
him through.

And on that day every prophet who prophesies
will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put
d 10
a 8
on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
He will say,
farmer, for the land has been my livelihood since my youth.
Or
with You

the Spirit

Angel

to Me

b 10

c 10

Or

Or

i 5

5

f

6

 g

‘I am not a prophet; I work the land, for I was pur-
chased  as  a  servant  in  my  youth.
If  someone
asks  him,  ‘What  are  these  wounds  on  your
chest
?’ he will answer, ‘These are the wounds I
The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered
received in the house of my friends.’
(Matthew 26:31–35 ;  Mark 14:27–31)

’

7

Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,

against the man who is My Companion,
declares the LORD of Hosts.
Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep

h

will be scattered,

8

and I will turn My hand against the

little ones.
And in all the land,

declares the LORD,

two-thirds will be cut off and perish,
9

but a third will be left in it.

This third I will bring through the fire;

I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on My name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are My people,’

The Destroyers of Jerusalem Destroyed

and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’

”

14

2

Behold,  a  day  of  the  LORD  is  coming
when  your  plunder  will  be  divided  in
For I will gather all the nations
your presence.
for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be
captured, the houses looted, and the women rav-
ished.  Half  of  the  city  will go  into  exile,  but  the
rest of the people will not be removed from the
3
city.

4

Then the LORD will go out to fight against those
On that
nations, as He fights in the day of battle.
day  His  feet  will  stand  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,
east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be
split  in  two  from  east  to  west,  forming  a  great
valley,  with  half  the  mountain  moving  to  the
You will flee by My
north and half to the south.
mountain  valley,  for  it  will  extend  to  Azal.  You
will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the
days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my
6
God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.

5

i

7

On  that  day  there  will  be  no  light,  no  cold  or
It will be a unique day known only to the
frost.
LORD,  without  day  or  night;  but  when  evening
the unclean spirit
e 2
comes, there will be light.

I am a

f 5

14:27

LXX; Hebrew

Lit.

Cited in Matt. 26:31 and Mark

g 6

Cited in John 19:37

between your hands
Or

h 7

Or

8

 a

b

And on that day living water will flow out from
 and
Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea
9
the other half toward the Western Sea,
 in sum-
On that day the LORD will
mer and winter alike.
become King over all the earth—the LORD alone,
10
and His name alone.

All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Je-
rusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem
will  be  raised  up  and  will  remain  in  her  place,
from  the  Benjamin  Gate  to  the  site  of  the  First
Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of
People will
Hananel to the royal winepresses.
live there, and never again will there be an utter
12
destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell securely.

11

And  this  will  be  the  plague  with  which  the
LORD  strikes  all  the  peoples  who  have  warred
against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they
stand  on  their  feet,  their  eyes  will  rot  in  their
sockets,  and  their  tongues  will  rot  in  their
13
mouths.

14

On that day a great panic from the LORD will
come upon them, so that each will seize the hand
of another, and the hand of one will rise against
Judah  will  also  fight  at  Jerusalem,
the  other.
and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will
be  collected—gold,  silver,  and  apparel  in  great
And a similar plague will strike the
abundance.

15

Zechariah 14:21    |    857

horses  and  mules,  camels  and  donkeys,  and  all
All Nations Will Worship the King
the animals in those camps.
(Leviticus 23:33–44 ;  Nehemiah 8:13–18)

16

c

17

Then  all  the  survivors  from  the  nations  that
came against Jerusalem will go up year after year
to  worship  the  King,  the LORD  of  Hosts,  and  to
And
celebrate  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.
should any of the families of the earth not go up
to  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  King,  the  LORD  of
And
Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.
if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in,
then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the
plague with which the LORD strikes the nations
who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Taber-
This  will  be  the  punishment  of  Egypt
nacles.
and of all the nations that do not go up to cele-
20
brate the Feast of Tabernacles.

18

19

 d

21

On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD

 will be in-
scribed on the bells of the horses, and the cook-
ing pots in the house of the LORD will be like the
Indeed,
sprinkling  bowls  before  the  altar.
every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to
the  LORD  of  Hosts,  and  all  who  sacrifice  will
 e
come and take some pots and cook in them. And
on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite
in the house of the LORD of Hosts.

a 8

b 8

c 16

That is, the Dead Sea

of Ingathering
feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as

the LORD
 or

merchant

That is, Sukkot, the autumn

 and originally called

the Feast of Booths
That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

the Feast of Shelters
e 21

d 20

the Feast

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

That is,

Or

Malachi

The LORD’s Love for Israel
(Genesis 25:19–28 ;  Romans 9:6–29)

1

2

 a

This is the burden of the word of the LORD
to Israel through Malachi:

“I have loved you,” says the LORD.

But you ask, “How have You loved us?”

3

b

“Was  not  Esau  Jacob’s  brother?”  declares  the
but Esau I have
LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,
 and I have made his mountains a waste-
hated,
c
land  and  left  his  inheritance  to  the  desert  jack-
4
als.

”

5

Though Edom may say, “We have been devas-
tated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what
the  LORD  of Hosts  says:  “They  may  build,  but  I
will  demolish.  They  will  be  called  the  Land  of
Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD
You will see this with your
is indignant forever.
own  eyes,  and  you  yourselves  will  say,  ‘The
LORD  is  great—even  beyond  the  borders  of
The Polluted Offerings
Israel.’
6

”

“A son honors his father, and a servant his mas-
ter. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And
if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says
the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My
name.
7
“But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’

By presenting defiled food on My altar.

 d

But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You

?’

By saying that the table of the LORD is contempt-
8
ible.

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it
not wrong? And when you present the lame and
sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to
your governor! Would he be pleased with you or
9
show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

“But  ask  now  for  God’s  favor.  Will  He  be  gra-
cious? Since this has come from your hands, will
My messenger
a 1 Malachi
He show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.
defiled it
the wilderness

b 3
e 3

d 7

 means

.

LXX

I will blight your grain
Cited in Romans 9:13
Or

10

“Oh,  that  one  of  you  would  shut  the  temple
doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless
fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says
the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering
11
from your hands.

For My name will be great among the nations,
from  where  the  sun  rises  to  where  it  sets.  In
every  place,  incense  and  pure  offerings  will  be
presented in My name, because My name will be
great  among  the  nations,”  says  the  LORD  of
“But you profane it when you say, ‘The
Hosts.
table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its
13
food is contemptible.’

12

You  also  say:  ‘Oh,  what  a  nuisance!’  And  you
turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick!
Should I accept these from your hands?” asks the
14
LORD.

“But  cursed  is  the  deceiver  who  has  an  ac-
ceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but
sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am
a  great  King,”  says  the  LORD  of  Hosts,  “and  My
A Warning to the Priests
name is to be feared among the nations.

2

2
“And now this decree is for you, O priests:

If you do not listen, and if you do not take it
to  heart  to  honor  My  name,”  says  the  LORD  of
Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will
curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to
curse  them,  because  you  are  not  taking  it  to
3
heart.

e

Behold, I will rebuke your descendants,

 and I
will spread dung on your faces, the waste from
4
your feasts, and you will be carried off with it.

Then  you  will  know  that  I  have  sent  you  this
commandment  so  that  My  covenant  with  Levi
may  continue,”  says  the  LORD  of  Hosts.
“My
covenant  with  him  was  one  of  life  and  peace,
which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and
to the dragons of
c 3
he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

to the serpents of the wilderness

5

Or

 or

6

17

Malachi 3:10    |    859

7

True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing
false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in
peace and uprightness, and he turned many from
For the lips of a priest should preserve
iniquity.
knowledge,  and  people  should  seek  instruction
from his mouth, because he is the messenger of
8
the LORD of Hosts.

9

But you have departed from the way, and your
instruction  has  caused  many  to  stumble.  You
have  violated  the  covenant  of  Levi,”  says  the
“So I in turn have made you des-
LORD of Hosts.
pised  and  humiliated  before  all  the  people,  be-
cause  you  have  not  kept  My  ways,  but  have
Judah’s Unfaithfulness
shown partiality in matters of the law.”
10

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God
create us? Why then do we break faith with one
another  so  as  to  profane  the  covenant  of  our
11
fathers?

Judah  has  broken  faith;  an  abomination  has
been  committed  in  Israel  and  in  Jerusalem.  For
Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctu-
12
ary  by  marrying  the  daughter  of  a  foreign  god.
As for the man who does this, may the LORD
cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is
awake and aware—even if he brings an offering
13
to the LORD of Hosts.

And this is another thing you do: You cover the
altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and
groaning, because He no longer regards your of-
14
ferings or receives them gladly from your hands.

Yet you ask, “Why?”

It  is  because  the  LORD  has  been  a  witness  be-
tween  you  and  the  wife  of  your  youth,  against
whom you have broken faith, though she is your
15
companion and your wife by covenant.

Has  not  the  LORD  made  them  one,  having  a
portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He
seeks  godly  offspring.  So  guard  yourselves  in
 break faith with the wife
your spirit and do not
16
of your youth.

You have wearied the LORD with your words;

yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?”

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight
of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where
I Will Send My Messenger
is the God of justice?”
(Matthew 11:7–19 ;  Luke 7:24–35)

3

b

“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will
 Then the Lord
prepare the way before Me.
whom you seek will suddenly come to His tem-
ple—the  Messenger  of  the  covenant,  in  whom
you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD
2
of Hosts.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And
who can stand when He appears? For He will be
3
like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
He  will  purify  the  sons  of  Levi  and  refine  them
like gold and silver. Then they will present offer-
4
ings to the LORD in righteousness.

Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will
please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone
5
by.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And
I  will  be  a  swift  witness  against  sorcerers  and
adulterers  and  perjurers,  against  oppressors  of
the  widowed  and  fatherless,  and  against  those
who  defraud  laborers  of  their  wages  and  deny
justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says
Robbing God
the LORD of Hosts.
6

7

“Because  I,  the  LORD,  do  not  change,  you  de-
Yet
scendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
from  the  days  of  your  fathers,  you  have  turned
away from My statutes and have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the
LORD of Hosts.
8
“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!
9

But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’

 a

In  tithes  and  offerings.
You  are  cursed  with  a
10
curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still rob-
bing  Me.
Bring  the  full  tithe  into  the  store-
house,  so  that  there  may  be  food  in  My  house.
Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I
“For the man who hates his wife and divorces her,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “covers his garment with violence,”
will  not  open  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour

“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of
Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his gar-
 says the LORD of Hosts. So
ment with violence,”
guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break
a 16
faith.
b 1

Or

Cited in Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, and Luke 7:27

860    |    Malachi 3:11

a

11

18

 b

I  will
out  for  you  blessing  without  measure.
rebuke the devourer
 for you, so that it will not
destroy  the  fruits  of  your  land,  and  the  vine  in
your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the
12
LORD of Hosts.

“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for
you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of
The Book of Remembrance
Hosts.
13

“Your  words  against  Me  have  been  harsh,”
says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spo-
14
ken against You?’

You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What
have we gained by keeping His requirements and
15
walking  mournfully  before  the  LORD  of  Hosts?
So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only
do evildoers prosper, they even test God and es-
16
cape.’

”

At that time those who feared the LORD spoke
with  one  another,  and  the  LORD  listened  and
heard  them.  So  a  scroll  of  remembrance  was
written before Him regarding those who feared
17
the LORD and honored His name.

“They  will  be  Mine,”  says  the  LORD  of  Hosts,
“on the day when I prepare My treasured posses-
sion. And I will spare them as a man spares his

So you will again dis-
own son who serves him.
tinguish between the righteous and the wicked,
between those who serve God and those who do
The Day of the LORD
not.”
(Zeph. 1:7–18 ;  1 Thess. 5:1–11 ;  2 Peter 3:8–13)

4

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like
a  furnace,  when  all  the  arrogant  and  every
evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when
I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts.
2
“Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

c

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of right-
eousness will rise with healing in its wings,
 and
3
you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
Then you will trample the wicked, for they will
be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I
4
am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.

d

“Remember  the  law  of  My  servant  Moses,  the
statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all
5
Israel at Horeb.

e

6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and awesome
 Day of the
LORD.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers
to their children, and the hearts of the children to
 Otherwise, I will come and strike
their fathers.
the land with a curse.”

f

a 10
c 2

blessing for which there will be no room

b 11 The devourer

the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings
e 5

dreadful

glorious

Literally

d 4

f 6

 is probably a name for a crop-destroying pest.

Or

That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the

range containing Mount Sinai

Or

; LXX

Cited in Luke 1:17

Matthew

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22 ;  Luke 3:23–38)

1

2

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his

3

brothers.

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah

by Tamar,

a

4

Perez the father of Hezron,
and Hezron the father of Ram.

Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

5

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
6
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David the king.

Next:

David was the father of Solomon by
7

Uriah’s wife,

Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa.

b

8

Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
and Joram the father of Uzziah.

9

Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

10

c

11

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his

12

brothers

at the time of the exile to Babylon.

After the exile to Babylon:

13

Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
and Eliakim the father of Azor.

14

Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
and Achim the father of Eliud.

15

16

Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband

of Mary,

of whom was born Jesus, who is called

Christ.

17

In  all,  then,  there  were  fourteen  generations
from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to
the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile
The Birth of Jesus  (Isaiah 7:10–16 ;  Luke 2:1–7)
to the Christ.
18

This  is  how  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  came
about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage
to Joseph, but before they came together, she was
19
found  to  be  with  child  through  the  Holy  Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous
man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly,
20
he resolved to divorce her quietly.

But after he had pondered these things, an an-
gel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said,  “Joseph,  son  of  David,  do  not  be  afraid  to
embrace  Mary  as  your  wife,  for  the  One  con-
ceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will
give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the
name  Jesus,
  because  He  will  save  His  people
22
from their sins.”

21

d

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had

23
said through the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin will be with child

 e

and will give birth to a son,
 f
and they will call Him Immanuel”
(which means, “God with us”

).

24

a 3

Aram

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Greek
they will call His name Immanuel

Amōs
, a variant of

Ram

c 10

e 23
3:10.

; also in verse 4; see 1 Chr. 2:9–10.

b 7

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of
the  Lord  had  commanded  him  and  embraced
d 21 Jesus
; also in v. 8; see 1 Chr.

The LORD saves

, a variant of

Greek

Asaph

Asa

f 23

Greek

, a variant spelling of Amon

; twice in this verse; see 1 Chr. 3:14.

 means

.

Literally

; Isaiah 7:14 (see also DSS)

See Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:8, and Isaiah 8:10.

862    |    Matthew 1:25

25

14

 a

But  he  had  no  union  with
  until  she  gave  birth to  a  Son.  And  he gave

Mary  as  his  wife.
her
The Pilgrimage of the Magi  (Micah 5:1–6)
Him the name Jesus.

2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
2
during the time of King Herod, Magi from the
east arrived in Jerusalem,
asking, “Where is the
One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw
His star in the east
 and have come to worship
3
Him.”

 b

4

When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed,
and  all  Jerusalem  with  him.
And  when  he  had
assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the
people, he asked them where the Christ was to be
5
born.

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this
6
is what the prophet has written:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of

Judah,
 c

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of My people

Israel.’

”

7

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned
8
from them the exact time the star had appeared.
And  sending  them  to  Bethlehem,  he  said:  “Go
and search carefully for the Child, and when you
find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and
9
worship Him.”

10

11

After  they  had  heard  the  king,  they  went  on
their way, and the star they had seen in the east
went ahead of them until it stood over the place
where the Child was.
When they saw the star,
they rejoiced with great delight.
On coming to
the  house,  they  saw  the  Child  with  His  mother
Mary,  and  they  fell  down  and  worshiped  Him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented
Him  with  gifts  of  gold  and  frankincense  and
12
myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to re-
turn to Herod, they withdrew to their country by
The Flight to Egypt  (Hosea 11:1–7)
another route.
13

When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said.
“Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt.
Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to
a 25
search for the Child to kill Him.”

he did not know her

as it rose

b 2

c 6

      f 3
Literally

31:15

Isaiah 40:3 (see also LXX)

Or

15

So he got up, took the Child and His mother by
where he stayed
night, and withdrew to Egypt,
until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the
Lord  had  spoken  through  the  prophet:  “Out  of
Weeping and Great Mourning  (Jer. 31:1–25)
Egypt I called My Son.”
16

 d

When Herod saw that he had been outwitted
by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending or-
ders,  he  put to  death  all  the  boys  in  Bethlehem
and its vicinity who were two years old and un-
der,  according  to  the  time  he  had  learned  from
Then what was spoken through the
the Magi.
18
prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

17

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
The Return to Nazareth  (Luke 2:39–40)
because they are no more.”

 e

19

20

After  Herod  died,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  ap-
“Get up!”
peared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to
the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life
21
are now dead.”

22

So  Joseph  got  up,  took  the  Child  and  His
mother,  and  went  to  the  land  of  Israel.
But
when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in
Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go there. And having been warned in a dream,
and he
he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was
fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets:
The Mission of John the Baptist
“He will be called a Nazarene.”
(Isaiah 40:1–5 ;  Mark 1:1–8 ;  Luke 3:1–20 ;
John 1:19–28)

23

3

2

In those days John the Baptist came, preach-
and saying,
ing in the wilderness of Judea
3
“Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  near.”
This  is  he  who  was  spoken  of  through  the

prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

 f
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
”
make straight paths for Him.’

4

John  wore  a  garment  of  camel’s  hair,  with  a
5
leather  belt  around  his  waist.  His  food  was  lo-
d 15
custs  and  wild  honey.
People  went  out  to  him
Jeremiah
Micah 5:2; see also 2 Samuel 5:2.

Hosea 11:1

e 18

6

from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole re-
Confessing  their  sins,
gion  around  the  Jordan.
7
they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

8

But when John saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said
to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you
9
Produce  fruit,
to  flee  from  the  coming  wrath?
then,  in  keeping  with  repentance.
And  do  not
presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham
as  our  father.’  For  I  tell  you  that  out  of  these
10
stones  God  can  raise  up  children  for  Abraham.
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and
every tree that does not produce good fruit will
11
be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 a

I baptize you with water

 for repentance, but
after  me  will  come  One  more  powerful  than  I,
b
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
12
baptize  you with  the  Holy  Spirit  and with  fire.

His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His
threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the
barn;  but  He  will  burn  up  the  chaff  with  un-
The Baptism of Jesus
quenchable fire.”
(Mark 1:9–11 ;  Luke 3:21–22 ;  John 1:29–34)

13

14

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jor-
But John tried to
dan to be baptized by John.
prevent  Him,  saying,  “I  need  to  be  baptized  by
15
You, and do You come to me?”

“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for
us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then
16
John permitted Him.

c

 d

 and He saw

As  soon  as  Jesus  was  baptized,  He  went  up
out  of  the  water.  Suddenly  the  heavens  were
17
 the Spirit of God descend-
opened,
And a voice
ing like a dove and resting on Him.
from  heaven  said,  “This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in
The Temptation of Jesus
whom I am well pleased!”
(Mark 1:12–13 ;  Luke 4:1–13)

Matthew 4:18    |    863

4

But Jesus answered, “It is written:

‘Man shall not live on bread alone,

 e
but on every word that comes from the
”

mouth of God.’

6

5

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set
Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
“If You are
the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down.
For it is written:

‘He will command His angels concerning You,
and they will lift You up in their hands,

  f

so that You will not strike Your foot

against a stone.’

”

 g

7

Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the

8
Lord your God to the test.’

”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high moun-
9
tain  and  showed  Him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the
“All this I will give You,”
world and their glory.
10
he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.”

 h

“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “For it
is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve
11
Him only.’

”

Then the devil left Him, and angels came and

Jesus Begins His Ministry
ministered to Him.
(Isaiah 9:1–7 ;  Mark 1:14–15 ;  Luke 4:14–15)

12

13

When Jesus heard that John had been impris-
Leaving  Naza-
oned,  He  withdrew  to  Galilee.
reth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is
14
by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet

15
Isaiah:

“Land of Zebulun

and land of Naphtali,

16

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow

 i

4

2

17

of death,

a light has dawned.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wil-
After
derness  to  be  tempted  by  the  devil.
fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hun-
3
gry.

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Re-

The First Disciples
pent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(Mark 1:16–20 ;  Luke 5:1–11 ;  John 1:35–42)

18

The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are
the  Son  of  God,  tell  these  stones  to  become
c 16
a 11
bread.”
he saw
Or
i 16

in the Holy Spirit and in fire

in water

b 11

e 4

Or

f 6

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,
and
the heavens were opened to Him
He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his

d 16

g 7
NA, BYZ, and TR

h 10

Or

; see John 1:32–33.

Deuteronomy 8:3

Psalm 91:11–12

Deuteronomy 6:16

Deuteronomy 6:13

Isaiah 9:1–2

864    |    Matthew 4:19

19

11

20

brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the
sea,  for  they  were  fishermen.
“Come,  follow
Me,”  Jesus  said,  “and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of
men.”
And at once they left their nets and fol-
21
lowed Him.

Going on from there, He saw two other broth-
ers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.
They  were  in  a  boat  with  their  father  Zebedee,
mending their nets. Jesus called them,
and im-
mediately they left the boat and their father and
Jesus Heals the Multitudes
followed Him.
(Mark 3:7–12 ;  Luke 6:17–19)

22

23

24

Jesus  went  throughout  Galilee,  teaching  in
their  synagogues,  preaching  the  gospel  of  the
kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness
among the people.
News about Him spread all
over  Syria,  and  people  brought  to  Him  all  who
were  ill  with  various  diseases,  those  suffering
acute  pain,  the  demon-possessed,  those  having
25
seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.

a

Large crowds followed Him, having come from
 Jerusalem, Judea, and be-

Galilee, the Decapolis,
The Sermon on the Mount
yond the Jordan.

5

2

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on
the  mountain  and  sat  down.  His  disciples
and  He  began  to  teach  them,

came  to  Him,
The Beatitudes  (Psalm 1:1–6 ;  Luke 6:20–23)
saying:
3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

4

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

b

Blessed are the meek,

6

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,

7

8

9

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,

10

for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness,

b 5
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A city lying on a hill
f 22 Raca

c 14
That is, the Ten Cities
Literally

Or

d 21

a 25

cause
Psalm 37:11.
.

12

Blessed are you when people insult you, per-
secute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you  because  of  Me.
Rejoice  and  be  glad,  be-
cause great is your reward in heaven, for in the
same  way  they  persecuted  the  prophets  before
Salt and Light  (Mark 9:49–50 ;  Luke 14:34–35 ;
you.
Philippians 2:12–18)

13

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses
its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no
longer  good  for  anything,  except  to  be  thrown
 c
14
out and trampled by men.

15

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill

16

cannot  be  hidden.
Neither  do  people  light  a
lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set
it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house.
In the same way, let your light shine be-
fore men, that they may see your good deeds and
The Fulfillment of the Law
glorify your Father in heaven.
17

18

Do  not  think  that  I  have  come  to  abolish
the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abol-
ish them, but to fulfill them.
For I tell you truly,
until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot,
not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law
19
until everything is accomplished.

So  then,  whoever  breaks  one  of  the  least  of
these  commandments  and  teaches  others  to  do
likewise  will  be  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of
heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them
20
will  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.
For  I  tell  you  that  unless  your  righteousness
exceeds  that  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
Anger and Reconciliation  (Luke 12:57–59)
will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21

 d

 e

You have heard that it was said to the ancients,
22
‘Do not murder’
 and ‘Anyone who murders will
be subject to judgment.’
But I tell you that an-
yone who is angry with his brother
 will be sub-
g
ject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his
brother, ‘Raca,’
But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject
23
to the fire of hell.

 will be subject to the Sanhedrin.

h

 f

Blessed are those who exercise strength under control, for they will inherit the land

24

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and
there  remember  that  your  brother  has  some-
thing against you,
leave your gift there before
the  altar.  First  go  and  be  reconciled  to  your
brother; then come and offer your gift.

e 22
the hell of fire

without
; see

the Gehenna of fire

g 22

the Council

h 22

Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17

BYZ and TR include

 is an Aramaic expression of contempt.

Or

Or

; Greek

25

42

Matthew 6:8    |    865

Reconcile  quickly  with  your  adversary,  while
you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he
may  hand  you  over  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge
may hand you over to the officer, and you may be
Truly  I  tell  you,  you  will
thrown  into  prison.
Adultery  (Leviticus 18:1–30)
not get out until you have paid the last penny.
27

26

a

 b

28

29

You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not com-
mit adultery.’
But I tell you that anyone who
looks  at  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  has  already
If
committed  adultery  with  her  in  his  heart.
your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part
of  your  body  than  for  your  whole  body  to  be
And  if  your  right  hand
thrown  into  hell.
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It
is  better  for  you  to  lose  one  part  of  your  body
Divorce  (Deuteronomy 24:1–5 ;  Luke 16:18)
than for your whole body to depart into hell.
31

30

c

 d
It  has  also  been  said,  ‘Whoever  divorces  his

32
wife  must  give  her  a  certificate  of  divorce.’

e

But  I  tell  you  that  anyone  who  divorces  his
wife,  except  for  sexual  immorality,  brings  adul-
 And he who marries a divorced
tery upon her.
Oaths and Vows  (Numbers 30:1–16)
woman commits adultery.
33

 f

34

Again, you have heard that it was said to the
ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your
But I tell you not to swear
vows to the Lord.’
35
at  all:  either  by  heaven,  for  it  is  God’s  throne;
or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Je-
Nor
rusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
should you swear by your head, for you cannot
Simply  let
make  a  single  hair  white  or  black.
your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything
Love Your Enemies
more comes from the evil one.
(Leviticus 24:17–23 ;  Luke 6:27–36)

37

36

g

38

 h

39

You  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  ‘Eye  for  eye
and tooth for tooth.’
But I tell you not to resist
an  evil  person.  If  someone  slaps  you  on  your
right cheek, turn to him the other also;
if some-
41
one wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him
j
and if someone forces
have your cloak as well;
kodrantēn
a 26
you  to  go  one  mile,

  go  with  him  two  miles.

40

i

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn
away  from  the  one  who  wants  to  borrow  from
43
you.

 k

44

l

45

You  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  ‘Love  your
neighbor’
But  I  tell
  and  ‘Hate  your  enemy.’
you, love your enemies and pray for those who
that you may be sons of your
persecute you,
Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the
evil  and  the  good,  and  sends  rain  on  the  right-
If  you  love  those
eous  and  the  unrighteous.
who love you, what reward will you get? Do not
And  if  you
even  tax  collectors  do  the  same?
greet  only  your  brothers,  what  are  you  doing
more  than  others?  Do  not  even  Gentiles  do  the
48
same?

46

47

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father

Giving to the Needy
is perfect.
(Deuteronomy 15:7–11)

6

 m

“Be  careful  not  to  perform  your  righteous
 before men to be seen by them. If you
acts
do, you will have no reward from your Father in
2
heaven.

3

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by
men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full
But when you give to the needy, do not
reward.
4
let your left hand know what your right hand is
so that your giving may be in secret. And
doing,
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
The Lord’s Prayer  (Luke 11:1–4)
reward you.
5

6

And  when  you  pray,  do  not  be  like  the  hypo-
crites. For they love to pray standing in the syna-
gogues  and  on  the  street  corners  to  be seen  by
men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full
But when you pray, go into your inner
reward.
room,  shut  your  door,  and  pray  to  your  Father,
who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what
7
is done in secret, will reward you.

8

And when you pray, do not babble on like pa-
gans,  for  they  think  that  by  their  many  words
Do not be like them, for your
they will be heard.
Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

b 27

c 29

Greek

Gehenna
; that is, a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius
g 37

from evil

f 33
5:18
; also in verse 30
Or
l 44
that is, a Roman mile, approximately 4,855 feet or 1,480 meters
accuse you and persecute you

j 41
Greek
;
love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully
Leviticus 19:18

Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
Literally
charitable acts

Deuteronomy 24:1

Or
go with him two.

Numbers 30:2

i 41
k 43

one milion

Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy

causes her to commit adultery

Greek

alms

h 38

d 31

e 32

m 1

BYZ and TR

; see Luke 6:27–28.

BYZ and TR

 or

866    |    Matthew 6:9

9

So then, this is how you should pray:

10

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,

11
12

13

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

a

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

’

15

14

For  if  you  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your
But  if
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you.
you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither
Proper Fasting
will your Father forgive yours.
16

17

When you fast, do not be somber like the hyp-
ocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men
they  are  fasting.  Truly  I  tell  you,  they  already
But  when  you  fast,
have  their  full  reward.
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that
your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only
to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father,
Treasures in Heaven  (Luke 12:32–34)
who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19

18

 b

Do  not  store  up  for  yourselves  treasures  on
20
 destroy, and where
earth, where moth and rust
But  store  up  for
thieves  break  in  and  steal.
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and
rust  do  not  destroy,  and  where  thieves  do  not
For where your treasure is,
break in and steal.
The Lamp of the Body  (Luke 11:33–36)
there your heart will be also.
22

21

c

23
are good,

The  eye  is the  lamp  of  the  body. If  your  eyes
d
 your whole body will be full of light.
 your whole body will
be full of darkness. If then the light within you is
24
darkness, how great is that darkness!

But if your eyes are bad,

No one can serve two masters: Either he will
hate  the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  he  will  be
devoted  to  the  one  and  despise  the  other.  You
Do Not Worry  (Luke 12:22–31)
cannot serve both God and money.
25

26

body, what you will wear. Is not life more than
Look at
food, and the body more than clothes?
the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds  them.  Are  you  not  much  more  valuable
Who of you by worrying can add a
than they?
28
single hour to his life?

27

 e

29

And  why  do  you  worry  about  clothes?  Con-
sider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not
Yet I tell you that not even Solo-
labor or spin.
30
mon  in  all  his  glory  was  adorned  like  one  of
these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the
field,  which  is  here  today  and  tomorrow  is
thrown into the furnace, will He not much more
31
clothe you, O you of little faith?

32

33

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we
eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’
For  the  Gentiles  strive  after  all  these
 f
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them.
and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  will
34
be added unto you.

But seek first the kingdom of God

Therefore  do  not  worry  about  tomorrow,  for
tomorrow  will  worry  about  itself.  Today  has
Judging Others  (Luke 6:37–42 ;  Rom. 14:1–12)
enough trouble of its own.

2

“Do  not  judge,  or  you  will  be  judged.
For
with the same judgment you pronounce, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it
3
will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s
4
eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take
the  speck  out  of  your  eye,’  while  there  is  still  a
beam  in  your  own  eye?
You  hypocrite!  First
take the beam out of your own eye, and then you
will  see  clearly  to  remove  the  speck  from  your
6
brother’s eye.

5

Do  not  give  dogs  what  is  holy;  do  not  throw
your  pearls  before  swine.  If  you  do,  they  may
trample them under their feet, and then turn and
Ask, Seek, Knock  (Luke 11:5–13)
tear you to pieces.
7

7

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
a 13
life,  what  you  will  eat  or  drink;  or  about  your

from evil

Or

also in verse 20
f 33
and Proverbs 28:22
SBL, WH, and NE

c 22

If your eye is sound
a single cubit to his height

; BYZ and TR include
e 27
Literally
Or

seek first His kingdom

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you
will find; knock, and the door will be opened to
you.
For  everyone  who  asks  receives;  he  who

worm

b 19

d 23

if your eye is evil

; see Proverbs 22:9

Literally

; a cubit was approximately 18 inches or 45 centimeters.

; see also Luke 12:31.

Or
;
; see Proverbs 23:6

10
11

seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will
9
be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give
Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a stone?
him a snake
So if you who are evil know how
?
to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how  much
more will your Father in heaven give good things
12
to those who ask Him!

In everything, then, do to others as you would
have them do to you. For this is the essence of the
The Narrow Gate  (Luke 13:22–30)
Law and the Prophets.
13

14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the
gate and broad is the way that leads to destruc-
tion,  and  many  enter  through  it.
But  small  is
the  gate  and  narrow  the  way  that  leads  to  life,
A Tree and Its Fruit  (Luke 6:43–45)
and only a few find it.
15

17

16

Beware of false prophets. They come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous
wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them.
Are  grapes  gathered  from  thornbushes,  or  figs
Likewise, every good tree bears
from thistles?
A
good  fruit,  but  a  bad  tree  bears  bad  fruit.
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree
Every  tree  that  does
cannot  bear  good  fruit.
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire.
So then, by their fruit you will recog-
21
nize them.

20

18

19

Matthew 8:13    |    867

torrents  raged,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat
against that house, and it fell—and great was its
The Authority of Jesus
collapse!”
28

When  Jesus  had  finished  saying  these  things,
29
the  crowds  were  astonished  at  His  teaching,
because He taught as one who had authority,

The Leper’s Prayer
and not as their scribes.
(Leviticus 14:1–32 ;  Mark 1:40–45 ;  Luke 5:12–16)

8

2

When Jesus came down from the mountain,
 a
Suddenly  a
large  crowds  followed  Him.
 came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord,

leper
3
if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus  reached  out  His  hand  and  touched  the
man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And im-
4
mediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t
tell  anyone.  But  go,  show  yourself  to  the  priest
and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testi-
The Faith of the Centurion
mony to them.”
(Luke 7:1–10 ;  John 4:43–54)

 b

5

6

 c

When  Jesus  had  entered  Capernaum,  a  centu-
“Lord,  my
 lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible

rion  came  and  pleaded  with  Him,
servant
7
agony.”
8

“I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.

22

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  only  he  who
Many will
does the will of My Father in heaven.
say  to  Me  on  that  day,  ‘Lord,  Lord,  did  we  not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive
23
out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you;

The House on the Rock  (Luke 6:46–49)
depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
24

25

Therefore everyone who hears these words of
Mine  and  acts  on  them  is  like  a  wise  man  who
The  rain  fell,  the
built  his  house  on  the  rock.
torrents  raged,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because its
26
foundation was on the rock.

9

The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not wor-
thy to have You come under my roof. But just say
the word, and my servant will be healed.
For I
myself am a man under authority, with soldiers
under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and an-
other to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to
10
do something, and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said
to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have
11
not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
I say to you that many will come from the east
and the west to share the banquet with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
But
the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the
outer darkness, where there will be weeping and
13
gnashing of teeth.”

12

But everyone who hears these words of Mine
and  does  not  act  on  them  is  like  a  foolish  man
a 2
who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the

leper

27

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you
 will it be done for you.” And his
child

have believed, so
servant was healed at that very hour.

b 4

c 6

A

 was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Leviticus 13.

See Leviticus 14:1–32.

Or

; also in verses

8 and 13

868    |    Matthew 8:14

Jesus Heals at Peter’s House
(Mark 1:29–34 ;  Luke 4:38–41)

14

When  Jesus  arrived  at  Peter’s  house,  He  saw
15
Peter’s  mother-in-law  sick  in  bed  with  a  fever.
So He touched her hand, and the fever left her,

16
and she got up and began to serve Him.

When evening came, many who were demon-
possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove
17
out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
This  was  to  fulfill  what  was  spoken  through

the prophet Isaiah:

 a

“He took up our infirmities

The Cost of Discipleship
(Luke 9:57–62 ;  Luke 14:25–33 ;  John 6:59–66)

and carried our diseases.”

18

b
When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He

19
gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.

And one of the scribes came to Him and said,

20
“Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

Jesus  replied,  “Foxes  have  dens  and  birds  of
the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  Man  has  no
21
place to lay His head.”

29

“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they
shouted. “Have You come here to torture us be-
30
fore the appointed time?”
31

In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.
So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us

32
out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

“Go!” He told them. So they came out and went
into  the  pigs,  and  the whole  herd  rushed  down
the  steep  bank  into  the  sea  and  died  in  the
33
waters.

Those  tending  the  pigs  ran  off  into  the  town
34
and reported all this, including the account of the
Then the whole town
demon-possessed men.
went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him,
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
they begged Him to leave their region.
(Mark 2:1–12 ;  Luke 5:17–26)

9

 d

2
Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came
Just  then  some  men
to  His  own  town.
brought
 to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When
Jesus  saw  their  faith,  He  said  to  the  paralytic,
3
“Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first

22
let me go and bury my father.”

On seeing this, some of the scribes said to them-

 e
4
selves, “This man is blaspheming!”

But  Jesus  told  him,  “Follow  Me,  and  let  the

Jesus Calms the Storm
dead bury their own dead.”
(Psalm 107:1–43 ;  Mark 4:35–41 ;  Luke 8:22–25)

23

24

When  He  got  into  the  boat,  His  disciples  fol-
lowed Him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up
on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the
waves.  But  Jesus  was  sleeping.
The  disciples
went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We
26
are perishing!”

25

“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you
so  afraid?”  Then  He  got  up  and  rebuked  the
27
winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind
of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey
The Demons and the Pigs
Him!”
(Mark 5:1–20 ;  Luke 8:26–39)

28

c

6

But Jesus knew

 what they were thinking and
5
said,  “Why  do  you  harbor  evil  in  your  hearts?
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
But so that you may
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
know that the Son of Man has authority on earth
to forgive sins
” Then He said to the paralytic,
And
“Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
8
the man got up and went home.

7

.

.

.

When the crowds saw this, they were filled with
awe  and  glorified  God,  who  had  given  such  au-
Jesus Calls Matthew
thority to men.
(Mark 2:13–17 ;  Luke 5:27–32)

9

As  Jesus  went  on  from  there,  He  saw  a  man
named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow
Me,”  He  told  him,  and  Matthew  got  up  and  fol-
10
lowed Him.

11

Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house,
many  tax  collectors  and  sinners  came  and  ate
with  Him  and  His  disciples.
When  the  Phari-
sees  saw  this,  they  asked  His  disciples,  “Why
does  your  Teacher  eat  with  tax  collectors  and
sinners?”
e 4

Gergesenes

c 28

saw
BYZ, TR, and GOC

; other

When  Jesus  arrived  on  the  other  side  in
the region of the Gadarenes,
 He was met by two
demon-possessed  men  coming  from  the  tombs.
They were so violent that no one could pass that
a 17
way.

b 18
Gerasenes

And behold, they brought

d 2

Isaiah 53:4

That is, the Sea of Galilee; Greek

to the other side

manuscripts

Literally

NA, BYZ, and TR

12

13

 a

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy
But  go  and
who  need  a  doctor,  but  the  sick.
learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacri-
 For I have not come to call the righteous,
fice.’
Questions about Fasting
”
but sinners.
(Mark 2:18–20 ;  Luke 5:33–35)

b

14

c

Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked,
“Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so of-
15
ten,

 but Your disciples do not fast?”

Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bride-
groom  mourn  while  He  is  with  them?  But  the
time  will  come  when  the  bridegroom  will  be
The Patches and the Wineskins
taken from them; then they will fast.
(Mark 2:21–22 ;  Luke 5:36–39)

16

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an
old  garment.  For  the  patch  will  pull  away  from
17
the garment, and a worse tear will result.

Neither do men pour new wine into old wine-
skins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will
spill,  and  the  wineskins will  be  ruined.  Instead,
they  pour  new  wine  into  new  wineskins,  and
The Healing Touch of Jesus
both are preserved.”
(Mark 5:21–43 ;  Luke 8:40–56)

18

While  Jesus  was  saying  these  things,  a  syna-
gogue  leader  came  and  knelt  before  Him.  “My
daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and
19
place Your hand on her, and she will live.”

20

So Jesus got up and went with him, along with
Suddenly a woman who had suf-
His disciples.
fered from bleeding for twelve years came up be-
21
hind  Him  and  touched  the  fringe  of  His  cloak.
She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I

22
will be healed.”

Jesus  turned  and  saw  her.  “Take  courage,
daughter,” He said,  “your faith has healed you.”
23
And the woman was healed from that very hour.

24

When  Jesus  entered  the  house  of  the  syna-
gogue  leader,  He  saw  the  flute  players  and  the
noisy crowd.
“Go away,” He told them. “The girl
25
is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

26

After  the  crowd  had  been  put  outside,  Jesus
went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got
up.
And the news about this spread through-
but sinners, to repentance
a 13
out that region.
d 4

b 13
Simon the Cananean

e 4

Matthew 10:4    |    869

Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute
(Mark 7:31–37)

27

As  Jesus  went  on  from  there,  two  blind  men
followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son
28
of David!”

After  Jesus  had  entered  the  house,  the  blind
men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able
to do this?” He asked.
29
“Yes, Lord,” they answered.

30

Then He touched their eyes and said, “Accord-
ing  to  your  faith  will  it  be  done  to  you.”
And
their  eyes  were  opened.  Jesus  warned  them
31
sternly,  “See  that  no  one  finds  out  about  this!”
But they went out and spread the news about

32
Him throughout the land.

33

As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man
And when
who was mute was brought to Jesus.
the demon had been driven out, the man began
to  speak.  The  crowds  were  amazed  and  said,
34
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

But  the  Pharisees  said,  “It  is  by  the  prince  of

The Lord of the Harvest  (Luke 10:1–12)
demons that He drives out demons.”
35

36

Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gos-
pel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  every  disease
When  He  saw  the  crowds,  He
and  sickness.
was  moved with  compassion  for  them, because
they  were  harassed  and  helpless,  like  sheep
37
without a shepherd.

38

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is
Ask  the
plentiful,  but  the  workers  are  few.
Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out work-
The Twelve Apostles
ers into His harvest.”
(Mark 3:13–19 ;  Luke 6:12–16)

10

And calling His twelve disciples to Him,
Jesus gave them authority over unclean
spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal
2
every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first
Simon,  called  Peter,  and  his  brother  Andrew;
3
James  son  of  Zebedee,  and  his  brother  John;
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew
the  tax  collector;  James  son  of  Alphaeus,  and
e
 and Judas Iscar-
Thaddaeus;
iot, who betrayed Jesus.

Simon the Zealot,
c 14

so often

4

d

Hosea 6:6

BYZ and TR

; see Luke 5:32.

NE and WH do not include

.

Greek

Literally

the one also having betrayed Him

870    |    Matthew 10:5

The Ministry of the Twelve
(Mark 6:7–13 ;  Luke 9:1–6)

5

6

7

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following
instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gen-
Go ra-
tiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
ther to the lost sheep of Israel.
As you go, preach
a
8
this  message:  ‘The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  near.’
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,
drive  out  demons.  Freely  you  have  received;
9
freely give.

10

Do not take along any gold or silver or copper
Take no bag for the road, or sec-
in your belts.
ond tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is
11
worthy of his provisions.

 b

c

12

14

Whatever  town  or  village  you  enter,  find  out
 until
who is worthy there and stay at his house
13
you move on.
As you enter the home, greet its
occupants.
If  the  home  is  worthy,  let  your
peace rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace re-
And  if  anyone  will  not  welcome
turn  to  you.
you or heed your words, shake the dust off your
Truly I
feet when you leave that home or town.
tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that
Sheep among Wolves  (2 Timothy 1:3–12)
town.
16

15

17

Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among
wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as
But beware of men, for they
innocent as doves.
18
will hand you over to their councils and flog you
On My account you will be
in their synagogues.
brought before governors and kings as witnesses
But  when  they
to  them  and  to  the  Gentiles.
hand  you  over,  do  not  worry  about  how  to
respond or what to say. In that hour you will be
For it will not be you speak-
given what to say.
ing,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  speaking
21
through you.

19

20

24

25
A  disciple  is  not  above  his  teacher,  nor  a
It is enough for a dis-
servant above his master.
ciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his
master. If the head of the house has been called
 how much more the members of his
Beelzebul,
Fear God Alone  (Luke 12:4–7)
household!
26

d

So do not be afraid of them. For there is noth-
ing  concealed  that  will  not  be  disclosed,  and
27
nothing  hidden  that  will  not  be  made  known.
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the day-
light;  what  is  whispered  in  your  ear,  proclaim
28
from the housetops.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can
29
destroy both soul and body in hell.

e

 f

  Yet
Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny?
30
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from
And even the very hairs
the will of your Father.
So  do  not  be
of  your  head  are  all  numbered.
Confessing Christ  (Luke 12:8–12)
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32

31

33

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before
men, I will also confess him before My Father in
But whoever denies Me before men, I
heaven.
Not Peace but a Sword
will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
(Micah 7:1–6 ;  Luke 12:49–53)

34

35

Do not assume that I have come to bring peace
to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but
For I have come to turn
a sword.

‘a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her

36

mother-in-law.

A man’s enemies will be the

 g

37

members

of his own household.’

22

Brother  will  betray  brother  to  death,  and  a
father  his  child;  children  will  rise  against  their
You will
parents and have them put to death.
be hated by  everyone because of My name, but
23
the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Anyone who loves his father or mother more
than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves
his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy
and  anyone  who  does  not  take  up  his
of  Me;
Who-
cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
ever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it.
f 29
 was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Leviticus 13.

When they persecute you in one town, flee to
the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the
a 8
towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
d 25
A

an assarion

Beezeboul

stay there

Literally

Gehenna

greet it

leper

b 11

e 28

c 12

39

38

Beelzebub
g 36

Literally
; that is, a Roman copper coin worth

WH

; Vulgate
about 1/16 of a denarius

Micah 7:6

Greek

Greek

The Reward of Service  (2 Kings 4:8–17)

14

Matthew 11:29    |    871

g

prophesied until John.
15
accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
16

And if you are willing to

h

He who has ears,

 let him hear.

To what can I compare this generation? They
are like children sitting in the marketplaces and
17
calling out to others:

‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

18

and you did not mourn.’

19

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and
The  Son  of  Man
they  say,  ‘He  has  a  demon!’
came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at
this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collec-
tors  and  sinners!’  But  wisdom  is  vindicated  by
Woe to the Unrepentant  (Luke 10:13–16)
her actions.”
20

21

Then  Jesus  began  to  denounce  the  cities  in
which most of His miracles had been performed,
because they did not repent.
“Woe to you, Cho-
razin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles
that were performed in you had been performed
in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented
But I tell you,
long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the
23
day of judgment than for you.

22

24

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to
heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
For  if  the  miracles  that  were  performed  in  you
had been performed in Sodom, it would have re-
But I tell you that it will be
mained to this day.
more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment
Rest for the Weary  (Luke 10:21–24)
than for you.”
25

At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Fa-
ther, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have
hidden these things from the wise and learned,
Yes,  Fa-
and  revealed  them  to  little  children.
27
ther, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

26

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Fa-
ther.  No  one  knows  the  Son  except  the  Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son and
28
those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

29

40

He who receives you receives Me, and he who
41
receives  Me  receives  the  One  who  sent  Me.
Whoever  receives  a  prophet  because  he  is  a
prophet  will  receive  a  prophet’s  reward,  and
whoever receives a righteous man because he is
a  righteous  man  will  receive  a  righteous  man’s
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold
reward.
water  to  one  of  these  little  ones  because  he  is
My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his
John’s Inquiry  (Luke 7:18–23)
reward.”

42

11

After  Jesus  had  finished  instructing  His
twelve disciples, He went on from there

a

2
to teach and preach in their cities.

 b

3

Meanwhile  John  heard  in  prison  about  the
works of Christ, and he sent his disciples
to ask
Him,  “Are  You  the  One  who  was  to  come,  or
4
should we look for someone else?”

5

 c

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what
The  blind  receive  sight,  the
you  hear  and  see:
lame  walk,  the  lepers
  are  cleansed,  the  deaf
6
hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is
d
Blessed  is  the  one  who
preached  to  the  poor.
Jesus Testifies about John
does not fall away on account of Me.
(Malachi 3:1–5 ;  Luke 7:24–35)

”

7

8

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to
speak to the crowds about John: “What did you
go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying
Otherwise, what did you go out to
in the wind?
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those
9
who  wear  fine  clothing  are  found  in  kings’  pal-
What  then  did  you  go  out  to  see?  A
aces.
10
prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

This is the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead
 e

of You,

11

who will prepare Your way

before You.’

12

Truly I tell you, among those born of women
there has risen no one greater than John the Bap-
tist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven
From the days of John the
is greater than he.
Baptist  until  now,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  has
13
  and  the  violent  lay
been  subject  to  violence,
b 2
a 1
For  all  the  Prophets  and  the  Law
claim  to  it.
who is not offended by Me
BYZ and TR
ears to hear

That is, in the towns of Galilee

d 6

f

h 15
g 14
disease. See Leviticus 13.
See Malachi 4:5.

Or

BYZ and TR

Come  to  Me,  all  you who  are  weary and  bur-
dened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke
c 5
he sent two of his disciples
upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
f 12
e 10

has been forcefully advancing

leper

Malachi 3:1

A
Or

 was one afflicted with a skin

872    |    Matthew 11:30

30

humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
For  My  yoke  is  easy  and  My  burden  is
souls.
The Lord of the Sabbath
light.”
(1 Samuel 21:1–7 ;  Mark 2:23–28 ;  Luke 6:1–5)

12

2

At  that  time  Jesus  went  through  the
grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples
were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain
 the Pharisees saw this, they
and eat them.
said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what
3
is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

When

Jesus  replied,  “Have  you  not  read  what  David
4
did when he and his companions were hungry?
He  entered  the  house  of  God,  and  he  and  his
  which
companions  ate  the  consecrated  bread,
was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the
5
priests.

a

Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sab-
6
bath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath
and  yet  are  innocent?
But  I  tell  you  that  One
7
greater than the temple is here.

 b

If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire
8
  you  would  not have  con-
For  the  Son  of  Man  is

mercy,  not  sacrifice,’
demned  the  innocent.
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
Lord of the Sabbath.”
(Mark 3:1–6 ;  Luke 6:6–11)

9

10

Moving on from there, Jesus entered their syn-
and a man with a withered hand was
agogue,
there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him,
11
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He  replied,  “If  one  of  you  has  a  sheep  and  it
12
falls  into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath,  will  he  not  take
How much more valu-
hold of it and lift it out?
able is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful
13
to do good on the Sabbath.”

14

Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your
hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored
But the Pharisees
to full use, just like the other.
God’s Chosen Servant  (Isaiah 42:1–9)
went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
15

16

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place.
Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them
17
warning  them  not  to  make  Him  known.
all,
This  was  to  fulfill  what  was  spoken  through

b 7

c 21

the Bread of the Presence

a 4
the prophet Isaiah:
Beelzebub
Or

; also in verse 27

18

“Here is My Servant,

whom I have chosen,

My beloved,

in whom My soul delights.

I will put My Spirit on Him,

19

and He will proclaim justice to the

nations.

20

He will not quarrel or cry out;

no one will hear His voice in the streets.

A bruised reed He will not break,

and a smoldering wick He will not

21

till He leads justice to victory.

extinguish,
 c
In His name the nations will put

A House Divided  (Mk. 3:20–27 ;  Lk. 11:14–23)

their hope.”

22

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind
and  mute  was  brought  to  Jesus,  and  He  healed
The
the  man  so  that  he  could  speak  and  see.
crowds  were  astounded  and  asked,  “Could  this
24
be the Son of David?”

23

d

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said,
 the prince of demons, does

“Only by Beelzebul,
25
this man drive out demons.”

26

Knowing  their  thoughts,  Jesus  said  to  them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid
waste,  and  every  city  or  household  divided
If Satan drives out
against itself will not stand.
27
Satan,  he  is  divided  against  himself.  How  then
And if I drive out de-
can his kingdom stand?
mons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive
28
them  out?  So  then,  they  will  be  your  judges.
But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God,

29
then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s
house  and  steal  his  possessions,  unless  he  first
ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his
30
house.

He  who  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me,  and  he

The Unpardonable Sin  (Mark 3:28–30)
who does not gather with Me scatters.
31

32

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy
will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against
Whoever speaks
the Spirit will not be forgiven.
a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will
not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to
come.

Beezeboul

d 24

Hosea 6:6

Isaiah 42:1–4 (see also LXX)

WH

; Vulgate

Good and Bad Fruit  (Luke 6:43–45)

48

Matthew 13:14    |    873

33

34

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or
make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree
You brood of vipers, how
is known by its fruit.
can you who are evil say anything good? For out
35
of  the  overflow  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaks.
The  good  man  brings  good  things  out  of  his
good store of treasure, and the evil man brings
But
evil things out of his evil store of treasure.
I tell you that men will give an account on the day
of  judgment  for  every  careless  word  they  have
For by your words you will be acquit-
spoken.
The Sign of Jonah  (Jonah 3:1–10 ;  Lk. 11:29–32)
ted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
38

36

37

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to
39
Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

40

Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous gener-
ation  demands  a  sign,  but  none  will  be  given  it
For as Jo-
except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
nah was three days and three nights in the belly
of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three
41
days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

42

The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment
with this generation and condemn it; for they re-
pented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One
The  Queen  of  the
greater  than  Jonah  is  here.
South will rise at the judgment with this genera-
tion and condemn it; for she came from the ends
of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and
An Unclean Spirit Returns  (Luke 11:24–26)
now One greater than Solomon is here.
43

44

When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it
passes through arid places seeking rest and does
Then  it  says,  ‘I  will  return  to  the
not  find  it.
house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house va-
cant,  swept  clean,  and  put  in  order.
Then  it
goes and brings with it seven other spirits more
wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there.
And the final plight of that man is worse than the
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
(Mark 3:31–35 ;  Luke 8:19–21)

45

46

49

But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who
Pointing to His disciples, He
are My brothers?”
50
said,  “Here  are  My  mother  and  My  brothers.
For  whoever  does  the  will  of  My  Father  in

The Parable of the Sower
heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
(Mark 4:1–9 ;  Luke 8:4–8)

13

2

That  same  day  Jesus  went  out  of  the
house  and  sat  by  the  sea.
Such  large
crowds gathered around Him that He got into a
boat and sat down, while all the people stood on
3
the shore.

4

And He told them many things in parables, say-
ing, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
And as
he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and
5
the birds came and devoured it.

6

Some  fell  on  rocky  ground,  where  it  did  not
have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the
But  when  the  sun  rose,  the
soil  was  shallow.
seedlings were scorched, and they withered be-
7
cause they had no root.

Other  seed  fell  among  thorns,  which  grew  up

8
and choked the seedlings.

Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a

b

9
crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
 let him hear.”
(Isaiah 6:1–13 ;  Mark 4:10–12 ;  Luke 8:9–10)

He who has ears,

10

Then  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  and  asked,

11
“Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

12

He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of
the  kingdom  of  heaven  has  been  given  to  you,
Whoever  has  will  be  given
but  not  to  them.
more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever
does  not  have,  even  what  he  has  will  be  taken
This is why I speak to them in
away from him.
parables:

13

‘Though seeing, they do not see;

 c

14

though hearing, they do not hear or

understand.’

In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

47

While Jesus  was  still  speaking  to  the  crowds,
His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting
to  speak  to  Him.
Someone  told  Him,  “Look,
Your mother and brothers are standing outside,
wanting to speak to You.”
a 47

b 9

 a

ears to hear

‘You will be ever hearing but never

understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never

perceiving.
c 13

WH does not include verse 47.
42:20, Jeremiah 5:21, and Ezekiel 12:2.

BYZ and TR

; also in verse 43

See Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah

874    |    Matthew 13:15

15

29

For this people’s heart has grown callous;

they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,
 a
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’
17

16

But  blessed  are  your  eyes  because  they  see,
and your ears because they hear.
For truly I tell
you, many prophets and righteous men longed to
see what you see but did not see it, and to hear
The Parable of the Sower Explained
what you hear but did not hear it.
(Mark 4:13–20 ;  Luke 8:11–15)

18
19

Consider,  then,  the  parable  of  the  sower:
When anyone hears the message of the king-
dom  but  does  not  understand  it,  the  evil  one
comes and snatches away what was sown in his
20
heart. This is the seed sown

 along the path.

 b

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who
21
hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
But since he has no root, he remains for only a
season. When trouble or persecution comes be-
22
cause of the word, he quickly falls away.

The  seed  sown  among  the  thorns  is  the  one
who hears the word, but the worries of this life
and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word,
23
and it becomes unfruitful.

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who
hears  the  word  and  understands  it.  He  indeed
bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold,
The Parable of the Weeds
sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
(Ezekiel 17:1–10)

24

25

Jesus  put  before  them  another  parable:  “The
kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good
seed  in  his  field.
But  while  everyone  was
asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among
When the wheat
the wheat, and slipped away.
sprouted  and  bore  grain,  then  the  weeds  also
27
appeared.

26

The  owner’s  servants  came  to  him  and  said,
‘Sir,  didn’t  you  sow  good  seed  in  your  field?
28
Where then did the weeds come from?’

‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

30

‘No,’  he  said,  ‘if  you  pull  the  weeds  now,  you
Let  both
might  uproot  the  wheat  with  them.
grow  together  until  the  harvest.  At  that  time  I
will  tell  the  harvesters:  First  collect  the  weeds
and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
”
the wheat into my barn.’
(Mark 4:30–34 ;  Luke 13:18–19)

31

32

He  put  before  them  another  parable:  “The
kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a
Although it
man took and planted in his field.
is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the
largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so
that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  nest  in  its
The Parable of the Leaven  (Luke 13:20–21)
branches.”
33

He told them still another parable: “The king-
dom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took
and mixed into three measures of flour, until all
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
of it was leavened.”
(Psalm 78:1–72)

34

35

Jesus  spoke  all  these  things  to  the  crowds  in
parables. He did not tell them anything without
using a parable.
So was fulfilled what was spo-
ken through the prophet:

“I will open My mouth in parables;

 c

I will utter things hidden since the

The Parable of the Weeds Explained
(Zephaniah 1:1–6)

foundation of the world.”

36

Then  Jesus  dismissed  the  crowds  and  went
into  the  house.  His  disciples  came  to  Him  and
said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in
37
the field.”

38

He replied, “The One who sows the good seed
The field is the world, and
is the Son of Man.
the  good  seed  represents  the  sons  of  the  king-
39
dom.  The  weeds  are  the  sons  of  the  evil  one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters
40
are angels.

41

As the weeds are collected and burned in the
The Son
fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
of  Man  will  send  out  His  angels,  and  they  will
weed  out  of  His  kingdom  every  cause  of  sin
And they will
and all who practice lawlessness.

c 35

42

So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go
a 15
and pull them up?’

the one sown

b 19

of the world
Literally

Isaiah 6:9–10 (see also LXX)
LXX); SBL, NE, and WH do not include

; also in verses 20, 22, and 23

Psalm 78:2 (see also

.

43

throw  them  into  the  fiery  furnace,  where  there
Then
will  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.
a
the righteous will shine like the sun in the king-
dom of their Father.
The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl
He who has ears, let him hear.
44

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden
in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again,
and  in  his  joy  he  went  and  sold  all  he  had  and
45
bought that field.

46

Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  a  mer-
chant in search of fine pearls.
When he found
one very precious pearl, he went away and sold
The Parable of the Net
all he had and bought it.
47

48

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net
that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of
fish.
When it was full, the men pulled it ashore.
Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into
49
containers, but threw the bad away.

50

So will it be at the end of the age: The angels
will  come  and  separate  the  wicked  from  the
righteous
and  throw  them  into  the  fiery  fur-
nace, where there will be weeping and gnashing
51
of teeth.

Have you understood all these things?”

52
“Yes,” they answered.

Then  He  told  them,  “For  this  reason,  every
scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of
heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his
The Rejection at Nazareth
storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
(Mark 6:1–6 ;  Luke 4:16–30)

53

54

55

When  Jesus  had  finished  these  parables,  He
withdrew  from  that  place.
Coming  to  His
hometown,  He  taught  the  people  in  their  syna-
gogue,  and  they  were  astonished.  “Where  did
this man get such wisdom and miraculous pow-
ers?”  they  asked.
“Isn’t  this  the  carpenter’s
son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His
56
brothers  James,  Joseph,
  Simon,  and  Judas?
Aren’t  all  His  sisters  with  us  as  well?  Where
And

then  did  this  man  get  all  these  things?”
they took offense at Him.

57

b

58

But  Jesus  said  to  them,  “Only  in  his  hometown
and  in  his  own  household  is  a  prophet  without
honor.”
And  He  did  not  do  many  miracles
there, because of their unbelief.
a 43

Joses

b 55

See Daniel 12:3.

BYZ and TR

; see Mark 6:3.

Matthew 14:17    |    875

The Beheading of John
(Mark 6:14–29 ;  Luke 9:7–9)

14

2
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the
and said to his serv-
reports about Jesus
ants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from
the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at
3
work in him.”

Now  Herod  had  arrested  John  and  bound  him
4
and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his
brother  Philip’s  wife,
because  John  had  been
5
telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although  Herod  wanted  to  kill  John,  he  was
afraid of the people, because they regarded John
6
as a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of
7
Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
so much that he promised with an oath to give

8
to her whatever she asked.

Prompted  by  her  mother,  she  said,  “Give  me

9
here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

10

The king was grieved, but because of his oaths
and  his  guests,  he  ordered  that  her  wish  be
granted
and sent to have John beheaded in the
11
prison.

John’s  head  was  brought  in  on  a  platter  and
presented  to  the  girl,  who  carried  it  to  her
12
mother.

Then John’s disciples came and took his body
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus.
(Mark 6:30–44 ;  Luke 9:10–17 ;  John 6:1–15)

13

14

When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by
boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds
found out about it and followed Him on foot from
When He stepped ashore and saw a
the towns.
large  crowd,  He  had  compassion  on  them  and
15
healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples came to Him
and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is
already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go
16
to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

“They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied.

17
“You give them something to eat.”

“We  have  here  only  five  loaves  of  bread  and

two fish,” they answered.

876    |    Matthew 14:18

18

19

“Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said.

And He
directed  the  crowds  to  sit  down  on  the  grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and look-
ing up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He
broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples,
20
and the disciples gave them to the people.

21

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disci-
ples  picked  up  twelve  basketfuls  of  broken
pieces that were left over.
About five thousand
Jesus Walks on Water
men were fed, besides women and children.
(Mark 6:45–52 ;  John 6:16–21)

22

23

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into
the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side,
while He dismissed the crowds.
After He had
dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by
 a
Himself  to  pray.  When  evening  came,  He  was
 from
there alone,
land,  buffeted  by  the  waves  because  the  wind
25
was against it.

but the boat was already far

24

b

26

During  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night,

  Jesus
When
went  out  to  them,  walking  on  the  sea.
the  disciples  saw  Him  walking  on  the  sea,  they
were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried
27
out in fear.

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is

28
I. Do not be afraid.”

“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me

29
to come to You on the water.”

“Come,” said Jesus.

30

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on
the  water,  and  came  toward  Jesus.
But  when
 he was afraid
he saw the strength of the wind,
31
and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

c

Immediately  Jesus  reached  out  His  hand  and
took  hold  of  Peter.  “You  of  little  faith,”  He  said,
32
“why did you doubt?”

33

36

surrounding region.  People  brought  all  the  sick
and begged Him just to let them touch
to Him
the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him
The Tradition of the Elders  (Mark 7:1–13)
were healed.

15

2

Then  some  Pharisees  and  scribes  came
to  Jesus  from  Jerusalem  and  asked,
“Why  do  Your  disciples  break  the  tradition  of
the elders? They do not wash their hands before
3
they eat.”

4

 e

5

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the com-
 d
mand of God for the sake of your tradition?
For
God  said,  ‘Honor  your  father  and  mother’
  and
‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be
But you say that if anyone says to
put to death.’
his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have
f
received  from  me  is  a  gift  devoted  to  God,’
he
need  not  honor  his  father  or  mother  with  it.
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of
You  hypocrites!  Isaiah  prophe-
your  tradition.
8
sied correctly about you:

7

6

9

‘These people honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.

They worship Me in vain;

 g

they teach as doctrine the precepts

What Defiles a Man  (Mark 7:14–23)
”

of men.’

10

11

Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen
A man is not defiled by what

and understand.
12
enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are
You  aware  that  the  Pharisees  were  offended
13
when they heard this?”

h

14

But Jesus replied,  “Every plant that My heav-
enly Father has not planted will be pulled up by
Disregard  them!  They  are  blind
its  roots.
guides.
  If  a  blind  man  leads  a  blind  man,  both
15
will fall into a pit.”
16
17

Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

And when they had climbed back into the boat,
the wind died down.
Then those who were in
the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are
Jesus Heals at Gennesaret  (Mark 6:53–56)
the Son of God!”
34

When  they  had  crossed  over,  they  landed
And  when  the  men  of  that
at  Gennesaret.
a 24
place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the
c 30
e 4

when he saw the strong wind

many stadia

Greek
Literally
Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9

; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
; NE and WH do not include
g 9

f 6
or mother

18

“Do  you  still  not  understand?”  Jesus  asked.
“Do  you  not  yet  realize  that  whatever  enters
the  mouth  goes  into  the  stomach  and  then  is
eliminated?
But the things that come out of the
mouth come from the heart, and these things de-
For  out  of  the  heart  come  evil
file  a  man.
thoughts,  murder,  adultery,  sexual  immorality,
d 4
That is, between three and six in the morning
he need not honor his father or mother
.
blind guides of the blind
h 14
NE and TR (see also Mark 7:12); literally
Isaiah 29:13 (see also LXX)

Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

b 25
strong

; SBL,

.

Or

19

NA, WH, and BYZ do not include

35

20

35

Matthew 16:12    |    877

These  are
theft,  false  testimony,  and  slander.
what  defile  a  man,  but  eating  with  unwashed
The Faith of the Canaanite Woman
hands does not defile him.”
(Mark 7:24–30)

21

22

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the dis-
And  a  Canaanite
trict  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.
woman from that region came to Him, crying out,
“Lord,  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me!  My
23
daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disci-
ples  came  and  urged  Him,  “Send  her  away,  for
24
she keeps crying out after us.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep

25
of the house of Israel.”

The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord,

26
help me!” she said.

But  Jesus  replied,  “It  is  not  right  to  take  the

 a
27
children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs
28
crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

 eat the

“O  woman,”  Jesus  answered,  “your  faith  is
great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
her daughter was healed from that very hour.
(2 Kings 4:42–44 ;  Mark 8:1–10)

29

30

Moving  on  from  there,  Jesus  went  along  the
Sea  of  Galilee.  Then  He  went  up  on  a  mountain
Large  crowds  came  to  Him,
and  sat  down.
bringing  the  lame,  the  blind,  the  crippled,  the
mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet,
and  He  healed  them.
The  crowd  was  amazed
when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled
restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.
32
And they glorified the God of Israel.

31

Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said,
“I have compassion for this crowd, because they
have already been with Me three days and have
nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away
33
hungry, or they may faint along the way.”

The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate
place could we find enough bread to feed such a
34
large crowd?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

a 27
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

puppies

b 3

36

And  He  instructed  the  crowd  to  sit  down  on
Taking  the  seven  loaves  and  the
the  ground.
fish,  He  gave  thanks  and  broke  them.  Then  He
gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave
37
them to the people.

38

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disci-
ples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces
A  total  of  four  thousand
that  were  left  over.
39
men were fed, besides women and children.

After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got
The Demand for a Sign
into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
(Mark 8:11–13 ;  Luke 12:54–56)

16

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came
and tested Jesus by asking Him to show

2
them a sign from heaven.

3

b

4

But He replied, “When evening comes, you say,
‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’
and
in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the
sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to inter-
pret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs
A wicked and adulterous genera-
of the times.
tion  demands  a  sign,  but  none  will  be  given  it
except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
went away.
(Mark 8:14–21 ;  Luke 12:1–3)

5

6

When they crossed to the other side, the disci-
“Watch  out!”  Jesus
ples  forgot  to  take  bread.
told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
7
and Sadducees.”

They discussed this among themselves and con-
cluded,  “It  is  because  we  did  not  bring  any
8
bread.”

9

Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of
little  faith,  why  are  you  debating  among  your-
Do you still not
selves about having no bread?
understand?  Do  you  not  remember  the  five
10
loaves for the five thousand, and how many bas-
ketfuls you gathered?
Or the seven loaves for
11
the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you
How  do  you  not  understand  that  I
gathered?
was not telling you about bread? But beware of
12
the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Or

Several manuscripts do not include

 from verses 2 and 3.

Then they understood that He was not telling
them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but
of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When evening comes . . . of the times.

878    |    Matthew 16:13

Peter’s Confession of Christ
(Mark 8:27–30 ;  Luke 9:18–20 ;  John 6:67–71)

28

13

When  Jesus  came  to  the  region  of  Caesarea
Philippi,  He  questioned  His  disciples:  “Who  do
14
people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied,

 “Some say John the Baptist; oth-
ers say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of
15
the prophets.”

“But  what  about  you?”  Jesus  asked.  “Who  do

16
you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the

17
Son of the living God.”

 a

18

Jesus  replied,  “Blessed  are  you,  Simon  son  of
Jonah!
 For this was not revealed to you by flesh
And I
and blood, but by My Father in heaven.
tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades will not
prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
20
on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

19

Then  He  admonished  the  disciples not  to  tell

Christ’s Passion Foretold
anyone that He was the Christ.
(Mark 8:31–33 ;  Luke 9:21–22)

21

 b

From  that  time  on  Jesus

  began  to  show  His
disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer
many  things  at  the  hands  of  the  elders,  chief
priests,  and  scribes,  and  that  He  must  be  killed
22
and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
“Far  be  it  from  You,  Lord!”  he  said.  “This  shall
23
never happen to You!”

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind
Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For
you do not have in mind the things of God, but the
Take Up Your Cross
things of men.”
(Mark 8:34–38 ;  Luke 9:23–27)

24

25

26

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants
to come after Me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross and follow Me.
For whoever wants
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for My sake will find it.
What will it profit a
man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his
soul?  Or  what  can  a  man  give  in  exchange  for
his soul?
For the Son of Man will come in His
Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will
Jesus Christ
a 17
repay each one according to what he has done.

Simon Bar-Jonah

b 21

27

Truly  I  tell  you,  some  who  are  standing  here
will  not  taste  death  before  they  see  the  Son  of
The Transfiguration
Man coming in His kingdom.”
(Mark 9:1–13 ;  Luke 9:28–36 ;  2 Peter 1:16–21)

17

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter,
James,  and  John  the  brother  of  James,
2
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
There  He  was  transfigured  before  them.  His
face shone like the sun, and His clothes became
3
as white as the light.

4

Suddenly  Moses  and  Elijah  appeared  before
them,  talking  with  Jesus.
Peter  said  to  Jesus,
 c
“Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I
—one for You, one for
will put up three shelters
5
Moses, and one for Elijah.”

d

While  Peter  was  still  speaking,  a  bright  cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said,
“This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well
When  the  disciples
pleased.
7
heard this, they fell facedown in terror.

  Listen  to  Him!”

6

8

Then Jesus came  over  and  touched  them.  “Get
And when they

up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.”
9
looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus
commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this
vision until the Son of Man has been raised from
10
the dead.”

The  disciples  asked  Him,  “Why  then  do  the

11
scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

12

Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he
But I tell you that Elijah
will restore all things.
has  already  come,  and  they  did  not  recognize
him, but have done to him whatever they wished.
In  the  same  way,  the  Son  of  Man  will  suffer  at
13
their hands.”

Then  the  disciples  understood  that  He  was

The Boy with a Demon
speaking to them about John the Baptist.
(Mark 9:14–29 ;  Luke 9:37–42)

14

15

When they came to the crowd, a man came up
“Lord,  have
to  Jesus  and  knelt  before  Him.
mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and
is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or
into the water.
I brought him to Your disciples,
but they could not heal him.”

16

c 4

three tabernacles

d 5

Greek

NE and WH

Or

Cited in 2 Peter 1:17

17

2
3

Matthew 18:17    |    879

18

“O  unbelieving  and  perverse  generation!”  Je-
sus replied. “How long must I remain with you?
How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy
Then  Jesus  rebuked  the  demon,
here  to  Me.”
and  it  came  out  of  the  boy,  and  he  was  healed
The Power of Faith  (Luke 17:5–10)
from that moment.
19

Afterward  the

  disciples  came  to  Jesus  pri-
20
vately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

“Because  you  have  so  little  faith,”  He  an-
swered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the
size of a mustard seed, you can say to this moun-
tain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
The Second Prediction of the Passion
Nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Mark 9:30–32 ;  Luke 9:43–45)

 a

22

23

When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus
told them, “The Son of Man is about to be deliv-
ered into the hands of men.
They will kill Him,
and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And
The Temple Tax
the disciples were deeply grieved.
24

 b

After  they  had  arrived  in  Capernaum,  the
collectors of the two-drachma tax
 came to Peter
and  asked,  “Does  your  Teacher  pay  the  two
25
drachmas?”

“Yes,” he answered.

When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted
him.  “What  do  you  think,  Simon?”  He  asked.
“From  whom  do  the  kings  of  the  earth  collect
customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from
26
others?”

“From others,” Peter answered.

27
“Then  the  sons  are  exempt,”  Jesus  said  to  him.
“But so that we may not offend them, go to the
sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch.
When you open its mouth, you will find a four-
drachma coin.
 Take it and give it to them for My
The Greatest in the Kingdom
tax and yours.”
(Mark 9:33–41 ;  Luke 9:46–50)

c

4

Jesus invited a little child to stand among them.
“Truly  I  tell  you,”  He  said,  “unless  you  change
and  become  like  little  children,  you  will  never
Therefore, who-
enter the kingdom of heaven.
ever  humbles  himself  like  this  little  child  is  the
And  who-
greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.
ever welcomes a little child like this in My name
Temptations and Trespasses
welcomes Me.
(Mark 9:42–48 ;  Luke 17:1–4)

5

6

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who
believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for
him  to  have  a  large  millstone  hung  around  his
7
neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Woe  to  the  world  for  the  causes  of  sin.  These
stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man
8
through whom they come!

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut
it off and throw it away. It is better for you to en-
ter life crippled or lame than to have two hands
9
and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out
and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life
with  one  eye  than  to  have  two  eyes  and  be
The Parable of the Lost Sheep  (Luke 15:1–7)
thrown into the fire of hell.
10

d

See that you do not look down on any of these
little  ones.  For  I  tell  you  that  their  angels  in
heaven  always  see  the  face  of  My  Father  in
12
heaven.

e

13

What  do  you  think?  If  a  man  has  a  hundred
sheep  and  one  of  them  goes  astray,  will  he  not
leave  the  ninety-nine  on  the  hills  and go  out  to
And if he finds
search for the one that is lost?
it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one
sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go
In the same way, your Father in heaven
astray.
is not willing that any of these little ones should
A Brother Who Sins  (Deuteronomy 19:15–21)
perish.
15

14

f

18

At that time the disciples came to Jesus
and asked, “Who then is the greatest in

a 20
the kingdom of heaven?”
didrachma
BYZ and TR include
of fire
f 15

; twice in this verse

the Gehenna of fire

       c 27

a stater

e 10
against you

Greek

g 16

21 But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting

If your brother sins against you,

 go and con-
16
front him privately. If he listens to you, you have
But if he will not listen,
won your brother over.
take one or two others along, so that ‘every mat-
17
ter may be established by the testimony of two
the
If he refuses to listen to
or three witnesses.’
the hell

b 24

 g

11 For the Son of Man came to save the lost
; that is, a silver coin worth approximately one shekel

; see Mark 9:29.

d 9
Greek
Or

; Greek

BYZ and TR include

NE and WH do not include

.

Deuteronomy 19:15

; see Luke 19:10.

880    |    Matthew 18:18

32

them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to lis-
 church, regard him as you would
ten even to the
18
a pagan or a tax collector.

Truly  I  tell  you,  whatever  you  bind  on  earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
Ask in My Name  (John 16:23–33)
on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19

Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the
earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be
For
done  for  you  by  My  Father  in  heaven.
where two or three gather together in My name,
The Unforgiving Servant  (Romans 12:14–21)
there am I with them.”
21

20

Then  Peter  came  to  Jesus  and  asked,  “Lord,
how many times shall I forgive my brother who
22
sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 a

Jesus  answered,  “I  tell  you,  not  just  seven

23
times, but seventy-seven times!

b

24

25

As  he  began

Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like
a  king  who  wanted  to  settle  accounts  with  his
the  settlements,
servants.
a debtor owing ten thousand talents was brought
Since the man was unable to pay, the
to him.
master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt,
along with his wife and children and everything
26
he owned.

Then the servant fell on his knees before him.
‘Have  patience  with  me,’  he  begged,  ‘and  I  will
27
pay back everything.’

His master had compassion on him, forgave his

28
debt, and released him.

c

But when that servant went out, he found one
of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred
denarii.
  He  grabbed  him  and  began  to  choke
29
him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

So  his  fellow  servant  fell  down  and  begged
him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you
30
back.’

But he refused. Instead, he went and had the
man  thrown  into  prison  until  he  could  pay  his
31
debt.

33

Then the master summoned him and said, ‘You
wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because
Shouldn’t you have had mercy
you begged me.
In
on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’
anger his master turned him over to the jailers to
be  tortured,  until  he  should  repay  all  that  he
35
owed.

34

That is how My heavenly Father will treat each
of you unless you forgive your brother from your
Teachings about Divorce  (Mark 10:1–12)
heart.”

19

When  Jesus  had  finished  saying  these
things, He left Galilee and went into the
Large
region  of  Judea  beyond  the  Jordan.
3
crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

2

Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by
asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife
4
for any reason?”

 d

5

Jesus answered,  “Have you not read that from
the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and
and  said,  ‘For  this  reason  a  man  will
female,’
leave his father and mother and be united to his
So
wife,  and  the  two  will  become  one  flesh’
they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, let man not sepa-
7
rate.”

?

6

 e

 f

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man
to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send
8
her away?

”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce
your  wives  because  of  your  hardness  of  heart.
Now
But it was not this way from the beginning.
I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except
for  sexual  immorality,  and  marries  another
10
woman commits adultery.

”

9

g

His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case be-
tween  a  man  and  his  wife,  it  is  better  not  to
11
marry.”

“Not  everyone  can  accept  this  word,”  He  re-
12
plied, “but only those to whom it has been given.
For  there  are  eunuchs  who  were  born  that
way;  others  were  made  that  way  by  men;  and
still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the
kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this
should accept it.”

d 4

seventy times seven

When his fellow servants saw what had hap-
pened,  they  were  greatly  distressed,  and  they
b 24
a 22
went and recounted all of this to their master.
c 28
e 5
woman commits adultery

Or
A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)

; see Genesis 4:24 LXX

See Deuteronomy 24:1.

f 7

SBL and BYZ include

; see Matthew 5:32.

A talent was worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer.
And he who marries a divorced

        g 9

Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2

Jesus Blesses the Children
(Mark 10:13–16 ;  Luke 18:15–17)

13

14

Then little children were brought to Jesus for
Him  to  place  His  hands  on  them  and  pray  for
them.  And  the  disciples  rebuked  those  who
But  Jesus  said,  “Let  the  little
brought  them.
children  come  to  Me,  and  do  not  hinder  them!
15
For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  belongs  to  such  as
And after He had placed His hands on
these.”
The Rich Young Man
them, He went on from there.
(Mark 10:17–31 ;  Luke 18:18–30)

16

Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired,
“Teacher,  what  good  thing  must  I  do  to  obtain
 a
17
eternal life?”

“Why  do  you  ask  Me  about  what  is  good?”
Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If
18
you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “
‘Do not murder, do not commit
19
adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
honor your father and mother, and love your

 b

20
neighbor as yourself.’

”

“All  these  I  have  kept,”  said  the  young  man.

21
“What do I still lack?”

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go,
sell  your  possessions  and  give  to  the  poor,  and
you  will  have  treasure  in  heaven.  Then  come,
22
follow Me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away

23
in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

24

Then  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  “Truly  I  tell
you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom
Again  I  tell  you,  it  is  easier  for  a
of  heaven.
camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for
25
a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

When  the  disciples  heard  this,  they  were
greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be
26
saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this
is impossible, but with God all things are possi-
27
ble.”

“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything

a 17
to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

b 19

BYZ and TR

eration
Mark 10:17–18 and Luke 18:18–19.

d 29

f 3

or wife

e 2

Matthew 20:14    |    881

28

c

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the re-
newal of all things,
 when the Son of Man sits on
His glorious throne, you who have followed Me
29
will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
And  everyone  who  has  left
tribes  of  Israel.
 d
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother
 or children or fields for the sake of My
or wife
name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit
But many who are first will be last,
eternal life.
The Parable of the Workers
and the last will be first.

30

20

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a land-
owner who went out early in the morn-
He agreed
  for  the  day  and  sent

ing to hire workers for his vineyard.
to  pay  them  a  denarius
3
them into his vineyard.

2

 e

 f

About the third hour

 he went out and saw oth-
4
ers  standing  in  the  marketplace  doing  nothing.
‘You  also  go  into  my  vineyard,’  he  said,  ‘and  I

5

will pay you whatever is right.’

 g

So they went.

He went out again about the sixth hour and the
6
 and did the same thing.
ninth hour

 h

About  the  eleventh  hour

  he  went  out  and
found  still  others  standing  around.  ‘Why  have
you been standing here all day long doing noth-
7
ing?’ he asked.

 i
‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

8
So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard
said  to  his  foreman,  ‘Call  the  workers  and  pay
them  their  wages,  starting  with  the  last  ones
9
hired and moving on to the first.’

The  workers  who  were  hired  about  the  elev-
10
enth  hour  came  and  each  received  a  denarius.
So  when  the  original  workers  came,  they
assumed  they  would  receive  more.  But  each  of
11
them also received a denarius.

12
On receiving their pay, they began to grumble
against the landowner.
‘These men who were
hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and
you have made them equal to us who have borne
13
the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

14

But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not
being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on
one denarius?
Take your pay and go. I want to
in the regen-
c 28
 See

16 . . . “Good Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” 17 “Why do you call Me good?”

h 6

NE, WH, and NA do not include

.

That is, about nine in the morning

i 7

A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; similarly
and whatever is right, you shall receive.
That is, about noon and again about three in the after-

in verses 9, 10, and 13.
noon

That is, about five in the afternoon; also in v. 9

BYZ and TR include

Exodus 20:12–16; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 5:16–20

g 5

Or

882    |    Matthew 20:15

15

Do I
give this last man the same as I gave you.
not have the right to do as I please with what is
16
mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

 a

sitting  beside  the  road.  When  they  heard  that
Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son
31
of David, have mercy on us!”

So  the  last  will

  be  first,  and  the  first  will  be

The Third Prediction of the Passion
last.”
(Mark 10:32–34 ;  Luke 18:31–34)

17

18

As  Jesus  was  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  He  took
“Look, we
the twelve disciples aside and said,
are  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  Son  of  Man
19
will  be  delivered  over  to  the  chief  priests  and
and
scribes. They will condemn Him to death
will  deliver  Him  over  to  the  Gentiles  to  be
mocked  and  flogged  and  crucified.  And  on  the
A Mother’s Request  (Mark 10:35–45)
third day He will be raised to life.”
20

Then  the  mother  of  Zebedee’s  sons  came  to
Jesus  with  her  sons  and  knelt  down  to  make  a
21
request of Him.

“What do you want?” He inquired.

She  answered,  “Declare  that  in  Your  kingdom
one  of  these  two  sons  of  mine  may  sit  at  Your
22
right hand, and the other at Your left.”

 b

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus
replied.  “Can  you  drink  the  cup  I  am  going  to
drink?”
23
“We can,” the brothers answered.

 c

“You  will  indeed  drink  My  cup,”

  Jesus  said.
“But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant.
These seats belong to those for whom My Father
24
has prepared them.”

25

26

When the ten heard about this, they were in-
dignant with the two brothers.
But Jesus called
them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superi-
ors  exercise  authority  over  them.
It  shall
not  be  this  way  among  you.  Instead,  whoever
wants to become great among you must be your
28
servant,
and whoever wants to be first among
you  must  be  your  slave—
just  as  the  Son  of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
The Blind Men by the Road
to give His life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:46–52 ;  Luke 18:35–43)

27

29

30

The crowd admonished them to be silent, but
they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David,
32
have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you

33
want Me to do for you?” He asked.

“Lord,”  they  answered,  “let  our  eyes  be

34
opened.”

Moved  with  compassion,  Jesus  touched  their
eyes,  and  at  once  they  received  their  sight  and
The Triumphal Entry  (Zechariah 9:9–13 ;
followed Him.
Mark 11:1–11 ;  Luke 19:28–40 ;  John 12:12–19)

21

As they approached Jerusalem and came
2
to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Je-
saying to them, “Go
sus sent out two disciples,
into the village ahead of you, and at once you will
3
find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her.
If  anyone
Untie  them  and  bring  them  to  Me.
questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them,
4
and he will send them right away.”

This  took  place  to  fulfill  what  was  spoken
5
through the prophet:

“Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your King comes to you,

 d

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

7

”

6

So  the  disciples  went  and  did  as  Jesus  had  di-
They brought the donkey and the
rected them.
colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat
8
on them.

A  massive  crowd  spread  their  cloaks  on  the
road,  while  others  cut  branches  from  the  trees
9
and spread them on the road.

The crowds that went ahead of Him and those

 e

that followed were shouting:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

 f

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the

 g

Lord!”

10

“Hosanna in the highest!”

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd fol-
And  there  were  two  blind  men
c 23

For many are called, but few are chosen.

a 16
lowed  Him.
which I am baptized.
d 5

BYZ and TR include

Zechariah 9:9

heaven!”
became a shout of praise; see Psalm 118:25; also in verse 15.

BYZ and TR include

f 9
 is a transliteration of the Hebrew

e 9 Hosanna
 TR is similar.

When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole
b 22

or be baptized with the baptism with

city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized

Hosia-na

BYZ includes

Save, we pray

Save now

g 9

“Hosanna in the highest

.

, meaning

 or

, which

Psalm 118:26

Or

 See Psalm 118:25 and Psalm 148:1.

11

24

Matthew 21:37    |    883

The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet

Jesus Cleanses the Temple
from Nazareth in Galilee.”
(Mark 11:15–19 ;  Luke 19:45–48 ;  John 2:12–25)

12

 a

Then  Jesus  entered  the  temple  courts

  and
drove out all who were buying and selling there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and  the  seats  of  those  selling  doves.
And  He
 b
declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be
 c
 But you are making it
called a house of prayer.’
14
‘a den of robbers.’

13

”

15

The  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  Him  at  the
But  the  chief
temple,  and  He  healed  them.
priests  and  scribes  were  indignant  when  they
saw the wonders He performed and the children
shouting  in  the  temple  courts,  “Hosanna  to  the
16
Son of David!”

“Do You hear what these children are saying?”

they asked.

“Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read:

 d

17

‘From the mouths of children and infants

You have ordained praise’

?”

Then He left them and went out of the city to

The Barren Fig Tree  (Mark 11:12–14 , , 20–25)
Bethany, where He spent the night.
18

19

In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the
Seeing  a  fig  tree  by  the
city,  He  was  hungry.
road, He went up to it but found nothing on it ex-
cept leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He
20
said. And immediately the tree withered.

When  the  disciples  saw  this,  they  marveled
and  asked,  “How  did  the  fig  tree  wither  so
21
quickly?”

“Truly  I  tell  you,”  Jesus  replied,  “if  you  have
faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what
was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this
mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
If you believe, you will receive
it will happen.
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
whatever you ask for in prayer.”
(Mark 11:27–33 ;  Luke 20:1–8)

22

23

When Jesus returned to the temple courts and
began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the
people came up to Him. “By what authority are
You  doing  these  things?”  they  asked.  “And  who
a 12
gave You this authority?”
d 16

the temple

But he went.

e 29

“I  will  also  ask  you  one  question,”  Jesus  re-
plied,  “and  if  you  answer  Me,  I  will  tell  you  by
What
what authority I am doing these things.
was  the  source  of  John’s  baptism?  Was  it  from
heaven or from men?”

25

They deliberated among themselves and said, “If
26
we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did
But  if  we  say,  ‘From
you  not  believe  him?’
27
men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all re-
So  they  answered,
gard  John  as  a  prophet.”
“We do not know.”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what
The Parable of the Two Sons
authority I am doing these things.
28

But what do you think? There was a man who
had two sons. He went to the first one and said,
29
‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

e

‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his

30
mind and went.

Then the man went to the second son and told

him the same thing.
31
‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.

f

Which of the two did the will of his father?”

“The first,

” they answered.

Jesus  said  to  them,  “Truly  I  tell  you,  the  tax
32
collectors and prostitutes are entering the king-
For John came to you
dom of God before you.
in the way of righteousness, and you did not be-
lieve him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes
did.  And  even  after  you  saw  this,  you  did  not
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
repent and believe him.
(Mark 12:1–12 ;  Luke 20:9–18)

33

Listen  to  another  parable:  There  was  a  land-
owner  who  planted  a  vineyard.  He  put  a  wall
around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower.
Then he rented it out to some tenants and went
34
away on a journey.

35

When the harvest time drew near, he sent his
servants to the tenants to collect his share of the
fruit.
But the tenants seized his servants. They
36
beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Again,  he  sent  other  servants,  more  than  the
37
first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will re-

the temple of God
spect my son,’ he said.
f 31

b 13
The latter

c 13

Literally
Psalm 8:2 (see also LXX)

; also in verses 15 and 23; BYZ and TR
NE and WH

NE and WH

Isaiah 56:7

Jeremiah 7:11

884    |    Matthew 21:38

38

10

But when

 the tenants saw the son, they said to
one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him
So  they  seized  him
and  take  his  inheritance.’
40
and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

39

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard re-

41
turns, what will he do to those tenants?”

“He  will  bring  those  wretches  to  a  wretched
end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard
to  other  tenants  who  will  give  him  his share  of
42
the fruit at harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the

Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.

 a

So the servants went out into the streets and
gathered everyone they could find, both evil and
good,  and  the  wedding  hall  was  filled  with
11
guests.

12

But when the king came in to see the guests, he
spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding
‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in
clothes.
here without wedding clothes?’
13
But the man was speechless.

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand
and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness,
where  there  will  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of
14
teeth.’
Paying Taxes to Caesar
(Mark 12:13–17 ;  Luke 20:19–26)

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

This is from the Lord,

43

and it is marvelous in our eyes’

?

15

44

Therefore  I  tell  you  that  the  kingdom  of  God
will be taken away from you and given to a peo-
ple who will produce its fruit.
He who falls on
b
this  stone  will  be  broken  to  pieces,  but  he  on
45
whom it falls will be crushed.

”

46

When  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  heard
His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking
Although  they  wanted  to  arrest
about  them.
Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the
The Parable of the Banquet  (Luke 14:15–24)
people regarded Him as a prophet.

22

2

3

Once again, Jesus spoke to them in para-
bles:
“The  kingdom  of heaven  is  like  a
king  who  prepared  a  wedding  banquet  for  his
He sent his servants to call those he had in-
son.
4
vited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

Again,  he  sent  other  servants  and  said,  ‘Tell
those  who  have  been  invited  that  I  have  pre-
pared  my  dinner.  My  oxen  and  fattened  cattle
have been killed, and everything is ready. Come
5
to the wedding banquet.’

6

But they paid no attention and went away, one
The  rest
to  his  field,  another  to  his  business.
seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed
7
them.

9

The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to
8
destroy  those  murderers  and  burn  their  city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding ban-
quet is ready, but those I invited were not wor-
Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to
thy.
a 42
the banquet as many as you can find.’
c 19

b 44

16
Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to
They sent their disci-
trap Jesus in His words.
ples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,”
they said, “we know that You are honest and that
You teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. You seek favor from no one, because You
pay  no  attention  to  external  appearance.
So
tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to
18
Caesar or not?”

17

19

But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You
Show Me

hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
the coin used for the tax.”
20
And they brought Him a denarius.

c

“Whose  image  is  this,” He  asked,  “and  whose

21
inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they answered.

So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Cae-
22
sar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

And when they heard this, they were amazed.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection
So they left Him and went away.
(Mark 12:18–27 ;  Luke 20:27–40)

23

24

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is
no  resurrection,  came  to  Jesus  and  questioned
Him.
“Teacher,”  they  said,  “Moses  declared
that  if  a  man  dies  without  having  children,  his
brother is to marry the widow and raise up off-
Now there were seven broth-
spring for him.
ers  among  us.  The  first  one  married  and  died
without having children. So he left his wife to his

25

d

d 24

Psalm 118:22–23
A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

Tischendorf and some early manuscripts do not include verse 44; see also Luke 20:18.

Deuteronomy 25:5

26

46

Matthew 23:21    |    885

brother.
The same thing happened to the sec-
27
ond  and  third  brothers,  down  to  the  seventh.
In the resur-
rection,  then,  whose  wife  will  she  be  of  the
29
seven? For all of them were married to her.”

And last of all, the woman died.

28

 a

30

31

Jesus  answered,  “You  are  mistaken  because
you do not know the Scriptures or the power of
In  the  resurrection,  people  will  neither
God.
marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will
be like the angels
 in heaven.
But concerning
32
the resurrection of the dead, have you not read
‘I am the God of Abra-
what God said to you:
ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’
? He
33
is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

 b

When the crowds heard this, they were aston-

The Greatest Commandment
ished at His teaching.
(Deuteronomy 6:1–19 ;  Mark 12:28–34)

34

35

And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had
silenced  the  Sadducees,  they  themselves  gath-
ered  together.
One  of  them,  an  expert  in  the
“Teacher,
law,  tested  Him  with  a  question:
37
which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

36

Jesus  declared,  “
 c

‘Love  the  Lord  your  God
38
with  all  your  heart  and  with  all  your  soul  and
39
with all your mind.’
This is the first and great-
 d
est  commandment.
And  the  second  is  like  it:
‘Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself.’
All  the
Law  and  the  Prophets  hang  on  these  two
Whose Son Is the Christ?
commandments.”
(Mark 12:35–37 ;  Luke 20:41–44)

40

41

42

While  the  Pharisees  were  assembled,  Jesus
“What  do  you  think  about

questioned  them:
the Christ? Whose son is He?”
43
“David’s,” they answered.

Jesus  said  to  them,  “How  then  does  David  in

44
the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until I put Your enemies
under Your feet.”

 e

’

45

No one was able to answer a word, and from
that  day  on  no  one  dared  to  question  Him  any
Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
further.
(Luke 11:37–54)

23

2
Then  Jesus  spoke  to  the  crowds  and  to
3
“The  scribes  and  Phari-
His  disciples:
So practice and observe
sees sit in Moses’ seat.
everything they tell you. But do not do what they
4
do,  for  they  do  not  practice  what  they  preach.
 and lay
them  on  men’s  shoulders,  but  they  themselves
5
are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

They tie up heavy, burdensome loads

 f

6

All  their  deeds  are  done  for  men  to  see.  They
broaden  their  phylacteries  and  lengthen  their
tassels.
They  love  the  places  of  honor  at  ban-
the
quets,  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,
greetings  in  the  marketplaces,  and  the  title  of
8
‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

7

g

9

11

10

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have
And do
one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
not call anyone on earth your father, for you have
one Father, who is in heaven.
Nor are you to be
called  instructors,  for  you  have  one  Instructor,
12
the  Christ.
The  greatest  among  you  shall  be
your servant.
For whoever exalts himself will
be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will
13
be exalted.

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites!  You  shut  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in
men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will
15
you let in those who wish to enter.

h

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites!  You  traverse  land  and  sea  to  win  a
single  convert,  and  when  he  becomes  one,  you
16
 as you are.
make him twice as much a son of hell

 i

18

17

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone
swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if an-
yone  swears  by  the  gold  of  the  temple,  he
is bound by his oath.’
You blind fools! Which is
greater:  the  gold,  or  the  temple  that  makes  it
sacred?
And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the
altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by
the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
You blind
20
men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that
21
makes it sacred?
So then, he who swears by the
altar swears by it and by everything on it.
And

d 39

e 44

19

So  if  David  calls  Him  ‘Lord,’  how  can  He  be
the angels of God

b 32

c 37

a 30
David’s son?”
f 4

They tie up heavy loads

g 7

and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by men

h 13

SBL, BYZ, and TR

14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers.
110:1
BYZ and TR include
Literally
Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Leviticus 19:18
Gehenna

Deuteronomy 6:5

SBL, NE, and WH

Exodus 3:6

Psalm

i 15

 See Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.

Greek

; also in verse 33

886    |    Matthew 23:22

22

38

he who swears by the temple swears by it and by
the One who dwells in it.
And he who swears
by  heaven  swears  by  God’s  throne  and  by  the
23
One who sits on it.

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites!  You  pay  tithes  of  mint,  dill,  and
cumin.  But  you  have  disregarded  the  weightier
matters  of  the  law:  justice,  mercy,  and  faithful-
ness. You should have practiced the latter, with-
You  blind  guides!
out  neglecting  the  former.
25
You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

24

a

26

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and
dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-in-
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside
dulgence.
of the cup and dish,
 so that the outside may be-
27
come clean as well.

b

28

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites!  You  are  like  whitewashed  tombs,
which look beautiful on the outside but on the in-
side are full of dead men’s bones and every kind
In  the  same  way,  on  the  outside
of  impurity.
you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you
29
are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

30

Woe  to  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  you
hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and
And
decorate the monuments of the righteous.
you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers,
31
we would not have been partners with them in
So  you
shedding  the  blood  of  the  prophets.’
testify against yourselves that you are the sons of
those  who  murdered  the  prophets.
Fill  up,
33
then,
  the  measure  of  the  sin  of  your  fathers.
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you

32

c

34
escape the sentence of hell?

Because of this, I am sending you prophets and
wise  men  and  teachers.  Some  of  them  you  will
kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your
35
synagogues  and  persecute  from  town  to  town.
And  so  upon  you  will  come  all  the  righteous
blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah,
whom  you  murdered  between  the  temple  and
Truly I tell you, all these things will
the altar.
Lament over Jerusalem  (Luke 13:31–35)
come upon this generation.
37

36

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets
and  stones  those  sent  to  her,  how  often  I  have
a 24
longed to gather your children together, as a hen
d 38

Go ahead, then, and complete

and dish

c 32

gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were
d
39
Look, your house is left to you des-
unwilling!
olate.
For I tell you that you will not see Me
again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in
Temple Destruction and Other Signs
”
the name of the Lord.’
(Mark 13:1–8 ;  Luke 21:5–9)

 e

24

As Jesus left the temple and was walking
away,  His  disciples  came  up  to  Him  to

2
point out its buildings.

“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly
I tell you, not one stone here will be left on an-
3
other; every one will be thrown down.”

While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,
the  disciples  came  to  Him  privately.  “Tell  us,”
they  said,  “when  will  these  things  happen,  and
what will be the sign of Your coming and of the
4
end of the age?”

5

6

Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives
you.
For many will come in My name, claiming,
‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
You will
hear  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,  but  see  to  it
that you are not alarmed. These things must hap-
pen, but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise
against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom.
There  will  be  famines  and  earthquakes  in  vari-
ous places.
All these are the beginning of birth
Witnessing to All Nations
pains.
(Mark 13:9–13 ;  Luke 21:10–19)

8

7

9

10

Then  they  will  deliver  you  over  to  be  perse-
cuted  and  killed,  and  you  will  be  hated  by  all
At that time many
nations because of My name.
will  fall  away  and  will  betray  and  hate  one
and  many  false  prophets  will  arise
another,
12
and deceive many.

11

13

Because  of  the  multiplication  of  wickedness,
But  the  one

the  love  of  most  will  grow  cold.
14
who perseveres to the end will be saved.

And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  will  be
preached in all the world as a testimony to all na-
The Abomination of Desolation
tions, and then the end will come.
(Mark 13:14–23 ;  Luke 21:20–24)

15

 f

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the
abomination  of  desolation,’
  spoken  of  by  the
b 26
prophet  Daniel  (let  the  reader  understand),
e 39

desolate

f 15
include

See Leviticus 11:4 and Leviticus 11:23, where camels and gnats are both forbidden as food.

.

Or

NE and WH do not include

.

NA does not
Psalm 118:26

See Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11.

16

17

Matthew 25:2    |    887

33

then  let  those  who  are  in  Judea  flee  to  the
Let no one on the housetop come
And

mountains.
down to retrieve anything from his house.
19
let no one in the field return for his cloak.

18

20

21

How miserable those days will be for pregnant
Pray that your flight will
and nursing mothers!
For
not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.
at  that  time  there  will  be  great  tribulation,  un-
seen from the beginning of the world until now,
If those days had
and never to be seen again.
not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But
for  the  sake  of  the  elect,  those  days  will  be  cut
23
short.

22

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here
24
is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets will appear
and perform great signs and wonders to deceive
See, I have
even the elect,  if that were possible.
The Return of the Son of Man
told you in advance.
(Mark 13:24–27 ;  Luke 21:25–28)

25

26

27

So if they tell you, ‘There He is, in the wilder-
ness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Here He is, in the inner
For just as the light-
rooms,’ do not believe it.
ning comes from the east and flashes as far as the
28
west,  so  will  be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures

29
will gather.

Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those

days:

‘The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its

light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

a

30

and the powers of the heavens will

be shaken.

b

’

c

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will ap-
  and  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth
pear  in  heaven,
will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming
31
on  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great
And He will send out His angels with a
glory.
loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heavens
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
to the other.
(Mark 13:28–31 ;  Luke 21:29–33)

32

 d

Now  learn  this  lesson

  from  the  fig  tree:  As
a 29
soon as its branches become tender and sprout

and the celestial bodies will be shaken
c 30

this parable

d 32

e 33

e

34

 right at the door.

So also,
leaves, you know that summer is near.
when you see all these things, you will know that
He is near,
Truly I tell you,
35
this generation will not pass away until all these
Heaven and earth will
things have happened.
Readiness at Any Hour
pass away, but My words will never pass away.
(Genesis 6:1–7 ;  Mark 13:32–37 ;  Luke 12:35–48)

36

f

37

39

No one knows about that day or hour, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son,
 but only the
38
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it
Father.
be at the coming of the Son of Man.
For in the
days  before  the  flood,  people  were  eating  and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to
the day Noah entered the ark.
And they were
oblivious until the flood came and swept them all
away.  So  will  it  be  at  the  coming  of  the  Son  of
Man.
Two men will be in the field: one will be
taken  and  the  other  left.
Two  women  will  be
grinding  at  the  mill:  one  will  be  taken  and  the
42
other left.

40

41

Therefore  keep  watch,  because  you  do  not
43
know  the  day  on  which  your  Lord  will  come.
But  understand  this:  If  the  homeowner  had
known in which watch of the night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not
have let his house be broken into.
For this rea-
son, you also must be ready, because the Son of
45
Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

44

46

Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise  servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his house-
hold, to give the others their food at the proper
Blessed  is  that  servant  whose  master
time?
Truly  I
finds  him  doing  so  when  he  returns.
tell  you,  he  will  put  him  in  charge  of  all  his
48
possessions.

47

50

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in
49
his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’
And he begins to beat his fellow servants and
The master of
to eat and drink with drunkards.
that servant will come on a day he does not ex-
51
pect  and  at  an  hour  he  does  not  anticipate.
Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him
a place with the hypocrites, where there will be
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
weeping and gnashing of teeth.

25

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will
be like ten virgins who took their lamps
Five  of

and  went  out  to  meet  the  bridegroom.

the sky

b 30

2

it is near

f 36

nor the Son
; twice in this
.

Or
verse

See Daniel 7:13–14.

Or

Or

BYZ and TR do not include

; see Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 34:4, and Joel 2:10.

Or

888    |    Matthew 25:3

3

4

The fool-
them were foolish, and five were wise.
ish ones took their lamps but did not take along
5
But the wise ones took oil in flasks
any extra oil.
When  the  bridegroom
along  with  their  lamps.
was  delayed,  they  all  became  drowsy  and  fell
6
asleep.

things;  I  will  put  you  in  charge  of  many  things.
22
Enter into the joy of your master!’

The  servant  who  had  received  the  two
talents  also  came  and  said,  ‘Master,  you  en-
trusted  me  with  two  talents.  See,  I  have  gained
23
two more.’

13
you.’

At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bride-

7
groom! Come out to meet him!’

8

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give

lamps.
9
us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

‘No,’  said  the  wise  ones,  ‘or  there  may  not  be
enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those
10
who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

But while they were on their way to buy it, the
bridegroom  arrived.  Those  who  were  ready
went  in  with  him  to  the  wedding  banquet,  and
11
the door was shut.

Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord,

12
lord, open the door for us!’

But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know

a
Therefore  keep  watch,  because  you  do  not

The Parable of the Talents
know the day or the hour.
(Luke 19:11–27)

14

15

For it is just like a man going on a journey, who
called his servants and entrusted them with his
  to
possessions.
another two talents, and to another one talent—
each according to his own ability. And he went on
16
his journey.

To  one  he  gave  five  talents,

b

 c

17

The servant who had received the five talents
went at once and put them to work
 and gained
18
Likewise, the one with the two tal-
five more.
ents  gained  two  more.
But  the  servant  who
had received the one talent went off, dug a hole
19
in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
20

After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them.
The
servant who had received the five talents came
and  presented  five  more. ‘Master,’  he  said,  ‘you
entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained
21
five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faith-
ful  servant!  You  have  been  faithful  with  a  few
things;  I  will  put  you  in  charge  of  many  things.
24
Enter into the joy of your master!’

25

Finally, the servant who had received the one
talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are
a  hard  man,  reaping  where  you  have  not  sown
and  gathering  where  you  have  not  scattered
seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your
talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs
26
to you.’

‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master.
‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed.
Then
you  should  have  deposited  my  money  with  the
bankers, and on my return I would have received
28
it back with interest.

27

29

Therefore take the talent from him and give it
For everyone
to the one who has ten talents.
who has will be given more, and he will have an
abundance. But the one who does not have, even
And
what he has will be taken away from him.
throw  that  worthless  servant  into  the  outer
darkness,  where  there  will  be  weeping  and
The Sheep and the Goats
gnashing of teeth.’
31

30

32

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and
all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious
throne.
All the nations will be gathered before
Him,  and  He  will  separate  the  people  one  from
33
another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from
the goats.
He will place the sheep on His right
34
and the goats on His left.

35

Then  the  King  will  say  to  those  on  His  right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the founda-
tion  of  the  world.
For  I  was  hungry  and  you
gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
36
gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and
you took Me in,
I was naked and you clothed
Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in
prison and you visited Me.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faith-
b 15
a 13
ful  servant!  You  have  been  faithful  with  a  few
c 16

when the Son of Man comes

15 . . . And he went on his journey at once. 16  . . . went and put them to work

BYZ and TR include
eutheōs
Or

.

A talent was worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer.

. Translators vary as to the placement of

the Greek adverb

 (at once) at the end of verse 15 or at the beginning of verse 16.

37

11

Matthew 26:29    |    889

Then  the  righteous  will  answer  Him,  ‘Lord,
when  did  we  see  You  hungry  and  feed  You,  or
38
thirsty  and  give  You  something  to  drink?
When did we see You a stranger and take You
When did we see

in, or naked and clothe You?
40
You sick or in prison and visit You?’

39

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, what-
ever you did for one of the least of these brothers
41
of Mine, you did for Me.’

42

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart
from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
For  I
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.
was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was
I was
thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
a  stranger  and  you  did  not  take  Me  in,  I  was
naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and
44
in prison and you did not look after Me.’

43

And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see
You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or
45
sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Then  the  King  will  answer,  ‘Truly  I  tell  you,
whatever  you  did  not  do for  one  of  the  least  of
46
these, you did not do for Me.’

And  they  will  go  away  into  eternal  punish-

The Plot to Kill Jesus
ment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
(Mark 14:1–2 ;  Luke 22:1–2 ;  John 11:45–57)

26

When Jesus had finished saying all these
“You know
things, He told His disciples,
that the Passover is two days away, and the Son
3
of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

4

At that time the chief priests and elders of the
people  assembled  in  the  courtyard  of  the  high
and they con-
priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
spired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
“But
not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
a riot among the people.”
(Mark 14:3–9 ;  Luke 7:36–50 ;  John 12:1–8)
6

5

a

7

While  Jesus  was  in  Bethany  in  the  home  of
Simon the Leper,
a woman came to Him with
an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she
8
poured on His head as He reclined at the table.

9

When  the  disciples  saw  this,  they  were  indig-
This perfume
nant and asked, “Why this waste?
could  have  been  sold  at  a  high  price,  and  the
10
money given to the poor.”

12

b
to  Me.
The  poor  you  will  always  have  with
By
  but  you  will  not  always  have  Me.
you,
pouring  this  perfume  on  Me,  she  has  prepared
My body for burial.
Truly I tell you, wherever
this gospel is preached in all the world, what she
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
has done will also be told in memory of her.”
(Mark 14:10–11 ;  Luke 22:3–6)

13

14

15

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas
Iscariot,  went  to  the  chief  priests
and  asked,
“What  are  you  willing  to  give  me  if  I  hand  Him
16
over  to  you?”  And  they  set  out  for  him  thirty
pieces of silver.
So from then on Judas looked
Preparing the Passover
for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
(Mark 14:12–16 ;  Luke 22:7–13)

17

c

On  the  first  day  of  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  and  asked,
Bread,
“Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat
18
the Passover?”

19

He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man
and  tell  him  that  the  Teacher  says,  ‘My  time  is
near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples
at  your  house.’
So  the  disciples  did  as  Jesus
The Last Supper  (Mark 14:17–26 ;
had directed them and prepared the Passover.
Luke 22:14–23 ;  1 Corinthians 11:17–34)
20

”

When evening came, Jesus was reclining with
the twelve disciples.
And while they were eat-
ing, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you
22
will betray Me.”

They  were  deeply  grieved  and  began  to  ask

23
Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
24

Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his
hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.
The
Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him,
but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It
25
would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Then  Judas,  who  would  betray  Him,  said,

“Surely not I, Rabbi?”
26
Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”

While  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,
spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the
27
disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

28

e

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
This
29
 which is poured out
is My blood of the covenant,
for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you,
I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now
the new covenant
Literally

On the first of the

e 28

c 17

See Deuteronomy 15:11.

Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you both-
b 11
a 6
ering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed
the Twelve
Unleavened
 or
Aramaic

Simon the Jar Maker

Simon the Potter

d 20

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR

2

d

21

890    |    Matthew 26:30

on until that day when I drink it anew with you
30
in My Father’s kingdom.”

And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  they  went

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial  (Zech. 13:7–9 ;
out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:27–31 ;  Luke 22:31–38 ;  John 13:36–38)

31

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “This  very  night
you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is
written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

 a

32

and the sheep of the flock will be

scattered.’

But  after  I  have  risen,  I  will  go  ahead  of  you

33
into Galilee.”

Peter  said  to  Him,  “Even  if  all  fall  away  on

34
account of You, I never will.”

“Truly  I  tell  you,”  Jesus  declared,  “this  very
night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me
35
three times.”

Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I
will never deny You.” And all the other disciples
Jesus Prays at Gethsemane
said the same thing.
(Mark 14:32–42 ;  Luke 22:39–46)

36

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place
called  Gethsemane,  and  He  told  them,  “Sit  here
37
while I go over there and pray.”

38

He  took  with  Him  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of
Zebedee  and  began  to  be  sorrowful  and  deeply
distressed.
Then He said to them, “My soul is
consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay
39
here and keep watch with Me.”

Going  a  little  farther,  He  fell  facedown  and
prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup
40
pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

41

Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found
them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch
with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.
“Watch
and pray so that you will not enter into tempta-
tion.  For  the  spirit  is  willing,  but  the  body  is
42
weak.”

43

A second time He went away and prayed, “My
Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it,
may  Your  will  be  done.”
And  again  Jesus  re-
turned  and  found  them  sleeping,  for  their  eyes
44
were heavy.

45

46

Then  He  returned  to  the  disciples  and  said,
“Are  you  still  sleeping  and  resting?  Look,  the
hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into
Rise, let us go! See, My be-
the hands of sinners.
The Betrayal of Jesus
trayer is approaching!”
(Mark 14:43–52 ;  Luke 22:47–53 ;  John 18:1–14)
47

While  Jesus  was  still  speaking,  Judas,  one  of
the  Twelve,  arrived,  accompanied  by  a  large
crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from
48
the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with
49
them:  “The  One  I  kiss  is  the  man;  arrest  Him.”
Going  directly  to  Jesus,  he  said,  “Greetings,
 b

50
Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

51

“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.”
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and
At this, one of Jesus’ companions
arrested Him.
drew  his  sword  and  struck  the  servant  of  the
52
high priest, cutting off his ear.

53

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said
to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by
the sword.
Are you not aware that I can call on
My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal
more than twelve legions of angels?
But how
then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it
55
must happen this way?”

54

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you
come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as
you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in
56
the  temple  courts,
  and  you  did  not  arrest  Me.
But this has all happened so that the writings

c

of the prophets would be fulfilled.”
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
(Mark 14:53–65 ;  Luke 22:66–71 ;  John 18:19–24)
57

58

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to
the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the
But  Peter
scribes  and  elders  had  gathered.
followed Him at a distance, right up to the court-
yard  of  the  high  priest.  And  he  went  in  and  sat
59
down with the guards to see the outcome.

 d
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhed-
 were seeking false testimony against Jesus
rin
But they did not
in order to put Him to death.
find  any,  though  many  false  witnesses  came
forward.

61

60

Finally two came forward
and declared, “This
man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God
the whole Council
and rebuild it in three days.’

the temple

d 59
”

c 55

So He left them and went away once more and
a 31
prayed  a  third  time,  saying  the  same  thing.

“Friend,” Jesus replied, “for what have you come?”

b 50

Zech. 13:7

Or

Lit.

Or

62

Judas Hangs Himself  (Zechariah 11:10–17)

Matthew 27:19    |    891

So  the  high  priest  stood  up  and  asked  Him,
“Have You no answer? What are these men testi-
63
fying against You?”

But Jesus remained silent.

Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You
under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are
64
the Christ, the Son of God.”

“You  have  said  it  yourself,”  Jesus  answered.
 a
“But I say to all of you, from now on you will see
the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power
65
and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 b

66

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and de-
clared,  “He  has  blasphemed!  Why  do  we  need
any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard
the blasphemy.
67
“He deserves to die,” they answered.
68

What do you think?”

Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Oth-
and  said,  “Prophesy  to  us,

ers  slapped  Him
Peter Denies Jesus
Christ! Who hit You?”
(Mark 14:66–72 ;  Luke 22:54–62 ;  John 18:15–18)

69

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the court-
yard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also
70
were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.

But he denied it before them all: “I do not know

71
what you are talking about.”

When Peter had gone out to the gateway, an-
other servant girl saw him and said to the people
72
there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not

73
know the man!”

After a little while, those standing nearby came
up  to  Peter.  “Surely  you  are  one  of  them,”  they
74
said, “for your accent gives you away.”

At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I

do not know the man!”
75
And immediately a rooster crowed.

Then  Peter  remembered  the  word  that  Jesus
had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will
deny Me three times.” And he went outside and
Jesus Delivered to Pilate  (Mark 15:1–5)
wept bitterly.

27

When morning came, all the chief priests
and  elders  of  the  people  conspired
against Jesus to put Him to death.
They bound
Him,  led  Him  away,  and  handed  Him  over  to
a 64
Pilate the governor.

the right hand of the Mighty One

b 64

2

d 16

Jesus Barabbas

3

When  Judas,  who  had  betrayed  Him,  saw  that
Jesus  was  condemned,  he  was  filled  with  re-
morse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to
“I  have  sinned  by
the  chief  priests  and  elders.
betraying innocent blood,” he said.

4

“What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the
5
responsibility.”

So  Judas  threw  the  silver  into  the  temple  and

6
left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

7

The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver
and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treas-
ury,  since  it  is  blood  money.”
After  conferring
together, they used the money to buy the potter’s
field as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why
9
it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
Then  what  was  spoken  through  Jeremiah  the

8

prophet was fulfilled:

10

“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price set on Him by the people
 c

of Israel,

Jesus before Pilate  (Lk. 23:1–5 ;  John 18:28–40)

and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord had commanded me.”

11

Meanwhile  Jesus  stood  before  the  governor,
who  questioned  Him:  “Are  You  the  King  of  the
Jews?”
12
 “You have said so,” Jesus replied.

And when He was accused by the chief priests

13
and elders, He gave no answer.

Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how

14
many charges they are bringing against You?”

But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
(Mark 15:6–11 ;  Luke 23:13–25)
15

16

Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast
to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choos-
d
17
At that time they were holding a notorious
ing.
prisoner named Barabbas.
So when the crowd
had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do
18
you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus
For he knew it was out
who is called Christ?”
19
of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat,
his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to
do  with  that  innocent  man,  for  I  have  suffered
terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
Barabbas

c 10

Or
11:12–13.

SBL and NA

; also in verse 17, but universally called

 in verses 20, 21, and 26

See Ps. 110:1 and Dan. 7:13.

See Jer. 19:1–15, Jer. 32:6–9, and Zech.

892    |    Matthew 27:20

20

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the
crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put
21
to death.

“Which of the two do you want me to release

to you?” asked the governor.
22
“Barabbas,” they replied.

offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but
35
after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

b

36

When they had crucified Him, they divided up
And  sitting

His  garments  by  casting  lots.
37
down, they kept watch over Him there.

Above His head they posted the written charge

“What then should I do with Jesus who is called

against Him:

Christ?” Pilate asked.
23
They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

38

THIS IS JESUS,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 c

“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”

Pilate Washes His Hands  (Mark 15:12–15)
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
24

When  Pilate  saw  that  he  was  accomplishing
nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out,
he took water and washed his hands before the
crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,
” he
25
said. “You bear the responsibility.”

a

All the people answered, “His blood be on us

26
and on our children!”

So  Pilate  released  Barabbas  to  them.  But  he
had  Jesus  flogged,  and  handed  Him  over  to  be
The Soldiers Mock Jesus  (Isaiah 50:4–11 ;
crucified.
Mark 15:16–20 ;  Luke 22:63–65 ;  John 19:1–15)

27

28

29

Then  the  governor’s  soldiers  took  Jesus  into
the Praetorium and gathered the whole company
around Him.
They stripped Him and put a scar-
let robe on Him.
And they twisted together a
crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put
a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him,
30
and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Then they spit on Him and took the staff and

31
struck Him on the head repeatedly.

After they had mocked Him, they removed the
robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then
The Crucifixion  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
they led Him away to crucify Him.
Mark 15:21–32 ;  Luke 23:26–43 ;  John 19:16–27)

32

Along the way they found a man from Cyrene,
named Simon, and they forced him to carry the
33
cross of Jesus.

34

Two robbers

 were crucified with Him, one on

39
His right and the other on His left.

40
And  those  who  passed  by  heaped  abuse  on
and saying, “You who
Him, shaking their heads
are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in
three  days,  save  Yourself!  If  You  are  the  Son  of
41
God, come down from the cross!”

42

In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and
“He saved others,
elders mocked Him, saying,
but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Is-
rael!  Let  Him  come  down  now  from  the  cross,
He  trusts  in  God.
and  we  will  believe  in  Him.
Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him.
 For
44
He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’

43

”

d

In the same way, even the robbers who were

The Death of Jesus
crucified with Him berated Him.
(Psalm 22:1–31 ;  Mark 15:33–41 ;
 Luke 23:44–49 ;  John 19:28–30)

45

 e

46

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour

ness  came  over  all  the  land.
hour  Jesus  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice,  “Eli,  Eli,
lema  sabachthani?”  which  means,  “My  God,  My
47
God, why have You forsaken Me?”

 g

 dark-
f
About  the  ninth

48

When some of those standing there heard this,
One  of  them
they  said,  “He  is  calling  Elijah.”
h
quickly  ran  and  brought  a  sponge.  He  filled  it
i
 put it on a reed, and held it up
with sour wine,
49
for Jesus to drink.

 j

But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us

50
see if Elijah comes to save Him.”

51

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice,
At  that  moment  the
He  yielded  up  His  spirit.
veil  of  the  temple  was  torn  in  two  from  top  to
bottom.  The  earth  quaked,  and  the  rocks  were

And when they came to a place called Golgo-
they

this righteous blood
a 24
tha, which means The Place of the Skull,
through the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.”
f 46

; BYZ and TR
e 45

this blood

Literally

d 43

b 35

See Psalm 22:18; TR includes
j 49

filled it with wine vinegar
h 48
g 46
in verse 44
Psalm 22:8
and pierced His side, and water and blood flowed out

i 48

That is, from noon until three in the afternoon

NE and WH

Psalm 22:1

Or

See Psalm 69:21.

WH includes

; see John 19:34.

to fulfill what was said
insurrectionists
c 38
Eloi, Eloi
And another took a spear

Or

; also

52

2

Matthew 28:20    |    893

split.
The tombs broke open, and the bodies of
53
many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come
out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and
54
appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who
were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all
that had happened, they were terrified and said,
55
“Truly this was the Son of God.”

56

And many women were there, watching from
a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee
Among  them  were  Mary
to  minister  to  Him.
Magdalene,  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Jo-
The Burial of Jesus
seph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
(Isaiah 53:9–12 ; Mark 15:42–47 ;
 Luke 23:50–56 ;  John 19:38–42)

57

58

When  it  was  evening,  there  came  a  rich  man
from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was
He went to Pilate to ask for
a disciple of Jesus.
59
the  body  of  Jesus,  and  Pilate  ordered  that  it  be
60
given  to  him.
So  Joseph  took  the  body,
and placed it
wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
in  his  own  new  tomb  that  he  had  cut  into  the
61
rock.  Then  he  rolled  a  great  stone  across  the
Mary
entrance  to  the  tomb  and  went  away.
Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there
The Guards at the Tomb
opposite the tomb.
62

64

63

The  next  day,  the  one  after  Preparation  Day,
the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before
Pilate.
“Sir,”  they  said,  “we  remember  that
while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three
So give the order that the
days I will rise again.’
tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise,
His disciples may come and steal Him away and
tell the people He has risen from the dead. And
65
this last deception would be worse than the first.”

66

“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the
So  they
tomb  as  secure  as  you  know  how.”
went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone
The Resurrection
and posting the guard.
(Mark 16:1–8 ;  Luke 24:1–12 ;  John 20:1–9)

28

a

After  the  Sabbath,  at  dawn  on  the  first
  Mary  Magdalene  and
day  of  the  week,

3

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled
His  appearance
away  the  stone,  and  sat  on  it.
was like lightning, and his clothes were white as
snow.
The guards trembled in fear of him and
5
became like dead men.

4

b

7

6

But  the  angel  said  to  the  women,  “Do  not  be
afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified.
He is not here; He has risen,
just  as  He  said!  Come,  see  the  place  where  He
Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He
lay.
has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you
into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have
8
told you.”

 c
So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and

9

Suddenly

great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.
Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came
10
to  Him,  grasped  His  feet,  and  worshiped  Him.
“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My
The Report of the Guards
brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
11

12

13

While the women were on their way, some of
the guards went into the city and reported to the
chief priests all that had happened.
And after
the  chief  priests  had  met  with  the  elders  and
formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum
and instructed them: “You are to say,
of money
14
‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away
If  this  report  reaches
while  we  were  asleep.’
the  governor,  we  will  satisfy  him  and  keep  you
15
out of trouble.”

So the guards took the money and did as they
were instructed. And this account has been cir-
The Great Commission  (Mark 16:14–18)
culated among the Jews to this very day.
16

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Gali-
17
lee,  to  the  mountain  Jesus  had  designated.
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but

18
some doubted.

 d

19

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All author-
ity  in  heaven  and  on  earth  has  been  given  to
Me.
  of all
Therefore go and  make  disciples
20
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,
and
teaching them to obey all that I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.”

b 6

where the Lord lay
Having gone, therefore, make disciples

the other Mary went to see the tomb.
a 1
c 9

They were going to tell His disciples, and suddenly      d 19

Now after the Sabbaths, it being dawn toward the first of the Sabbaths,

Literally
BYZ and TR

Literally

BYZ and TR

Mark

The Mission of John the Baptist  (Isa. 40:1–5 ;
Matthew 3:1–17 ;  Luke 3:1–22 ;  John 1:19–34)

The First Disciples
(Matthew 4:18–22 ;  Luke 5:1–11 ;  John 1:35–42)

1

a

2

16

17

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,
He  saw  Simon  and  his  brother  Andrew.  They
were casting a net into the sea, for they were fish-
“Come,  follow  Me,”  Jesus  said,  “and  I
ermen.
And at once they
will make you fishers of men.”
19
left their nets and followed Him.

18

20

Going on a little farther, He saw James son of
Zebedee  and  his  brother  John.  They  were  in  a
Immediately  Jesus
boat,  mending  their  nets.
called them, and they left their father Zebedee in
Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit  (Luke 4:31–37)
the boat with the hired men and followed Him.
21

Then  Jesus  and  His  companions  went  to
Capernaum,  and  right  away  Jesus  entered  the
22
synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  and  began  to  teach.
The  people  were  astonished  at  His  teaching,
because He taught as one who had authority, and
23
not as the scribes.

24

Suddenly  a  man  with  an  unclean  spirit  cried
“What do You want with
out in the synagogue:
us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy
25
us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

26

But  Jesus  rebuked  the  spirit.  “Be  silent!”  He
At  this,  the  unclean
said.  “Come  out  of  him!”
spirit threw the man into convulsions and came
27
out with a loud shriek.

All the people were amazed and began to ask
one another, “What is this? A new teaching with
28
authority! He commands even the unclean spir-
And  the  news  about
its,  and  they obey  Him!”
Jesus spread quickly through the whole region of
Jesus Heals at Peter’s House
Galilee.
(Matthew 8:14–17 ;  Luke 4:38–41)

29

This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus
As  it  is  written  in
Christ,  the  Son  of  God.

 b

Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold, I will send My messenger ahead
3

of You,

 c

who will prepare Your way.”

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

 d
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.’
”

4

5

John  the  Baptist  appeared  in  the  wilderness,
preaching  a  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  for-
giveness of sins.
People went out to him from all
of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Con-
fessing their sins, they were baptized by him in
6
the Jordan River.

7

John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather
belt around his waist. His food was locusts and
wild honey.
And he proclaimed: “After me will
come  One  more  powerful  than  I,  the  straps  of
8
whose  sandals  I  am  not  worthy  to  stoop  down
and untie.
 but He will
I baptize you with water,
9
baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

”

e

f

10

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Gal-
 g
As

ilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw
the  heavens  breaking  open  and  the  Spirit  de-
scending on Him like a dove.
And a voice came
from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I
The Temptation and Preaching of Jesus
am well pleased.”
(Matthew 4:1–17 ;  Luke 4:1–15)

11

12

13

At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilder-
ness,
and  He  was  there  for  forty  days,  being
tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals,
14
and the angels ministered to Him.
h

15

After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee
and proclaimed the gospel of God.
“The time
is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is
a 1
near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
c 2
h 14

d 3
the gospel of the kingdom of God
Isaiah 40:3 (see also LXX)

ECM, NE, BYZ, and TR; SBL and WH
Malachi 3:1
BYZ and TR

Or

the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
in water

e 8

30

As soon as Jesus and His companions had left
the  synagogue,  they  went  with  James  and  John
Simon’s
to  the  home  of  Simon  and  Andrew.
mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and
g 10
BYZ and TR
Or

in the prophets:
he saw

in the Holy Spirit

; see John 1:32–33

b 2

Or

f 8

31

3

4

Mark 2:18    |    895

So He went
they promptly told Jesus about her.
to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up.
32
The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

33

That evening, after sunset, people brought to
34
and
Jesus  all  the  sick  and  demon-possessed,
And He
the whole town gathered at the door.
healed many who were ill with various diseases
and drove out many demons. But He would not
allow  the  demons  to  speak,  because  they  knew
Jesus Prays and Preaches  (Luke 4:42–44)
who He was.
35

36

Early  in  the  morning,  while  it  was  still  dark,
Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to
37
pray.
Simon and his companions went to look
for Him,
and when they found Him, they said,
38
“Everyone is looking for You!”

39

But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to the neigh-
boring  towns  so  I  can  preach  there  as  well,  for
that is why I have come.”
So He went through-
out  Galilee,  preaching  in  their  synagogues  and
The Leper’s Prayer
driving out demons.
(Lev. 14:1–32 ;  Matthew 8:1–4 ;  Luke 5:12–16)

40

 a

Then  a  leper

  came  to  Jesus,  begging  on  his
knees:  “If  You  are  willing,  You  can  make  me
41
clean.”

b

42

Moved  with  compassion,

  Jesus  reached  out
His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He
said. “Be clean!”
And immediately the leprosy
43
left him, and the man was cleansed.

44

Jesus  promptly  sent  him  away  with  a  stern
warning:
“See  that  you  don’t  tell  anyone.  But
go,  show  yourself  to  the  priest  and  present  the
offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as
45
a testimony to them.”

 c

But the man went out and openly began to pro-

claim and spread the news.

Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town
in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
(Matthew 9:1–8 ;  Luke 5:17–26)

2

2

A few days later Jesus went back to Caper-
naum.  And  when  the  people  heard  that  He
they gathered in such large numbers
was home,
that there was no more room, not even outside
a 40
the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.

leper

A
14:1–32.

and drink
d 16
 was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Leviticus 13.

BYZ and TR include

; see Luke 5:30.

Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by
Since they were unable to get to Jesus
four men.
through  the  crowd,  they  uncovered  the  roof
above  Him,  made  an  opening,  and  lowered  the
5
paralytic on his mat.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the para-

6
lytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

7

But some of the scribes were sitting there and
“Why  does  this  man
thinking  in  their  hearts,
speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can for-
8
give sins but God alone?”

9

At once Jesus knew in His spirit that they were
thinking  this  way  within  themselves.  “Why  are
you  thinking  these  things  in  your  hearts?”  He
“Which  is  easier:  to  say  to  a  paralytic,
asked.
‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up
But so that you may know
your mat, and walk’?
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to for-
give sins
“I tell you,
” He said to the paralytic,
12
get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

. . .

10

11

And immediately the man got up, picked up his
mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a re-
sult, they were all astounded and glorified God,
Jesus Calls Levi  (Matt. 9:9–13 ;  Luke 5:27–32)
saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
13

Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All
the  people  came  to  Him,  and  He  taught  them
14
there.

As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of
Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He
15
told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.

16

While Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, many
tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him
and His disciples—for there were many who fol-
When the scribes who were Phari-
lowed Him.
sees  saw  Jesus  eating  with  these  people,  they
 with tax
asked His disciples, “Why does He eat
17
collectors and sinners?”

 d

On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the
healthy  who  need  a  doctor,  but  the  sick.  I  have
Questions about Fasting
not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(Matthew 9:14–15 ;  Luke 5:33–35)

18

Now  John’s  disciples  and  the  Pharisees  were
often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked,
“Why  don’t  Your  disciples  fast  like  John’s  disci-
ples and those of the Pharisees?”

Moved with indignation

b 41

c 44

SBL

See Leviticus

896    |    Mark 2:19

19

6

20

Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bride-
groom fast while He is with them? As long as He
But the time will
is with them, they cannot fast.
come  when  the  bridegroom  will  be  taken  from
The Patches and the Wineskins
them; then they will fast.
(Matthew 9:16–17 ;  Luke 5:36–39)

21

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an
old garment. If  he  does,  the  new  piece  will  pull
22
away from the old, and a worse tear will result.

And  no  one  pours  new  wine  into  old  wine-
skins.  If  he  does,  the  wine  will  burst  the  skins,
and  both  the  wine  and  the  wineskins  will  be
ruined.  Instead,  new  wine  is  poured  into  new
The Lord of the Sabbath
wineskins.”
(1 Samuel 21:1–7 ;  Matthew 12:1–8 ;  Luke 6:1–5)

 a

23

One  Sabbath  Jesus  was  passing  through  the
grainfields,  and  His  disciples  began  to  pick
the heads of grain as they walked along.
So the
Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing
25
what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

24

26

Jesus replied, “Have you never read what Da-
vid did when he and his companions were hun-
gry and in need?
During the high priesthood of
b
Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the
consecrated  bread,
  which  was  lawful  only  for
the priests. And he gave some to his companions
27
as well.”

28

Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made
Therefore,

for  man,  not man  for  the Sabbath.
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12:9–14 ;  Luke 6:6–11)

3

2

Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and
In
a man with a withered hand was there.
order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see
3
if He would heal on the Sabbath.

4

Then  Jesus  said  to  the  man  with  the  withered
hand, “Stand up among us.”
And He asked them,
“Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to
do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
5
But they were silent.

Jesus  looked  around  at  them  with  anger  and
sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said
to  the  man,  “Stretch  out  your  hand.”  So  he
a 22
stretched it out, and it was restored.
c 14
e 16
g 19

Tischendorf does not include
ECM,
who also betrayed Him
SBL, NE, and WH; ECM, BYZ, and TR do not include
Literally

SBL, NE, BYZ, and TR do not include

Literally

h 20

At this, the Pharisees went out and began plot-
ting  with  the  Herodians  how  they  might  kill
Jesus Heals the Multitudes
Jesus.
(Matthew 4:23–25 ;  Luke 6:17–19)

7

8

So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea,
accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Ju-
dea,
Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond the
Jordan,  and  the  vicinity  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  The
large crowd came to Him when they heard what
9
great things He was doing.

Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready
10
for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.
For  He  had  healed  so  many  that  all  who  had
11
diseases  were  pressing  forward  to  touch  Him.
And  when  the  unclean  spirits  saw  Him,  they
fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the
Son of God!”
But He warned them sternly not
The Twelve Apostles
to make Him known.
(Matthew 10:1–4 ;  Luke 6:12–16)

12

13

c

14

Then  Jesus  went  up  on  the  mountain  and
called  for  those  He  wanted,  and  they  came  to
Him.
He appointed twelve of them, whom He
15
designated as apostles,
 to accompany Him, to be
sent out to preach,
 to
16
drive out demons.

and to have authority

  e

d

17

These  are  the  twelve  He  appointed:
  Simon
(whom  He  named  Peter),
James  son  of  Zebe-
18
dee and his brother John (whom He named Boa-
nerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
Andrew,
f
Philip,  Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Thomas,  James
19
son  of  Alphaeus,  Thaddaeus,  Simon  the  Zealot,
A House Divided
(Matthew 12:22–30 ;  Luke 11:14–23)

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

g

20

h

21

Then  Jesus  went  home,

  and  once  again  a
crowd  gathered,  so  that  He  and  His  disciples
could  not  even  eat.
When  His  family  heard
about this, they went out to take custody of Him,
22
saying, “He is out of His mind.”

i

And  the  scribes  who  had  come  down  from
Jerusalem  were  saying,  “He  is  possessed  by
Beelzebul,
” and, “By the prince of the demons He
23
drives out demons.”

Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins

whom He designated as apostles

So  Jesus  called  them  together  and  began  to
speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive

the Bread of the Presence

b 26

to heal sicknesses, and

These are the twelve He appointed

Simon the Cananean

Then He comes to a house

Beelzebub

d 15
.
i 22

Or
f 18
BYZ and TR include
Beezeboul
.

Greek

WH

; Vulgate

Mark 4:21    |    897

24

25

8

If  a  kingdom  is  divided  against
out  Satan?
26
If  a  house  is  divided
itself,  it  cannot  stand.
And  if  Satan  is
against  itself,  it  cannot  stand.
27
divided  and  rises  against  himself,  he  cannot
stand; his end has come.
Indeed, no one can en-
ter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions
unless  he  first  ties  up  the  strong  man.  Then  he
The Unpardonable Sin  (Matthew 12:31–32)
can plunder his house.
28

Still  other  seed  fell  on  good  soil,  where  it
sprouted,  grew  up,  and  produced  a  crop—one
bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another
9
a hundredfold.”

Then  Jesus  said,  “He  who  has  ears  to  hear,  let

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
him hear.”
(Isaiah 6:1–13 ;  Matthew 13:10–17 ;  Luke 8:9–10)

10

29

Truly  I  tell  you,  the  sons  of  men  will  be  for-
given all sins and blasphemies, as many as they
But  whoever  blasphemes  against  the
utter.
Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of
30
eternal sin.”

Jesus made this statement because they were

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
(Matthew 12:46–50 ;  Luke 8:19–21)

31

As  soon  as  Jesus  was  alone  with  the  Twelve
and those around Him, they asked Him about the
11
parable.

He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God
has been given to you, but to those on the outside
everything is expressed in parables,

so that,

12

‘they may be ever seeing but never

perceiving,

and ever hearing but never

understanding;

 b

32

Then  Jesus’  mother  and  brothers  came  and
stood outside. They sent someone in to summon
 a
Him,
and  a  crowd  was  sitting  around  Him.
“Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers
33
are outside, asking for You.”

34

But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My
Looking at those seated in a circle
brothers?”
35
around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and
For whoever does the will of God
My brothers!
The Parable of the Sower
is My brother and sister and mother.”
(Matthew 13:1–9 ;  Luke 8:4–8)

4

Once again Jesus began to teach beside the
sea, and such a large crowd gathered around
Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all
2
the people crowded along the shore.

3

And  He  taught  them  many  things  in  parables,
4
“Listen!  A  farmer
and  in  His  teaching  He  said,
And as he was sowing,
went out to sow his seed.
some seed fell along the path, and the birds came
5
and devoured it.

6

Some  fell  on  rocky  ground,  where  it  did  not
have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the
soil  was  shallow.
But  when  the  sun  rose,  the
seedlings were scorched, and they withered be-
7
cause they had no root.

otherwise they might turn

The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Matthew 13:18–23 ;  Luke 8:11–15)

and be forgiven.’

”

13

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “Do  you  not
understand this parable? Then how will you un-
15
14
derstand any of the parables?

 c

The farmer sows the word.

Some are like the
 along the path, where the word is sown.
seeds
As  soon  as  they  hear  it,  Satan  comes  and  takes
16
away the word that was sown in them.

17

Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground.
They hear the word and at once receive it with
joy.
But they themselves have no root, and they
remain for only a season. When trouble or perse-
cution comes because of the word, they quickly
18
fall away.

19

Others  are  like  the  seeds  sown  among  the
but the worries of
thorns. They hear the word,
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the de-
sire for other things come in and choke the word,
20
and it becomes unfruitful.

Still  others  are  like  the  seeds  sown  on  good
soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce
The Lesson of the Lamp  (Luke 8:16–18)
a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
21

Other  seed  fell  among  thorns,  which  grew  up
and  choked  the  seedlings,  and  they  yielded  no
a 32
crop.

and Your sisters
Now these are the ones

Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in
b 12
a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed?

the word

c 15

ECM, SBL, WH, and TR; NE and BYZ include

.

Isaiah 6:9–10 (see also LXX)

Or

;

similarly in verses 16, 18, and 20; literally

898    |    Mark 4:22

22

39

For there is noth-
Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
ing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing
23
concealed that will not be brought to light.
24

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you
hear. With the measure you use, it will be meas-
25
ured to you, and even more will be added to you.
For  whoever  has  will  be  given  more.  But
whoever does not have, even what he has will be
The Seed Growing Secretly
taken away from him.”
26

27

Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a
man  who  scatters  seed  on  the  ground.
Night
and  day  he  sleeps  and  wakes,  and  the  seed
28
sprouts  and  grows,  though  he  knows  not  how.
All  by  itself  the  earth  produces  a  crop—first
the  stalk,  then  the  head,  then  grain  that  ripens
And  as  soon  as  the  grain  is  ripe,  he
within.
a
swings  the  sickle,  because  the  harvest  has
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
come.
(Matthew 13:31–32 ;  Luke 13:18–19)

29

”

30

31

Then He asked, “To what can we compare the
kingdom of God? With what parable shall we pre-
It is like a mustard seed, which is the
sent it?
But
smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all
garden plants and puts forth great branches, so
33
that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

32

34

With  many  such  parables  Jesus  spoke  the
word  to  them,  to  the  extent  that  they  could
He  did  not  tell  them  anything
understand.
without  using  a  parable.  But  privately  He
Jesus Calms the Storm
explained everything to His own disciples.
(Psalm 107:1–43 ;  Matt. 8:23–27 ;  Luke 8:22–25)

35

36

When that evening came, He said to His disci-
ples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
After they
had  dismissed  the  crowd,  they  took  Jesus  with
them, since He was already in the boat. And there
37
were other boats with Him.

Soon  a  violent  windstorm  came  up,  and  the
38
waves  were  breaking  over  the  boat,  so  that  it
But  Jesus  was  in  the
was  being  swamped.
stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him
and  said,  “Teacher,  don’t  You  care  that  we  are
perishing?”
Gadarenes
a 29
sea

b 1

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and
the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And
40
the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

“Why  are  you  so  afraid?”  He  asked.  “Do  you

41
still have no faith?”

Overwhelmed  with  fear,  they  asked  one  an-
other,  “Who  is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  the
The Demons and the Pigs
sea obey Him?”
(Matthew 8:28–34 ;  Luke 8:26–39)

5

b

2

4

3

On the other side of the sea, they arrived in
As soon as Je-
the region of the Gerasenes.
sus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with
an  unclean  spirit,  who  was  coming  from  the
This man had been living in the tombs
tombs.
and  could  no  longer  be  restrained,  even  with
Though he was often bound with chains
chains.
and shackles, he had broken the chains and shat-
5
tered  the  shackles.  Now  there  was  no  one  with
Night and day in the
the strength to subdue him.
tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out
6
and cutting himself with stones.

7

When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran
And  he
and  fell  on  his  knees  before  Him.
shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with
me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You
For  Jesus  had
before  God  not  to  torture  me!”
already  declared,  “Come  out  of  this  man,  you
9
unclean spirit!”

8

“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

10

“My  name  is  Legion,”  he  replied,  “for  we  are
And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to
many.”
11
send them out of that region.

12

There  on  the  nearby  hillside  a  large  herd  of
So the demons begged Jesus,
pigs was feeding.
13
“Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”

He  gave  them  permission,  and  the  unclean
spirits  came  out  and  went  into  the  pigs,  and
the herd of about two thousand rushed down the
steep  bank  into  the  sea  and  drowned  in  the
14
water.

c

15

Those  tending  the  pigs  ran  off  and  reported
this in the town and countryside, and the people
went  out  to  see  what  had  happened.
When
they  came  to  Jesus,  they  saw  the  man  who  had
been possessed by the legion of demons sitting
there,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind;  and  they
were afraid.
Gergesenes

and were drowned in the

c 13

See Joel 3:13, including LXX.

BYZ and TR

; GOC

Literally

16

34

Mark 6:6    |    899

17

Those  who  had  seen  it  described  what  had
happened to the demon-possessed man and also
And the people began to beg Jesus
to the pigs.
18
to leave their region.

19

As He was getting into the boat, the man who
had been possessed by the demons begged to go
But Jesus would not allow him. “Go
with Him.
home  to  your  own  people,”  He  said,  “and  tell
them how much the Lord has done for you, and
20
what mercy He has shown you.”

 a
So the man went away and began to proclaim
 how much Jesus had

throughout the Decapolis
The Healing Touch of Jesus
done for him. And everyone was amazed.
(Matthew 9:18–26 ;  Luke 8:40–56)

21

22

When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the
other  side,  a  large  crowd  gathered  around  Him
A  synagogue  leader  named
beside  the  sea.
23
Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
and  pleaded  with  Him  urgently,  “My  little
daughter  is  near  death.  Please  come  and  place
Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and
24
live.”

25

So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd fol-
And a woman
lowed and pressed around Him.
26
was  there  who  had  suffered  from  bleeding  for
She had borne much agony un-
twelve years.
der the care of many physicians and had spent all
she  had,  but  to  no  avail.  Instead,  her  condition
27
had only grown worse.

28

When the woman heard about Jesus, she came
up through the crowd behind Him and touched
For she kept saying, “If only I touch
His cloak.
Immediately
His  garments,  I  will  be  healed.”
her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body
30
that she was healed of her affliction.

29

At once Jesus was aware that power had gone
out  from  Him.  Turning  to  the  crowd,  He  asked,
31
“Who touched My garments?”

His  disciples  answered,  “You  can  see  the
crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who
32
touched Me?’”

33

But  He  kept  looking  around  to  see  who  had
Then the woman, knowing what had
done this.
happened to her, came and fell down before Him
trembling  in  fear,  and  she  told  Him  the  whole
truth.
a 20

         b 36

c 3 Joses

ignored

“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed

35
you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

While He was still speaking, messengers from
the  house  of  Jairus  arrived  and  said,  “Your
daughter  is  dead;  why  bother  the  Teacher  any-
 b
36
more?”

But  Jesus  overheard

  their  conversation  and
37
said  to  Jairus,  “Do  not  be  afraid;  just  believe.”
And  He  did  not  allow  anyone  to  accompany
Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of
38
James.

When  they  arrived  at  the  house  of  the  syna-
gogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the
people  weeping  and  wailing  loudly.
He  went
inside  and  asked,  “Why  all  this  commotion  and
40
weeping?  The  child  is  not  dead,  but  asleep.”

39

And they laughed at Him.

42

41

After  He  had  put  them  all  outside,  He  took  the
child’s father and mother and His own compan-
Taking her
ions, and went in to see the child.
by  the  hand,  Jesus  said,  “Talitha  koum!”  which
Imme-
means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
diately the girl got up and began to walk around
43
(she  was  twelve  years  old).  And  at  once  they
Then Jesus gave strict
were utterly astounded.
orders that no one should know about this, and
The Rejection at Nazareth
He told them to give her something to eat.
(Matthew 13:53–58 ;  Luke 4:16–30)

6

2

Jesus  went  on  from  there  and  came  to  His
hometown,  accompanied  by  His  disciples.
When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in
the synagogue, and many who heard Him were
astonished.  “Where  did  this  man  get  these
ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has
been given? And how can He perform such mira-
Isn’t  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary
cles?
and  the  brother  of  James,  Joses,
  Judas,  and  Si-
mon?  Aren’t  His  sisters  here  with  us  as  well?”
4
And they took offense at Him.

3

c

5

Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown,
among his relatives, and in his own household is
So He could not per-
a prophet without honor.”
form any miracles there, except to lay His hands
And He was
on a few of the sick and heal them.
amazed at their unbelief.

6

And  He  went  around  from  village  to  village,
teaching the people.

Joseph

That is, the Ten Cities

Or

 is a variant of

; see Matthew 13:55.

900    |    Mark 6:7

The Ministry of the Twelve
(Matthew 10:5–15 ;  Luke 9:1–6)

7

Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began
8
to send them out two by two, giving them author-
ity over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to
 a
take  nothing  but  a  staff  for  the  journey—no
and to
bread, no bag, no money
10
wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

 in their belts—

9

11

And  He  told  them,  “When  you  enter  a  house,
If anyone
stay there until you leave that area.
will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the
 b
dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a
12
testimony against them.”

13

So they set out and preached that the people
They also drove out many de-
should repent.
mons  and  healed  many  of  the  sick,  anointing
The Beheading of John
them with oil.
(Matthew 14:1–12 ;  Luke 9:7–9)

14

c

Now  King  Herod  heard  about  this,  for  Jesus’
name had become well known, and people were
saying,
  “John  the  Baptist  has  risen  from  the
dead!  That  is  why  miraculous  powers  are  at
Others  were  saying,  “He  is  Eli-
work  in  him.”
jah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of
16
the prophets of old.”

15

But  when  Herod  heard  this,  he  said,  “John,
17
whom  I  beheaded,  has  risen  from  the  dead!”
For Herod himself had ordered that John be ar-
rested and bound and imprisoned, on account of
his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod
For John had been telling Herod,
had married.
“It  is  not  lawful  for  you  to  have  your  brother’s
19
wife!”

18

So  Herodias  held  a  grudge  against  John  and
20
wanted  to  kill  him.  But  she  had  been  unable,
because Herod feared John and protected him,
knowing that he was a righteous and holy man.
When he heard John’s words, he was greatly per-
21
plexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

 d

When  the  daughter  of  Herodias

On  Herod’s  birthday,  her  opportunity  arose.
Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military
22
commanders  and    the  leading  men  of  Galilee.
  came  and
danced,  she  pleased  Herod  and  his  guests,  and
the  king  said  to  the  girl,  “Ask  me  for  whatever
b 11
a 8
And  he
you  wish,  and  I  will  give  it  to  you.”
c 14
judgment than for that town

copper coins

swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give
24
you, up to half my kingdom!”

Then  she  went  out  and  asked  her  mother,

“What should I request?”

And her mother answered, “The head of John the
25
Baptist.”

At once the girl hurried back to the king with
her request: “I want you to give me the head of
26
John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

27

The king was consumed with sorrow, but be-
cause of his oaths and his guests, he did not want
So without delay, the king com-
to refuse her.
manded that John’s head be brought in. He sent
28
an executioner, who went and beheaded him in
The man brought John’s head on a
the prison.
platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to
29
her mother.

When  John’s  disciples  heard  about  this,  they
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.
(Matthew 14:13–21 ;  Luke 9:10–17 ;  John 6:1–15)

30

31

Meanwhile,  the  apostles  gathered  around  Je-
sus and brought Him news of all they had done
And He said to them, “Come with
and taught.
Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for
a while.” For many people were coming and go-
32
ing, and they did not even have time to eat.

33

So they went away in a boat by themselves to
But  many  people  saw  them
a  solitary  place.
leaving and recognized them. They ran together
34
on  foot  from  all  the  towns  and  arrived  before
When  Jesus  stepped  ashore  and  saw  a
them.
large  crowd,  He  had  compassion  on  them,  be-
cause they were like sheep without a shepherd.
35
And He began to teach them many things.

36

By now the hour was already late. So the disci-
ples  came  to  Jesus  and  said,  “This  is  a  desolate
Dismiss the
place, and the hour is already late.
crowd  so  they  can go  to  the  surrounding  coun-
tryside  and  villages  and  buy  themselves  some-
37
thing to eat.”

But Jesus told them, “You give them something

to eat.”

 e

23

They  asked  Him,  “Should  we  go  out  and  spend
two hundred denarii
 to give all of them bread to
Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of
eat?”
they were saying

he was saying

d 22

Or

BYZ and TR include
When his daughter Herodias

e 37

early manuscripts

; see Matthew 10:15.

Lit.

Some
A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matt. 20:2.

; some manuscripts

38

“Go  and  see  how  many  loaves  you  have,”  He

told them.

them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who
The Tradition of the Elders  (Matthew 15:1–9)
touched Him were healed.

Mark 7:15    |    901

And  after  checking,  they  said,  “Five—and  two
39
fish.”

40

Then  Jesus  directed  them  to  have  the  people
So  they  sat

sit  in  groups  on  the  green  grass.
41
down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Taking  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fish  and
looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and
broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His dis-
ciples  to  set  before  the  people.  And  He  divided
42
the two fish among them all.

43

44

They all ate and were satisfied,

and the dis-
ciples  picked  up  twelve  basketfuls  of  broken
pieces of bread and fish.
And there were five
Jesus Walks on Water
thousand men who had eaten the loaves.
(Matthew 14:22–33 ;  John 6:16–21)

45

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into
the  boat  and  go  on  ahead  of  Him  to  Bethsaida,
while  He  dismissed  the  crowd.
After  bidding
them  farewell,  He  went  up  on  the  mountain  to
47
pray.

46

48

When evening came, the boat was in the mid-
dle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.
He
could  see  that  the  disciples  were  straining  to
row, because the wind was against them. About
the fourth watch of the night,
 Jesus went out to
them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by
them,
but when they saw Him walking on the
50
sea,  they  cried  out,  thinking  He  was  a  ghost—

49

a

for they all saw Him and were terrified.

51

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I.
Do  not  be  afraid.”
Then  He  climbed  into  the
52
boat with them, and the wind died down. And the
disciples were utterly astounded,
for they had
not understood about the loaves, but their hearts
Jesus Heals at Gennesaret  (Matt. 14:34–36)
had been hardened.
53

54

56

55

When  they  had  crossed  over,  they  landed  at
Gennesaret  and  moored  the  boat.
As  soon  as
they  got  out  of  the  boat,  the  people  recognized
Jesus
and ran through that whole region, car-
rying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He
was.
And  wherever  He  went—villages  and
towns  and  countrysides—they  laid  the  sick  in
a 48
the  marketplaces  and  begged  Him  just  to  let

b 3

7

2

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes
who  had  come  from  Jerusalem  gathered
and  they  saw  some  of  His  disci-
around  Jesus,
ples eating with hands that were defiled—that is,
3
unwashed.

b

4

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the
Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they
And on return-
wash their hands ceremonially.
ing from the market, they do not eat unless they
wash.  And  there  are  many  other  traditions  for
them to observe, including the washing of cups,
5
pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

c

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus:
“Why do Your disciples not walk according to the
tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with de-
6
filed hands.”

Jesus  answered  them,  “Isaiah  prophesied  cor-

rectly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘These people honor Me with their lips,
7
but their hearts are far from Me.

They worship Me in vain;

 d

8

they teach as doctrine the precepts

of men.’

e

You  have  disregarded  the  commandment  of

9
God to keep the tradition of men.

”

 f

 h

11

10

He  went  on  to  say,  “You  neatly  set  aside  the
command  of  God  to  maintain
  your  own  tradi-
 g
tion.
For  Moses  said,  ‘Honor  your  father  and
your  mother’
  and  ‘Anyone  who  curses  his
father  or  mother  must  be  put  to  death.’
But
you say that if a man says to his father or mother,
12
‘Whatever you would have received from me is
he is no
Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
longer permitted to do anything for his father or
mother.
Thus  you  nullify  the  word  of  God  by
the tradition you have handed down. And you do
What Defiles a Man  (Matthew 15:10–20)
so in many such matters.”
14

13

Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and
15
said,  “All  of  you,  listen  to  Me  and  understand:
Nothing  that  enters  a  man  from  the  outside
can defile him; but the things that come out of a
man, these are what defile him.”

until they have washed their hands to the fist
e 8

c 4

—washings of pots and cups and
NE and
h 10

 i

cups, pitchers, and kettles.
That is, between three and six in the morning
Literally
g 10
establish
Isaiah 29:13 (see also LXX)
16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

many such things like these.
WH
i 15

d 7

f 9

BYZ and TR include

NA

BYZ and TR include
Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9

902    |    Mark 7:17

17

35

f

After  Jesus  had  left  the  crowd  and  gone  into
the house, His disciples inquired about the para-
18
ble.

Immediately

opened!”).
 the man’s ears were
opened and his tongue was released, and he be-
36
gan to speak plainly.

“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not
19
understand? Nothing that enters a man from the
because it does not en-
outside can defile him,
ter  his  heart,  but  it  goes  into  the  stomach  and
20
then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

 a

21

22

He continued: “What comes out of a man, that
For from within the hearts
is what defiles him.
b
of  men  come  evil  thoughts,  sexual  immorality,
greed,  wickedness,
theft,  murder,  adultery,
deceit,  debauchery,  envy,  slander,  arrogance,
and  foolishness.
All  these  evils  come  from
The Faith of the Gentile Woman
within, and these are what defile a man.”
(Matthew 15:21–28)

23

24

c

25

Jesus left that place and went to the region of
Tyre.
  Not  wanting  anyone  to  know  He  was
there,  He  entered  a  house,  but  was  unable  to
escape  their  notice.
Instead,  a  woman  whose
little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard
26
about  Jesus,  and  she  came  and  fell  at  His  feet.
Now  she was  a  Greek woman  of  Syrophoeni-
cian origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the
27
demon out of her daughter.

“First let the children have their fill,” He said.
“For  it  is  not  right  to  take  the  children’s  bread
28
and toss it to the dogs.”

 d

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs

29
the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

 under

Then Jesus  told  her,  “Because  of  this answer,
30
you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
And she went home and found her child lying

The Deaf and Mute Man  (Matthew 9:27–34)
on the bed, and the demon was gone.
31

Then  Jesus  left  the  region  of  Tyre  and  went
e
32
through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the
Some people brought
region of the Decapolis.
to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to
speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand
33
on him.

37

Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the
more  He  ordered  them,  the  more  widely  they
proclaimed it.
The people were utterly aston-
ished and said, “He has done all things well! He
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
(2 Kings 4:42–44 ;  Matthew 15:29–39)

8

2

In those days the crowd once again became
very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus
“I  have
called  the  disciples  to  Him  and  said,
compassion for this crowd, because they have al-
ready been with Me three days and have nothing
If  I  send  them  home  hungry,  they  will
to  eat.
faint along the way. For some of them have come
4
a great distance.”

3

His  disciples  replied,  “Where  in  this  desolate
place could anyone find enough bread to feed all
5
these people?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

6
“Seven,” they replied.

And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the
ground.  Then  He  took  the  seven  loaves,  gave
thanks  and  broke  them,  and  gave  them  to  His
disciples to set before the people. And they dis-
They also had a few
tributed them to the crowd.
small  fish,  and  Jesus  blessed  them  and  ordered
8
that these be set before them as well.

7

The people ate and were satisfied, and the dis-
ciples  picked  up  seven  basketfuls  of  broken
pieces that were left over.
And about four thou-
 were present.
sand men

10

9

 g

And when Jesus had dismissed the crowd,
He
immediately got into the boat with His disciples
The Demand for a Sign
and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
(Matthew 16:1–4 ;  Luke 12:54–56)

11

Then the Pharisees came and began to argue
with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him
12
a sign from heaven.

So Jesus took him aside privately, away from
the  crowd,  and  put  His  fingers  into  the  man’s
34
ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.
And  looking  up  to  heaven,  He  sighed  deeply
and then is eliminated, thereby expelling all foods.”
a 19
and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be
puppies

d 28

and Sidon
Immediately

Or
TR include
include

g 9 Men

 ; see Matthew 15:21.
.

Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why
does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell
13
you,  no  sign  will  be  given  to  this  generation.”
And He left them, got back into the boat, and

adultery

c 24

b 21

crossed to the other side.
f 35
e 31
Many texts move

 to verse 22.

WH, BYZ, and
ECM, WH, and SBL do not

 is implied here, that is, in addition to women and children; see Matthew 15:38.

Or

That is, the Ten Cities

The Leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod
(Matthew 16:5–12 ;  Luke 12:1–3)

14

15

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread,
except  for  one  loaf  they  had  with  them  in  the
“Watch  out!”  He  cautioned  them.  “Be-
boat.
16
ware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

So they began to discuss with one another the

17
fact that they had no bread.

18

Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them,
“Why are you debating about having no bread?
Do you still not see or understand? Do you have
‘Having  eyes,  do  you  not
such  hard  hearts?
19
see? And having ears, do you not hear?’
 And do
When  I  broke  the  five
you  not  remember?
loaves for the five thousand, how many basket-
fuls of broken pieces did you collect?”
20
“Twelve,” they answered.

 a

“And  when  I  broke  the  seven  loaves  for  the
four  thousand,  how  many  basketfuls  of  broken
pieces did you collect?”
21
“Seven,” they said.

Then  He  asked  them,  “Do  you  still  not

The Blind Man at Bethsaida
understand?”
22

23

When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people
brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch
So He took the blind man by the hand and
him.
led  him  out  of  the  village.  Then  He  spit  on  the
man’s  eyes  and  placed  His  hands  on  him.  “Can
24
you see anything?” He asked.

The man looked up and said, “I can see the peo-

25
ple, but they look like trees walking around.”

26

Once  again  Jesus  placed  His  hands  on  the
man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight
was  restored,  and  he  could  see  everything
 b
Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not
clearly.
Peter’s Confession of Christ
go back into the village.”
(Matt. 16:13–20 ;  Luke 9:18–20 ;  John 6:67–71)

27

Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the vil-
lages  around  Caesarea  Philippi.  On  the  way,  He
questioned  His  disciples:  “Who  do  people  say  I
28
am?”

They  replied,  “Some  say  John  the  Baptist;
others  say  Elijah;  and  still  others,  one  of  the
a 18
prophets.”
the village.”

three tabernacles

c 5

Mark 9:5    |    903

29

“But  what  about  you?”  Jesus  asked.  “Who  do

you say I am?”
30
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

And  Jesus  warned  them  not  to  tell  anyone

Christ’s Passion Foretold
about Him.
(Matthew 16:21–23 ;  Luke 9:21–22)

31

Then He began to teach them that the Son of
Man must suffer many things and be rejected by
the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He
32
must  be  killed  and  after  three  days  rise  again.
He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter

33
took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples,
rebuked  Peter  and  said,  “Get  behind Me,  Satan!
For  you  do  not  have in  mind  the  things  of  God,
Take Up Your Cross
but the things of men.”
(Matthew 16:24–28 ;  Luke 9:23–27)

34

Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with
His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants
to come after Me, he must deny himself and take
For whoever wants
up his cross and follow Me.
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
36
life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.

35

37

38

What  does  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole
world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man
give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?
If  anyone  is
ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous
and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be
ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s
The Transfiguration
glory with the holy angels.”
(Matt. 17:1–13 ;  Luke 9:28–36 ;  2 Peter 1:16–21)

9

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “Truly  I  tell  you,
there  are  some  standing  here  who  will  not
taste death before they see the kingdom of God
2
arrive with power.”

3

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James,
and  John,  and  led  them  up  a  high  mountain
by  themselves.  There  He  was  transfigured
His  clothes  became  radiantly
before  them.
white,  brighter  than  any  launderer  on  earth
could  bleach  them.
And  Elijah  and  Moses  ap-
5
peared before them, talking with Jesus.

4

 c

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be
“Do not go and tell anyone in
—one for You,

here. Let us put up three shelters

b 26

See Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 42:20, Jeremiah 5:21, and Ezekiel 12:2.

BYZ and TR

Or

904    |    Mark 9:6

6

For  they
one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah.”
were all so terrified that Peter did not know what
7
else to say.

8

Then  a  cloud  appeared  and  enveloped  them,
and  a  voice  came  from  the  cloud:  “This  is  My
beloved  Son.  Listen  to  Him!”
Suddenly,  when
they looked around, they saw no one with them
9
except Jesus.

10

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus
admonished  them  not  to  tell  anyone  what  they
had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the
dead.
So they kept this matter to themselves,
11
discussing what it meant to rise from the dead.
And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say

12
that Elijah must come first?”

13

He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and
he restores all things. Why then is it written that
the Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected?
But I tell you that Elijah has indeed
come, and they have done to him whatever they
The Boy with an Evil Spirit
wished, just as it is written about him.”
(Matthew 17:14–18 ;  Luke 9:37–42)

14

15

When  they  returned  to  the  other  disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes
arguing  with  them.
As  soon  as  all  the  people
saw Jesus, they were filled with awe and ran to
16
greet Him.

“What  are  you  disputing  with  them?”  He

17
asked.

18

Someone  in  the  crowd  replied,  “Teacher,  I
brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes
Whenever  it  seizes  him,  it  throws
him  mute.
him  to  the  ground.  He  foams  at  the  mouth,
  I  asked
gnashes  his  teeth,  and  becomes  rigid.
Your disciples to drive it out, but they were una-
19
ble.”

a

“O  unbelieving  generation!”  Jesus  replied.
“How  long  must  I  remain  with  you?  How  long
20
must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”

So  they  brought  him,  and  seeing  Jesus,  the
spirit immediately threw the boy into a convul-
sion.  He  fell  to  the  ground  and  rolled  around,
21
foaming at the mouth.

Jesus  asked  the  boy’s  father,  “How  long  has

this been with him?”

22

But if You can do anything, have compassion on
23
us and help us.”

“If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are pos-

b

24
sible to him who believes!”

Immediately the boy’s father cried out,

25
believe; help my unbelief!”

 “I do

When  Jesus  saw  that  a crowd  had  come  run-
ning,  He  rebuked  the  unclean  spirit.  “You  deaf
and  mute  spirit,”  He  said,  “I  command  you  to
26
come out and never enter him again.”

After  shrieking  and  convulsing  him  violently,
the  spirit  came  out.  The  boy  became  like  a
But Je-
corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.”
sus took him by the hand and helped him to his
28
feet, and he stood up.

27

After Jesus had gone into the house, His disci-
ples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive
29
it out?”

 c

Jesus  answered,  “This  kind  cannot  come  out,

The Second Prediction of the Passion
except by prayer.”
(Matthew 17:22–23 ;  Luke 9:43–45)

30

Going on from there, they passed through Gal-
31
ilee.  But  Jesus  did  not  want  anyone  to  know,
because He was teaching His disciples. He told
them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the
hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three
But they did not understand
days He will rise.”
this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him
The Greatest in the Kingdom
about it.
(Matthew 18:1–5 ;  Luke 9:46–50)

32

33

34

Then  they  came  to  Capernaum.  While  Jesus
was  in  the  house,  He  asked  them,  “What  were
But they were si-
you discussing on the way?”
lent, for on the way they had been arguing about
35
which of them was the greatest.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,
“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of
36
all and the servant of all.”

Then He had a little child stand among them.
37
Taking  the  child  in  His  arms,  He  said  to  them,
“Whoever  welcomes  one  of  these  little  chil-
dren  in  My  name  welcomes  Me,  and  whoever
welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One
c 29
who sent Me.”

prayer and fasting

“It often throws him
“From childhood,” he said.
a 18
into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him.

and is withering away

b 24

cried out with tears

Or

BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR

38

5

Mark 10:21    |    905

John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone
else  driving  out  demons  in  Your  name,  and  we
tried  to  stop  him,  because  he  does  not  accom-
39
pany us.”

40

“Do  not  stop  him,” Jesus  replied.  “For  no  one
who  performs  a  miracle  in  My  name  can  turn
41
For  whoever  is
around  and  speak  evil  of  Me.
Indeed, if anyone gives
not against us is for us.
you  even  a  cup  of  water  because  you  bear  the
name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose
Temptations and Trespasses
his reward.
(Matthew 18:6–9 ;  Luke 17:1–4)

42

But  if  anyone  causes  one  of  these  little  ones
who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better
for him to have a large millstone hung around his
43
neck and to be thrown into the sea.

b

a

45

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is
better for you to enter life crippled than to have
 into the unquencha-
two hands and go into hell,
ble fire.
If your foot causes you to sin, cut it
c
off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to
have two feet and be thrown into hell.
And if
your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is bet-
ter for you to enter the kingdom of God with one
eye  than  to  have  two  eyes  and  be  thrown  into
where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire
hell,
Good Salt  (Matthew 5:13–16 ;  Luke 14:34–35)
is never quenched.’
49

47

48

 d

e

50

For everyone will be salted with fire.

Salt  is  good,  but  if  the  salt  loses  its  saltiness,
with  what  will  you  season  it?  Have  salt  among
Teachings about Divorce  (Matthew 19:1–12)
yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

10

Then Jesus left that place and went into
the  region  of  Judea,  beyond  the  Jordan.
Again  the  crowds  came  to  Him  and  He  taught
2
them, as was His custom.

Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful

3
for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
4

“What did Moses command you?” He replied.

 f

They  answered,  “Moses  permitted  a  man  to
write  his  wife  a  certificate  of  divorce  and  send
a 43
her away.”

Gehenna

b 43

 g

7

6

But  Jesus  told  them,  “Moses  wrote  this  com-
mandment for you because of your hardness of
heart.
However, from the beginning of creation,
‘God  made  them  male  and  female.’
‘For  this
8
reason  a  man  will  leave  his  father  and  mother
and be united to his wife,
and the two will be-
come one flesh.’
 So they are no longer two, but
Therefore  what  God  has  joined  to-
one  flesh.
10
gether, let man not separate.”

9

h

 i

11

When they were back inside the house, the dis-
ciples asked Jesus about this matter.
So He told
them,  “Whoever  divorces  his  wife  and  marries
12
another  woman  commits  adultery  against  her.
And  if  a  woman  divorces  her  husband  and

Jesus Blesses the Children
marries another man, she commits adultery.”
(Matthew 19:13–15 ;  Luke 18:15–17)

13

Now people were bringing the little children to
Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the
14
disciples rebuked those who brought them.

But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and
told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and
15
do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God be-
longs to such as these.
Truly I tell you, anyone
who does not receive the kingdom of God like a
little child will never enter it.”
And He took the
children in His arms, placed His hands on them,
The Rich Young Man
and blessed them.
(Matthew 19:16–30 ;  Luke 18:18–30)

16

17

As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and
knelt  before  Him.  “Good  Teacher,”  he  asked,
18
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19

“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No
one  is  good  except  God  alone.
You  know  the
commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
do  not  cheat  others,  honor  your  father  and
20
mother.’

”

 j

“Teacher,”  he  replied,  “all  these  I  have  kept

21
from my youth.”

Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him,
“There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything
you own and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.
44 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched

”

k

c 45
; also vv. 45, 47

Greek

d 48
see verse 48 and Isaiah 66:24.
g 6
verse 48 and Isaiah 66:24.
j 19
De. 24:1.
also LXX)

46 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched

BYZ and TR include
e 49
h 7

BYZ and TR include

and every sacrifice will be salted with salt
and be united to his wife.

i 8

;
f 4
; see

Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2

Isaiah 66:24

BYZ and TR include
NE and WH do not include

k 21

Then come, take up the cross, and follow Me.

.

See

Genesis 2:24 (see

Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20

BYZ and TR

906    |    Mark 10:22

22

37

But the man was saddened by these words and
went  away  in  sorrow,  because  he  had  great
23
wealth.

They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit
at Your right hand and the other at Your left in
38
Your glory.”

Then Jesus looked around and said to His dis-
ciples,  “How  hard  it  is  for  the  rich  to  enter  the
24
kingdom of God!”

“You  do  not  know  what  you  are  asking,”
Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink,
39
or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”

And the disciples were amazed at His words.

 a

25

But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard
it is to enter
It is easier
 the kingdom of God!
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
26
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were even more astonished and said to

27
one another, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this
is impossible, but not with God. For all things are
28
possible with God.”

Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we have left

29
everything and followed You.”

30

“Truly  I  tell  you,”  Jesus  replied,  “no  one  who
has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or
father  or  children  or  fields  for  My  sake  and  for
the gospel
will fail to receive a hundredfold in
the  present  age—houses  and  brothers  and  sis-
ters and mothers and children and fields, along
with persecutions—and in the age to come, eter-
nal life.
But many who are first will be last, and
The Third Prediction of the Passion
the last will be first.”
(Matthew 20:17–19 ;  Luke 18:31–34)

31

32

33

As they were going up the road to Jerusalem,
Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples
were  amazed,  but  those  who  followed  were
afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside and be-
gan  to  tell  them  what  was  going  to  happen  to
Him:
“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief
priests  and  scribes.  They  will  condemn  Him  to
34
death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles,
who will mock Him and spit on Him and flog
Him  and  kill  Him.  And  after  three  days  He  will
The Request of James and John
rise again.”
(Matthew 20:20–28)

35

Then  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,
came  to  Jesus  and  declared,  “Teacher,  we  want
36
You to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What  do  you  want  Me  to  do  for  you?”  He

“We can,” the brothers answered.

40

 “You will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said,
“and you will be baptized with the baptism that I
But  to  sit  at  My  right  or  left  is  not
undergo.
Mine  to  grant.  These  seats  belong  to  those  for
41
whom

 they have been prepared.”

 b

42

When  the  ten  heard  about  this,  they  became
So Jesus called
indignant with James and John.
them together and said, “You know that those re-
garded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
43
and their superiors exercise authority over them.
But it shall not be this way among you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must
and whoever wants to be first
be your servant,
For  even  the  Son  of
must  be  the  slave  of  all.
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus
to give His life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:29–34 ;  Luke 18:35–43)

44

45

46

Next,  they  came  to  Jericho.  And  as  Jesus  and
His  disciples  were  leaving  Jericho  with  a  large
crowd,  a  blind  beggar  named  Bartimaeus,
47
the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road.
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he  began  to  cry  out,  “Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have
48
mercy on me!”

Many people admonished him to be silent, but
he  cried  out  all  the  louder,  “Son  of  David,  have
49
mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So  they  called  the  blind  man.  “Take  courage!”
50
they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.”

Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up

51
and came to Jesus.

“What  do  you  want  Me  to  do  for  you?”  Jesus

asked.
52
“Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”

“Go,”  said  Jesus,  “your  faith  has  healed  you.”
And  immediately  he  received  his  sight  and  fol-
lowed Jesus along the road.

a 24
inquired.

how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter

b 40

Mine to grant, but for whom

BYZ and TR

Literally

The Triumphal Entry  (Zechariah 9:9–13 ;
Matt. 21:1–11 ;  Luke 19:28–40 ;  John 12:12–19)

11

2

As they approached Jerusalem and came
to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount
and
of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples
said  to  them,  “Go  into  the  village  ahead  of  you,
and as soon as you enter  it, you will find a colt
tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it
If anyone asks, ‘Why are you
and bring it here.
doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will
4
return it shortly.’

”

3

5

So they went and found the colt outside in the
and
street,  tied  at  a  doorway.  They  untied  it,
some who were standing there asked, “Why are
6
you untying the colt?”

The disciples answered as Jesus had instructed
7
them,  and  the  people  gave  them  permission.
Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their

8
cloaks over it, and He sat on it.

9

Many  in  the  crowd  spread  their  cloaks  on  the
road, while others spread branches they had cut
The ones who went ahead and
from the fields.
those who followed were shouting:

 a

“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the

 b

10

11

Lord!”

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our

 c

father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

d

Then  Jesus  entered  Jerusalem  and  went
into the temple courts.
 He looked around at eve-
rything, but since it was already late, He went out
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
to Bethany with the Twelve.
(Matthew 21:18–22 ;  Mark 11:20–25)

12

13

14

The next day, when they had left Bethany, Je-
Seeing  in  the  distance  a  fig
sus  was  hungry.
tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit
on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing
on it except leaves, since it was not the season for
Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever
figs.
eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
this statement.
(Matt. 21:12–17 ;  Luke 19:45–48 ;  John 2:12–25)

15

Mark 11:32    |    907

16

17

who  were  buying  and  selling  there.  He  over-
turned the tables of the money changers and the
seats of those selling doves.
And He would not
allow anyone to carry merchandise through the
temple courts.
Then Jesus began to teach them,
and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will
be called a house of prayer for all the nations’
?
18
But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’

”

 e

 f

When the chief priests and scribes heard this,
they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were
afraid  of  Him,  because  the  whole  crowd  was
19
astonished at His teaching.

  g

And when evening came, Jesus and His disci-

The Withered Fig Tree
ples went
 out of the city.
(Matthew 21:18–22 ;  Mark 11:12–14)

20

As  they  were  walking  back  in  the  morning,
21
they  saw  the  fig  tree  withered  from  its  roots.
Peter  remembered  it  and  said,  “Look,  Rabbi!

22
The fig tree You cursed has withered.”
23

“Have  faith  in  God,”  Jesus  said  to  them.
“Truly  I  tell  you  that  if  anyone  says  to  this
mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it
will happen, it will be done for him.
Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe
25
that you have received it, and it will be yours.

24

h

And  when  you  stand  to  pray,  if  you  hold
anything against another, forgive it, so that your
Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
well.
(Matthew 21:23–27 ;  Luke 20:1–8)

”

27

After  their  return  to  Jerusalem,  Jesus  was
walking  in  the  temple  courts,  and  the  chief
priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him.
“By
what authority are You doing these things?” they
asked.  “And  who  gave  You  the  authority  to  do
29
them?”

28

“I  will  ask  you  one  question,”  Jesus  replied,
“and  if  you  answer  Me,  I  will  tell  you  by  what
authority  I  am  doing  these  things.
John’s
baptism—was it from heaven or from men? An-
31
swer Me!”

30

When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered
a 9 Hosanna
the temple courts and began to drive out those
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
, meaning
temple
f 17
see Ps. 118:25.
h 25

 is a transliteration of the Heb.
e 17
Or
Ps. 118:26

Hosia-na

c 10

b 9

26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses

 See Psalm 118:25 and Psalm 148:1.

 or

g 19

they went

, which became a shout of praise;
He went
Lit.

They deliberated among themselves what they
should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will
Save, we pray
ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
But if
the

Save now

d 11

32

; also in verses 15, 16, and 27

Isaiah 56:7

Jeremiah 7:11

Literally

; BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR include

; see Matt. 6:15.

908    |    Mark 11:33

we  say,  ‘From  men’
”  they  were  afraid  of  the
33
people,  for  they  all  held  that  John  truly  was  a
prophet.
So they answered, “We do not know.”

. . .

teach  the  way  of  God  in  accordance  with  the
truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
15
Should we pay them or not?”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
authority I am doing these things.”
(Matthew 21:33–46 ;  Luke 20:9–18)

12

Then  Jesus  began  to  speak  to  them  in
parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He
put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a
watchtower. Then he rented it out to some ten-
2
ants and went away on a journey.

At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants
3
to  collect  his  share  of  the  fruit  of  the  vineyard.
But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent

4
him away empty-handed.

Then  he  sent  them  another  servant,  and  they
struck  him  over  the  head  and  treated  him
5
shamefully.

He sent still another, and this one they killed.

He sent many others; some they beat and others
6
they killed.

Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to

7
them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

8

But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the
heir.  Come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  the  inheritance
will be ours.’
So they seized the son, killed him,
9
and threw him out of the vineyard.

10

What  then  will  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  do?
He will come and kill those tenants and give the
vineyard  to  others.
Have  you  never  read  this
Scripture:

11

‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.

 a

This is from the Lord,

12

 b

and it is marvelous in our eyes’

?”

At this, the leaders sought

 to arrest Jesus, for
they  knew  that  He  had  spoken  this  parable
against  them.  But  fearing  the  crowd,  they  left
Paying Taxes to Caesar
Him and went away.
(Matthew 22:15–22 ;  Luke 20:19–26)

13

14

Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and He-
“Teacher,”
rodians to catch Jesus in His words.
they said, “we know that You are honest and seek
a 11
favor from no one. Indeed, You are impartial and

b 12

c 15

they sought
e 23

d 19

Psalm 118:22–23

Matthew 20:2.

Literally
Deuteronomy 25:5

 c

 to inspect.”

But  Jesus  saw  through  their  hypocrisy  and
16
said,  “Why  are  you  testing  Me?  Bring  Me  a
denarius
So they brought it, and
He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose
inscription?”
17
“Caesar’s,” they answered.

Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is

Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
And they marveled at Him.
(Matthew 22:23–33 ;  Luke 20:27–40)

18

d

20

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no res-
19
urrection,  came  to  Jesus  and  questioned  Him:
“Teacher,  Moses  wrote  for  us  that  if  a  man’s
brother  dies  and  leaves  a  wife  but  no  children,
the  man  is  to  marry  his  brother’s  widow  and
raise  up  offspring  for  him.
Now  there  were
21
seven brothers. The first one married and died,
Then  the  second  one
leaving  no  children.
married the widow, but he also died and left no
In  this
children.  And  the  third  did  likewise.
way, none of the seven left any children. And last
of  all,  the  woman  died.
In  the  resurrection,
then,
 whose wife will she be? For all seven were
24
married to her.”

22

23

e

25

Jesus  said  to  them,  “Aren’t  you  mistaken,  be-
cause  you  do  not  know  the  Scriptures  or  the
When  the  dead  rise,  they  will
power  of  God?
neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead,
26
they will be like the angels in heaven.

But concerning the dead rising, have you not
read about the burning bush in the Book of Mo-
ses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’
He is
not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are
The Greatest Commandment
badly mistaken!”
(Deuteronomy 6:1–19 ;  Matthew 22:34–40)

27

?

 f

28

Now one of the scribes had come up and heard
their  debate.  Noticing  how  well  Jesus  had  an-
swered them, he asked Him, “Which command-
29
ment is the most important of all?”

Jesus  replied,  “This  is  the  most  important:
‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

In the resurrection, when they rise,
A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see

f 26

Literally

Exodus 3:6

30

43

Mark 13:14    |    909

31

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
 a
with  all  your  soul  and  with  all  your  mind  and
with  all  your  strength.’
The  second  is  this:
 No other com-
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
32
mandment is greater than these.”

 b

33

“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have
stated correctly that God is One and there is no
other but Him,
and to love Him with all your
heart and with all your understanding and with
all  your  strength,  and  to  love  your  neighbor  as
yourself.  This  is  more  important  than  all  burnt
34
offerings and sacrifices.”

When  Jesus  saw  that  the  man  had  answered
wisely, He said,  “You are not far from the king-
dom of God.”
Whose Son Is the Christ?
And no one dared to question Him any further.
(Matthew 22:41–46 ;  Luke 20:41–44)

35

c

While  Jesus  was  teaching  in  the  temple
 He asked, “How can the scribes say that
Speaking by the

courts,
the Christ is the Son of David?
Holy Spirit, David himself declared:

36

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until I put Your enemies
under Your feet.”

 d

’

37

David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He

Jesus  called  His  disciples  to  Him  and  said,
“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more
For they
than all the others into the treasury.
all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of
Temple Destruction and Other Signs
her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
(Matthew 24:1–8 ;  Luke 21:5–9)

44

13

As  Jesus was  leaving  the  temple,  one  of
His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look

2
at the magnificent stones and buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus re-
plied. “Not one stone here will be left on another;
3
every one will be thrown down.”

4

While  Jesus  was  sitting  on  the  Mount  of
Olives  opposite  the  temple,  Peter,  James,  John,
and Andrew asked Him privately,
“Tell us, when
will  these  things happen?  And  what  will  be  the
5
sign that they are about to be fulfilled?”
6

Jesus  began  by  telling  them,  “See  to  it  that  no
Many will come in My name,
one deceives you.
7
claiming,  ‘I  am  He,’  and  will  deceive  many.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do
8
not be alarmed. These things must happen, but
Nation will rise against
the end is still to come.
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will
be earthquakes in various places, as well as fam-
Witnessing to All Nations
ines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
(Matthew 24:9–14 ;  Luke 21:10–19)

be David’s son?”

9

And  the  large  crowd  listened  to  Him  with
Beware of the Scribes  (Luke 20:45–47)
delight.
38

In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for
the  scribes.  They  like  to  walk  around  in  long
39
robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
and to have the chief seats in the synagogues
and the places of honor at banquets.
They de-
fraud  widows  of  their  houses,
  and  for  a  show
make  lengthy  prayers.  These  men  will  receive
The Widow’s Offering  (Luke 21:1–4)
greater condemnation.”
41

40

e

42

As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He
watched  the  crowd  putting  money  into  it.  And
many rich people put in large amounts.
Then
one poor widow came and put in two small cop-
per coins, which amounted to a small fraction of
b 31
a 30
a denarius.
devour widows’ houses

f 42

f

Deuteronomy 6:4–5

Leviticus 19:18
Greek
Daniel the prophet
where he should not be
worth about 1/128 of a denarius.

h 14

c 35
put in two lepta, which is a kodrantēs
g 14

Literally

.

Or

10

So be on your guard. You will be delivered over
to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On
My account you will stand before governors and
kings  as  witnesses  to  them.
And  the  gospel
must first be proclaimed to all the nations.
But
when they arrest you and hand you over, do not
worry  beforehand  what  to  say.  Instead,  speak
whatever you are given at that time, for it will not
12
be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

11

Brother  will  betray  brother  to  death,  and  a
father  his  child.  Children  will  rise  against  their
parents and have them put to death.
You will
be hated by  everyone because of My name, but
The Abomination of Desolation
the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
(Matthew 24:15–25 ;  Luke 21:20–24)

13

14

 g

 h

d 36

So  when  you  see  the  abomination  of  desola-
They
the temple
tion
  (let  the

  standing  where  it  should  not  be
Literally
Psalm 110:1

spoken of by
; a lepton was a Jewish coin of bronze or copper

e 40

See Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11; BYZ and TR include

910    |    Mark 13:15

15

reader understand), then let those who are in Ju-
dea  flee  to  the  mountains.
Let  no  one  on  the
housetop  go  back  inside  to  retrieve  anything
from his house.
And let no one in the field re-
17
turn for his cloak.

16

18

How miserable those days will be for pregnant
19
and  nursing  mothers!
Pray  that  this  will  not
occur in the winter.
For those will be days of
tribulation  unseen  from  the  beginning  of  God’s
20
creation  until  now,  and  never  to  be  seen  again.
If  the  Lord  had  not  cut  short  those  days,  no-
body  would  be  saved.  But  for  the  sake  of  the
elect,  whom  He  has  chosen,  He  has  cut  them
21
short.

At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here
22
is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets will appear
and perform signs and wonders to deceive even
the elect, if that were possible.
So be on your
The Return of the Son of Man
guard; I have told you everything in advance.
(Matthew 24:26–31 ;  Luke 21:25–28)

23

24

33

 e

Be on your guard and stay alert!

 For
Father.
you do not know when the appointed time will
34
come.

It is like a man going on a journey who left his
house, put each servant in charge of his own task,
35
and  instructed  the  doorkeeper  to  keep  watch.
Therefore  keep  watch,  because  you  do  not
know when the master of the house will return—
whether  in  the  evening,  at  midnight,  when  the
Otherwise,
rooster  crows,  or  in  the  morning.
he may arrive without notice and find you sleep-
ing.
And what I say to you, I say to everyone:
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Keep watch!”
(Matthew 26:1–5 ;  Luke 22:1–2 ;  John 11:45–57)

36

37

14

 f

Now  the  Passover  and  the  Feast  of  Un-
leavened  Bread
  were  two  days  away,
and the chief priests and scribes were looking for
“But
a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.
not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
a riot among the people.”
(Matthew 26:6–13 ;  Luke 7:36–50 ;  John 12:1–8)

2

But in those days, after that tribulation:

3

25

‘The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

 a

and the powers of the heavens will

26

be shaken.’

b
At that time they will see the Son of Man com-
27
ing  in  the  clouds  with  great  power  and  glory.

And He will send out the angels to gather His
elect from the four winds, from the ends of the
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
earth to the ends of heaven.
(Matthew 24:32–35 ;  Luke 21:29–33)

28

 c

d

29

Now  learn  this  lesson

  from  the  fig  tree:  As
soon as its branches become tender and sprout
leaves, you know that summer is near.
So also,
when you see these things happening, know that
He is near,
Truly I tell you,
31
this generation will not pass away until all these
things have happened.
Heaven and earth will
Readiness at Any Hour
pass away, but My words will never pass away.
(Matthew 24:36–51 ;  Luke 12:35–48)

 right at the door.

30

g

While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the ta-
ble  in  the  home  of  Simon  the  Leper,
  a  woman
came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume,
made  of  pure  nard.  She  broke  open  the  jar  and
4
poured it on Jesus’ head.

5

Some  of  those  present,  however,  expressed
their  indignation  to  one  another:  “Why  this
It could have been sold for
waste of perfume?
over  three  hundred  denarii
  and  the  money
6
given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

 h

7

8

But  Jesus  said,  “Leave  her  alone;  why  are  you
i
bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to
The  poor  you  will  always  have  with  you,
Me.
and you can help them whenever you want. But
She has done what
you will not always have Me.
she  could  to  anoint  My  body  in  advance  of  My
burial.
And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel
is preached in all the world, what she has done
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
will also be told in memory of her.”
(Matthew 26:14–16 ;  Luke 22:3–6)

9

32

10

11

No one knows about that day or hour, not even
a 25
the  angels  in  heaven,  nor  the  Son,  but  only  the
c 28
Or
Unleavened
Or

and the celestial bodies will be shaken
this parable

BYZ and TR

it is near

d 29

e 33

g 3

Or

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to
b 26
They
Be on your guard, stay alert, and pray!
h 5

the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.

Simon the Jar Maker

and the

f 1

; see Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 34:4, and Joel 2:10.

Simon the Potter

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

Aramaic

i 7

 or

See Daniel 7:13–14.
Literally
A denarius was

customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

See Deuteronomy 15:11.

were delighted to hear this, and they promised to
give him money.

So Judas began to look for an opportunity to be-
Preparing the Passover
tray Jesus.
(Matthew 26:17–19 ;  Luke 22:7–13)

12

a

On  the  first  day  of  the  Feast  of  Unleavened
Bread,
 when the Passover lamb was to be sacri-
ficed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You
13
want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

14

So He sent two of His disciples and told them,
“Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of wa-
and whichever
ter will meet you. Follow him,
house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher
15
asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat
And  he  will
the  Passover  with  My  disciples?’
show  you  a  large  upper  room,  furnished  and
16
ready. Make preparations for us there.”

So  the  disciples  left  and  went  into  the  city,
where  they  found  everything  as  Jesus  had  de-
The Last Supper  (Matthew 26:20–30 ;
scribed. And they prepared the Passover.
Luke 22:14–23 ;  1 Corinthians 11:17–34)

17

18

When  evening  came,  Jesus  arrived  with  the
And while they were reclining and eat-
Twelve.
ing, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you who is
19
eating with Me will betray Me.”

They began to be grieved and to ask Him one

20
after another, “Surely not I?”

21
who is dipping his hand

 b
He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one
 into the bowl with Me.
The  Son  of  Man  will  go  just  as  it  is  written
about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is
betrayed! It would be better for him if he had not
22
been born.”

While  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,
spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the
23
disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”

24

c

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it
He said to
to them, and they all drank from it.
25
 which
them, “This is My blood of the covenant,
Truly I tell you, I will
is poured out for many.
no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that
26
day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  they  went
On the first day of the Unleavened

a 12
out to the Mount of Olives.

Mark 14:42    |    911

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
(Zechariah 13:7–9 ;  Matthew 26:31–35 ;
Luke 22:31–38 ;  John 13:36–38)

27

d

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “You  will  all  fall

away,

 for it is written:

 e

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

28

and the sheep will be scattered.’

But  after  I  have  risen,  I  will  go  ahead  of  you

29
into Galilee.”

Peter  declared,  “Even  if  all  fall  away,  I  never

30
will.”

“Truly  I  tell  you,”  Jesus  replied,  “this  very
night,  before  the  rooster  crows  twice,  you  will
31
deny Me three times.”

But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die
with You, I will never deny You.” And all the oth-
Jesus Prays at Gethsemane
ers said the same thing.
(Matthew 26:36–46 ;  Luke 22:39–46)

32

Then they came to a place called Gethsemane,
and  Jesus  told  His  disciples,  “Sit  here  while  I
33
pray.”

He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and
34
began  to  be  deeply  troubled  and  distressed.
Then  He  said  to  them,  “My  soul  is  consumed
with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and
35
keep watch.”

36

Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and
prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would
pass  from  Him.
“Abba,  Father,”  He  said,  “all
things  are  possible  for  You.  Take  this  cup  from
37
Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

38

Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping.
“Simon,  are  you  asleep?”  He  asked.  “Were  you
not  able  to  keep  watch  for  one  hour?
Watch
and pray so that you will not enter into tempta-
tion.  For  the  spirit  is  willing,  but  the  body  is
39
weak.”

40

Again  He  went  away  and  prayed,  saying
the same thing.
And again Jesus returned and
found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
41
And they did not know what to answer Him.

When  Jesus  returned  the  third  time,  He  said,
“Are  you  still  sleeping  and  resting?  That  is
enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man
is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let
c 24
us go. See, My betrayer is approaching!”

the one who is dipping

b 20

42

the new covenant

d 27

on account of Me this night

e 27

Literally

TR

BYZ and TR include

; see Matthew 26:31.

Zechariah 13:7

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

Literally

BYZ and

912    |    Mark 14:43

The Betrayal of Jesus
(Matt. 26:47–56 ;  Luke 22:47–53 ;  John 18:1–14)

43

While  Jesus  was  still  speaking,  Judas,  one  of
the  Twelve,  arrived,  accompanied  by  a  crowd
armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief
44
priests, scribes, and elders.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with
them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and
lead  Him  away  securely.”
Going  directly  to
46
Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
47

45

Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him.
And one of the bystanders drew his sword and
struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off
48
his ear.

a

49

Jesus  asked  the  crowd,  “Have  you  come  out
with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would
an outlaw?
Every day I was with you, teaching
in the temple courts,
 and you did not arrest Me.
But this has happened that the Scriptures would
50
be fulfilled.”

51

Then everyone deserted Him and fled.
52

One
young  man  who  had  been  following  Jesus  was
wearing  a  linen  cloth  around  his  body.  They
caught  hold  of  him,
but  he  pulled  free  of  the
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
linen cloth and ran away naked.
(Matt. 26:57–68 ;  Luke 22:66–71 ;  John 18:19–24)

53

They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all
54
the chief priests, elders, and scribes assembled.
Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the
courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the
55
officers and warmed himself by the fire.

 b
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhed-
rin
 were seeking testimony against Jesus to put
Him  to  death,  but  they  did  not  find  any.
For
many bore false witness against Jesus, but their
57
testimony was inconsistent.
58

56

Then some men stood up and testified falsely
against Him:
“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy
this  man-made  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will
59
build  another  that  is  made  without  hands.’
”
60
But even their testimony was inconsistent.

So  the  high  priest  stood  up  before  them  and
questioned  Jesus,  “Have  You  no  answer?  What
61
are these men testifying against You?”

Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You
62
the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

 c

“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of
 and com-

Man sitting at the right hand of Power
63
ing with the clouds of heaven.”

 d

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and de-
64
clared,  “Why  do  we  need  any  more  witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy. What is your

verdict?”

And  they  all  condemned  Him  as  deserving  of
65
death.

Then some of them began to spit on Him. They
blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and
said  to  Him,  “Prophesy!”  And  the  officers  re-
Peter Denies Jesus
ceived Him with slaps in His face.
(Matt. 26:69–75 ;  Luke 22:54–62 ;  John 18:15–18)

66

While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of
67
the  servant  girls  of  the  high  priest  came  down
and  saw  him  warming  himself  there.  She
looked  at  Peter  and  said,  “You  also  were  with
68
Jesus the Nazarene.”

e

But he denied it. “I do not know or even under-
stand what you are talking about,” he said. Then
he  went  out  to  the  gateway,  and  the  rooster
69
crowed.

There the servant girl saw him and again said
to  those  standing  nearby,  “This  man  is  one  of
70
them.”

But he denied it again.

After  a  little  while,  those  standing  nearby  said
once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them,
71
for you too are a Galilean.”

 f

72

But  he  began  to  curse  and  swear,  “I  do  not
And im-

know this man of whom you speak!”
mediately the rooster crowed a second time.

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had
spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice,
you  will  deny  Me  three  times.”  And  he  broke
Jesus Delivered to Pilate  (Matthew 27:1–2)
down and wept.

15

 g
Early in the morning, the chief priests, el-
ders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin

devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away,
2
and handed Him over to Pilate.

But  Jesus  remained  silent  and  made  no

the temple

b 55

the whole Council

So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of

c 62
and the rooster crowed

the right hand of the Mighty One
the Jews?”
f 70

d 62
and your speech is similar
See Psalm 110:1 and

the whole Council

Or
NE and WH do not include

Or

.

BYZ and TR include

.

e 68

a 49
reply.
g 1
Daniel 7:13.

Literally

Or

Him.
read:
27

Mark 15:38    |    913

The Crucifixion  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
Matt. 27:32–44 ;  Luke 23:26–43 ;  John 19:16–27)

21

Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander
and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the
country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the
22
cross of Jesus.

23

They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha,
which means The Place of the Skull.
There they
offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did
24
not take it.

And they crucified Him.

b

They also divided His garments by casting lots to
25
decide what each of them would take.

 c

26

It  was  the  third  hour

  when  they  crucified
And  the  charge  inscribed  against  Him

THE KING OF THE JEWS.
e

d

Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers,

29
one on His right and one on His left.

And  those  who  passed  by  heaped  abuse  on
Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You
who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild
it in three days,
come down from the cross and
31
save Yourself!”

30

32

In the same way, the chief priests and scribes
mocked  Him  among  themselves,  saying,  “He
saved others, but He cannot save Himself!
Let
the  Christ,  the  King  of  Israel,  come  down  now
from the cross, so that we may see and believe!”
And even those who were crucified with Him be-
The Death of Jesus  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
rated Him.
 Matt. 27:45–56 ;  Luke 23:44–49 ;  John 19:28–30)

33

 f

34

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour

 dark-
ness came over all the land.
At the ninth hour,
Jesus  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice,  “Eloi,  Eloi,  lema
sabachthani?”  which  means,  “My  God,  My  God,
35
why have You forsaken Me?”

 g

When  some  of  those  standing  nearby  heard

36
this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”

h

i

And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour
 He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus
 saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if

wine.
to drink,
37
Elijah comes to take Him down.”

38

But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His
And the veil of the temple was torn in two

last.
from top to bottom.

c 25

3
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

And  the  chief  priests  began  to  accuse  Him  of

4
many things.

Then  Pilate  questioned  Him  again,  “Have  You
no  answer?  Look  how  many  charges  they  are
5
bringing against You!”

But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no fur-

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
ther reply.
(Matthew 27:15–23 ;  Luke 23:13–25)

6

 a

7

Now  it  was  Pilate’s  custom  at  the  feast  to
 a prisoner of their choos-
release to the people
And  a  man  named  Barabbas  was  impris-
ing.
8
oned with the rebels who had committed murder
So the crowd went up
during the insurrection.
9
and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.

10
“Do you want me to release to you the King of
the Jews?” Pilate asked.
For he knew it was out
of  envy  that  the  chief  priests  had  handed  Jesus
11
over.

But  the  chief  priests  stirred  up  the  crowd  to

Pilate Delivers Up Jesus  (Matthew 27:24–26)
have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12

So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you
want me to do with the One you call the King of
13
the Jews?”
14

And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”

“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”

15
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”

And  wishing  to  satisfy  the  crowd,  Pilate  re-
leased  Barabbas  to  them.  But  he  had  Jesus
The Soldiers Mock Jesus  (Isaiah 50:4–11 ;
flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
Matt. 27:27–31 ;  Luke 22:63–65 ;  John 19:1–15)

16

17

Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the pal-
ace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole
company together.
They dressed Him in a pur-
ple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and
set  it  on  His  head.
And  they  began  to  salute
19
Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”

18

20

They  kept  striking  His  head  with  a  staff  and
spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed
before Him.
After they had mocked Him, they
removed  the  purple  robe  and  put  His  own
clothes  back  on  Him.  Then  they  led  Him  out  to
b 24
a 6
crucify Him.
d 27
Literally
transgressors.”
Or
h 36

Now at the feast he would release to them

a sponge with wine vinegar

BYZ and TR include
 See Isaiah 53:12 and Luke 22:37.

insurrectionists

e 27

i 36

Or

See Psalm 69:21.

28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And He was numbered with the
f 33

That is, nine in the morning

See Psalm 22:18.

g 34

That is, from noon until three in the afternoon

Psalm 22:1

914    |    Mark 15:39

39

a

7

When the centurion standing there in front of
 he said,

Jesus saw how He had breathed His last,
40
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

b

41

And there were also women watching from a
distance.  Among  them  were  Mary  Magdalene,
Mary  the  mother  of  James  the  younger  and  of
These  women  had  fol-
Joses,
lowed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was
in  Galilee,  and  there  were  many  other  women
The Burial of Jesus  (Isaiah 53:9–12 ;
who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
 Matt. 27:57–61 ;  Luke 23:50–56 ;  John 19:38–42)

  and  Salome.

42

Now it was already evening. Since it was Prep-
43
aration Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  a  prominent  Council
member  who  himself  was  waiting  for  the  king-
dom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the
44
body of Jesus.

45

Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was al-
ready  dead,  so  he  summoned  the  centurion  to
ask if this was so.
When Pilate had confirmed
it  with  the  centurion,  he  granted  the  body  to
46
Joseph.

47

So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the
body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed
it  in  a  tomb  that  had  been  cut  out  of  the  rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the
 c
Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother
tomb.
The Resurrection
 saw where His body was placed.
of Joseph
(Matt. 28:1–10 ;  Luke 24:1–12 ;  John 20:1–9)

16

d

3

2

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Mag-
dalene,  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and
Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint
Very early on the first day of
the body of Jesus.
the  week,
  just  after  sunrise,  they  went  to  the
They were asking one another, “Who will
tomb.
4
roll  away  the  stone  from  the  entrance  of  the
tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that
the  stone  had  been  rolled  away,  even  though  it
5
was extremely large.

risen!  He  is  not  here!  See  the  place  where  they
put Him.
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He
is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will
8
see Him, just as He told you.’

”

So the women left the tomb and ran away, trem-
bling and bewildered. And in their fear they did
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
not say a word to anyone.
(John 20:10–18)

e

9

f

Early  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  after  Jesus
had risen,
 He appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
10
from  whom  He  had  driven  out  seven  demons.
She  went  and  told  those  who  had  been  with
And
Him,  who  were  mourning  and  weeping.
when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had
Jesus Appears to Two Disciples
seen Him, they did not believe it.
(Luke 24:13–35)

11

12

After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to
13
two of them as they walked along in the country.

And they went back and reported it to the rest,

The Great Commission  (Matthew 28:16–20)
but they did not believe them either.
14

Later,  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  appeared  to
the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief
and hardness of heart, because they did not be-
15
lieve those who had seen Him after He had risen.

16

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and
Whoever
preach the gospel to every creature.
17
believes and is baptized will be saved, but who-
And
ever does not believe will be condemned.
these signs will accompany those who believe: In
 g
My  name  they  will  drive  out  demons;  they  will
they  will  pick  up
speak  in  new  tongues;
snakes  with  their  hands,  and  if  they  drink  any
deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay
their  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  will  be  made
The Ascension  (Luke 24:50–53 ;  Acts 1:6–11)
well.”
 h
19

18

After the Lord Jesus

 had spoken to them, He
was  taken  up  into  heaven  and  sat  down  at  the
20
right hand of God.

And they went out and preached everywhere,
and the Lord worked through them, confirming
Joseph
His word by the signs that accompanied it.

b 40 Joses
e 8

6

When they entered the tomb, they saw a young
man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right
side,  and  they  were  alarmed.
But  he  said  to
them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Je-
a 39
sus  the  Nazarene,  who  was  crucified.  He  has
c 47

saw how, having cried out, He had breathed His last

d 2

And very early on the first of the Sabbaths,

Joses
BYZ, TR
Or

; see Matthew 27:56.
9 But they quickly reported all
these instructions to Peter’s companions. Afterward, Jesus Himself, through them, sent out from east to west the sacred and
Mark after v. 8. Other manuscripts contain only a short ending, a version of the following:
imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.     f 9
After the Lord
g 17

 is a variant of
Some early manuscripts end the Gospel of

After Jesus had risen early on the first day of the week

in tongues

Literally

h 19

WH

ECM, BYZ, and TR

Or

Luke

Dedication to Theophilus  (Acts 1:1–3)

1

3

2

Many  have  undertaken  to  compose  an  ac-
count  of  the  things  that  have  been  fulfilled
among us,
just as they were handed down to us
by  the  initial  eyewitnesses  and  servants  of  the
Therefore,  having  carefully  investigated
word.
everything  from  the  beginning,  it  seemed  good
also  to  me  to  write  an  orderly  account  for  you,
so  that  you  may
most  excellent  Theophilus,
know the certainty of the things you have been
Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth
taught.
5

4

6

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a
priest  named  Zechariah,  who  belonged  to  the
priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Eliza-
Both of them
beth was a descendant of Aaron.
were  righteous  in  the  sight  of  God,  walking
blamelessly  in  all  the  commandments  and  de-
But  they  had  no  children,
crees  of  the  Lord.
because  Elizabeth  was  barren,  and  they  were
8
both well along in years.

7

9

10

One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty
and he was serving as priest before God,
he was
chosen  by  lot,  according  to  the  custom  of  the
priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and
And  at  the  hour  of  the  incense
burn  incense.
offering,  the  whole  congregation  was  praying
11
outside.

12

Just  then  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to
Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar
When  Zechariah  saw  him,  he  was
of  incense.
13
startled and gripped with fear.

15

14

But  the  angel  said  to  him,  “Do  not  be  afraid,
Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
He will be a joy
are to give him the name John.
and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his
birth,
for  he  will  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the
Lord.  He  shall  never  take  wine or  strong  drink,
and  he  will  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  even
Many of the sons of
from his mother’s womb.
17
Israel  he  will  turn  back  to  the  Lord  their  God.
a 17
And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit

Rejoice

b 28

c 28

16

 a
and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fa-
  and  the  disobedient  to
thers  to  their  children
the  wisdom  of  the  righteous—to  make  ready  a
18
people prepared for the Lord.”

“How  can  I  be  sure  of  this?”  Zechariah  asked
the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well
19
along in years.”

20

“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the
presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to
And now
you and to bring you this good news.
you will be silent and unable to speak until the
day this comes to pass, because you did not be-
lieve  my  words,  which  will  be  fulfilled  at  their
21
proper time.”

22

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zech-
ariah and wondering why he took so long in the
temple.
When he came out and was unable to
speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision
in the temple. He kept making signs to them but
And when the days
remained unable to speak.
24
of his service were complete, he returned home.

23

25

After  these  days,  his  wife  Elizabeth  became
pregnant and for five months remained in seclu-
“The Lord has done this for
sion. She declared,
me.  In  these  days  He  has  shown  me  favor  and
Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth
taken away my disgrace among the people.”
26

27

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel
to a virgin
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who
was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name
The angel appeared to her and said,
was Mary.
“Greetings,
  you  who  are  highly  favored!  The
29
Lord is with you.

28
b

”

c

31

Mary  was  greatly  troubled  at  his  words  and
30
wondered  what  kind  of  greeting  this  might  be.
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary,
Behold, you
for you have found favor with God.
will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are
to  give  Him  the  name  Jesus.
He  will  be  great
and will be called the Son of the Most High. The
Blessed are you among women!
Lord God will give Him the throne of His father

32

Malachi 4:5–6

Or

BYZ and TR include

916    |    Luke 1:33

33

53

David,
34
Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

and  He  will  reign  over  the  house  of

54

He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since

35
I am a virgin?”

36

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come
 a
upon  you,  and  the  power  of  the  Most  High  will
overshadow  you.  So  the  Holy  One  to  be  born
will be called the Son of God.
Look, even Eliza-
beth your relative has conceived a son in her old
age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth
38
”
month.

For no word from God will ever fail.

37

b

“I  am  the  Lord’s  servant,”  Mary  answered.
“May it happen to me according to your word.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Then the angel left her.
39

40

In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a
town  in  the  hill  country  of  Judah,
where  she
entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Eliz-
41
abeth.

44

43

42

When  Elizabeth  heard  Mary’s  greeting,  the
baby  leaped  in  her  womb,  and  Elizabeth  was
filled with the Holy Spirit.
In a loud voice she
exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and
And why am
blessed is the fruit of your womb!
I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should
For as soon as the sound of your
come to me?
45
greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb
Blessed is she who has believed
leaped for joy.
Mary’s Song  (1 Samuel 2:1–11)
that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
46

Then Mary said:

47
48

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble

state of His servant.

49

From now on all generations will call me

blessed.

For the Mighty One has done great things for

50

me.

Holy is His name.

51

His mercy extends to those who fear Him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with His

arm;

52

He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their

55

He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,

as He promised to our fathers,

56

to Abraham and his descendants

forever.”

Mary  stayed  with  Elizabeth  for  about  three

The Birth of John the Baptist
months and then returned home.
57

58

When the time came for Elizabeth to have her
child,  she  gave  birth  to  a  son.
Her  neighbors
and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her
59
great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

60

On the eighth day, when they came to circum-
cise the child, they were going to name him after
his  father  Zechariah.
But  his  mother  replied,
61
“No! He shall be called John.”

62

They said to her, “There is no one among your
So they made
relatives who bears this name.”
signs to his father to find out what he wanted to
63
name the child.

64

Zechariah  asked  for  a  tablet  and  wrote,  “His
Im-
name is John.” And they were all amazed.
mediately  Zechariah’s  mouth  was  opened  and
his tongue was released, and he began to speak,
65
praising God.

66

All  their  neighbors  were  filled  with  awe,  and
people throughout the hill country of Judea were
And all who heard
talking about these events.
this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What
then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand
Zechariah’s Song
was with him.
67

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the

68
Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

69

because He has visited and redeemed

His people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation

70

for us

in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets,

71

those of ages past,

salvation from our enemies

72

and from the hand of all who hate us,

a 35

born of you

b 37
but has exalted the humble.

For nothing will be impossible with God.

and to remember His holy covenant,

to show mercy to our fathers

thrones,

TR

Or

73

74

the oath He swore to our father Abraham,
deliverance from hostile

to grant us
hands,

that we may serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him

all the days of our lives.

75

76

And you, child, will be called

77

a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for Him,

to give to His people the knowledge of

78

salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,
 a
because of the tender mercy of our God,

79

by which the Dawn

 will visit us from on

high,

to shine on those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet

80

into the path of peace.”
 b

And  the  child  grew  and  became  strong  in
  and  he  lived in  the  wilderness  until  the

spirit;
The Birth of Jesus  (Matthew 1:18–25)
time of his public appearance to Israel.

2

c

2

Now  in  those  days  a  decree  went  out  from
Caesar  Augustus  that  a  census  should  be
 d
This was  the  first
taken  of  the whole  empire.
3
 Quirinius was gover-
census to take place while
And  everyone  went  to  his  own
nor  of  Syria.
4
town to register.

5

So  Joseph  also  went  up  from  Nazareth  in
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Beth-
lehem, since he was from the house and line of
He went there to register with Mary, who
David.
was pledged to him in marriage and was expect-
6
ing a child.

7

While  they  were  there,  the  time  came  for  her
And  she  gave  birth  to  her
Child  to  be  born.
firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling
cloths  and  laid  Him in  a  manger,  because  there
The Shepherds and the Angels
was no room for them in the inn.
8

Luke 2:27    |    917

11

bring you good news of great joy that will be for
Today in the city of David a Sav-
all the people:
12
ior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
And this will be a sign to you: You will find a
baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a
13
manger.”

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a
great  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host,  praising
14
God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,

15

and on earth peace to men
on whom His favor rests!”

When the angels had left them and gone into
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let
us  go  to  Bethlehem  and  see  this  thing  that  has
happened,  which  the  Lord  has  made  known  to
16
us.”

17

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph
and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.
Af-
ter they had seen the Child, they spread the mes-
And all who
sage they had received about Him.
heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said
to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things
20
and pondered them in her heart.

19

18

The shepherds returned, glorifying and prais-
ing  God  for  all  they  had  heard  and  seen,  which
Jesus Presented at the Temple
was just as the angel had told them.
21

When  the  eight  days  before  His  circumcision
had  passed,  He  was  named  Jesus,  the name  the
22
angel had given Him before He was conceived.

 e

23

And when the time of purification according to
the  Law  of  Moses  was  complete,  His  parents
brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the
(as  it  is  written  in  the  Law  of  the  Lord:
Lord
24
“Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the
and to offer the sacrifice specified in
Lord”
the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two
The Prophecy of Simeon
young pigeons.”
25

),

 f

And there were shepherds residing in the fields
9
nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Just  then  an  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  before
them,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  around
But  the  angel
them,  and  they  were  terrified.
b 80
the Sunrise
a 78
said  to  them,  “Do  not  be  afraid!  For  behold,  I
f 24
was the census before

the Morning Light

10

in the Spirit

Or

e 23
 or

Exodus 13:2

Or
Leviticus 12:8

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Sim-
eon, who was righteous and devout. He was wait-
26
ing  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  and  the  Holy
The  Holy  Spirit  had  re-
Spirit  was  upon  him.
vealed to him that he would not see death before
g
Led by the Spirit,
he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
This
  d 2
he went into the temple courts.
 And when the
the temple

of the whole world

of the whole land

27

 or

Or

c 1
g 27
Or

Literally

; also in verse 46

918    |    Luke 2:28

28

44

parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him
Simeon
what  was  customary  under  the  Law,
29
took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,

You now dismiss Your servant in peace.

30
31

For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

32

which You have prepared in the sight of all

people,

33

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to Your people Israel.”

34

The Child’s father and mother were amazed at
Then  Simeon

what  was  spoken  about  Him.
blessed them and said to His mother Mary:

“Behold, this Child is appointed to cause
the rise and fall of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be spoken

35

against,

so that the thoughts of many hearts will

be revealed—

and a sword will pierce your soul

The Prophecy of Anna

as well.”

36

There was also a prophetess named Anna, the
daughter  of Phanuel, of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  who
37
was well along in years. She had been married for
a
and then was a widow to the age
seven years,
of  eighty-four.
  She  never  left  the  temple,  but
38
worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Coming  forward  at  that  moment,  she  gave
thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who
The Return to Nazareth  (Matthew 2:19–23)
were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39

When Jesus’ parents had done everything re-
quired by the Law of the Lord, they returned to
40
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

b

And  the  Child  grew  and  became  strong.

  He
was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was
The Boy Jesus at the Temple
upon Him.
41

42

Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for
And  when  He  was
the  Feast  of  the  Passover.
twelve years old, they went up according to the
43
custom of the Feast.

Assuming  He  was  in  their  company,
stayed.
they traveled on for a day before they began to
45
look for Him among their relatives and friends.

46

When they could not find Him, they returned
Finally,  after
to  Jerusalem  to  search  for  Him.
three days they found Him in the temple courts,
47
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and
And all who heard Him
asking them questions.
were  astounded  at  His  understanding  and  His
48
answers.

When His parents saw Him, they were aston-
ished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His
mother asked. “Your father and I have been anx-
49
iously searching for You.”

 c

50

“Why  were  you  looking  for  Me?”  He  asked.
“Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s
house
But  they  did  not  understand  the
51
statement He was making to them.

?”

Then  He  went  down  to  Nazareth  with  them
and was obedient to them. But His mother treas-
52
ured up all these things in her heart.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in

The Mission of John the Baptist  (Isa. 40:1–5 ;
favor with God and man.
Matthew 3:1–12 ;  Mark 1:1–8 ;  John 1:19–28)

3

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of
Judea,  Herod  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  his  brother
Philip  tetrarch  of  Ituraea  and  Trachonitis,  and
during  the  high
Lysanias  tetrarch  of  Abilene,
priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  the  word
of  God  came  to  John  son  of  Zechariah  in  the
3
wilderness.

2

4

He went into all the region around the Jordan,
preaching  a  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  for-
as it is written in the book of
giveness of sins,
the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

5

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.

Every valley shall be filled in,

and every mountain and hill made

low.

The crooked ways shall be made straight,
6

When those days were over and they were re-
turning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in
a 37
Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had
business
Or

And all flesh will see God’s salvation

was a widow for eighty-four years

BYZ and TR

b 40

d 6

and the rough ways smooth.
 d
And all humanity will see God’s

became strong in spirit

salvation.’

c 49
”

I had to be about My Father’s

Literally

; Isaiah 40:3–5 (see also LXX)

Or

7

8

Then John said to the crowds coming out to be
baptized  by  him,  “You  brood  of  vipers,  who
warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Pro-
duce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And
do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abra-
ham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these
9
stones  God  can  raise  up  children  for  Abraham.
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and
every tree that does not produce good fruit will
10
be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The crowds asked him

11
do?”

, “What then should we

John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should
share with him who has none, and whoever has
12
food should do the same.”

Even  tax  collectors  came  to  be  baptized.

13
“Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Collect no more than you are authorized,” he

14
answered.

Then  some  soldiers  asked  him,  “And  what

should we do?”

Luke 3:37    |    919

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22 ;  Matthew 1:1–17)

23

Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when

He began His ministry.

He was regarded as the son of Joseph,

24

the son of Heli,

the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

25

the son of Melchi,

the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,

26

the son of Nahum,

the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias,

27

the son of Semein,

the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel,

28

the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

the son of Melchi, the son of Addi,
the son of Cosam,

29

the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,

“Do not take money by force or false accusation,”
15
he said. “Be content with your wages.”

30

the son of Jorim,

the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

a

16

The people were waiting expectantly and were
all wondering in their hearts if John could be the
Christ.
John  answered  all  of  them:  “I  baptize
you with water,
 but One more powerful than I
b
will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not
c
worthy  to  untie.
  He  will  baptize  you  with  the
Holy Spirit and with fire.
His winnowing fork
is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn
18
up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

17

19

20

With these and many other exhortations, John
proclaimed the good news to the people.
But
when  he  rebuked  Herod  the  tetrarch  regarding
his  brother’s  wife  Herodias  and  all  the  evils  he
had  done,
Herod  added  this  to  them  all:  He
The Baptism of Jesus
locked John up in prison.
(Matthew 3:13–17 ;  Mark 1:9–11 ;  John 1:29–34)

21

22

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus
was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven
was opened,
and the Holy Spirit descended on
Him  in  a  bodily  form  like  a  dove.  And  a  voice
came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in
a 16
You I am well pleased.”
e 33

in water

Aram

b 16

c 16

Ram

the son of Simeon, the son of Judah,

31

the son of Joseph,

the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha,

32

the son of Nathan, the son of David,

the son of Jesse, the son of Obed,

d

33

the son of Boaz,
f

the son of Sala,

 the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin,

e

the son of Arni,

34

the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,

the son of Judah,
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham,

35

the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg,

36

the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,

37

the son of Shem,

the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,

Or

the son of Arni
21 and Matthew 1:4–5.
not include

Cited in Acts 13:25

BYZ and TR

.

Or
; others

BYZ and TR
; see Ruth 4:19 and Matthew 1:3–4.

; see Ruth 4:20–
WH, BYZ, and TR do

in the Holy Spirit and in fire

the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

Salmon
f 33

the son of Jared,
d 32

920    |    Luke 3:38

38

a

the son of Enosh,

 the son of Seth,

the son of Adam,
The Temptation of Jesus
the son of God.
(Matthew 4:1–11 ;  Mark 1:12–13)

4

b

2

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned
from  the  Jordan  and  was  led  by  the  Spirit
where  for  forty  days  He
into  the  wilderness,
was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during
those  days,  and  when  they  had  ended,  He  was
3
hungry.

The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God,

4
tell this stone to become bread.”

 c
But  Jesus  answered,  “It  is  written:  ‘Man  shall
”

5
not live on bread alone.’

6

Then the devil led Him up to a high place and
showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the
“I will give You authority over all these
world.
kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has
been relinquished to me, and I can give it to any-
one I wish.
So if You worship me, it will all be
8
Yours.”

7

 d

But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the

9
Lord your God and serve Him only.’

”

Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him
on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son
10
of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.

For it is written:

‘He will command His angels concerning You

11

to guard You carefully,

and they will lift You up in their hands,
so that You will not strike Your foot

 e

12

against a stone.’

”

 f

But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put

13
the Lord your God to the test.’

”

When the devil had finished every temptation,

Jesus Begins His Ministry
he left Him until an opportune time.
(Isaiah 9:1–7 ;  Matthew 4:12–17 ;  Mark 1:14–15)

14

The Rejection at Nazareth
(Isaiah 61:1–11 ;  Matthew 13:53–58 ;  Mark 6:1–6)

16

17

Then  Jesus  came  to  Nazareth,  where  He  had
been brought up. As was His custom, He entered
the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath.  And  when  He
the  scroll  of  the  prophet
stood  up  to  read,
Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found
18
the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
 g
He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to

the captives

19

20

and recovery of sight to the blind,
to release the oppressed,

 h

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then  He  rolled  up  the  scroll,  returned  it
to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of eve-
ryone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,
and
He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is ful-
22
filled in your hearing.”

21

All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gra-
cious  words  that  came  from  His  lips.  “Isn’t  this
23
the son of Joseph?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this
proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here
in Your hometown what we have heard that You
24
did in Capernaum.’

”

25

26

Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is
accepted in his hometown.
But I tell you truth-
fully  that  there  were  many  widows  in  Israel  in
the  time  of  Elijah,  when  the  sky  was  shut  for
three  and  a  half  years  and  great  famine  swept
Yet Elijah was not sent to any
over all the land.
27
of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
  in  Israel  in  the
time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them
28
was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

And  there  were  many  lepers

 i

29

On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue
They got up, drove Him out of
were enraged.
the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on
which the town was built, in order to throw Him
But  Jesus  passed  through  the
over  the  cliff.
crowd and went on His way.
b 1

in the wilderness

c 4

30

“Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written…

15

Jesus  returned  to  Galilee  in  the  power  of  the
Spirit, and the news about Him spread through-
He taught in their
out the surrounding region.
synagogues and was glorified by everyone.
a 38
on bread alone, but on every word of God
e 11
captives

, a variant spelling of Enosh
g 18
.

to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

d 8
; see Genesis 5:6.

Greek

Enōs

f 12

h 19
Psalm 91:11–12

Deut. 6:16

BYZ and TR

Deuteronomy 6:13; BYZ and TR

Deuteronomy 8:3; BYZ and TR
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
i 27

leper

Or

Or
with a skin disease. See Lev. 13.

; Isaiah 61:1–2 (see also LXX)

A

 was one afflicted

Jesus Expels an Unclean Spirit
(Mark 1:21–28)

The First Disciples
(Matthew 4:18–22 ;  Mark 1:16–20 ;  John 1:35–42)

Luke 5:15    |    921

31

32

Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in
Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the
They were astonished at His teaching,
people.
33
because His message had authority.

34

In the synagogue there was a man possessed
by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in
“Ha! What do You want with us,
a loud voice,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us?
35
I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!”  He
said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw
the  man  down  before  them  all  and  came  out
36
without harming him.

All  the  people  were  overcome  with  amaze-
ment and asked one another, “What is this mes-
sage?  With  authority  and  power  He  commands
And
the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  come  out!”
the news about Jesus spread throughout the sur-
Jesus Heals at Peter’s House
rounding region.
(Matthew 8:14–17 ;  Mark 1:29–34)

37

38

39

After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to
the  home  of  Simon,  whose  mother-in-law  was
suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to
and He stood over her and
Jesus on her behalf,
rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up
40
at once and began to serve them.

41

At  sunset,  all  who  were  ill  with  various  dis-
eases  were  brought  to  Jesus,  and  laying  His
Demons
hands  on  each  one,  He  healed  them.
also came out of many people, shouting, “You are
the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and
would  not  allow  them  to  speak,  because  they
Jesus Preaches in Judea
knew He was the Christ.
(Mark 1:35–39)

42

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place,
and the crowds were looking for Him. They came
But
to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.
Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of
the kingdom of God to the other towns as well,
44
because that is why I was sent.”

43

a

5

 b

2

On  one  occasion,  while  Jesus  was  standing
 with the crowd
by the Lake of Gennesaret
He
pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,
saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fisher-
3
men had left them and were washing their nets.
Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and
asked him to put out a little from shore. And sit-
4
ting down, He taught the people from the boat.

When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Si-
mon, “Put out into deep water and let down your
5
nets for a catch.”

6

“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard
all night without catching anything. But because
When they
You say so, I will let down the nets.”
7
had done so, they caught such a large number of
fish  that  their  nets  began  to  tear.
So  they  sig-
naled to their partners in the other boat to come
and  help  them,  and  they  came  and  filled  both
8
boats so full that they began to sink.

9

When  Simon  Peter  saw  this,  he  fell  at  Jesus’
knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am
For he and his companions were
a sinful man.”
10
astonished  at  the  catch  of  fish  they  had  taken,
and so were his partners James and John, the

sons of Zebedee.

11

 “Do  not  be  afraid,”  Jesus  said  to  Simon.  “From
And  when  they
now  on  you  will  catch  men.”
had brought their boats ashore, they left every-
The Leper’s Prayer
thing and followed Him.
(Lev. 14:1–32 ;  Matthew 8:1–4 ;  Mark 1:40–45)

12

c
While  Jesus  was  in  one  of  the  towns,  a  man

came  along  who  was  covered  with  leprosy.
When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged
Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
13
clean.”

Jesus  reached  out  His  hand  and  touched  the
man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And im-
14
mediately the leprosy left him.

“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But
go,  show  yourself  to  the  priest  and  present  the
offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as
15
a testimony to them.”

 d

And He continued to preach in the synagogues

of Judea.
a 44

Galilee

b 1

But the news about Jesus spread all the more,
and  great  crowds  came  to  hear  Him  and  to  be

c 12

BYZ and TR

; see Mark 1:39.

That is, the Sea of Galilee

Leprosy was a term used for various skin

diseases. See Leviticus 13.

See Leviticus 14:1–32.

d 14

922    |    Luke 5:16

16

31

healed  of  their  sicknesses.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
withdrew to the wilderness to pray.
(Matthew 9:1–8 ;  Mark 2:1–12)

Yet  He  frequently

17

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees
and teachers of the law were sitting there. People
had come from Jerusalem and from every village
of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord
18
was present for Him to heal the sick.

Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed
19
man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to
set  him  before  Jesus,
but  they  could  not  find
a  way  through  the  crowd.  So  they  went  up  on
the roof and lowered him on his mat through the
tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front
20
of Jesus.

When  Jesus  saw  their  faith,  He  said,  “Friend,

21
your sins are forgiven.”

But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking
to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blas-
22
phemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

24

23

Knowing  what  they  were  thinking,  Jesus  re-
plied, “Why are you thinking these things in your
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are
hearts?
But so
forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man  has
authority on the earth to forgive sins. . .” He said
to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your
25
mat, and go home.”

26

And  immediately  the  man  stood  up  before
them, took what he had been lying on, and went
home glorifying God.
Everyone was taken with
amazement  and  glorified  God.  They  were  filled
with  awe  and  said,  “We  have  seen  remarkable
Jesus Calls Levi
things today.”
(Matthew 9:9–13 ;  Mark 2:13–17)

27

28

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collec-
tor named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow
and Levi got up, left every-
Me,” He told him,
29
thing, and followed Him.

30

Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at
his  house.  A  large  crowd  of  tax  collectors  was
there,  along  with  others  who  were  eating  with
But the Pharisees and their scribes com-
them.
plained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and
a 1
drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

On the second Sabbath after the first

b 4

32

Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need
I have not come to call

a doctor, but the sick.
Questions about Fasting
the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(Matthew 9:14–15 ;  Mark 2:18–20)

33

Then  they  said  to  Him,  “John’s  disciples  and
those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray,
34
but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

35

Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the
bridegroom  fast  while  He  is  with  them?
But
the time will come when the bridegroom will be
The Patches and the Wineskins
taken from them; then they will fast.”
(Matthew 9:16–17 ;  Mark 2:21–22)

36

He  also  told  them  a  parable:  “No  one  tears  a
piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on
an old one. If he does, he will tear the new gar-
ment as well, and the patch from the new will not
37
match the old.

38

And  no  one  pours  new  wine  into  old  wine-
skins.  If  he  does,  the  new  wine  will  burst  the
skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will
be  ruined.
Instead,  new  wine  is  poured  into
new wineskins.
And no one after drinking old
The Lord of the Sabbath
wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’
”
(1 Sam. 21:1–7 ;  Matthew 12:1–8 ;  Mark 2:23–28)

39

6

 a

 Jesus was passing through the
One Sabbath
grainfields,  and  His  disciples  began  to  pick
2
the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and
But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why
eat them.
3
are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

 b

Jesus  replied,  “Have  you  not  read  what  David
4
did when he and his companions were hungry?
He  entered  the  house  of  God,  took  the  conse-
 and gave it to his companions, and

crated bread
5
ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat.”

Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12:9–14 ;  Mark 3:1–6)

6

7

On  another  Sabbath  Jesus  entered  the  syna-
gogue  and  was  teaching,  and  a  man  was  there
whose right hand was withered.
Looking for a
reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees
were  watching  Him  closely  to  see  if  He  would
heal on the Sabbath.

the Bread of the Presence

BYZ and TR

Or

8

Woes to the Satisfied  (Amos 6:1–7)

Luke 6:40    |    923

But  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts  and  said  to  the
man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand
9
among us.” So he got up and stood there.

10

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “I  ask  you,  which  is
lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to
And  after  looking
save  life  or  to  destroy  it?”
around at all of them, He said to the man, “Stretch
11
out your hand.” He did so, and it was restored.

But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with
rage and began to discuss with one another what
The Twelve Apostles
they might do to Jesus.
(Matthew 10:1–4 ;  Mark 3:13–19)

24

But woe to you who are rich,

25

for you have already received your

comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now,

26

for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well

of you,

for their fathers treated the false prophets

Love Your Enemies  (Matthew 5:38–48)

in the same way.

12

27

14

In those days Jesus went out to the mountain
13
to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
When daylight came, He called His disciples to
Him  and  chose  twelve  of  them,  whom  He  also
Simon,  whom  He
designated  as  apostles:
named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and
Matthew  and
John;  Philip  and  Bartholomew;
Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon called
Judas son of James, and Judas Iscar-
the Zealot;
Jesus Heals the Multitudes
iot, who became a traitor.
(Matthew 4:23–25 ;  Mark 3:7–12)

15

16

17

18

Then Jesus came down with them and stood on
a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was
there, along with a great number of people from
all  over  Judea,  Jerusalem,  and  the  seacoast  of
They  had  come  to  hear  Him
Tyre  and  Sidon.
and to be healed of their diseases, and those trou-
bled by unclean spirits were healed.
The entire
crowd was trying to touch Him, because power
The Beatitudes
was coming from Him and healing them all.
(Psalm 1:1–6 ;  Matthew 5:3–12)

19

20

29

But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love
28
your  enemies,  do  good  to  those  who  hate  you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who
mistreat  you.
If  someone  strikes  you  on  one
cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone
30
takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as
well.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if an-
31
yone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.
32
Do to others as you would have them do to you.

34

33

If you love those who love you, what credit is
that  to  you?  Even  sinners  love  those  who  love
them.
If you do good to those who do good to
you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do
the same.
And if you lend to those from whom
you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be re-
35
paid in full.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and
lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then
your reward will be great, and you will be sons of
the  Most  High;  for  He  is  kind  to  the  ungrateful
and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is
Judging Others
merciful.
(Matthew 7:1–6 ;  Romans 14:1–12)

36

Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said:

37

21

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

22

for you will laugh.

Blessed  are  you  when  people  hate  you,  and
when they exclude you and insult you and reject
23
your  name  as  evil  because  of  the  Son  of  Man.
Rejoice  in  that  day  and  leap  for  joy,  because
great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers
treated the prophets in the same way.

38

Do  not  judge,  and  you  will  not  be judged.  Do
not  condemn,  and  you  will  not  be  condemned.
Give, and it
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
will  be  given  to  you.  A  good  measure,  pressed
down, shaken together, and running over will be
poured into your lap. For with the measure you
39
use, it will be measured back to you.”

40

Jesus  also  told  them  a  parable:  “Can  a  blind
man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into
a pit?
A disciple is not above his teacher, but
everyone  who  is  fully  trained  will  be  like  his
teacher.

924    |    Luke 6:41

41

7

a

How  can  you  say,  ‘Brother,

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s
42
eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
  let  me  take  the
speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to
see  the  beam  in  your  own  eye?  You  hypocrite!
First take the beam out of your own eye, and then
you  will  see  clearly  to  remove  the  speck  from
A Tree and Its Fruit
your brother’s eye.
(Matthew 7:15–23 ;  Matthew 12:33–37)

43

44

45

No  good  tree  bears  bad  fruit,  nor  does  a  bad
For each tree is known by
tree bear good fruit.
its own fruit. Indeed, figs are not gathered from
thornbushes,  nor  grapes  from  brambles.
The
good  man  brings  good  things  out  of  the  good
treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil
things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out
The House on the Rock  (Matthew 7:24–27)
of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
46

47

48

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do
I will show you what he is like who
what I say?
comes  to  Me  and  hears  My  words  and  acts  on
them:
He is like a man building a house, who
dug  down  deep  and  laid  his  foundation  on  the
rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed
against that house but could not shake it, because
49
it was well built.

b

But the one who hears My words and does not
act  on  them  is  like  a  man  who  built  his  house
on  ground  without  a  foundation.  The  torrent
crashed  against  that  house,  and  immediately  it
The Faith of the Centurion
fell—and great was its destruction!”
(Matthew 8:5–13 ;  John 4:43–54)

7

3

2

When  Jesus  had  concluded  His  discourse
in  the  hearing  of  the  people,  He  went  to
There a highly valued servant of a
Capernaum.
When the
centurion was sick and about to die.
centurion  heard  about  Jesus,  he  sent  some
Jewish  elders  to  ask  Him  to  come  and  heal  his
They  came  to  Jesus  and  pleaded  with
servant.
5
Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You
for he loves our nation and has built
grant this,
6
our synagogue.”

4

So Jesus went with them. But when He was not
far  from  the  house,  the  centurion  sent  friends
with the message: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself,
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother
a 42
for I am not worthy to have You come under my
c 14

b 48

bier

roof.
That is why I did not consider myself wor-
8
thy to come to You. But just say the word, and my
servant  will be  healed.
For  I myself  am  a man
under  authority,  with  soldiers  under  me.  I  tell
one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and
he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and
9
he does it.”

10

When Jesus heard this, He marveled at the cen-
turion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He
said,  “I  tell  you,  not  even in  Israel  have  I  found
such  great  faith.”
And  when  the  messengers
returned to the house, they found the servant in
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son
good health.
11

12

Soon  afterward,  Jesus  went  to  a  town  called
Nain. His disciples went with Him, accompanied
by a large crowd.
As He approached the town
gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the
only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And
13
a large crowd from the town was with her.

14

15

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on
c
her and said, “Do not weep.”
Then He went up
and  touched  the  coffin,
  and  those  carrying  it
stood still. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get
And  the  dead  man  sat  up  and  began  to
up!”
16
speak! Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

17

A sense of awe swept over all of them, and they
glorified  God.  “A  great  prophet  has  appeared
among us!” they said. “God has visited His peo-
ple!”
And  the  news  about  Jesus  spread
John’s Inquiry  (Matthew 11:1–6)
throughout Judea and all the surrounding region.
18

19

Then  John’s  disciples  informed  him  about  all
these things.
So John called two of his disciples
and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One
who was to come, or should we look for someone
20
else?”

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John
the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who
was  to  come,  or  should  we  look  for  someone
21
else?’

”

22

At that very hour Jesus healed many people of
their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He
gave sight to many who were blind.
So He re-
plied, “Go back and report to John what you have
seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, the lepers
 are cleansed, the deaf hear, the
dead are raised, and the good news is preached

because its foundation was on the rock

 d

Lit.
Literally

, probably a wooden plank or open coffin

A

; see Matt. 7:25.
 was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Lev. 13.

d 22
BYZ and TR

leper

23

a

38

Luke 8:3    |    925

to  the  poor.
Jesus Testifies about John
fall away on account of Me.
(Malachi 3:1–5 ;  Matthew 11:7–19)

”

Blessed  is  the  one  who  does  not

24

25

After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began
to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you
go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying
Otherwise, what did you go out to
in the wind?
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those
who wear elegant clothing and live in luxury are
26
found in palaces.

27

What then did you go out to see? A  prophet?
This is

Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of
 b

28

You,

who will prepare Your way before You.’

As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping,
she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe
them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and
39
anointed them with the perfume.

When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw
this,  he  said  to  himself,  “If  this  man  were  a
prophet,  He  would  know  who  this  is  and  what
kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sin-
40
ner!”

But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have some-

thing to tell you.”
41
“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.

c

42

“Two  men  were  debtors  to  a  certain  money-
lender. One owed him five hundred denarii,
 and
When they were unable to re-
the other fifty.
pay  him,  he  forgave  both  of  them.  Which  one,
43
then, will love him more?”

I tell you, among those born of women there is
no one greater than John, yet even the least in the
29
kingdom of God is greater than he.”

“I  suppose  the  one  who  was  forgiven  more,”

Simon replied.
44
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

30

All the people who heard this, even the tax col-
lectors, acknowledged God’s justice. For they had
received the baptism of John.
But the Pharisees
and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for
themselves, because they had not been baptized
31
by John.

32

“To what, then, can I compare the men of this
They are like
generation? What are they like?
children  sitting  in  the  marketplace  and  calling
out to one another:

‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge,

33

and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread
34
nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
you  say,  ‘Look  at  this  glutton  and  drunkard,  a
But wis-
friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
A Sinful Woman Anoints Jesus
dom is vindicated by all her children.”
(Matthew 26:6–13 ;  Mark 14:3–9 ;  John 12:1–8)

35

36

Then one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat
37
with  him,  and  He  entered  the  Pharisee’s  house
and reclined at the table.
When a sinful woman
from  that  town  learned  that  Jesus  was  dining
c 41
a 23
there,  she  brought  an  alabaster  jar  of  perfume.

who is not offended by Me
d 3

to Him

b 27

Or

Matthew 20:2.

TR

Malachi 3:1

45

And turning toward the woman, He said to Si-
mon,  “Do  you  see  this  woman?  When  I  entered
your  house,  you  did  not  give  Me  water  for  My
feet,  but  she  wet  My  feet  with  her  tears  and
You  did  not  greet
wiped  them  with  her  hair.
46
Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing
You did not anoint My
My feet since I arrived.
47
head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with
Therefore  I  tell  you,  her  many  sins
perfume.
have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But
48
he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
49

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

But  those  at  the  table  began  to  say  to  them-

50
selves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

And  Jesus  told  the  woman,  “Your  faith  has

Women Minister to Jesus
saved you; go in peace.”

8

2

Soon  afterward,  Jesus  traveled  from  one
town and village to another, preaching and
proclaiming  the  good  news  of  the  kingdom  of
as  well  as
God.  The  Twelve  were  with  Him,
some women who had been healed of evil spirits
and  infirmities:  Mary  called  Magdalene,  from
Joanna the
whom seven demons had gone out,
wife  of  Herod’s  household  manager  Chuza,  Su-
sanna,  and  many  others.  These  women  were
ministering to them

 out of their own means.
A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see

3

 d

926    |    Luke 8:4

The Parable of the Sower
(Matthew 13:1–23 ;  Mark 4:1–20)

4

While a large crowd was gathering and people
5
were coming to Jesus from town after town, He
told  them  this  parable:
“A  farmer  went  out  to
sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed
fell  along  the  path,  where  it  was  trampled,  and
6
the birds of the air devoured it.

Some  fell  on  rocky  ground,  and  when  it  came
up, the seedlings withered because they had no
7
moisture.

Other  seed  fell  among  thorns,  which  grew  up

8
with it and choked the seedlings.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang

up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.”

nothing concealed that will not be made known
18
and brought to light.

Pay  attention,  therefore,  to  how  you  listen.
Whoever  has  will  be  given  more,  but  whoever
does not have, even what he thinks he has will be
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
taken away from him.”
(Matthew 12:46–50 ;  Mark 3:31–35)

19

20

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see
Him, but they were unable to reach Him because
of  the  crowd.
He  was  told, “Your  mother  and
brothers  are  standing  outside,  wanting  to  see
21
You.”

But He replied, “My mother and brothers are
Jesus Calms the Storm
those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”
(Psalm 107:1–43 ;  Matt. 8:23–27 ;  Mark 4:35–41)

As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears
9
to hear, let him hear.”

22

Then His disciples asked Him what this parable

10
meant.

He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of
the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to
others I speak in parables, so that,

‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not

 a

11

understand.’

 b

12
Now  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  parable:  The
seed is the word of God.
 along the
path are those who hear, but the devil comes and
takes  away  the  word  from  their  hearts,  so  that
13
they may not believe and be saved.

The seeds

The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear
the word and receive it with joy, but they have no
root. They believe for a season, but in the time of
14
testing, they fall away.

The seeds that fell among the thorns are those
who hear, but as they go on their way, they are
choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of
15
this life, and their fruit does not mature.

But the seeds on good soil are those with a no-
ble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to
The Lesson of the Lamp  (Mark 4:21–25)
it, and by persevering produce a crop.
16

No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or
puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand,
For there
so those who enter can see the light.
a 10
is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and

the ones

b 12

17

Gergesenes
Isaiah 6:9 (See also LXX)

Tischendorf

; also in verse 37

One  day  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  “Let  us
cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into
23
a boat with them and set out.

As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm
came down on the lake, so that the boat was be-
24
ing  swamped,  and  they  were  in  great  danger.
The  disciples  went  and  woke  Him,  saying,

“Master, Master, we are perishing!”

25

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the
raging  waters,  and  they  subsided,  and  all  was
calm.
“Where is your faith?” He asked.

Frightened and amazed, they asked one another,
“Who is this? He commands even the winds and
The Demons and the Pigs
the water, and they obey Him!”
(Matthew 8:28–34 ;  Mark 5:1–20)

26

c

27

 across the lake from Galilee.

Then  they  sailed  to  the  region  of  the  Gerase-
nes,
When Jesus
stepped  ashore,  He  was  met  by  a  demon-pos-
sessed man from the town. For a long time this
man had not worn clothing or lived in a house,
28
but he stayed in the tombs.

29

When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell
down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What
do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High
God?  I  beg  You  not  to  torture  me!”
For  Jesus
had commanded the unclean spirit to come out
of  the  man.  Many  times  it  had  seized  him,  and
though he was bound with chains and shackles,
he had broken the chains and been driven by the
demon into solitary places.

Gadarenes

c 26

Literally

; also in verses 13, 14, and 15

BYZ and TR

;

30

“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

31

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had
And  the  demons  kept  begging
gone into  him.
32
Jesus not to order them to go into the Abyss.

There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was
feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them
33
enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

Then  the  demons  came  out  of  the  man  and
went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the
34
steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When  those  tending  the  pigs  saw  what  had
35
happened, they ran off and reported this in the
So  the  people  went
town  and  countryside.
out  to  see  what  had  happened.  They  came  to
Jesus  and  found  the  man  whom  the  demons
had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his
Meanwhile,
right mind; and they were afraid.
those who had seen it reported how the demon-
37
possessed man had been healed.

36

Then all the people of the region of the Gerase-
nes  asked  Jesus  to  depart  from  them,  because
great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into
38
the boat and started back.

The man whom the demons had left begged to
39
go  with  Jesus.  But  He  sent  him  away,  saying,
“Return home and describe how much God has
done  for  you.”  So  the  man  went  away  and  pro-
claimed  all  over  the  town  how  much  Jesus  had
The Healing Touch of Jesus
done for him.
(Matthew 9:18–26 ;  Mark 5:21–43)

40

41

When  Jesus  returned,  the  crowd  welcomed
Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.
Just
then a synagogue leader named Jairus came and
fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his
because  his  only  daughter,  who  was
house,
about twelve, was dying.

42

43

As  Jesus  went  with  him,  the  crowds  pressed
including a woman who had suf-
around Him,
fered  from  bleeding  for  twelve  years.  She  had
 but no one
spent all her money on physicians,
She came up behind Jesus
was able to heal her.
and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immedi-
45
ately her bleeding stopped.

44

a

Luke 9:6    |    927

b

 “the
But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter,
46
people are crowding and pressing against You.”

But Jesus declared, “Someone touched Me, for

47
I know that power has gone out from Me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not es-
cape notice, came trembling and fell down before
Him.  In  the  presence  of  all  the  people,  she  ex-
plained why she had touched Him and how she
48
had immediately been healed.

“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed

49
you. Go in peace.”

While He was still speaking, someone arrived
from  the  house  of  the  synagogue  leader.  “Your
daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother
50
the Teacher anymore.”

But  Jesus  overheard  them  and  said  to  Jairus,
“Do  not  be  afraid;  just  believe,  and  she  will  be
51
healed.”

When  He  entered  the  house,  He  did  not
allow  anyone  to  go  in  with  Him  except  Peter,
52
John,  James,  and  the  child’s  father  and  mother.
Meanwhile,  everyone  was  weeping  and
mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping;
she is not dead but asleep.”
And they laughed
54
at Him, knowing that she was dead.

53

55

But Jesus took her by the hand and called out,
Her spirit returned, and at once
“Child, get up!”
56
she  got  up.  And  He  directed  that  she  be  given
something to eat.
Her parents were astounded,
but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what
The Ministry of the Twelve
had happened.
(Matthew 10:5–15 ;  Mark 6:7–13)

 c

3

 together and
Then Jesus called the Twelve
2
gave them power and authority over all de-
And He sent
mons, and power to cure diseases.
them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to
d
“Take nothing for the journey,” He
heal the sick.
told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money,
no  second  tunic.
Whatever  house  you  enter,
If  anyone
stay  there  until  you  leave  that  area.
does  not  welcome  you,  shake  the  dust  off  your
feet  when  you  leave  that  town,  as  a  testimony
6
against them.”

5

4

9

a 43
with him

“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.
d 3

His twelve disciples

c 1

So they set out and went from village to village,
preaching the gospel and healing people every-
where.
She had spent all her money on physicians
silver coins

and those who were

b 45

NE and WH do not include
TR

.

Or

.

BYZ and TR include

928    |    Luke 9:7

Herod Tries to See Jesus
(Matthew 14:1–12 ;  Mark 6:14–29)

7

When  Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  about  all  that
was  happening,  he  was  perplexed.  For  some
8
were saying that John had risen from the dead,
others that Elijah had appeared, and still others

9
that a prophet of old had arisen.

“I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this
man I hear such things about?” And he kept try-
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
ing to see Jesus.
(Matt. 14:13–21 ;  Mark 6:30–44 ;  John 6:1–15)

20

“But  what  about  you?”  Jesus  asked.  “Who  do

you say I am?”
Christ’s Passion Foretold
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
(Matthew 16:21–23 ;  Mark 8:31–33)

21

22

Jesus  strictly  warned  them  not  to  tell  this  to
anyone.
“The  Son  of  Man  must  suffer  many
things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the el-
ders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be
Take Up Your Cross
killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
(Matthew 16:24–28 ;  Mark 8:34–38)

10

23

Then the apostles returned and reported to Je-
sus all that they had done. Taking them away pri-
11
vately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.
But  the  crowds  found  out  and  followed  Him.
He welcomed them and spoke to them about the
kingdom  of  God,  and  He  healed  those  who
12
needed healing.

As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to
Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go
to the surrounding villages and countryside for
lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate
13
place here.”

But Jesus told them, “You give them something

to eat.”

14

“We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,”
they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all
these  people.”
(There  were  about  five  thou-
sand men.)

15

He  told  His  disciples,  “Have  them  sit  down  in
groups  of  about  fifty  each.”
They  did  so,  and
16
everyone was seated.

Taking  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fish  and
looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and
broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples
17
to set before the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disci-
ples  picked  up  twelve  basketfuls  of  broken
Peter’s Confession of Christ
pieces that were left over.
(Matt. 16:13–20 ;  Mark 8:27–30 ;  John 6:67–71)

18

One  day  as  Jesus  was  praying  in  private  and
the  disciples  were  with  Him,  He  questioned
19
them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”

Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants
to come after Me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross daily and follow Me.
For whoever
wants  to  save  his  life  will  lose  it,  but  whoever
25
loses his life for My sake will save it.

24

26

What  does  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole
world,  yet  lose  or  forfeit  his  very  self?
If
anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son
of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in
His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the
holy angels.
But I tell you truly, some who are
standing here will not taste death before they see
The Transfiguration
the kingdom of God.”
(Matt. 17:1–13 ;  Mark 9:1–13 ;  2 Peter 1:16–21)

27

28

29

About  eight  days  after  Jesus  had  said  these
things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James,
and went up on a mountain to pray.
And as He
30
was praying, the appearance of His face changed,
and His clothes became radiantly white.
Sud-
denly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking
with Jesus.
They appeared in glory and spoke
about  His  departure,  which  He  was  about  to
32
accomplish at Jerusalem.

31

33

Meanwhile  Peter  and  his  companions  were
overcome  by  sleep,  but  when  they  awoke,  they
saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with
Him.
As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter
 a
said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here.
Let us put up three shelters
—one for You, one
for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know
34
what he was saying.)

While  Peter  was  speaking,  a  cloud  appeared
35
and  enveloped  them,  and  they  were  afraid  as
they entered the cloud.
And a voice came from
the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have
chosen.

 Listen to Him!”

b

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; oth-
ers say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of
b 35
a 33
old has arisen.”

three tabernacles

This is My beloved Son

Or

BYZ and TR

; see Matthew 17:5.

36

50

Luke 10:4    |    929

After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was pre-
sent with them. The disciples kept this to them-
selves, and in those days they did not tell anyone
The Boy with an Evil Spirit
what they had seen.
(Matthew 17:14–18 ;  Mark 9:14–29)

37

39

The next day, when they came down from the
38
mountain,  Jesus  was  met  by  a  large  crowd.
Suddenly  a  man  in  the  crowd  cried  out,
“Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my
only  child.
A  spirit  keeps  seizing him,  and  he
screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions
so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling
him  and  rarely  departs  from  him.
I  begged
Your  disciples  to  drive  it  out,  but  they  were
41
unable.”

40

“O  unbelieving  and  perverse  generation!”  Je-
sus  replied.  “How  long  must  I  remain  with  you
42
and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

Even while the boy was approaching, the de-
mon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion.
But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the
The Second Prediction of the Passion
boy, and gave him back to his father.
(Matthew 17:22–23 ;  Mark 9:30–32)

43

And they were all astonished at the greatness

of God.

44

While  everyone  was  marveling  at  all  that  Jesus
was doing, He said to His disciples,
“Let these
words  sink  into  your  ears:  The  Son  of  Man  is
45
about  to  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  men.”
But they did not understand this statement. It
was veiled from them so that they could not com-
prehend  it,  and  they  were  afraid  to  ask  Him
The Greatest in the Kingdom
about it.
(Matthew 18:1–5 ;  Mark 9:33–41)

46

47

48

Then an argument started among the disciples
as to which of them would be the greatest.
But
Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had
a little child stand beside Him.
And He said to
them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My
name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me
welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is
49
the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever

The Samaritans Reject Jesus
is not against you is for you.”
51

52

As  the  day  of  His  ascension  approached,
He sent
Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
messengers on ahead, who went into a village of
53
the  Samaritans  to  make  arrangements  for  Him.
But the people there refused to welcome Him,

54
because He was heading for Jerusalem.

When  the  disciples  James  and  John  saw  this,
they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down
55
fire from heaven

 to consume them?”

56

 a

b

But  Jesus  turned  and  rebuked  them.

And
The Cost of Discipleship
He and His disciples went on to another village.
(Matt. 8:18–22 ;  Luke 14:25–33 ;  John 6:59–66)

57

As they were walking along the road, someone
58
said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”

Jesus  replied,  “Foxes  have  dens  and  birds  of
the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  Man  has  no
59
place to lay His head.”

Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.”

The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury
60
my father.”

But  Jesus  told  him,  “Let  the  dead  bury  their
own  dead.  You,  however,  go  and  proclaim  the
61
kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but

62
first let me bid farewell to my family.”

Then  Jesus  declared,  “No  one  who  puts  his
hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the
Jesus Sends the Seventy-Two
kingdom of God.”
(Matthew 9:35–38)

10

 c

2

After  this,  the  Lord  appointed  seventy-
two
  others  and  sent  them  two  by  two
ahead  of  Him  to  every  town  and  place  He  was
about to visit.
And He told them, “The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of  the  harvest,  therefore,  to  send  out  workers
3
into His harvest.
4

Go!  I  am  sending  you  out  like  lambs  among
Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not

“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving
out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop
from heaven, just as Elijah did
a 54
him, because he does not accompany us.”
know what kind of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy the lives of men, but to save them.”
c 1

wolves.
greet anyone along the road.

; see 2 Kings 1:10–12.

BYZ and TR include

BYZ and TR

seventy

b 55

and He said, “You do not

NE, BYZ, and TR

; also in verse 17

930    |    Luke 10:5

5

6

7

Whatever  house  you  enter,  begin  by  saying,
If a man of peace is there,
‘Peace to this house.’
your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return
Stay at the same house, eating and drink-
to you.
ing whatever you are offered. For the worker is
worthy of his wages.
 Do not move around from
8
house to house.

a

9

If you enter a town and they welcome you, eat
Heal  the  sick  who
whatever  is  set  before  you.
are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is
10
near you.’

But if you enter a town and they do not wel-
11
come  you,  go  into  the  streets  and  declare,
‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our
feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet
be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
I
tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for
Woe to the Unrepentant  (Matthew 11:20–24)
Sodom than for that town.
13

12

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For  if  the  miracles  that  were  performed  in  you
had  been  performed  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they
would  have  repented  long  ago,  sitting  in  sack-
But  it will  be more  bearable
cloth  and  ashes.
15
for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

14

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to
16
heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!

Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever
rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me
The Joyful Return
rejects the One who sent Me.”
17

The  seventy-two  returned  with  joy  and  said,
“Lord,  even  the  demons  submit  to  us  in  Your
18
name.”

19

So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning
Behold, I have given you author-
from heaven.
ity to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all
20
the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless,  do  not  rejoice  that  the  spirits
submit  to  you,  but  rejoice  that  your  names  are
Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving
written in heaven.”
(Matthew 11:25–30)

21

At  that  time  Jesus  rejoiced  in  the  Holy  Spirit
and  declared,  “I  praise  You,  Father,  Lord  of
heaven  and  earth,  because  You  have  hidden
these  things  from  the  wise  and  learned,  and
a 7

d 35

revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for
22
this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Fa-
ther. No one knows who the Son is except the Fa-
ther, and no one knows who the Father is except
the  Son  and  those  to  whom  the  Son  chooses  to
23
reveal Him.”

24

Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said pri-
vately,  “Blessed  are  the  eyes  that  see  what  you
For  I  tell  you  that  many  prophets  and
see.
kings desired to see what you see but did not see
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
25

One day an expert in the law stood up to test
Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to in-
26
herit eternal life?”

“What  is  written  in  the  Law?”  Jesus  replied.

27
“How do you read it?”

He  answered,  “

‘Love  the  Lord  your  God  with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your strength and with all your mind’
 and ‘Love
28
your neighbor as yourself.’

”

 b

 c

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do

29
this and you will live.”

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,

30
“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus  took  up  this  question  and  said,  “A  man
was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when
he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped
him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half
31
dead.

Now  by  chance  a  priest  was  going  down  the
same road, but when he saw him, he passed by
32
on the other side.

So  too,  when  a  Levite  came  to  that  spot  and

33
saw him, he passed by on the other side.

34

But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him,
and when he saw him, he had compassion.
He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring
on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own ani-
35
mal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

 d

The  next  day  he  took  out  two  denarii

  and
gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he
said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any
additional expense.’

b 27

c 27

See Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14–15; cited in 1 Timothy 5:18.

Deuteronomy 6:5

Leviticus

19:18

A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

36

9

Luke 11:26    |    931

Which of these three do you think was a neigh-
bor  to  the  man  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  rob-
37
bers?”

“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the

expert in the law.
Martha and Mary
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
38

39

As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village
where  a  woman  named  Martha  welcomed  Him
into her home.
She had a sister named Mary,
40
who  sat  at  the  Lord’s  feet  listening  to  His  mes-
sage.
But  Martha  was  distracted  by  all  the
preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and
said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left
41
me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
42

“Martha,  Martha,”  the  Lord  replied,  “you  are
worried and upset about many things.
But only
one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good
The Lord’s Prayer  (Matthew 6:5–15)
portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

11

One day in a place where Jesus had just
finished praying, one of His disciples re-
quested,  “Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,  just  as  John
2
taught his disciples.”
a

So Jesus told them, “When you pray, say:

b
 hallowed be Your name.

‘Father,
3
Your kingdom come.
4
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins

c

against us.

Ask, Seek, Knock  (Matthew 7:7–12)
And lead us not into temptation.
”

’

5

6

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “Suppose  one  of  you
goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend,
lend me three loaves of bread,
because a friend
of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have
7
nothing to set before him.’

And  suppose  the  one  inside  answers,  ‘Do  not
bother me. My door is already shut, and my chil-
dren and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you
8
anything.’

10

So  I  tell  you:  Ask,  and  it  will  be  given  to  you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will
be opened to you.
For everyone who asks re-
ceives;  he  who  seeks  finds;  and  to  him  who
11
knocks, the door will be opened.

d

12

13

What  father  among  you,  if  his  son  asks  for  a
fish,
Or  if  he
  will  give  him  a  snake  instead?
asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
So if
you who are evil know how to give good gifts to
your  children,  how  much  more  will  your
Father  in  heaven  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  those
A House Divided
who ask Him!”
(Matthew 12:22–30 ;  Mark 3:20–27)

14

e

15

One  day  Jesus  was  driving  out  a  demon  that
was  mute.  And  when  the  demon  was  gone,  the
man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were
but some of them said, “It is by Beel-
amazed,
zebul,
 the prince of the demons, that He drives
And  others  tested  Him  by  de-
out  demons.”
17
manding a sign from heaven.

16

18

Knowing  their  thoughts,  Jesus  said  to  them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid
waste, and a house divided against a house will
If Satan is divided against himself, how can
fall.
19
his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive
out demons by Beelzebul.
And if I drive out de-
mons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive
20
them  out?  So  then,  they  will  be  your  judges.
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,

21
then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

22

When  a  strong  man,  fully  armed,  guards  his
But  when
house,  his  possessions  are  secure.
someone stronger attacks and overpowers him,
he  takes  away  the  armor  in  which  the  man
23
trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.

He  who  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me,  and  he

An Unclean Spirit Returns  (Matt. 12:43–45)
who does not gather with Me scatters.
24

25

When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it
passes through arid places seeking rest and does
not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house
26
On  its  return,  it  finds  the  house  swept
I  left.’
clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings
seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and
they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
that man is worse than the first.”
if his son asks
;

d 11
Beelzebub

I tell you, even though he will not get up to pro-
vide  for  him  because  of  his  friendship,  yet  be-
cause of the man’s persistence, he will get up and
b 2
a 2
give him as much as he needs.
c 4

Our Father in heaven

but deliver us from the evil one

BYZ and TR
for bread, will give him a stone, or for a fish
see Matt. 6:10.

BYZ and TR include

; see Matthew 6:9.

BYZ and TR include

e 15

Beezeboul
; see Matthew 6:13.

BYZ and TR

; see Matt. 7:9–10.

WH

; Vulgate

; also in vv. 18 and 19

42

Woe  to  you  Pharisees!  For  you  pay  tithes  of
mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard jus-
tice and the love of God. You should have prac-
43
ticed the latter without neglecting the former.

44

Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the chief
seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the
marketplaces.
Woe to you! For you are like un-
marked  graves,  which  men  walk  over  without
45
even noticing.”

One  of  the  experts  in  the  law  told  Him,
“Teacher, when You say these things, You insult
46
us as well.”

“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He re-
plied. “For you weigh men down with heavy bur-
dens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to
47
lighten their load.

48

Woe  to  you!  For  you  build  tombs  for  the
prophets,  but  it  was  your  fathers  who  killed
them.
So you are witnesses consenting to the
49
deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets,
and you build their tombs.
Because of this, the
wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets
and apostles; some of them they will kill and oth-
50
ers they will persecute.’

51

As  a  result,  this  generation  will  be  charged
with the blood of all the prophets that has been
shed  since  the  foundation  of  the  world,
from
c
the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who
was killed between the altar and the sanctuary.
Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this gen-
52
eration.

Woe  to  you  experts  in  the  law!  For  you  have
taken  away  the  key  to  knowledge.  You  your-
selves have not entered, and you have hindered
53
those who were entering.”

As  Jesus  went  on  from there,  the  scribes  and
Pharisees  began  to  oppose  Him  bitterly  and  to
54
ply  Him  with  questions  about  many  things,
waiting  to  catch  Him  in  something  He  might

say.  The Leaven of the Pharisees
(Matthew 16:5–12 ;  Mark 8:14–21)

932    |    Luke 11:27

True Blessedness

27

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in
the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is
the  womb  that  bore  You,  and  blessed  are  the
28
breasts that nursed You!”

But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who

The Sign of Jonah
hear the word of God and obey it.”
(Jonah 3:1–10 ;  Matthew 12:38–42)

29

As  the  crowds  were  increasing,  Jesus  said,
“This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign,
30
but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the

31
Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

32

The  Queen  of  the  South  will  rise  at  the  judg-
ment  with  the  men  of  this  generation  and  con-
demn  them;  for  she  came  from  the  ends  of  the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now
One greater than Solomon is here.
The men of
Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this gen-
eration and condemn it; for they repented at the
preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jo-
The Lamp of the Body  (Matthew 6:22–24)
nah is here.
33

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or
under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so
34
those who enter can see the light.

a

b

36

35

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your
eyes  are  good,
  your  whole  body  also  is  full  of
light. But when they are bad,
 your body is full of
Be careful, then, that the light within
darkness.
you is not darkness.
So if your whole body is
full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will
be  radiant,  as  though  a  lamp  were  shining  on
you.”  Woes to Pharisees and Experts in the Law
(Matthew 23:1–36)

37

38

As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him
to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at
the  table.
But  the  Pharisee  was  surprised  to
39
see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

40

Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean
the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are
full  of  greed  and  wickedness.
You  fools!  Did
41
not the One who made the outside make the in-
side as well?
But give as alms the things that
are  within  you,  and  behold,  everything  will  be
a 34
clean for you.

When your eye is sound

       c 51

the house

Literally
Proverbs 28:22.

Literally

12

In the meantime, a crowd of many thou-
sands  had  gathered,  so  that  they  were
trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first
to  His  disciples:  “Beware  of  the  leaven  of  the
There is nothing
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing

when it is evil

2

b 34

; see Proverbs 22:9.

Literally

; see Proverbs 23:6 and

3

What you
hidden that will not be made known.
have spoken in the dark will be heard in the day-
light, and what you have whispered in the inner
Fear God Alone  (Matthew 10:26–31)
rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
4

I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those
5
who kill the body and after that can do no more.
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear
the One who, after you have been killed, has au-
thority to throw you into hell.
 Yes, I tell you, fear
 b
6
Him!

a

7

Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  pennies?

Yet  not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  by  God.
And
even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  num-
bered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more
Confessing Christ  (Matthew 10:32–33)
than many sparrows.
8

9

10

I  tell  you,  everyone  who  confesses  Me  before
men, the Son of Man will also confess him before
the angels of God.
But whoever denies Me be-
fore  men  will  be  denied  before  the  angels  of
And everyone who speaks a word against
God.
the  Son  of  Man  will  be  forgiven,  but  whoever
blasphemes  against  the  Holy  Spirit  will  not  be
11
forgiven.

12

When you are brought before synagogues, rul-
ers, and authorities, do not worry about how to
defend yourselves or what to say.
For at that
time  the  Holy  Spirit  will  teach  you  what  you
The Parable of the Rich Fool
should say.”
13

Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher,
tell  my  brother  to  divide  the  inheritance  with
14
me.”

15

But  Jesus  replied,  “Man,  who  appointed  Me
And He said
judge or executor between you?”
to  them,  “Watch  out!  Guard  yourselves  against
every form of greed, for one’s life does not con-
16
sist in the abundance of his possessions.”

17

18

Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a
So
certain  rich  man  produced  an  abundance.
he  thought  to  himself,  ‘What  shall  I  do,  since  I
Then  he
have  nowhere  to  store  my  crops?’
said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my
19
barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will
two assaria
b 6
a 5
Then I will
store up all my grain and my goods.
c 25
a single cubit to his height
sider the lilies: They do not spin or weave.

Gehenna

Greek

Greek
Or

Luke 12:36    |    933

say  to  myself,  “You  have  plenty  of  good  things
laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink,
20
and be merry!”

’

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night
your life will be required of you. Then who will
21
own what you have accumulated?’

This is how it will be for anyone who stores up
Do Not Worry  (Matthew 6:25–34)
treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
22

24

Then  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  “Therefore  I
tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
23
will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
For life is more than food, and the body more
than clothes.
Consider the ravens: They do not
sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet
God  feeds  them.  How  much  more  valuable  you
25
are than the birds!

 c

26

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour
So  if  you  cannot  do  such  a  small

to  his  life?
27
thing, why do you worry about the rest?

d

28

Consider how the lilies grow: They do not la-
bor or spin.
 Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in
all his glory was adorned like one of these.
If
that  is  how  God  clothes  the  grass  of  the  field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into
the furnace, how much more will He clothe you,
29
O you of little faith!

30

And do not be concerned about what you will
For  the
eat  or  drink.  Do  not  worry  about  it.
Gentiles of the world strive after all these things,
31
and  your  Father  knows  that  you  need  them.
  kingdom,  and  these  things  will

But  seek  His

 e

Treasures in Heaven  (Matthew 6:19–21)
be added unto you.
32

33

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is
Sell  your
pleased  to  give  you  the  kingdom.
possessions and give to the poor. Provide your-
selves with purses that will not wear out, an in-
exhaustible  treasure  in  heaven,  where  no  thief
For where
approaches and no moth destroys.
Readiness at Any Hour
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 24:36–51 ;  Mark 13:32–37)

34

35

36

Be  dressed  for  service  and  keep  your  lamps
burning.
Then you will be like servants waiting
for  their  master  to  return  from  the  wedding
d 27

Con-

God’s
; a cubit was approximately 18 inches or 45 centimeters.

; an assarion was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius.
e 31
NE and Tischendorf

BYZ and TR

; see Matthew 6:33.

934    |    Luke 12:37

37

banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they
can open the door for him at once.
Blessed are
those servants whom the master finds on watch
when  he  returns.  Truly  I  tell  you,  he  will  dress
himself to serve and will have them recline at the
38
table, and he himself will come and wait on them.
Even if he comes in the second or third watch
 and finds them alert, those servants

 a

of the night
39
will be blessed.

b

But  understand  this:  If  the  homeowner  had
known  at  what  hour  the  thief  was  coming,
  he
40
would  not  have  let  his  house  be  broken  into.
You  also  must  be  ready,  because  the  Son  of

41
Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

“Lord,”  said  Peter,  “are  You  addressing  this

42
parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”

43

And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faith-
ful and wise manager, whom the master puts in
charge of his servants to give them their portion
Blessed  is  that  servant
at  the  proper  time?
whose  master  finds  him  doing  so  when  he  re-
Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge
turns.
45
of all his possessions.

44

46

But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My
master will be a long time in coming,’ and he be-
gins to beat the menservants and maidservants,
The master
and to eat and drink and get drunk.
of that servant will come on a day he does not ex-
pect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then
he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place
47
with the unbelievers.

48

That servant who knows his master’s will but
does not get ready or follow his instructions will
But the one who
be beaten with many blows.
unknowingly does things worthy of punishment
will  be  beaten  with  few  blows.  From  everyone
who  has  been  given  much,  much  will  be  re-
quired;  and  from  him  who  has  been  entrusted
Not Peace but Division
with much, even more will be demanded.
(Micah 7:1–6 ;  Matthew 10:34–39)

53

They
three against two and two against three.
will  be  divided,  father  against  son  and  son
against  father,  mother  against  daughter  and
daughter against mother, mother-in-law against
daughter-in-law  and  daughter-in-law  against
Interpreting the Present Time
mother-in-law.
”
(Matthew 16:1–4 ;  Mark 8:11–13)

c

54

56

55

Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you
see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower
is  coming,’  and  that  is  what  happens.
And
when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be
hot,’ and it is.
You hypocrites! You know how
to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky.
Why  don’t  you  know  how  to  interpret  the  pre-
Reconciling with an Adversary
sent time?
(Matthew 5:21–26)

57

58

And why don’t you judge for yourselves what
is  right?
Make  every  effort  to  reconcile  with
your adversary while you are on your way to the
magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the
judge, and the judge may hand you over to the of-
59
ficer, and the officer may throw you into prison.
d
I  tell  you, you will  not get  out  until you have
”

A Call to Repentance
paid the very last penny.
(Joel 1:13–20 ;  Amos 5:4–15 ;  Zephaniah 2:1–3)

13

2

3

At that time some of those present told
Jesus  about  the  Galileans  whose  blood
Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
To this He
replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were
worse  sinners  than  all  the  other  Galileans,  be-
No, I tell you. But
cause they suffered this way?
Or
unless  you  repent,  you  too  will  all  perish.
those eighteen who were killed when the tower
of  Siloam  collapsed  on  them:  Do  you  think  that
they were more sinful than all the others living in
No, I tell you. But unless you repent,
Jerusalem?
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
you too will all perish.”
(Isaiah 5:1–7)

4

5

49

50

6

I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and
But I have
how I wish it were already kindled!
a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am
51
until it is accomplished!

52

Do you think that I have come to bring peace
to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.
From
b 39
a 38
now  on,  five  in  one  household  will  be  divided,
That is, between 9 at night and 3 in the morning

lepton

d 59

7

Then Jesus told this parable:  “A man had a fig
tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to
So  he
look  for  fruit  on  it  but  did  not  find  any.
said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the
past three years I have come to search for fruit
on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore
cut it down!
BYZ and TR include

he would have stayed awake, and
c 53
 Why should it use up the soil?’
Cut it down!
e 7
See

 e

Mic. 7:6.

Greek

; that is, a bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius

SBL, NE, WH

8

9

‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this
year,  until  I  dig  around  it  and  fertilize  it.
If  it
bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut
Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman
it down.’
10

”

11

One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the
synagogues,
and a woman there had been dis-
abled  by  a  spirit  for  eighteen  years.  She  was
12
hunched  over  and  could  not  stand  up  straight.
When  Jesus  saw  her,  He  called  her  over  and
said, “Woman, you are set free from your disabil-
ity.”
Then  He  placed  His  hands  on  her,  and
immediately  she  straightened  up  and  began  to
14
glorify God.

13

But  the  synagogue  leader  was  indignant  that
Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six
days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and
15
be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

16

“You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not
each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey
from the stall and lead it to water?
Then should
not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has
kept bound for eighteen long years, be released
17
from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were
humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
the glorious things He was doing.
(Matthew 13:31–32 ;  Mark 4:30–34)

18

19

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God
like? To what can I compare it?
It is like a mus-
tard  seed  that  a  man  tossed  into  his  garden.  It
grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air
The Parable of the Leaven  (Matthew 13:33)
nested in its branches.”
20

21

Again  He  asked,  “To  what  can  I  compare  the
kingdom of God?
It is like leaven that a woman
took and mixed into three measures of flour, un-
The Narrow Door  (Matthew 7:13–14)
til all of it was leavened.”
22

23

Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and
villages, teaching as He made His way toward Je-
rusalem.
“Lord,”  someone  asked  Him,  “will
only a few people be saved?”

24

Jesus  answered,
“Make  every  effort  to  enter
through  the  narrow  door.  For  many,  I  tell  you,
will try to enter and will not be able.
After the
donkey
b 5
a 35
master of the house gets up and shuts the door,

25

Psalm 118:26

TR

Luke 14:5    |    935

you  will  stand  outside  knocking  and  saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’

But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are
26
from.’

Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you,

27
and you taught in our streets.’

And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know
where you are from. Depart from me, all you evil-
28
doers.’

There  will  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the
29
prophets  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  but  you  your-
People will come from
selves are thrown out.
east and west and north and south, and will re-
And
cline at the table in the kingdom of God.
indeed, some who are last will be first, and some
Lament over Jerusalem  (Matthew 23:37–39)
who are first will be last.”
31

30

At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Je-
sus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away,
32
because Herod wants to kill You.”

33

But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will
keep driving out demons and healing people to-
day  and  tomorrow,  and  on  the  third  day  I  will
Nevertheless, I must keep go-
reach My goal.’
ing today and tomorrow and the next day, for it
is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside
34
of Jerusalem.

35

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets
and  stones  those  sent  to  her,  how  often  I  have
longed to gather your children together as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were
Look, your house is left to you des-
unwilling!
olate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again
until  you  say,  ‘Blessed  is  He  who  comes  in  the
Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy
name of the Lord.’

”

 a

14

One  Sabbath,  Jesus  went  to  eat  in  the
home of a leading Pharisee, and those in
Right
attendance  were  watching  Him  closely.
So Je-
there before Him was a man with dropsy.
sus asked the experts in the law and the Phari-
4
sees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

2
3

But they remained silent.

5
Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and
 b
And  He  asked  them,
sent  him  on  his  way.
“Which of you whose son
 or ox falls into a pit on
the  Sabbath  day  will  not  immediately  pull  him
out?”

936    |    Luke 14:6

6

22

And  they  were  unable  to  answer  these  ques-

The Parable of the Guests
tions.
7

8

When  Jesus  noticed  how  the  guests  chose  the
“When
places of honor, He told them a parable:
you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit
9
in the place of honor, in case someone more dis-
Then the
tinguished than you has been invited.
host who invited both of you will come and tell
you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation,
10
you will have to take the last place.

 c

11

But when you are invited, go and sit in the last
place,  so  that  your  host  will  come  and  tell  you,
‘Friend,  move  up  to  a  better  place.’
  Then  you
will be honored in front of everyone at the table
For everyone who exalts himself will
with you.
be  humbled,  and  the  one  who  humbles  himself
12
will be exalted.”

13

Then  Jesus  said  to  the  man  who  had  invited
Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do
not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or
rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in
But when you
return, and you will be repaid.
host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the
and  you  will  be  blessed.
lame,  and  the  blind,
Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid
The Parable of the Banquet  (Matt. 22:1–14)
at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15

14

When  one  of  those  reclining  with  Him  heard
this,  he  said to  Jesus,  “Blessed  is  everyone  who
16
will eat at the feast

 in the kingdom of God.”

 d

17

But  Jesus  replied,  “A  certain  man  prepared  a
When
great banquet and invited many guests.
it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to
tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for eve-
18
rything is now ready.’

But one after another they all began to make
excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field,
19
and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’

Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen,
20
and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’

Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I

21
cannot come.’

The servant returned and reported all this to
his  master.  Then  the  owner  of  the  house
became  angry  and  said  to  his  servant,  ‘Go  out
quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and
bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the
lame.’

‘Sir,’  the  servant  replied,  ‘what  you  ordered

23
has been done, and there is still room.’

24

So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the
highways and hedges and compel them to come
in, so that my house will be full.
For I tell you,
not one of those men who were invited will taste
The Cost of Discipleship
my banquet.’
”
(Matt. 8:18–22 ;  Luke 9:57–62 ;  John 6:59–66)

25

26

Now  large  crowds  were  traveling  with  Jesus,
and  He  turned  and  said  to  them,
“If  anyone
comes  to  Me  and  does  not  hate  his  father  and
mother and wife and children and brothers and
sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My
disciple.
And whoever does not carry his cross
28
and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

27

29

Which  of  you,  wishing  to  build  a  tower,  does
not first sit down and count the cost to see if he
has the resources to complete it?
Otherwise, if
he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the
30
work,  everyone  who  sees  it  will  ridicule  him,
saying,  ‘This  man  could  not  finish  what  he

31
started to build.’

Or what king on his way to war with another
king will not first sit down and consider whether
he  can  engage  with  ten  thousand  men  the  one
32
coming  against  him  with  twenty  thousand?
And if he is unable, he will send a delegation
while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms
33
of peace.

In the same way, any one of you who does not
Good Salt
give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
(Matthew 5:13–16 ;  Mark 9:49–50)

34

35
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with
what will it be seasoned?
It is fit neither for the
soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
(Matthew 18:10–14)

15

2

Now  all  the  tax  collectors  and  sinners
were gathering around to listen to Jesus.
So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble:
“This  man  welcomes  sinners  and  eats  with
3
them.”

4

Then Jesus told them this parable:

“What man
among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses
one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the
pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he

5

6

22

Luke 16:6    |    937

And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it
finds it?
comes  home,  and  calls  to-
on  his  shoulders,
7
gether his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Re-
I
joice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’
tell you that in the same way there will be more
joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than
over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need
The Parable of the Lost Coin
to repent.
8

 a

Or what woman who has ten silver coins

 and
loses  one  of  them  does  not  light  a  lamp,  sweep
9
her house, and search carefully until she finds it?
And  when  she  finds  it,  she  calls  together  her
friends  and  neighbors  to  say,  ‘Rejoice  with  me,
for I have found my lost coin.’
In the same way,
I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s an-
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
gels over one sinner who repents.”
(Deuteronomy 21:18–21)

10

11

12

Then  Jesus  said,  “There  was  a  man  who  had
two sons.
The younger son said to him, ‘Father,
give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his
13
property between them.

After  a  few  days,  the  younger  son  got  every-
thing together and journeyed to a distant coun-
try,  where  he  squandered  his  wealth  in  wild
14
living.

15

After he had spent all he had, a severe famine
swept through that country, and he began to be
in need.
So he went and hired himself out to a
citizen  of  that  country,  who  sent  him  into  his
fields to feed the pigs.
He longed to fill his belly
with  the  pods  the  pigs  were  eating,  but  no  one
17
would give him a thing.

16

18

Finally  he  came  to  his  senses  and  said,  ‘How
many of my father’s hired servants have plenty
of food, but here I am, starving to death!
I will
get up and go back to my father and say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your
20
son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
’

19

So he got up and went to his father. But while
he  was  still  in  the  distance,  his  father  saw  him
and  was  filled  with  compassion.  He  ran  to  his
21
son, embraced him, and kissed him.

The  son  declared,

‘Father,  I  have  sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer
ten drachmas
a 8
worthy to be called your son.

’

b

c 6

‘A hundred baths of oil’

23

But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,  ‘Quick!
Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring
Bring the
on his finger and sandals on his feet.
24
fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate.
For  this  son  of  mine  was  dead  and  is  alive
again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to
25
celebrate.

26

Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and
as  he  approached  the  house,  he  heard  music
and dancing.
So he called one of the servants
27
and asked what was going on.

‘Your brother has returned,’ he said, ‘and your
father has killed the fattened calf, because he has
28
him back safe and sound.’

The older son became angry and refused to go
29
in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.

30

But  he  answered  his  father,  ‘Look,  all  these
years  I  have served  you  and  never  disobeyed  a
commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me
even a young goat so I could celebrate with my
But  when  this  son  of  yours  returns
friends.
from squandering your wealth with prostitutes,
31
you kill the fattened calf for him!’

32

‘Son, you are always with me,’ the father said,
But it was fitting
‘and all that is mine is yours.
to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of
yours  was  dead  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
and is found.’

”

16

2

Jesus  also  said  to  His  disciples,  “There
was a rich man whose manager was ac-
So  he  called
cused  of  wasting  his  possessions.
him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn
in an account of your management, for you can-
3
not be manager any longer.’

4

The  manager  said  to  himself,  ‘What  shall  I  do,
now that my master is taking away my position?
I  am  too  weak  to  dig  and  too  ashamed
I  know  what  I  will  do  so  that  after
to  beg.
my removal from management, people will wel-
5
come me into their homes.’

And he called in each one of his master’s debt-
ors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked
6
the first.

 c

‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’

 he answered.

Greek
verse 19.

Greek

, each worth about a day’s wages

WH includes

; see

; that is, approximately 870 gallons or 3,300 liters

‘Take  your  bill,’  said  the  manager,  ‘sit  down
quickly, and write fifty.’

Make me like one of your hired servants

b 21

938    |    Luke 16:7

7

Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you

 a

owe?’

‘A hundred measures of wheat,’
8
‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him.

 he replied.

The master commended the dishonest manager
because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of
this  age  are  more  shrewd  in  dealing  with  their
own  kind  than  are  the  sons  of light.
I tell  you,
use  worldly  wealth  to  make  friends  for  your-
selves so that when it is gone, they will welcome
10
you into eternal dwellings.

9

Whoever is faithful with very little will also be
faithful  with  much,  and  whoever  is  dishonest
11
with very little will also be dishonest with much.
So  if  you  have  not  been  faithful with  worldly
12
wealth,  who  will  entrust  you  with  true  riches?
And if you have not been faithful with the be-
longings of another, who will give you belongings
13
of your own?

No  servant  can  serve  two  masters.  Either  he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted  to  the  one  and  despise  the  other.  You
The Law and the Prophets
cannot serve both God and money.”
14

15

The  Pharisees,  who  were  lovers  of  money,
So
heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
He  said  to  them,  “You  are  the  ones  who  justify
yourselves  before  men,  but  God  knows  your
hearts. For what is prized among men is detesta-
16
ble before God.

The  Law  and  the  Prophets  were  proclaimed
until John. Since that time, the gospel of the king-
b
dom  of  God  is  being  preached,  and  everyone  is
forcing  his  way  into  it.
But  it  is  easier  for
heaven and earth to pass away than for a single
18
stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

17

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries an-
other  woman  commits  adultery,  and  he  who
The Rich Man and Lazarus  (John 5:39–47)
marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
19

20

Now  there  was  a  rich  man  dressed  in  purple
and  fine  linen,  who  lived  each  day  in  joyous
21
splendor.
And a beggar named Lazarus lay at
his gate, covered with sores
and longing to be
fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s
22
table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

23

also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he
was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham
24
from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy
on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his fin-
ger  in  water  and  cool  my  tongue.  For  I  am  in
25
agony in this fire.’

But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that
during  your  lifetime  you  received  your  good
things,  while  Lazarus  received  bad  things.  But
26
now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
And  besides  all  this,  a  great  chasm  has  been
fixed between us and you, so that even those who
wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can any-
27
one cross from there to us.’

28

‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers.
Let him warn them, so that they will not also end
29
up in this place of torment.’

But  Abraham  replied,  ‘They  have  Moses  and

30
the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone
31
is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not lis-
ten to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be
Temptations and Trespasses
persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’
”
(Matthew 18:6–9 ;  Mark 9:42–48)

17

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevita-
ble that stumbling blocks will come, but
It
woe  to  the  one  through  whom  they  come!
would be better for him to have a millstone hung
around  his  neck  and  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea
3
than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

2

4

Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke
Even if he
him; and if he repents, forgive him.
sins against you seven times in a day, and seven
times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive
The Power of Faith
him.”
(Matthew 17:19–20)

5

The  apostles  said  to  the  Lord,  “Increase  our

6
faith!”

One  day  the  beggar  died  and  was  carried  by
 And the rich man
everyone is urged to enter into it

a 7
the angels to Abraham’s side.

‘A hundred cors of wheat’

b 16

c

And  the  Lord  answered,  “If  you  have  faith  the
size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mul-
berry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’
and it will obey you.
; that is, approximately 1,000 bushels or 35,000 liters (probably about 30 tons or 27

into Abraham’s bosom

c 22

Greek

metric tons of wheat)

Or

Greek

; similarly in verse 23

7

26

Luke 18:9    |    939

27

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it
be in the days of the Son of Man:
People were
eating and drinking, marrying and being given in
marriage,  up  to  the  day  Noah  entered  the  ark.
28
Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

29

It was the same in the days of Lot: People were
eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting
and  building.
But  on  the  day  Lot  left  Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and de-
30
stroyed them all.

31

It  will  be  just  like  that  on  the  day  the  Son  of
Man is revealed.
On that day, let no one on the
housetop come down to retrieve his possessions.
32
Likewise, let no one in the field return for any-
33
thing he has left behind.
Remember Lot’s wife!
Whoever tries to save  his life will lose it, but
whoever  loses  his  life  will  preserve  it.
I  tell
you, on that night two people will be in one bed:
one  will  be  taken  and  the  other  left.
Two
women will be grinding grain together: one will
37
be taken and the other left.”

35

34

 e

“Where, Lord?” they asked.

Jesus  answered,  “Wherever  there  is  a  carcass,
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
there the vultures will gather.”

18

3

2

Then  Jesus  told  them  a  parable  about
their  need  to  pray  at  all  times  and
not  lose  heart:
“In  a  certain  town  there  was  a
judge  who  neither  feared  God  nor  respected
And there was a widow in that town who
men.
kept  appealing  to  him,  ‘Give  me  justice  against
4
my adversary.’

For a while he refused, but later he said to him-
5
self, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,
yet  because  this  widow  keeps  pestering  me,  I
will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me
6
out with her perpetual requests.’

”

7

And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the
unjust  judge.
Will  not  God  bring  about  justice
8
for His elect who cry out to Him day and night?
Will He delay in helping them?
I tell you, He will
promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Never-
theless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
faith on earth?”
9

8

Which  of  you  whose  servant  comes  in  from
plowing  or  shepherding  in  the  field  will  say  to
Instead,
him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
won’t  he  tell  him,  ‘Prepare  my  meal  and  dress
9
yourself  to  serve  me  while  I  eat  and  drink,  and
Does  he
afterward  you  may  eat  and  drink’?
thank  the  servant  because  he  did  what  he  was
So you also, when you have done every-
told?
thing commanded of you, should say, ‘We are un-
The Ten Lepers  (2 Kings 5:1–14)
”
worthy servants; we have only done our duty.’
11

10

12

a

While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He
As
was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten
lepers.
and  raised
their voices, shouting, “Jesus, Master, have mercy
14
on us!”

  They  stood  at  a  distance

13

 b

When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show your-
 And as they were on their

selves to the priests.”
15
way, they were cleansed.

16

When one of them saw that he was healed, he
came back, praising God in a loud voice.
He fell
facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him—
17
and he was a Samaritan.

18

“Were  not  all  ten  cleansed?”  Jesus  asked.
Was  no  one
“Where  then  are  the  other  nine?
found  except  this  foreigner  to  return  and  give
19
glory to God?”

 c

Then Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith

The Coming of the Kingdom
has made you well!
(Genesis 19:24–29)

”

20

When asked by the Pharisees when the king-
dom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The king-
21
dom of God will not come with observable signs.
Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There
it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your
22
midst.

”

d

24

23

Then He said to the disciples, “The time is com-
ing when you will long to see one of the days of
People
the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He
For just
is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from
one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in
But first He must suffer many things
His day.
leper
a 12
and be rejected by this generation.
d 21
within you
left

within your grasp

e 35

25

 or

TR includes

A
Or

; see Matthew 24:40.

 was one afflicted with a skin disease. See Leviticus 13.

See Leviticus 14:1–32.

Or

To  some  who  trusted  in  their  own  righteous-
ness and viewed others with contempt, He also

has saved you
36 Two men will be in the field. One will be taken and the other

b 14

c 19

940    |    Luke 18:10

10

26

a

told  this  parable:
“Two  men  went  up  to  the
11
temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other
The Pharisee stood by himself
a tax collector.
and prayed,
 ‘God, I thank You that I am not like
12
other  men—swindlers,  evildoers,  adulterers—
I  fast  twice  a
or  even  like  this  tax  collector.
13
week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

14

But  the  tax  collector  stood  at  a  distance,  un-
willing even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead,
he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on
I tell you, this man, rather than
me, a sinner!’
the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one
Jesus Blesses the Children
who humbles himself will be exalted.”
(Matthew 19:13–15 ;  Mark 10:13–16)

15

Now people were even bringing their babies to
Jesus  for  Him  to  place  His  hands  on  them.  And
when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those
16
who brought them.

17

But Jesus called the children to Him and said,
“Let  the  little  children  come  to  Me,  and  do  not
hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to
Truly  I  tell  you,  anyone  who
such  as  these.
does not receive the kingdom of God like a little
The Rich Young Ruler
child will never enter it.”
(Matthew 19:16–30 ;  Mark 10:17–31)

18

Then  a  certain  ruler  asked  Him,  “Good
19
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

20

“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No
You  know  the
one  is  good  except  God  alone.
commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not
 b
murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
21
honor your father and mother.’
22

“All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.

”

On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack
one  thing:  Sell  everything  you  own  and  give  to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
23
Then come, follow Me.”

But when the ruler heard this, he became very

24
sad, because he was extremely wealthy.

c

Seeing  the  man’s  sadness,

  Jesus  said,  “How
25
hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
a 11
the kingdom of God.”
become sorrowful

stood and prayed to himself

b 20
Seeing him

d 28

Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be

27
saved?”

But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is

 d

28
possible with God.”

“Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had

29
follow You.”

 to

“Truly  I  tell  you,”  Jesus  replied,  “no  one  who
has left home or wife or brothers or parents or
30
children  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom  of  God
will  fail  to  receive  many  times  more  in  this

The Third Prediction of the Passion
age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”
(Matthew 20:17–19 ;  Mark 10:32–34)

31

32

Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to
them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and
everything the prophets have written about the
He  will  be  deliv-
Son  of  Man  will  be  fulfilled.
33
ered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and
They will flog Him and
insulted and spit upon.
34
kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”

But  the  disciples  did  not  understand  any  of
these  things.  The  meaning  was  hidden  from
them, and they did not comprehend what He was
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
saying.
(Matthew 20:29–34 ;  Mark 10:46–52)

35

36

As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was
When  he
sitting  beside  the  road,  begging.
heard  the  crowd  going  by,  he  asked  what  was
37
happening.
38

“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

So  he  called  out,  “Jesus,  Son  of  David,  have

39
mercy on me!”

Those who led the way admonished him to be
silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of Da-
40
vid, have mercy on me!”

41

Jesus  stopped  and  directed  that  the  man  be
brought to Him. When he had come near, Jesus
asked  him,
“What  do  you  want  Me  to  do  for
you?”
42
“Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”
43

“Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith
has healed you.”
Immediately he received his
sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all
the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

c 24

Seeing that he had

left our own

left all

Or

Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20

Literally

; SBL, NE, and WH

Literally

; BYZ and TR

Jesus and Zacchaeus  (Numbers 5:5–10)

18

Luke 19:37    |    941

19

2

3

Then  Jesus  entered  Jericho  and  was
And there was a man
passing through.
named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was
He  was  trying  to  see  who  Jesus
very  wealthy.
was, but could not see over the crowd because he
was  small  in  stature.
So  he  ran  on  ahead  and
climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus
5
was about to pass that way.

4

When  Jesus  came  to  that  place,  He  looked  up
and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay
6
at your house today.”

7

So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him
And all who saw this began to grumble,
joyfully.
saying,  “He  has  gone  to  be  the  guest  of  a  sinful
8
man!”

But  Zacchaeus  stood  up  and  said  to  the  Lord,
“Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the
poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it
9
fourfold.”

10

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to
this house, because this man too is a son of Abra-
For the Son of Man came to seek and to
ham.
The Parable of the Ten Minas  (Matt. 25:14–30)
save the lost.”
11

12

While the people were listening to this, Jesus
proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was
near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of
So He said, “A
God would appear imminently.
man of noble birth went to a distant country to
Be-
lay claim to his kingship and then return.
forehand, he called ten of his servants and gave
 ‘Conduct business with this un-
them ten minas.
14
til I return,’ he said.

13

a

But his subjects hated him and sent a delega-
tion after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to
15
rule over us.’

When  he  returned  from  procuring  his  king-
ship, he summoned the servants to whom he had
given the money, to find out what each one had
16
earned.

The first servant came forward and said, ‘Mas-
ten  more

ter,  your  mina  has  produced
17
minas.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant!
Because  you  have  been  faithful  in  a  very  small
a 13
matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

b 20

soudariō

The  second  servant  came  and  said,  ‘Master,

19
your mina has made five minas.’

And to this one he said, ‘You shall have author-

20
ity over five cities.’

b

21

Then another servant came and said, ‘Master,
here  is  your  mina,  which  I  have  laid  away  in  a
For I was afraid of you, because
piece of cloth.
you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did
22
not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will
judge you by your own words. So you knew that
I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not de-
Why
posit  and  reaping  what  I  did  not  sow?
then did you not deposit my money in the bank,
and upon my return I could have collected it with
24
interest?’

23

Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina
from him and give it to the one who has ten mi-
25
nas.’
26

‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

27

He  replied,  ‘I  tell  you  that  everyone  who  has
will  be  given  more;  but  the  one  who  does  not
have, even what he has will be taken away from
And these enemies of mine who were un-
him.
willing for me to rule over them, bring them here
The Triumphal Entry  (Zechariah 9:9–13 ;
and slay them in front of me.’
Matthew 21:1–11 ;  Mark 11:1–11 ;  John 12:12–19)

”

28

After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, go-

29
ing up to Jerusalem.

30

As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at
the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disci-
ples,
saying, “Go into the village ahead of you,
and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there,
31
on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring
If  anyone  asks,  ‘Why  are  you  untying
it  here.
32
it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’

”

33

So those who were sent went out and found it
As they were unty-
just as Jesus had told them.
ing  the  colt,  its  owners  asked,  “Why  are  you
34
untying the colt?”

35

“The  Lord  needs  it,”  they  answered.

Then
they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over
36
it, and put Jesus on it.
37

As  He  rode  along,  the  people  spread  their
And as He approached the

cloaks on the road.

That is, he gave each servant one mina. A mina was most likely a silver coin worth a hundred drachmas, that is, about a

hundred days’ wages.

Greek

942    |    Luke 19:38

descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole mul-
titude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in
38
a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
 a

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name

of the Lord!”

 b
“Peace in heaven and glory in the

39

highest!”

But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to

40
Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent,
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem  (Isaiah 29:1–16)
the very stones will cry out.”
41

42

44

43

As  Jesus  approached  Jerusalem  and  saw  the
city, He wept over it
and said, “If only you had
known on this day what would bring you peace!
For  the
But  now  it is  hidden  from  your  eyes.
days will come upon you when your enemies will
barricade you and surround you and hem you in
They  will  level  you  to  the
on  every  side.
ground—you and the children within your walls.
They  will  not  leave  one  stone  on  another,
because you did not recognize the time of your
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
visitation from God.
(Matt. 21:12–17 ;  Mark 11:15–19 ;  John 2:12–25)

”

c

45

 d

Then Jesus entered the temple courts

 and be-
46
gan  to  drive  out  those  who  were  selling  there.
 e
He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house
 But you have made it

 f

will be a house of prayer.’
47
‘a den of robbers.’

”

48

Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but
the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the peo-
Yet they could
ple were intent on killing Him.
not  find  a  way  to  do  so,  because  all  the  people
Jesus’ Authority Challenged
hung on His words.
(Matthew 21:23–27 ;  Mark 11:27–33)

20

 g

One day as Jesus was teaching the people
  and  proclaiming
in  the  temple  courts
the gospel, the chief priests and scribes, together
“Tell us,” they
with the elders, came up to Him.
said,  “by  what  authority  are  You  doing  these
3
things, and who gave You this authority?”

2

4

“I  will  also  ask  you  a  question,”  Jesus  replied.
John’s baptism—was it from heaven,

“Tell Me:
or from men?”
a 38
f 46

5

6

They  deliberated  among  themselves  and  said,
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did
But if we say, ‘From men,’
you not believe him?’
all  the  people  will  stone  us,  for  they  are  con-
7
vinced that John was a prophet.”

So they answered that they did not know where

8
it was from.

And  Jesus  replied,  “Neither  will  I  tell  you  by

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
what authority I am doing these things.”
(Matthew 21:33–46 ;  Mark 12:1–12)

9

Then He proceeded to tell the people this para-
ble: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to
10
some  tenants,  and  went  away  for  a  long  time.
At harvest time, he sent a servant to the ten-
ants to collect his share of the fruit of the vine-
yard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent
11
him away empty-handed.

So he sent another servant, but they beat him
and  treated  him  shamefully,  sending  him  away
12
empty-handed.

Then  he  sent  a  third,  but  they  wounded  him

13
and threw him out.

‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vine-
yard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they
14
will respect him.’

15

But  when  the  tenants  saw  the  son,  they  dis-
cussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the
heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be
ours.’
So  they  threw  him  out  of  the  vineyard
and killed him.
16

What then will the owner of the vineyard do to
He will come and kill those tenants and
them?
give the vineyard to others.”

And when the people heard this, they said, “May
17
such a thing never happen!”

But  Jesus  looked  directly  at  them  and  said,
“Then  what  is  the  meaning  of  that  which  is
written:

 h
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’

18

?

Everyone who falls on this stone will be bro-
ken  to  pieces,  but  he  on  whom  it  falls  will  be
crushed.”

b 38
g 1

the temple

c 44
h 17

your visitation

d 45

the temple

e 46

Psalm 118:26
Jeremiah 7:11

See Psalm 148:1.

Literally

Literally

Psalm 118:22

Literally

Isaiah 56:7

Paying Taxes to Caesar
(Matthew 22:15–22 ;  Mark 12:13–17)

19

When  the  scribes  and  chief  priests  realized
that Jesus had spoken this parable against them,
they  sought  to  arrest  Him  that  very  hour.  But
20
they were afraid of the people.

So  they  watched  Him  closely  and  sent  spies
who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping
to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him
21
over  to  the  rule  and  authority  of  the  governor.
“Teacher,”  they  inquired,  “we  know  that  You
speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality
but teach the way of God in accordance with the
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar
truth.
23
or not?”

22

a

24

But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said
 Whose image

“Show Me a denarius.

to them,
and inscription are on it?”
25
“Caesar’s,” they answered.

So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Cae-

26
sar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

And they were unable to trap Him in His words
before  the  people.  And  amazed  at  His  answer,
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
they fell silent.
(Matthew 22:23–33 ;  Mark 12:18–27)

27

b

29

Then  some  of  the  Sadducees,  who  say  there
28
is  no  resurrection,  came  to  question  Him.
“Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that
if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no
children,  the  man  is  to  marry  his  brother’s
Now
widow  and  raise  up  offspring  for  him.
 c
there were seven brothers. The first one married
31
a  wife  but  died  childless.
and  the  third  married  the  widow,  and  in  the
32
same  way  all  seven  died,  leaving  no  children.
So then, in
the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all
34
seven were married to her.”
35

And last of all, the woman died.

Then  the  second

33

30

Jesus  answered,  “The  sons  of  this  age  marry
But those who are
and are given in marriage.
considered  worthy  to  share  in  the  age  to  come
36
and  in  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  will  nei-
In  fact,
ther  marry  nor  be  given  in  marriage.
they can no longer die, because they are like the
angels. And since they are sons of the resurrec-
a 24
tion, they are sons of God.

married the widow, and he also died,

d 37

37

Luke 21:6    |    943

Even  Moses  demonstrates  that  the  dead  are
raised,  in  the  passage  about  the  burning  bush.
For  he  calls  the  Lord  ‘the  God  of  Abraham,  the
He is not
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him
39
all are alive.”

38

 d

40

Some  of  the  scribes  answered,  “Teacher,  You
And  they  did  not  dare  to

have  spoken  well!”
Whose Son Is the Christ?
question Him any further.
(Matthew 22:41–46 ;  Mark 12:35–37)

41

42

Then Jesus declared, “How can it be said that
For David him-

the Christ is the Son of David?
self says in the book of Psalms:

43

44

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet.”

 e

’

Thus David calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be

Beware of the Scribes  (Mark 12:38–40)
David’s son?”
45

46

In  the  hearing  of  all  the  people,  Jesus  said  to
“Beware of the scribes. They like
His disciples,
to walk around in long robes, and they love the
greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in
f
the synagogues, and the places of honor at ban-
They defraud widows of their houses,
quets.
and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men
The Poor Widow’s Offering  (Mark 12:41–44)
will receive greater condemnation.”

47

21

2

g

Then  Jesus  looked  up  and  saw  the  rich
and
putting their gifts into the treasury,
He  saw  a  poor  widow  put  in  two  small  copper
3
coins.

4

“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has
For they all con-
put in more than all the others.
tributed out of their surplus, but she out of her
Temple Destruction and Other Signs
poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
(Matthew 24:1–8 ;  Mark 13:1–8)

5

6

As  some  of  the  disciples  were  remarking  how
the  temple  was  adorned  with  beautiful  stones
“As  for  what
and  consecrated  gifts,  Jesus  said,
you  see  here,  the  time  will  come  when  not  one
stone  will  be  left  on  another;  every  one  will  be
thrown down.”
e 43

c 30
They devour widows’ houses
BYZ and TR

Deuteronomy 25:5

b 28

f 47

g 2
include

A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

two lepta

Exodus 3:6

Psalm 110:1

Literally

Greek

; a lepton was a Jewish coin of bronze or copper worth about 1/128 of a denarius.

944    |    Luke 21:7

7

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things
happen? And what will be the sign that they are
8
about to take place?”

9

Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not de-
ceived. For many will come in My name, claiming,
‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow
When you hear of wars and rebellions, do
them.
not be alarmed. These things must happen first,
Witnessing to All Nations
but the end is not imminent.”
(Matthew 24:9–14 ;  Mark 13:9–13)

10

11

Then  He  told  them,  “Nation  will  rise  against
There
nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom.
will  be  great  earthquakes,  famines,  and  pesti-
lences in various places, along with fearful sights
12
and great signs from heaven.

14

But before all this, they will seize you and per-
secute  you.  On  account  of  My  name  they  will
deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and
13
they will bring you before kings and governors.
This will be your opportunity to serve as wit-
nesses.
So make up your mind not to worry be-
For I will
forehand how to defend yourselves.
give  you  speech  and  wisdom  that  none  of  your
16
adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

15

You  will  be  betrayed  even  by  parents  and
17
brothers and relatives and friends, and some of
And you will be hated
you will be put to death.
19
by everyone because of My name.
Yet not even
By your patient
a hair of your head will perish.
The Destruction of Jerusalem
endurance you will gain your souls.
(Matthew 24:15–25 ;  Mark 13:14–23)

18

20

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by ar-
21
mies, you will know that her desolation is near.
Then  let  those  who  are  in  Judea  flee  to  the
mountains,  let  those  in  the  city  get  out,  and  let
For
those  in  the  country  stay  out  of  the  city.
these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that
23
is written.

22

The Return of the Son of Man
(Matthew 24:26–31 ;  Mark 13:24–27)

25

27

26

There  will be  signs  in  the  sun  and moon  and
stars,  and  on  the  earth  dismay  among  the  na-
tions,  bewildered  by  the  roaring  of  the  sea  and
Men will faint from
the surging of the waves.
fear  and  anxiety  over  what  is  coming  upon  the
earth,  for  the  powers  of  the  heavens  will  be
At  that  time  they  will  see  the  Son  of
shaken.
Man  coming  in  a  cloud  with  power  and  great
glory.
When  these  things  begin  to  happen,
stand up and lift up your heads, because your re-
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
demption is drawing near.”
(Matthew 24:32–35 ;  Mark 13:28–31)

28

a

29

30

31

Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig
When they sprout leaves,
tree and all the trees.
you can see for yourselves and know that sum-
So also, when you see these things
mer is near.
32
happening,  know  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is
Truly I tell you, this generation will not
near.
33
pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven  and  earth  will  pass  away,  but  My

Be Watchful for the Day
words will never pass away.
34

36

35

But  watch  yourselves,  or  your  hearts  will  be
weighed  down  by  dissipation,  drunkenness,
and the worries of life—and that day will spring
For  it  will
upon  you  suddenly  like  a  snare.
come  upon  all  who  dwell  on  the  face  of  all  the
So keep watch at all times, and pray that
earth.
you  may  have  the  strength  to  escape  all  that  is
about to happen and to stand before the Son of
37
Man.”

38

Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every
evening  He  went  out  to  spend  the  night  on  the
And early in the morning all
Mount of Olives.
the people would come to hear Him at the tem-
ple.  The Plot to Kill Jesus
(Matt. 26:1–5 ;  Mark 14:1–2 ;  John 11:45–57)

b

2

Now  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread,
called  the  Passover,  was  approaching,
and the chief priests and scribes were looking
for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the
people.

22

24

How miserable those days will be for pregnant
and nursing mothers! For there will be great dis-
tress upon the land and wrath against this peo-
They will fall by the edge of the sword and
ple.
be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem
will  be  trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles,  until  the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
b 1
a 27

the feast of the Unleavened

See Daniel 7:13–14.

Literally

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
(Matthew 26:14–16 ;  Mark 14:10–11)

3

4

5

Then  Satan  entered  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was
And  Judas  went  to  discuss
one  of  the  Twelve.
with  the  chief  priests  and  temple  officers  how
he  might  betray  Jesus  to  them.
They  were  de-
lighted  and  agreed  to  give  him  money.
Judas
consented, and began to look for an opportunity
Preparing the Passover
to betray Jesus to them in the absence of a crowd.
(Matthew 26:17–19 ;  Mark 14:12–16)

6

7

Then  came  the  day  of  Unleavened  Bread  on
8
which  the  Passover  lamb  was  to  be  sacrificed.
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make

9
preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

“Where  do  You  want  us  to  prepare  it?”  they

10
asked.

He answered, “When you enter the city, a man
11
carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him
to the house he enters,
and say to the owner of
that house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest
room, where I may eat the Passover with My dis-
ciples?’
And  he  will  show  you  a  large  upper
room,  already  furnished.  Make  preparations
13
there.”

12

So they went and found it just as Jesus had told

The Last Supper  (Matthew 26:20–30 ;
them. And they prepared the Passover.
Mark 14:17–26 ;  1 Corinthians 11:17–34)

14

15
When the hour had come, Jesus reclined at the
And He said to them, “I
table with His apostles.
16
have  eagerly  desired  to  eat  this  Passover  with
you  before  My  suffering.
For  I  tell  you  that  I
will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the king-
17
dom of God.”

18

After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said,
“Take this and divide it among yourselves.
For
I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the
vine  from  now  on  until  the  kingdom  of  God
19
comes.”

And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke
it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body,
20
given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way, after supper He took the cup,
saying,  “This  cup  is  the  new  covenant  in  My
21
blood, which is poured out for you.

a

22

Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on
Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it

This is My body

a 20
the table.

Luke 22:38    |    945

has been determined, but woe to that man who
23
betrays Him.”

Then  they  began  to  question  among  them-

Who Is the Greatest?
selves which of them was going to do this.
24

26

A dispute also arose among the disciples as to
25
which of them should be considered the greatest.
So  Jesus  declared,  “The  kings  of  the  Gentiles
lord  it  over  them,  and  those  in  authority  over
But  you
them  call  themselves  benefactors.
shall  not  be  like  them.  Instead,  the  greatest
27
among you should be like the youngest, and the
For
one  who  leads  like  the  one  who  serves.
who is greater, the one who reclines at the table
or the one who serves? Is it not the one who re-
28
clines? But I am among you as one who serves.

29

30

You are the ones who have stood by Me in My
And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as
trials.
My  Father  has  bestowed  one  on  Me,
so  that
you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom
and  sit  on  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
Israel.
(Matt. 26:31–35 ;  Mark 14:27–31 ;  John 13:36–38)

31

32

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you
But I have prayed for you, Simon,
like wheat.
that your faith will not fail. And when you have
33
turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

“Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You

34
even to prison and to death.”

But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster
will not crow today until you have denied three
35
times that you know Me.”

Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out
without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack an-
ything?”
36
“Nothing,” they answered.

37

“Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a
purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the
one  without  a  sword  should  sell  his  cloak  and
buy one.
For I tell you that this Scripture must
be  fulfilled  in  Me:  ‘And  He  was  numbered  with
the transgressors.’
 For what is written about Me
38
is reaching its fulfillment.”

 b

So  they  said,  “Look,  Lord,  here  are  two

swords.”

“That is enough,” He answered.

b 37

Some manuscripts end verse 19 after

 and do not include verse 20.

Isaiah 53:12

946    |    Luke 22:39

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
(Matthew 26:36–46 ;  Mark 14:32–42)

39

40

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives,
and the disciples followed Him.
When He came
to the place, He told them, “Pray that you will not
41
enter into temptation.”

And  He  withdrew  about  a  stone’s  throw  be-
42
yond  them,  where  He  knelt  down  and  prayed,
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from

43
Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

44
Then  an  angel  from  heaven  appeared  to  Him
and strengthened Him.
And in His anguish, He
prayed  more  earnestly,  and  His  sweat  became
45
like drops of blood falling to the ground.

a

46

When Jesus rose from prayer and returned to
the  disciples,  He  found  them  asleep,  exhausted
from  sorrow.
“Why  are  you  sleeping?”  He
asked. “Get up and pray so that you will not enter
The Betrayal of Jesus
into temptation.”
(Matt. 26:47–56 ;  Mark 14:43–52 ;  John 18:1–14)

47

While He was still speaking, a crowd arrived,
led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve.
He  approached  Jesus  to  kiss  Him.
But  Jesus
asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of
49
Man with a kiss?”

48

50

Those  around  Jesus  saw  what  was  about  to
happen  and  said,  “Lord,  should  we  strike  with
our swords?”
And one of them struck the serv-
51
ant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And He

52
touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple of-
ficers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have
53
you  come  out  with  swords  and  clubs  as  you
b
would against an outlaw?
Every day I was with
 and you did not lay a
you in the temple courts,
hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to
Peter Denies Jesus
the power of darkness.”
(Matt. 26:69–75 ;  Mark 14:66–72 ;  John 18:15–18)

54

Then they seized Jesus, led Him away, and took
Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter
55
followed at a distance.

57

But  Peter  denied  it.  “Woman,  I  do  not  know

58
Him,” he said.

A short time later, someone else saw him and

said, “You also are one of them.”
59
But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”

About  an  hour  later,  another  man  insisted,
“Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a
60
Galilean.”

“Man,  I  do  not  know  what  you  are  talking

about,” Peter replied.

61

And immediately, while he was still speaking, the
rooster  crowed.
And  the  Lord  turned  and
looked at Peter.

Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord
had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows to-
day,  you  will  deny  Me  three  times.”
And  he
The Soldiers Mock Jesus  (Isaiah 50:4–11 ;
went outside and wept bitterly.
 Matt. 27:27–31 ;  Mark 15:16–20 ;  John 19:1–15)

62

63

64

 c

The  men  who  were  holding  Jesus  began  to
They  blindfolded
65
  and  kept  demanding,  “Prophesy!  Who  hit
And they said many other blasphemous

mock  Him  and  beat  Him.
Him
You?”
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
things against Him.
(Matt. 26:57–68 ;  Mark 14:53–65 ;  John 18:19–24)

66

 d

67

At  daybreak  the  council  of  the  elders  of  the
people, both the chief priests and scribes, met to-
gether. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin
 and
said,
“If You are the Christ, tell us.”
68
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe.
And  if  I  ask  you  a  question,  you  will  not  an-
But from now on the Son of Man will be

swer.
70
seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

69

 e

So  they  all  asked,  “Are  You  then  the  Son  of

God?”
71
He replied, “You say that I am.”

“Why do we need any more testimony?” they
declared.  “We  have  heard  it  for  ourselves  from
Jesus before Pilate
His own lips.”
(Matthew 27:11–14 ;  John 18:28–40)

23

56

When those present had kindled a fire in the
middle of the courtyard and sat down together,
Peter sat down among them.
A servant girl saw
him seated in the firelight and looked intently at
a 44
him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.
e 69
striking Him on the face

their Council

d 66

Some manuscripts do not include verses 43 and 44.

2
Then the whole council rose and led Je-
And  they  began  to
sus  away  to  Pilate.
accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subvert-
ing  our  nation,  forbidding  payment  of  taxes  to
Literally
See Psalm 110:1.

BYZ and TR include

the temple

and were

b 53

c 64

.

Or

Luke 23:35    |    947

20

21

Caesar,  and  proclaiming  Himself  to  be  Christ,  a
3
King.”

So  Pilate  asked  Him,  “Are  You  the  King  of  the

Wanting  to  release  Jesus,  Pilate  addressed
but  they  kept  shouting,  “Crucify

them  again,
22
Him! Crucify Him!”

Jews?”
4
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

Then  Pilate  said  to  the  chief  priests  and  the
crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this
5
man.”

But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people
all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Gal-
Jesus before Herod
ilee and has come all the way here.”
6

7

When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was
And  learning  that  Jesus  was  under
a  Galilean.
Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who
8
himself was in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased.
He  had  wanted  to  see  Him  for  a  long  time,  be-
cause he had heard about Him and was hoping to
Herod  questioned
see  Him  perform  a  miracle.
10
Jesus at great length, but He gave no answer.

9

11

Meanwhile, the chief priests and scribes stood
And  even
there,  vehemently  accusing  Him.
Herod  and  his  soldiers  ridiculed  and  mocked
Him. Dressing Him in a fine robe, they sent Him
12
back to Pilate.

A  third  time  he  said  to  them,  “What  evil  has
this  man  done?  I  have  found  in  Him  no  offense
worthy of death. So after I punish Him, I will re-
23
lease Him.”

 b
But they were insistent, demanding with loud

24

25

voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor
So  Pilate  sentenced  that  their  de-
prevailed.
As  they  had  requested,  he  re-
mand  be  met.
leased the one imprisoned for insurrection and
The Crucifixion  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
murder, and he handed Jesus over to their will.
 Matt. 27:32–44 ;  Mark 15:21–32 ;  John 19:16–27)

26

As  the  soldiers  led  Him  away,  they  seized
Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country,
and  they  put  the  cross  on  him  to  carry  behind
27
Jesus.

28

A  great  number  of  people  followed  Him,
including women who kept mourning and wail-
ing  for  Him.
But  Jesus  turned  to  them  and
said,  “Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  do  not  weep  for
29
Me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your  chil-
Look, the days are coming when people
dren.
will  say,  ‘Blessed  are  the  barren  women,  the
30
wombs  that  never  bore,  and  breasts  that  never
nursed!’

At that time

That day Herod and Pilate became friends; be-

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
fore this time they had been enemies.
(Matthew 27:15–23 ;  Mark 15:6–11)

‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall

 c

31

on us!”

and to the hills, “Cover us!”

’

13

14

Then  Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests,
the  rulers,  and  the  people,
and  said  to  them,
“You brought me this man as one who was incit-
ing the people to rebellion. I have examined Him
here in your presence and found Him not guilty
Neither  has
of  your  charges  against  Him.
Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see,
 a
16
He  has  done  nothing  deserving  of  death.
18
Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

15

19

For  if  men  do  these  things  while  the  tree  is

32
green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Two others, who were criminals, were also led
d

33
away to be executed with Jesus.

When they came to the place called The Skull,
they  crucified  Him  there,  along  with  the  crimi-
34
nals, one on His right and the other on His left.

 e

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they
  And  they

do  not  know  what  they  are  doing.”
35
divided up His garments by casting lots.

f

g

But  they  all  cried  out  in  unison:  “Away  with
(Barabbas
this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
had  been  imprisoned  for  an  insurrection  in  the
city, and for murder.)
a 16

b 23

iae
Mark 15:6.
are doing.”

BYZ and TR include
f 34

BYZ and TR include

and that of the chief priests

Calvary
g 35

e 34

.

  at  Him,

The  people  stood  watching,  and  the  rulers
sneered
  saying,  “He  saved  others;  let
Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the
Chosen One.”
c 30

d 33

Calvar-
Kranion
; see Matthew 27:15 and
Then Jesus said, “Father . . . what they
; Vulgate

Greek

Hosea 10:8

17 Now Pilate was obligated to release to the people one prisoner at the feast

, rendered in some translations as
See Psalm 22:18.

Some manuscripts do not include

See Psalm 22:7.

948    |    Luke 23:36

36

a

37

The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to
“If  You  are  the  King  of

offer  Him  sour  wine.
38
the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!”

 b

Above

 Him was posted an inscription:

39

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

One  of  the  criminals  who  hung  there  heaped
abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said.
40
“Save Yourself and us!”

41

But the other one rebuked him, saying, “Do you
not even fear God, since you are under the same
We are punished justly, for we are
judgment?
receiving what our actions deserve. But this man
 c
Then he said, “Jesus,
has done nothing wrong.”
remember me
 when You come into Your king-
43
dom!”

42

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today

The Death of Jesus  (Psalm 31:1–24 ;
you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Matt. 27:45–56 ;  Mark 15:33–41 ;  John 19:28–30)

44

d
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness

45
came  over  all  the  land  until  the  ninth  hour.

e

The  sun  was  darkened,

  and  the  veil  of  the

46
temple was torn down the middle.

 f

54

h

been laid.
55
bath was beginning.

It was Preparation Day, and the Sab-

The  women  who  had  come  with  Jesus  from
56
Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how
Then  they  returned  to
His  body  was  placed.
prepare spices and perfumes. And they rested on
The Resurrection
the Sabbath, according to the commandment.
(Matthew 28:1–10 ;  Mark 16:1–8 ;  John 20:1–9)

i

24

3

On the first day of the week,
 very early
in the morning, the women came to the
2
tomb,  bringing  the  spices  they  had  prepared.
They  found  the  stone  rolled  away  from  the
but when they entered, they did not find
tomb,
While they were puz-
the body of the Lord Jesus.
zling  over  this,  suddenly  two  men  in  radiant
5
apparel stood beside them.

4

6

As the women bowed their faces to the ground
in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you
He  is  not
look  for  the  living  among  the  dead?
here; He has risen! Remember how He told you
‘The  Son  of  Man
while  He  was  still  in  Galilee:
must be delivered into the hands of sinful men,
8
and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”

7

9

Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father,
 And when

into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”
47
He had said this, He breathed His last.

g

”

48

49

When the centurion saw what had happened,
he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a
And when all the people who
righteous man.
had  gathered  for  this  spectacle  saw  what  had
happened,  they  returned  home  beating  their
But all those who knew Jesus, includ-
breasts.
ing the women who had followed Him from Gali-
The Burial of Jesus  (Isaiah 53:9–12 ;
lee, stood at a distance watching these things.
Matt. 27:57–61 ;  Mark 15:42–47 ;  John 19:38–42)

50

Then they remembered His words.

And when
they  returned  from  the  tomb,  they  reported  all
10
these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
It  was  Mary  Magdalene,  Joanna,  Mary  the
mother  of  James,  and  the  other  women  with
But  their
them  who  told  this  to  the  apostles.
words  seemed  like  nonsense  to  them,  and  they
12
did not believe the women.

11

Peter,  however,  got  up  and  ran  to  the  tomb.
And  after  bending  down  and  seeing  only  the
linen cloths, he went away, wondering to himself
The Road to Emmaus
what had happened.
(Mark 16:12–13)

51

13

Now  there  was  a  Council  member  named
who had not
Joseph, a good and righteous man,
consented  to  their  decision  or  action.  He  was
52
from  the  Judean  town  of  Arimathea  and  was
53
He went to Pi-
waiting for the kingdom of God.
Then he took
late to ask for the body of Jesus.
it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it
a 36
in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet
c 42

said to Jesus, “Remember me, Lord,

to offer Him wine vinegar

d 44

b 38

Or
was obscured
BYZ and TR

became dark
But on the first of the Sabbaths,

f 46
j 13

BYZ and TR include

i 1
or

Literally

11.1 kilometers

; BYZ and TR

 j

14

That same day two of them were going to a vil-
 from Je-
lage called Emmaus, about seven miles
15
rusalem.
They  were  talking  with  each  other
And  as
about  everything  that  had  happened.
they talked and deliberated, Jesus Himself came
But their eyes
up and walked along with them.
were kept from recognizing Him.

written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew

16

   g 47

an innocent man

h 54

That is, from noon until three in the afternoon

being sixty stadia in distance
Or

Or

; that is, approximately 6.9 miles or

e 45
was about to begin

; see John 19:20.
Or

failed

Psalm 31:5
Greek

17

He asked them, “What are you discussing so in-

tently as you walk along?”
18
They  stood  still,  with  sadness  on  their  faces.
One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are
You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not
know  the  things  that  have  happened  there  in
19
recent days?”

“What things?” He asked.

“The  events  involving  Jesus  of  Nazareth,”  they
answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in
20
speech and action before God and all the people.
Our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up
21
to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him.
But  we  were  hoping  He  was  the  One  who
would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the
22
third day since these things took place.

Furthermore,  some  of  our  women  astounded
23
us.  They  were  at  the  tomb  early  this  morning,
but they did not find His body. They came and
told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said
Then  some  of  our  com-
that  Jesus  was  alive.
panions went to the tomb and found it just as the
25
women had described. But Him they did not see.”

24

26

27

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  “O  foolish  ones,
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
Was  it  not  necessary  for  the
have  spoken!
Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His
And beginning with Moses and all the
glory?”
Prophets, He explained to them what was writ-
28
ten in all the Scriptures about Himself.

As  they  approached  the  village  where  they
29
were  headed,  He  seemed  to  be  going  farther.
But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it

is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

30

So He went in to stay with them.
While He was
reclining at the table with them, He took bread,
31
spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they recog-
nized  Jesus—and  He  disappeared  from  their
32
sight.

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts
burning  within  us  as  He  spoke  with  us  on  the
And
road  and  opened  the  Scriptures  to  us?”
they  got  up  that  very  hour  and  returned  to
Jerusalem.

33

Luke 24:53    |    949

34

There  they  found  the  Eleven  and  those  with
and saying, “The Lord
them, gathered together
35
has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon!”

Then the two told what had happened on the
road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
breaking of the bread.
(John 20:19–23 ;  1 John 1:1–4)

36

37

While  they  were  describing  these  events,
Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace
be with you.”
But they were startled and fright-
38
ened, thinking they had seen a spirit.

39

“Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why
do  doubts  arise  in  your  hearts?
Look  at  My
hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and
see—for a spirit does not have flesh and bones,
And when He had said this,
as you see I have.”
41
He showed them His hands and feet.

40

While  they  were  still  in  disbelief  because  of
their  joy  and  amazement,  He  asked  them,  “Do
So they gave
you have anything here to eat?”
Him a piece of broiled fish,
and He took it and
44
ate it in front of them.

43

42

a

Jesus  said  to  them,  “These  are  the  words  I
spoke  to  you  while  I  was  still  with  you:  Every-
thing must be fulfilled that is written about Me in
45
the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
Then He opened their minds to understand the

46
Scriptures.

47

And He told them, “This is what is written: The
b
Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the
third  day,
forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all na-
tions,  beginning  in  Jerusalem.
You  are  wit-
49
nesses of these things.

and  in  His  name  repentance  and

48

And  behold,  I  am  sending  the  promise  of  My
Father upon you. But remain in the city until you
The Ascension  (Mark 16:19–20 ;  Acts 1:6–11)
have been clothed with power from on high.”
50

51

When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany,
While
He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
He was blessing them, He left them and was car-
ried up into heaven.
And they worshiped Him
53
and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy,

52

praising God continually in the temple.

a 42

and some honeycomb

b 47

repentance for

BYZ and TR include

.

NA, NE, and WH

John

The Beginning
(Genesis 1:1–2 ;  Hebrews 11:1–3)

The Mission of John the Baptist  (Isa. 40:1–5 ;
Matthew 3:1–12 ;  Mark 1:1–8 ;  Luke 3:1–20)

1

3

2

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Through
He  was  with  God  in  the  beginning.
Him all things were made, and without Him noth-
5
In Him was
ing was made that has been made.
The Light
life, and that life was the light of men.
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
The Witness of John
overcome
6

 it.

4

 a

7

There came a man who was sent from God. His
He came as a witness to testify
name was John.
8
about  the  Light,  so  that  through  him  everyone
He himself was not the Light, but
might believe.
9
he came to testify about the Light.

10
The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was
He  was  in  the  world,
coming  into  the  world.
and  though  the  world  was  made  through  Him,
12
He came to
the world did not recognize Him.
But
His own, and His own did not receive Him.
to all who did receive Him, to those who believed
in  His  name,  He  gave  the  right  to  become  chil-
children born not of blood, nor
dren of God—
The Word Became Flesh  (Psalm 84:1–12)
of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
14

11

13

b

 c

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling
 We have seen His glory, the glory of
  from  the  Father,  full  of

among us.
the  one  and  only  Son
15
grace and truth.

John  testified  concerning  Him.  He  cried  out,
saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes
after me has surpassed me because He was be-
16
fore me.’

”

17

From  His  fullness  we  have  all  received  grace
For the law was given through Mo-
upon grace.
18
ses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only
 is at the Father’s

 d

e

Son, who is Himself God and
comprehended
a 5
side,
 has made Him known.
only begotten God, who
g 26

b 14

Or

in

Or
; BYZ and TR
Or

19

20

And this was John’s testimony when the Jews
of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him,
“Who  are  you?”
He  did  not  refuse  to  confess,
21
but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you

Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”
22
He answered, “No.”

So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an
answer for those who sent us. What do you say
23
about yourself?”

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet:

 “I am a voice of one calling in the

wilderness,
 f

‘Make straight the way for the

Lord.’

”

24

25

Then the Pharisees who had been sent

asked
him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the
 g
26
Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

27

“I  baptize  with

  water,”  John  replied,  “but
He is
among you stands One you do not know.
the One who comes after me, the straps of whose
28
sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jor-

Jesus the Lamb of God
dan, where John was baptizing.
(Matthew 3:13–17 ;  Mark 1:9–11 ;  Luke 3:21–22)

29

30

The  next  day  John  saw  Jesus  coming  toward
him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes
This is He of whom
away the sin of the world!
I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed
me because He was before me.’
I myself did not
know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with
water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
but the

the Unique One

d 18

31

Or

 or

Greek

f 23

Or
Isaiah 40:3

and tabernacled among us

c 14
but the only begotten Son, who

the Only Begotten
e 18

in the Father’s bosom

(see also LXX)

; also in verse 31 and twice in verse 33

32

48

John 2:12    |    951

Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descend-
33
ing from heaven like a dove and resting on Him.
I  myself  did  not  know Him,  but  the One  who
sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man
on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is
I
He  who  will  baptize  with  the  Holy  Spirit.’
have  seen  and  testified  that  this  is  the  Son  of
The First Disciples
God.
(Matthew 4:18–22 ;  Mark 1:16–20 ;  Luke 5:1–11)

34

”

a

35

36

The next day John was there again with two of
37
his disciples.
When he saw Jesus walking by, he
And when the
said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
two  disciples  heard  him  say  this,  they  followed
38
Jesus.

Jesus  turned  and  saw  them  following.  “What

do you want?” He asked.

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher),
39
“where are You staying?”

“Come and see,” He replied. So they went and
saw  where  He  was  staying,  and  spent  that  day
40
with Him. It was about the tenth hour.

b

41

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the
two who heard John’s testimony and followed Je-
He first found his brother Simon and told
sus.
him,  “We  have  found  the  Messiah”  (which  is
42
translated as Christ).

Andrew  brought  him  to  Jesus,  who  looked  at
him  and  said,  “You  are  Simon  son  of  John.  You
will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Pe-
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
ter).
43

The next day Jesus decided to set out for Gali-
44
lee.  Finding  Philip,  He  told  him,  “Follow  Me.”
Now  Philip  was  from  Bethsaida,  the  same

45
town as Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have
found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the
One  the  prophets  foretold—Jesus  of  Nazareth,
46
the son of Joseph.”

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Na-

thanael asked.
47
“Come and see,” said Philip.

When  Jesus  saw  Nathanael  approaching,  He
said  of  him,  “Here  is  a  true  Israelite,  in  whom
a 34
there is no deceit.”
three metretae
SBL

the Chosen One of God

b 39

“How do You know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you
49
under the fig tree.”

“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son

50
of God! You are the King of Israel!”

51

Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because
I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will
see  greater  things  than  these.”
Then  He  de-
clared,  “Truly,  truly,  I  tell  you,  you  will  all  see
 c
heaven  open  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending
The Wedding at Cana
and descending on the Son of Man.”

2

3

2

On  the  third  day  a  wedding  took  place  at
Cana  in  Galilee.  Jesus’  mother  was  there,
and  Jesus  and  His  disciples  had  also  been  in-
When  the  wine  ran  out,
vited  to  the  wedding.
Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more
4
wine.”

“Woman, what is that to you and to Me?” Jesus

5
replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever

6
He tells you.”

d

7

Now six stone water jars had been set there for
the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold
from  twenty  to  thirty  gallons.
Jesus  told  the
servants, “Fill the jars with water.”
8
So they filled them to the brim.

“Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to

9
the master of the banquet.”

They  did  so,
and  the  master  of  the  banquet
tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not know where it was from, but the serv-
ants  who  had  drawn  the  water  knew.  Then  he
and said, “Every-
called the bridegroom aside
one serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap
wine  after  the  guests  are  drunk.  But  you  have
11
saved the fine wine until now!”

10

Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at
Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
His disciples believed in Him.
(Matt. 21:12–17 ;  Mark 11:15–19 ;  Luke 19:45–48)

12

After this, He went down to Capernaum with
His  mother  and  brothers  and  His  disciples,  and
they stayed there a few days.

two or

c 51

d 6

; that is, approximately 20.8 to 31.2 gallons (78.8 to 118.1 liters)

That is, about four in the afternoon

See Genesis 28:12.

Greek

952    |    John 2:13

13

14

 a

6

7

15

In the temple courts

When  the  Jewish  Passover  was  near,  Jesus
went up to Jerusalem.
 He
found  men  selling  cattle, sheep,  and  doves,  and
So He
money changers seated  at their tables.
made a whip out of cords and drove all from the
temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured
out  the  coins  of  the  money  changers  and  over-
To those selling doves He
turned their tables.
said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn
17
My Father’s house into a marketplace!”
 b

16

His  disciples  remembered  that  it  is  written:

18
“Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What
sign can You show us to prove Your authority to
19
do these things?”

Jesus  answered,  “Destroy  this  temple,  and  in

20
three days I will raise it up again.”

“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the
Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in
21
three days?”
22

But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His
body.
After He was raised from the dead, His
disciples  remembered  that  He  had  said  this.
Then  they  believed  the  Scripture  and  the  word
23
that Jesus had spoken.

24

While  He  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  Passover
Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing
But Jesus did not en-
and believed in His name.
He
trust Himself to them, for He knew them all.
did  not  need  any  testimony  about  man,  for  He
Jesus and Nicodemus
knew what was in a man.
(Genesis 22:1–10 ;  Romans 5:6–11)

25

3

2

Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees
named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
He
came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know
that You are a teacher who has come from God.
For no one could perform the signs You are doing
3
if God were not with him.”

c

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can
”

4
see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nico-
demus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a
5
second time to be born?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one
a 14
can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of

the temple

b 17

you
Literally
nal life in Him.
for

 is plural; also in verse 12.

g 16

; also in verse 15
only begotten

Psalm 69:9

unique
BYZ and TR include

e 13

 d

 must be born again.’

Flesh is born of flesh, but
water and the Spirit.
8
spirit  is  born  of  the  Spirit.
Do  not  be  amazed
that I said, ‘You
The wind
blows  where  it  wishes.  You  hear  its  sound,  but
you do not know where it comes from or where
it  is  going.  So  it  is  with  everyone  born  of  the
9
Spirit.”
10

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

11

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you
Truly, truly, I
do not understand these things?
tell you, we speak of what we know, and we tes-
tify to what we have seen, and yet you people do
12
not accept our testimony.

e

If I have told you about earthly things and you
13
do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
No  one  has  ascended
about  heavenly  things?
14
into heaven except the One who descended from
Just as Moses lifted
heaven—the Son of Man.
up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man
f
must be lifted up,
that everyone who believes
16
in Him may have eternal life.
 g

15

17

18

For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His
one and only
 Son, that everyone who believes in
For
Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God did not send His Son into the world to con-
demn the world, but to save the world through
Whoever  believes  in  Him  is  not  con-
Him.
demned,  but  whoever  does  not  believe  has
already  been  condemned,  because  he  has  not
19
believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

And this is the verdict: The Light has come into
the  world,  but  men  loved  the  darkness  rather
20
than  the  Light  because  their  deeds  were  evil.
Everyone  who  does  evil  hates  the  Light,  and
21
does  not  come  into  the  Light  for  fear  that  his
But whoever practices
deeds will be exposed.
the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be
seen clearly that what he has done has been ac-
John’s Testimony about Jesus
complished in God.”
22

 h

After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the
Judean countryside,  where  He  spent  some  time
23
with them and baptized.

Now  John  was  also  baptizing  at  Aenon  near
Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and
(For John
people kept coming to be baptized.
d 7
c 3
had not yet been thrown into prison.)
everyone who believes may have eter-
The Greek word

; also in verse 7.

born from above

who is in heaven
Or
h 21

f 15

24

.

Or

Or

 or

; also in verse 18

Some translators close this quotation after verse 15.

25

 a

10

John 4:26    |    953

26

Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples
and a certain Jew
 over the issue of ceremonial
So John’s disciples came to him and
washing.
said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you be-
yond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He
27
is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

28

29

John replied, “A man can receive only what is
You  yourselves  can
given  him  from  heaven.
testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent
ahead of Him.’
The bride belongs to the bride-
groom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and
listens  for  him,  and  is  overjoyed  to  hear  the
bridegroom’s  voice.  That  joy  is  mine,  and  it  is
He  must  increase;  I  must  de-
now  complete.
31
crease.

30

b

32

The  One  who  comes  from  above  is  above  all.
The  one  who  is  from  the  earth  belongs  to  the
earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One
He testi-
who comes from heaven is above all.
33
fies  to what He  has  seen and  heard,  yet  no one
34
accepts  His  testimony.
Whoever  accepts  His
For
testimony has certified that God is truthful.
the One whom God has sent speaks the words of
35
God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
36

The  Father  loves  the  Son  and  has  placed  all
Whoever  believes  in  the
things  in  His  hands.
Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will
not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
him.”

 c

4

 d

2

When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were
aware He
 was gaining and baptizing more
3
(although  it  was  not  Jesus
disciples  than  John
He left Judea
who baptized, but His disciples),
5
4
and returned to Galilee.

6

Now  He  had  to  pass  through  Samaria.

So  He
came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the
plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Jo-
Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary
seph.
from  His  journey,  sat  down  by  the  well.  It  was
7
about the sixth hour.

e

8

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water,
(His disci-

Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
9
ples had gone into the town to buy food.)

Jesus  answered,  “If  you  knew  the  gift  of  God
and  who  is  asking  you  for  a  drink,  you  would
have  asked  Him,  and  He  would  have  given  you
11
living water.”

12

“Sir,”  the  woman  replied,  “You  have  nothing
to  draw  with  and  the  well  is  deep.  Where  then
Are You greater
will You get this living water?
than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and
drank from it himself, as did his sons and his live-
13
stock?”

14

Jesus  said  to  her,  “Everyone  who  drinks  this
But  whoever
water  will  be  thirsty  again.
drinks the water I give him will never thirst. In-
deed, the water I give him will become in him a
15
fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this wa-
ter so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep
16
coming here to draw water.”

Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come

17
back.”

“I have no husband,” the woman replied.

18

Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you
In  fact,  you  have  had  five
have  no  husband.
husbands, and the man you now have is not your
19
husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

20

“Sir,”  the  woman  said,  “I  see  that  You  are  a
Our fathers worshiped on this moun-
prophet.
tain, but you Jews say that the place where one
21
must worship is in Jerusalem.”

22

“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is
coming  when  you  will  worship  the  Father  nei-
You
ther  on  this  mountain  nor  in  Jerusalem.
worship  what  you  do  not  know;  we  worship
23
what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
But a time is coming and has now come when
the  true  worshipers  will  worship  the  Father  in
24
spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such
God is Spirit, and His
as these to worship Him.
worshipers  must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in
25
truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called
Christ)  “is  coming.  When He  comes,  He  will  ex-
26
plain everything to us.”

Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You
ask  for  a  drink  from  me,  a  Samaritan  woman?”
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
a 25

and the Jews

b 31

 f

The One comes from heaven.

c 36

d 1
TR

Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus
30.

Literally

Tischendorf

When therefore Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus

When therefore the

e 6

Some translators close this quotation after verse

f 9

; NE, WH, BYZ, TR

That is, about noon

Tischendorf does not include this sentence.

954    |    John 4:27

The Disciples Return and Marvel

46

27

Just then His disciples returned and were sur-
prised that He was speaking with a woman. But
no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?”
28
or “Why are You talking with her?”

29

Then the woman left her water jar, went back
into the town, and said to the people,
“Come,
30
see  a  man  who  told  me  everything  I  ever  did.
Could this be the Christ?”
So they left the town
31
and made their way toward Jesus.

Meanwhile  the  disciples  urged  Him,  “Rabbi,

32
eat something.”

But He told them, “I have food to eat that you

33
know nothing about.”

So  the  disciples  asked  one  another,  “Could

34
someone have brought Him food?”

35

Jesus  explained,  “My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of
Do
Him  who  sent  Me  and  to  finish  His  work.
you not say, ‘There are still four months until the
harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at
36
the fields, for they are ripe

 for harvest.

 a

37

38

Already the reaper draws his wages and gath-
ers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and
the  reaper  may  rejoice  together.
For  in  this
case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is
I  sent  you  to  reap  what  you  have  not
true.
worked for; others have done the hard work, and
Many Samaritans Believe
now you have taken up their labor.”
39

Many  of  the  Samaritans  from  that  town
believed  in  Jesus  because  of  the  woman’s  testi-
mony,  “He  told  me  everything  I  ever  did.”
So
when  the  Samaritans  came  to  Him,  they  asked
41
Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.

40

42

And many more believed because of His mes-
sage.
They  said  to  the  woman,  “We  now  be-
lieve  not  only  because  of  your  words;  we  have
heard for ourselves, and we know that this man
Jesus Heals the Official’s Son
truly is the Savior of the world.”
(Matthew 8:5–13 ;  Luke 7:1–10)

43

44

47

So  once  again  He  came  to  Cana  in  Galilee,
where  He  had  turned  the  water  into  wine.  And
there  was  a  royal  official  whose  son  lay  sick  at
Capernaum.
When  he  heard  that  Jesus  had
come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged
Him  to  come  down  and  heal  his  son,  who  was
48
about to die.

Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs

49
and wonders, you will never believe.”

“Sir,” the official said, “come down before my

50
child dies.”

“Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will live.”

51
The  man  took  Jesus  at  His  word  and  departed.
And while he was still on the way, his servants

52
met him with the news that his boy was alive.

So he inquired as to the hour when his son had
recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him
53
yesterday at the seventh hour.

”

b

Then the father realized that this was the very
hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will
54
live.” And he and all his household believed.

This was now the second sign that Jesus per-

The Pool of Bethesda
formed after coming from Judea into Galilee.

5

2

Some time later there was a feast of the Jews,
and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

 c

3

Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate
 e
d
a pool with five covered colonnades, which in He-
On these walkways
brew
lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame,
5
and the paralyzed.

 is called Bethesda.

f

6

One  man  there  had  been  an  invalid  for  thirty-
When Jesus saw him lying there and
eight years.
realized that he had spent a long time in this con-
7
dition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help
me into the pool when the water is stirred. While
I  am  on  my  way,  someone  else  goes  in  before
8
me.”

Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat,

9
and walk.”

After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.

Now He
45
Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor
in  his  own  hometown.
Yet  when  He  arrived,
the  Galileans  welcomed  Him.  They  had  seen  all
the great things He had done in Jerusalem at the
b 52
a 35
feast, for they had gone there as well.
e 3
f 3
scended into the pool and stirred the water. As soon as it was stirred, the first to enter the pool would be healed of his disease.

Now this happened on the Sabbath day,
so the
Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This
Or

Immediately  the  man  was  made  well,  and  he

awaiting the moving of the waters. 4 For from time to time an angel de-

picked up his mat and began to walk.

That is, one in the afternoon

white
In these

NA, NE, and WH

in Aramaic

Bethzatha

Literally

d 2

c 2

10

Literally

NE, BYZ, and TR include

is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your
11
mat.”

He has given Him authority to execute judgment,
28
because He is the Son of Man.

John 5:47    |    955

But he answered, “The man who made me well

12
told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

“Who is this man who told you to pick it up and

13
walk?” they asked.

But  the  man  who  was  healed  did  not  know
who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the
14
crowd was there.

Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple
and said to him, “See, you have been made well.
Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to
15
you.”

And the man went away and told the Jews that

The Father and the Son
it was Jesus who had made him well.
16

Now because Jesus was doing these things on
17
the  Sabbath,  the  Jews  began  to  persecute  Him.
But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My

18
Father is at His work, and I too am working.”

Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to
kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath,
but  He  was  even  calling  God  His  own  Father,
19
making Himself equal with God.

20

So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son
can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Fa-
ther doing it. For whatever the Father does, the
The  Father  loves  the  Son  and
Son  also  does.
shows Him all He does. And to your amazement,
21
He will show Him even greater works than these.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives
them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He
22
wishes.

23

Furthermore,  the  Father  judges  no  one,  but
has assigned all judgment to the Son,
so that all
may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor
24
the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word
and  believes  Him  who  sent  Me  has  eternal  life
and  will  not  come  under  judgment.  Indeed,  he
25
has crossed over from death to life.

Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice
26
of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He
And

has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
a 29

27

See Daniel 12:2.

29

Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is com-
ing when all who are in their graves will hear His
voice
and  come  out—those  who  have  done
a
good  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  those  who
30
have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

I  can  do  nothing  by  Myself;  I  judge  only  as  I
hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not
seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent
Testimonies about Jesus
Me.
31

32

If  I  testify  about  Myself,  My  testimony  is  not
There is another who testifies about Me,
valid.
33
and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.

34

You have sent to John, and he has testified to
Even though I do not accept human
the truth.
testimony, I say these things so that you may be
35
saved.

37

36

John  was  a  lamp  that  burned  and  gave  light,
and you were willing for a season to bask in his
light.
But  I  have  testimony  more  substantial
than that of John. For the works that the Father
has  given  Me  to  accomplish—the  very  works  I
am doing—testify about Me that the Father has
And the Father who sent Me has Him-
sent Me.
self testified about Me. You have never heard His
nor  does  His  word
voice  nor  seen  His  form,
abide in you, because you do not believe the One
The Witness of Scripture  (Luke 16:19–31)
He sent.
39

38

You pore over the Scriptures because you pre-
sume that by them you possess eternal life. These
are  the  very  words  that  testify  about  Me,
yet
42
41
you refuse to come to Me to have life.

40

43

I do not accept glory from men,

but I know
you, that you do not have the love of God within
you.
I have come in My Father’s name, and you
have not received Me; but if someone else comes
in his own name, you will receive him.
How can
you believe if you accept glory from one another,
yet  do  not  seek  the  glory  that  comes  from  the
45
only God?

44

46

Do not think that I will accuse you before the
Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have
put your hope.
If you had believed Moses, you
47
would  believe  Me,  because  he  wrote  about  Me.
But  since  you  do  not  believe  what  he  wrote,

how will you believe what I say?”

956    |    John 6:1

The Feeding of the Five Thousand
(Matt. 14:13–21 ;  Mark 6:30–44 ;  Luke 9:10–17)

6

2

After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of
the  Sea  of  Galilee  (that  is,  the  Sea  of  Tibe-
A large crowd followed Him because they
rias).
3
saw  the  signs  He  was  performing  on  the  sick.
Then  Jesus  went  up  on  the  mountain  and  sat

4
down with His disciples.
5

Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.
When  Jesus  looked  up  and  saw  a  large  crowd
coming  toward  Him,  He  said  to  Philip,  “Where
can we buy bread for these people to eat?”
But
He was asking this to test him, for He knew what
7
He was about to do.

6

 a

Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii

 would
not buy enough bread for each of them to have a
8
small piece.”

9

One  of  His  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter’s
brother,  said  to  Him,
“Here  is  a  boy  with  five
barley loaves and two small fish. But what differ-
10
ence will these make among so many?”

“Have  the  people  sit  down,”  Jesus  said.  Now
there  was  plenty  of  grass  in  that  place,  so  the
11
men sat down, about five thousand of them.

Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave
thanks,  and  distributed  to  those  who  were
12
seated as much as they wanted.

And when everyone was full, He said to His dis-
ciples,  “Gather  the  pieces  that  are  left  over,  so
13
that nothing will be wasted.”

So  they  collected  them  and  filled  twelve  bas-
kets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left
14
over by those who had eaten.

b

When the people saw the sign that Jesus had
 they began to say, “Truly this is the

performed,
15
Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Then Jesus,  realizing  that  they  were about  to
come  and  make  Him  king  by  force,  withdrew
Jesus Walks on Water
again to a mountain by Himself.
(Matthew 14:22–33 ;  Mark 6:45–52)

16

17

When evening came, His disciples went down
to the sea,
got into a boat, and started across
the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and
Jesus  had  not  yet  gone  out  to  them.
A  strong
a 7
wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.
c 19
about twenty-five or thirty stadia
d 31

18

19

c

When  they  had  rowed  about  three  or  four
miles,
  they  saw  Jesus  approaching  the  boat,
20
walking  on  the  sea—and  they  were  terrified.
21
But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
Then  they  were  willing  to  take  Him  into  the
boat,  and  at  once  the  boat  reached  the  shore
Jesus the Bread of Life
where they were heading.
22

23

The next day, the crowd that had remained on
the  other  side  of  the  sea  realized  that  only  one
boat  had  been  there,  and  that  Jesus  had  not
boarded it with His disciples, but they had gone
However, some boats from Tibe-
away alone.
rias landed near the place where the people had
24
eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor
His disciples were there, they got into the boats
and went to Capernaum to look for Him.
When
they found Him on the other side of the sea, they
26
asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

25

27

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not
because you saw these signs that you are looking
for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had
Do  not  work  for  food  that  perishes,
your  fill.
but  for  food  that  endures  to  eternal  life,  which
the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the
28
Father has placed His seal of approval.”

Then they inquired, “What must we do to per-

29
form the works of God?”

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to be-

30
lieve in the One He has sent.”

31

So  they  asked  Him,  “What  sign  then  will  You
perform, so that we may see it and believe You?
What will You do?
Our fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them
32
bread from heaven to eat.’

”

 d

Jesus  said  to  them,  “Truly,  truly,  I  tell  you,  it
was  not  Moses  who  gave  you  the  bread  from
33
heaven,  but  it  is  My  Father  who  gives  you  the
true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God
is  He  who  comes  down  from  heaven  and  gives
34
life to the world.”
35

“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”

Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Who-
ever  comes  to  Me  will  never  hunger,  and  who-
ever  believes  in  Me  will  never  thirst.
But  as
I  stated,  you  have  seen  Me  and  still  you  do  not
He had performed
believe.

b 14

36

A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
Greek
Psalm 78:24; see also Exodus 16:4.

; that is, approximately 2.87 to 3.45 miles (4.62 to 5.55 kilometers)

SBL, NA, NE, and WH

37

38

Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me,
and the one who comes to Me I will never drive
For I have come down from heaven, not
away.
to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who
39
sent Me.

40

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I
shall  lose  none  of  those  He  has  given  Me,  but
raise them up at the last day.
For it is My Fa-
ther’s  will  that  everyone  who  looks  to  the  Son
and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I
41
will raise him up at the last day.”

42

At  this,  the  Jews  began  to  grumble  about
Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that
came  down  from  heaven.”
They  were  asking,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and  mother  we  know?  How  then  can  He  say,  ‘I
43
have come down from heaven?’”

44

45

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus re-
plied.
“No one can come to Me unless the Fa-
ther who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him
up at the last day.
It is written in the Prophets:
‘And  they  will  all  be  taught  by  God.’
  Everyone
46
who has heard the Father and learned from Him
comes  to  Me—
not  that  anyone  has  seen  the
Father except the One who is from God; only He
47
has seen the Father.

 a

48

49

Truly,  truly,  I  tell  you,  he  who  believes  has
Your  fa-
I  am  the  bread  of  life.
eternal  life.
50
thers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they
This is the bread that comes down from
died.
51
heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
I  am  the  living  bread  that  came  down  from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever. And this bread, which I will give for the
52
life of the world, is My flesh.”

At this, the Jews began to argue among them-
selves,  “How  can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to
53
eat?”

John 7:3    |    957

58

so also the one who feeds on Me will live because
This is the bread that came down from
of Me.
heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna
and  died,  the  one  who  eats  this  bread  will  live
Many Disciples Turn Back
forever.”
(Matt. 8:18–22 ;  Luke 9:57–62 ;  Luke 14:25–33)

59

60

Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue
On hearing it, many of His dis-
in Capernaum.
ciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can
61
accept it?”

62

Aware  that  His  disciples  were  grumbling
about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this
offend you?
Then what will happen if you see
63
the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

64

The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The  words  I  have  spoken  to  you  are  spirit  and
they are life.
However, there are some of you
who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from
the beginning which of them did not believe and
65
who would betray Him.)

Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no
one  can  come  to  Me  unless  the  Father  has
66
granted it to him.”

From that time on many of His disciples turned

Peter’s Confession of Faith
back and no longer walked with Him.
(Matt. 16:13–20 ;  Mark 8:27–30 ;  Luke 9:18–20)

67

So  Jesus  asked  the  Twelve,  “Do  you  want  to

68
leave too?”

69

b

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we
We be-
go? You have the words of eternal life.
lieve  and  know  that  You  are  the  Holy  One  of
70
God.

”

71

Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you,
He was
the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
later to betray Jesus.

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you,
unless  you  eat  the  flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of
the Son of Man, you have no life in you.
Who-
ever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eter-
55
nal  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.
For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real

54

7

56
drink.

57

Whoever  eats  My  flesh  and  drinks  My  blood
Just as the living
remains in Me, and I in him.
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God
a 45
Father sent Me and I live because of the Father,
the Feast of Booths
BYZ and TR

Isaiah 54:13

b 69

gathering
pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as

 (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).

2

After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee.
He did not want to travel in Judea, because
the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
However,
the  Jewish  Feast  of  Tabernacles
So
Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go
to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the

  was  near.

c 2

3

 c

the Feast of Shelters

the Feast of In-
That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of

 or

 and originally called

958    |    John 7:4

4

For no one who wants to
works You are doing.
be  known  publicly  acts  in secret.  Since  You  are
5
doing these things, show Yourself to the world.”
For  even  His  own  brothers  did  not  believe  in

6
Him.

Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time
7
is  always  at  hand,  My  time  has  not  yet  come.
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, be-
Go up to
 going up to this

cause I testify that its works are evil.
the feast on your own. I am not
9
feast, because My time has not yet come.”
10

8

 a

Having  said  this,  Jesus  remained  in  Galilee.
But after His brothers had gone up to the feast,

11
He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast

12
and asking, “Where is He?”

Many  in  the  crowds  were  whispering  about

Him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
13
But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

Yet no one would speak publicly about Him for

14
fear of the Jews.

15
up  to  the  temple  courts

 b
About  halfway  through  the  feast,  Jesus  went
  and  began  to  teach.
The  Jews  were  amazed  and  asked,  “How  did
this  man  attain  such  learning  without  having
16
studied?”

17

18

“My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It
comes  from  Him  who  sent  Me.
If  anyone  de-
sires  to  do  His  will,  he  will  know  whether  My
teaching is from God or whether I speak on My
own.
He  who  speaks  on  his  own  authority
seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory
of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him
there is no falsehood.
Has not Moses given you
the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you
20
trying to kill Me?”

19

“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who

21
is trying to kill You?”

22

23

Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and
you  are  all  amazed.
But  because  Moses  gave
you  circumcision,  you  circumcise  a  boy  on  the
Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the
patriarchs.)
If a boy can be circumcised on the
Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be bro-
ken, why are you angry with Me for making the
whole man well on the Sabbath?
Stop judging
I am not yet
a 8
by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
among the Greeks
pora

NE, WH, BYZ, and TR

the Spirit was not yet

Literally

b 14

d 39

24

Is Jesus the Christ?

25

Then some of the people of Jerusalem began to
26
say,  “Isn’t  this  the  man  they  are  trying  to  kill?
Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are
not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly
recognized that this is the Christ?
But we know
where this man is from. When the Christ comes,
28
no one will know where He is from.”

27

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,
cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I
am from. I have not come of My own accord, but
29
He  who  sent Me  is  true.  You  do not  know  Him,
but I know Him, because I am from Him and He

30
sent Me.”

So  they  tried  to  seize  Him,  but  no  one  laid  a
31
hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him
and  said,  “When  the  Christ  comes,  will  He  per-
32
form more signs than this man?”

33

When the Pharisees heard the crowd whisper-
ing  these  things  about  Jesus,  they  and the  chief
priests  sent  officers  to  arrest  Him.
So  Jesus
34
said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and
then I am going to the One who sent Me.
You
will  look  for  Me,  but  you  will  not  find  Me;  and
35
where I am, you cannot come.”

c

36

At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where
does He intend to go that we will not find Him?
Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among
the Greeks,
What does
 and teach the Greeks?
He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you
will  not  find  Me,’  and,  ‘Where  I  am,  you  cannot
Living Water
come’?”
37

39

38

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus
stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Who-
ever  believes  in  Me,  as  the  Scripture  has  said:
‘Streams  of  living  water  will  flow  from  within
him.’
He was speaking about the Spirit, whom
those who believed in Him were later to receive.
For  the  Spirit  had  not  yet  been  given,
  because
Division over Jesus
Jesus had not yet been glorified.
40

”

d

On  hearing  these  words,  some  of  the  people

41
said, “This is truly the Prophet.”

; the Jewish people living outside the land of Israel since the Babylonian exile were referred to as

.

Literally

; BYZ and TR

the temple

Others declared, “This is the Christ.”

Will He go to the Diaspora
the Dias-

c 35

the Holy Spirit was not yet

; also in verse 28

Literally

42

9

d

John 8:24    |    959

But still others asked, “How can the Christ come
Doesn’t the Scripture say that the
from Galilee?
Christ will come from the line of David and from
43
Bethlehem, the village where David lived?

”

 a

44

So there was division in the crowd because of
Some of them wanted to seize Him, but

Jesus.
The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
no one laid a hand on Him.
45

Then the officers returned to the chief priests
and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you
46
bring Him in?”

“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the

47
officers answered.

48

49

“Have  you  also  been  deceived?”  replied  the
“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees
But this crowd that does not

Pharisees.
believed in Him?
50
know the law—they are under a curse.”

51

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and
who himself was one of them, asked,
“Does our
law convict a man without first hearing from him
52
to determine what he has done?”

 b

“Aren’t  you  also  from  Galilee?”  they  replied.
“Look  into  it,  and  you  will  see  that  no  prophet
53
comes out of Galilee.”
The Woman Caught in Adultery

Then each went to his own home.

8

2
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

c

4

Early in the morning He went back into the
3
temple courts.
 All the people came to Him, and
He  sat  down  to  teach  them.
The  scribes  and
Pharisees,  however,  brought  to  Him  a  woman
caught in adultery. They made her stand before
and  said,  “Teacher,  this  woman  was
them
In the Law Moses
caught in the act of adultery.
commanded us to stone such a woman. So what
6
do You say?”

5

10

When they heard this,

they began to go away
one by one, beginning with the older ones, until
 e
only  Jesus  was  left,  with  the  woman  standing
 and asked
there.
her, “Woman, where are your accusers?
 Has no
11
one condemned you?”

Then Jesus straightened up

 f

“No one, Lord,” she answered.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.
Jesus the Light of the World  (1 John 1:5–10)
“Now go and sin no more.”
12

Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me
will never walk in the darkness, but will have the
13
light of life.”

So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testify-
14
ing about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”

Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My
testimony is valid, because I know where I came
from and where I am going. But you do not know
You
where I came from or where I am going.
But
judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
g
even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I
17
am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.

15
16

h

18

Even  in  your  own  Law  it  is  written  that  the
testimony of two men is valid.
I am One who
testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent
19
Me, also testifies about Me.”

“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him.

“You  do  not  know  Me  or  My  Father,”  Jesus
answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My
20
Father as well.”

He  spoke  these  words  while  teaching  in  the
temple  courts,  near  the  treasury.  Yet  no  one
21
seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Again He said to them, “I am going away, and
you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin.
22
Where I am going, you cannot come.”

They  said  this  to  test  Him,  in  order  to  have  a
basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and
7
began to write on the ground with His finger.

So the Jews began to ask, “Will He kill Himself,
since  He  says,  ‘Where  I  am  going,  you  cannot
23
come’?”

When  they  continued  to  question  Him,  He
straightened up and said to them, “Let him who
is  without  sin  among  you  be  the  first  to  cast  a
And  again  He  bent  down  and
stone  at  her.”
b 52
a 42
wrote on the ground.

8

24

Then He told them, “You are from below; I am
from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world.
That is why I told you that you would
die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am
c 2
He, you will die in your sins.”

the temple

Some early manuscripts do not include John 7:53 through John 8:11.

and were convicted by their conscience,
g 16
where are they

e 10

and
;

d 9
See Micah 5:2.
saw no one but the woman
also in verse 20
but (it is) I and the One who sent Me

f 10

NE, BYZ, and TR include
h 17
WH and NA

.

Literally
but (it is) I and the Father who sent Me
NE, BYZ, and TR include

Literally

; NE

See Deuteronomy 19:15.

960    |    John 8:25

25

“Who are You?” they asked.

26

“Just what I have been telling you from the begin-
ning,” Jesus replied.
“I have much to say about
you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me
is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell
27
the world.”

28
They  did  not  understand  that  He  was  telling
them  about  the  Father.
So  Jesus  said,  “When
you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will
know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My
own,  but  speak  exactly  what  the  Father  has
taught Me.
He who sent Me is with Me. He has
not  left  Me  alone,  because  I  always  do  what
The Truth Will Set You Free  (2 John 1:4–6)
pleases Him.”
30

29

31

32

As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in
Him.
So He said to the Jews who had believed
Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly
My  disciples.
Then  you  will  know  the  truth,
33
and the truth will set you free.”

“We  are  Abraham’s  descendants,”  they  an-
swered. “We have never been slaves to anyone.
34
How can You say we will be set free?”

35

36

Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone
who  sins  is  a  slave  to  sin.
A  slave  does  not
remain in the house forever, but a son remains
forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be
37
free indeed.

38

I  know  you  are  Abraham’s  descendants,  but
you are trying to kill Me because My word has no
place within you.
I speak of what I have seen in
the presence of the Father, and you do what you
39
have heard from your father.”

“Abraham is our father,” they replied.
40

“If  you  were  children  of  Abraham,”  said  Jesus,
“you would do the works of Abraham.
But now
you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you
41
the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never
did  such  a  thing.
You  are  doing  the  works  of
your father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they declared.
42
“Our only Father is God Himself.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father,
you  would  love  Me,  for  I  have  come  here  from
43
God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

Why do you not understand what I am saying?
a 54
It  is  because  you  are  unable  to  accept  My
and so He passed by
WH and TR

before Abraham was, I am!

Literally

Your

b 58

.

44

message.
You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out his desires. He was a
murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he lies, he speaks his native language, because he
But  because  I
is  a  liar  and  the  father  of  lies.
46
speak the truth, you do not believe Me!

45

Which  of  you  can  prove  Me  guilty  of  sin?  If  I
47
speak  the  truth,  why  do  you  not  believe  Me?
Whoever  belongs  to  God  hears  the  words  of
God. The reason you do not hear is that you do
Before Abraham Was Born, I Am
not belong to God.”
48

The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to
say that You are a Samaritan and You have a de-
49
mon?”

50

“I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I
I  do
honor  My  Father,  and  you  dishonor  Me.
51
not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks
Truly, truly, I tell you, if
it, and He is the Judge.
52
anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

“Now  we  know  that  You  have  a  demon!”  de-
clared  the  Jews.  “Abraham  died,  and  so  did  the
prophets,  yet  You  say  that  anyone  who  keeps
Are  You
Your  word  will  never  taste  death.
greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did
54
the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”

53

 a

55

Jesus  answered,  “If  I  glorify  Myself,  My  glory
means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My
You
Father, of whom you say, ‘He is our
do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said I did
not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do
Your  father
know  Him,  and  I  keep  His  word.
Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He
57
saw it and was glad.”

 God.’

56

Then  the  Jews  said  to  Him,  “You  are  not  yet

58
fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”

 b
“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before

59
Abraham was born, I am!

”

c

At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him.
But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple
Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind
area.

9

2

Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man
and  His  disciples  asked
blind  from  birth,
Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
going through the midst of them,
that he was born blind?”

c 59

BYZ and TR include

3

 a

4

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his par-
ents sinned, but this happened so that the works
of  God  would  be  displayed  in  him.
While  it  is
daytime, we must do
 the works of Him who sent
5
Me.  Night  is  coming,  when  no  one  can  work.
While  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the  light  of  the

6
world.”

When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground,
7
made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
Then  He  told  him,  “Go,  wash  in  the  Pool  of
Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went
8
and washed, and came back seeing.

At  this,  his  neighbors  and  those  who  had  for-
merly seen him begging began to ask, “Isn’t this
9
the man who used to sit and beg?”

Some claimed that he was, but others said, “No,

he just looks like him.”
10
But the man kept saying, “I am the one.”

“How  then  were  your  eyes  opened?”  they

11
asked.

He  answered,  “The  man  they  call  Jesus  made
some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me
to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed
12
and received my sight.”

“Where is He?” they asked.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
“I do not know,” he answered.
13

14

15

They  brought  to  the  Pharisees  the  man  who
had  been  blind.
Now  the  day  on  which  Jesus
had  made  the  mud  and  opened  his  eyes  was  a
Sabbath.
So the Pharisees also asked him how
he had received his sight.

The man answered, “He put mud on my eyes, and
16
I washed, and now I can see.”

Because  of  this,  some  of  the  Pharisees  said,
“This man is not from God, for He does not keep
the Sabbath.”

But others said, “How can a sinful man perform
such signs?”

17

And there was division among them.
So once
again  they  asked  the  man  who  had  been  blind,
“What  do  you  say  about Him,  since  it  was  your
eyes He opened?”
18
“He is a prophet,” the man replied.

The Jews still did not believe that the man had
19
been blind and had received his sight until they
b 35
a 4
summoned his parents
and asked, “Is this your
BYZ and TR

the Son of God

BYZ and TR

I must do

John 9:38    |    961

son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it
20
that he can now see?”

21

His parents answered, “We know he is our son,
But how he
and we know he was born blind.
can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not
know.  Ask  him.  He  is  old  enough  to  speak  for
22
himself.”

His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined
that  anyone  who  confessed  Jesus  as  the  Christ
That was
would be put out of the synagogue.
24
why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

23

So a second time they called for the man who
had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We
25
know that this man is a sinner.”

He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not
know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind,
26
but now I see!”

“What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did

27
He open your eyes?”

He replied, “I already told you, and you did not
listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you
28
also want to become His disciples?”

Then  they  heaped  insults  on  him  and  said,
29
“You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do

30
not know where this man is from.”

31

“That  is  remarkable  indeed!”  the  man  said.
“You do not know where He is from, and yet He
opened my eyes.
We know that God does not
listen  to  sinners,  but  He  does  listen  to  the  one
who  worships  Him  and  does  His  will.
Never
before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a
man born blind.
If this man were not from God,
34
He could do no such thing.”

33

32

They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and
Spiritual Blindness
you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.
35

When  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  thrown  him
out, He found the man and said, “Do you believe
36
in the Son of Man

?”

 b

“Who is He, Sir?” he replied. “Tell me so that I

37
may believe in Him.”

“You have already seen Him,” Jesus answered.

38
“He is the One speaking with you.”

“Lord,  I  believe,”  he  said.  And  he  worshiped

Jesus.

962    |    John 9:39

39

Then  Jesus  declared,  “For  judgment  I  have
come into this world, so that the blind may see
40
and those who see may become blind.”

 a

Some  of  the  Pharisees  who  were  with  Him
heard  this,  and  they  asked  Him,  “Are  we  blind
41
too?”

“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would
not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can
Jesus the Good Shepherd
see, your guilt remains.”
(Psalm 23:1–6 ;  Ezekiel 34:11–24)

10

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not
enter  the  sheepfold  by  the  gate,  but
2
climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
But the one who enters by the gate is the shep-
herd  of  the  sheep.
The  gatekeeper  opens  the
gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He
4
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

3

5

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on
ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because
But they will never follow
they know his voice.
a  stranger;  in  fact,  they  will  flee  from  him  be-
6
cause they do not recognize his voice.”

 b

8

7

Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but
they  did  not  understand  what  He  was  telling
So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I
them.
tell  you,  I  am  the  gate  for  the  sheep.
All  who
9
came before Me
 were thieves and robbers, but
I am the gate.
the sheep did not listen to them.
If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He
will come in and go out and find pasture.
The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
have come that they may have life, and have it in
11
all its fullness.

10

12

I  am  the  good  shepherd.  The  good  shepherd
The  hired
lays  down  His  life  for  the  sheep.
hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not
his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he aban-
dons  the  sheep  and  runs  away.  Then  the  wolf
The
pounces  on  them  and  scatters  the  flock.
man runs away because he is a hired servant and
14
is unconcerned for the sheep.

13

15

will  listen  to  My  voice.  Then  there  will  be  one
17
flock and one shepherd.

18

The  reason  the  Father  loves  Me  is  that  I  lay
No
down My life in order to take it up again.
one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own
accord.  I  have  authority  to  lay  it  down  and
authority to take it up again. This charge I have
19
received from My Father.”

20

Again there was division among the Jews be-
cause  of  Jesus’  message.
Many  of  them  said,
“He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would
21
you listen to Him?”

But others replied, “These are not the words of
a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open
Jesus at the Feast of Dedication
the eyes of the blind?”

22

 c

23

24

At that time the Feast of Dedication

 took place
 d
and  Jesus  was
in  Jerusalem.  It  was  winter,
 in Solomon’s Col-
walking in the temple courts
So the Jews gathered around Him and
onnade.
demanded,  “How  long  will  You  keep  us  in  sus-
25
pense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

26

27

“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did
not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name
But because you are not
testify on My behalf.
My sheep lis-
My sheep, you refuse to believe.
28
ten to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
I  give  them  eternal  life,  and  they  will  never
29
perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
My Father who has given them to Me is greater
than  all.  No one  can  snatch  them  out of  My  Fa-
31
ther’s hand.

I and the Father are one.”
32

30

At  this,  the  Jews  again  picked  up  stones
to  stone  Him.
But  Jesus  responded,  “I  have
shown  you  many  good  works  from  the  Father.
33
For which of these do you stone Me?”

35

“We are not stoning You for any good work,”
said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You,
34
who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

 e
Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I
If  he  called  them
have  said  you  are  gods’
36
gods  to  whom  the  word  of  God  came—and  the
then what about
Scripture cannot be broken—
the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into
the world? How then can you accuse Me of blas-
38 “Lord,
phemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

?

16

I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and
My sheep know Me,
just as the Father knows
Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life
I have other sheep that are not
for the sheep.
a 39
of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they
All who came
I believe.”. . .  39 Then Jesus declared
d 23

Literally

b 8

c 22

so that those not seeing may see and those seeing may become blind.

BYZ
bean Revolt and rededication of the temple

.

That is, Hanukkah, the historic celebration of the Macca-

Literally

Psalm 82:6

the temple

e 34

 Some manuscripts do not include

37

38

If I am not doing the works of My Father, then
do not believe Me.
But if I am doing them, even
though you do not believe Me, believe the works
themselves,  so  that  you  may  know  and  under-
stand  that  the  Father  is  in  Me,  and  I  am  in  the
39
Father.”

At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He es-

John’s Testimony Confirmed
caped their grasp.
40

41

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the
place  where  John  had  first  been  baptizing,  and
He stayed there.
Many came to Him and said,
“Although  John  never  performed  a  sign,  every-
thing  he  said  about  this  man  was  true.”
And
The Death of Lazarus
many in that place believed in Jesus.

42

11

2

At  this  time  a  man  named  Lazarus  was
sick.  He  lived  in  Bethany,  the  village  of
Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.
(Mary,  whose
brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord
3
with perfume and wipe His feet
 with her hair.)
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one

 a

4
You love is sick.”

When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness
will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God,
so that the Son of God may be glorified through
5
it.”

6

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Laz-
So  on  hearing  that  Lazarus  was  sick,  He
and then He

arus.
stayed where He was for two days,
8
said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

7

“Rabbi,”  they  replied,  “the  Jews  just  tried  to

9
stone You, and You are going back there?”

10

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of
daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will
not stumble, because he sees by the light of this
world.
But  if  anyone  walks  at  night,  he  will
11
stumble, because he has no light.”

After  He  had  said  this,  He  told  them,  “Our
friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going
12
there to wake him up.”

13

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he
will  get  better.”
They  thought  that  Jesus  was
talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking
14
about the death of Lazarus.
15

So  Jesus  told  them  plainly,  “Lazarus  is  dead,
and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so

a 2
that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Literally
indignant in spirit
.
means

about fifteen stadia

the twin

Greek

c 18

; similarly in verse 38

John 11:34    |    963

16

 b

Then Thomas called Didymus

 said to his fel-
low disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die
Jesus Comforts Martha and Mary
with Him.”
17

18

 c

19

 away,

When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had
Now Beth-
already spent four days in the tomb.
any  was  near  Jerusalem,  a  little  less  than  two
and many of the Jews had come
miles
20
to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss
So when Martha heard that Je-
of their brother.
sus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but
21
Mary stayed at home.

22

Martha  said  to  Jesus,  “Lord,  if  You  had  been
But
here,  my  brother  would  not  have  died.
even now I know that God will give You whatever
23
You ask of Him.”
24

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again

25
in the resurrection at the last day.”

26

Jesus  said  to  her,  “I  am  the  resurrection  and
the  life.  Whoever  believes  in  Me  will  live,  even
And  everyone  who  lives  and
though  he  dies.
believes  in  Me  will  never  die.  Do  you  believe
27
this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You
are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come
28
into the world.”

After Martha had said this, she went back and
called  her  sister  Mary  aside  to  tell  her,  “The
Teacher  is  here  and  is  asking  for  you.”
And
when  Mary  heard  this,  she  got  up  quickly  and
30
went to Him.

29

Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but
31
was still at the place where Martha had met Him.
When the Jews who were in the house consol-
ing Mary saw how quickly she got up and went
out, they followed her, supposing she was going
When Mary came
to the tomb to mourn there.
to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said,
“Lord,  if  You  had  been  here,  my  brother  would
33
not have died.”

32

 d

When  Jesus  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews
who  had  come  with  her  also  weeping,  He  was
“Where
deeply moved in spirit
have you put him?” He asked.

 and troubled.

34

“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.

d 33
; see John 12:3.

b 16 Didymus
He was

was the one having anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and having wiped His feet

; that is, approximately 1.72 miles or 2.78 kilometers

Or

964    |    John 11:35

35

36

Jesus wept.

37

Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

But some of them asked, “Could not this man
who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept
Jesus Raises Lazarus
Lazarus from dying?”
(Acts 9:36–43)

38

the nation, but also for the scattered children of
53
God, to gather them together into one.
54

So  from  that  day  on  they  plotted  to  kill  Him.
As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly
among  the  Jews,  but  He  withdrew  to  a  town
called  Ephraim  in  an  area  near  the  wilderness.
55
And He stayed there with the disciples.

39

Jesus,  once  again  deeply  moved,  came  to  the
tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the
entrance.

“Take away the stone,” Jesus said.

“Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister
40
of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”

Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you be-

41
lieved, you would see the glory of God?”

42

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted
His  eyes  upward  and  said,  “Father,  I  thank  You
that  You  have  heard  Me.
I  knew  that  You  al-
ways hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the
people  standing  here,  so  they  may  believe  that
43
You sent Me.”

After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud

44
voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

The man who had been dead came out with his
a
hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his
face wrapped in a cloth.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
“Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
(Matthew 26:1–5 ;  Mark 14:1–2 ;  Luke 22:1–2)

45

46

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to
Mary,  and  had  seen  what  Jesus  did,  believed  in
Him.
But some of them went to the Pharisees
47
and told them what Jesus had done.

 b

48

Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened
the  Sanhedrin
  and  said,  “What  are  we  to  do?
This man  is performing many  signs.
If  we  let
Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him,
and  then  the  Romans  will  come  and  take  away
49
both our place and our nation.”

50

But  one  of  them,  named  Caiaphas,  who  was
high  priest  that  year,  said  to  them,  “You  know
nothing at all!
You do not realize that it is bet-
ter for you that one man die for the people than
51
that the whole nation perish.”

c

56

Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many
people went up from the country to Jerusalem to
They
purify  themselves  before  the  Passover.
kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as
 “What do you
they stood in the temple courts,
think? Will He come to the feast at all?”
But the
chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that
anyone who knew where He was must report it,
Mary Anoints Jesus
so that they could arrest Him.
(Matthew 26:6–13 ;  Mark 14:3–9 ;  Luke 7:36–50)

57

12

3

2

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came
to  Bethany,  the  hometown  of  Lazarus,
So  they
whom  He  had  raised  from  the  dead.
hosted  a  dinner  for  Jesus  there.  Martha  served,
 d
and Lazarus was among those reclining at the ta-
 of
ble with Him.
expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she
anointed  Jesus’  feet  and  wiped  them  with  her
hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance
4
of the perfume.

Then Mary took about a pint

5

6

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was
 e
“Why  wasn’t  this
going  to  betray  Him,  asked,
 and the
perfume sold for three hundred denarii
money given to the poor?”
Judas did not say this
because he cared about the poor, but because he
was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used
7
to take from what was put into it.

8

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept
f
this  perfume  in  preparation  for  the  day  of  My
The poor you will always have with you,
burial.
The Plot to Kill Lazarus
but you will not always have Me.”
9

10

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews learned that
Jesus was there. And they came not only because
of  Him,  but  also  to  see  Lazarus,  whom  He  had
So the chief priests made
raised from the dead.
for on account of
plans to kill Lazarus as well,
him many of the Jews were deserting them and
a litra
believing in Jesus.

d 3

11

f 8

Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead,
as high priest that year, he was prophesying that
a 44
Jesus would die for the nation,
and not only for

the Council

b 47

c 56

52

soudariō
e 5

the temple

Greek
340 grams

Or

Literally

Greek

A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

; that is, approximately 12 ounces or
See Deuteronomy 15:11.

The Triumphal Entry  (Zechariah 9:9–13 ;
Matt. 21:1–11 ;  Mark 11:1–11 ;  Luke 19:28–40)

12

13

The next day the great crowd that had come to
the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusa-
They took palm branches and went out to
lem.
meet Him, shouting:

 a

“Hosanna!”

 b

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the

Lord!”

14

“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is

15
written:

“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion.

 c

16

See, your King is coming,
seated on the colt of a donkey.”

At first His disciples did not understand these
things, but after Jesus was glorified they remem-
bered what had been done to Him, and they real-
ized that these very things had also been written
17
about Him.

Meanwhile,  many  people  who  had  been  with
Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and
18
raised  him  from  the  dead  continued  to  testify.
That is also why the crowd went out to meet
Him, because they heard that He had performed
19
this sign.

Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You
can see that this is doing you no good. Look how
Jesus Predicts His Death
the whole world has gone after Him!”
20

21

22

Now  there  were  some  Greeks  among  those
They
who  went  up  to  worship  at  the  feast.
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Gali-
lee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Je-
sus.”
Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew, and
23
both of them went and told Jesus.

24

25

But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the
Truly,  truly,  I  tell
Son  of  Man  to  be  glorified.
you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground
and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it
bears  much  fruit.
Whoever  loves  his  life  will
lose  it,  but  whoever  hates  his  life  in  this  world
If anyone serves Me,
will keep it for eternal life.
he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant
will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father
a 13 Hosanna
will honor him.

26

Hosia-na
c 15

b 13
 is a transliteration of the Hebrew

John 12:40    |    965

27

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?
‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this
Father,
purpose that I have come to this hour.
glorify Your name!”

28

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified
29
it, and I will glorify it again.”

The  crowd  standing  there  heard  it  and  said
that it had thundered. Others said that an angel
30
had spoken to Him.

31

In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for
Now judgment is upon
My benefit, but yours.
32
this world; now the prince of this world will be
And  I,  when  I am  lifted  up  from  the
cast  out.
He said
earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
this to indicate the kind of death He was going to
34
die.

33

The  crowd  replied,  “We  have  heard  from  the
Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how
can  You  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  must  be  lifted
35
up? Who is this Son of Man?”

Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer,
the Light will be among you. Walk while you have
the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you.
The  one  who  walks  in  the  darkness  does  not
While  you  have  the
know  where  he  is  going.
Light,  believe  in  the  Light,  so  that  you  may  be-
come sons of light.”

36

After  Jesus  had  spoken  these  things,  He  went
Belief and Unbelief
away and was hidden from them.
37

38

Although Jesus had performed so many signs
in  their  presence,  they  still  did  not  believe  in
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the
Him.
prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message?

 d

39

And to whom has the arm of the Lord

been revealed?”

For  this  reason  they  were  unable  to  believe.

40
For again, Isaiah says:

“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so that they cannot see with their eyes,
and understand with their hearts,

 e

and turn,

and I would heal them.”

Save, we pray
d 38

Save now

e 40

praise; see Psalm 118:25.

Psalm 118:26

Zechariah 9:9

Isaiah 53:1

Isaiah 6:10

, meaning

 or

, which became a shout of

966    |    John 12:41

41

42

9

Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’
glory  and  spoke  about  Him.
Nevertheless,
many of the leaders believed in Him. But because
of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not  confess  Him,  for
43
fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.
For  they  loved  praise  from  men  more  than

44
praise from God.

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my

10
feet, but my hands and my head as well!”

11

Jesus  told  him,  “Whoever  has  already  bathed
needs only to wash his feet, and he will be com-
pletely clean. And you are clean, though not all of
For  He  knew  who  would  betray  Him.
you.”
12
That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

46

45

Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me
does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who
sent  Me.
And  whoever  sees  Me  sees  the  One
who sent Me.
I have come into the world as a
light, so that no one who believes in Me should
47
remain in darkness.

As for anyone who hears My words and does
not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not
48
come to judge the world, but to save the world.
There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and
does not receive My words: The word that I have
49
spoken will judge him on the last day.

50

I have not spoken on My own, but the Father
who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and
And  I know  that  His  command
how  to  say it.
leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
Father has told Me to say.”

13

It  was  now  just  before  the  Passover
Feast,  and  Jesus  knew  that  His  hour
had  come  to leave  this world  and  return  to  the
Father.  Having  loved  His  own  who  were  in  the
The
world,  He  loved  them  to  the  very  end.
evening  meal  was  underway,  and  the  devil  had
already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Si-
3
mon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

2

a

4

Jesus  knew  that  the  Father  had  delivered  all
things into His hands, and that He had come from
God  and  was  returning  to  God.
So  He  got  up
5
from the supper, laid aside His outer garments,
and  wrapped  a  towel  around  His  waist.
After
that, He poured water into a basin and began to
wash  the  disciples’  feet  and  dry  them  with  the
6
towel that was around Him.

He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord,

7
are You going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am

8
doing, but later you will understand.”

“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him.

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no
a 1
part with Me.”
in the bosom of Jesus

He showed them the full extent of His love.

b 16

13

14

When Jesus had washed their feet and put on
His outer garments, He reclined with them again
and  asked,  “Do  you  know  what  I have  done  for
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly
you?
So if I, your Lord and Teacher,
so, because I am.
15
have washed your feet, you also should wash one
I  have  set  you  an  example  so
another’s  feet.
16
that  you  should  do  as  I  have  done  for  you.
Truly,  truly,  I  tell  you,  no  servant  is  greater
 nor is a messenger greater than
If  you  know  these

than his master,
the  one  who  sent  him.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal  (Psalm 41:1–13)
things, you will be blessed if you do them.
18

17

b

 c

19

I  am  not  speaking  about  all  of  you;  I  know
whom  I  have  chosen.  But  this  is  to  fulfill  the
Scripture:  ‘The  one  who  shares  My  bread  has
I am telling you
lifted up his heel against Me.’
now before it happens, so that when it comes to
Truly, truly,
pass, you will believe that I am He.
I  tell  you,  whoever  receives  the  one  I  send  re-
ceives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the
21
One who sent Me.”

20

After Jesus had said this, He became troubled
in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one
22
of you will betray Me.”

23

d

24

The disciples looked at one another, perplexed
as to which of them He meant.
One of His dis-
ciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining
at His side.
So Simon Peter motioned to him
25
to  ask  Jesus  which  one  He  was  talking  about.
Leaning  back  against  Jesus,  he  asked,  “Lord,

26
who is it?”

27

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give
this  morsel  after  I  have  dipped  it.”  Then  He
dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Si-
And  when  Judas  had  taken  the
mon  Iscariot.
morsel, Satan entered into him.

28

Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to
do, do quickly.”
But no one at the table knew
Since  Judas
why  Jesus  had  said  this  to  him.
kept the money bag, some thought that Jesus was

was reclining

d 23

c 18

29

Or

Cited in John 15:20

Psalm 41:9

Greek

John 14:24    |    967

30

telling him to buy what was needed for the feast,
As soon as he
or to give something to the poor.
had received the morsel, Judas went out into the
Love One Another
night.
(Romans 12:9–13 ;  1 John 3:11–24)

know  My  Father  as  well.  From  now  on  you  do
8
know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip  said  to  Him,  “Lord,  show  us  the  Father,

9
and that will be enough for us.”

31

32

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the
Son  of  Man  is  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in
Him.
 God will also
glorify the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him
33
at once.

If God is glorified in Him,

a

Little children, I am with you only a little while
longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the
Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you
34
cannot come.’

35

A new commandment I give you: Love one an-
other. As I have loved you, so you also must love
one another.
By this everyone will know that
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
(Matt. 26:31–35 ;  Mark 14:27–31 ;  Luke 22:31–38)

36

“Lord,  where  are  You  going?”  Simon  Peter

asked.

Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot
37
follow Me now, but you will follow later.”

“Lord,”  said  Peter,  “why  can’t  I  follow  You

38
now? I will lay down my life for You.”

“Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus re-
plied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster
In My Father’s House Are Many Rooms
crows, you will deny Me three times.

14

 b

2

3

 believe in Me as well.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You
In
believe in God;
My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not
 c
so, would I have told you that I am going there to
And  if I go and  pre-
prepare  a  place  for  you?
pare  a  place  for  you,  I will  come  back and  wel-
come you into My presence, so that you also may
d
You know the way to the place
be where I am.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
where I am going.
5

”

4

10

Jesus  replied,  “Philip,  I have  been  with  you  all
this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone
who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can
Do  you  not
you  say,  ‘Show  us  the  Father’?
believe that I am in the Father and the Father is
in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on
11
My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me,
Believe Me that I am in
performing His works.
the  Father  and  the  Father  is  in  Me—or  at  least
12
believe on account of the works themselves.

13

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me
will also do the works that I am doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am go-
And I will do whatever you
ing to the Father.
14
ask in My name, so that the Father may be glori-
fied in the Son.
 for anything in
If you ask Me
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit  (John 16:5–16)
My name, I will do it.
15

 e

 f

16

If  you  love  Me,  you  will  keep

  My  command-
 g
And  I  will  ask  the  Father,  and  He  will
ments.
17
  to  be  with  you
give  you  another  Advocate
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
forever—
receive  Him,  because  it  neither  sees  Him  nor
knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides
18
with you and will be in you.

h

19

20

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to
In a little while the world will see Me no
you.
more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also
will live.
On that day you will know that I am in
21
My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
Whoever  has  My  commandments  and  keeps
them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves
Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him
22
and reveal Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are
You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the
23
world?”

“Lord,”  said  Thomas,  “we  do  not  know  where

6
You are going, so how can we know the way?”

7

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and
the  life.  No  one  comes  to  the  Father  except
If God is glorified in Him
a 32
through  Me.
If  you  had  known  Me,  you  would
going there to prepare a place for you.
d 4
Me
g 16

WH does not include
f 15

If you love Me, keep

Or
Helper

b 1

Comforter
BYZ, TR

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep
My word. My Father will love him, and We will
24
come  to  him  and  make  Our  home  with  him.
Whoever does not love Me does not keep My
words.  The  word  that  you  hear  is  not  My  own,
If it were not so, I would have told you. I am
but it is from the Father who sent Me.
e 14

c 2

Believe in God

And where I go you know, and the way you know.
.

Or

Counselor

Paraclete

h 17

and is in you
TR does not include

.

Or

Or

 or

 or

; Greek

; also v. 26

WH

968    |    John 14:25

25

26

All  this  I  have  spoken  to  you  while  I  am  still
But  the  Advocate,  the  Holy  Spirit,
with  you.
whom the Father will send in My name, will teach
you all things and will remind you of everything
Peace I Leave with You
I have told you.
27

28

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
You
your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
heard Me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming
back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the Father, because the Father
And now I have told you be-
is greater than I.
fore it happens, so that when it does happen, you
30
will believe.

29

31

I will not speak with you much longer, for the
prince  of  this  world  is  coming,  and  he  has  no
claim on Me.
But I do exactly what the Father
has commanded Me, so that the world may know
that I love the Father.
Jesus the True Vine  (Isaiah 27:1–13)
Get up! Let us go on from here.

15

2

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the
He  cuts  off
keeper  of  the  vineyard.
every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every
3
branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it
You  are  already  clean  be-
even  more  fruitful.
cause of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain
in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch
can  bear  fruit  by  itself  unless  it  remains  in  the
vine,  neither  can  you  bear  fruit  unless  you  re-
5
main in Me.

4

6

7

I am the vine and you are the branches. The one
who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much
fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
If
anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch
that is thrown away and withers. Such branches
are  gathered  up,  thrown  into  the  fire,  and
If you remain in Me and My words re-
burned.
main in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will
be  done  for  you.
This  is  to  My  Father’s  glory,
that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to
No Greater Love
be My disciples.
9

8

10

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.
If you keep My command-
Remain in My love.
ments, you will remain in My love, just as I have
a 20
kept My Father’s commandments and remain in

b 25

11

His love.
I have told you these things so that My
12
joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

13

This  is  My  commandment,  that  you  love  one
another as I have loved you.
Greater love has
no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
14
friends.

15

16

You are My friends if you do what I command
No longer do I call you servants, for a serv-
you.
ant does not understand what his master is do-
ing. But I have called you friends, because every-
thing I have learned from My Father I have made
You  did  not  choose  Me,  but  I
known  to  you.
chose  you.  And  I  appointed  you  to  go  and  bear
fruit—fruit  that  will  remain—so  that  whatever
17
you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
The Hatred of the World
This is My command to you: Love one another.

18

19

If the world hates you, understand that it hated
If you were of the world, it would love
Me first.
you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, be-
cause you are not of the world, but I have chosen
20
you out of the world.

 a

Remember  the word  that  I  spoke  to you:  ‘No
servant is greater than his master.’
 If they per-
secuted  Me,  they  will  persecute  you  as  well;  if
21
they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
But they will treat you like this because of My
name, since they do not know the One who sent
If I had not come and spoken to them, they
Me.
would  not  be  guilty  of  sin.  Now,  however,  they
23
have no excuse for their sin.
24

22

Whoever  hates  Me  hates  My  Father  as  well.
If I had not done among them the works that
no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin;
but now they have seen and hated both Me and
But this is to fulfill what is written
My Father.
 c
26
in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’

25

 b

27

When the Advocate

 comes, whom I will send
to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who
proceeds from the Father—He will testify about
And  you  also  must  testify,  because  you
Me.
Persecution Foretold  (Acts 23:12–22)
have been with Me from the beginning.

16

2

“I have told you these things so that you
will not fall away.
They will put you out
of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when
anyone  who  kills  you  will  think  he  is  offering
Comforter
c 26
They  will  do  these  things
a  service  to  God.

Counselor

Paraclete

Helper

3

John 13:16

See Ps. 35:19, Ps. 38:19, and Ps. 69:4.

Or

 or

 or

; Greek

4
because they have not known the Father or Me.
But  I  have  told  you  these  things  so  that  when
their hour comes, you will remember that I told
you  about  them.  I  did  not  tell  you  these  things
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
from the beginning, because I was with you.
(John 14:15–26)

5

Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me;
6
yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
Instead, your hearts are filled with sorrow be-
But I tell you
cause I have told you these things.
the  truth,  it  is  for  your  benefit  that  I  am  going
  will  not
away.  Unless  I  go  away,  the  Advocate
8
come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

7

 a

10

And when He comes, He will convict the world
9
in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
in regard to sin, because they do not believe in
Me;
in  regard  to  righteousness,  because  I  am
going  to  the  Father  and  you  will  no  longer  see
and  in  regard  to  judgment,  because  the
Me;
12
prince of this world has been condemned.

11

13

14

I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet
bear  to  hear  it.
However,  when  the  Spirit  of
truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For
He will not speak on His own, but He will speak
what He hears, and He will declare to you what is
He  will  glorify  Me  by  taking  from
to  come.
Every-
what  is  Mine  and  disclosing  it  to  you.
thing that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is
why I said that the Spirit will take from what is
16
Mine and disclose it to you.

15

b

In a little while you will see Me no more, and

Grief Will Turn to Joy
then after a little while you will see Me.
17

”

Then some of His disciples asked one another,
“Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not
see Me, and then after a little while you will see
18
Me’  and  ‘Because  I  am  going  to  the  Father’?”
They  kept  asking,  “Why  is  He  saying,  ‘a  little
19
while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”

20

Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus
said to them, “Are you asking one another why I
said,  ‘In  a  little  while  you  will  not  see  Me,  and
then after a little while you will see Me’?
Truly,
truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the
world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will
turn to joy.
A woman has pain in childbirth be-
a 7
cause  her  time  has  come;  but  when  she  brings
c 27

from the Father

Comforter

Counselor

Paraclete

Helper

21

Or
WH

 or

d 2
 or

all flesh
; Greek

Literally

b 16

John 17:5    |    969

22

forth her child, she forgets her anguish because
of  her  joy  that  a  child  has  been  born  into  the
So also you have sorrow now, but I will
world.
see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no
Ask in My Name  (Matthew 18:19–20)
one will take away your joy.
23

In  that  day  you  will  no  longer  ask  Me
anything.  Truly,  truly,  I  tell  you,  whatever  you
24
ask  the  Father  in  My  name,  He  will  give  you.
Until now you have not asked for anything in
My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your
25
joy may be complete.

26

27

I have spoken these things to you in figures of
speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer
speak  to  you  this  way,  but  will  tell  you  plainly
about the Father.
In that day you will ask in My
name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father
on  your  behalf.
For  the  Father  Himself  loves
you,  because  you  have  loved  Me  and  have  be-
lieved that I came from God.
I came from the
Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave
29
the world and go to the Father.”

28

c

30

His disciples said, “See, now You are speaking
plainly and without figures of speech.
Now we
understand  that  You  know  all  things  and  that
You have no need for anyone to question You. Be-
cause  of  this,  we  believe  that  You  came  from
31
God.”
32

finally  believe?”

“Do  you
Jesus  replied.
“Look, an hour is coming and has already come
when  you  will  be  scattered,  each  to  his  own
home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am
not alone, because the Father is with Me.
I have
told you these things so that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But
Prayer for the Son
take courage; I have overcome the world!”

33

17

When Jesus had spoken these things, He
lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Fa-
2
ther,  the  hour  has  come.  Glorify  Your  Son,  that
d
Your Son may glorify You.
For You granted Him
authority  over  all  people,
  so  that  He  may  give
Now
eternal life to all those You have given Him.
this is eternal life, that they may know You, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have
I  have  glorified  You  on  earth  by  accom-
sent.
And now,
plishing the work You gave Me to do.
Father,  glorify  Me  in  Your  presence  with  the
glory I had with You before the world existed.

because I go away to the Father.

5

4

3

BYZ and TR include

970    |    John 17:6

Prayer for the Disciples

24

6

8

I  have  revealed  Your  name  to  those  You  have
given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You
7
gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
Now they know that everything You have given
Me comes from You.
For I have given them the
words  You  gave  Me,  and  they  have  received
them. They knew with certainty that I came from
9
You, and they believed that You sent Me.

11

10

I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the
world, but on behalf of those You have given Me;
for they are Yours.
All I have is Yours, and all
You have is Mine; and in them I have been glori-
fied.
I will no longer be in the world, but they
are in the world, and I am coming to You.
a

12

Holy  Father,  protect  them  by  Your  name,  the
name You gave Me,
 so that they may be one as
While I was with them, I protected
We are one.
and preserved them by Your name, the name You
gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except
the  son  of  destruction,  so  that  the  Scripture
13
would be fulfilled.

14

But now I am coming to You; and I am saying
these things while I am in the world, so that they
may have My joy fulfilled within them.
I have
given them Your word and the world has hated
them. For they are not of the world, just as I am
15
not of the world.

b
I am not asking that You take them out of the

16
world, but that You keep them from the evil one.

17

They are not of the world, just as I am not of
18
Sanctify  them  by  the  truth;  Your
the  world.
As You sent Me into the world, I
word is truth.
For them I
have also sent them into the world.
sanctify  Myself,  so  that  they  too  may  be  sancti-
Prayer for All Believers
fied by the truth.
20

19

I  am  not  asking  on  behalf  of  them  alone,  but
21
also  on  behalf  of  those  who  will  believe  in  Me
through their message,
that all of them may be
one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You.
May they also be in Us, so that the world may be-
22
lieve that You sent Me.

23

I  have  given  them  the  glory  You  gave  Me,  so
that they may be one as We are one—
I in them
and  You  in  Me—that  they  may  be  perfectly
united, so that the world may know that You sent
Me and have loved them just as You have loved
Your name, which You gave Me
a 11
Me.
b 15

from evil

c 9

Literally
Or

See John 6:39 and John 17:12.

; TR

Father, I want those You have given Me to be
with Me where I am, that they may see the glory
You  gave  Me  because  You  loved  Me  before  the
25
foundation of the world.

26

Righteous Father, although the world has not
known You, I know You, and they know that You
sent Me.
And I have made Your name known to
them and will continue to make it known, so that
the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in
The Betrayal of Jesus
them.”
(Matt. 26:47–56 ;  Mark 14:43–52 ;  Luke 22:47–53)

18

2

3

After Jesus had spoken these words, He
went out with His disciples across the Ki-
Now
dron Valley, where they entered a garden.
Judas  His  betrayer  also  knew  the  place,
because Jesus had often met there with His disci-
So  Judas  brought  a  band  of  soldiers  and
ples.
officers  from  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees.
They  arrived  at  the  garden  carrying  lanterns,
4
torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him,
stepped  forward  and  asked  them,  “Whom  are
5
you seeking?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

Jesus said, “I am He.”

6

And Judas His betrayer was standing there with
them.
When  Jesus  said,  “I  am  He,”  they  drew
7
back and fell to the ground.

So He asked them again, “Whom are you seek-

ing?”
8
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

9

“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you
are looking for Me, let these men go.”
This was
to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost
10
one of those You have given Me.”

 c

Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck
the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right
11
ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said
to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has
12
given Me?”

13

Then the band of soldiers, with its commander
and  the  officers  of  the  Jews,  arrested  Jesus  and
bound Him.
They brought Him first to Annas,
who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high
Your name. These You have given Me
priest that year.
Caiaphas was the one who had
; similarly in verse 12

14

27

John 18:40    |    971

advised  the  Jews  that  it  would  be  better  if  one
Peter’s First Denial
man died for the people.
(Matt. 26:69–70 ;  Mark 14:66–68 ;  Luke 22:54–57)

Peter denied it once more, and immediately a

Jesus before Pilate
rooster crowed.
(Matthew 27:11–14 ;  Luke 23:1–5)

15

28

16

Now  Simon  Peter  and  another  disciple  were
following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to
the high priest, he also went with Jesus into the
But  Peter  stood
courtyard  of  the  high  priest.
outside  at  the  door.  Then  the  disciple  who  was
known to the high priest went out and spoke to
17
the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.

At this, the servant girl watching the door said
to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s disci-
ples?”
18
“I am not,” he answered.

Because it was cold, the servants and officers
were  standing  around  a  charcoal  fire  they  had
made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing
Jesus before the High Priest
with them, warming himself.
(Matt. 26:57–68 ;  Mark 14:53–65 ;  Luke 22:66–71)

19

Meanwhile,  the  high  priest  questioned  Jesus

20
about His disciples and His teaching.

“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus an-
swered. “I always taught in the synagogues and
at the temple, where all the Jews come together.
Why  are  you  asking
I  said  nothing  in  secret.
Me?  Ask  those  who  heard  My  message.  Surely
22
they know what I said.”

21

When  Jesus  had  said  this,  one  of  the  officers
standing  nearby  slapped  Him  in  the  face  and
23
said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”

Jesus  replied,  “If  I  said  something  wrong,
testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke cor-
24
rectly, why did you strike Me?”

Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas

Peter’s Second and Third Denials
the high priest.
(Matt. 26:71–75 ;  Mark 14:69–72 ;  Luke 22:58–62)

25

Simon  Peter  was  still  standing  and  warming
himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one
of His disciples?”
26
He denied it and said, “I am not.”

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of
the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off,  asked,
“Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”
a 32

See John 12:32–33.

Then they led Jesus away from Caiaphas into
the  Praetorium.  By  now  it  was  early  morning,
and  the  Jews  did  not  enter  the  Praetorium,
to  avoid  being  defiled  and  unable  to  eat  the
29
Passover.

So  Pilate went  out  to  them  and  asked,  “What

30
accusation are you bringing against this man?”

“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we

31
would not have handed Him over to you.”

“You  take  Him  and  judge  Him  by  your  own

law,” Pilate told them.

32

“We  are  not  permitted  to  execute  anyone,”  the
This was to fulfill the word that
Jews replied.
a
Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He
33
was going to die.

Pilate  went  back  into  the  Praetorium,  sum-
moned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King
34
of the Jews?”

“Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked,

35
“or did others tell you about Me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people
and  chief  priests  handed You  over  to me.  What
36
have You done?”

Jesus  answered,  “My  kingdom  is  not  of  this
world; if it were, My servants would fight to pre-
vent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom
37
is not of this realm.”

“Then You are a king!” Pilate said.

“You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For
this  reason  I  was  born  and  have  come  into  the
world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who be-
38
longs to the truth listens to My voice.”

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.

39

And  having  said  this,  he  went  out  again  to  the
Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge
against Him.
But it is your custom that I release
to you one prisoner at the Passover. So then, do
you  want  me  to  release  to  you  the  King  of  the
40
Jews?”

“Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barabbas!”

(Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)

972    |    John 19:1

The Soldiers Mock Jesus  (Isaiah 50:4–11 ;
Matt. 27:27–31 ; Mark 15:16–20 ;  Luke 22:63–65)

The Crucifixion  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
Matt. 27:32–44 ;  Mark 15:21–32 ;  Luke 23:26–43)

19

2

3

Then  Pilate  took  Jesus  and  had  Him
The soldiers twisted together a
flogged.
crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed
And they went up to Him
Him in a purple robe.
again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
4
and slapping Him in the face.

5

Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews,
“Look,  I  am  bringing  Him  out  to  you  to  let  you
know  that  I  find  no  basis  for  a  charge  against
Him.”
When Jesus came out wearing the crown
of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them,
6
“Here is the man!”

As  soon  as  the  chief  priests  and  officers  saw

Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

“You  take  Him  and  crucify  Him,”  Pilate  replied,
7
“for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

“We  have  a  law,”  answered  the  Jews,  “and  ac-
cording  to  that  law  He  must  die,  because  He
8
declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

9

When Pilate heard this statement, he was even
and he went back into the Praeto-

more afraid,
rium. “Where are You from?” he asked.
10
But Jesus gave no answer.

So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak
to me? Do You not know that I have authority to
11
release You and authority to crucify You?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no authority
over Me if it were not given to you from above.
Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is
12
guilty of greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but
the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man,
you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares
13
himself a king is defying Caesar.”

14

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Je-
sus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place
called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew
 is
b
Gabbatha.
It was the day of Preparation for the
Passover, about the sixth hour.
 And Pilate said
15
to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

 a

At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away

with Him! Crucify Him!”

“Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief
a 13
priests.
e 29

in Aramaic
A jar of wine vinegar

b 14

f 29

16

17

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified,
and the soldiers took Him away.
Carrying His
own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull,
18
which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

There  they  crucified  Him,  and  with  Him  two
19
others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It

read:

20

JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

21

Many  of  the  Jews  read  this  sign,  because  the
place  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  near  the
city,  and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew,  Latin,  and
Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to
Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but
22
only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have

23
written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they di-
vided His garments into four parts, one for each
soldier,  with  the  tunic  remaining.  It  was  seam-
less, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
So
they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. In-
stead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This
was to fulfill the Scripture:

24

 c

“They divided My garments among them,

and cast lots for My clothing.”

25
So that is what the soldiers did.

27

26

Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and
her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and
Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw His mother
and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby,
He  said  to  His  mother,  “Woman,  here  is  your
son.”
Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your
mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her
The Death of Jesus  (Psalm 22:1–31 ;
into his home.
Matt. 27:45–56 ;  Mark 15:33–41 ;  Luke 23:44–49)

28

29

After  this,  knowing  that  everything  had  now
 e
 d
been  accomplished,  and  to  fulfill  the  Scripture,
Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the
30
wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to
His mouth.
When Jesus had received the sour
wine,  He  said,  “It  is  finished.”  And  bowing  His
head, He yielded up His spirit.

A jar of sour wine

d 28

c 24

f

Or
Or

; also in verses 17 and 20

; similarly in verse 30

That is, about noon
See Psalm 69:21.

Psalm 22:18

See Psalm 22:15.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced  (Zechariah 12:10–14)

3

John 20:18    |    973

31

It was the day of Preparation, and the next day
was  a  High  Sabbath.  In  order  that  the  bodies
would  not  remain  on  the  cross  during  the  Sab-
bath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs bro-
So  the  soldiers
ken  and  the  bodies  removed.
came and broke the legs of the first man who had
33
been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.

32

35

But when they came to Jesus and saw that He
34
was  already  dead,  they  did  not  break  His  legs.
Instead,  one  of  the  soldiers  pierced  His  side
with a spear, and immediately blood and water
The one who saw it has testified to
flowed out.
this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he
36
is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

 a

37

Now these things happened so that the Scrip-
ture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will
be  broken.”
And,  as  another  Scripture  says:
The Burial of Jesus  (Isaiah 53:9–12 ;
“They will look on the One they have pierced.”
Matt. 27:57–61 ;  Mark 15:42–47 ;  Luke 23:50–56)

 b

38

39

Afterward,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who  was  a
disciple  of  Jesus  (but  secretly  for  fear  of  the
Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of
Jesus.  Pilate  gave  him  permission,  so  he  came
Nicodemus,  who  had
and  removed  His  body.
previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a
mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  seventy-five
So  they  took  the  body  of  Jesus  and
pounds.
wrapped  it  in  linen  cloths  with  the  spices,  ac-
41
cording to the Jewish burial custom.

40

c

42

Now there was a garden in the place where Je-
sus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb
And because
in which no one had yet been laid.
it  was  the  Jewish  day  of  Preparation  and  the
The Resurrection
tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.
(Matt. 28:1–10 ;  Mark 16:1–8 ;  Luke 24:1–12)

4

Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the
The two were running together, but the
tomb.
5
other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
He  bent  down  and  looked  in  at  the  linen
first.
6
cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

 e

8

The  cloth

Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered
7
the  tomb  and  saw  the  linen  cloths  lying  there.
  that  had  been  around  Jesus’  head
was  rolled  up,  lying  separate  from  the  linen
Then  the  other  disciple,  who  had
cloths.
reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw
For they still did not understand
and believed.
from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
dead.
(Mark 16:9–11)

9

10
11

Then  the  disciples  returned  to  their  homes.
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And
12
as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,
and she saw two angels in white sitting where
the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain,  one  at  the  head  and
13
the other at the feet.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked.

“Because  they  have  taken  my  Lord  away,”  she
said,  “and  I  do  not  know  where  they  have  put
14
Him.”

When she had said this, she turned around and
saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recog-
15
nize that it was Jesus.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked.

“Whom are you seeking?”

Thinking  He  was  the  gardener,  she  said,  “Sir,  if
you have carried Him off, tell me where you have
16
put Him, and I will get Him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

f

20

d

She  turned  and  said  to  Him  in  Hebrew,
17
boni!” (which means “Teacher”).

  “Rab-

2

 while
Early on the first day of the week,
it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to
the  tomb  and  saw  that  the  stone  had  been  re-
So she came running
moved from the entrance.
to  Simon  Peter  and  the  other  disciple,  the  one
whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out
of  the  tomb,”  she  said,  “and  we  do  not  know
where they have put Him!”
a 36

“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not
yet  ascended  to  the  Father.  But  go  and  tell  My
brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your
18
Father, to My God and your God.’

”

Mary  Magdalene  went  and  announced  to  the
disciples,  “I  have  seen  the  Lord!”  And  she  told
them what He had said to her.
b 37

about a hundred litras

c 39

Psalm 34:20; see also Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12.

f 16
that is, approximately 34 kilograms

in Aramaic

Literally

d 1

Now on the first of the Sabbaths, early,
Zechariah 12:10

e 7
Greek

soudarion

Greek

;

Or

974    |    John 20:19

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
(Luke 24:36–49 ;  1 John 1:1–4)

19

20

It was the first day of the week, and that very
evening, while the disciples were together with
the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He
After He had said this, He showed
said to them.
them His hands and His side.
21
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

22

Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending
When  He  had  said  this,  He  breathed
you.”
If
on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
you  forgive  anyone  his  sins,  they  are  forgiven;
if  you  withhold  forgiveness  from  anyone,  it  is
Jesus Appears to Thomas
withheld.”

23

24

a

25

Now  Thomas  called  Didymus,

  one  of  the
Twelve,  was  not  with  the  disciples  when  Jesus
So the other disciples told him, “We have
came.
seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His
hands,  and  put  my  finger  where  the  nails  have
been, and put my hand into His side, I will never
26
believe.”

Eight days later, His disciples were once again
inside  with  the  doors  locked,  and  Thomas  was
with  them.  Jesus  came  and  stood  among  them
27
and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then  Jesus  said  to  Thomas,  “Put  your  finger
here  and  look  at  My  hands.  Reach  out  your
hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and
28
believe.”
29

Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me,
you  have  believed;  blessed  are  those  who  have
The Purpose of John’s Book
not seen and yet have believed.”

30

31
 b

Jesus performed many other signs in the pres-
ence  of  His  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in
But  these  are  written  so  that  you
this  book.
 that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
may believe
God, and that by believing you may have life in
His name.
a 24 Didymus
twin

about two hundred cubits away

the twin

b 31

e 8

may continue to believe

Jesus Appears by the Sea of Tiberias

c

21

d

Later, by the Sea of Tiberias,
 Jesus again
2
revealed  Himself  to  the  disciples.  He
made Himself known in this way:
Simon Peter,
Thomas  called  Didymus,
  Nathanael  from  Cana
in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other dis-
Simon Peter told them, “I
ciples were together.
am going fishing.”

3

“We will go with you,” they said. So they went out
and  got  into  the  boat,  but  caught  nothing  that
4
night.

5

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore,
but the disciples did not recognize that it was Je-
So He called out to them, “Children, do you
sus.
have any fish?”
6
“No,” they answered.

He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of
the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it
there, and they were unable to haul it in because
7
of the great number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Pe-
ter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment
8
(for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea.
The  other  disciples  came  ashore  in  the  boat.
They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were
9
not far from land, only about a hundred yards.

e

When  they  landed,  they  saw  a  charcoal  fire

10
there with fish on it, and some bread.
11

Jesus  told  them,  “Bring  some  of  the  fish  you
So Simon Peter went aboard
have just caught.”
and  dragged  the  net  ashore.  It  was  full  of  large
fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not
12
torn.

“Come,  have  breakfast,”  Jesus  said  to  them.
None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are
Jesus came
You?” They knew it was the Lord.
and took the bread and gave it to them, and He
14
did the same with the fish.

13

This  was  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus
appeared  to  the  disciples  after  He  was  raised
Jesus and Peter
from the dead.
15

When  they  had  finished  eating,  Jesus  asked
Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me
more than these?”

d 2 Didymus

the

c 1

 means

.

Or

.

Greek

That is, the Sea of Galilee
; that is, approximately 300 feet or 91 meters

 means

John 21:25    |    975

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.”
16
Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”

And after He had said this, He told him, “Follow
Jesus and the Beloved Disciple
Me.”
20

Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John,

do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.”
17
Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do

you love Me?”

Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a
third time, “Do you love Me?”

“Lord,  You  know  all  things,”  he  replied.  “You
know I love You.”
18
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young,
you  dressed  yourself  and  walked  where  you
wanted;  but  when  you  are  old,  you  will  stretch
  will  dress
out  your  hands,  and  someone  else
19
you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by

 a

which Peter would glorify God.

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus
 b
loved  following  them.  He was  the  one who had
21
leaned back against Jesus
 at the supper to ask,
“Lord, who is going to betray You?”
When Pe-
22
ter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until
23
I  return,  what  is  that  to  you?  You  follow  Me!”
Because of this, the rumor spread among the
brothers  that  this  disciple  would  not  die.  How-
ever, Jesus did not say that he would not die, but
only, “If I want him to remain until I return, what
24
is that to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies to these things
and who has written them down. And we know
25
that his testimony is true.

There are many more things that Jesus did. If
all of them were written down, I suppose that not
even  the  world  itself  would  have  space  for  the
books that would be written.

a 18

others

b 20

reclined on His bosom

Or

Greek

Acts

Prologue  (Luke 1:1–4)

1

2

3

In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about
all that Jesus began to do and to teach,
until
the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving
instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apos-
After His suffering, He pre-
tles He had chosen.
sented  Himself  to  them  with  many  convincing
proofs  that  He  was  alive.  He  appeared  to  them
over  a  span  of  forty  days  and  spoke  about  the
4
kingdom of God.

a

And  while  they  were  gathered  together,

  He
commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but
5
wait for the gift the Father promised, which you
For John baptized with
have heard Me discuss.
water, but in a few days you will be baptized with
The Ascension  (Mark 16:19–20 ;  Luke 24:50–53)
the Holy Spirit.
6

”

b

So  when  they  came  together,  they  asked  Him,
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom
7
to Israel?”

8

Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or
seasons that the Father has fixed by His own au-
But  you  will  receive  power  when  the
thority.
Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Sa-
9
maria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After He had said this, they watched as He was
10
taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
They were looking intently into the sky as He
11
was  going,  when  suddenly  two  men  dressed  in
“Men of Galilee,” they
white stood beside them.
said,  “why  do  you  stand  here  looking  into  the
sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from
you into heaven, will come back in the same way
Matthias Replaces Judas
you have seen Him go into heaven.”
12

c

13

Then  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  the
Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath
When they arrived, they
day’s journey away.
a 4
went to the upper room where they were staying:

eating together

b 5

c 12 A Sabbath day’s journey

14

Peter  and  John,  James  and  Andrew,  Philip  and
Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son
of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of
With  one  accord  they  all  continued  in
James.
prayer,  along  with  the  women  and  Mary  the
15
mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

16

In those days Peter stood up among the broth-
ers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty)
“Brothers, the Scripture had to be ful-
and said,
filled  that  the  Holy  Spirit  foretold  through  the
mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a
He was one
guide for those who arrested Jesus.
18
of our number and shared in this ministry.”

17

19

(Now  with  the  reward  for  his  wickedness
Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and
burst  open  in  the  middle,  and  all  his  intestines
This  became  known  to  all  who
spilled  out.
lived  in  Jerusalem,  so  they  called  that  field  in
their  own  language  Akeldama,  that  is,  Field  of
20
Blood.)

“For it is written in the book of Psalms:

 d

‘May his place be deserted;

let there be no one to dwell in it,’

and,
21

‘May another take his position.’

 e

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the
men  who  have  accompanied  us  the  whole  time
be-
the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
ginning from John’s baptism until the day Jesus
was taken up from us. For one of these must be-
23
come a witness with us of His resurrection.”

22

25

So they proposed two men: Joseph called Bars-
24
abbas  (also  known  as  Justus)  and  Matthias.
And they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s
heart. Show us which of these two You have cho-
to  take  up  this  ministry  and  apostleship,
sen
which  Judas  abandoned  to  go  to  his  rightful
26
place.”

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias.

For John baptized in water, but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit
So he was added to the eleven apostles.

d 20

Or

e 20
Acts 11:16
69:25

Psalm 109:8

Or

; cited in

 is 2,000 cubits (approximately 3,000 feet or 914.4 meters)

Psalm

The Holy Spirit at Pentecost
(Genesis 11:1–9 ;  Leviticus 23:15–22)

 a

2

2
When the day of Pentecost
all together in one place.
3

 came, they were
Suddenly a sound
like  a  mighty  rushing  wind  came  from  heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sit-
They  saw  tongues  like  flames  of  fire  that
ting.
4
separated  and  came  to  rest  on  each  of  them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit en-
5
abled them.

 b

Now  there  were  dwelling

  in  Jerusalem  God-
6
fearing  Jews  from  every  nation  under  heaven.
And when this sound rang out, a crowd came to-
gether in bewilderment, because each one heard
7
them speaking his own language.

8

c

9

10

Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all
How  is  it
these  who  are  speaking  Galileans?
then that each of us hears them in his own native
language?
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; resi-
dents  of  Mesopotamia,  Judea  and  Cappadocia,
Phrygia  and  Pamphylia,
Pontus  and  Asia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors
both  Jews  and  converts  to  Juda-
from  Rome,
ism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring
12
the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

11

Astounded and perplexed, they asked one an-

13
other, “What does this mean?”

But  others  mocked  them  and  said,  “They  are

Peter Addresses the Crowd
drunk on new wine!”
(Psalm 16:1–11 ;  Joel 2:28–32)

14

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up
his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Ju-
dea  and  all  who  dwell  in  Jerusalem,  let  this  be
15
known to you, and listen carefully to my words.
These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is
No, this is what

only the third hour of the day!
17
was spoken by the prophet Joel:

16

 d

‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out My Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.

a 1

the Feast of Weeks

Acts 2:31    |    977

18

Even on My menservants and maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

19

I will show wonders in the heavens above

20

and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness,

and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and
glorious Day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name

 e
of the Lord

will be saved.’

21

22

23

Men of Israel,  listen to this message: Jesus  of
Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by
miracles,  wonders,  and  signs,  which  God  did
among  you  through  Him,  as  you  yourselves
He was delivered up by God’s set plan
know.
and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the
lawless,  put  Him  to  death  by  nailing  Him
But God raised Him from the dead,
to the cross.
releasing Him from the agony of death, because
it  was  impossible  for  death  to  keep  Him  in  its
25
grip.

24

 f

David says about Him:

‘I saw

 the Lord always before me;

26

because He is at my right hand, I will not

be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue

27

rejoices;

my body also will dwell in hope,
because You will not abandon my soul

28

to Hades,

nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the paths

of life;

 g

You will fill me with joy in Your

presence.’

29

30

Brothers,  I  can  tell  you  with  confidence  that
the patriarch David died and was buried, and his
tomb  is  with  us  to  this  day.
But  he  was  a
prophet and knew that God had promised him on
h
oath that He would place one of his descendants
Foreseeing  this,  David  spoke
on  his  throne.
about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was
not  abandoned  to  Hades,  nor  did  His  body  see

the Feast of Harvest

31

c 9

That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as

 (see Exodus

I foresaw

23:16) or
f 25
of Asia, located in what is now western Turkey
out of the fruit of his loins on his throne
; see verse 31.
Christ to sit on his throne

 (see Exodus 34:22).

Literally

Or
That is, nine in the morning

That is, the Roman Province
on oath that He would place
Joel 2:28–32 (see also LXX)
on oath out of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up
Literally

Psalm 16:8–11 (see also LXX)

h 30

g 28

e 21
; similarly in verse 14

staying

b 5
d 15

; BYZ and TR

; Psalm 132:11

978    |    Acts 2:32

32

A Lame Man Walks

decay.
33
which we are all witnesses.

God  has  raised  this  Jesus  to  life,  to

34

Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has
received  from  the  Father  the  promised  Holy
Spirit and has poured out what you now see and
For David did not ascend into heaven, but
hear.
he himself says:

35

36

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet.”

 a

’

Therefore  let  all  Israel  know  with  certainty
that  God  has  made  this  Jesus,  whom  you  cruci-
Three Thousand Believe
fied, both Lord and Christ!”
37

When the people heard this, they were cut to
the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles,
38
“Brothers, what shall we do?”

39

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the for-
giveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift
This promise belongs to you
of the Holy Spirit.
and your children and to all who are far off—to
40
all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

41

With  many  other  words  he  testified,  and  he
urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt genera-
Those who embraced his message were
tion.”
b
baptized, and about three thousand were added
The Fellowship of Believers
to the believers that day.
(Acts 4:32–37)

42

They  devoted  themselves  to  the  apostles’
43
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of
  came
bread  and  to  prayer.
over everyone, and the apostles performed many
44
wonders and signs.
45

A  sense  of  awe

 c

All the believers were together and had every-
Selling their possessions and
thing in common.
46
goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

 d

47

With one accord they continued to meet daily
in  the  temple  courts
  and  to  break  bread  from
house  to  house,  sharing  their  meals  with  glad-
praising  God  and
ness  and  sincerity  of  heart,
enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were be-
a 35
ing saved.
e 1
of Nazareth, walk!

Psalm 110:1

Literally

h 11

b 41

3

2

One afternoon Peter and John were going up
e
to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth
And a man who was lame from birth was
hour.
being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,
f
3
where  he  was  put  every  day  to  beg  from  those
When he saw Peter
entering the temple courts.
and  John  about  to  enter,  he  asked  them  for
4
money.

5

6

Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look
at us!” said Peter.
So the man gave them his at-
tention,  expecting  to  receive  something  from
them.
But  Peter  said,  “Silver  or  gold  I  do  not
have, but what I have I give you: In the name of
7
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!

”

 g

8

Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him
up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were
made strong.
He sprang to his feet and began to
walk.  Then  he  went  with  them  into  the  temple
9
courts, walking and leaping and praising God.

10

When all the people saw him walking and prais-
they recognized him as the man who
ing God,
used  to  sit  begging  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the
temple,  and  they  were  filled  with  wonder  and
Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Colonnade
amazement at what had happened to him.
(Deuteronomy 18:15–22)

11

h

12

While the man clung to Peter and John, all the
people  were  astonished  and  ran  to  them  in  the
walkway  called  Solomon’s  Colonnade.
And
when  Peter  saw  this,  he  addressed  the  people:
“Men  of  Israel,  why  are  you  surprised  by  this?
Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or
13
godliness we had made this man walk?

 i

14

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God
of  our  fathers,  has  glorified  His  servant
  Jesus.
You  handed  Him  over  and  rejected  Him  before
Pilate,  even  though  he  had  decided  to  release
You rejected the Holy and Righteous One
Him.
15
and  asked  that  a  murderer  be  released  to  you.
You  killed  the  Author  of  life,  but  God  raised
Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this
16
fact.

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom
you  see  and  know  has  been  made  strong.  It  is
Jesus’  name  and  the  faith  that  comes  through
Him that has given him this complete healing in
fear
your presence.

the temple
In the name of Jesus Christ

d 46

c 43

i 13

His child

Or

Literally

about three thousand souls were added that day
g 6

f 2
in the colonnade called Solomon’s

the temple

That is, three in the afternoon
Literally

Literally

; also in verse 8

SBL, NE, and WH

Or

; also in verse 26

17

10

Acts 4:25    |    979

18

And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ig-
But  in  this  way
norance,  as  did  your  leaders.
God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the
19
prophets,  saying  that  His  Christ  would  suffer.
Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins
that  times  of  refreshing
may  be  wiped  away,
may  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and
that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been
21
appointed for you.

20

Heaven must take Him in until the time comes
for  the  restoration  of  all  things,  which  God  an-
22
nounced  long  ago  through  His  holy  prophets.
For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise
up  for  you  a prophet  like me  from  among  your
brothers.  You  must  listen  to  Him  in  everything
Everyone who does not listen to
He tells you.
Him  will  be  completely  cut  off  from  among  his
24
people.

23

’

a

b

25

Indeed,  all  the  prophets  from  Samuel  on,  as
many  as  have  spoken,  have  proclaimed  these
And you are sons of the prophets and of
days.
the covenant God made with your fathers when
 c
He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all
26
the  families  of  the  earth  will  be  blessed.’

When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him
first to you to bless you by turning each of you
Peter and John before the Sanhedrin
from your wicked ways.”

4

3

2

While Peter and John were speaking to the
people,  the  priests  and  the  captain  of  the
temple  guard  and  the  Sadducees  came  up  to
greatly disturbed that they were teaching
them,
the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrec-
They  seized  Peter  and  John,
tion  of  the  dead.
4
and because it was evening, they put them in cus-
tody until the next day.
But many who heard the
message believed, and the number of men grew
5
to about five thousand.

6
The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes as-
along  with  Annas  the
sembled  in  Jerusalem,
7
high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many
They  had
others  from  the  high  priest’s  family.
Peter and John brought in and began to question
them: “By what power or what name did you do
8
this?”

9

Then  Peter,  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  said  to
If we are
them, “Rulers and elders of the people!
being examined today about a kind service to a
b 23
a 22
man  who  was  lame,  to  determine  how  he  was
child
e 15

the Council

f 25

then let this be known to all of you and
healed,
to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Je-
sus  Christ  of Nazareth,  whom  you  crucified  but
whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  that  this  man
stands before you healed.

11

This Jesus is
 d

12

‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to men by which
The Name Forbidden
we must be saved.”
13

14

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John
and  realized  that  they  were  unschooled,  ordi-
nary  men,  they  marveled  and  took  note  that
these men had been with Jesus.
And seeing the
15
man  who  had  been  healed  standing  there  with
 e
them, they had nothing to say in response.
So
they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin
 and
16
then conferred together.

17

“What  shall  we  do  with  these  men?”  they
asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem
that a remarkable miracle has occurred through
them, and we cannot deny it.
But to keep this
message from spreading any further among the
people, we must warn them not to speak to any-
18
one in this name.”

19

Then  they  called  them  in  again  and  com-
manded them not to speak or teach at all in the
name  of  Jesus.
But  Peter  and  John  replied,
“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s
sight to listen to you rather than God.
For we
cannot stop speaking about what we have seen
21
and heard.”

20

22

After  further  threats  they  let  them  go.  They
could not find a way to punish them, because all
the people were glorifying God for what had hap-
For  the  man  who  was  miraculously
pened.
The Believers’ Prayer  (Psalm 2:1–12)
healed was over forty years old.
23

On  their  release,  Peter  and  John  returned  to
their  own  people  and  reported  everything  that
24
the  chief  priests  and  elders  had  said  to  them.
When  the  believers  heard  this,  they  lifted  up
their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign
Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the
You
earth and the sea and everything in them.
spoke  by  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  mouth  of
c 25
 our father David:
Your servant,

d 11

25

f

Deuteronomy 18:15
Or
Or

See Deuteronomy 18:19.
; also in verses 27 and 30

Genesis 22:18

Psalm 118:22

980    |    Acts 4:26

26

‘Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
 a

against the Lord

27

and against His Anointed One.’

28

29

In fact, this is the very city where Herod and
Pontius  Pilate  conspired  with  the  Gentiles  and
the people of Israel against Your holy servant Je-
They  carried  out
sus,  whom  You  anointed.
what Your hand and will had decided beforehand
And now, Lord, consider their
would happen.
30
threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your
as You stretch
word with complete boldness,
out  Your  hand  to  heal  and  perform  signs  and
wonders through the name of Your holy servant
31
Jesus.”

After they had prayed, their meeting place was
shaken,  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy
Sharing among Believers  (Acts 2:42–47)
Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
32

33

The  multitude  of  believers  was  one  in  heart
and soul. No one claimed that any of his posses-
sions  was  his  own,  but  they  shared  everything
With  great  power  the  apostles
they  owned.
continued to give their testimony about the res-
urrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace
34
was upon them all.

35

There  were  no  needy  ones  among  them,
because those who owned lands or houses would
sell their property, bring the proceeds from the
and lay them at the apostles’ feet for dis-
sales,
36
tribution to anyone as he had need.

37

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apos-
tles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encourage-
sold  a  field  he  owned,  brought  the
ment),
Ananias and Sapphira
money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

5

2

Now  a  man  named  Ananias,  together  with
his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of prop-
erty.
With  his  wife’s  full  knowledge,  he  kept
back  some  of  the  proceeds  for  himself,  but
3
brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan
has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and
4
withhold  some  of  the  proceeds  from  the  land?
Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And
a 26
after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How

His Messiah

His Christ

b 20

could  you  conceive  such  a  deed  in  your  heart?
5
You have not lied to men, but to God!”

On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and
6
died.  And  great  fear  came  over  all  who  heard
Then  the  young  men
what  had  happened.
stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and car-
7
ried him out and buried him.

8

About  three  hours  later  his  wife  also  came  in,
“Tell me,” said
unaware of what had happened.
Peter, “is this the price you and your husband got
for the land?”
9
“Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.”

“How  could  you  agree  to  test  the  Spirit  of  the
Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men
who  buried  your  husband  are  at  the  door,  and
10
they will carry you out also.”

11

At  that  instant  she  fell  down  at  his  feet  and
died. Then the young men came in and, finding
her dead, carried her out and buried her beside
And  great  fear  came  over  the
her  husband.
whole  church  and  all  who  heard  about  these
The Apostles Heal Many
events.
12

13

The apostles performed many signs and won-
ders among the people, and with one accord the
believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colon-
Although  the  people  regarded  them
nade.
highly,  no  one  else  dared  to  join  them.
Yet
more  and  more  believers  were  brought  to  the
15
Lord—large numbers of both men and women.

14

16

As  a  result,  people  brought  the  sick  into  the
streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at
least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them
Crowds  also  gathered  from
as  he  passed  by.
the  towns  around  Jerusalem,  bringing  the  sick
and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all
The Apostles Arrested and Freed
of them were healed.
17

18

19

Then the high priest and all his associates, who
belonged  to  the  party  of  the  Sadducees,  were
filled  with  jealousy.  They  went  out
and  ar-
rested  the  apostles  and  put  them  in  the  public
But during the night an angel of the Lord
jail.
 b
opened  the  doors  of  the  jail  and  brought  them
out,  saying,
and tell the people the full message of this new
the temple
life.”

“Go,  stand  in  the  temple  courts

20

Or

 or

; Psalm 2:1–2

Literally

; also in verses 21, 25, and 42

21

At  daybreak  the  apostles  entered  the  temple
courts as they had been told and began to teach
the people.

 a

When the high priest and his associates arrived,
—the full assem-
they convened the Sanhedrin
22
bly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for
But on arriving at the jail, the of-
the apostles.
ficers did not find them there. So they returned
with  the  report:
“We  found  the  jail  securely
locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but
The Apostles before the Sanhedrin
when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
24

23

b

25

When the captain of the temple guard and the
chief priests heard this account, they were per-
Then some-
plexed as to what was happening.
one came in and announced, “Look, the men you
put  in  jail  are  standing  in  the  temple  courts
26
teaching the people!”

27

28

At that point, the captain went with the offic-
ers and brought the apostles—but not by force,
They
for  fear  the  people  would  stone  them.
brought them in and made them stand before the
Sanhedrin,  where  the  high  priest  interrogated
“We gave you strict orders not to teach
them.
in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusa-
lem  with  your  teaching  and  are  determined  to
29
make us responsible for this man’s blood.”

30

31

But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We
The  God  of
must  obey  God  rather  than  men.
our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed
by hanging Him on a tree.
God exalted Him to
His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to
grant  repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins  to  Is-
We are witnesses of these things, and so
rael.
is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those
Gamaliel’s Advice
who obey Him.”
33

32

 c

34

When  the  Council  members  heard  this,  they
  to  put  the
were  enraged,  and  they  resolved
But a Pharisee named Gama-
apostles to death.
liel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all
the  people,  stood  up  in  the  Sanhedrin  and  or-
dered  that  the  men  be  put  outside  for  a  short
35
time.

36

Acts 6:7    |    981

37

somebody,  and  about  four  hundred men  joined
him.  He  was  killed,  all  his  followers  were  dis-
After  him,
persed,  and  it  all  came  to  nothing.
Judas  the  Galilean  appeared  in  the  days  of  the
census and drew away people after him. He too
38
perished, and all his followers were scattered.

So in the present case I advise you: Leave these
men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or
But if
endeavor is of human origin, it will fail.
it is from God, you will not be able to stop them.
You  may  even  find  yourselves  fighting  against
40
God.”

39

At  this,  they  yielded  to  Gamaliel.  They  called
the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they
ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus,
41
and released them.

42

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that
they  had  been  counted  worthy  of  suffering  dis-
grace  for  the  Name.
Every  day,  in  the  temple
courts and from house to house, they did not stop
teaching and proclaiming the good news that Je-
The Choosing of the Seven  (1 Timothy 3:8–13)
sus is the Christ.

6

In  those  days  when  the  disciples  were  in-
creasing in number, the Grecian Jews among
 d
them  began  to  grumble  against  the  Hebraic
  because  their  widows  were  being  over-
Jews
2
looked in the daily distribution of food.

3

So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and
said,  “It  is  unacceptable  for  us  to  neglect  the
word of God in order to wait on tables.
There-
fore, brothers, select from among you seven men
4
confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We
and will
will assign this responsibility to them
devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of
5
the word.”

e

This  proposal  pleased  the  whole  group.  They
chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy
Spirit,  as  well  as  Philip,  Prochorus,  Nicanor,  Ti-
mon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a con-
They presented these seven to
vert to Judaism.
 who prayed and laid their hands on
the apostles,
7
them.

6

f

So  the  word  of  God  continued  to  spread.  The
number  of  disciples  in  Jerusalem  grew  rapidly,
and a great number of priests became obedient
c 33
as to what this might be
to the faith.
d 1

the Hellenists began to grumble against the He-
ECM, BYZ, TR, and Tischen-

hom they set before the apostles,

“Men  of  Israel,”  he  said,  “consider  carefully
Some
what you are about to do to these men.
b 24
a 21
time  ago  Theudas  rose  up,  claiming  to  be
they wanted
Literally
  f 6

the Council
they took counsel
e 5

; also in verses 27, 34, and 41

and Nicolas, a convert of Antioch
; NA, SBL, NE, and WH

Or
brews
dorf; or

Literally

Literally

Literally —w

982    |    Acts 6:8

The Arrest of Stephen

8

9

Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power,
was performing great wonders and signs among
But resistance arose from what was
the people.
called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including
Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the prov-
inces  of
  They  disputed  with
but  they  could  not  stand  up  to  his
Stephen,
11
wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

10
  Cilicia  and  Asia.

a

Then  they  prompted  some  men  to  say,  “We
heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against
12
Moses and against God.”

b

13

So  they  stirred  up  the  people,  elders,  and
scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him
and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
where
they  presented  false  witnesses  who  said,  “This
man never stops speaking against this holy place
and against the law.
For we have heard him say
that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and
change the customs that Moses handed down to
15
us.”

14

All who  were  sitting  in  the  Sanhedrin looked
intently  at  Stephen,  and  they  saw  that  his  face
Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham
was like the face of an angel.
(Genesis 12:1–9)

7

2

Then  the  high  priest  asked  Stephen,  “Are
these charges true?”

3

And  Stephen  declared:  “Brothers  and  fathers,
listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our fa-
ther Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,
and  told  him,  ‘Leave
before  he  lived  in  Haran,
your country and your kindred and go to the land
So  Abraham  left  the  land  of
I  will  show  you.’
the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his fa-
ther died, God brought him out of that place and
5
into this land where you are now living.

4

 c

6

He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot
of ground. But God promised to give possession
of  the  land  to  Abraham  and  his  descendants,
even though he did not yet have a child.
God told
him that his descendants would be foreigners in
7
a strange land, and that they would be enslaved
and mistreated four hundred years.
‘But I will
punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said,
‘and afterward they will come forth and worship
a 9
Me in this place.’
b 12
Literally
made known to
tus in God’s eyes

Joseph was recognized by
; also in verse 15
he was no ordinary child

and those from Cilicia and Asia

Genesis 12:1

the Council

      c 3

Or

 d

d 7

8

Then  God  gave  Abraham  the  covenant  of  cir-
cumcision,  and  Abraham  became  the  father  of
Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And
Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the
Joseph Sold into Egypt  (Genesis 37:12–30)
twelve patriarchs.
9

10

Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,
they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was
and  rescued  him  from  all  his  trou-
with  him
bles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the
sight  of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  who  appointed
11
him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

12

Then famine and great suffering swept across
Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find
food.
When Jacob heard that there was grain in
13
Egypt,  he  sent  our  fathers  on  their  first  visit.
 e
On their second visit, Joseph revealed his iden-
tity  to
  his  brothers,  and  his  family  became
Then Joseph sent for his fa-
known to Pharaoh.
Israel Oppressed in Egypt  (Exodus 1:8–22)
ther Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.
15

14

16

  f

So  Jacob  went  down  to  Egypt,  where  he  and
our  fathers  died.
Their  bones  were  carried
back
  to  Shechem  and  placed  in  the  tomb  that
Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at
17
Shechem for a price he paid in silver.

18

As  the  time  drew  near  for  God  to  fulfill  His
promise  to  Abraham,  our  people  in  Egypt  in-
Then another king,
creased greatly in number.
19
who knew nothing  of Joseph,  arose  over  Egypt.
He exploited our people and oppressed our fa-
thers,  forcing  them  to  abandon  their  infants  so
The Birth and Adoption of Moses
they would die.
(Exodus 2:1–10 ;  Hebrews 11:23–29)

20

g

21

At that time Moses was born, and he was beau-
tiful in the sight of God.
 For three months he was
When  he  was
nurtured  in  his  father’s  house.
set  outside,  Pharaoh’s  daughter  took  him  and
So Moses was
brought him up as her own son.
educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and
The Rejection and Flight of Moses
was powerful in speech and action.
(Exodus 2:11–22)

22

23

24

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to
And

visit  his  brothers,  the  children  of  Israel.
Joseph was
he was of great sta-

e 13

; the Roman Province of Asia was located in what is now western Turkey.

And they were carried back

g 20

f 16

Genesis 15:13–14; Exodus 3:12

Or

 or
 or

Literally

Or

when he saw one of them being mistreated, Mo-
ses went to his defense and avenged him by strik-
25
ing down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.
He  assumed  his  brothers  would  understand
that God was using him to deliver them, but they
26
did not.

The next day he came upon two Israelites who
were  fighting,  and  he  tried  to  reconcile  them,
saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mis-
27
treating each other?’

But  the  man  who  was  abusing  his  neighbor
28
pushed  Moses  aside  and  said,  ‘Who  made  you
 a
Do you want to kill me
ruler and judge over us?
At this
as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’
remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where
The Call of Moses
he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.
(Exodus 3:1–22)

29

30

31

After  forty  years  had  passed,  an  angel  ap-
peared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush
in  the  desert  near  Mount  Sinai.
When  Moses
saw  it,  he  marveled  at  the  sight.  As  he  ap-
proached  to  look  more  closely,  the  voice  of  the
 b
‘I  am  the  God  of  your  fa-
Lord  came  to  him:
thers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.’
Moses  trembled  with  fear  and  did  not  dare  to
33
look.

32

34

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your san-
dals, for the place where you are standing is holy
I have indeed seen the oppression of
ground.
My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning
 c
and have come down to deliver them. Now come,
35
I will send you back to Egypt.’

 d

36

This Moses, whom they had rejected with the
 is the
words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’
 e
one  whom  God  sent  to  be  their  ruler  and  re-
 who appeared to him
deemer through the angel
in  the  bush.
He  led  them  out  and  performed
wonders  and  signs  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  at  the
37
Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

 f

This is the same Moses who told the Israelites,
38
‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
He was in the assembly
among your brothers.’
in  the  wilderness  with  the  angel  who  spoke  to
him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he
a 28
received living words to pass on to us.

g

b 32
g 38

c 34
to you

f 37

Acts 7:50    |    983

The Rebellion of Israel  (Exodus 32:1–35 ;
Deuteronomy 9:7–29 ;  Amos 5:16–27)

39

40

But our fathers refused  to obey him. Instead,
they rejected him and in their hearts turned back
They  said  to  Aaron,  ‘Make  us  gods
to  Egypt.
who will go before us! As for this Moses who led
us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what
41
has happened to him.’

 h

42

At  that  time  they  made  a  calf  and  offered
a  sacrifice  to  the  idol,  rejoicing  in  the  works  of
But God turned away from them
their hands.
and  gave  them  over  to  the  worship  of  the  host
of  heaven,  as  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  the
prophets:

‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and

offerings

43

forty years in the wilderness,

O house of Israel?

You have taken along the tabernacle

of Molech

and the star of your god Rephan,
the idols you made to worship.
 i
Therefore I will send you into exile

The Tabernacle of the Testimony
(Exodus 40:1–33 ;  Hebrews 9:1–10)

beyond Babylon.’

44

45

Our  fathers  had  the  tabernacle  of  the  Testi-
mony  with  them  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  con-
structed  exactly  as  God  had  directed  Moses,
according to the pattern he had seen.
And our
fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua
when  they  dispossessed  the  nations  God  drove
out before them. It remained until the time of Da-
who  found  favor  in  the  sight  of  God  and
vid,
47
asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of
Jacob.
But it was Solomon who built the house
48
for Him.

46

j

However,  the  Most  High  does  not  dwell  in
houses  made  by  human  hands.  As  the  prophet
49
says:

‘Heaven is My throne

and the earth is My footstool.

50

says the Lord,

What kind of house will you build for Me,
 k
or where will My place of repose be?
Has not My hand made all these things?’
h 40

Angel

d 35

e 35

i 43
Exodus 2:14

j 46
verse 38
k 50

Exodus 2:13–14 (see also LXX)
Deuteronomy 18:15

Exodus 3:6
NE and WH

Exodus 3:5–10

; also in
Or
a dwelling place for the house of Jacob.
Exodus 32:1
Amos 5:25–27 (see also LXX)

SBL, WH, BYZ, and TR; see also LXX for Psalm 132:5; ECM and NE
Isaiah 66:1–2

984    |    Acts 7:51

51

52

You  stiff-necked  people  with  uncircumcised
hearts  and  ears!  You  always  resist  the  Holy
Which  of  the
Spirit,  just  as  your  fathers  did.
prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They
even killed those who foretold the coming of the
Righteous  One.  And  now  you  are  His  betrayers
you who received the law or-
and murderers—
The Stoning of Stephen
dained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
54

53

a

55

On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin
were enraged,
 and they gnashed their teeth at
him.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked
intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and
“Look,”
Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man
57
standing at the right hand of God.”

56

58

At this they covered their ears, cried out in a
loud voice, and rushed together at him.
They
dragged  him out  of  the  city  and  began to  stone
him.  Meanwhile  the  witnesses  laid  their  gar-
59
ments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

60

While  they  were  stoning  him,  Stephen  ap-
Falling
pealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord,
do not hold this sin against them.” And when he
Saul Persecutes the Church
had said this, he fell asleep.

8

And Saul was there, giving approval to Ste-
phen’s death.

3

2

On that day a great persecution broke out against
the  church  in  Jerusalem,  and  all  except  the
apostles  were  scattered  throughout  Judea  and
God-fearing men buried Stephen and
Samaria.
But Saul began to de-
mourned deeply over him.
stroy the church. Going from house to house, he
dragged  off  men  and  women  and  put  them  in
Philip in Samaria
prison.
4

5

7

6

Those  who  had  been  scattered  preached  the
Philip went down to
word wherever they went.
a  city  in  Samaria  and  proclaimed  the  Christ  to
The  crowds  all  paid  close  attention  to
them.
Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him
With  loud  shrieks,  unclean  spirits
perform.
came  out  of  many  who  were  possessed,  and
So
many of the paralyzed and lame were healed.
there was great joy in that city.
a 54

8

On hearing these things, they were cut in their hearts,

Literally

Simon the Sorcerer
(Deuteronomy 18:9–14)

9

10

Prior  to  that  time,  a  man  named  Simon  had
practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the
people  of  Samaria.  He  claimed  to  be  someone
and all the people, from the least to the
great,
greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is
11
the  divine  power  called  the  Great  Power.”
They  paid  close  attention  to  him  because  he
had astounded them for a long time with his sor-
12
cery.

13

But when they believed Philip as he preached
the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name
of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and
women.
Even Simon himself believed and was
baptized.  He  followed  Philip  closely  and  was
astounded by the great signs and miracles he ob-
14
served.

16

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Sa-
15
maria  had  received  the  word  of  God,  they  sent
On their arrival, they
Peter and John to them.
prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
For
the  Holy  Spirit  had  not  yet  fallen  upon  any  of
them;  they  had  simply  been  baptized  into  the
Then  Peter  and  John
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.
laid their hands on them, and they received the
18
Holy Spirit.

17

When  Simon  saw  that  the  Spirit  was  given
19
through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he
“Give  me  this  power  as
offered  them  money.
well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay
20
my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

22

21

But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with
you, because you thought you could buy the gift
You have no part or share
of God with money!
in our ministry, because your heart is not right
Repent, therefore, of your wicked-
before God.
ness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will for-
For I see
give you for the intent of your heart.
that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive
24
to iniquity.”

23

Then  Simon  answered,  “Pray  to  the  Lord  for
me, so that nothing you have said may happen to
25
me.”

And  after  Peter  and  John  had  testified  and
spoken  the  word  of  the  Lord,  they  returned  to
Jerusalem,  preaching  the  gospel  in  many  of  the
Samaritan villages.

Philip and the Ethiopian  (Isaiah 53:1–8)

26

a

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up
27
and go south to the desert road that goes down
from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
So he started out, and
on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court
official  in  charge  of  the  entire  treasury  of  Can-
28
  queen  of  the  Ethiopians.  He  had  gone  to
dace,
and  on  his  return  was
Jerusalem  to  worship,
29
sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that char-

30
iot and stay by it.”

So  Philip  ran  up  and  heard  the  man  reading
Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you
31
are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides
me?”  And  he  invited  Philip  to  come  up  and  sit
32
with him.

The  eunuch  was  reading  this  passage  of

Scripture:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

33

and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so He did not open His mouth.

In His humiliation He was deprived of justice.
 b

34

Who can recount His descendants?
For His life was removed from the earth.”

“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet

35
talking about, himself or someone else?”

Then Philip began with this very Scripture and

36
told him the good news about Jesus.

 c

38

As  they  traveled  along  the  road  and  came  to
some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is wa-
ter! What is there to prevent me from being bap-
tized?”
And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into
39
the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit
of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch
40
saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
But  Philip  appeared  at  Azotus  and  traveled
through that region, preaching the gospel in all
The Road to Damascus (Acts 22:1–21 , 26:1–23)
the towns until he came to Caesarea.

9

Acts 9:19    |    985

so that if he found any men or women belonging
to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to
3
Jerusalem.

4

As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey,
suddenly  a  light  from  heaven  flashed  around
him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say
5
to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”

“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked.

d

6

“I  am  Jesus,  whom  you  are  persecuting,”  He
replied.
“Now get up and go into the city, and
7
you will be told what you must do.”

8

The  men  traveling  with  Saul  stood  there
speechless. They heard the voice but did not see
anyone.
Saul got up from the ground, but when
9
he opened his eyes he could not see a thing.
 So
For
they  led  him  by  the  hand  into  Damascus.
three days he was without sight, and he did not
Ananias Baptizes Saul
eat or drink anything.
10

e

In  Damascus  there  was  a  disciple  named
Ananias.  The  Lord  spoke  to  him  in  a  vision,
“Ananias!”
11
“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of
Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from
Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
In a vi-
sion he has seen a man named Ananias come and
13
place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

12

But  Ananias  answered,  “Lord,  many  people
have told me about this man and all the harm he
has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
And now
he is here with authority from the chief priests to
15
arrest all who call on Your name.”

14

“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen in-
strument  to carry  My  name  before  the  Gentiles
16
and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
I will show him how much he must suffer for

17
My name.”

So Ananias went to the house, and when he ar-
rived,  he  placed  his  hands  on  Saul.  “Brother
Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to
you  on  the  road  as  you  were  coming  here,  has
sent me so that you may see again and be filled
18
with the Holy Spirit.”

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out mur-
derous  threats  against  the  disciples  of  the
and  re-
Lord.  He  approached  the  high  priest
b 33
a 27
quested letters to the synagogues in Damascus,
your heart, you may be baptized.” The eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
he could see no one

At that instant, something like scales fell from
Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up
37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all
and was baptized,
and after taking some food,
TR includes
he could see nothing

Isaiah 53:7–8 (see also LXX)

Kandakē

Greek

c 36

d 5

e 8

“It

19

2

Literally

 or

TR includes

986    |    Acts 9:20

he  regained  his  strength.  And  he  spent  several
Saul Preaches at Damascus
days with the disciples in Damascus.
20

Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the

21
synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”

All who

 heard him were astounded and asked,
“Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusa-
lem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t
he  come  here  to  take  them  as  prisoners  to  the
22
chief priests?”

But Saul was empowered all the more, and he
confounded the Jews living in Damascus by prov-
The Escape from Damascus
ing that Jesus is the Christ.
23

24

25

After  many  days  had  passed,  the  Jews  con-
spired to kill him,
but Saul learned of their plot.
Day  and  night  they  watched  the  city  gates  in
order to kill him.
One night, however, his disci-
ples  took  him  and  lowered  him  in  a  basket
Saul in Jerusalem
through a window in the wall.
26

a

27

When  Saul  arrived  in  Jerusalem,  he  tried  to
join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him,
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Bar-
nabas brought him to the apostles and described
how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to
him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had
28
spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

29
b

So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely
in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of
the Lord.
He talked and debated with the Gre-
cian Jews,
When the
 but they tried to kill him.
brothers learned of this, they took him down to
The Healing of Aeneas
Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31

30

Then  the  church  throughout  Judea,  Galilee,
and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew
in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the
32
Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

33

As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went
to visit the saints in Lydda.
There he found a
34
man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and
bedridden for eight years.
“Aeneas,” Peter said
to  him,  “Jesus  Christ  heals  you!  Get  up  and  put
35
away  your  mat.”  Immediately  Aeneas  got  up,
and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him

through the wall
a 25
and turned to the Lord.
gazelle

d 3

b 29

The Raising of Tabitha  (John 11:38–44)

36

c

In  Joppa  there  was  a  disciple  named  Tabitha
(which is translated as Dorcas),
 who was always
37
occupied  with  works  of  kindness  and  charity.
At  that  time,  however,  she  became  sick  and
died, and her body was washed and placed in an
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the
upper room.
disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two
39
men to urge him, “Come to us without delay.”

38

So Peter got up and went with them. On his ar-
rival,  they  took  him  to  the  upper  room.  All  the
widows stood around him, weeping and showing
him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had
40
made while she was still with them.

Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He
knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her
body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her
eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
Peter took
her  by  the  hand  and  helped  her  up.  Then  he
called the saints and widows and presented her
42
to them alive.

41

43

This became known all over Joppa, and many
And Peter stayed
people believed in the Lord.
for  several  days  in  Joppa  with  a  tanner  named
Cornelius Sends for Peter
Simon.

10

2

At Caesarea there was a man named Cor-
nelius, a centurion in what was called the
He and all his household were
Italian Regiment.
devout  and  God-fearing.  He  gave  generously  to
d
One day
the people and prayed to God regularly.
 he had a clear vision of
at about the ninth hour,
an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cor-
4
nelius!”

3

Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What

is it, Lord?”

5

The  angel  answered,  “Your  prayers  and  gifts  to
the  poor  have  ascended  as  a  memorial  offering
Now send men to Joppa to call for a
before God.
He  is
man  named  Simon  who  is  called  Peter.
staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by
7
the sea.

”

6

e

When  the  angel  who  spoke  to  him  had  gone,
Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout
soldier  from  among  his  attendants.
He  ex-
plained  what  had  happened  and  sent  them  to
Joppa.

c 36 Tabitha

Hellenists

Dorcas

8

e 6

He will tell you what you

Literally

need to do.
both mean

; see 2 Corinthians 11:33.

Or

 in Aramaic and

 in Greek

.

That is, about three in the afternoon; also in verse 30

TR includes

Peter’s Vision
(Leviticus 11:1–47 ;  Deuteronomy 14:1–21)

9

a

10

The  next  day  at  about  the  sixth  hour,

  as  the
men were approaching the city on their journey,
Peter went up on the roof to pray.
He became
hungry and wanted something to eat, but while
the  meal  was  being  prepared,  he  fell  into  a
11
trance.

12

He  saw  heaven  open  and  something  like  a
large  sheet  being  let  down  to  earth  by  its  four
corners.
It  contained  all  kinds  of  four-footed
animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds
of the air.
Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Pe-
14
ter, kill and eat!”

13

 b

“No,  Lord!”  Peter  answered.  “I  have  never

15
eaten anything impure

 or unclean.”

The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not
16
call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This happened three times, and all at once the

Peter Called to Caesarea
sheet was taken back up into heaven.
17

While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of
the  vision,  the  men  sent  by  Cornelius  found  Si-
mon’s  house  and  approached  the  gate.
They
called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying
19
there.

18

c

20

As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the
Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking
for you.
So get up! Go downstairs and accom-
pany  them  without  hesitation,  because  I  have
21
sent them.”

 d

So  Peter  went  down  to  the  men

  and  said,
“Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have
22
you come?”

“Cornelius  the  centurion  has  sent  us,”  they
said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with
a  good  reputation  among  the  whole  Jewish  na-
tion. A holy angel instructed him to request your
presence in his home so he could hear a message
23
from you.”

So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the
next  day  he  got  ready  and  went  with  them,  ac-
Peter Visits Cornelius
companied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
24

Acts 10:42    |    987

25
called  together  his  relatives  and  close  friends.
As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him
But  Peter
and  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship  him.
helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a
27
man myself.”

26

28

As Peter talked with him, he went inside and
found many people gathered together.
He said
to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew
to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God
has shown me that I should not call any man im-
pure or unclean.
So when I was invited, I came
without objection. I ask, then, why have you sent
30
for me?”

29

e

Cornelius  answered:  “Four  days  ago  I  was  in
my  house  praying  at  this,  the  ninth hour.
  Sud-
31
denly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
and  said,  ‘Cornelius,  your  prayer  has  been
heard,  and  your  gifts  to  the  poor  have  been
remembered  before  God.
Therefore  send  to
Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest
33
in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’

32

So  I  sent  for  you  immediately,  and  you  were
kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here
in the presence of God to listen to everything the
Good News for the Gentiles
Lord has instructed you to tell us.”
34

35

Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly under-
but
stand that God does not show favoritism,
36
welcomes those from every nation who fear Him
and do what is right.
He has sent this message
to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of
37
peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

38

You  yourselves  know  what  has  happened
throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the
baptism  that  John  proclaimed:
how  God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power, and how Jesus went around do-
ing good and healing all who were oppressed by
39
the devil, because God was with Him.

41

We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the
land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although
40
they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
God raised Him up on the third day and caused
not by all the people, but by
Him to be seen—
the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us
who ate and drank with Him after He rose from
And He commanded us to preach to
the dead.
the  people  and  to  testify  that  He  is  the  One

c 19
the men sent to him by Cornelius

two men

d 21

42

The  following  day  he  arrived  in  Caesarea,
a 9
where  Cornelius  was  expecting  them  and  had
are looking for you
e 30

That is, about noon

Literally

common

b 14

; SBL, BYZ, and Tischendorf

BYZ and TR

men are looking for you

; similarly in verses 15 and 28
TR

Four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour I was praying in my house.

ECM and TR; NE and WH

988    |    Acts 10:43

43

appointed  by  God  to  judge  the  living  and  the
All  the  prophets  testify  about  Him  that
dead.
everyone  who  believes  in  Him  receives  for-
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
giveness of sins through His name.”
(Acts 19:1–7)

44

While Peter was still speaking these words, the
45
Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message.
All the circumcised believers who had accom-
panied Peter were astounded that the gift of the
Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gen-
tiles.
For they heard them speaking in tongues
47
and exalting God.

46

Then Peter said,
“Can anyone withhold the wa-
48
ter to baptize these people? They have received
the Holy Spirit just as we have!”
So he ordered
that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Peter’s Report at Jerusalem
Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

11

2

The  apostles  and  brothers  throughout
Judea  soon  heard  that  the  Gentiles  also
 a
So  when  Peter

had  received  the  word  of  God.
went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers
took issue with him
4
circumcised men and ate with them.”

and said, “You visited un-

3

5

6

But  Peter  began  and  explained  to  them  the
whole sequence of events:
“I was in the city of
Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of
something like a large sheet being let down from
heaven  by  its  four  corners,  and  it  came  right
down to me.
I looked at it closely and saw four-
footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles,
and birds of the air.
Then I heard a voice saying
8
to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’

7

 b

‘No,  Lord,’  I  said,  ‘for  nothing  impure

9
clean has ever entered my mouth.’

  or  un-

But the voice spoke from heaven a second time,
‘Do not call anything impure that God has made
10
clean.’

This  happened  three  times,  and  everything

11
was drawn back up into heaven.

12

Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea
stopped at the house where I was staying.
The
Spirit told me to accompany them without hesi-
tation. These six brothers also went with me, and
we entered the man’s home.
He told us how he
had seen an angel standing in his house and say-
common
a 2
ing, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’

those of the circumcision

b 8

13

Literally

Literally

14

He will convey to you a message by which you

15
and all your household will be saved.’

16

As  I  began  to  speak,  the  Holy  Spirit fell  upon
them, just as He had fallen upon us at the begin-
Then I remembered the word of the Lord,
ning.
how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
So if God
gave them the same gift He gave us who believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the
18
work of God?”

17

 c

When they heard this, they had no further ob-
jections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then,
God  has  granted  even  the  Gentiles  repentance
The Church at Antioch
unto life.”

19

20

Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution
that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoe-
nicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message
But some of them, men from Cy-
only to Jews.
 d
prus  and  Cyrene,  went  to  Antioch  and  began
 as well, proclaiming the
speaking to the Greeks
The hand of
good news about the Lord Jesus.
the Lord was with them, and a great number of
22
people believed and turned to the Lord.

21

23

When  news  of  this  reached  the  ears  of  the
church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Anti-
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
och.
he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in
Barnabas was a
the Lord with all their hearts.
good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a
great  number  of  people  were  brought  to  the
25
Lord.
26

24

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he found him, he brought him back
to  Antioch.  So  for  a  full  year  they  met  together
with  the  church  and  taught  large  numbers  of
people. The disciples were first called Christians
27
at Antioch.

28

e

In those days some prophets came down from
One of them named Aga-
Jerusalem to Antioch.
bus  stood  up  and  predicted  through  the  Spirit
that  a  great  famine  would  sweep  across  the
29
  (This  happened  under Claudius.)
whole  world.
So the disciples, each according to his ability,
decided  to  send  relief  to  the  brothers  living  in
This they did, sending their gifts to the
Judea.
‘John baptized in water, but in a
elders with Barnabas and Saul.
e 28

the entire Roman world

c 16

30

d 20

the Hellenists
; similarly in verse 9

Or

Or

 Acts 1:5

Or

James Killed, Peter Imprisoned

15

Acts 13:3    |    989

12

 b

 a

About  that  time,  King  Herod
2
out to harm

  reached
 some who belonged to the
He had James, the brother of John, put

church.
3
to death with the sword.

c

4

And  seeing  that  this  pleased  the  Jews,  Herod
proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Un-
leavened Bread.
He arrested him and put him
in  prison,  handing  him  over  to  be  guarded  by
four  squads  of  four  soldiers  each.  Herod  in-
tended to bring him out to the people after the
The Rescue of Peter
Passover.
5

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was

6
fervently praying to God for him.

7

On the night before Herod was to bring him to
trial,  Peter  was  sleeping  between  two  soldiers,
bound  with  two  chains,  with  sentries  standing
guard at the entrance to the prison.
Suddenly an
angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in
the  cell.  He  tapped  Peter  on  the  side  and  woke
him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains
fell off his wrists.
“Get dressed and put on your
sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the an-
gel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and
9
follow me.”

8

10

So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware
that  what  the  angel  was  doing  was  real.  He
thought  he  was  only  seeing  a  vision.
They
passed the first and second guards and came to
the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for
them by itself. When they had gone outside and
walked  the  length  of  one  block,  the  angel  sud-
11
denly left him.

“You are out of your mind,” they told her. But
when  she  kept  insisting it  was  so,  they  said,  “It
16
must be his angel.”

17

But  Peter  kept  on  knocking,  and  when  they
opened  the  door  and  saw  him,  they  were
Peter  motioned  with his hand  for
astounded.
silence,  and  he  described  how  the  Lord  had
brought  him  out  of  the  prison.  “Send  word  to
James  and  to  the  brothers,”  he  said,  and  he  left
18
for another place.

19

At  daybreak  there  was  no  small  commotion
among the soldiers as to what had become of Pe-
After Herod had searched for him unsuc-
ter.
cessfully,  he  examined  the  guards  and  ordered
that they be executed. Then he went down from
The Death of Herod
Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.
20

 d

Now Herod was in a furious dispute

 with the
people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened be-
fore him. Having secured the support of Blastus,
the  king’s  chamberlain,  they  asked  for  peace,
because  their  region  depended  on  the  king’s
On the appointed day, Herod
country for food.
22
donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and ad-
And they began to shout,
dressed the people.
23
“This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

21

Immediately, because Herod did not give glory
to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and
24
he was eaten by worms and died.

But the word of God continued to spread and

25
multiply.

e

When  Barnabas  and  Saul  had  fulfilled  their
  bringing

mission  to  Jerusalem,  they  returned,
Paul’s First Missionary Journey Begins
with them John, also called Mark.
(Acts 15:36–41 ;  Acts 18:23–28)

Then  Peter  came  to  himself  and  said,  “Now  I
know  for  sure  that  the  Lord  has  sent  His
angel  and  rescued  me  from  Herod’s  grasp  and
from  everything  the  Jewish  people  were  antici-
12
pating.”

13

13

And when he had realized this, he went to the
house  of  Mary  the  mother  of  John,  also  called
Mark, where many people had gathered together
and  were  praying.
He  knocked  at  the  outer
14
gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to an-
swer it.
When she recognized Peter’s voice, she
was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate,
but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing
a 1
at the gate!”
the days of the Unleavened
returned to Jerusalem

That is, King Herod Agrippa

Literally

d 20

b 1

2

Now in the church at Antioch there were
prophets  and  teachers:  Barnabas,  Sim-
eon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who
had  been  brought  up  with  Herod  the  tetrarch),
While they were worshiping the Lord
and Saul.
and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
And  after  they  had  fasted  and
called  them.”
prayed,  they  laid  their  hands  on  them and  sent
them off.
put forth the hands to mistreat

c 3

3

seize Peter—now these were
had fulfilled their mission, they

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

had fulfilled their mission, they returned from Jerusalem
Or

Or

had become furious

e 25
Literally

; NE and TR

990    |    Acts 13:4

On Cyprus

4

So  Barnabas  and  Saul,  sent  forth  by  the  Holy
5
Spirit,  went  down  to  Seleucia  and  sailed
When  they  arrived  at
from  there  to  Cyprus.
Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the
Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as
6
their helper.

7

They  traveled  through  the  whole  island  as  far
as  Paphos,  where  they  found  a  Jewish  sorcerer
and  false  prophet  named  Bar-Jesus,
an  at-
tendant  of  the  proconsul,  Sergius  Paulus.  The
proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Bar-
nabas  and  Saul  because  he  wanted  to  hear  the
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that
word of God.
is what his name means) opposed them and tried
9
to turn the proconsul from the faith.

8

10

11

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with
the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas
and
said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all right-
eousness,  you  are  full  of  all  kinds  of  deceit  and
trickery!  Will  you  never  stop  perverting  the
Now look, the hand
straight ways of the Lord?
of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will
be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him,
and  he  groped  about,  seeking  someone  to  lead
12
him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw what had happened,
he believed, for he was astonished at the teach-
In Pisidian Antioch
ing about the Lord.
13

14

After  setting  sail  from  Paphos,  Paul  and  his
companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where
And
John  left  them  to  return  to  Jerusalem.
from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian An-
15
tioch, where they entered the synagogue on the
After the reading from
Sabbath and sat down.
the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders
sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word
16
of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

17

Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and be-
gan  to  speak:  “Men  of  Israel  and  you  Gentiles
The God of the peo-
who fear God, listen to me!
ple  of  Israel  chose  our  fathers.  He  made  them
into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and
18
with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.
He endured their conduct for about forty years
b 25
And  having  vanquished
d 34

a 22
in  the  wilderness.
day I have begotten You

19

See 1 Samuel 13:14.

20

seven  nations  in  Canaan,  He  gave  their  land  to
All  this  took
His  people  as  an  inheritance.
about 450 years.

21

After this, God gave them judges until the time of
Then the people asked for
Samuel the prophet.
a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from
22
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  who  ruled  forty  years.
After  removing  Saul,  He  raised  up  David  as
their king and testified about him: ‘I have found
David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he
23
will carry out My will in its entirety.’

 a

25

24

From  the  descendants  of  this  man,  God  has
brought  to  Israel  the  Savior  Jesus,  as  He  prom-
Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached
ised.
a  baptism  of  repentance  to  all  the  people  of  Is-
As  John  was  completing  his  course,  he
rael.
said,  ‘Who  do  you  suppose  I  am?  I  am  not  that
One.  But  there  is  One  coming  after  me  whose
26
sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

 b

Brothers,  children  of  Abraham,  and  you  Gen-
27
tiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of
The people of Jerusa-
salvation has been sent.
lem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet
in  condemning  Him  they  fulfilled  the  words  of
And
the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
though  they  found  no  ground  for  a  death  sen-
29
tence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.

28

30

31

When they had carried out all that was written
about  Him,  they  took  Him  down  from  the  tree
But  God  raised  Him
and  laid  Him  in  a  tomb.
and for many days He was seen
from the dead,
by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee
to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our
32
people.

33

And now we proclaim to you the good news:
What  God  promised  our  fathers
He  has  ful-
filled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As
it is written in the second Psalm:

 c

‘You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father.’

In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to

see decay. As He has said:

 d

‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings

promised to David.’

So also, He says in another Psalm:

 e

34

35

I will give you the holy, the trustworthy of David
Luke 3:16; see also Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7, and John 1:27.
Literally

e 35

Psalm 2:7; literally

; Isaiah 55:3

Psalm 16:10

‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’

c 33

to-

36

51

Acts 14:17    |    991

For when David had served God’s purpose in
his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was
buried with his fathers and saw decay.
But the
 from the dead did not see
One whom God raised
38
decay.

37

39

Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that
through  Jesus  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  pro-
claimed  to  you.
Through  Him  everyone  who
believes is justified from everything from which
40
you  could  not  be  justified  by  the  law  of  Moses.
Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the

41
prophets does not happen to you:

‘Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish!

For I am doing a work in your days
that you would never believe,
A Light for the Gentiles  (Isaiah 49:1–6)
even if someone told you.’

”

 a

42

43

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the syna-
gogue,  the  people  urged  them  to  continue  this
After the syna-
message on the next Sabbath.
gogue  was  dismissed,  many  of  the  Jews  and
devout  converts  to  Judaism  followed  Paul  and
Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to
44
continue in the grace of God.

45

On  the  following  Sabbath,  nearly  the  whole
city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
But
when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled
with  jealousy,  and  they  blasphemously  contra-
46
dicted what Paul was saying.

Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  answered  them
boldly:  “It  was  necessary  to  speak  the  word  of
God to you first. But since you reject it and do not
consider  yourselves  worthy  of  eternal  life,  we
now turn to the Gentiles.
For this is what the
Lord has commanded us:

47

‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
to bring salvation to the ends of the

 b

48

earth.’

”

district.
So they shook the dust off their feet in
And
protest against them and went to Iconium.
the  disciples  were  filled  with  joy  and  with  the
Paul and Barnabas at Iconium
Holy Spirit.

52

14

2

At  Iconium,  Paul  and  Barnabas  went  as
usual into the Jewish synagogue, where
they spoke so well that a great number of Jews
But the unbelieving Jews
and Greeks believed.
3
stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds
against  the  brothers.
So  Paul  and  Barnabas
spent  considerable  time  there,  speaking  boldly
for  the  Lord,  who  affirmed  the  message  of  His
grace  by  enabling  them  to  perform  signs  and
4
wonders.

5

The people of the city were divided. Some sided
But
with the Jews, and others with the apostles.
6
when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their
they
rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,
found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities
of  Lystra  and  Derbe  and  to  the  surrounding
where  they  continued  to  preach  the
region,
The Visit to Lystra and Derbe
gospel.
8

7

In  Lystra  there  sat  a  man  crippled  in  his  feet,
9
who was lame from birth and had never walked.
This  man  was  listening  to  the  words  of  Paul,
who looked intently at him and saw that he had
In a loud voice Paul called
faith to be healed.
out, “Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped
11
up and began to walk.

10

13

12

When  the  crowds  saw  what  Paul  had  done,
they  lifted  up  their  voices  in  the  Lycaonian
language:  “The  gods  have  come  down  to  us  in
Barnabas they called Zeus, and
human form!”
Paul  they  called  Hermes,  because  he  was  the
The priest of Zeus, whose tem-
chief speaker.
ple  was  just  outside  the  city,  brought  bulls  and
wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacri-
14
fice along with the crowds.

When  the  Gentiles  heard  this,  they  rejoiced
and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who
And
were  appointed  for  eternal  life  believed.
the  word  of  the  Lord  spread  throughout  that
50
region.

49

The  Jews,  however,  incited  the  religious
women  of  prominence  and  the  leading  men  of
the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul
and  Barnabas  and  drove  them  out  of  their
a 41

b 47

Habakkuk 1:5 (see also LXX)

Isaiah 49:6

15

But  when  the  apostles  Barnabas  and  Paul
found out about this, they tore their clothes and
“Men,  why
rushed  into  the  crowd,  shouting,
are you doing this? We too are only men, human
like you. We are bringing you good news that you
should  turn  from  these  worthless  things  to  the
living God, who made heaven and earth and sea
In  past  generations,
and  everything  in  them.
Yet He has
He let all nations go their own way.

16

17

992    |    Acts 14:18

not left Himself without testimony to His good-
ness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful
seasons,  filling  your  hearts  with  food  and  glad-
18
ness.”

Even  with  these  words,  Paul  and  Barnabas
could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to
19
them.

20

Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Ico-
nium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul
and dragged him outside the city, presuming he
was dead.
But after the disciples had gathered
around  him,  he  got  up  and  went  back  into  the
city. And the next day he left with Barnabas for
Strengthening the Disciples
Derbe.
21

22

They  preached  the  gospel  to  that  city  and
made many disciples. Then they returned to Lys-
tra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch,
strengthening  the
souls  of  the  disciples  and  encouraging  them  to
continue  in  the  faith.  “We  must  endure  many
hardships  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God,”  they
23
said.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them
in  each  church,  praying  and  fasting  as  they  en-
trusted them to the Lord, in whom they had be-
24
lieved.

25

After  passing  through  Pisidia,  they  came  to
And  when  they  had  spoken  the

Pamphylia.
26
word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

27

From  Attalia  they  sailed  to  Antioch,  where
they  had  been  commended  to  the  grace  of  God
for  the  work  they  had  just  completed.
When
they arrived, they gathered the church together
and  reported  all  that  God  had  done  through
them, and how He had opened the door of faith
to  the  Gentiles.
And  they  spent  a  long  time
The Dispute over Circumcision
there with the disciples.

28

15

2

Then some men came down from Judea
and were teaching the brothers, “Unless
you are circumcised according to the custom of
And after engag-
Moses, you cannot be saved.”
ing these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barna-
bas were appointed, along with some other be-
lievers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles
3
and elders about this question.

Sent  on  their  way  by  the  church,  they  passed
a 14
through  Phoenicia  and  Samaria,  recounting  the
things. 18 Known unto God are all His works from the ages.
, a variant of Simon

Simeon

Greek

b 18

4

conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy
On their arrival in Jerusalem,
to all the brothers.
they were welcomed by the church and apostles
and elders, to whom they reported all that God
The Council at Jerusalem
had done through them.
(Amos 9:11–15 ;  Galatians 2:1–10)

5

6

But some believers from the party of the Phari-
sees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must
be circumcised and required to obey the law of
Moses.”
So the apostles and elders met to look
7
into this matter.

8

After much discussion, Peter got up and said to
them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days
God made a choice among you that the Gentiles
would hear from my lips the message of the gos-
And God, who knows the heart,
pel and believe.
showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to
He made no distinc-
them, just as He did to us.
tion between us and them, for He cleansed their
10
hearts by faith.

9

Now then, why do you test God by placing on
the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we
nor  our  fathers  have  been  able  to  bear?
On
the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of
the  Lord  Jesus  that  we  are  saved,  just  as  they
12
are.”

11

 a

14

13

The  whole  assembly  fell  silent  as  they
listened  to  Barnabas  and  Paul  describing  the
signs and wonders God had done among the Gen-
When  they  had  finished
tiles  through  them.
speaking,  James  declared,  “Brothers,  listen  to
 has told us how God first visited
me!
the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His
The  words  of  the  prophets  agree  with
own.
16
this, as it is written:

Simon
15

‘After this I will return and rebuild

the fallen tent of David.

17

Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,

so that the remnant of men may seek

the Lord,

and all the Gentiles who are called

18

by My name,

 b

19

says the Lord who does these things
that have been known for ages.’

20

It  is  my  judgment,  therefore,  that  we  should
not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turn-
Instead,  we  should  write  and  tell
ing  to  God.

says the Lord, who does all these

Amos 9:11–12 (see also LXX); BYZ and TR

21

them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from
sexual  immorality,  from  the  meat  of  strangled
For Moses has been
animals, and from blood.
proclaimed in every city from ancient times and
The Letter to the Gentile Believers
is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
22

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole
church, decided to select men from among them
to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They
chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two lead-
and  sent  them  with
ers  among  the  brothers,
this letter:

23

The apostles and the elders, your brothers,

To the brothers among the Gentiles in Anti-
och, Syria, and Cilicia:
24
Greetings.

a

25

It  has  come  to  our  attention  that  some
went out from us without our authorization
and unsettled you, troubling your minds by
So we all agreed to choose
what they said.
26
men to send to you along with our beloved
men who have risked
Barnabas and Paul,
27
their  lives  for  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus
Therefore  we  are  sending  Judas
Christ.
and  Silas  to  tell  you  in  person  the  same
28
things we are writing.

29

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us
not  to  burden  you  with  anything  beyond
You  must
these  essential  requirements:
abstain  from  food  sacrificed  to  idols,  from
blood,  from  the  meat  of  strangled  animals,
and from sexual immorality. You will do well
to avoid these things.

The Believers at Antioch Rejoice

Farewell.

30

So the men were sent off and went down to An-
31
tioch,  where  they  assembled  the  congregation
When the people read
and delivered the letter.
32
it, they rejoiced at its encouraging message.

Acts 16:12    |    993

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Begins
(Acts 13:1–3 ;  Acts 18:23–28)

36

37

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us
go  back  and  visit  the  brothers  in  every  town
where  we  proclaimed  the  word  of  the  Lord,  to
38
see how they are doing.”
Barnabas wanted to
take John, also called Mark.
But Paul thought it
best  not  to  take  him,  because  he  had  deserted
them  in  Pamphylia  and  had  not  accompanied
39
them in the work.

40

Their  disagreement  was  so  sharp  that  they
parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed
for Cyprus,
but Paul chose Silas and left, com-
41
mended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
And  he  traveled  through  Syria  and  Cilicia,

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
strengthening the churches.

16

2

Paul  came  to  Derbe  and  then  to  Lystra,
where he found a disciple named Timo-
thy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a
Greek  father.
The  brothers  in  Lystra  and  Ico-
Paul wanted Timothy
nium spoke well of him.
to  accompany  him,  so he took  him  and  circum-
cised him on account of the Jews in that area, for
4
they all knew that his father was a Greek.

3

As they went from town to town, they delivered
the decisions handed down by the apostles and
elders  in  Jerusalem  for  the  people  to  obey.
So
the churches were strengthened in the faith and
Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian
grew daily in numbers.
6

5

c

7

After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from
speaking the word in the province of Asia,
 they
traveled through the region of Phrygia and Gala-
tia.
And when they came to the border of Mysia,
8
they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus
would not permit them.
So they passed by My-
9
sia and went down to Troas.

10

During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of
Macedonia  standing  and  pleading  with  him,
“Come  over  to  Macedonia  and  help  us.”
As
soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to
leave  for  Macedonia,  concluding  that  God  had
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
called us to preach the gospel to them.
(Revelation 2:18–29)

11

12

We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace,
From

and  the  following  day  on  to  Neapolis.

34 Silas, however, decided to

b 33

33

Judas and Silas, who themselves were proph-
ets, said much to encourage and strengthen the
After spending some time there, they
brothers.
35
were sent off by the brothers in peace to return
But Paul and Bar-
to those who had sent them.
nabas remained at Antioch, along with many oth-
ers, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord.
a 24
in Asia
remain there.

b

by saying that you must be circumcised and keep the law.
c 6

BYZ and TR

TR includes

Literally

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

994    |    Acts 16:13

a
there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi,
the  leading  city  of  that  district  of  Macedonia.
13
And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate
along the river, where it was customary to find a
place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to
14
the women who had gathered there.

Among  those  listening  was  a  woman  named
Lydia,  a  dealer  in  purple  cloth  from  the  city  of
Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord
15
opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
And  when  she  and  her  household  had  been
baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a be-
liever in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
And she persuaded us.
16

b

17

One  day  as  we  were  going  to  the  place  of
prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit
of divination,
 who earned a large income for her
This  girl  followed
masters  by  fortune-telling.
Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are
servants of the Most High God, who are proclaim-
18
ing to you the way of salvation!”

She continued this for many days. Eventually
Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said
to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I com-
mand you to come out of her!” And the spirit left
19
her at that very moment.

20

When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of
making  money  was  gone,  they  seized  Paul  and
Silas and dragged them before the authorities in
They  brought  them  to  the
the  marketplace.
21
magistrates  and  said,  “These  men  are  Jews  and
by promot-
are throwing our city into turmoil
ing customs that are unlawful for us Romans to
22
adopt or practice.”

23

24

The  crowd  joined  in  the  attack  against  Paul
and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they
And  after
be  stripped  and  beaten  with  rods.
striking them with many blows, they threw them
into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them
On  receiving  this  order,  he  placed
securely.
them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in
The Conversion of the Jailer
the stocks.
25

earthquake shook the foundations of the prison.
At  once  all  the  doors  flew  open  and everyone’s
27
chains came loose.

28

When  the  jailer  woke  up  and  saw  the  prison
doors open, he drew his sword and was about to
kill  himself,  presuming  that  the  prisoners  had
escaped.
But  Paul  called  out  in  a  loud  voice,
29
“Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”

30

Calling  for lights,  the  jailer  rushed  in  and  fell
trembling  before  Paul  and  Silas.
Then  he
brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I
31
do to be saved?”

33

They  replied,  “Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  and
32
you  will  be  saved,  you  and  your  household.”
Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord
At  that
to  him  and  to  everyone  in  his  house.
hour  of  the  night,  the  jailer  took  them  and
34
washed their wounds. And without delay, he and
all  his  household  were  baptized.
Then  he
brought them into his home and set a meal be-
fore  them.  So  he  and  all  his  household  rejoiced
An Official Apology
that they had come to believe in God.
35

When  daylight  came,  the  magistrates  sent
their  officers  with  the  order:  “Release  those
36
men.”

The  jailer  informed  Paul:  “The  magistrates
have sent orders to release you. Now you may go
37
on your way in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us pub-
licly  without  a  trial  and  threw  us  into  prison,
even though we are Roman citizens. And now do
they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely
not!  Let  them  come  themselves  and  escort  us
38
out!”

40

39

So  the  officers  relayed  this  message  to  the
magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul
and Silas were Roman citizens.
They came to
appease them and led them out, requesting that
they leave the city.
After Paul and Silas came
out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to
see the brothers and encourage them. Then they
The Uproar in Thessalonica
left the city.

17

About  midnight  Paul  and  Silas  were  praying
and singing hymns to God, and the other prison-
a 12
ers were listening to them.
Suddenly a strong
Python

26

we went to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia—a colony

When
through
they  had  passed
Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to
2
Thessalonica,  where  there  was  a  Jewish  syna-
b 16
As  was  his  custom,  Paul  went  into  the
gogue.

a spirit of

Literally

Greek

; that is, a spirit of divination named after the mythical serpent slain by Apollo

3

synagogue,  and  on  three  Sabbaths  he  reasoned
explaining and
with them from the Scriptures,
proving  that  the  Christ  had  to  suffer  and  rise
4
from  the  dead.  “This  Jesus  I  am  proclaiming  to
Some of the Jews
you is the Christ,” he declared.
were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along
with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and
5
quite a few leading women.

6

The  Jews,  however,  became  jealous.  So  they
brought  in  some  troublemakers  from  the  mar-
ketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an
uproar.  They  raided  Jason’s  house  in  search  of
Paul  and  Silas,  hoping  to  bring  them  out  to  the
But when they could not find them, they
people.
dragged  Jason  and  some  other  brothers  before
the city officials, shouting, “These men who have
turned  the  world  upside  down  have  now  come
and  Jason  has  welcomed  them  into  his
here,
home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, say-
8
ing that there is another king, named Jesus!”

7

9

On  hearing  this,  the  crowd  and  city  officials
And  they  collected
were  greatly  disturbed.
bond  from  Jason  and  the  others  and  then  re-
The Character of the Bereans
leased them.
10

11

As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent
Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there,
Now the
they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thes-
salonians,  for  they  received  the  message  with
a
great  eagerness  and  examined  the  Scriptures
12
every  day  to  see  if  these  teachings  were  true.

As a result, many of them believed, along with

13
quite a few prominent Greek women and men.

15

But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned
that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God
14
in  Berea,  they  went  there  themselves  to  incite
The brothers immedi-
and agitate the crowds.
ately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy
remained  in  Berea.
Those  who  escorted  Paul
brought  him  to  Athens  and  then  returned  with
instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as
Paul in Athens
soon as possible.
16

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he
17
was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the
a 11
So  he  reasoned  in  the
city  was  full  of  idols.
Mars Hill

Literally

From one blood

e 28

Acts 17:29    |    995

synagogue  with  the  Jews  and  God-fearing  Gen-
tiles, and in the marketplace with those he met
18
each day.

Some  Epicurean  and  Stoic  philosophers  also
began to debate with him. Some of them asked,
“What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said,
“He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They
said this because Paul was proclaiming the good
19
news of Jesus and the resurrection.

b

So  they  took  Paul  and  brought  him  to  the
Areopagus,
  where  they  asked  him,  “May  we
20
know what this new teaching is that you are pre-
senting?
For  you  are  bringing  some  strange
notions to our ears, and we want to know what
21
they mean.”

Now  all  the  Athenians  and  foreigners  who
lived there spent their time doing nothing more
Paul’s Address in the Areopagus
than hearing and articulating new ideas.
22

 c

Then Paul stood up in the meeting

 of the Are-
23
opagus  and  said,  “Men  of  Athens,  I  see  that  in
every  way  you  are  very  religious.
For  as  I
walked  around  and  examined  your  objects  of
worship, I even found an altar with this inscrip-
tion:

TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore  what  you  worship  as  something  un-
24
known, I now proclaim to you.

25

The God who made the world and everything
in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not
live in temples made by human hands.
Nor is
He served by human hands, as if He needed any-
 d
thing, because He Himself gives everyone life and
breath and everything else.
 He
made every  nation of men, that they should in-
habit the whole earth; and He determined their
appointed  times  and  the  boundaries  of  their
27
lands.

From one man

26

 f

 e

29

28

God  intended  that  they  would  seek  Him  and
perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though
He is not far from each one of us.
‘For in Him
we live and move and have our being.’
 As some
of  your  own  poets  have  said,  ‘We  are  His  off-
spring.’
Therefore, being offspring of God, we
should not think that the Divine Being is like gold
or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill
and imagination.

Ares Hill

b 19

c 22

in the middle

d 26

From one
Or
f 28

 or
; BYZ
This is

with great eagerness, every day examining the Writings, whether these things were so.

; also in verse 22 and added for clarity in verse 33

Literally
This is probably a quote from the Cretan philosopher Epimenides of Knossos.

Literally

and TR
probably a quote from the poem “Phainomena” by the Cilician philosopher Aratus.

996    |    Acts 17:30

30

31

Although God overlooked the ignorance of ear-
lier  times,  He  now  commands  all  people  every-
For  He  has  set  a  day  when
where  to  repent.
He will judge the world with justice by the Man
He has appointed. He has given proof of this to
32
everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

34

33

When they heard about the resurrection of the
dead, some began to mock him, but others said,
“We want to hear you again on this topic.”
At
that, Paul left the Areopagus.
 joined
him and believed, including Dionysius the Areop-
agite, a woman named Damaris, and others who
Paul Ministers in Corinth
were with them.
(1 Corinthians 1:1–3 ;  2 Corinthians 1:1–2)

But some

 a

18

2

After  this,  Paul  left  Athens  and  went  to
There  he  found  a  Jew  named
Corinth.
Aquila,  a  native  of  Pontus,  who  had  recently
come  from  Italy  with  his  wife  Priscilla  because
Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.
and  he  stayed  and
Paul  went  to  visit  them,
worked with them because they were tentmak-
4
ers by trade, just as he was.

3

5

Every  Sabbath  he  reasoned  in  the  synagogue,
And
trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.
when Silas and Timothy came down from Mace-
6
donia,  Paul  devoted  himself  fully  to  the  word,
But
testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
when they opposed and insulted him, he shook
out his garments and told them, “Your blood be
on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now
7
on I will go to the Gentiles.”
b

8
to the house of Titus Justus,

So Paul left the synagogue and went next door
 a worshiper of God.
Crispus,  the  synagogue  leader,  and  his  whole
household believed in the Lord. And many of the
Corinthians who heard the message believed and
9
were baptized.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do
10
not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
For I am with you and no one will lay a hand
11
on you, because I have many people in this city.”
So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching

Paul before Gallio
the word of God among the Corinthians.
12

13

“This  man  is  per-
before  the  judgment  seat.
suading the people to worship God in ways con-
14
trary to the law,” they said.

15

But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told
the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing
or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable
But since it is a
for me to hear your complaint.
dispute  about  words  and  names  and  your  own
16
law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of
And  he  drove  them  away  from
such  things.”
17
the judgment seat.

 c

At  this,  the  crowd

  seized  Sosthenes  the
synagogue  leader  and  beat  him  in  front  of  the
judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to
Paul Returns to Antioch
Gallio.
18

Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time
before  saying  goodbye  to  the  brothers.  He  had
his  head  shaved  in  Cenchrea  to  keep  a  vow  he
had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompa-
19
nied by Priscilla and Aquila.

20

When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla
and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue
there and reasoned with the Jews.
When they
21
asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined.
 to you

But as he left, he said, “I will come back

22
if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.

 d

e

When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up
  Then  he

and  greeted  the  church  at  Jerusalem.
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey Begins
went down to Antioch.
(Acts 13:1–3 ;  Acts 15:36–41)

23

After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he
traveled from place to place throughout the re-
gion of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the
24
disciples.

f

25

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Al-
exandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent
man,  well  versed  in  the  Scriptures.
He  had
been instructed in the way of the Lord and was
fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately
26
about Jesus,
 though he knew only the baptism of
And he began to speak boldly in the syn-
John.
agogue.  When  Priscilla  and  Aquila  heard  him,
they took him aside and explained to him the way
all
of God more accurately.

Justus

c 17

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews
a 34
coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him
the Greeks
he went up and greeted the church

they all
I must by all means keep this feast that comes in Jerusalem, but I will come back
ECM; SBL, NE, and WH

some men
d 21

about the Lord

; BYZ and TR

Titius Justus

Literally

Literally

f 25

b 7

e 22
; BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR

Literally

27

28

When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia,
the  brothers  encouraged  him  and  wrote  to  the
disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he
was a great help to those who by grace had be-
For  he  powerfully  refuted  the  Jews  in
lieved.
public  debate,  proving  from  the  Scriptures  that
The Holy Spirit Received at Ephesus
Jesus is the Christ.
(Acts 10:44–48)

19

 a

While  Apollos  was  at  Corinth,  Paul
2
  and  came
passed  through  the  interior
and
to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
asked  them,  “Did  you  receive  the  Holy  Spirit
when you became believers?”

 “No,”  they  answered,  “we  have  not  even  heard
3
that there is a Holy Spirit.”

“Into  what,  then,  were  you  baptized?”  Paul

asked.
4
“The baptism of John,” they replied.

Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism
of repentance. He told the people to believe in the
5
One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

6
On  hearing  this,  they  were  baptized  into  the
name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his
hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them,
7
and  they  spoke  in  tongues  and  prophesied.
Paul Ministers in Ephesus
(Ephesians 1:1–2 ;  Revelation 2:1–7)

There were about twelve men in all.

8

9

Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke
boldly  there  for  three  months,  arguing  persua-
sively  about  the  kingdom  of  God.
But  when
some of them stubbornly refused to believe and
publicly  maligned  the  Way,  Paul  took  his  disci-
ples and left the synagogue to conduct daily dis-
cussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
This
continued  for  two  years,  so  that  everyone  who
lived  in  the  province  of  Asia,
  Jews  and  Greeks
11
alike, heard the word of the Lord.

10

b

 c

12

God  did  extraordinary  miracles  through  the
hands of Paul,
 and
aprons that had touched him were taken to the
Seven Sons of Sceva
sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them.
13

so that even handkerchiefs

Acts 19:27    |    997

14

Jesus  over  those  with  evil  spirits.  They  would
say,  “I  command  you  by  Jesus,  whom  Paul  pro-
Seven  sons  of  Sceva,  a  Jewish  chief
claims.”
15
priest, were doing this.

But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I
16
know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
Then  the  man  with  the  evil  spirit  jumped  on
them and overpowered them all. The attack was
so violent that they ran out of the house naked
17
and wounded.

18

This became known to all the Jews and Greeks
living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them.
So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high
Many who had believed now came for-
honor.
19
ward,  confessing  and  disclosing  their  deeds.
And  a  number  of  those  who  had  practiced
magic arts brought their books and burned them
in front of everyone. When the value of the books
was calculated, the total came to fifty thousand
So the word of the Lord powerfully
drachmas.
The Riot in Ephesus
continued to spread and prevail.
21

20

d

 e

After

these

things  had  happened,  Paul
resolved in the Spirit
 to go to Jerusalem, passing
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia.  “After  I  have
22
been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”
He  sent  two  of  his  helpers,  Timothy  and
Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time
23
in the province of Asia.

 f

24

  about  the  Way.

About  that  time  there  arose  a  great  disturb-
ance
It  began  with  a  silver-
smith named Demetrius who made silver shrines
of  Artemis,  bringing  much  business
  to  the
25
craftsmen.

 g

26

Demetrius  assembled  the  craftsmen,  along
with  the  workmen  in  related  trades.  “Men,”
he  said,  “you  know  that  this  business  is  our
And you can see and hear
source of prosperity.
that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole
province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great
number  of  people  to  turn  away.  He  says  that
There  is
man-made  gods  are  no  gods  at  all.
danger  not  only  that  our  business  will  fall  into
disrepute,  but  also  that  the  temple  of  the  great
goddess Artemis will be discredited and her maj-
esty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the
province of Asia and the whole world.”

27

Now  there  were  some  itinerant  Jewish  exor-
a 1
cists  who  tried  to  invoke  the  name  of  the  Lord

the highland

b 10

c 12

d 19

fifty thousand pieces of silver.

in Asia
soudaria
Lit.

Or

e 21

26, 27, and 31.
day’s wages.

resolved in spirit
Greek

f 23

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey; similarly in verses 22,
 A drachma was a silver coin worth about one

there arose no little disturbance

bringing no little business

g 24

Or

Or

Lit.

Lit.

998    |    Acts 19:28

28

29

When the men heard this, they were enraged
and  began  shouting,  “Great  is  Artemis  of  the
Ephesians!”
Soon the whole city was in disar-
ray. They rushed together into the theatre, drag-
ging  with  them  Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  Paul’s
30
traveling companions from Macedonia.

31

 a

Paul wanted to go before the assembly, but the
Even  some  of
disciples  would  not  allow  him.
Paul’s friends who were officials of the province
  sent  word  to  him,  begging  him  not  to
of  Asia
32
venture into the theatre.

33

Meanwhile the assembly was in turmoil. Some
were shouting one thing and some another, and
most of them did not even know why they were
The  Jews in the crowd pushed Alexan-
there.
der forward to explain himself, and he motioned
34
for  silence  so  he  could  make  his  defense  to  the
But when they realized that he was a
people.
Jew,  they  all  shouted  in  unison  for  about  two
35
hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

36

Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and de-
clared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know
that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple
of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell
Since these things are undenia-
from heaven?
37
ble,  you  ought  to  be  calm  and  not  do  anything
For  you  have  brought  these  men  here,
rash.
though they have neither robbed our temple nor
38
blasphemed our goddess.

39

So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have
a complaint against anyone, the courts are open
and  proconsuls  are  available.  Let  them  bring
But if you
charges against one another there.
40
are seeking anything beyond this, it must be set-
For we are in jeopardy
tled in a legal assembly.
of being charged with rioting for today’s events,
and we have no justification to account for this
41
commotion.”

After  he  had  said  this,  he  dismissed  the

Paul in Macedonia and Greece
assembly.

And when the Jews formed a plot against him as
he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go
4
back through Macedonia.

b

5

6

Paul  was  accompanied  by  Sopater  son  of
Pyrrhus  from  Berea,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus
from  Thessalonica,  Gaius  from  Derbe,  Timothy,
and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province
These men went on ahead and waited
of Asia.
And after the Feast of Unleav-
for us in Troas.
ened  Bread,
  we  sailed  from  Philippi,  and  five
days later we rejoined them in Troas, where we
Eutychus Revived at Troas  (2 Kings 4:18–37)
stayed seven days.
7

c

On the first day of the week we came together
to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the
next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking
8
until midnight.

9

Now there were many lamps in the upper room
And a certain young
where we were gathered.
man named Eutychus, seated in the window, was
sinking into a deep sleep  as Paul talked on and
on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the
But Paul
third story and was picked up dead.
went down, threw himself on the young man, and
embraced him. “Do not be alarmed!” he said. “He
11
is still alive!”

10

12

Then  Paul  went  back  upstairs,  broke  bread,
and  ate.  And  after  speaking  until  daybreak,  he
And  the  people  were  greatly  re-
departed.
From Troas to Miletus
lieved to take the boy home alive.
13

We went on ahead to the ship and sailed to As-
sos, where we were to take Paul aboard. He had
14
arranged this because he was going there on foot.
And  when  he  met  us  at  Assos,  we  took  him
Sailing  on
aboard  and  went  on  to  Mitylene.
from  there,  we  arrived  the  next  day  opposite
Chios.  The  day  after  that  we  arrived  at  Samos,
16
and

 on the following day we came to Miletus.

15

 d

Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid
spending time in the province of Asia, because he
was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesians
the day of Pentecost.
17

e

From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the el-

20

When  the  uproar  had  ended,  Paul  sent
for  the  disciples.  And  after  encouraging
2
them, he said goodbye to them and left for Mace-
After  traveling  through  that  area  and
donia.
speaking many words of encouragement, he ar-
a 31
where he stayed three months.
rived in Greece,
c 6
Or
maining at Trogyllium,
in verses 16 and 18.
of Harvest

friends who were Asiarchs

e 16
Literally

the Feast of Weeks

from Asia

Literally

b 4

3

after the days of the Unleavened

 (see Exodus 23:16) or

 (see Exodus 34:22).

That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as

ders of the church.

and, after re-
; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey; also
the Feast

d 15

; see Exodus 12:14–20.

BYZ and TR

18

36

Acts 21:14    |    999

19

20

When  they  came  to  him,  he  said,  “You  know
how I lived the whole time I was with you, from
I
the first day I arrived in the province of Asia.
served  the  Lord  with  great  humility  and  with
tears, especially in the trials that came upon me
I did not shrink
through the plots of the Jews.
back from declaring anything that was helpful to
you  as  I  taught  you  publicly  and  from  house  to
testifying  to  Jews  and  Greeks  alike
house,
a
about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Je-
22
sus Christ.

21

24

23

And  now,  compelled  by  the  Spirit,  I  am
going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will hap-
I only know that in town after
pen to me there.
town  the  Holy  Spirit  warns  me  that  chains  and
But I consider my life of
afflictions await me.
no value to me, if only I may finish my course and
complete the ministry I have received from the
Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good
25
news of God’s grace.

26

Now I know that none of you among whom I
have  preached  the  kingdom  will  see  my  face
Therefore I testify to you this day that I
again.
am innocent of the blood of all men.
For I did
not shrink back from declaring to you the whole
28
will of God.

27

b

c

d

Keep  watch  over  yourselves  and  the  entire
flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you over-
29
 which
seers. Be shepherds of the church of God,
I  know
He  purchased  with  His  own  blood.
30
that after my departure, savage wolves will come
Even
in among you and will not spare the flock.
from your own number, men will rise up and dis-
31
tort the truth to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore  be  alert  and  remember  that  for
three years I never stopped warning each of you
32
night and day with tears.

And now I commit you to God and to the word
of His grace, which can build you up and give you
33
an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

34

I  have  not  coveted  anyone’s  silver  or  gold
You  yourselves  know  that  these
or  clothing.
35
hands of mine have ministered to my own needs
In everything, I
and those of my companions.
showed  you  that  by  this  kind  of  hard  work  we
must help the weak, remembering the words of
the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give
than to receive.’”
a  21
Lord

of the Lord and God
ECM, TR, and Tischendorf; SBL, NE, BYZ, and WH
; BYZ and GOC

d 28

Or

37

When Paul had said this, he knelt down with
38
They all wept openly as
all of them and prayed.
They were
they embraced Paul and kissed him.
especially  grieved  by  his  statement  that  they
would never see his face again. Then they accom-
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
panied him to the ship.

21

After  we  had  torn  ourselves  away  from
them, we sailed directly to Cos, and the
2
next day on to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
3
Finding  a  ship  crossing  over  to  Phoenicia,  we
boarded  it  and  set  sail.
After  sighting  Cyprus
and passing south of it, we sailed on to Syria and
landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its
4
cargo.

5

We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed
with  them  seven  days.  Through  the  Spirit  they
But
kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
when  our  time  there  had  ended,  we  set  out  on
our  journey.  All  the  disciples,  with  their  wives
and children, accompanied us out of the city and
And
knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
after we had said our farewells, we went aboard
7
the ship, and they returned home.

6

When  we  had  finished  our  voyage  from  Tyre,
we  landed  at  Ptolemais,  where  we  greeted  the
Paul Visits Philip the Evangelist
brothers and stayed with them for a day.
8

Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea
and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist,
who was one of the Seven.
He had four unmar-
10
ried daughters who prophesied.

9

e

After  we  had  been  there  several  days,  a
11
prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound
his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit
says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind
the owner of this belt and hand him over to the
When  we  heard  this,  we  and  the
Gentiles.’
people  there  pleaded  with  Paul  not  to  go  up  to
13
Jerusalem.

12

”

14

Then  Paul  answered,  “Why  are  you  weeping
and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be
bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name
When he would not be dis-
of the Lord Jesus.”
suaded, we quieted down and said, “The Lord’s
will be done.”

of the

b 26

c 28

See Ezekiel 33:8–9.
See Acts 6:5.

Tischendorf

our Lord Jesus

with the blood of His own Son.

e 8

1000    |    Acts 21:15

15

16

After these days, we packed up and went on to
Some  of  the  disciples  from  Caesa-
Jerusalem.
rea accompanied us, and they took us to stay at
the home of Mnason the Cypriot, an early disci-
ple.  Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17

18

19

When  we  arrived  in  Jerusalem,  the  brothers
welcomed us joyfully.
The next day Paul went
in with us to see James, and all the elders were
Paul greeted them and recounted one
present.
by one the things that God had done among the
20
Gentiles through his ministry.

When they heard this, they glorified God. Then
they  said  to  Paul,  “You  see,  brother,  how  many
21
thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them
But they are under the
are zealous for the law.
impression that you teach all the Jews who live
among  the  Gentiles  to  forsake  Moses,  telling
them not to circumcise their children or observe
What  then  should  we  do?  They
our  customs.
23
will certainly hear that you have come.

22

24

Therefore  do  what  we  advise  you.  There  are
four men with us who have taken a vow.
Take
these men, purify yourself along with them, and
pay their expenses so they can have their heads
shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no
truth  to  these  rumors  about  you,  but  that  you
25
also live in obedience to the law.

As for the Gentile believers, we have written to
them  our  decision  that  they  must  abstain  from
food  sacrificed  to  idols,  from  blood,  from  the
meat of strangled animals, and from sexual im-
26
morality.”

So the next day Paul took the men and purified
himself  along  with  them.  Then  he  entered  the
temple to give notice of the date when their pu-
rification  would  be  complete  and  the  offering
Paul Seized at the Temple
would be made for each of them.
27

 a

28

When the seven days were almost over, some
 saw Paul at the
Jews from the province of Asia
temple.  They  stirred  up  the  whole  crowd  and
crying out, “Men of Israel, help us!
seized him,
This  is  the  man  who  teaches  everyone  every-
where  against  our  people  and  against  our  law
and  against  this  place.  Furthermore,  he  has
brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this
a 27
in the Hebrew language
cohort

in Aramaic

from Asia

c 40
Literally

29

For  they  had  previously  seen
holy  place.”
Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and
they assumed that Paul had brought him into the
30
temple.

 b

31

The whole city was stirred up, and the people
rushed  together.  They  seized  Paul  and  dragged
him out of the temple, and at once the gates were
While  they  were  trying  to  kill  him,  the
shut.
32
 received a
commander of the Roman regiment
Im-
report  that  all  Jerusalem  was  in  turmoil.
mediately he took some soldiers and centurions
and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw
the  commander  and  the  soldiers,  they  stopped
33
beating Paul.

The  commander  came  up  and  arrested  Paul,
ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then
34
he asked who he was and what he had done.

35

Some  in  the  crowd  were  shouting  one  thing,
and  some  another.  And  since  the  commander
could not get at the truth because of the uproar,
he  ordered  that  Paul  be  brought  into  the  bar-
When Paul reached the steps, he had to
racks.
be carried by the soldiers because of the violence
For  the  crowd  that  followed  him
of  the  mob.
Paul Addresses the Crowd
kept shouting, “Away with him!”
37

36

As  they  were  about  to  take  Paul  into  the
barracks,  he  asked  the  commander,  “May  I  say
something to you?”

38

“Aren’t you
 “Do you speak Greek?” he replied.
the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time
ago and led four thousand members of the Assas-
39
sins into the wilderness?”

But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in
Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you
40
to allow me to speak to the people.”

 c

Having received permission, Paul stood on the
steps  and  motioned  to  the  crowd.  A  great  hush
came over the crowd, and he addressed them in
Paul’s Defense to the Crowd
Hebrew:
(Acts 9:1–19 ;  Acts 26:1–23)

22

2
d

“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my
When they heard
defense before you.”
him speak to them in Hebrew,
 they became even
more silent.
the commander of the
in Aramaic
d 2

in the Hebrew language

b 31

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Literally

Or

; literally

Or

; literally

3

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus
Then Paul declared,
of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at
the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law
of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any
4
of you are today.

5

I persecuted this Way even to the death, detain-
ing  both  men  and  women  and  throwing  them
into  prison,
as  the  high  priest  and  the  whole
Council can testify about me. I even obtained let-
ters  from  them  to  their  brothers  in  Damascus,
and I was on my way to apprehend these people
6
and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

7

About  noon  as  I  was  approaching  Damascus,
suddenly  a  bright  light  from  heaven  flashed
around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice
8
say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’

‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked.

9

‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecut-
My companions saw the light,
ing,’ He replied.
but  they  could  not  understand  the  voice  of  the
10
One speaking to me.

Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’

‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There
you will be told all that you have been appointed
11
to do.’

12

Because the brilliance of the light had blinded
me, my companions led me by the hand into Da-
mascus.
There a man named Ananias, a devout
13
observer of the law who was highly regarded by
all the Jews living there,
came and stood beside
me.  ‘Brother  Saul,’  he  said,  ‘receive  your  sight.’
14
And at that moment I could see him.

16

15

Then  he  said,  ‘The  God  of  our  fathers  has
appointed  you  to  know  His  will  and  to  see  the
Righteous One and to hear His voice.
You will
be His witness to everyone of what you have seen
And now what are you waiting for?
and heard.
Get  up,  be  baptized,  and  wash  your  sins  away,
17
calling on His name.’

 a

Later,  when  I  had  returned  to  Jerusalem  and
18
was  praying  at  the  temple,  I  fell  into  a  trance
 saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave
Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will
19
not accept your testimony about Me.’

and saw the Lord

‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in
one  synagogue  after  another  I  imprisoned  and
And when the
beat those who believed in You.
c 30
martyr
a 18
blood of Your witness
 Stephen was shed, I stood

saw Him

b 20

20

 b

Acts 23:2    |    1001

there giving my approval and watching over the
21
garments of those who killed him.’

Then  He  said  to  me,  ‘Go!  I  will  send  you  far

Paul the Roman Citizen
away to the Gentiles.’”
22

The crowd listened to Paul until he made this
statement.  Then  they  lifted  up  their  voices  and
shouted,  “Rid  the  earth  of  him!  He  is  not  fit  to
23
live!”

24

As they were shouting and throwing off their
the com-
cloaks and tossing dust into the air,
mander  ordered  that  Paul  be  brought  into  the
barracks.  He  directed  that  Paul  be  flogged  and
interrogated  to  determine  the  reason  for  this
25
outcry against him.

But  as  they  stretched  him  out  to  strap  him
down, Paul said to the centurion standing there,
“Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen with-
26
out a trial?”

On  hearing  this,  the  centurion  went  and  re-
ported it to the commander. “What are you going
27
to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell

me, are you a Roman citizen?”
28
“Yes,” he answered.

“I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the

commander.
29
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

At once those who were about to interrogate
Paul stepped back, and the commander himself
was alarmed when he realized that he had put a
30
Roman citizen in chains.

The next day the commander, wanting to learn
the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews, re-
leased him and ordered the chief priests and the
 to assemble. Then he brought
whole Sanhedrin
Paul before the Sanhedrin
Paul down and had him stand before them.

 c

 d

Paul  looked  directly  at  the  Sanhedrin
and  said,  “Brothers,  I  have  conducted
myself before God in all good conscience to this
2
day.”

23

Literally

Or

Or

Or

; also in verses 6, 15, 20, and 28

At  this,  the  high  priest  Ananias  ordered  those

the whole Council

standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

the Council

d 1

1002    |    Acts 23:3

3

18

Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you
whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me ac-
cording  to  the  law,  yet  you  yourself  violate  the
4
law by commanding that I be struck.”

So the centurion took him to the commander
and said, “Paul the prisoner sent and asked me to
bring this young man to you. He has something
19
to tell you.”

But those standing nearby said, “How dare you

5
insult the high priest of God!”

“Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not aware that
he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not
6
speak evil about the ruler of your people.’

”

 a

Then  Paul,  knowing  that  some  of  them  were
Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in
the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son
of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the res-
7
urrection of the dead that I am on trial.”

As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out
8
between  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  and  the
assembly  was  divided.
For  the  Sadducees  say
that  there  is  neither  a  resurrection  nor  angels
nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them
9
all.

A  great  clamor  arose,  and  some  scribes  from
the party of the Pharisees got up and contended
sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man.
10
What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The  dispute  grew  so  violent  that  the  com-
mander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces.
He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove
11
him by force and bring him into the barracks.

The following night the Lord stood near Paul
and  said,  “Take  courage!  As  you  have  testified
about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in
The Plot to Kill Paul  (John 16:1–4)
Rome.”
12

13

When  daylight  came,  the  Jews  formed  a  con-
spiracy and bound themselves with an oath not
to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
More
14
than  forty  of  them  were  involved  in  this  plot.
They went to the chief priests and elders and
said,  “We  have  bound  ourselves  with  a  solemn
15
oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.
Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the
commander to bring him down to you on the pre-
text of examining his case more carefully. We are
16
ready to kill him on the way.”

b

17
the plot,

But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about
 he went into the barracks and told Paul.
Then  Paul  called  one  of  the  centurions  and
said, “Take this young man to the commander; he
a 5
has something to tell him.”

the ambush

b 16

c 23

The  commander  took  the  young  man  by  the
hand, drew him aside, and asked, “What do you
20
need to tell me?”

21

He  answered,  “The  Jews  have  agreed  to  ask
you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on
the pretext of acquiring more information about
Do  not  let  them  persuade  you,  because
him.
more than forty men are waiting to ambush him.
They have bound themselves with an oath not to
eat or drink until they have killed him; they are
22
ready now, awaiting your consent.”

So  the  commander  dismissed  the  young  man
and instructed him, “Do not tell anyone that you
Paul Sent to Felix
have reported this to me.”
23

Then he called two of his centurions and said,
“Prepare  two  hundred  soldiers,  seventy  horse-
men, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesa-
rea  in  the  third  hour  of  the  night.
Provide
mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor
26
Felix.”

And he wrote the following letter:

24

25

c

Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency, Governor Felix:
27
Greetings.

This man was seized by the Jews, and they
were about to kill him when I came with my
28
troops to rescue him. For I had learned that
and since I wanted
he is a Roman citizen,
to  understand  their  charges  against  him,  I
brought  him  down  to  their  Sanhedrin.
I
found that the accusation involved questions
about their own law, but there was no charge
30
worthy of death or imprisonment.

29

When I was informed that there was a plot
against the man, I sent him to you at once. I
also instructed his accusers to present their
case against him before you.

31

32

So  the  soldiers  followed  their  orders  and
brought Paul by night to Antipatris.
The next
day  they  returned  to  the  barracks  and  let  the
horsemen go on with him.
When the horsemen
arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to
34
the governor and presented Paul to him.

33

The governor read the letter and asked what
province  Paul  was  from.  Learning  that  he  was

Exodus 22:28 (see also LXX)

Or

That is, at nine tonight

35

18

Acts 25:6    |    1003

he  said,  “I  will  hear  your  case
from  Cilicia,
when  your  accusers  arrive.”  Then  he  ordered
that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s Praeto-
Tertullus Prosecutes Paul
rium.

24

Five  days  later  the  high  priest  Ananias
 a
came  down  with  some  elders  and  a
 named Tertullus, who presented to the

lawyer
2
governor their case against Paul.

3

When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened
the  prosecution:  “Because  of  you,  we  have  en-
joyed  a  lasting  peace,  and  your  foresight  has
brought improvements to this nation.
In every
4
way  and  everywhere,  most  excellent  Felix,  we
acknowledge  this  with  all  gratitude.
But  in
order  not  to  delay  you  any  further,  I  beg  your
5
indulgence to hear us briefly.

6

We have found this man to be a pestilence, stir-
ring  up  dissension  among  the  Jews  all  over  the
world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Naza-
8
renes,
and  he  even  tried  to  desecrate  the
temple;  so  we  seized  him.
By  examining  him
yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about
9
all our charges against him.”

b

The  Jews  concurred,  asserting  that  these

Paul’s Defense to Felix
charges were true.
10

11

When  the  governor  motioned  for  Paul  to
speak, he began his response: “Knowing that you
have  been  a  judge  over  this  nation  for  many
years, I gladly make my defense.
You can verify
12
for yourself that no more than twelve days ago I
went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship.
Yet  my  ac-
cusers did not find me debating with anyone in
the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues
or in the city.
Nor can they prove to you any of
14
their charges against me.

13

I do confess to you, however, that I worship the
God of our fathers according to the Way, which
they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid
15
down  by  the  Law  and  written  in  the  Prophets,
and  I  have  the  same  hope  in  God  that  they
themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrec-
tion  of  both  the  righteous and  the wicked.
In
this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear con-
17
science before God and man.

16

19

20

At  the  time  they  found  me  in  the
offerings.
temple, I was ceremonially clean and was not in-
 c
citing a crowd or an uproar. But there are some
Jews from the province of Asia
who ought to
appear before you and bring charges, if they have
Otherwise, let these men
anything against me.
d
state for themselves any crime they found in me
when I stood before the Sanhedrin,
unless it
was this one thing I called out as I stood in their
presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the
The Verdict Postponed
dead that I am on trial before you today.’
22

21

”

23

Then Felix, who was well informed about the
Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lys-
ias  the  commander  comes,  I  will  decide  your
He  ordered  the  centurion  to  keep  Paul
case.”
under guard, but to allow him some freedom and
24
permit his friends to minister to his needs.

25

After several days, Felix returned with his wife
Drusilla,  who  was  a  Jewess.  He  sent  for  Paul
and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Je-
sus.
As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-
control, and the coming judgment, Felix became
frightened and said, “You may go for now. When
I find the time, I will call for you.”
At the same
time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a
bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked
27
with him.

26

After  two  years  had  passed,  Felix  was  suc-
ceeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the
Paul’s Trial before Festus
Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

25

2

3

Three days after his arrival in the prov-
ince, Festus went up from Caesarea to Je-
rusalem,
where  the  chief  priests  and  Jewish
leaders  presented  their  case  against  Paul.  They
to grant them a concession against
urged Festus
Paul  by  summoning  him  to  Jerusalem,  because
they were preparing an ambush to kill him along
4
the way.

5

But Festus replied, “Paul is being held in Caesa-
So if this
rea, and I myself am going there soon.
man has done anything wrong, let some of your
leaders  come  down  with  me  and  accuse  him
6
there.”

After several years, then, I returned to Jerusa-
a 1
lem  to  bring  alms  to  my  people  and  to  present
with great force and took him out of our hands, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you.

an orator

b 6

and we would have judged him according to our law. 7 But Lysias the commander came

After spending no more than eight or ten days
with  them,  Festus  went  down  to  Caesarea.  The
next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered
c 18

from Asia

Or

TR includes

d 20

the Council

was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Or

Literally

; Asia

1004    |    Acts 25:7

7

22

When Paul arrived, the
that Paul be brought in.
Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood
around him, bringing many serious charges that
8
they could not prove.

Then  Agrippa  said  to  Festus,  “I  would  like  to

hear this man myself.”
Paul before Agrippa and Bernice
“Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus declared.
23

Then Paul made his defense: “I have committed
no offense against the law of the Jews or against
9
the temple or against Caesar.”

But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said
to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to
Paul Appeals to Caesar
stand trial before me on these charges?”
10

11

Paul  replied,  “I  am  standing  before  the  judg-
ment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I
have  done  nothing  wrong  to  the  Jews,  as  you
yourself  know  very  well.
If,  however,  I  am
guilty  of  anything  worthy  of  death,  I  do  not
refuse to die. But if there is no truth to their ac-
cusations  against  me,  no  one  has  the  right  to
12
hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

Then Festus conferred with his council and re-
plied,  “You  have  appealed  to  Caesar.  To  Caesar
Festus Consults Agrippa
you will go!”
13

The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with
great  pomp  and  entered  the  auditorium,  along
with  the  commanders  and  leading  men  of  the
24
city. And Festus ordered that Paul be brought in.

Then  Festus  said,  “King  Agrippa  and  all  who
are present with us, you see this man. The whole
Jewish community has petitioned me about him,
both  here  and  in  Jerusalem,  crying  out  that  he
But I found he had
ought not to live any longer.
done nothing worthy of death, and since he has
now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send
26
him.

25

I have nothing definite to write to our sover-
eign about him. Therefore I have brought him be-
fore  all  of  you,  and  especially  before  you,  King
Agrippa,  so  that  after  this  inquiry  I  may  have
For it seems unreasonable
something to write.
to  me  to  send  on  a  prisoner  without  specifying
Paul’s Testimony to Agrippa  (Acts 9, Acts 22)
the charges against him.”

27

14

15

After  several  days  had  passed,  King  Agrippa
and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their
respects  to  Festus.
Since  they  were  staying
several  days,  Festus  laid  out  Paul’s  case  before
the king: “There is a certain man whom Felix left
in  prison.
While I was  in  Jerusalem, the  chief
priests  and  elders  of  the  Jews  presented  their
case and requested a judgment against him.
I
told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand
a man over before he has had an opportunity to
face  his  accusers  and  defend  himself  against
17
their charges.

16

18

So when they came here with me, I did not de-
lay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and
ordered that the man be brought in.
But when
his  accusers  rose  to  speak,  they  did  not  charge
19
him  with  any  of  the  crimes  I  had  expected.
They only had some contentions with him re-
garding  their  own  religion  and  a  certain  Jesus
who  had  died,  but  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be
20
alive.

Since  I was  at  a  loss  as  to  how  to investigate
these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to
21
Jerusalem  and  be  tried  there  on  these  charges.
But when Paul appealed to be held over for the
decision  of  the  Emperor,  I  ordered  that  he  be
held until I could send him to Caesar.”

26

Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permis-
sion to speak for yourself.”

2

Then  Paul  stretched  out  his  hand  and  began
“King  Agrippa,  I  consider  myself
his  defense:
fortunate  to  stand  before  you  today  to  defend
3
myself  against  all  the  accusations  of  the  Jews,
especially since you are acquainted with all the
Jewish  customs  and  controversies.  I  beg  you,
4
therefore, to listen to me patiently.

5

Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from
my  earliest  childhood  among  my  own  people,
and also in Jerusalem.
They have known me for
a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that
I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect
6
of our religion.

7

And now I stand on trial because of my hope in
the
the promise that God made to our fathers,
promise  our  twelve  tribes  are  hoping  to  see
fulfilled  as  they  earnestly  serve  God  day  and
night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am
Why would any of you con-
accused by the Jews.
9
sider it incredible that God raises the dead?

8

10

So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do
all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Naza-
reth.
And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With

authority  from  the  chief  priests  I  put  many  of
11
the  saints  in  prison,  and  when  they  were  con-
demned to death, I cast my vote against them.
I
frequently had them punished in the synagogues,
and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my rag-
ing  fury  against  them,  I  even  went  to  foreign
12
cities to persecute them.

13

In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus
with  the  authority  and  commission  of  the  chief
priests.
About  noon,  O  king,  as  I  was  on  the
road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the
14
sun,  shining  around  me  and  my  companions.
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice
say  to  me  in  Hebrew,
  ‘Saul,  Saul,  why  do  you
persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against
15
the goads.’

a

‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked.

16

‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord
‘But get up and stand on your feet. For
replied.
I have appeared to you to appoint you as a serv-
17
ant and as a witness of what you have seen from
I will rescue you
Me and what I will show you.
from  your  own  people  and  from  the  Gentiles.  I
to open their eyes, so
am sending you to them
that  they  may  turn  from  darkness  to  light  and
from the power of Satan to God, that they may re-
ceive  forgiveness  of  sins  and  an  inheritance
19
among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

18

20

So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to
First to those in Damascus
the heavenly vision.
and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of
Judea,  and  then  to  the  Gentiles,  I  declared  that
they should repent and turn to God, performing
For this rea-
deeds worthy of their repentance.
 and
son the Jews seized me in the temple courts
22
tried to kill me.

21

 b

23

But  I  have  had  God’s  help  to  this  day,  and  I
stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am
saying  nothing  beyond  what  the  prophets  and
Moses  said  would  happen:
that  the  Christ
would  suffer,  and  as  the  first  to  rise  from  the
dead, would proclaim light to our people and to
Festus Interrupts Paul’s Defense
the Gentiles.”
24

At  this  stage  of  Paul’s  defense,  Festus  ex-
claimed  in  a  loud  voice,  “You  are  insane,  Paul!
25
Your great learning is driving you to madness!”

26

But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most ex-
cellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and
a 14
sobriety.
For  the  king  knows  about  these
along Asia
Or

in the Hebrew language

in Aramaic

; literally

b 21

Lit.

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Acts 27:10    |    1005

matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am con-
fident  that  none  of  this  has  escaped  his  notice,
because  it  was  not  done  in  a  corner.
King
Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you
28
do.”

27

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade
29
me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

“Short  time  or  long,”  Paul  replied,  “I  wish  to
God that not only you but all who hear me this
day  may  become  what  I  am,  except  for  these
30
chains.”

31

Then  the  king  and  the  governor  rose,  along
with Bernice and those seated with them.
On
their  way  out,  they  said  to  one  another,  “This
man has done nothing worthy of death or impris-
32
onment.”

And  Agrippa  said  to  Festus,  “This  man  could
have been released if he had not appealed to Cae-
Paul Sails for Rome
sar.”

27

 c

When it was decided that we would sail
for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners
were  handed  over  to  a  centurion  named  Julius,
who  belonged  to  the  Imperial
We
d
boarded  an  Adramyttian  ship  about  to  sail  for
 and we put out to
ports along the coast of Asia,
sea.  Aristarchus,  a  Macedonian  from  Thessalo-
3
nica, was with us.

  Regiment.

2

4

The  next  day  we  landed  at  Sidon,  and  Julius
treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to
visit  his  friends  and  receive  their  care.
After
5
putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cy-
prus  because  the  winds  were  against  us.
And
when we had sailed across the open sea off the
coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra
in Lycia.
There the centurion found an Alexan-
7
drian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

6

8

After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived
off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed
to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
After we
had  moved  along  the  coast  with  difficulty,  we
came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town
9
of Lasea.

e

10

By now much time had passed, and the voyage
had  already  become  dangerous  because  it  was
after the Fast.
“Men, I
can see that our voyage will be filled with disas-
ter and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but
the temple
to our own lives as well.”
Or

 So Paul advised them,

Lit.
That is, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

sail to the places

Augustan

      e 9

d 2

c 1

1006    |    Acts 27:11

11

28

12

But  contrary  to  Paul’s  advice,  the  centurion
was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of
the  ship.
Since  the  harbor  was  unsuitable  to
winter in, the majority decided to sail on, hoping
that somehow they could reach Phoenix to win-
ter  there.  Phoenix  was  a  harbor  in  Crete  facing
The Storm at Sea  (Jonah 1:4–10)
both southwest and northwest.
13

14

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they
thought  they  had  their  opportunity.  So  they
weighed  anchor  and  sailed  along,  hugging  the
But it was not long before a cy-
coast of Crete.
15
clone called the Northeaster swept down across
Unable  to  head  into  the  wind,  the
the  island.
ship was caught up. So we gave way and let our-
16
selves be driven along.

a

Passing  to  the  lee  of  a  small  island  called
17
Cauda,
  we  barely  managed  to  secure  the  life-
After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes
boat.
to  undergird  the  ship.  And  fearing  that  they
would  run  aground  on  the  sandbars  of  Syrtis,
they  lowered  the  sea  anchor
  and  were  driven
18
along.

 b

19

We were tossed so violently that the next day
On  the
the  men  began  to  jettison  the  cargo.
20
third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard
When  neither  sun  nor
with  their  own  hands.
stars  appeared  for  many  days  and  the  great
storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all
21
hope of being saved.

22

After  the  men  had  gone  a  long  time  without
food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men,
you should have followed my advice not to sail
from  Crete.  Then  you  would  have  averted  this
But now I urge you to keep
disaster and loss.
23
up your courage, because you will not experience
any loss of life, but only of the ship.
For just last
24
night an angel of the God to whom I belong and
and  said,  ‘Do
whom  I  serve  stood  beside  me
not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar.
And look, God has granted you the lives of all who
25
sail with you.’

26

So take courage, men, for I believe God that it
However,  we

will  happen  just  as  He  told  me.
The Shipwreck
must run aground on some island.”
27

c

e

d
They took soundings and found that the water
was twenty fathoms deep.
 Going a little farther,
they took another set of soundings that read fif-
teen  fathoms.
Fearing  that  we  would  run
aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors
30
from the stern and prayed for daybreak.

29

Meanwhile,  the  sailors  attempted  to  escape
from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from
31
the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea.
But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,
“Unless these men remain with the ship, you can-
So the soldiers cut the ropes to
not be saved.”
33
the lifeboat and set it adrift.

32

34

Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all
to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant
So for your
suspense, without taking any food.
own  preservation,  I  urge  you  to  eat  something,
because  not  a  single  hair  of  your  head  will  be
35
lost.”

36

After  he  had  said  this,  Paul  took  bread  and
gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he
They  were  all  en-
broke  it  and  began  to  eat.
38
In
couraged  and  took  some  food  themselves.
all, there were 276
After the
men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship
39
by throwing the grain into the sea.

 of us on board.

37

  f

When  daylight  came,  they  did  not  recognize
the  land,  but  they  sighted  a  bay  with  a  sandy
40
beach,  where  they  decided  to  run  the  ship
aground  if  they  could.
Cutting  away  the  an-
chors, they left them in the sea as they loosened
the  ropes  that  held  the  rudders.  Then  they
hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the
beach.
But the ship struck a sandbar and ran
aground.  The  bow  stuck  fast  and  would  not
move, and the stern was being broken up by the
42
pounding of the waves.

41

43

The  soldiers  planned  to  kill  the  prisoners  so
none of them could swim to freedom.
But the
centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted
their plan. He commanded those who could swim
to  jump  overboard  first  and  get  to  land.
The
rest were to follow on planks and various parts
of  the  ship.  In  this  way  everyone  was  brought
Ashore on Malta
safely to land.

44

28

2

On  the  fourteenth  night  we  were  still  being
driven across the Adriatic Sea.
 About midnight
the sails
a 16
the  sailors  sensed  they  were  approaching  land.

Clauda

b 17

c 27

Once we were safely ashore, we learned
that the island was called Malta.
The is-
landers showed us extraordinary kindness. They

d 28 20 fathoms

NE, BYZ, and TR

e 28 15 fathoms
include the central portion of the Mediterranean Sea.

Or

The Adriatic Sea referred to an area extending well south of Italy to

f 37

76

 is approximately 120 feet or 36.6 meters.

 is approximately 90 feet or 27.4 meters.

WH

kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it
3
was raining and cold.

 a

4

Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid
them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat,
When the islanders
fastened itself to his hand.
saw  the  creature  hanging  from  his  hand,  they
said  to  one  another,  “Surely  this  man  is  a  mur-
derer. Although he was saved from the sea, Jus-
But  Paul
tice
shook the creature off into the fire and suffered
The islanders were expecting him
no ill effects.
to  swell  up  or  suddenly  drop  dead.  But  after
waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual
happen  to  him,  they  changed  their  minds  and
7
said he was a god.

  has  not  allowed  him  to  live.”

6

5

Nearby  stood  an  estate  belonging  to  Publius,
the  chief  official  of  the  island.  He  welcomed  us
8
and  entertained  us  hospitably  for  three  days.
The father of Publius was sick in bed, suffering
from  fever  and  dysentery.  Paul  went  in  to  see
him, and after praying and placing his hands on
After  this  had  hap-
him,  he  healed  the  man.
pened, the rest of the sick on the island came and
10
were cured as well.

9

The  islanders  honored  us  in  many  ways  and
Paul Arrives in Italy
supplied our needs when we were ready to sail.
11

 b

12

13

 as a figurehead.

After  three  months  we  set  sail  in  an  Alexan-
drian ship that had wintered in the island. It had
the Twin Brothers
Putting in
From
at Syracuse, we stayed there three days.
there we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium.
After one day, a south wind came up, and on the
There  we
second  day  we  arrived  at  Puteoli.
found some brothers who invited us to spend the
15
week with them. And so we came to Rome.

14

 c

 d

The  brothers  there  had  heard  about  us  and
 and the
 to meet us. When Paul saw them,

traveled as far as the Forum of Appius
Three Taverns
Paul Preaches at Rome  (Isaiah 6:1–13)
he was encouraged and gave thanks to God.
16

e

Acts 28:31    |    1007

18

against our people or the customs of our fathers,
I  was  taken  prisoner  in  Jerusalem  and  handed
over  to  the  Romans.
They  examined  me  and
19
wanted to release me, because there was no ba-
sis for a death sentence against me.
But when
the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to
Caesar,  even  though  I  have  no  charge  to  bring
So  for  this  reason  I  have
against  my  nation.
called  to  see  you  and  speak  with  you.  It  is  be-
cause of the hope of Israel that I am bound with
21
this chain.”

20

The leaders replied, “We have not received any
letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the
22
brothers from there reported or even mentioned
But we consider your
anything bad about you.
views worth hearing, because we know that peo-
23
ple everywhere are speaking against this sect.”

So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many
people came to the place he was staying. He ex-
pounded to them from morning to evening, testi-
fying about the kingdom of God and persuading
them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the
24
Prophets.

25

Some of them were convinced by what he said,
They disagreed
but others refused to believe.
among themselves and began to leave after Paul
had  made  this  final  statement:  “The  Holy  Spirit
was right when He spoke to your fathers through
26
Isaiah the prophet:

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will be ever hearing but never

understanding;

27

you will be ever seeing but never

perceiving.”

For this people’s heart has grown callous;

they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,
 f
understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’

28

 g

Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has

30
been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

When we arrived in Rome,

 Paul was permit-
ted  to  stay  by  himself,  with  a  soldier  to  guard
17
him.

After three days, he called together the leaders
of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to
a 4
them,  “Brothers,  although  I  have  done  nothing

b 11

Dikē

31

Paul  stayed  there  two  full  years  in  his  own
rented  house,  welcoming  all  who  came  to  visit
Boldly and freely he proclaimed the king-
him.
dom  of  God  and  taught  about  the  Lord  Jesus
Dioscuri
Christ.
d 15
the centurion delivered up the prisoners to the captain of the barrack, but

; that is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux

c 15

The

f 27

The Three Taverns was about 35 miles or 57 km
29 When he had said this, the Jews went away, disputing sharply among themselves.
Isaiah 6:9,

Greek

; that is, the Greek goddess of justice
e 16
Forum of Appius was about 43 miles or 70 kilometers from Rome.
from Rome.
10 (see also LXX)

g 28
BYZ, TR include

BYZ, TR include

Greek

Romans

Paul Greets the Saints in Rome

16

1

2

3

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an
apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
the  gospel  He  promised  beforehand  through
His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
regarding
His Son, who was a descendant of David accord-
and who through the Spirit of
ing to the flesh,
holiness was declared with power to be the Son
of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus
5
Christ our Lord.

4

6

Through Him and on behalf of His name, we re-
ceived  grace  and  apostleship  to  call  all  those
among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes
And you also are among those who
from faith.
7
are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called

to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and
Unashamed of the Gospel
the Lord Jesus Christ.

8

 a

9

10

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all
of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all
God,  whom  I  serve  with  my
over  the  world.
  in  preaching  the  gospel  of  His  Son,  is
spirit
my witness how constantly I remember you
in
11
my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by
For
God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some
that is, that you
spiritual gift to strengthen you,
and  I  may  be  mutually  encouraged  by  each
13
other’s faith.

12

 b

I  do  not  want  you  to  be  unaware,  brothers,
how  often  I  planned  to  come  to  you  (but  have
 until now), in or-
been prevented from visiting
der that I might have a harvest among you, just
I am
as I have had among the other Gentiles.
 both
obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,
That is why I am so
to the wise and the foolish.
eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in
a 9
Rome.
d 17

but have been prevented

in my spirit

14
c

b 13

15

17

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is
the power of God for salvation to everyone who
For
believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that
 e
 just as it is
comes by faith from start to finish,
God’s Wrath against Sin
written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
18

d

19

The  wrath  of  God  is  being  revealed  from
heaven  against  all  the  godlessness  and  wicked-
ness  of  men  who  suppress  the  truth  by  their
wickedness.
For  what  may  be  known  about
20
God  is  plain  to  them,  because  God  has  made  it
plain  to  them.
For  since  the  creation  of  the
world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power
and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being
understood from His workmanship, so that men
21
are without excuse.

22

For although they knew God, they neither glo-
rified  Him  as  God  nor  gave  thanks  to  Him,  but
they  became  futile  in  their  thinking  and  dark-
ened  in  their  foolish  hearts.
Although  they
claimed  to  be  wise,  they  became  fools,
and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for im-
ages  of  mortal  man  and  birds  and  animals  and
24
reptiles.

23

25

Therefore God gave them over in the desires of
their  hearts  to  impurity  for  the  dishonoring  of
their  bodies  with  one  another.
They  ex-
changed the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped
and served the creature rather than the Creator,
26
who is forever worthy of praise!

 Amen.

 f

27

For this reason God gave them over to dishon-
orable  passions.  Even  their  women  exchanged
Likewise,
natural relations for unnatural ones.
the  men  abandoned  natural  relations  with
women  and  burned  with  lust  for  one  another.
Men  committed  indecent  acts  with  other  men
and  received  in  themselves  the  due  penalty  for
28
their error.

Furthermore,  since  they  did  not  see  fit  to
acknowledge  God,  He  gave  them  up  to  a  de-
praved  mind,  to  do  what  ought  not  to  be  done.

to Greeks and barbarians

c 14

f 25

forever blessed

Or

For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith
Literally

Literally

e 17

Literally

Habakkuk 2:4

Or

29

Romans 3:4    |    1009

15

30

They  have  become  filled  with  every  kind  of
wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are
full  of  envy,  murder,  strife,  deceit,  and  malice.
slanderers, God-haters, inso-
They are gossips,
lent,  arrogant,  and  boastful.  They  invent  new
They
forms of evil; they disobey their parents
32
are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

31

.

Although  they  know  God’s  righteous  decree
that  those  who  do  such  things  are  worthy  of
death, they not only continue to do these things,
God’s Righteous Judgment  (Psalm 75:1–10)
but also approve of those who practice them.

2

3

2

You,  therefore,  have  no  excuse,  you  who
pass judgment on another. For on whatever
grounds you judge the other, you are condemn-
ing yourself, because you who pass judgment do
And we know that God’s judg-
the same things.
ment against those who do such things is based
So when you, O man, pass judgment on
on truth.
4
others, yet do the same things, do you think you
Or  do  you  disre-
will  escape  God’s  judgment?
gard  the  riches  of  His  kindness,  tolerance,  and
patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads
5
you to repentance?

7

But  because  of  your  hard  and  unrepentant
heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself
6
for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judg-
 a
God “will repay each one
ment will be revealed.
To those who by per-
according to his deeds.”
severance in doing good seek glory, honor, and
But  for
immortality,  He  will  give  eternal  life.
those  who  are  self-seeking  and  who  reject  the
truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath
9
and anger.

8

10

There will be trouble and distress for every hu-
man being who does evil, first for the Jew, then
but glory, honor, and peace for
for the Greek;
everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then
For God does not show favorit-
for the Greek.
12
ism.

11

All who sin apart from the law will also perish
13
apart from the law, and all who sin under the law
For it is not the hear-
will be judged by the law.
ers of the law who are righteous before God, but
it  is  the  doers  of  the  law  who  will  be  declared
14
righteous.

Indeed,  when  Gentiles,  who  do  not  have  the
a 6
law, do by nature what the law requires, they are

through Jesus Christ

b 16

c 24

a  law  to  themselves,  even  though  they  do  not
So they show that the work of the
have the law.
law is written on their hearts, their consciences
also  bearing  witness,  and  their  thoughts  either
on the day when
accusing or defending them
God  will  judge  men’s  secrets  through  Christ
The Jews and the Law
Jesus,
17

 as proclaimed by my gospel.

16

b

18

19

20

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely
if you know His
on the law and boast in God;
will and approve of what is superior because you
if you are convinced
are instructed by the law;
that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those
in  darkness,
an  instructor  of  the  foolish,  a
teacher  of  infants,  because  you  have  in  the  law
21
the  embodiment  of  knowledge  and  truth—
you, then, who teach others, do you not teach
yourself?  You  who  preach  against  stealing,  do
You  who  forbid  adultery,  do  you
you  steal?
23
commit  adultery?  You  who  abhor  idols,  do  you
You  who  boast  in  the  law,  do
rob  temples?
As it is
you dishonor God by breaking the law?
 c
written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the
25
Gentiles because of you.”

24

22

Circumcision has value if you observe the law,
26
but if you break the law, your circumcision has
If  a  man  who  is  not
become  uncircumcision.
circumcised keeps the requirements of the law,
27
will  not  his  uncircumcision  be  regarded  as  cir-
The  one  who  is  physically  uncir-
cumcision?
cumcised  yet  keeps  the  law  will  condemn  you
who, even though you have the written code and
28
circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

29

A  man  is  not  a  Jew  because  he  is  one  out-
wardly,  nor  is  circumcision  only  outward  and
No, a man is a Jew because he is one
physical.
inwardly,  and  circumcision  is  a  matter  of  the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such
a man’s praise does not come from men, but from
God Remains Faithful
God.

3

2

What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew?
Or what is the value of circumcision?
Much
in  every  way.  First  of  all,  they  have  been  en-
3
trusted with the very words

 of God.

 d

4

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack
of  faith  nullify  God’s  faithfulness?
Certainly
not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is
d 2
written:

the oracles

Psalm 62:12

BYZ and TR

Isaiah 52:5 (see also LXX)

Or

1010    |    Romans 3:5

“So that You may be proved right
when You speak

 a

and victorious when You judge.”

5

6

But if our unrighteousness highlights the right-
eousness of God, what shall we say? That God is
unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in
7
human  terms.
Certainly  not!  In  that  case,  how
could  God  judge  the  world?
However,  if  my
falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the
increase of His glory, why am I still condemned
as a sinner?
Why not say, as some slanderously
claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may
There Is No One Righteous
result”? Their condemnation is deserved!
(Psalm 14:1–7 ;  Psalm 53:1–6 ;  Isaiah 59:1–17)

8

9

What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we
have  already  made  the  charge  that  Jews  and
Greeks alike are all under sin.
As it is written:

10

11

“There is no one righteous,

not even one.

12

There is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

 b

13

there is no one who does good,

not even one.”

 c

14

“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

 e

 d

15
16
17

“Their mouths are full

of cursing and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

18

 f

ruin and misery lie in their wake,
and the way of peace they have not
 g

known.”

19

“There is no fear of God
before their eyes.”

20

Now  we  know  that  whatever  the  law  says,  it
says to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be silenced and the whole world held
Therefore no one will be
accountable to God.
justified in His sight by works of the law. For the
Righteousness through Faith in Christ
law merely brings awareness of sin.
(Philippians 3:1–11)

21

22

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness
of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law
a 4
And this righteousness from
and the Prophets.
c 13
d 13
h 25

when You are judged

; Psalm 51:4 (see also LXX)
i 3
Psalm 140:3

as a propitiation

e 14

j 8

b 12

Or
Psalm 5:9
Or

23

God  comes  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  to  all
for  all
who  believe.  There  is  no  distinction,
24
have  sinned  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God,
and  are  justified  freely  by  His  grace  through

25
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

 h

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice
 in
His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate
His righteousness, because in His forbearance He
26
had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
He did this to demonstrate His righteousness
at the present time, so as to be just and to justify
27
the one who has faith in Jesus.

28

Where,  then,  is  boasting?  It  is  excluded.  On
what principle? On that of works? No, but on that
For we maintain that a man is justified
of faith.
29
by faith apart from works of the law.
30

Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God
of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
since there
is only one God, who will justify the circumcised
by  faith  and  the  uncircumcised  through  that
31
same faith.

Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Cer-

Abraham Justified by Faith
tainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
(Genesis 15:1–7 ;  Psalm 32:1–11 ;  Heb. 11:8–19)

4

2

3

What  then  shall  we  say  that  Abraham,
our forefather according to the flesh, has dis-
If  Abraham  was  indeed  justified  by
covered?
works, he had something to boast about, but not
For  what  does  the  Scripture  say?
before  God.
“Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was  credited  to
4
him as righteousness.”

 i

5

6

Now the wages of the worker are not credited
However, to the
as a gift, but as an obligation.
one who does not work, but believes in Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as right-
And  David  speaks  likewise  of  the
eousness.
blessedness  of  the  man  to  whom  God  credits
7
righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are

8

forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

 j
whose sin the Lord will never count

against him.”

9

Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also
on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that

g 18
Psalm 14:1–3 and Psalm 53:1–3 (see also LXX)

f 17

Psalm 10:7 (see also LXX)

Isaiah 59:7–8 (see also LXX)

Psalm 36:1

Genesis 15:6

Psalm 32:1–2 (see also LXX)

Romans 5:14    |    1011

10

25

Abraham’s  faith  was  credited  to  him  as  right-
In what context was it credited? Was
eousness.
it  after  his  circumcision,  or  before?  It  was  not
11
after, but before.

a

who  believe  in  Him  who  raised  Jesus  our  Lord
He was delivered over to death
from the dead.
for our trespasses and was raised to life for our
The Triumph of Faith
justification.

12

And he received the sign of circumcision as a
seal  of  the  righteousness  that  he  had  by  faith
while  he  was  still uncircumcised.  So  then,  he  is
the father of all who believe but are not circum-
cised, in order that righteousness might be cred-
And  he  is  also  the  father  of  the
ited  to  them.
circumcised  who  not  only  are  circumcised,
but  who  also  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  faith
that  our  father  Abraham  had  before  he  was
Abraham Receives the Promise
circumcised.
(Genesis 15:8–21)

13

14

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring
that he would be heir of the world was not given
through the law, but through the righteousness
For if those who live by the
that comes by faith.
law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is
because the law brings wrath. And
worthless,
16
where there is no law, there is no transgression.

15

 b

17

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that
it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all
Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are
of the law, but also to those who are of the faith
of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
As it is
written: “I have made you a father of many na-
 He is our father in the presence of God,
tions.”
in  whom  he believed,  the  God  who gives  life  to
the dead and calls into being what does not yet
18
exist.

20

Against  all  hope,  Abraham  in  hope  believed
 c
and so became the father of many nations, just as
19
he  had  been  told,  “So  shall  your  offspring  be.”
Without  weakening  in  his  faith,  he  acknowl-
edged the decrepitness of his body (since he was
about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness
Yet he did not waver through
of Sarah’s womb.
disbelief in the promise of God, but was strength-
being
ened in his faith and gave glory to God,
fully persuaded that God was able to do what He
had promised.
This is why “it was credited to
23
him as righteousness.”

22

21

 d

24

Now the words “it was credited to him” were
written not only for Abraham,
but also for us,
a 10
to whom righteousness will be credited—for us
c 18
sion.

d 22

b 17
Literally

5

 e

2

Therefore,  since  we  have  been  justified
through  faith,  we  have
  peace  with  God
through  whom
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,
 f
we have gained access by faith into this grace in
 in the hope of
which we stand. And we rejoice
3
the glory of God.

Not  only  that,  but  we  also  rejoice  in  our
4
sufferings, because we know that suffering pro-
5
perseverance,  character;
duces  perseverance;
And hope does not disap-
and character, hope.
point  us,  because  God  has  poured  out  His  love
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He
Christ’s Sacrifice for the Ungodly
has given us.
(John 3:1–21)

6

7

8

For  at  just  the  right  time,  while  we  were  still
Very
powerless,  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly.
rarely  will  anyone  die  for  a  righteous  man,
though for a good man someone might possibly
But  God  proves  His  love  for  us  in
dare  to  die.
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
9
us.

10

Therefore,  since  we  have  now  been  justified
by  His  blood,  how  much  more  shall  we  be
saved  from  wrath  through  Him!
For  if,  when
we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to
Him  through  the  death  of  His  Son,  how  much
11
more,  having  been  reconciled,  shall  we  be
Not  only  that,  but  we
saved  through  His  life!
also  rejoice  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus
Christ,  through  whom  we  have  now  received
Death in Adam, Life in Christ
reconciliation.
(Genesis 3:1–7)

12

13

Therefore,  just  as  sin  entered  the  world
through one man, and death through sin, so also
death  was  passed  on  to  all  men,  because  all
For sin was in the world before the law
sinned.
was given; but sin is not taken into account when
there  is  no  law.
Nevertheless,  death  reigned
from Adam until Moses, even over those who did
not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is
a pattern of the One to come.

14

e 1

let us have

f 2

exult

How then was it reckoned—being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumci-

Genesis 17:5

Genesis 15:5

Genesis 15:6

Or

Or

; also in verses 3 and 11

1012    |    Romans 5:15

15

16

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the
many died by the trespass of the one man, how
much more did God’s grace and the gift that came
by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound
Again, the gift is not like the result
to the many!
of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed
one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that
17
followed  many  trespasses  brought  justification.
For  if,  by  the  trespass  of  the  one  man,  death
reigned through that one man, how much more
will  those  who  receive  the  abundance  of  grace
and  of  the  gift  of  righteousness  reign  in  life
18
through the one man, Jesus Christ!

So then, just as one trespass brought condem-
nation for all men, so also one act of righteous-
19
ness  brought  justification  and  life  for  all  men.
For just as through the disobedience of the one
man  the  many  were  made  sinners,  so  also
through the obedience of the one man the many
20
will be made righteous.

21

The law came in so that the trespass would in-
crease; but where sin increased, grace increased
all  the  more,
so  that,  just  as  sin  reigned  in
death,  so  also  grace  might  reign  through  right-
eousness  to  bring  eternal  life  through  Jesus
Dead to Sin, Alive to God  (2 Cor. 4:7–18)
Christ our Lord.

6

2

4

3

What then shall we say? Shall we continue in
Certainly
sin  so  that  grace  may  increase?
not!  How  can  we  who  died  to  sin  live  in  it  any
longer?
Or aren’t you aware that all of us who
were  baptized  into  Christ  Jesus  were  baptized
We were therefore buried with
into His death?
Him  through  baptism  into  death,  in  order  that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may walk in new-
5
ness of life.

For if we have been united with Him like this in
6
His death, we will certainly also be united with
We know that our old
Him in His resurrection.
self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin
7
might be rendered powerless, that we should no
For anyone who has died
longer be slaves to sin.
8
has been freed from sin.
9
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we
will also live with Him.
For we know that since
Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead,  He  cannot  die
10
again;  death  no  longer  has  dominion  over  Him.
The death He died, He died to sin once for all;
So you too

but the life He lives, He lives to God.

11

must  count  yourselves  dead  to  sin,  but  alive  to
12
God in Christ Jesus.

13

Therefore  do  not  let  sin  reign  in  your  mortal
Do not pre-
body so that you obey its desires.
sent the parts of your body to sin as instruments
of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as
those who have been brought from death to life;
and present the parts of your body to Him as in-
For  sin  shall  not
struments  of  righteousness.
be your master, because you are not under law,
The Wages of Sin
but under grace.
15

14

16

What  then?  Shall  we  sin  because  we  are  not
Do
under law, but under grace? Certainly not!
you not know that when you offer yourselves as
obedient  slaves,  you  are  slaves  to  the  one  you
obey,  whether  you  are  slaves  to  sin  leading  to
17
death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?
But  thanks  be  to  God  that,  though  you  once
were  slaves  to  sin,  you  wholeheartedly  obeyed
the form of teaching to which you were commit-
You have been set free from sin and have
ted.
19
become slaves to righteousness.

18

I am speaking in human terms because of the
weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer
the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and
to  escalating  wickedness,  so  now  offer  them  in
20
slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

21

For when you were slaves to sin, you were free
What fruit did
of obligation to righteousness.
you  reap  at  that  time  from  the  things  of  which
22
you  are  now  ashamed?  The  outcome  of  those
But now that you have been set
things is death.
free from sin and have become slaves to God, the
23
fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome
For the wages of sin is death, but
is eternal life.
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Release from the Law  (Galatians 3:15–25)
Lord.

7

3

Do you not know, brothers (for I am speak-
ing to those who know the law), that the law
2
has authority over a man only as long as he lives?
For instance, a married woman is bound by law
to  her  husband  as  long  as  he  lives.  But  if  her
husband  dies,  she  is  released  from  the  law  of
So  then,  if  she  is  joined  to  another
marriage.
man while her husband is still alive, she is called
an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free
from that law and is not an adulteress if she mar-
ries another man.

4

5

Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law
through the body of Christ, that you might belong
to another, to Him who was raised from the dead,
For
in  order  that  we  might  bear  fruit  to  God.
when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful
passions aroused by the law were at work in our
But now, having
bodies, bearing fruit for death.
died  to  what  bound  us,  we  have  been  released
from the law, so that we serve in the new way of
the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written
God’s Law Is Holy
code.
7

6

 a

8

What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly
not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin
if  not  for  the  law.  For  I  would  not  have  been
aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not
covet.”
But sin, seizing its opportunity through
the commandment, produced in me every kind of
covetous  desire.  For  apart  from  the  law,  sin  is
9
dead.

10

Once I was alive apart from the law; but when
the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I
So I discovered that the very command-
died.
ment  that  was  meant  to  bring  life  actually
brought death.
For sin, seizing its opportunity
through  the  commandment,  deceived  me  and
12
through the commandment put me to death.

11

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment

Struggling with Sin
is holy, righteous, and good.
13

Did that which is good, then, become death to
me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be
exposed as sin, it produced death in me through
what  was  good,  so  that  through  the  command-
14
ment sin might become utterly sinful.

15

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am un-
I do not under-
spiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
16
stand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not
And if I do what I do
do. But what I hate, I do.
In
not want to do, I admit that the law is good.
that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
18
living in me that does it.

17

Romans 8:11    |    1013

20

And if I do what I do
evil I do not want to do.
not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin
21
living in me that does it.

22
23

So  this  is  the  principle  I  have  discovered:
When I want to do good, evil is right there with
me.
For  in  my  inner  being  I  delight  in  God’s
law.
But I see another law at work in my body,
warring against the law of my mind and holding
b
me  captive  to  the  law  of  sin  that  dwells  within
24
me.

25

What  a  wretched  man  I  am!  Who  will  rescue
Thanks be to God,

me from this body of death?
through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but
Walking by the Spirit
with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
(Ezekiel 36:16–38 ;  Galatians 5:16–26)

8

c

2

Therefore,  there  is  now  no  condemnation
 d
For  in
for  those  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus.

3

Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you
For what the
free from the law of sin and death.
law was powerless to do in that it was weakened
e
by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in
the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin.
He thus condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the
righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but
5
according to the Spirit.

4

6

Those who live according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh; but those who
live according to the Spirit set their minds on the
things  of  the  Spirit.
The  mind  of  the  flesh  is
7
death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God:
8
It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
  cannot  please

Those  controlled  by  the  flesh

 f

9
God.

 g

10

You,  however,  are  controlled  not  by  the  flesh,
but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
But if Christ is in
he does not belong to Christ.
11
you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your
And if
spirit is alive
the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from
 will also give life to your mortal bodies
the dead
through His Spirit, who lives in you.

 because of righteousness.

19

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in
my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good,
For  I  do  not  do  the
but  I  cannot  carry  it  out.
a 7
good  I  want to  do.  Instead,  I  keep  on doing  the
Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
ness of sinful flesh and for sin
h 11

Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21

raised Christ from the dead

Those being in the flesh

Literally

b 23

f 8

 h

captive to the law of sin being in my members.
me

d 2

c 1
e 3

in
in the like-

g 10
BYZ and TR

yet the Spirit is life

BYZ and TR
Literally

NA, BYZ, and TR

Literally

; similarly in verse 9

Or

1014    |    Romans 8:12

Heirs with Christ

12

Therefore,  brothers,  we  have  an  obligation,
13
but  it  is  not  to  the  flesh,  to  live  according  to  it.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will
14
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds
For all who are led by
of the body, you will live.
15
the Spirit of God are sons of God.

16

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that
returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption  to  sonship,  by  whom  we  cry,  “Abba!
The  Spirit  Himself  testifies  with  our
Father!”
And if we are
spirit that we are God’s children.
children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-
heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him,
Future Glory  (2 Corinthians 5:1–10)
so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18

17

20

I consider that our present sufferings are not
19
comparable to the glory that will be revealed in
us.
The creation waits in eager expectation for
For the crea-
the revelation of the sons of God.
tion was subjected to futility, not by its own will,
21
but because of the One who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to decay and brought into the glorious
22
freedom of the children of God.

23

We  know  that  the  whole  creation  has  been
groaning together in the pains of childbirth until
the  present  time.
Not  only  that,  but  we  our-
selves,  who  have  the  firstfruits  of  the  Spirit,
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adop-
For
tion as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen
is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can al-
But if we hope for what we do not
ready see?
26
yet see, we wait for it patiently.

25

24

27

In  the  same  way,  the  Spirit  helps  us  in  our
weakness. For we do not know how we ought to
pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
And  He  who
groans  too  deep  for  words.
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,
because  the  Spirit  intercedes  for  the  saints
God Works in All Things  (Ephesians 1:3–14)
according to the will of God.
28

those  He  predestined,  He  also  called;  those  He
called,  He  also  justified;  those  He  justified,  He
31
also glorified.

33

34

What  then  shall  we  say  in  response  to  these
32
things?  If  God  is  for  us, who  can  be  against  us?
He  who  did  not  spare  His  own  Son  but  gave
Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with
Who will bring
Him, freely give us all things?
any charge against God’s elect? It is God who jus-
tifies.
Who is there to condemn us? For Christ
Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised
to  life,  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God—and  He  is
More than Conquerors  (Psalm 44:1–26)
interceding for us.
35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine
As  it  is
or  nakedness  or  danger  or  sword?
written:

36

“For Your sake we face death all day long;
 a
we are considered as sheep to be

37

slaughtered.”

38

No, in all these things we are more than con-
For I am
querors through Him who loved us.
convinced that neither death nor life, neither an-
gels  nor  principalities,  neither  the  present  nor
neither height nor
the future, nor any powers,
depth,  nor  anything  else  in  all  creation,  will  be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in
Paul’s Concern for the Jews
Christ Jesus our Lord.

39

9

3

4

2

I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as
confirmed  by  my  conscience  in  the  Holy
I  have  deep  sorrow  and  unceasing  an-
Spirit.
guish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself
were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake
the
of  my  brothers,  my  own  flesh  and  blood,
people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons;
theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs
the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the
Theirs  are  the  patriarchs,  and  from
promises.
them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who
God’s Sovereign Choice
is God over all, forever worthy of praise!
 Amen.
(Genesis 25:19–28 ;  Malachi 1:1–5)

5

 b

29

And  we  know  that  God  works  all  things  to-
gether for the good of those who love Him, who
For those
are called according to His purpose.
God  foreknew,  He  also  predestined  to  be  con-
30
formed to the image of His Son, so that He would
a 36
And
be  the  firstborn  among  many  brothers.

forever blessed

b 5

6

It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not
7
all  who  are  descended  from  Israel  are  Israel.
Nor  because  they  are  Abraham’s  descendants
are  they  all  his  children.  On  the  contrary,

Psalm 44:22

Or

 a

8

“Through  Isaac  your  offspring  will  be  reck-
oned.”
So it is not the children of the flesh who
are  God’s  children,  but  it  is  the  children  of  the
promise who are regarded as offspring.
For this
 b
is  what  the  promise  stated:  “At  the  appointed
10
time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

9

11

12

Not  only  that,  but  Rebecca’s  children  were
conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
Yet be-
fore the twins were born or had done anything
good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election
not  by  works  but  by  Him  who
might  stand,
13
calls,  she  was  told,  “The  older  will  serve  the
 d
So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but
younger.”
14
Esau I hated.”
15

 c

What  then  shall  we  say?  Is  God  unjust?  Cer-
For He says to Moses:

tainly not!

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom

 e

16

I have compassion.”

17

 f

So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or
effort,  but  on  God’s  mercy.
For  the  Scripture
says  to  Pharaoh:  “I  raised  you  up  for  this  very
purpose,  that  I might  display  My  power  in  you,
and that My name might be proclaimed in all the
earth.”
Therefore God has mercy on whom He
wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He
19
wants to harden.

18

20

One of you will say to me, “Then why does God
But
still find fault? For who can resist His will?”
who  are  you,  O  man,  to  talk  back  to  God?  Shall
what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why
did You make me like this?”
Does not the pot-
ter have the right to make from the same lump of
clay one vessel for special occasions and another
22
for common use?

21

 g

23

What if God, intending to show His wrath and
make His power known, bore with great patience
the  vessels  of  His  wrath,  prepared  for  destruc-
What if He did this to make the riches of
tion?
His  glory  known  to  the  vessels  of  His  mercy,
in-
whom He prepared in advance for glory—
cluding us, whom He has called not only from the
As He says in
Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
Hosea:

24

25

“I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My

people,

 h

and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not

a 7

b 9

My beloved,”
g 20

c 12

Genesis 21:12

k 29
also LXX)

Genesis 18:14
Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9

l 33

h 25
Genesis 25:23
m 33
Hosea 2:23

Romans 10:6    |    1015

26

and,

“It will happen that in the very place where

it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
 i

they will be called

27

‘sons of the living God.’

”

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

28

“Though the number of the Israelites is
like the sand of the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out His sentence

 j

29

on the earth

thoroughly and decisively.”

It is just as Isaiah foretold:

“Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us

descendants,

we would have become like Sodom,
we would have resembled

 k

Israel’s Unbelief

Gomorrah.”

30

31

32

What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who
did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a
but Israel, who
righteousness that is by faith;
pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by
it.
33
faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled
over the stumbling stone,

as it is written:

 l

“See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense;

 m
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame.”

The Word Brings Salvation  (Isaiah 65:1–16)

10

2

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to
God  for  the  Israelites  is  for  their  salva-
For I testify about them that they are zeal-
tion.
3
ous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
Because they were ignorant of God’s righteous-
ness and sought to establish their own, they did
not submit to God’s righteousness.
For Christ is
the end of the law, to bring righteousness to eve-
5
ryone who believes.

4

 n

6

For concerning the righteousness that is by the
law,  Moses  writes:  “The  man  who  does  these
things  will  live  by  them.”
But  the  righteous-
ness  that  is  by  faith  says:  “Do  not  say  in  your
i 26
Malachi 1:2–3
Exodus 9:16 (see
Exodus 33:19
Hosea 1:10

Isaiah 10:22–23 (see also LXX)

e 15

f 17

j 28

n 5

d 13

Isaiah 1:9 (see also LXX)

Isaiah 8:14

Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX)

Lev. 18:5; see also Ezek. 20:11, 13, 21.

1016    |    Romans 10:7

 a

21

7

 b

heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’
bring  Christ down)
the Abyss?’
8
dead).”

 (that is, to
or,  ‘Who  will  descend  into
 (that is, to bring Christ up from the

 c

10

But what does it say? “The word is near you; it
9
is in your mouth and in your heart,”
 that is, the
that  if  you
word  of  faith  we  are  proclaiming:
confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and be-
lieve in your heart that God raised Him from the
For  with  your  heart
dead,  you  will  be  saved.
you  believe  and  are  justified,  and  with  your
11
mouth you confess and are saved.

 d
It  is  just  as  the  Scripture  says:  “Anyone  who

12
believes  in  Him  will  never  be  put  to  shame.”

For  there  is  no  difference  between  Jew  and
Greek:  The  same  Lord  is  Lord  of  all,  and  gives
 e
richly  to  all  who  call  on  Him,
for,  “Everyone
14
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

13

15

How  then  can  they  call  on  the  One  in  whom
they  have  not  believed?  And  how  can  they  be-
lieve  in  the One  of  whom  they  have not  heard?
And  how  can  they  hear  without  someone  to
And how can they preach unless they
preach?
are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the
16
feet of those who bring good news!”

 f

 g

17

But not all of them welcomed the good news.
For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our mes-
sage?”
Consequently, faith comes by hearing,
18
and hearing by the word of Christ.

But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did:

But as for Israel he says:

“All day long I have held out My hands
to a disobedient and obstinate

 k

A Remnant Chosen by Grace

people.”

11

2

I  ask  then,  did  God  reject  His  people?
Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a
descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benja-
min.
God  did  not  reject  His  people,  whom  He
foreknew.  Do  you  not  know what  the  Scripture
says  about  Elijah,  how  he  appealed  to  God
“Lord,  they  have  killed  Your
against  Israel:
prophets  and  torn  down  Your  altars.  I  am  the
only  one  left,  and  they  are  seeking  my  life  as
4
well”

?

3

 l

And what was the divine reply to him? “I have
reserved  for  Myself  seven  thousand  men  who
5
have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

 m

6

In the same way, at the present time there is a
And if it is by grace,
remnant chosen by grace.
n
then  it  is  no  longer  by  works.  Otherwise,  grace
7
would no longer be grace.

8

What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to
obtain, but the elect did. The others were hard-
ened,

as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see,
 o
and ears that could not hear,

to this very day.”

9

“Their voice has gone out into all

 h

And David says:

19

the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.”

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution to

10

I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First,

them.

Moses says:

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot

 p

“I will make you jealous by those who are

not a nation;

 i

20

I will make you angry by a nation
without understanding.”

And Isaiah boldly says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I revealed Myself to those who did not

 j

a 6
e 13
of peace, who bring good news of good things

ask for Me.”
f 15
Deuteronomy 30:12
Joel 2:32

good news of good things
See Deuteronomy 30:13.
j 20

Literally

k 21

b 7

see,

The Ingrafting of the Gentiles

and their backs be bent forever.”

11

 q

I  ask  then,  did  they  stumble  so  as  to  fall
  Certainly  not!  However,  be-
beyond  recovery?
cause of their trespass, salvation has come to the
But  if  their
Gentiles  to  make  Israel  jealous.
trespass  means  riches  for  the  world,  and  their
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news

d 11

12

c 8

n 6
onomy 32:21 (see also LXX)

Psalm 19:4 (see also LXX)
But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
1 Kings 19:10, 14
did they stumble so as to lose their share?

Isaiah 53:1
q 11

Isaiah 65:2 (see also LXX)

; Isaiah 52:7

Isaiah 65:1

p 10

BYZ and TR include
did they stumble that they might fall?

omy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10.
ally

Psalm 69:22–23 (see also LXX)

Or

Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX)
m 4
o 8

i 19

Deuter-
1 Kings 19:18
See Deuteron-
 Liter-

Deuteronomy 30:14

g 16
; BYZ and TR

h 18
l 3

failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much
13
greater riches will their fullness bring!

15

14

I  am  speaking  to  you  Gentiles.  Inasmuch  as  I
am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my min-
in the hope that I may provoke my own
istry
people to jealousy and save some of them.
For
if  their  rejection  is  the  reconciliation  of  the
world, what will their acceptance be but life from
If the first part of the dough is holy,
the dead?
so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are
17
the branches.

16

18

Now  if  some  branches  have  been  broken  off,
and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in
among  the  others  to  share  in  the  nourishment
do  not  boast  over  those
of  the  olive  root,
branches. If you do, remember this: You do not
19
support the root, but the root supports you.

20

You will say then, “Branches were broken off
so that I could be grafted in.”
That is correct:
They  were  broken  off  because  of  unbelief,  but
you  stand  by  faith.  Do  not  be  arrogant,  but  be
For  if  God  did  not  spare  the  natural
afraid.
22
branches, He will certainly not
 spare you either.

21

 a

23

Take  notice,  therefore,  of  the  kindness  and
severity  of  God:  severity  to  those  who  fell,  but
kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness.
And if they
Otherwise you also will be cut off.
24
do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in,
For if you
for God is able to graft them in again.
were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to
nature  were  grafted  into  one  that  is  cultivated,
how  much  more  readily  will  these,  the  natural
All Israel Will Be Saved
branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
25

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mys-
tery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited:
A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the
And so
full number of the Gentiles has come in.
all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

26

27

“The Deliverer will come from Zion;

He will remove godlessness from Jacob.

 b

28

And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”

Romans 12:8    |    1017

30

c

Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have
31
now received mercy through their disobedience,
so they too have now disobeyed, in order that
32
they  too  may  now  receive  mercy  through  the
For God has consigned
mercy shown to you.
everyone  to  disobedience  so  that  He  may  have
A Hymn of Praise
mercy on everyone.
(Isaiah 40:9–31)

33

O, the depth of the riches

of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments,

34

and untraceable His ways!

 d

35

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?”

 e

“Who has first given to God,

36

that God should repay him?”

For from Him and through Him and to Him

are all things.

Living Sacrifices
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
(1 Corinthians 3:16–23 ;  1 Corinthians 6:18–20)

12

Therefore  I  urge  you,  brothers,  on
account  of  God’s  mercy,  to  offer  your
f
bodies  as  living  sacrifices,  holy  and  pleasing  to
2
God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be trans-
formed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what is the good,
3
pleasing, and perfect will of God.

4

For by the grace given me I say to every one of
you:  Do  not  think  of  yourself  more  highly  than
you ought, but think of yourself with sober judg-
ment, according to the measure of faith God has
Just as each of us has one body with
given you.
many  members,  and  not  all  members  have  the
so  in  Christ  we  who  are  many
same  function,
are one body, and each member belongs to one
6
another.

5

We  have  different  gifts  according  to  the  grace
7
given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in
8
if  it  is  serving,  let  him
proportion  to  his  faith;
serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
if it is en-
couraging,  let  him  encourage;  if  it  is  giving,  let
him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead
with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do
it cheerfully.

may receive mercy through your mercy

Regarding  the  gospel,  they  are  enemies  on
your  account;  but  regarding  election,  they  are
loved on account of the patriarchs.
For God’s
a 21
gifts and His call are irrevocable.
c 31
d 34

He will not
may now receive mercy through your mercy

; SBL, NE, and WH
e 35

He will perhaps not

29

f 1

b 27

Or
Literally
Isaiah 40:13 (see also LXX)

Job 41:11

Or

; BYZ and TR

your reasonable service

Isaiah 27:9 and Isaiah 59:20–21; see also LXX

1018    |    Romans 12:9

Love, Zeal, Hope, Hospitality
(John 13:31–35 ;  1 John 3:11–24)

9

10

Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling
Be devoted to one another in
to what is good.
brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one
11
another.

Do  not  let  your  zeal  subside;  keep  your  spir-

12
itual fervor, serving the Lord.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persis-

13
tent in prayer.

Share with the saints who are in need. Practice

Forgiveness  (Matthew 18:21–35)
hospitality.
14

15

Bless  those  who  persecute  you.  Bless  and  do
16
Rejoice  with  those  who  rejoice;
not  curse.
Live in harmony
weep with those who weep.
with one another. Do not be proud, but associate
17
with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

Do  not  repay  anyone  evil  for  evil.  Carefully
18
consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible on your part, live at peace with

19
everyone.

Do  not  avenge  yourselves,  beloved, but  leave
room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Venge-
20
ance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

 a

On the contrary,

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him a drink.

 b

For in so doing,

21

you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil

Submission to Authorities  (1 Peter 2:13–20)
with good.

13

does  not  carry  the  sword  in  vain.  He  is  God’s
servant,  an  agent  of  retribution  to  the  wrong-
5
doer.

6

Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority,
not only to avoid punishment, but also as a mat-
This is also why you pay taxes.
ter of conscience.
7
For  the  authorities  are  God’s  servants,  who  de-
vote  themselves  to  their  work.
Pay  everyone
what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due,
revenue  to  whom  revenue  is  due,  respect  to
whom  respect  is  due,  honor  to  whom  honor  is
Love Fulfills the Law  (Leviticus 19:9–18)
due.
8

9

Be indebted to no one, except to one another in
love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled
The  commandments  “Do  not  commit
the  law.
 c
adultery,”  “Do  not  murder,”  “Do  not  steal,”  “Do
 and  any  other  commandments,  are
not  covet,”
summed up in this one decree: “Love your neigh-
bor  as  yourself.”
Love  does  no  wrong  to  its
neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the
The Day Is Near
law.
11

10

 d

13

12

And do this, understanding the occasion. The
hour  has  come  for  you  to  wake  up  from  your
slumber,  for  our  salvation  is  nearer  now  than
The  night  is  nearly
when  we  first  believed.
over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside
the  deeds  of  darkness  and  put  on  the  armor  of
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,
light.
not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual
 e
immorality  and  debauchery,  not  in  dissension
and jealousy.
the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
The Law of Liberty
the desires of the flesh.
(Matthew 7:1–6 ;  Luke 6:37–42)

Instead, clothe yourselves with

14

14

f

2

Everyone  must  submit  himself  to  the
governing  authorities,  for  there  is  no
authority except that which is from God. The au-
2
thorities that exist have been appointed by God.
Consequently, whoever resists authority is op-
posing what God has set in place, and those who
3
do so will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but
to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in
authority?  Then  do  what  is  right,  and  you  will
For  he  is  God’s  servant  for
have  his  approval.
your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he
a 19

4

b 20
put on

d 9

e 14

Deuteronomy 32:35 (see also LXX)
Leviticus 19:18

Or

5:17–21

3

Accept him whose faith is weak, without
For
passing judgment on his opinions.
one person has faith to eat all things, while an-
The
other,  who  is  weak,  eats  only  vegetables.
one  who  eats  everything  must  not  belittle  the
one who does not, and the one who does not eat
4
everything must not judge the one who does, for
Who  are  you  to  judge
God  has  accepted  him.
someone  else’s  servant?  To  his  own  master  he
stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is
able to make him stand.
f 1
Proverbs 25:21–22 (see also LXX)
; see verse 12.

without quarreling over disputable matters

Exodus 20:13–17; Deuteronomy

c 9

Or

Romans 15:12    |    1019

c

wine or to do anything to cause your brother to
22
stumble.

d

Keep your belief about such matters between
yourself and God.
 Blessed is the one who does
But
not condemn himself by what he approves.
the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats,
because his eating is not from faith; and every-
Accept One Another
thing that is not from faith is sin.

23

e

15

 f

2

3

We  who  are  strong  ought  to  bear  with
the shortcomings of the weak and not to
Each  of  us  should  please  his
please  ourselves.
For even
neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written:
“The insults of those who insult You have fallen
on Me.”
For everything that was written in the
past  was  written  for  our  instruction,  so  that
through  endurance  and  the  encouragement  of
5
the Scriptures, we might have hope.

4

6

Now may the God who gives endurance and en-
couragement  grant  you  harmony  with  one  an-
so that with one mind and
other in Christ Jesus,
one voice you may glorify the God and Father of
Christ the Servant of Jews and Gentiles
our Lord Jesus Christ.
7

8

Accept  one  another,  then,  just  as  Christ  ac-
For I
cepted you, in order to bring glory to God.
tell you that Christ has become a servant of the
circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm
so that the
the promises made to the patriarchs,
Gentiles  may  glorify  God  for  His  mercy.  As  it  is
written:

9

“Therefore I will praise You among the

 g

10

Gentiles;

I will sing hymns to Your name.”

Again, it says:

11

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”

 h

And again:

 i

12

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and extol Him, all you peoples.”

And once more, Isaiah says:

“The Root of Jesse will appear,

One who will arise to rule over the

 j

5

 a

6

One person regards a certain day above the oth-
ers,  while  someone  else  considers  every  day
alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his
He who observes a special day does
own mind.
so to the Lord;
 he who eats does so to the Lord,
for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains
7
does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

8

For none of us lives to himself alone, and none
If we live, we live to
of us dies to himself alone.
the  Lord,  and  if  we  die,  we  die  to  the  Lord.  So
9
whether  we  live  or  die,  we  belong  to  the  Lord.
For this reason Christ died and returned to life,
that He might be the Lord of both the dead and
10
the living.

Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why
do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand
before God’s judgment seat.

It is written:

11

“As surely as I live,
says the Lord,

 b

12

every knee will bow before Me;

every tongue will confess to God.”

So then, each of us will give an account of him-

The Law of Love
self to God.
(Ezekiel 14:1–11 ;  1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

13

Therefore let us stop judging one another. In-
stead, make up your mind not to put any stum-
14
bling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

15

I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord
Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if any-
one regards something as unclean, then for him
If  your  brother  is  distressed  by
it  is  unclean.
what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do
not  by  your  eating  destroy  your  brother,  for
16
whom Christ died.

17

Do not allow what you consider good, then, to
For the kingdom of God is
be spoken of as evil.
not a matter of eating and drinking, but of right-
For
eousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to
19
God and approved by men.

18

20

So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and
to mutual edification.
Do not destroy the work
of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but
it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stum-
a 6
It is better not to eat meat or drink
bling block.
c 21

21

d 22
or
f 3

Keep the faith that you have to yourself before God
h 10

; Isaiah 45:23 (see also LXX)

g 9

will acknowledge God
BYZ and TR include

Lit.

Gentiles;
he who does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regard it;

will give praise to God
in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”

b 11

or to be hindered or weakened

e 23
SBL, BYZ, and TR include
i 11

Or

j 12

.

Some manuscripts place the text of Romans 16:25–27 here.

Psalm 69:9

2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49

De. 32:43

Psalm 117:1

Isaiah 11:10 (see also LXX)

1020    |    Romans 15:13

13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may
overflow  with  hope  by  the  power  of  the  Holy
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
Spirit.
14

16

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you
yourselves  are  full  of  goodness,  brimming  with
15
knowledge,  and  able  to  instruct  one  another.
However, I have written you a bold reminder
on  some  points,  because  of  the  grace  God  has
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the
given me
Gentiles  in  the  priestly  service  of  the  gospel  of
God, so that the Gentiles might become an offer-
ing  acceptable  to  God,  sanctified  by  the  Holy
17
Spirit.

18

Therefore I exult in Christ Jesus in my service
I will not presume to speak of anything
to God.
except what Christ has accomplished through me
19
in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and
by the power of signs and wonders, and
deed,
by the power of the Spirit of God.
 So from Jeru-
salem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully
20
proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

a

In this way I have aspired to preach the gospel
where Christ was not known, so that I would not
Ra-
be building on someone else’s foundation.
ther, as it is written:

21

“Those who were not told about Him will see,

 b
and those who have not heard will

22

understand.”

That is why I have often been hindered from

Paul’s Travel Plans
coming to you.
(1 Corinthians 16:5–9)

23

24

But now that there are no further opportuni-
ties  for  me  in  these  regions,  and  since  I  have
longed  for  many  years  to  visit  you,
I  hope  to
see you on my way to Spain. And after I have en-
joyed  your  company  for a  while,  you can  equip
25
me for my journey.

26
Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to
For  Macedonia  and
serve  the  saints  there.
Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for
They
the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to
a 19
them.  For  if  the  Gentiles  have  shared  in  their
d 33

the power of the Spirit

27

of the gospel
e 1

SBL
BYZ include
16:25–27 here.
man province in what is now western Turkey.

deaconess
.

; NE and WH

f 3 Prisca

Or

spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister
28
to them with material blessings.

29

So after I have completed this service and have
safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off
I  know  that  when  I
to  Spain  by  way  of  you.
come  to  you,  I  will  come  in  the  fullness  of  the
30
blessing

 of Christ.

 c

31

Now  I  urge  you,  brothers,  by  our  Lord  Jesus
Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in
Pray
my  struggle  by  praying  to  God  for  me.
that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in
Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be
so that by God’s
acceptable to the saints there,
will I may come to you with joy and together with
33
you be refreshed.
Personal Greetings and Love

The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

32

d

16

 e

2

I  commend  to  you  our  sister  Phoebe,  a
  of  the  church  in  Cenchrea.
servant
Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of
the saints, and assist her with anything she may
need from you. For she has been a great help to
 f
3
many people, including me.
4
 and Aquila, my fellow workers in
Greet Prisca
who have risked their lives for me.
Christ Jesus,
Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are
Greet  also  the  church  that
grateful  to  them.
meets at their house.

5

g

Greet  my  beloved  Epenetus,  who  was  the  first
6
convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
7

Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

h

Greet  Andronicus  and  Junia,

  my  fellow  coun-
trymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstand-
ing among the apostles, and they were in Christ
8
before I was.
9

Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and

10
my beloved Stachys.

Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aris-
11
tobulus.

Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.

the power of the Holy Spirit

Greet those from the household of Narcissus who
are in the Lord.

b 21

c 29

Amen.

Some manuscripts do not include
h 7

 is a variant of

Junias

 One early manuscript places the text of Romans
; Asia was a Ro-

Literally

; see Acts 18:2.

Priscilla

Isaiah 52:15 (see also LXX)

in Asia

g 5

TR and

Some translators

12

20

Romans 16:27    |    1021

Greet  Tryphena  and  Tryphosa,  women  who

have worked hard in the Lord.

Greet  my  beloved  Persis,  who  has  worked  very
13
hard in the Lord.

Greet  Rufus,  chosen  in  the  Lord,  and  his

14
mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

Greet  Asyncritus,  Phlegon,  Hermes,  Patrobas,

15
Hermas, and the brothers with them.

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sis-

16
ter, and Olympas and all the saints with them.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Avoid Divisions
All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
(Titus 3:9–11)

17

18

Now  I  urge  you,  brothers,  to  watch  out  for
those who create divisions and obstacles that are
contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn
For such people are not serv-
away from them.
ing our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By
smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts
19
of the naive.

Everyone has heard about your obedience, so
I  rejoice  over  you.  But  I  want  you  to  be  wise
about what is good and innocent about what is
evil.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under
 be

your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
Greetings from Paul’s Fellow Workers
with you.
(Colossians 4:7–14)

 a

21

Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greet-
ings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow
22
countrymen.

I,  Tertius,  who  wrote  down  this  letter,  greet

23
you in the Lord.

Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church,

sends you greetings.

b

Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you greetings,
Doxology
as does our brother Quartus.
(Jude 1:24–25)

25

Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by
my  gospel  and  by  the  proclamation  of  Jesus
26
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery
but now revealed and
concealed for ages past
made known through the writings of the proph-
ets by the command of the eternal God, in order
to  lead  all  nations  to  the  obedience  that  comes
d
to the only wise God be glory for-
from faith
ever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

—

27

 c

a 20
Amen.

c 26

Lord Jesus
the obedience of faith

b 23

d 27

24 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

NA, NE, and WH
Literally
after Romans 15:33.

SBL, BYZ, and TR include

Some manuscripts place the text of verses 25–27 after Romans 14:23 or

1 Corinthians

Greetings from Paul and Sosthenes
(Acts 18:1–11 ;  2 Corinthians 1:1–2)

1

2
nes,

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, and our brother Sosthe-

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sancti-
fied in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together
with all those everywhere who call on the name
3
of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father
Thanksgiving  (Philippians 1:3–11 ;  Col. 1:3–14)
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4

5

I always thank my God for you because of the
grace  He  has  given  you  in  Christ  Jesus.
For  in
Him you have been enriched in every way, in all
because  our  testi-
speech  and  all  knowledge,
7
mony about Christ was confirmed in you.

6

8

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as
you  eagerly  await  the  revelation  of  our  Lord
He will sustain you to the end, so
Jesus Christ.
9
that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord
God,  who  has  called  you  into  fel-
Jesus  Christ.
lowship  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  is
Unity in the Church  (Ps. 133:1–3 ;  Eph. 4:1–16)
faithful.
10

I  appeal  to  you,  brothers,  in  the  name  of  our
Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together,
so that there may be no divisions among you and
11
that you may be united in mind and conviction.
My  brothers,  some  from  Chloe’s  household
have informed me that there are quarrels among
What  I  mean  is  this:  Individuals  among
you.
you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,”
13
“I follow Cephas,”

 or “I follow Christ.”

12

 a

14

15

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
Were  you  baptized  into  the  name  of  Paul?
I
thank God that I did not baptize any of you except
Crispus and Gaius,
so no one can say that you
Yes, I also bap-
were baptized into my name.
tized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I
c 23
a 12
do not remember if I baptized anyone else.
For

b 19

16

17

e 31

Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach
the  gospel,  not  with  words  of  wisdom,  lest  the
The Message of the Cross
cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:

19

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

 b

20

the intelligence of the intelligent I will

frustrate.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe?
Where  is  the  philosopher  of  this  age?  Has  not
21
God  made  foolish  the  wisdom  of  the  world?
For  since  in  the  wisdom  of  God  the  world
through its wisdom did not know Him, God was
pleased  through  the  foolishness  of  what  was
22
preached to save those who believe.

23

Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wis-
c
but  we  preach  Christ  crucified,  a  stum-
dom,
24
bling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

but  to  those  who  are  called,  both  Jews  and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
25
of God.

d

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s
  and  the  weakness  of  God  is  stronger

wisdom,
Wisdom from God
than man’s strength.
26

27

Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not
many of you were wise by human standards; not
many  were  powerful;  not  many  were  of  noble
birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the
world  to  shame  the  wise;  God  chose  the  weak
things  of  the  world  to  shame  the  strong.
He
chose the lowly and despised things of the world,
and the things that are not, to nullify the things
that are,
so that no one may boast in His pres-
30
ence.

29

28

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who  has  become  for  us  wisdom  from  God:
31
our  righteousness,  holiness,  and  redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts

 e

boast in the Lord.”

to Greeks

d 25

than men

That is, Peter

Isaiah 29:14 (see also LXX)

BYZ and TR

Literally

; twice in this

verse

Jeremiah 9:24

Paul’s Message by the Spirit’s Power

God’s Fellow Workers  (Hebrews 5:11–14)

1 Corinthians 3:19    |    1023

2

2

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come
with  eloquence  or  wisdom  as  I  proclaimed
For I resolved
to you the testimony about God.
3
to  know  nothing  while  I  was  with  you  except
Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I came to you in
4
weakness  and  fear,  and  with  much  trembling.
My  message  and  my  preaching  were  not  with
persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demon-
so that your faith
stration of the Spirit’s power,
would  not  rest  on  men’s  wisdom,  but  on  God’s
Spiritual Wisdom  (Ephesians 1:15–23)
power.
6

5

7

Among the mature, however, we speak a mes-
sage of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age
or  of  the  rulers  of  this  age,  who  are  coming  to
a
No,  we  speak  of  the  mysterious  and
nothing.
8
  which  He  destined  for
hidden  wisdom  of  God,
None of the rulers
our glory before time began.
of  this  age  understood  it.  For  if  they  had,  they
Ra-
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
ther, as it is written:

9

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,
no heart has imagined,

 b

what God has prepared for those who

10

love Him.”

But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit.

11

12

The  Spirit  searches  all  things,  even  the  deep
For who among men knows the
things of God.
thoughts  of  man  except  his  own  spirit  within
him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God
We have not received
except the Spirit of God.
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God,  that  we  may  understand  what  God  has
And this is what we speak, not
freely given us.
in  words  taught  us  by  human  wisdom,  but  in
c
words  taught  by  the  Spirit,  expressing  spiritual
14
truths in spiritual words.

13

The  natural  man  does  not  accept  the  things
that  come  from  the  Spirit  of  God.  For  they  are
foolishness  to  him,  and  he  cannot  understand
15
them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned.
The  spiritual  man  judges  all  things,  but  he
16
himself  is  not  subject  to  anyone’s  judgment.
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so
  But  we  have  the  mind  of

 d

we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery
f 16

among

b 9

as  to  instruct  Him?”
a 7
Christ.
e 8
Or
Literally

are one

Or

Isaiah 64:4

3

3

2
Brothers,  I  could  not  address  you  as  spir-
itual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
I
gave  you  milk,  not  solid  food,  for  you  were  not
yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not
for you are still worldly. For since there
ready,
is  jealousy  and  dissension  among  you,  are  you
4
not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of
For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,”
man?
and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere
5
men?

6

7

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They
are servants through whom you believed, as the
Lord has assigned to each his role.
I planted the
seed  and  Apollos  watered  it,  but  God  made  it
So neither he who plants nor he who wa-
grow.
8
ters is anything, but only God, who makes things
He who plants and he who waters are one
grow.
in purpose,
 and each will be rewarded accord-
ing  to  his  own  labor.
For  we  are  God’s  fellow
Christ Our Foundation  (Isaiah 28:14–22 ;
workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Ephesians 2:19–22 ;  1 Peter 2:1–8)

9

e

10

11

By the grace God has given me, I laid a founda-
tion  as  an  expert  builder,  and  someone  else  is
building on it. But each one must be careful how
For  no  one  can  lay  a  foundation
he  builds.
other  than  the  one  already  laid,  which  is  Jesus
12
Christ.

13

14

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
his
workmanship  will  be  evident,  because  the  Day
will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire,
and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s
If what he has built survives, he will re-
work.
If it is burned up, he will suffer
ceive a reward.
loss.  He  himself  will  be  saved,  but  only  as  if
God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom
through the flames.
(Romans 12:1–8 ;  1 Corinthians 6:18–20)

15

16

 f

17

Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s
temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in
If
anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy
him;  for  God’s  temple  is  holy,  and  you  are  that
18
temple.

 you?

Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks
he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so
d 16
c 13
For the wisdom of
that he may become wise.
Isaiah 40:13 (see also LXX)

to spiritual people

Or

19

1024    |    1 Corinthians 3:20

 a

20

this  world  is  foolishness  in  God’s  sight.  As  it  is
written:  “He  catches  the  wise  in  their  crafti-
ness.”
And  again,  “The  Lord  knows  that  the
21
thoughts of the wise are futile.”

 b

 c

22

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas

Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are
yours,
 or
the world or life or death or the present or the
and you be-
future. All of them belong to you,
Servants of Christ
long to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

23

4

So then, men ought to regard us as servants
2
of  Christ  and  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of
Now it is required of stewards that they be

God.
3
found faithful.

4

I care very little, however, if I am judged by you
or  by  any  human  court.  In  fact,  I  do  not  even
My  conscience  is  clear,  but  that
judge  myself.
does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges
5
me.

Therefore  judge  nothing  before  the  appointed
time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to
light what is hidden in darkness and will expose
the  motives  of  men’s  hearts.  At  that  time  each
6
will receive his praise from God.

7

Brothers, I have applied these things to myself
and  Apollos  for  your  benefit,  so  that  you  may
learn from us not to go beyond what is written.
Then you will not take pride in one man over an-
For who makes you so superior? What do
other.
you have that you did not receive? And if you did
receive  it,  why  do  you  boast  as  though  you  did
8
not?

9

Already  you  have  all  you  want.  Already  you
have become rich. Without us, you have become
kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that
For it seems to me
we might be kings with you!
that God has displayed us apostles at the end of
the  procession,  like  prisoners  appointed  for
death. We have become a spectacle to the whole
10
world, to angels as well as to men.

we  answer  gently.  Up  to  this  moment  we  have
become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the
Paul’s Fatherly Warning
world.
14

15

16

I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn
you as my beloved children.
Even if you have
ten  thousand  guardians  in  Christ,  you  do  not
have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became
17
your  father  through  the  gospel.
Therefore  I
urge you to imitate me.
That is why I have sent
you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the
d
Lord.  He  will  remind  you  of  my  way  of  life  in
Christ Jesus,
 which is exactly what I teach eve-
18
rywhere in every church.

19

Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were
not  coming  to  you.
But  I  will  come  to  you
shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find
out not only what these arrogant people are say-
ing, but  what  power  they  have.
For  the  king-
21
dom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with

Immorality Rebuked
a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
(Leviticus 20:10–21 ;  Proverbs 5:1–23)

20

5

2

It  is  actually  reported  that  there  is  sexual
immorality among you, and of a kind that is
intolerable  even  among  pagans:  A  man  has  his
And you are proud! Shouldn’t you
father’s wife.
rather  have  been  stricken  with  grief  and  have
removed from your fellowship the man who did
3
this?

 e

4

Although  I  am  absent  from  you  in  body,  I  am
present with you in spirit, and I have already pro-
nounced judgment on the one who did this, just
as if I were present.
When you are assembled in
the name of our Lord Jesus
 and I am with you in
5
spirit,  along  with  the  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus,
hand this man over to Satan for the destruction
of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the
6
Day of the Lord.

f

11

12

We  are  fools  for  Christ,  but  you  are  wise  in
Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are
honored, but we are dishonored.
To this very
hour  we  are  hungry  and  thirsty,  we  are  poorly
clothed,  we  are  brutally  treated,  we  are  home-
We work hard with our own hands. When
less.
we  are  vilified,  we  bless;  when  we  are  perse-
b 20
a 19
when  we  are  slandered,
cuted,  we  endure  it;
f 5
our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled

c 22

13

7

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that
a little leaven works through the whole batch of
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may
dough?
be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For
8
Christ,  our  Passover  lamb,  has  been  sacrificed.
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old
bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but
with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  of
d 17
truth.
the Lord Jesus

my way of life in Christ,

In the name of

e 4

Job 5:13

Psalm 94:11

That is, Peter
BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR

Or

Expel the Immoral Brother

12

1 Corinthians 7:7    |    1025

9

10

11

I  wrote  you  in  my  letter  not  to  associate  with
sexually  immoral  people.
I  was  not  including
the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy
and  swindlers,  or  idolaters.  In  that  case  you
would have to leave this
But now I am
writing  you  not  to  associate  with  anyone  who
claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or
greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunk-
ard or a swindler. With such a man do not even
12
eat.

 world.

13

What business of mine is it to judge those out-
side the church? Are you not to judge those in-
side?
God will judge those outside. “Expel the
Lawsuits among Believers
wicked man from among you.”

 a

6

2

If any of you has a grievance against another,
how  dare  he  go  to  law  before  the  unright-
eous  instead  of  before  the  saints!
Do  you  not
know that the saints will judge the world? And if
you are to judge the world, are you not compe-
Do you not know that
tent to judge trivial cases?
we will judge angels? How much more the things
4
of this life!

3

5

So  if  you  need  to  settle  everyday  matters,  do
you  appoint  as  judges  those  of  no  standing  in
I say this to your shame. Is there re-
the church?
6
ally no one among you wise enough to arbitrate
between  his  brothers?
Instead,  one  brother
goes to law against another, and this in front of
7
unbelievers!

8

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you
means that you are thoroughly defeated already.
Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be
Instead, you yourselves cheat and do
cheated?
Members of Christ
wrong, even against your own brothers!
9

 b

10

Do  you  not  know  that  the  wicked  will  not  in-
herit  the  kingdom  of  God?  Do  not  be  deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers,  nor  men  who  submit  to  or  perform
nor thieves, nor the greedy,
homosexual acts,
nor  drunkards,  nor  verbal  abusers,  nor  swin-
And that
dlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
is what some of you were. But you were washed,
you  were  sanctified,  you  were  justified,  in  the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of
a 13
our God.
wrong, and this to brothers!
long to God

Expel the evil from among you

Literally

c 16

e 1

11

13

“Everything  is  permissible  for  me,”  but  not
everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissi-
ble  for  me,”  but  I  will  not  be  mastered  by  any-
“Food for the stomach and the stomach
thing.
for  food,”  but  God  will  destroy  them  both.  The
body is not intended for sexual immorality, but
By His
for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He
15
will raise us also.

14

Do  you  not  know  that  your  bodies  are  mem-
bers of Christ? Shall I then take the members of
16
Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
Or don’t you know that he who unites himself
with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it
But
is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
he who unites himself with the Lord is one with
The Temple of the Holy Spirit
Him in spirit.
(Romans 12:1–8 ;  1 Corinthians 3:16–23)

17

 c

18

19

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a
man can commit is outside his body, but he who
Do you
sins sexually sins against his own body.
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
20
Spirit  who  is  in  you,  whom  you  have  received
you  were
from  God?  You  are  not  your  own;
bought  at  a  price.  Therefore  glorify  God  with
Principles of Marriage
your body.

d

7

e

2

Now  for  the  matters  you  wrote  about:  It  is
But
good to abstain from sexual relations.
because there is so much sexual immorality, each
man should have his own wife, and each woman
3
her own husband.

The  husband  should  fulfill  his  marital  duty  to
4
his  wife,  and  likewise  the  wife  to  her  husband.
The wife does not have authority over her own
body,  but  the  husband.  Likewise  the  husband
does not have authority over his own body, but
5
the wife.

6

Do  not  deprive  each  other,  except  by  mutual
consent and for a time, so you may devote your-
selves  to  prayer.  Then  come  together  again,  so
that Satan will not tempt you through your lack
7
I say this as a concession, not as
of self-control.
I  wish  that  all  men  were  as  I  am.
a  command.
But each man has his own gift from God; one has
this gift, another has that.

d 20

do
and with your spirit, which be-

b 8

It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

; Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 19:19, 21:21, 22:21, 22:24, 24:7

Literally

.

Literally

Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)

BYZ and TR include

1026    |    1 Corinthians 7:8

8

Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It
9
is good  for  them  to  remain  unmarried,  as I  am.
But if they cannot control themselves, let them
marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with
10
passion.

11

To the married I give this command (not I, but
the  Lord):  A  wife  must  not  separate  from  her
husband.
But if she does, she must remain un-
married  or  else  be  reconciled  to  her  husband.
12
And a husband must not divorce his wife.

14

To  the  rest  I  say  this  (I,  not  the  Lord):  If  a
brother has an unbelieving wife and she is will-
13
ing  to  live  with  him,  he  must  not  divorce  her.
And  if  a  woman  has  an  unbelieving  husband
and  he  is  willing  to  live  with  her,  she  must  not
divorce  him.
For  the  unbelieving  husband  is
sanctified  through  his  believing  wife,  and  the
unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believ-
ing husband. Otherwise your children would be
15
unclean, but now they are holy.

16

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The be-
 a
lieving  brother  or  sister  is  not  bound  in  such
cases. God has called you
How
do  you  know,  wife,  whether  you  will  save  your
husband?  Or  how  do  you  know,  husband,
Live Your Calling
whether you will save your wife?
17

 to live in peace.

18

Regardless, each one should lead the life that
the Lord has assigned to him and to which God
has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the
churches.
Was  a  man  already  circumcised
when he was called? He should not become un-
circumcised.  Was  a  man  still  uncircumcised
19
when  called?  He  should  not  be  circumcised.
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is
nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what
20
counts.

21

22

Each one should remain in the situation he was
in when he was called.
Were you a slave when
you were called? Do not let it concern you—but
if  you  can  gain  your  freedom,  take  the  oppor-
tunity.
For  he  who  was  a  slave  when  he  was
called  by  the  Lord is  the Lord’s  freedman.  Con-
versely,  he  who  was  a  free  man  when  he  was
23
called is Christ’s slave.

24

The Unmarried and Widowed

25

 b

26

27

Now  about  virgins,  I  have  no  command  from
the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the
Lord’s  mercy  is  trustworthy.
Because  of  the
present
  crisis,  I  think  it  is  good  for  a  man  to
remain as he is.
Are you committed to a wife?
28
Do not seek to be released. Are you free of com-
mitment? Do not look for a wife.
But if you do
marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin mar-
ries,  she  has  not  sinned.  But  those  who  marry
will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare
29
you this.

30

What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is
short.  From  now  on  those  who  have  wives
should  live  as  if  they  had  none;
those  who
weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as
if they were not; those who make a purchase, as
if  they  had  nothing;
and  those  who  use  the
things of this world, as if not dependent on them.
For  this  world  in  its  present  form  is  passing
32
away.

31

34

33

I  want  you  to  be  free  from  concern.  The  un-
married man is concerned about the work of the
Lord, how he can please the Lord.
But the mar-
ried  man  is  concerned  about  the  affairs  of  this
world,  how  he  can  please  his  wife,
and  his
interests are divided. The unmarried woman or
virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord,
how  she  can  be  holy  in  both  body  and  spirit.
But the married woman is concerned about the
affairs  of  this  world,  how  she  can  please  her
35
husband.

I am saying this for your own good, not to re-
strict you, but in order to promote proper deco-
36
rum and undivided devotion to the Lord.

c

However, if someone thinks he is acting inap-
propriately  toward  his  betrothed,  and  if  she  is
beyond her youth and they ought to marry,
 let
37
him  do  as  he  wishes;  he  is  not  sinning;  they
But the man who is firmly
should get married.
established in his heart and under no constraint,
d
with control over his will and resolve in his heart
38
not to marry the virgin,

 he will do well.

So then, he who marries the virgin does well,
39
but he who does not marry her does even better.

You  were  bought  at  a  price;  do  not  become
slaves  of  men.
Brothers,  each  one  should  re-
main in the situation he was in when God called
b 26
a 15
him.
virgin

in his heart to keep the betrothed

A  wife  is  bound  to  her  husband  as  long  as
he  lives.  But  if  her  husband  dies,  she  is  free
to  marry  anyone  she  wishes,  as  long  as  he  be-
longs to the Lord.
In my judgment, however,

d 37
she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord

in his heart to keep the

and it ought to be so

impending

e 39

c 36

40

us

e

SBL, BYZ, and TR

Or

 or

Literally

Literally

Literally

she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think
Food Sacrificed to Idols
that I too have the Spirit of God.
(Ezekiel 14:1–11 ;  Romans 14:13–23)

8

2

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know
that  we  all  have  knowledge.  Knowledge
The one who thinks
puffs up, but love builds up.
he  knows  something  does  not  yet  know  as  he
ought  to  know.
But  the  one  who  loves  God  is
4
known by God.

3

6

5

So  about  eating  food  sacrificed  to  idols:  We
know that an idol is nothing at all in the world,
For  even  if
and  that  there  is  no  God  but  one.
there  are  so-called  gods,  whether  in  heaven  or
on earth (as there are many so-called gods and
yet for us there is but one God, the Fa-
lords),
ther, from whom all things came and for whom
we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through  whom  all  things  came  and  through
7
whom we exist.

But  not  everyone  has  this  knowledge.  Some
people are still so accustomed to idols that they
eat  such  food  as  if  it  were  sacrificed  to  an  idol.
8
And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
But food does not bring us closer to God: We are
9
no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

10

11

Be  careful,  however,  that  your  freedom  does
For
not become a stumbling block to the weak.
if someone with a weak conscience sees you who
are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will
he  not  be  encouraged  to  eat  food  sacrificed  to
So  this  weak  brother,  for  whom  Christ
idols?
By sin-
died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
ning  against  your  brothers  in  this  way  and
wounding their weak conscience, you sin against
13
Christ.

12

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to
stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will
The Rights of an Apostle  (De. 18:1–8)
not cause him to stumble.

9

2

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I
not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves
not my workmanship in the Lord?
Even if I am
not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For
3
you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
4

5

This is my defense to those who scrutinize me:
a 5
take along a sister—a wife—
Have we no right to food and to drink?
Have
thority not to work?

b 5

d 9

1 Corinthians 9:21    |    1027

a

 b

6

 as do
we no right to take along a believing wife,
the  other  apostles  and  the  Lord’s  brothers  and
Or are Barnabas and I the only apos-
Cephas?
7
tles who must work for a living?

 c

Who  serves  as  a  soldier  at  his  own  expense?
Who  plants  a  vineyard  and  does  not  eat  of  its
fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its
8
milk?

9

 d

10

Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t
For it is written in
the Law say the same thing?
the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it
 Is it about oxen that
is treading out the grain.”
Isn’t  He  actually  speaking
God  is  concerned?
on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, be-
cause when the plowman plows and the thresher
threshes, they should also expect to share in the
11
harvest.

12

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it
too much for us to reap a material harvest from
If others have this right to your support,
you?
shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not
exercise this right. Instead, we put up with any-
13
thing rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

14

15

Do you not know that those who work in the
temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the
In the same way,
altar partake of its offerings?
the  Lord  has  prescribed  that  those  who  preach
the  gospel  should  receive  their  living  from  the
But I have not used any of these rights.
gospel.
And I am not writing this to suggest that some-
thing be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die
16
than let anyone nullify my boast.

17

18

Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason
to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe
to  me  if  I  do  not  preach  the  gospel!
If  my
preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it
is  not  voluntary,  I  am  still  entrusted  with  a  re-
What then is my reward? That in
sponsibility.
preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge,
Paul the Servant to All
and so not use up my rights in preaching it.
19

20

Though  I  am  free  of  obligation  to  anyone,  I
make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to
as possible.
win  the Jews.  To  those under  the  law  I  became
like one under the law (though I myself am not
To
under the law), to win those under the law.
Or is it only Barnabas and I who do not have au-
c 6
those without the law I became like one without

21

Literally

That is, Peter

Literally

Deuteronomy 25:4

1028    |    1 Corinthians 9:22

22

the law (though I am not outside the law of God
but  am  under  the  law  of  Christ),  to  win  those
To the weak I became weak,
without the law.
to win the weak. I have become all things to all
people so that by all possible means I might save
23
some.

seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted be-
yond  what  you  can  bear.  But  when  you  are
tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that
Flee from Idolatry  (Exodus 20:22–26)
you can stand up under it.
14

15

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I

Run Your Race to Win
may share in its blessings.
24

25

Do you not know that in a race all the runners
run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such
a way as to take the prize.
Everyone who com-
petes  in  the  games  trains  with  strict  discipline.
They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we
There-
do it for a crown that is imperishable.
fore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am
No,  I  discipline  my  body  and
beating  the  air.
make it my slave, so that after I have preached to
Warnings from Israel’s Past
others, I myself will not be disqualified.
(Numbers 16:41–50 ;  Numbers 25:1–5)

26

27

10

2

4

I do not want you to be unaware, broth-
ers,  that  our  forefathers  were  all  under
the  cloud,  and  that  they  all  passed  through  the
3
They  were  all  baptized  into  Moses  in  the
sea.
They  all  ate  the  same
cloud  and  in  the  sea.
spiritual  food
and  drank  the  same  spiritual
drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that
5
accompanied  them,  and  that  rock  was  Christ.
Nevertheless,  God  was  not  pleased  with  most
of  them,  for  they  were  struck  down  in  the
6
wilderness.

7

 a

These things took place as examples to keep us
from craving evil things as they did.
Do not be
idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written:
8
“The people sat down to eat and drink and got up
to indulge in revelry.”
We should not commit
sexual  immorality,  as  some  of  them  did,  and  in
9
one  day  twenty-three  thousand  of  them  died.
10
 as some of them did,
We should not test Christ,
And  do  not  com-
and  were  killed  by  snakes.
plain, as some of them did, and were killed by the
11
destroying angel.

b

c

Now these things happened to them as exam-
ples and were written down as warnings for us,
12
on  whom  the  fulfillment  of  the  ages  has  come.
So  the  one  who  thinks  he  is  standing  firm
b 9
a 7
No temptation has
should be careful not to fall.
are lawful,”
; Exodus 32:6
Or
Lord’s, and the fullness thereof—
 twice in this verse

e 26
WH, NE, and Tischendorf

Psalm 24:1

to play

f 28

13

16

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
I
speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves
Is not the cup of blessing that we
what I say.
bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And
is not the bread that we break a participation in
Because there is one loaf,
the body of Christ?
we who are many are one body; for we all par-
18
take of the one loaf.

17

19

21

Consider  the  people  of  Israel:  Are  not  those
who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the al-
tar?
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed
20
to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to
demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be
You  cannot  drink
participants  with  demons.
the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too;
22
you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and
Are we trying to pro-
the table of demons too.
voke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than
He?  All to God’s Glory  (1 Peter 4:1–11)
23

 d

“Everything  is  permissible,”

  but  not  every-
24
thing  is  beneficial.  “Everything  is  permissible,”
No one should
but not everything is edifying.
25
seek his own good, but the good of others.

26

Eat anything sold in the meat market without
for, “The earth

raising questions of conscience,
27
is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

 e

28

If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you
want to go, eat anything set before you without
But  if  some-
raising  questions  of  conscience.
one  tells  you,  “This  food  was  offered  to  idols,”
 f
then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told
you and for the sake of conscience—
the other
one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why
should my freedom be determined by someone
If I partake in the meal with
else’s conscience?
thankfulness,  why  am  I  denounced  because  of
31
that for which I give thanks?

30

29

32

test the Lord

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you
d 23
the destroyer
Do not become
do, do it all to the glory of God.

and for the sake of conscience—for the earth is the

“All things

c 10

Literally

Or

BYZ and TR

33

a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or
as I also try to please eve-
the church of God—
ryone  in  all  I  do.  For  I  am  not  seeking  my  own
good,  but  the  good  of  many,  that  they  may  be
Roles in Worship
saved.

11

2

You  are  to  imitate  me,  just  as  I  imitate
Christ.

3

Now  I  commend  you  for  remembering  me  in
everything  and  for  maintaining  the  traditions,
But I want you
just as I passed them on to you.
to  understand  that  the  head  of  every  man  is
Christ,  and  the  head  of  the  woman  is  man,  and
4
the head of Christ is God.

5

Every  man  who  prays  or  prophesies  with  his
head  covered  dishonors  his  head.
And  every
woman who prays or prophesies with her head
6
uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if
If  a  woman  does  not
her  head  were  shaved.
cover her head, she should have her hair cut off.
And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair
7
cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

8

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is
the image and glory of God; but the woman is the
For  man  did  not  come  from
glory  of  man.
Neither  was
woman,  but  woman  from  man.
10
man  created  for  woman,  but  woman  for  man.
For this reason a woman ought to have a sign
 her head, because of the angels.

11
of authority on

9

 a

In the Lord, however, woman is not independ-
12
ent  of  man,  nor  is  man  independent  of  woman.
For just as woman came from man, so also man
is  born  of  woman.  But  everything  comes  from
13
God.

15

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman
14
to  pray  to  God  with  her  head  uncovered?
Doesn’t  nature  itself  teach  you  that  if  a  man
but that if
has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
16
a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long
hair is given to her as a covering.
If anyone is
inclined to dispute this, we have no other prac-
Sharing in the Lord’s Supper
tice, nor do the churches of God.
(Matt. 26:20–30 ;  Mark 14:17–26 ;  Luke 22:14–23)

17

1 Corinthians 12:3    |    1029

19

among you, and in part I believe it.
And indeed,
there  must  be  differences  among  you  to  show
20
which of you are approved.
21

Now  then,  when  you  come  together,  it  is  not
b
For as you eat, each

the Lord’s Supper you eat.
of  you  goes  ahead  without  sharing  his  meal.
22
While one remains hungry, another gets drunk.
Don’t  you  have  your  own  homes  in  which  to
eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of
God  and  humiliate  those  who  have  nothing?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this?
23
No, I will not!

 c

For I received from the Lord what I also passed
24
on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was
betrayed, took bread,
and when He had given
thanks,  He  broke  it  and  said,  “This  is  My  body,
25
which is for you;
 do this in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way, after supper He took the cup,
saying,  “This  cup  is  the  new  covenant  in  My
blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remem-
brance  of  Me.”
For  as  often  as  you  eat  this
bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
27
death until He comes.

26

 d

28

Therefore,  whoever  eats  the  bread  or  drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will
be guilty of sinning against the
 body and blood
of  the  Lord.
Each  one  must  examine  himself
29
before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
For anyone who eats and drinks without rec-
ognizing the body
 eats and drinks judgment on
himself.
That  is  why  many  among  you  are
weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen
31
asleep.

30

 e

32

Now  if  we  judged  ourselves  properly,  we
But when we
would not come under judgment.
are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
33
so that we will not be condemned with the world.

34

So,  my  brothers,  when  you  come  together  to
If anyone is hungry,
eat, wait for one another.
he should eat at home, so that when you come to-
gether it will not result in judgment. And when I
come, I will give instructions about the remain-
Spiritual Gifts
ing matters.

12

2

18

In the following instructions I have no praise
to offer, because your gatherings do more harm
than  good.
First  of  all,  I  hear  that  when  you
a 10
come  together  as  a  church,  there  are  divisions
d 27

have authority over
will be responsible for the

b 21

each one takes first his own meal.

the body of the Lord

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do
You
not  want  you  to  be  uninformed.
know that when you were pagans, you were in-
Therefore
fluenced and led astray to mute idols.
I inform you that no one who is speaking by the

which is broken for you

c 24

3

BYZ and TR

Or
Or

e 29
Literally

BYZ and TR

1030    |    1 Corinthians 12:4

Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one
4
can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
5

6

There  are  different  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.
There  are  different  ministries,  but  the  same
There are different ways of working, but

Lord.
7
the same God works all things in all people.

8

9

10

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for the common good.
To one there is
given through the Spirit the message of wisdom,
to  another  the  message  of  knowledge  by  the
same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
to
another  the  working  of  miracles,  to  another
prophecy,  to  another  distinguishing  between
spirits,  to  another  speaking  in  various  tongues,
11
and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
All  these  are  the  work  of  one  and  the  same
Spirit,  who  apportions  them  to  each  one  as  He
The Body of Christ
determines.
12

The  body  is  a  unit,  though  it  is  composed  of
many  parts.  And  although  its  parts  are  many,
they all form one body. So it is with Christ.
For
in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether  Jews  or  Greeks,  slave  or  free,  and  we
14
were all given one Spirit to drink.

13

15

For the body does not consist of one part, but
of many.
If the foot should say, “Because I am
not  a  hand,  I  do  not  belong  to  the  body,”  that
16
would  not  make  it  any  less  a  part  of  the  body.
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an
eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not
make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole
body  were  an  eye,  where  would  the  sense  of
hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where
18
would the sense of smell be?

17

19

20

But in fact, God has arranged the members of
the body, every one of them, according to His de-
sign.
If they were all one part, where would the
body be?
As it is, there are many parts, but one
21
body.

22

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need
you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not
need  you.”
On  the  contrary,  the  parts  of  the
23
body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and the parts we consider less honorable, we
treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable
24
treated  with  special  modesty,
parts  are
whereas  our  presentable  parts  have  no  such

a 3
need.

surrender my body to be burned

SBL, NE, BYZ, and TR

25

26

But  God  has  composed  the  body  and  has  given
so that
greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
there should be no division in the body, but that
its members should have mutual concern for one
If one part suffers, every part suffers
another.
with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices
The Greater Gifts
with it.
27

28

29

Now  you  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  each  of
you is a member of it.
And in the church God
has appointed first of all apostles, second proph-
ets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and
those  with  gifts  of  healing,  helping,  administra-
tion, and various tongues.
Are all apostles? Are
all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mira-
31
cles?
Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak
in tongues? Do all interpret?
But eagerly desire
the greater gifts.
Love
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

30

13

2

If  I  speak  in  the  tongues  of  men  and  of
angels,  but  have  not  love,  I  am  only  a
ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the
gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to
3
move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the
 but have not love, I gain

a

surrender of my body,
4
nothing.

5

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it
It is not rude, it
does not boast, it is not proud.
6
is  not  self-seeking,  it  is  not  easily  angered,
it  keeps  no  account  of  wrongs.
Love  takes  no
pleasure  in  evil,  but  rejoices  in  the  truth.
It
bears  all  things,  believes  all  things,  hopes  all
8
things, endures all things.

7

Love  never  fails.  But  where  there  are  prophe-
cies,  they  will  cease;  where  there  are  tongues,
9
there
they  will  be  restrained;  where
is
10
knowledge, it will be dismissed.
For we know in
part  and  we  prophesy  in  part,
but  when  the
11
perfect comes, the partial passes away.

When  I  was  a  child,  I  talked  like  a  child,  I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When
Now
I became a man, I set aside childish ways.
we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then
we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then
I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

12

1 Corinthians 14:35    |    1031

18

19

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than
But  in  the  church,  I  would  rather
all  of  you.
speak five coherent words to instruct others than
20
ten thousand words in a tongue.

Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard
21
to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

It is written in the Law:

“By strange tongues and foreign lips
 c

I will speak to this people,

but even then they will not listen to Me,

22

says the Lord.”

Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but
for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believ-
23
ers, not for unbelievers.

So  if  the  whole  church  comes  together  and
everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are
uninstructed  or  some  unbelievers  come  in,  will
24
they  not  say  that  you  are  out  of  your  minds?
But  if  an  unbeliever  or  uninstructed  person
comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will
and
be convicted and called to account by all,
the secrets of his heart will be made known. So
he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaim-
Orderly Worship
ing, “God is truly among you!”
26

25

What  then  shall  we  say,  brothers?  When  you
come together, everyone has a psalm or a teach-
ing, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.
27
All of these must be done to build up the church.

28

If anyone speaks in a tongue, two, or at most
three,  should  speak  in  turn,  and  someone  must
interpret.
But  if  there  is  no  interpreter,  he
should  remain  silent  in  the  church  and  speak
29
only to himself and God.

31

Two or three prophets should speak, and the
30
others  should  weigh  carefully  what  is  said.
And if a revelation comes to someone who is
For you
seated, the first speaker should stop.
can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be
33
The  spirits  of
instructed  and  encouraged.
For  God  is
prophets  are  subject  to  prophets.
not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the
34
churches of the saints.

32

d

13

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and

Prophecy and Tongues
love; but the greatest of these is love.

14

2

Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire
spiritual  gifts,  especially  the  gift  of
For he who speaks in a tongue does
prophecy.
not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one un-
3
derstands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
But he who prophesies speaks to men for their
The
edification,  encouragement,  and  comfort.
one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but
5
the one who prophesies edifies the church.

4

I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but
I  would  rather  have  you  prophesy.  He  who
prophesies  is  greater  than  one  who  speaks  in
tongues, unless he interprets so that the church
6
may be edified.

8

7

Now,  brothers,  if  I  come  to  you  speaking  in
tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you
some  revelation  or  knowledge  or  prophecy  or
teaching?
Even  in  the  case  of  lifeless  instru-
ments, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone
recognize  the  tune  they  are  playing  unless  the
notes are distinct?
Again, if the trumpet sounds
a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
So it
is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words
with  your  tongue,  how  will  anyone  know  what
you are saying? You will just be speaking into the
10
air.

9

11

Assuredly, there are many different languages
in the world, yet none of them is without mean-
ing.
If,  then,  I  do  not  know  the  meaning  of
someone’s  language,  I  am  a  foreigner
  to  the
12
speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.

 a

13

14

It is the same with you. Since you are eager to
have  spiritual  gifts,  strive  to  excel  in  gifts  that
Therefore,  the  one  who
build  up  the  church.
speaks in a tongue should pray that he may inter-
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays,
pret.
15
but my mind is unfruitful.

What then shall I do? I will pray with my spirit,
but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with
b
16
my  spirit,  but  I  will  also  sing  with  my  mind.
Otherwise,  if  you  speak  a  blessing  in  spirit,
how  can  someone  who  is  uninstructed  say
“Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not
You may be giving
know what you are saying?
thanks  well  enough,  but  the  other  one  is  not
a barbarian
a 11
edified.
the churches of the saints:

b 16

17

Women are to be silent in the churches. They
35
are not permitted to speak, but must be in sub-
If they wish to inquire
mission, as the law says.
about  something,  they  are  to  ask  their  own

d 33

of peace. As in all

in the Spirit

c 21

peace

Literally

; twice in this verse
 Thus, some translators begin the new paragraph after

Or

.

Isaiah 28:11–12

Or

1032    |    1 Corinthians 14:36

husbands  at  home;  for  it  is  dishonorable  for  a
36
woman to speak in the church.

37

a

Did the word of God originate with you? Or are
If  anyone
you  the  only  ones  it  has  reached?
considers himself a prophet or spiritual person,
38
let him acknowledge that what I am writing you
But if anyone ignores
is the Lord’s command.
39
this, he himself will be ignored.

b

40

So, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do
But everything

not forbid speaking in tongues.
The Resurrection of Christ
must be done in a proper and orderly manner.

15

2

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of
the gospel I preached to you, which you
By this
received, and in which you stand firm.
gospel  you  are  saved,  if  you  hold  firmly  to  the
word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have be-
3
lieved in vain.

5

4

and  that  He  appeared  to  Cephas

For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins accord-
ing  to  the  Scriptures,
that  He  was  buried,  that
 c
He was raised on the third day according to the
6
Scriptures,
and then to the Twelve.
After that, He appeared
to more than five hundred brothers at once, most
of whom are still living, though some have fallen
asleep.
Then He appeared to James, then to all
the apostles.
And last of all He appeared to me
9
also, as to one of untimely birth.

8

7

10

For I am the least of the apostles and am unwor-
thy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain.
No,  I  worked  harder  than  all  of  them—yet  not
11
I,  but  the  grace  of  God  that  was  with  me.
Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we

The Resurrection of the Dead
preach, and this is what you believed.
12

16

17
For  if  the  dead  are  not  raised,  then  not  even
And  if  Christ  has  not
Christ  has  been  raised.
18
been  raised,  your  faith  is  futile;  you  are  still  in
Then  those  also  who  have  fallen
your  sins.
If our hope in
asleep in Christ have perished.
Christ  is  for  this  life  alone,  we  are  to  be  pitied
The Order of Resurrection
more than all men.
20

19

22

21

But  Christ  has  indeed  been  raised  from  the
dead,  the  firstfruits  of  those  who  have  fallen
For  since  death  came  through  a  man,
asleep.
the resurrection of the dead comes also through
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all
a man.
will be made alive.
But each in his own turn:
Christ  the  firstfruits;  then  at  His  coming,  those
24
who belong to Him.

23

26

Then the end will come, when He hands over
the  kingdom  to  God  the  Father  after  He  has
25
destroyed  all  dominion,  authority,  and  power.
For He must reign until He has put all His ene-
27
mies under His feet.
The last enemy to be de-
 d
For “God has put everything
stroyed is death.
under  His  feet.”
  Now  when  it  says  that  every-
thing has been put under Him, this clearly does
not  include  the  One  who  put  everything  under
And when all things have been subjected
Him.
to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject
to Him who put all things under Him, so that God
29
may be all in all.

28

31

30

If  these  things  are  not  so,  what  will  those  do
who  are  baptized  for  the  dead?  If  the  dead  are
not  raised  at  all,  why  are  people  baptized  for
And  why  do  we  endanger  ourselves
them?
I  face  death  every  day,  brothers,
every  hour?
32
as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for hu-
man motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not
raised,

 e

13

15

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised
from  the  dead,  how  can  some  of  you  say  that
there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is
14
no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ
has  been  raised.
And  if  Christ  has  not  been
raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your
faith.
In that case, we are also exposed as false
witnesses about God. For we have testified about
God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He
did  not  raise  Him  if  in  fact  the  dead  are  not
a 35
raised.
d 27

e 32

f 33

Some manuscripts place verses 34–35 after verse 40.
Psalm 8:6

Isaiah 22:13

“Let us eat and drink,

33

for tomorrow we die.”
 f

34

Do  not  be  deceived:  “Bad  company  corrupts
good character.”
Sober up as you ought, and
stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God.
The Resurrection Body
I say this to your shame.
35

But  someone  will  ask,  “How  are  the  dead
raised? With what kind of body will they come?”

b 38

let him be ignorant
Thais

c 5

BYZ and TR

That is, Peter

Probably a quote from the Greek comedy

 by Menander

36

37

You fool! What you sow does not come to life
And  what  you  sow  is  not  the
unless  it  dies.
body  that  will  be,  but  just  a  seed,  perhaps  of
But  God  gives  it  a
wheat  or  something  else.
body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed
39
He gives its own body.

38

40

Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of
flesh,  animals  have  another,  birds  another,  and
There  are  also  heavenly  bodies
fish  another.
and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heav-
enly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of
the  earthly  bodies  is  of  another.
The  sun  has
one  degree  of  splendor,  the  moon  another,  and
the  stars  another;  and  star  differs  from  star  in
42
splendor.

41

44

43

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead:
What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperish-
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.
able.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
It
is  sown  a  natural  body;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual
body.  If  there  is  a  natural  body,  there  is  also  a
So it is written: “The first man
spiritual body.
Adam  became  a  living  being”;
  the  last  Adam  a
46
life-giving spirit.

45

 a

47

48

The  spiritual,  however,  was  not  first,  but  the
natural,  and  then  the  spiritual.
The  first  man
was of the dust of the earth, the second man from
As  was  the  earthly  man,  so  also  are
heaven.
those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly
man, so also are those who are of heaven.
And
just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly
man,  so  also  shall  we  bear  the  likeness  of  the
Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?
heavenly man.
(Hosea 13:9–14)

49

50

Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and
blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God,  nor
51
does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

52

Listen,  I  tell  you  a  mystery:  We  will  not  all
in  an  in-
sleep,  but  we  will  all  be  changed—
stant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trum-
pet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be
53
raised  imperishable,  and  we  will  be  changed.
 with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
a 45
e 55

For the perishable must be clothed

clothe itself

b 53

c 54

 b

1 Corinthians 16:12    |    1033

54

c
When the perishable has been clothed with the

imperishable and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come to pass:
55
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

 d

 e
“Where, O Death, is your victory?
Where, O Death, is your sting?”

56

57

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin
But thanks be to God, who gives us

is the law.
58
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Therefore,  my  beloved  brothers,  be  steadfast
and immovable. Always excel in the work of the
Lord,  because  you  know  that  your  labor  in  the
The Collection for the Saints
Lord is not in vain.
(2 Corinthians 9:1–15)

16

3

2

Now  about  the  collection for  the  saints,
you are to do as I directed the churches
On the first day of every week, each
of Galatia:
of you should set aside a portion of his income,
saving it up, so that when I come no collections
Then, on my arrival, I will send
will be needed.
4
letters with those you recommend to carry your
And if it is advisable for me to
gift to Jerusalem.
Paul’s Travel Plans  (Romans 15:23–33)
go also, they can travel with me.
5

6

After  I  go  through  Macedonia,  however,  I  will
come to you; for I will be going through Macedo-
Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even
nia.
7
spend the winter, so that you can help me on my
For I do not want to see
journey, wherever I go.
you now only in passing; I hope to spend some
But I will stay
time with you, if the Lord permits.
because  a  great
in  Ephesus  until  Pentecost,
door for effective work has opened to me, even
Timothy and Apollos  (Philippians 2:19–30)
though many oppose me.
10

8

9

f

11

If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing
to fear while he is with you, for he is doing the
No  one,  then,
work  of  the  Lord,  just  as  I  am.
should treat him with contempt. Send him on his
way in peace so that he can return to me, for I am
12
expecting him along with the brothers.

Now  about  our  brother  Apollos:  I  strongly
urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was

Genesis 2:7
Or
Hosea 13:14 (see also LXX); BYZ and TR

Feast of Weeks
Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as

 (see Exodus 34:22).

d 54
“Where, O Death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory?”
WH does not include

and the mortal with immortality

the Feast of Harvest

.

f  8

Isaiah 25:8
the
That is,

 (see Exodus 23:16) or

1034    |    1 Corinthians 16:13

not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when
Concluding Exhortations
he has the opportunity.

13

14

Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men

15
of courage. Be strong.

Do everything in love.

You  know  that  Stephanas  and  his  household
were the first converts in Achaia, and they have
devoted themselves to the service of the saints.
to submit to such as
Now I urge you, brothers,
17
these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

16

I  am  glad  that  Stephanas,  Fortunatus,  and
Achaicus  have  arrived,  because  they  have  sup-
For they re-
plied what was lacking from you.
freshed my spirit and yours as well. Show your
appreciation, therefore, to such men.

18

Signature and Final Greetings
(Colossians 4:15–18 ;  2 Thessalonians 3:16–18)

19

 a

The churches in the province of Asia

 send you

 b

greetings.

 greet you warmly in the Lord,
Aquila and Prisca
20
and so does the church that meets at their house.

All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet

21
one another with a holy kiss.
22

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

 c

If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be un-

23
der a curse. Come, O Lord!
24

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

d

My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

a 19

in Asia
c 22

Marana Tha!

b 19 Prisca

Priscilla

Literally
d 24
Acts 18:2.

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Amen.
 from a transliteration of the Aramaic, an exclamation of approaching divine judgment

 is a variant of

; see

Greek
SBL, WH, and NA do not include

2 Corinthians

Paul Greets the Corinthians
(Acts 18:1–11 ;  1 Corinthians 1:1–3)

1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all
2
the saints throughout Achaia:

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father

The God of All Comfort
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3

4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with
5
the  comfort  we  ourselves  have  received  from
For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow
God.
to  us,  so  also  through  Christ  our  comfort  over-
6
flows.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and sal-
vation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which accomplishes in you patient endurance of
And  our
the  same  sufferings  we  experience.
hope for you is sure, because we know that just
as  you  share  in  our  sufferings,  so  also  you  will
8
share in our comfort.

7

a

We  do  not  want  you  to  be  unaware,  brothers,
of the hardships we encountered in the province
 We were under a burden far beyond our
of Asia.
9
ability  to  endure,  so  that  we  despaired  even  of
Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence
life.
of death, in order that we would not trust in our-
10
selves, but in God, who raises the dead.

11

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,
and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our
as you
hope that He will yet again deliver us,
help  us  by  your  prayers.  Then  many  will  give
thanks  on  our  behalf  for  the  favor  shown  us  in
Paul’s Change of Plans
answer to their prayers.
12

For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies
a 8
that we have conducted ourselves in the world,
the Lord Jesus
Literally

in Asia

d 19

That is, Silas

13

 b
and especially in relation to you, in the holiness
and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly
For we do not
wisdom, but in the grace of God.
write you anything that is beyond your ability to
read  and  understand.  And  I  hope  that  you  will
as you have already
understand us completely,
understood us in part, that you may boast of us
just as we will boast of you in the day of our Lord
15
Jesus.

14

c

16

Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so
I
that  you  might  receive  a  double  blessing.
wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and
to  return  to  you  from  Macedonia,  and  then  to
17
have you help me on my way to Judea.

20

19

18

When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or
do I make my plans by human standards, so as to
say “Yes, yes” and also “No, no”?
But as surely
as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes”
 d
and “No.”
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who
was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus
and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him
it has always been “Yes.”
For all the promises
of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him,
21
our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.

22
Now it is God who establishes both us and you
in Christ. He anointed us,
placed His seal on us,
and  put  His  Spirit  in  our  hearts  as  a  pledge  of
what is to come.
I call God as my witness that
it was in order to spare you that I did not return
to Corinth.
Not that we lord it over your faith,
but we are fellow workers with you for your joy,
Reaffirm Your Love
because it is by faith that you stand firm.

23

24

2

2

3

So I made up my mind not to make another
painful visit to you.
For if I grieve you, who
is  left  to  cheer  me  but  those  whom  I  have
grieved?
I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I
would  not  be  grieved  by  those  who  ought  to
4
make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you,
For through many
that you would share my joy.
tears  I  wrote  you  out  of  great  distress  and  an-
guish  of  heart,  not  to  grieve  you  but  to  let  you
know how much I love you.

fleshly

b 12

c 14

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

Literally

BYZ and TR

1036    |    2 Corinthians 2:5

5

6

Now  if  anyone  has  caused  grief,  he  has  not
grieved me but all of you—to some degree, not to
The  punishment  imposed  on  him
overstate  it.
So instead,
by the majority is sufficient for him.
you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he
8
will  not  be  overwhelmed  by  excessive  sorrow.
Therefore I  urge you to reaffirm your love for

7

9
him.

10

My  purpose  in  writing  you  was  to  see  if  you
would  stand  the  test  and  be  obedient  in  every-
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him.
thing.
And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it
in order
in the presence of Christ for your sake,
that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not
Triumph in Christ
unaware of his schemes.
12

11

13

Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel
of  Christ  and  a  door  stood  open  for  me  in  the
Lord,
I had no peace in my spirit, because I did
not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-
14
bye to them and went on to Macedonia.

15

But  thanks  be  to  God,  who  always  leads  us
triumphantly  as  captives  in  Christ  and  through
us  spreads  everywhere  the  fragrance  of  the
For we are to God the sweet
knowledge of Him.
aroma  of  Christ  among  those  who  are  being
saved and those who are perishing.
To the one
we are an odor that brings death, to the other a
 And who is qualified
fragrance that brings life.
17
for such a task?

16

a

For we are not like so many others, who ped-
dle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in
Christ  we  speak  before  God  with  sincerity,  as
Ministers of a New Covenant
men sent from God.

3

Are  we  beginning  to  commend  ourselves
again? Or do we need, like some people, let-
2
ters  of  recommendation  to  you  or  from  you?
You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our
It is clear
hearts, known and read by everyone.
that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our
ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit
of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on
4
tablets of human hearts.

3

5

qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not
of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills,
The Glory of the New Covenant
but the Spirit gives life.
(Exodus 34:10–35)

7

8

Now  if  the  ministry  of  death,  which  was
engraved  in  letters  on  stone,  came  with  such
glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face
will  not
of  Moses  because  of  its  fleeting  glory,
9
the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
For if the ministry of condemnation was glori-
ous, how much more glorious is the ministry of
righteousness!
Indeed, what was once glorious
11
has no glory now in comparison to the glory that
For if what was fading away came
surpasses it.
with glory, how much greater is the glory of that
12
which endures!

10

13

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are
We are not like Moses, who would
very bold.
put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from
14
gazing at the end of what was fading away.

But  their  minds  were  closed.  For  to  this  day
the  same  veil  remains  at  the  reading  of  the  old
15
covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in
And even to this day
Christ can it be removed.
16
when  Moses  is  read,  a  veil  covers  their  hearts.
But  whenever  anyone  turns  to  the  Lord,  the

17
veil is taken away.

18

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit
And we, who
of the Lord is, there is freedom.
with  unveiled  faces  all  reflect  the  glory  of  the
Lord, are being transformed into His image with
intensifying  glory,  which  comes  from  the  Lord,
The Light of the Gospel
who is the Spirit.

4

b

2

 we do not lose heart.

Therefore, since God in His mercy has given
In-
us this ministry,
stead,  we  have  renounced  secret  and  shameful
ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we dis-
tort  the  word  of  God.  On  the  contrary,  by  open
proclamation  of  the  truth,  we  commend  our-
selves to every man’s conscience in the sight of
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled
God.
4
to those who are perishing.

3

Such  confidence  before  God  is  ours  through
Not that we are competent in ourselves
Christ.
to  claim  that  anything  comes  from  us,  but  our
a 16
And  He  has
competence  comes  from  God.
b 1

6

Therefore, having this ministry, as we have received mercy,

The god of this age has blinded the minds of un-
believers, so they cannot see the light of the gos-
5
pel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For  we  do  not  proclaim  ourselves,  but  Jesus

To the one, indeed, an aroma from death to death; but to the other, an aroma from life to life.

Literally

Literally

6

 a

Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for
For God, who said, “Let light shine
Jesus’ sake.
  made  His  light  shine  in  our
out  of  darkness,”
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the
Treasure in Jars of Clay
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(Romans 6:1–14)

b

7

8

Now  we  have  this  treasure  in  jars  of  clay  to
show that this surpassingly great power is from
We are hard pressed on all
God and not from us.
sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in des-
persecuted,  but  not  forsaken;  struck
pair;
10
down, but not destroyed.

9

11

We always carry around in our body the death
of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be re-
For we who are alive are
vealed in our body.
always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that
the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mor-
tal body.
So then, death is at work in us, but life
13
is at work in you.

12

 c

14

And  in  keeping  with  what  is  written,  “I  be-
lieved, therefore I have spoken,”
 we who have
the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore
 d
knowing  that  the  One  who  raised  the
speak,
 will also raise us with Jesus and pre-
Lord Jesus
sent us with you in His presence.
All this is for
your benefit, so that the grace that is extending
to more and more people may cause thanksgiv-
16
ing to overflow, to the glory of God.

15

18

17

Therefore  we  do  not  lose  heart.  Though  our
outer  self  is  wasting  away,  yet  our  inner  self  is
For  our  light  and
being  renewed  day  by  day.
momentary affliction is producing for us an eter-
nal  weight  of  glory  that  is  far  beyond  compari-
son.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but
on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary,
Our Eternal Dwelling  (Romans 8:18–27)
but what is unseen is eternal.

5

2

For we know that if the earthly tent we live
in  is  dismantled,  we  have  a  building  from
God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by hu-
For in this tent we groan, longing to
man hands.
because
be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,
4
when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
For  while  we  are  in  this  tent,  we  groan  under
our burdens, because we do not wish to be un-
a 6
clothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be
e 17

b 6
a new creature

in the face of Christ

a sin offering

f 21

3

2 Corinthians 5:21    |    1037

5

And it is God who has pre-
swallowed up by life.
pared us for this very purpose and has given us
6
the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.

8

7

Therefore  we  are  always  confident,  although
we know that while we are at home in the body,
For  we  walk  by
we  are  away  from  the  Lord.
faith, not by sight.
We are confident, then, and
9
would  prefer  to  be  away  from  the  body  and  at
So we aspire to please Him,
home with the Lord.
whether  we  are  at  home  in  this  body  or  away
For we must all appear before the judg-
from it.
ment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his
due  for  the  things  done  in  the  body,  whether
Ambassadors for Christ
good or bad.
11

10

12

Therefore,  since  we  know  what  it  means  to
fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we
are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your
We  are  not  commending
conscience  as  well.
ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you
an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can an-
swer those who take pride in appearances rather
13
than in the heart.

14

15

If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are
For  Christ’s  love
of  sound  mind,  it  is  for  you.
compels us, because we are convinced that One
And He died for
died for all, therefore all died.
all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves, but for Him who died for them and
16
was raised again.

17

So from now on we regard no one according to
the  flesh.  Although  we  once  regarded  Christ  in
Therefore if any-
this way, we do so no longer.
 The old has
one is in Christ, he is a new creation.
18
passed away. Behold, the new has come!

e

19

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Him-
self  through  Christ  and  gave  us  the  ministry  of
that  God  was  reconciling  the
reconciliation:
world  to  Himself  in  Christ,  not  counting  men’s
trespasses against them. And He has committed
20
to us the message of reconciliation.

21

Therefore  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as
though God were making His appeal through us.
We  implore  you  on  behalf  of  Christ:  Be  recon-
ciled to God.
God made Him who knew no sin
to be sin
 on our behalf, so that in Him we might
    d 14
become the righteousness of God.

who raised Jesus

 f

c 13

Genesis 1:3
Or

SBL, NE, and WH
Or

Psalm 116:10 (see also LXX)

SBL

1038    |    2 Corinthians 6:1

Paul’s Hardships and God’s Grace

18

6

a

2

And:

As God’s fellow workers,
not  to  receive  God’s  grace  in  vain.

 then, we urge you
For  He

says:

 b

“In the time of favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day
3
of salvation!

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no

4
one can discredit our ministry.

7

5

Rather,  as  servants  of  God  we  commend  our-
selves in every way: in great endurance; in trou-
bles,  hardships,  and  calamities;
in  beatings,
6
imprisonments,  and  riots;  in  labor,  sleepless
nights,  and  hunger;
in  purity,  knowledge,
patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in
sincere  love;
in  truthful  speech  and  in  the
power  of  God;  with  the  weapons  of  righteous-
ness in the right hand and in the left;
through
glory  and  dishonor,  slander  and  praise;  viewed
as  imposters,  yet  genuine;
unknown, yet  well-
10
known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet
not  killed;
sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing;
poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and
11
yet possessing everything.

8

9

12

We  have  spoken  freely  to  you,  Corinthians.
13
Our hearts are open wide.
It is not our affec-
tion,  but  yours,  that  is  restrained.
As  a  fair
exchange—I  speak  as  to  my  children—open
Do Not Be Unequally Yoked
wide your hearts also.
14

 c

15

Do  not  be  unequally  yoked  with  unbelievers.
For  what  partnership  can  righteousness  have
with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light
What  harmony  is  there
have  with  darkness?
between Christ and Belial?
 Or what does a be-
16
liever  have  in  common  with  an  unbeliever?
What agreement can exist between the temple
of  God  and  idols?  For  we  are  the  temple  of  the
living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell with them

and walk among them,

 d

and I will be their God,

17

and they will be My people.”

“Therefore come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord.

 e

Touch no unclean thing,
b 2
Now working together
and I will receive you.”

a 1
d 16

e 17

“I will be a Father to you,

 f

and you will be My sons and daughters,
Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians
says the Lord Almighty.”

7

Therefore,  beloved,  since  we  have  these
promises, let us cleanse ourselves from eve-
rything  that  defiles  body  and  spirit,  perfecting
2
holiness in the fear of God.

Make  room  for  us  in  your  hearts.  We  have
3
wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we
I do not say this to con-
have exploited no one.
demn you. I have said before that you so occupy
4
our hearts that we live and die together with you.
Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride
in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our
5
troubles my joy overflows.

7

For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies
had  no  rest,  but  we  were  pressed  from  every
6
direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
But  God,  who  comforts  the  downcast,  com-
and not only by
forted us by the arrival of Titus,
his  arrival,  but  also  by  the  comfort  he  had  re-
ceived from you. He told us about your longing,
your  mourning,  and  your  zeal  for  me,  so  that  I
8
rejoiced all the more.

9

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do
not  regret  it.  Although I  did  regret  it—for  I  see
that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a
yet now I rejoice, not because you
short time—
were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow
led  you  to  repentance.  For  you  felt  the  sorrow
that God had intended, and so were not harmed
Godly sorrow brings repent-
in any way by us.
ance  that  leads  to  salvation  without  regret,  but
11
worldly sorrow brings death.

10

Consider what this godly sorrow has produced
in  you:  what  earnestness,  what  eagerness  to
clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm,
what  longing,  what  zeal,  what  vindication!  In
12
every way you have proved yourselves to be in-
So even though I wrote
nocent in this matter.
to you, it was not on account of the one who did
wrong  or  the  one  who  was  harmed,  but  rather
that  your  earnestness  on  our  behalf  would  be
On  ac-
made  clear  to  you  in  the sight  of  God.
count of this, we are encouraged.
Beliar
c 15

13

f 18

Lit.

Isaiah 49:8 (see also LXX)

Scrivener’s TR and GOC; many Greek sources

Lev. 26:12; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 37:27

Isaiah 52:11; see also Ezekiel 20:34, including LXX.

See 2 Samuel 7:14.

14

In addition to our own encouragement, we were
even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his
Indeed,
spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted
to him about you. But just as everything we said
to  you  was  true,  so  our  boasting  to  Titus  has
And his affection for
proved to be true as well.
you is even greater when he remembers that you
were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear
I  rejoice  that  I  can  have  com-
and  trembling.
Generosity Commended
plete confidence in you.
(Philippians 4:10–20)

16

15

8

3

2

Now, brothers, we want you to know about
the grace that God has given the churches of
In the terrible ordeal they suffered,
Macedonia.
their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed
For I testify that they gave
into rich generosity.
4
according to their ability and even beyond it. Of
they earnestly pleaded with
their own accord,
us for the privilege of sharing in this service to
the saints.
And not only did they do as we ex-
pected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord
6
and then to us, through the will of God.

5

7

So we urged Titus to help complete your act of
But just as you
grace, just as he had started it.
excel  in  everything—in  faith,  in  speech,  in
 a
knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the
8
 —see that you also excel
love we inspired in you
I  am  not  giving  a  com-
in  this  grace  of  giving.
mand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love
9
through the earnestness of others.

10

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sake He be-
came  poor,  so  that  you  through  His  poverty
And  this  is  my  opinion
might  become  rich.
about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last
11
year you were the first not only to give, but even
Now finish the work, so
to have such a desire.
that you may complete it with the same eager de-
For if the eager-
sire, according to your means.
ness is there, the gift is acceptable according to
what one has, not according to what he does not
13
have.

12

14

It is not our intention that others may be re-
lieved  while  you  are  burdened,  but  that  there
At the present time, your sur-
may be equality.
plus  will  meet  their  need,  so  that  in  turn  their
surplus will meet your need. This way there will
b 15
a 7
be equality.

As it is written:

in your love for us

c 19

15

2 Corinthians 9:7    |    1039

 “He who gathered much had no excess,
and he who gathered little had no

 b

Titus Commended  (Titus 1:1–4)

shortfall.”

16

17

But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of
Titus the same devotion I have for you.
For not
only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly
18
coming to you of his own volition.

19

Along  with  Titus  we  are  sending  the  brother
who is praised by all the churches for his work in
More  than  that,  this  brother  was
the  gospel.
chosen by the churches to accompany us with the
gracious  offering
  we  administer  to  honor  the
20
Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.

 c

21

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we
For we are tak-
administer this generous gift.
ing great care to do what is right, not only in the
22
eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

23

And  we  are  sending  along  with  them  our
brother  who  has  proven  his  earnestness  to  us
many  times  and  in  many  ways,  and  now  even
more so by his great confidence in you.
As for
 d
Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among
you. As for our brothers, they are messengers
 of
the  churches,  the  glory  of  Christ.
In  full  view
of the churches, then, show these men the proof
of  your  love  and  the  reason  for  our  boasting
God Loves a Cheerful Giver  (1 Cor. 16:1–4)
about you.

24

9

2

Now about the service to the saints, there is
For I know
no need for me to write to you.
your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting
to  the  Macedonians  that  since  last  year  you  in
Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has
3
stirred most of them to do likewise.

4

But I am sending the brothers in order that our
boasting  about  you  in  this  matter  should  not
prove empty, but that you will be prepared, just
Otherwise, if any Macedonians come
as I said.
with  me  and  find  you  unprepared,  we—to  say
nothing  of  you—would  be  ashamed  of  having
So I thought it necessary to
been so confident.
urge  the  brothers  to  visit  you  beforehand  and
make  arrangements  for  the  generous  gift  you
had  promised.  This  way,  your  gift  will  be  pre-
6
pared generously and not begrudgingly.

5

Remember  this:  Whoever  sows  sparingly  will
also  reap  sparingly,  and  whoever  sows  gener-
apostles
d 23
Each  one
ously  will  also  reap  generously.

7

Or

Exodus 16:18

See 1 Corinthians 16:3–4.

Or

1040    |    2 Corinthians 9:8

a

should give what he has decided in his heart to
8
give,  not  out  of  regret  or  compulsion.  For  God
And God is able to make
loves a cheerful giver.
all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all
times, having all that you need, you will abound
in every good work.

As it is written:

9

“He has scattered abroad His gifts to

 b

10

the poor;

His righteousness endures forever.”

11

  righteousness.

Now  He  who  supplies  seed  to  the  sower  and
bread  for  food  will  supply  and  multiply  your
store  of  seed  and  will  increase  the  harvest  of
your
You  will  be  enriched  in
every way to be generous on every occasion, and
through us your generosity will produce thanks-
For this ministry of service is not
giving to God.
only supplying the needs of the saints but is also
overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving
13
to God.

12

14

Because  of  the  proof  this  ministry  provides,
the saints will glorify God for your obedient con-
fession of the gospel of Christ, and for the gener-
osity of your contribution to them and to all the
And their prayers for you will express
others.
their affection for you, because of the surpassing
grace God has given you.
Thanks be to God for
Paul’s Apostolic Authority
His indescribable gift!

15

10

2

Now  by  the  mildness  and  gentleness  of
Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am
humble  when  face  to  face  with  you,  but  bold
I beg you that when I come I may
when away.
not need to be as bold as I expect toward those
3
who presume that we live according to the flesh.

4

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage
The weapons of our
war according to the flesh.
warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead,
5
they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We  demolish  arguments  and  every  presump-
tion set up against the knowledge of God; and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to
And we will be ready to punish every act
Christ.
of  disobedience,  as  soon  as  your  obedience  is
7
complete.

6

You are looking at outward appearances. If an-
yone  is  confident  that  he  belongs  to  Christ,  he
should remind himself that we belong to Christ
a 7

b 9

c 17

8

For  even  if  I  boast
just  as  much  as  he  does.
somewhat  excessively  about  the  authority  the
Lord  gave  us  for  building  you  up  rather  than
9
tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
10

11

I  do  not  want  to  seem  to  be  trying  to frighten
For  some  say,  “His  letters
you  by  my  letters.
are  weighty  and  forceful,  but  his  physical  pres-
ence  is  unimpressive,  and  his  speaking  is  of  no
Such  people  should  consider  that
account.”
what we are in our letters when absent, we will
12
be in our actions when present.

We  do  not  dare  to  classify  or  compare
ourselves with some who commend themselves.
When  they  measure  themselves  by  themselves
13
and  compare  themselves  with  themselves,  they
We,  however,  will  not
show  their  ignorance.
boast beyond our limits, but only within the field
of influence that God has assigned to us—a field
We are not overstep-
that reaches even to you.
ping our bounds, as if we had not come to you.
Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the
15
gospel of Christ.

14

Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the
labors of others. But we hope that as your faith
16
increases, our area of influence among you will
so that we can preach
greatly increase as well,
the  gospel  in  the  regions  beyond  you.  Then  we
will not be boasting in the work already done in
17
another man’s territory.

 c

18

Rather,  “Let  him  who  boasts  boast  in  the
Lord.”
For  it  is  not  the  one  who  commends
himself who is approved, but the one whom the
Paul and the False Apostles
Lord commends.

11

2

I hope you will put up with a little of my
foolishness,  but  you  are  already  doing
that.
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy.
For  I  promised  you  to  one  husband,  to  present
3
you as a pure virgin to Christ.

4

I  am  afraid,  however,  that  just  as  Eve  was
deceived  by  the  serpent’s  cunning,  your  minds
may be led astray from your simple and pure de-
For if someone comes and pro-
votion to Christ.
claims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed,
or  if  you  receive  a  different  spirit  than  the  One
you received, or a different gospel than the one
you accepted, you put up with it very easily.

See Proverbs 22:8, LXX addition.

Psalm 112:9

Jeremiah 9:24

2 Corinthians 12:9    |    1041

5

6

25

I  consider  myself  in  no  way  inferior  to  those
Although I am not a polished
“super-apostles.”
speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge.
We  have  made  this  clear  to  you  in  every  way
7
possible.

times  I  received  from  the  Jews  the  forty  lashes
Three  times  I  was  beaten  with
minus  one.
rods, once I was stoned, three times I was ship-
wrecked.  I  spent  a  night  and  a  day  in  the  open
26
sea.

Was it a sin for me to humble myself in order to
8
exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God
I robbed other churches
to you free of charge?
9
by accepting their support in order to serve you.
And when I was with you and in need, I was not
a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came
from  Macedonia  supplied  my  needs.  I  have  re-
frained from being a burden to you in any way,
As  surely  as  the
and  I  will  continue  to  do  so.
11
truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will
Why?
not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.
12
Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

10

But  I  will  keep  on  doing  what  I  am  doing,  in
order  to  undercut  those  who  want  an  oppor-
13
tunity to be regarded as our equals in the things
of  which  they  boast.
For  such  men  are  false
14
apostles,  deceitful  workers,  masquerading  as
And  no  wonder,  for  Satan
apostles  of  Christ.
It is
himself masquerades as an angel of light.
not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade
as servants of righteousness. Their end will cor-
Paul’s Suffering and Service
respond to their actions.
(Colossians 1:24–29)

15

16

19

17

I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if
you  do,  then  receive  me  as  a  fool,  so  that  I  too
In this confident boasting of
may boast a little.
18
mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as
Since  many  are  boasting  according  to
a  fool.
the flesh, I too will boast.
For you gladly put up
In  fact,  you
with  fools,  since  you  are  so  wise.
even put up with anyone who enslaves you or ex-
ploits  you  or  takes  advantage  of  you  or  exalts
To my shame
himself or strikes you in the face.
I concede that we were too weak for that!

20

21

22

In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger
from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my
countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in
the city and in the country, in danger on the sea
in labor and toil and
and among false brothers,
often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and of-
28
ten without food, in cold and exposure.

27

Apart from these external trials, I face daily the
29
pressure  of  my  concern  for  all  the  churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led

30
into sin, and I do not burn with grief?

31

32

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that
a
The God and Father of the

show my weakness.
Lord  Jesus,  who  is  forever  worthy  of  praise,
In  Damascus,  the
knows  that  I  am  not  lying.
governor  under  King  Aretas  secured  the  city  of
But  I
the  Damascenes  in  order  to  arrest  me.
was lowered in a basket through a window in the
Paul’s Revelation
wall and escaped his grasp.

33

12

I must go on boasting. Although there is
2
nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and
I  know  a  man  in
revelations  from  the  Lord.
Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to
the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or
And  I
out  of  it  I  do  not  know,  but  God  knows.
know that this man—whether in the body or out
was caught
of it I do not know, but God knows—
up  to  Paradise.  The  things  he  heard  were  inex-
Paul’s Thorn and God’s Grace
pressible, things that man is not permitted to tell.
5

3

4

I  will  boast  about  such  a  man,  but  I  will  not
6
boast  about  myself,  except  in  my  weaknesses.
Even if I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool,
because I would be speaking the truth. But I re-
frain, so no one will credit me with more than he
or because of these
sees in me or hears from me,
surpassingly great revelations.

7

b

8

So to keep me from becoming conceited,
 I was
given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan,
Three times I pleaded with the
to torment me.
Lord to take it away from me.
But He said to me,

So to

9

Speaking  as  a  fool,  however,  I  can  match  what
anyone  else  dares  to  boast  about.
Are  they
23
Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are
Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
they  servants  of  Christ?  (I  am  speaking  as  if  I
were  out  of  my  mind.)  I  am  so  much  more:  in
harder  labor,  in  more  imprisonments,  in  worse
Five
beatings,  in  frequent  danger  of  death.
       b 7
a 31
keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations,

forever blessed

24

Or

Some translators end the previous paragraph after verse 6, and begin verse 7 with

1042    |    2 Corinthians 12:10

Examine Yourselves

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is
perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all
the  more  gladly  in  my  weaknesses,  so  that  the
That is why,
power of Christ may rest on me.
for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in
insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficul-
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
ties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

10

11

12

I  have  become  a  fool,  but  you  drove  me  to
it. In fact, you should have commended me, since
I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,”
The marks of a true
even though I am nothing.
apostle—signs,  wonders,  and  miracles—were
13
performed among you with great perseverance.
In  what  way  were  you  inferior  to  the  other
churches, except that I was not a burden to you?
14
Forgive me this wrong!

See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and
I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking
your  possessions,  but  you.  For  children  should
not have to save up for their parents, but parents
And  for  the  sake  of  your
for  their  children.
souls,  I  will  most  gladly  spend  my  money  and
16
myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?

15

17

18

Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you; but
Did I
crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.
exploit you by anyone I sent you?
I urged Titus
to visit you, and I sent our brother with him. Did
Titus exploit you in any way? Did we not walk in
the  same  Spirit  and  follow  in  the  same  foot-
19
steps?

 a

20

Have you been thinking all along that we were
making a defense to you? We speak before God
in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you
For I am afraid that when I come, I may not
up.
find you as I wish, and you may not find me as
you  wish.  I  fear  that  there  may  be  quarreling,
jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance,
I  am  afraid  that  when  I  come
and  disorder.
again, my God will humble me before you, and I
will be grieved over many who have sinned ear-
lier and have not repented of their acts of impu-
rity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.

21

13

This is the third time I am coming to you.
“Every matter must be established by the

 b

2
testimony of two or three witnesses.”

I  already  warned  you  the  second  time  I  was
with  you.  So  now  in  my  absence  I  warn  those
3
who sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return,
since you are demand-
I will not spare anyone,
ing proof that Christ is speaking through me. He
is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful
For  He  was  indeed  crucified  in
among  you.
weakness,  yet  He  lives  by  God’s  power.  For  we
are also weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will
5
live with Him concerning you.

4

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in
the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that
6
Jesus  Christ  is  in  you—unless  you  fail  the  test?
And  I  hope  you  will  realize  that  we  have  not

7
failed the test.

8

Now  we  pray  to  God  that  you  will  not  do
anything wrong—not that we will appear to have
stood  the  test,  but  that  you  will  do  what  is
For we
right, even if we appear to have failed.
cannot do anything against the truth, but only for
In fact, we rejoice when we are weak
the truth.
but  you  are  strong,  and  our  prayer  is  for  your
10
perfection.

9

This is why I write these things while absent,
so that when I am present I will not need to be
severe in my use of the authority that the Lord
gave me for building you up, not for tearing you
Benediction and Farewell
down.
11

c

Finally, brothers, rejoice! Aim for perfect har-
mony, encourage one another,
 be of one mind,
live in peace. And the God of love and peace will
12
be with you.
13

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

14

All the saints send you greetings.

d

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with all of you.

a 18
my appeal

Did we not walk in the same Spirit? Not in the same footsteps?
d 14

b 1

listen to

c 11
Amen

Literally

Deuteronomy 19:15
Texts vary in verse numbering for the last three verses of this chapter. BYZ ends with

Or
.

Galatians

Paul’s Greeting to the Galatians

16

1

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by
man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father,
and  all  the

2

who  raised  Him  from  the  dead—
brothers with me,
3
To the churches of Galatia:
a

4

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,
who  gave  Himself
for  our  sins  to  rescue  us  from  the  present  evil
5
age, according to the will of our God and Father,
No Other Gospel

to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

6

7

I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the
One who called you by the grace of Christ and are
turning  to  a  different  gospel—
which  is  not
even  a  gospel.  Evidently  some  people  are  trou-
bling  you  and  trying  to  distort  the  gospel  of
8
Christ.

9

But even if we or an angel from heaven should
preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached
to you, let him be under a curse!
As we have said
before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching
to you a gospel contrary to the one you received,
Paul Preaches the Gospel
let him be under a curse!
10

11

Am  I  now  seeking  the  approval  of  men,  or
of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were
still trying to please men, I would not be a serv-
ant of Christ.
For I want you to know, brothers,
b
that  the  gospel  I  preached  was  not  devised  by
man.
I  did  not  receive  it  from  any  man,  nor
was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation
13
from Jesus Christ.

12

14

For you have heard of my former way of life in
Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of
God and tried to destroy it.
I was advancing in
Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and
was  extremely  zealous  for  the  traditions  of  my
15
fathers.

But  when  God,  who  set  me  apart  from  my
God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ
a 3
mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was
God does not accept the face of man
d 6

SBL, BYZ, and TR
Literally

17

pleased
to reveal His Son in me so that I might
preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to
consult  with  flesh  and  blood,
nor  did  I  go  up
to  Jerusalem  to  the  apostles  who  came  before
me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to
18
Damascus.

c

Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem
19
 and I stayed with him fif-
to confer with Cephas,
20
But I saw none of the other apostles
teen days.
except James, the Lord’s brother.
I assure you
21
before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.
22

23

Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
I  was  personally  unknown,  however,  to  the
They only
churches of Judea that are in Christ.
heard the account: “The man who formerly per-
secuted  us  is  now  preaching  the  faith  he  once
And  they  glorified  God  be-
tried  to  destroy.”
The Council at Jerusalem  (Acts 15:5–21)
cause of me.

24

2

2

Fourteen  years  later  I  went  up  again  to
Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took
I went in response to a revela-
Titus along also.
tion and set before them the gospel that I preach
among  the  Gentiles.  But  I  spoke  privately  to
those  recognized  as  leaders,  for  fear  that  I  was
Yet not even
running or had already run in vain.
Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be cir-
4
cumcised, even though he was a Greek.

3

This  issue  arose  because  some  false  brothers
had come in under false pretenses to spy on our
5
freedom  in  Christ  Jesus,  in  order  to  enslave  us.
We did not give in to them for a moment, so that

6
the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

 d

But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they
were  makes  no  difference  to  me;  God  does  not
7
show favoritism
—those leaders added nothing
to me.
On the contrary, they saw that I had been
entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircum-
8
cised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
For  the  One  who  was  at  work  in  Peter’s
apostleship to the circumcised was also at work
c 18
b 11
in my apostleship to the Gentiles.

not according to man

Literally

That is, Peter

1044    |    Galatians 2:9

9

a

And recognizing the grace that I had been given,
James,  Cephas,
  and  John—those  reputed  to  be
pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of
fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles,
They only asked
and they to the circumcised.
us to remember the poor, the very thing I was ea-
Paul Confronts Cephas
ger to do.
11

10

12

When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I op-
posed  him  to  his  face,  because  he  stood  con-
demned.
For  before  certain  men  came  from
James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when
they arrived, he began to draw back and separate
himself,  for  fear  of  those  in  the  circumcision
group.
The other Jews joined him in his hypoc-
risy,  so  that  by  their  hypocrisy  even  Barnabas
14
was led astray.

13

When  I  saw  that  they  were  not  walking
in  line  with  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  I  said  to
Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew,
live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you
15
compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

 b

16

We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sin-
know that a man is not justified by works
ners”
of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be jus-
tified by faith in Christ and not by works of the
law, because by works of the law no one will be
17
justified.

But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ,
we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that
make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!
If
I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove
19
myself to be a lawbreaker.

18

20

21

For through the law I died to the law so that I
might  live  to  God.
I  have  been  crucified  with
Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  up  for
me.
I do not set aside the grace of God. For if
righteousness  comes  through  the  law,  then
Faith and Belief  (James 2:14–26)
Christ died for nothing.

3

Spirit  by  works  of  the  law,  or  by  hearing  with
3
faith?

4

5

Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit,
Have you suf-
are you now finishing in the flesh?
fered  so  much  for  nothing,  if  it  really  was  for
nothing?
Does God lavish His Spirit on you and
work miracles among you because you practice
6
the law, or because you hear and believe?

 c

7

8

So  also,  “Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was
Understand,
credited to him as righteousness.”
then, that those who have faith are sons of Abra-
The Scripture foresaw that God would jus-
ham.
tify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel
 d
9
to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through
you.”
So  those  who  have  faith  are  blessed
Christ Has Redeemed Us
along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10

 e

11

All who rely on works of the law are under a
curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who
does not continue to do everything written in the
Book of the Law.”
Now it is clear that no one
is justified before God by the law, because, “The
righteous will live by faith.”
The law, however,
is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man
13
who does these things will live by them.”

12

 g

 f

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
 h
by  becoming  a  curse  for  us.  For  it  is  written:
14
“Cursed  is  everyone  who  is  hung  on  a  tree.”
 i

He  redeemed  us  in  order  that  the  blessing
promised to Abraham
 would come to the Gen-
tiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might re-
The Purpose of the Law  (Romans 7:1–6)
ceive the promise of the Spirit.
15

Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even
16
a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be
The promises were spo-
canceled or amended.
ken  to  Abraham  and  to  his  seed.  The  Scripture
does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but
17
“and to your seed,”
 meaning One, who is Christ.

 j

18

What  I  mean  is  this:  The  law  that  came  430
years later does not revoke the covenant previ-
ously  established  by  God,  so  as  to  nullify  the
For if the inheritance depends on the
promise.
law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but
God  freely  granted  it  to  Abraham  through  a
promise.

2

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
Before  your  very  eyes  Jesus  Christ  was
I  would  like  to
clearly  portrayed  as  crucified.
a 9
learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the
c 6
f 11
i 14

That is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14
g 12
Genesis 15:6
See Genesis 12:3, Genesis 18:18, and Genesis 22:18.
j 16
the blessing of Abraham
Habakkuk 2:4
Literally

Leviticus 18:5; see also Ezekiel 20:11, 13, and 21.

Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15

b 14

d 8

e 10
Some translators close this quotation after verse 16 or 21.
h 13

Deuteronomy 27:26 (see also LXX)

Deuteronomy 21:23 (see also LXX)

19

Why then was the law given? It was added be-
cause  of  transgressions,  until  the  arrival  of  the
seed  to  whom  the  promise  referred.  It  was  ad-
ministered  through  angels  by  a  mediator.
A
mediator is unnecessary, however, for only one
21
party; but God is one.

20

Is  the  law,  then,  opposed  to  the  promises  of
God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given
that could impart life, then righteousness would
certainly  have  come  from  the  law.
But  the
Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin,
so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might
23
be given to those who believe.

22

24

Before this faith came, we were held in custody
under the law, locked up until faith should be re-
vealed.
So the law became our guardian to lead
25
us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Now that faith has come, we are no longer un-

Sons through Faith in Christ
der a guardian.
26

27

29

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
For  all  of  you  who  were  baptized  into
Jesus.
28
Christ  have  clothed  yourselves  with  Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male  nor  female,  for  you  are  all  one  in  Christ
Jesus.
And  if  you  belong  to  Christ,  then  you
are  Abraham’s  seed  and  heirs  according  to  the
Sons and Heirs
promise.

4

What I am saying is that as long as the heir is
a  child,  he  is  no  different  from  a  slave,  alt-
hough he is the owner of everything.
He is sub-
ject to guardians and trustees until the date set
3
by his father.

2

 a

5

6

4
slaved under the basic principles

So  also,  when  we  were  children,  we  were  en-
 of the world.
But when the time had fully come, God sent His
Son,  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law,
to
redeem  those  under  the  law,  that  we  might  re-
ceive our adoption as sons.
And because you are
sons,  God  sent  the  Spirit  of  His  Son  into  our
hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no
longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son,
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
you are also an heir through God.
8

7

Formerly,  when  you  did  not  know  God,  you
9
were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
But  now  that  you  know  God,  or  rather  are
a 3
known by God, how is it that you are turning back

elemental forces

b 22

Galatians 4:27    |    1045

to those weak and worthless principles? Do you
10
wish  to  be  enslaved  by  them  all  over  again?
11
You  are  observing  special  days  and  months
and seasons and years!
I fear for you, that my
efforts  for  you  may  have  been  in  vain.
I  beg
you, brothers, become like me, for I became like
13
you. You have done me no wrong.

12

14

15

You know that it was because of an illness that
I  first  preached  the  gospel  to  you.
And  alt-
hough my illness was a trial to you, you did not
despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me
as  if  I  were  an  angel  of  God,  as  if  I  were  Christ
Jesus Himself.
What then has become of your
blessing? For I can testify that, if it were possible,
16
you  would  have  torn  out  your  eyes  and  given
them to me.
Have I now become your enemy
17
by telling you the truth?

Those people are zealous for you, but not in a
good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from
us, so that you may be zealous for them.
Nev-
ertheless,  it  is  good  to  be  zealous  if  it  serves  a
noble purpose—at any time, and not only when I
19
am with you.

18

20

My children, for whom I am again in the pains
of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
how
I  wish  I  could  be with  you  now  and  change my
Hagar and Sarah  (Genesis 21:9–21)
tone, because I am perplexed about you.
21

22

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do
you not understand what the law says?
For it
b
is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the
23
slave woman and the other by the free woman.
His son by the slave woman was born accord-
ing  to  the  flesh,  but  his  son  by  the  free  woman
24
was born through the promise.

25

These  things  serve  as  illustrations,  for  the
women represent two covenants. One covenant
is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slav-
ery:  This  is  Hagar.
Now  Hagar  stands  for
Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia  and  corresponds  to  the
26
present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery
with her children.
But the Jerusalem above is
free, and she is our mother.

For it is written:

27

“Rejoice, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth and cry aloud,

you who have never travailed;

because more are the children
of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
Isaiah 54:1

c 27

 c

Or

; similarly in verse 9

See Genesis 16:15 and Genesis 21:2–3.

1046    |    Galatians 4:28

28

a

29
Now you,

 brothers, like Isaac, are children of
promise.
At that time, however, the son born
by  the  flesh  persecuted  the  son  born  by  the
30
Spirit. It is the same now.

 b

31

But  what  does  the  Scripture  say?  “Expel  the
slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s
son will never share in the inheritance with the
free  woman’s  son.”
Therefore,  brothers,  we
are not children of the slave woman, but of the
Freedom in Christ
free woman.

5

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered

2
once more by a yoke of slavery.

3

Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let your-
selves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value
to you at all.
Again I testify to every man who
gets  himself circumcised  that  he  is  obligated  to
obey  the  whole  law.
You  who  are  trying  to  be
justified  by  the  law  have  been  severed  from
5
Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

4

6

But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit
the  hope  of  righteousness.
For  in  Christ  Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any
value.  What  matters  is  faith  expressing  itself
7
through love.

8

9

10

You were running so well. Who has obstructed
Such  persuasion
you  from  obeying  the  truth?
A lit-
does not come from the One who calls you.
tle  leaven  works  through  the  whole  batch  of
I am confident in the Lord that you will
dough.
take no other view. The one who is troubling you
11
will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.

Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumci-
sion, why am I still being persecuted? In that case
As
the offense of the cross has been abolished.
for  those  who  are  agitating  you,  I  wish  they
13
would proceed to emasculate themselves!

12

For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but
do  not  use  your  freedom  as  an  opportunity  for
14
the  flesh.  Rather,  serve  one  another  in  love.
The  entire  law  is  fulfilled  in  a  single  decree:
“Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself.”
But  if  you
keep on biting and devouring one another, watch
Walking by the Spirit
out, or you will be consumed by one another.
(Ezekiel 36:16–38 ;  Romans 8:9–11)

15

 c

16

17

So  I  say,  walk  by  the  Spirit,  and  you  will  not
For  the  flesh
c 14
b 30

gratify  the  desires  of  the  flesh.
a 28

we

18

craves  what  is  contrary  to  the  Spirit,  and  the
Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are op-
posed to each other, so that you do not do what
you want.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you
19
are not under the law.

20

21

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immo-
idolatry and
rality, impurity, and debauchery;
sorcery;  hatred,  discord,  jealousy,  and  rage;
and envy; drunk-
rivalries, divisions, factions,
enness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did
before, that those who practice such things will
22
not inherit the kingdom of God.

23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, pa-
tience,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,
gen-
tleness,  and  self-control.  Against  such  things
24
there is no law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have cruci-
25
fied  the  flesh  with  its  passions  and  desires.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step
Let  us  not  become  conceited,

with  the  Spirit.
Carry One Another’s Burdens
provoking and envying one another.

26

6

Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass,
you  who  are  spiritual  should  restore  him
2
with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or
Carry one another’s
you also may be tempted.
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of
3
Christ.

If  anyone  thinks  he  is  something  when  he  is

4
nothing, he deceives himself.

5

6

Each one should test his own work. Then he will
have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in
For  each  one  should  carry  his
someone  else.
own  load.
Nevertheless,  the  one  who  receives
instruction  in  the  word  must  share  in  all  good
7
things with his instructor.

Do  not  be  deceived:  God  is  not  to  be  mocked.
8
Whatever  a  man  sows,  he  will  reap  in  return.
The one who sows to please his flesh, from the
flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eter-
9
nal life.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due
10
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore,  as  we  have  opportunity,  let  us  do
good to everyone, and especially to the family of
faith.

WH, BYZ, and TR

Genesis 21:10

Leviticus 19:18

Final Warnings and Blessings

11

See  what  large  letters  I  am  using  to  write  to

12
you with my own hand!

13

Those  who  want  to  make  a  good  impression
outwardly are trying to compel you to be circum-
cised. They only do this to avoid persecution for
the cross of Christ.
For the circumcised do not
even keep the law themselves, yet they want you
to  be  circumcised  that  they  may  boast  in  your
14
flesh.

 a
But as for me, may I never boast, except in the

Galatians 6:18    |    1047

15

the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
For neither circumcision nor uncircum-
world.
cision  means  anything.  What  counts  is  a  new
16
creation.

Peace and mercy to all who walk by this rule,

17
even to the Israel of God.

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for

18
I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your

spirit, brothers.

cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  through  which

Amen.

a 14

through whom

Or

Ephesians

Paul’s Greeting to the Ephesians
(Acts 19:8–12 ;  Revelation 2:1–7)

Spiritual Wisdom  (1 Corinthians 2:6–16)

15

1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
a
God,

To  the  saints  in  Ephesus,
2
Jesus:

  the  faithful  in  Christ

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father

Spiritual Blessings
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 8:28–34)

3

4

5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,  who has  blessed  us  in  Christ with  every
For He
spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
chose  us  in  Him  before  the  foundation  of  the
world to be holy and blameless in His presence.
He  predestined  us  for  adoption  as  His
In  love
sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good
to the praise of His glorious
pleasure of His will,
grace,  which  He  has  freely  given  us  in  the  Be-
7
loved One.

6

In Him we have redemption through His blood,
8
the  forgiveness  of  our  trespasses,  according  to
9
that  He  lavished  on  us
the  riches  of  His  grace
with all wisdom and understanding.
And He has
made known to us the mystery of His will accord-
ing to His good pleasure, which He purposed in
as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring
Christ
all  things  in  heaven  and  on  earth  together  in
11
Christ.

10

12

In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, hav-
ing  been  predestined  according  to  the  plan  of
Him who works out everything by the counsel of
in order that we, who were the first to
His will,
hope  in  Christ,  would  be  for  the  praise  of  His
13
glory.

And  in  Him,  having  heard  and  believed  the
word  of  truth—the  gospel  of  your  salvation—
14
you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
who is the pledge of our inheritance until the
redemption  of  those  who  are  God’s  possession,
a 1
to the praise of His glory.

in Ephesus

b 18

Some manuscripts do not include

.

TR

16

For this reason, ever since I heard about your
faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the
saints,
I  have  not  stopped  giving  thanks  for
you, remembering you in my prayers,
that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in
18
your knowledge of Him.

17

 b

19

I  ask  that  the  eyes  of  your  heart

  may  be
enlightened, so that you may know the hope of
His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance
in the saints,
and the surpassing greatness of
His power to us who believe. These are in accord-
20
ance  with  the  working  of  His  mighty  strength,
which  He  exerted  in  Christ  when  He  raised
Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule
and  authority,  power  and  dominion,  and  every
name that is named, not only in the present age
22
but also in the one to come.

21

And  God  put  everything  under  His  feet  and
23
made Him head over everything for the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills

Alive with Christ  (Colossians 2:6–23)
all in all.

2

2

And  you were  dead  in  your  trespasses  and
sins,
in which you used to walk when you
conformed to the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now
All  of  us
at  work  in  the  sons  of  disobedience.
also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the
cravings  of  our  flesh  and  indulging  its  desires
and  thoughts.  Like  the  rest,  we  were  by  nature
4
children of wrath.

3

5

6

But because of His great love for us, God, who is
made  us  alive  with  Christ  even
rich  in  mercy,
when  we  were  dead  in  our  trespasses.  It  is  by
grace you have been saved!
And God raised us
up  with  Christ  and  seated  us  with  Him  in  the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
in order that in
the coming ages He might display the surpassing
riches  of  His  grace,  demonstrated  by  His  kind-
ness to us in Christ Jesus.

7

the eyes of your understanding

8

Ephesians 4:1    |    1049

4

9

For it is by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of
10
not  by  works,  so  that  no  one  can  boast.
God,
For  we  are  God’s  workmanship,  created  in
Christ  Jesus  to  do  good  works,  which  God  pre-
One in Christ  (Philippians 2:1–4)
pared in advance as our way of life.
11

a

12

Therefore  remember  that  formerly  you  who
are  Gentiles  in  the  flesh  and  called  uncircum-
cised by the so-called circumcision (that done in
remember  that
the  body  by human  hands)—
at that time you were separate from Christ, alien-
ated  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and
strangers to the covenants of the promise, with-
But
out  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world.
now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away
have  been  brought  near  through  the  blood  of
14
Christ.

13

15

For He Himself is our peace, who has made the
two one and has torn down the dividing wall of
by  abolishing  in  His  flesh  the  law  of
hostility
commandments and decrees. He did this to cre-
ate in Himself one new man out of the two, thus
and reconciling both of them to
making peace
God in one body through the cross, by which He
17
put to death their hostility.

16

He came and preached peace to you who were
18
far  away  and  peace  to  those  who  were  near.
For  through  Him  we  both  have  access  to  the

Christ Our Cornerstone  (Isaiah 28:14–22 ;
Father by one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:10–15 ;  1 Peter 2:1–8)

19

20

Therefore you are no longer strangers and for-
eigners,  but  fellow  citizens  with  the  saints  and
built  on  the
members  of  God’s  household,
foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  with
In Him
Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
the whole building is fitted together and grows
into a holy temple in the Lord.
And in Him you
too are being built together into a dwelling place
The Mystery of the Gospel
for God in His Spirit.

21

22

3

2

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ
Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles

. . .

b

3

5

6

In  reading  this,
I  have  already  written  briefly.
then, you will be able to understand my insight
which was not made
into the mystery of Christ,
known to men in other generations as it has now
been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles
This mystery is that through the
and prophets.
gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow mem-
bers  of  the  body,  and  fellow  partakers  of  the
7
promise in Christ Jesus.

8

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of
God’s grace, given me through the working of His
power.
Though I am less than the least of all the
9
saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the
 c
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
and
to  illuminate  for  everyone  the  stewardship
  of
this mystery, which for ages past was kept hid-
His purpose
den in God, who created all things.
was that now, through the church, the manifold
wisdom  of  God  should  be  made  known  to  the
11
rulers  and  authorities  in  the  heavenly  realms,
according  to  the  eternal  purpose  that  He  ac-

10

 d
12
complished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Him and through faith in Him

 we may en-
13
ter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.
So I ask you not to be discouraged because of

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
14

e

15

17

16

for  this reason  I  bow  my  knees  before  the
. . .
Father,
from  whom  every  family  in  heaven
I ask that out of
and on earth derives its name.
the  riches  of  His  glory  He  may  strengthen  you
with  power  through  His  Spirit  in  your  inner
being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through  faith.  Then  you,  being  rooted  and
grounded  in  love,
will  have  power,  together
with all the saints, to comprehend the length and
width  and  height  and  depth
of  the  love  of
Christ,  and  to  know  this  love  that  surpasses
knowledge,  that  you  may  be  filled  with  all  the
20
fullness of God.

19

18

Now  to  Him who  is  able  to  do  immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine, according to His
power that is at work within us,
to Him be the
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through-
Unity in the Body  (Ps. 133:1–3 ;  1 Cor. 1:10–17)
out all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

21

Surely you have heard about the stewardship of
that is,
God’s grace that was given to me for you,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
a 10
the mystery made known to me by revelation, as
and to illuminate the stewardship

c 9

As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling you

b 1

and to illuminate for everyone the fellowship

through His faithfulness

e 14

before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

This train of thought is continued in

Literally

d 12
verse 14.
Or

NE and WH

; TR

BYZ and TR

4

1050    |    Ephesians 4:2

2

have received:
with all humility and gentleness,
3
with patience, bearing with one another in love,
and with diligence to preserve the unity of the

4
Spirit through the bond of peace.

There  is  one  body  and  one  Spirit,  just  as  you
5
were called to one hope when you were called;
one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all and
7
in all.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6

8

 a

Now to each one of us grace has been given ac-
This

cording to the measure of the gift of Christ.
is why it says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captives away,
and gave gifts to men.”
 c

 b

9

10
also descended

What does “He ascended” mean, except that He
 to the lower parts of the earth?
He  who  descended  is  the  very  One  who  as-
cended above all the heavens, in order to fill all
11
things.

13

12

And it was He who gave some to be apostles,
some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and
to equip the
some to be pastors and teachers,
saints  for  works  of  ministry  and  to  build  up
until we all reach unity in
the body of Christ,
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God,
as we mature to the full measure of the stature of
14
Christ.

15

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about
by the waves and carried around by every wind
of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in
Instead, speaking the
their deceitful scheming.
truth  in love,  we  will  in  all  things  grow  up  into
From Him the
Christ Himself, who is the head.
whole  body,  fitted  and  held  together  by  every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up
New Life in Christ  (Colossians 3:1–17)
in love through the work of each individual part.
17

16

18

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord,
that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do,
They are dark-
in the futility of their thinking.
ened in their understanding and alienated from
the life of God because of the ignorance that is in
Hav-
them due to the hardness of their hearts.
ing lost all sense of shame, they have given them-
selves over to sensuality for the practice of every
kind of impurity, with a craving for more.
a 8
d 26

“In your anger do not sin.”

He says

b 8

e 2

c 9

19

Or

Or

Psalm 68:18

BYZ and TR

 Psalm 4:4

NE and WH

20

21

But  this  is  not  the  way  you  came  to  know
Christ.
Surely  you  heard  of  Him  and  were
22
taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is
to  put  off  your  former  way  of  life,
in  Jesus—
your old self, which is being corrupted by its de-
24
ceitful  desires;
to  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of
and to put on the new self, created
your minds;
25
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

23

 d

26

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood
and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are
all members of one another.
“Be angry, yet do
27
not sin.”
 Do not let the sun set upon your anger,
28

and do not give the devil a foothold.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer,
but must work, doing good with his own hands,
that  he  may  have  something  to  share  with  the
29
one in need.

Let  no  unwholesome  talk  come  out  of  your
mouths, but only what is helpful for building up
the one in need and bringing grace to those who
30
listen.

And  do  not  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  in
whom  you  were  sealed  for  the  day  of  redemp-
31
tion.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry
32
and  slander,  along  with  every  form  of  malice.
Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, for-
giving  each  other  just  as  in  Christ  God  forgave
Imitators of God
you.

5

2

Be  imitators  of  God,  therefore,  as  beloved
 e
and  walk  in  love,  just  as  Christ
children,
 and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant

loved us
3
sacrificial offering to God.

5

4

But among you, as is proper among the saints,
there must not be even a hint of sexual immoral-
Nor
ity, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.
should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude
joking,  which  are  out  of  character,  but  rather
For  of  this  you  can  be  sure:  No
thanksgiving.
immoral,  impure,  or  greedy  person  (that  is,  an
idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of
6
Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for
because of such things the wrath of God is com-
ing  on  the  sons  of  disobedience.
Therefore  do
not be partakers with them.
Christ loved you

7

except that He also descended first

Children of Light

8

9

For you were once darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
for
the  fruit  of  the  light  consists  in  all  goodness,
righteousness, and truth.
Test and prove what
11
pleases the Lord.

10

12

13

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of
darkness,  but  rather  expose  them.
For  it  is
shameful even to mention what the disobedient
do  in  secret.
But  everything  exposed  by  the
14
light becomes visible,
 for everything that is illu-
minated becomes a light itself.

So it is said:

a

“Wake up, O sleeper,

15

rise up from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Pay  careful  attention,  then,  to  how  you  walk,
not as unwise but as wise,
redeeming the time,
because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be
18
foolish,  but  understand  what  the  Lord’s  will  is.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reck-
19
less indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

16
17

20

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and
spiritual  songs.  Sing  and  make  music  in  your
hearts to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God
the Father for everything in the name of our Lord
Wives and Husbands
Jesus Christ.
(Song of Solomon 1:1–17 ;  1 Peter 3:1–7)

21

b

Submit  to  one  another  out  of  reverence  for

22
Christ.
23

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
For  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife  as
24
Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church,  His  body,  of
which He is the Savior.
Now as the church sub-
mits  to  Christ,  so  also  wives  should  submit  to
25
their husbands in everything.

26

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave Himself up for her
to sanc-
27
tify her, cleansing her by the washing with water
through the word,
and to present her to Him-
self as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle
28
or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 6:15    |    1051

31

 d

32

“For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and the two will
This mystery is profound,
become one flesh.”
33
but  I  am  speaking  about Christ  and  the  church.
Nevertheless,  each  one of  you  also must love
his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must re-
Children and Parents  (Colossians 3:18–21)
spect her husband.

6

2

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for
this  is  right.
“Honor  your  father  and
3
mother” (which is the first commandment with a
“that it may go well with you and that
promise),
4
you may have a long life on the earth.”

 e

Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath;
instead,  bring  them up  in  the  discipline  and  in-
Serving with Honor
struction of the Lord.
(Colossians 3:22–25 ;  1 Timothy 6:1–2)

5

6

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect
and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would
And do this not only to please them
obey Christ.
while  they  are  watching,  but  as  servants  of
7
Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  your  heart.
Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to
because  you  know  that  the  Lord  will
men,
reward  each  one  for  whatever  good  he  does,
9
whether he is slave or free.

8

And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give
up your use of threats, because you know that He
who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
The Full Armor of God
and there is no favoritism with Him.
10

11

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty
power.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you
12
can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but  against  the  rulers,  against  the  authorities,
against the powers of this world’s darkness, and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
13
realms.

14

Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you will be able to
stand your ground, and having done everything,
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
to stand.
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate
and  with  your  feet
of  righteousness  arrayed,
fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

—of His flesh and of His

c 30

15

29

In the same way, husbands ought to love their
wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves  himself.
Indeed,  no  one  ever  hated  his
own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just
c
as Christ does the church.
For we are members
of His body.
a 13
d 31
bones

visible,

b 21

30

in the fear of Christ.

SBL begins verse 14 after
.

Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)

e 3
Or

Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

BYZ and TR include

1052    |    Ephesians 6:16

16

17

In  addition  to  all  this,  take  up  the  shield  of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flam-
And take the helmet
ing arrows of the evil one.
of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
18
the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind
of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with
19
all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
Pray  also  for  me,  that  whenever  I  open  my
mouth,  words  may  be  given  me  so  that  I  will
20
boldly  make  known  the  mystery  of  the  gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray

Final Greetings
(Philippians 4:21–23 ;  2 Timothy 4:19–22)

21

22

Tychicus,  the  beloved  brother  and  faithful
servant  in  the  Lord,  will  tell  you  everything,  so
that you also may know about me and what I am
I have sent him to you for this very pur-
doing.
pose,  that  you  may  know about  us,  and  that  he
23
may encourage your hearts.

Peace to the brothers and love with faith from

24
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace  to  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ

that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

with an undying love.

Philippians

Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Colossians 1:1–2 ;  Philemon 1:1–3)

1

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To  all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  at  Philippi,

2
together with the overseers and deacons:

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father

Thanksgiving and Prayer
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 1:4–9 ;  Colossians 1:3–14)

3

4

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In
5
every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy,
6
because of your partnership in the gospel from
the first day until now,
being confident of this,
that He who began a good work in you will carry
7
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you,
since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and
in  my  defense  and  confirmation  of  the  gospel,
God is my
you are all partners in grace with me.
witness how I long for all of you with the affec-
9
tion of Christ Jesus.

8

10

And  this  is  my  prayer:  that  your  love  may
abound more and more in knowledge and depth
so that you may be able to test and
of insight,
prove what is best and may be pure and blame-
filled with the fruit of
less for the day of Christ,
righteousness  that  comes  through  Jesus  Christ,
Paul’s Trials Advance the Gospel
to the glory and praise of God.
(James 1:2–12)

11

12

 a

13

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my cir-
cumstances have actually served to advance the
As a result, it has become clear through-
gospel.
out the whole palace guard
 and to everyone else
that I am in chains for Christ.
And most of the
brothers,  confident  in  the  Lord  by  my  chains,
now dare more greatly to speak the word
 with-
15
out fear.

14

 b

16

c

17

latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed
for  the  defense  of  the  gospel.
The  former,
however,  preach  Christ  out  of  selfish  ambition,
not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the
18
distress of my chains.

 d

19

20

What then is the issue?

 Just this: that in every
way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is
preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will con-
because I know that through
tinue to rejoice,
your  prayers  and  the  provision  of  the  Spirit  of
Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my de-
I eagerly expect and hope that I will
liverance.
in  no  way  be  ashamed,  but  will  have  complete
boldness so that now as always Christ will be ex-
To Live Is Christ
alted in my body, whether by life or by death.
21
22

23

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I go on living in the body, this will mean
fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do
I am torn between the two. I desire
not know.
24
to depart and be with Christ, which is far better
But it is more necessary for you that I
indeed.
25
remain in the body.

26

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and
will  continue  with  all  of  you  for  your  progress
so that through my coming
and joy in the faith,
to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will
Worthy of the Gospel
resound on account of me.
27

e

28

Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner
worthy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Then, whether  I
come and see you or only hear about you in my
absence, I will know that you stand firm in one
 for the faith
spirit, contending together as one
without being frightened in any
of the gospel,
way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign
29
of their destruction but of your salvation, and it
For it has been granted to you on
is from God.
behalf  of  Christ  not  only  to  believe  in  Him,  but
since you are encounter-
also to suffer for Him,
ing  the  same  struggle  you  saw  I  had,  and  now
hear that I still have.

c 16

30

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy
the word of God
b 14
The

a 13
and  rivalry,  but  others  out  of  goodwill.
d 18

all the Praetorium
What then?

striving together with one mind

e 27

Or
Literally

NE and WH

Or

BYZ and TR reverse the order of verses 16 and 17.

1054    |    Philippians 2:1

One in Christ  (Ephesians 2:11–18)

17

2

2

Therefore if you have any encouragement in
Christ,  if  any  comfort  from  His  love,  if  any
fellowship  with  the  Spirit,  if  any  affection  and
then make my joy complete by be-
compassion,
ing  like-minded,  having  the  same  love,  being
3
united in spirit and purpose.

4

Do  nothing  out  of  selfish  ambition  or  empty
pride, but in humility consider others more im-
portant  than  yourselves.
Each  of  you  should
look not only to your own interests, but also to
The Mind of Christ  (Isaiah 52:13–15)
the interests of others.
5

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
6
Jesus:

Who, existing in the form of God,

a

7

did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,

but emptied Himself,

8

taking the form of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

9

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest

10

place

and gave Him the name above all names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should

bow,

11

in heaven and on earth and under

the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ

is Lord,

Lights in the World  (Matthew 5:13–16)
to the glory of God the Father.

12

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always
obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even
more in my absence, continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God
who works in you to will and to act on behalf of
14
His good purpose.

13

15

b

Do  everything  without  complaining  or  argu-
ing,
so  that  you  may  be  blameless  and  pure,
children  of  God  without  fault  in  a  crooked  and
16
perverse  generation,
  in  which  you  shine  as
lights in the world
as you hold forth the word
of  life,  in  order  that  I  may  boast  on  the  day  of
a 6
Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

something to be exploited

b 15

Or

Deuteronomy 32:5

But even if I am being poured out like a drink
offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith,
So you too
I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Timothy and Epaphroditus  (1 Cor. 16:10–12)
should be glad and rejoice with me.
19

18

22

20

Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy
to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I
learn  how  you  are  doing.
I  have  nobody  else
21
like him who will genuinely care for your needs.
For  all  the  others  look  after  their  own  inter-
But  you  know
ests,  not  those  of  Jesus  Christ.
Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his
father he has served with me to advance the gos-
So I hope to send him as soon as I see what
pel.
And I trust in the Lord that I
happens with me.
25
myself will come soon.

24

23

27

But I thought it necessary to send back to you
Epaphroditus,  my  brother,  fellow  worker,  and
26
fellow  soldier,  who  is  also  your  messenger  and
For he has been longing
minister to my needs.
for all of you and is distressed because you heard
He  was  sick  indeed,  nearly  unto
he  was  ill.
death. But God had mercy on him, and not only
on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon
28
sorrow.

29

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,
so that when you see him again you may rejoice,
Welcome him in the
and I may be less anxious.
30
Lord  with  great  joy,  and  honor  men  like  him,
because he nearly died for the work of Christ,
risking his life to make up for your deficit of ser-
Righteousness through Faith in Christ
vice to me.
(Romans 3:21–31)

3

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is
no trouble for me to write the same things to

2
you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

3

Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil,
For it is we who
those mutilators of the flesh!
are  the  circumcision,  we  who  worship  by  the
4
Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who
though I myself
put no confidence in the flesh—
could have such confidence.

5

If  anyone  else  thinks  he  has  grounds  for  confi-
dence in the flesh, I have more:
circumcised on
the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe
of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law,
as to zeal, persecuting the church; as
a Pharisee;
to righteousness in the law, faultless.

6

7

8

2

3

Philippians 4:18    |    1055

But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for
More  than  that,  I  count  all
the  sake  of  Christ.
things as loss compared to the surpassing excel-
lence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom
I  have  lost  all  things.  I  consider  them  rubbish,
and be found in Him, not
that I may gain Christ
having my own righteousness from the law, but
that which is through faith in Christ,
 the right-
10
eousness from God on the basis of faith.

9

a

11

I want to know Christ and the power of His res-
urrection  and  the  fellowship  of  His  sufferings,
and so,
being conformed to Him in His death,
somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the
Pressing on toward the Goal
dead.
12

13

Not  that  I  have  already  obtained  all  this,  or
have already been made perfect, but I press on to
take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to
of me.
have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forget-
ting what is behind and straining toward what is
I  press  on  toward  the  goal  to  win  the
ahead,
15
prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

14

All of us who are mature should embrace this
point of view. And if you think differently about
16
some  issue,  God  will  reveal  this  to  you  as  well.
Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have

Citizenship in Heaven
already attained.
17

18

Join  one  another  in  following  my  example,
brothers, and carefully observe those who walk
according to the pattern we set for you.
For as
I have often told you before, and now say again
even  with  tears:  Many  live  as  enemies  of  the
Their end is destruction, their
cross of Christ.
god  is  their  belly,  and  their  glory  is  in  their
20
shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

19

21

But  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven,  and  we  ea-
gerly  await  a  Savior  from  there,  the  Lord  Jesus
who, by the power that enables Him to
Christ,
subject all things to Himself, will transform our
Rejoice in the Lord
lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.

4

b

I urge Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each
Yes,  and  I  ask  you,  my  true
other  in  the  Lord.
yokefellow,
 to help these women who have con-
tended  at  my  side  for  the  gospel,  along  with
Clement  and  the  rest  of  my  fellow  workers,
4
whose names are in the Book of Life.

5

Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always.  I  will  say  it  again:
Let your gentleness be apparent to all.

Rejoice!
6
The Lord is near.

Be  anxious  for  nothing,  but  in  everything,  by
7
prayer  and  petition,  with  thanksgiving,  present
And  the  peace  of  God,
your  requests  to  God.
which  surpasses  all  understanding,  will  guard
8
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

9

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable,  whatever  is  right,  whatever  is  pure,
whatever  is  lovely,  whatever  is  admirable—if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on
Whatever  you  have  learned  or
these  things.
received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it
into practice. And the God of peace will be with
The Generosity of the Philippians
you.
(2 Corinthians 8:1–15)

10

12

11

Now  I  rejoice  greatly  in  the  Lord  that  at  last
you have revived your concern for me. You were
indeed concerned, but you had no opportunity to
I am not saying this out of need, for I
show it.
have learned to be content regardless of my cir-
I know how to live humbly, and I
cumstances.
know how to abound. In any and every situation
I have learned the secret of being filled and being
I can
hungry, of having plenty and having need.
do  all  things  through  Christ  who  gives  me
14
strength.

13

c

15

Nevertheless,  you have done  well  to share  in
And as you Philippians know, in
my affliction.
the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedo-
16
nia, no church but you partnered with me in the
For even while
matter of giving and receiving.
I was in Thessalonica, you provided for my needs
17
again and again.

Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am looking
18
for the fruit that may be credited to your account.
I have all I need and more, now that I have re-
ceived your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a
fragrant  offering,  an  acceptable  sacrifice,  well-
pleasing to God.

in the One who gives

c 13

Therefore,  my  brothers,  whom  I  love  and
long for, my joy and crown, that is how you
through the faithfulness of Christ

must stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
a 9
me strength.

in Christ who gives me strength.

b 3

I ask you, loyal Syzygus

Or

 BYZ and TR

Or

NA, SBL, NE, and WH

1056    |    Philippians 4:19

19

And my God will supply all your needs accord-
To our
ing to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Final Greetings
God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 6:21–24 ;  2 Timothy 4:19–22)

20

21

The  brothers  who  are  with  me  send  you  greet-
22
ings.

All  the  saints  send  you  greetings,  especially

23
those from the household of Caesar.

a

Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus.

spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your

a 23

Amen.

BYZ and TR include

Colossians

Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Philippians 1:1–2 ;  Philemon 1:1–3)

1

2

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at

a

Colossae:
Thanksgiving and Prayer
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
(1 Corinthians 1:4–9 ;  Philippians 1:3–11)

3

4

5

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Je-
because  we
sus  Christ,  when  we  pray  for  you,
have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and
the faith and love
your love for all the saints—
proceeding  from  the  hope  stored  up  for  you  in
heaven, of which you have already heard in the
that has come to you.
word of truth, the gospel

6

7

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and
growing,  just  as  it  has  been  doing  among  you
since the day you heard it and truly understood
You learned it from Epaphras,
the grace of God.
 b
8
our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful min-
ister  of  Christ  on  our
and  who  also
9
informed us of your love in the Spirit.

  behalf,

For  this  reason,  since  the  day  we  heard  about
you,  we  have  not  stopped  praying  for  you  and
asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His
10
will  in  all  spiritual  wisdom  and  understanding,
so  that  you  may walk  in  a  manner  worthy  of
the Lord and may please Him in every way: bear-
ing  fruit  in  every  good  work,  growing  in  the
being strengthened with all
knowledge of God,
power  according  to  His  glorious  might  so  that
you may have full endurance and patience, and
giving  thanks  to  the  Father,  who  has
joyfully
qualified you
 to share in the inheritance of the
13
saints in the light.

11

12

 c

14

He has rescued us from the dominion of dark-
d
ness  and  brought  us  into  the  kingdom  of  His
beloved  Son,
a 2
the forgiveness of sins.
d 14

in  whom  we  have  redemption,

God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

redemption through His blood,

b 7
in all creation

e 23

The Supremacy of the Son  (Hebrews 1:1–14)

15

16

The  Son  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,
the  firstborn  over  all  creation.
For  in  Him  all
things  were  created,  things  in  heaven  and  on
earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  thrones  or
dominions  or  rulers  or  authorities.  All  things
17
were created through Him and for Him.

18

19

He  is  before  all  things,  and  in  Him  all  things
And He is the head of the body,
hold together.
the  church;  He  is  the  beginning  and  firstborn
from among the dead, so that in all things He may
20
For  God  was  pleased  to
have  preeminence.
and through
have all His fullness dwell in Him,
Him  to  reconcile  to  Himself  all  things,  whether
things  on  earth  or  things  in  heaven,  by  making
21
peace through the blood of His cross.

Once  you  were  alienated  from  God  and  were
22
hostile  in  your  minds,  engaging  in  evil  deeds.
But  now  He  has  reconciled  you  by  Christ’s
physical body through death to present you holy,
23
unblemished,  and  blameless  in  His  presence—
if  indeed  you  continue  in  your  faith,  estab-
lished and firm, not moved from the hope of the
gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to
  under  heaven,  and  of  which  I,
every  creature
Paul’s Suffering for the Church
Paul, have become a servant.
(2 Corinthians 11:16–33)

 e

24

26

25

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill
up  in  my  flesh  what  is  lacking  in  regard  to
Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which
I became its servant by the com-
is the church.
mission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the
word of God,
the mystery that was hidden for
ages and generations but is now revealed to His
To  them  God  has  chosen  to  make
saints.
known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
28
glory.

27

We  proclaim  Him,  admonishing  and  teaching
everyone with all wisdom, so that we may pre-
To this end I
sent everyone perfect
fully mature
f 28

 in Christ.

your

c 12

29

us

 f

BYZ and TR

TR

NE, NA, BYZ, and TR

BYZ and TR

Or

Or

17

18

Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat
or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon,
or a Sabbath.
These are a shadow of the things
c
to  come,  but  the  body  that  casts  it  belongs  to
Do not let anyone who delights in false
Christ.
humility and the worship of angels disqualify you
with speculation about what he has seen. Such a
person is puffed up without basis by his unspir-
He has lost connection to the head,
itual mind.
from whom the whole body, supported and knit
together  by  its  joints  and  ligaments,  grows  as
20
God causes it to grow.

19

21
22

If  you  have  died  with  Christ  to  the  spiritual
forces  of  the  world,  why,  as  though  you  still
belonged to the world, do you submit to its regu-
“Do  not  handle,  do  not  taste,  do  not
lations:
touch!”?
These will all perish with use, because
23
they are based on human commands and teach-
Such restrictions indeed have an appear-
ings.
ance  of  wisdom,  with  their  self-prescribed
worship,  their  false  humility,  and  their  harsh
treatment of the body; but they are of no value
Put On the New Self  (Ephesians 4:17–32)
against the indulgence of the flesh.

3

3

2

Therefore, since you have been raised with
Christ,  strive  for  the  things  above,  where
Christ  is  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God.
Set
your  minds  on  things  above,  not  on  earthly
 d
For you died, and your life is now hidden
things.
with Christ in God.
life, appears, then you also will appear with Him
5
in glory.

When Christ, who is your

4

6

Put to death, therefore, the components of your
earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
evil  desires,  and  greed,  which  is  idolatry.
Be-
e
7
cause of these, the wrath of God is coming on the
sons  of  disobedience.
When  you  lived  among
But
them, you also used to walk in these ways.
now you must put aside all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language
9
from your lips.

8

10

1058    |    Colossians 2: 1

16

also  labor,  striving  with  all  His  energy  working
Absent in Body, Present in Spirit
powerfully within me.
(Revelation 3:14–22)

2

For  I  want  you  to  know  how  much  I  am
struggling for you and for those at Laodicea,
2
and  for  all  who  have  not  met  me  face  to  face,
that they may be encouraged in heart, knit to-
gether  in  love,  and  filled  with  the  full  riches  of
complete understanding, so that they may know
the  mystery  of  God,  namely  Christ,
in  whom
are  hidden  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and
4
knowledge.

3

a

5

I  say  this  so  that  no  one  will  deceive  you  by
smooth rhetoric.
For although I am absent from
you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and
I delight to see your orderly condition and firm
Alive with Christ  (Ephesians 2:1–10)
faith in Christ.
6

7

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Je-
rooted and
sus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,
built  up  in  Him,  established  in  the  faith  as  you
8
were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through
philosophy  and  empty  deception,  which  are
based  on  human  tradition  and  the  spiritual
For
forces  of  the  world  rather  than  on  Christ.
in  Christ  all  the  fullness  of  the  Deity  dwells  in
And  you  have  been  made  com-
bodily  form.
plete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler
11
and authority.

10

9

 b

12

In Him you were also circumcised, in the put-
ting off of your sinful nature, with the circumci-
sion  performed  by  Christ
  and  not  by  human
And  having  been  buried  with  Him  in
hands.
baptism, you were raised with Him through your
faith in the power of God, who raised Him from
13
the dead.

14

When you were dead in your trespasses and in
the  uncircumcision  of  your  sinful  nature,  God
made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our
having canceled the debt ascribed
trespasses,
15
to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took
it away, nailing it to the cross!
And having dis-
armed  the  powers  and  authorities,  He  made  a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them
a 2
by the cross.
Christ

but the body is of the Christ

the mystery of God: Christ

b 11

d 4

c 17
Literally
on the sons of disobedience

Literally

include

.

Do not lie to one another, since you have taken
and have put
off the old self with its practices,
11
on  the  new  self,  which  is  being  renewed  in
knowledge  in  the  image  of  its  Creator.
Here
there  is  no  Greek  or  Jew,  circumcised  or  uncir-
cumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but
Christ is all and is in all.
our

in the cutting away of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of
e 6

Literally

NE, WH, BYZ, and TR

NE, WH, and Tischendorf do not

12

4

Colossians 4:18    |    1059

13

Therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God,  holy  and
beloved,  clothe  yourselves  with  hearts  of  com-
passion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and pa-
Bear with one another and forgive any
tience.
complaint  you  may  have  against  someone  else.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all
15
these  virtues  put  on  love,  which  is  the  bond  of
Let  the  peace  of  Christ  rule  in
perfect  unity.
your hearts, for to this you were called as mem-
16
bers of one body. And be thankful.

14

17

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you
as you teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom,  and  as  you  sing  psalms,  hymns,  and
spiritual  songs  with  gratitude  in  your  hearts  to
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do
God.
it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
Christian Households  (Ephesians 6:1–4)
to God the Father through Him.
18

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in

19
the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh

20
with them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for

21
this is pleasing to the Lord.

Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they

Serving with Honor
will not become discouraged.
(Ephesians 6:5–9 ;  1 Timothy 6:1–2)

22

Slaves,  obey  your  earthly  masters  in  every-
thing,  not  only  to  please  them  while  they  are
watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of
23
the Lord.

24

Whatever you do, work at it with your whole
because
being, as for the Lord and not for men,
you  know  that  you  will  receive  an  inheritance
25
from  the  Lord  as  your  reward.  It  is  the  Lord
Whoever  does  wrong
Christ  you  are  serving.
will  be  repaid  for  his  wrong,  and  there  is  no
Prayerful Speech and Actions
favoritism.

4

Masters,  supply  your  slaves  with  what  is
right and fair, since you know that you also

2
have a Master in heaven.

3

Devote  yourselves  to  prayer,  being  watchful
as you pray also for us, that God
and thankful,
may open to us a door for the word, so that we
may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I
a 18

Amen.

BYZ and TR include

am in chains.
5
as I should.
6

Pray that I may declare it clearly,

Act  wisely  toward  outsiders,  redeeming  the
time.
Let your speech always be gracious, sea-
soned  with  salt,  so  that  you  may  know  how  to
Greetings from Paul’s Fellow Workers
answer everyone.
(Romans 16:21–23)

7

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He
8
is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fel-
I have sent him to you
low servant in the Lord.
for this very purpose, that you may know about
9
us,  and  that  he  may  encourage  your  hearts.
With  him  I  am  sending  Onesimus,  our  faithful
and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will
10
tell you about everything here.

11

My  fellow  prisoner  Aristarchus  sends  you
greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas.
You  have  already  received  instructions  about
Jesus,
him:  If he  comes  to  you, welcome him.
who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These
are the only Jews among my fellow workers for
the kingdom of God, and they have been a com-
12
fort to me.

13

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of
Christ  Jesus,  sends  you  greetings.  He  is  always
wrestling  in  prayer  for  you,  so  that  you  may
stand mature and fully assured in the full will of
For  I  testify  about  him  that  he  goes  to
God.
great pains for you and for those at Laodicea and
14
Hierapolis.

Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send

Signature and Final Instructions
you greetings.
(1 Cor. 16:19–24 ;  2 Thess. 3:16–18)

15

Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nym-

16
pha and the church that meets at her house.

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
17
from Laodicea.

Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the

18
ministry you have received in the Lord.”

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

Remember my chains.

a

Grace be with you.

1 Thessalonians

Greetings to the Thessalonians
(2 Thessalonians 1:1–4)

1

a

Paul, Silvanus,

 and Timothy,

To  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  in  God

b

the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2
Grace and peace to you.
3

We always thank God for all of you, remember-
and continually recalling
ing you in our prayers
before  our  God  and  Father  your  work  of  faith,
your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our
4
Lord Jesus Christ.

5

Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that
because our gospel came to
He has chosen you,
you  not  only  in  word,  but  also  in  power,  in  the
Holy  Spirit,  and  with  great  conviction—just  as
6
you  know  we  lived  among  you  for  your  sake.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord
when you welcomed the message with the joy of
7
the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.

8

9

As a result, you have become an example to all
the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
For not
only did the message of the Lord ring out from
you  to  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  your  faith  in
God has gone out to every place, so that we have
For they them-
no need to say anything more.
selves report what kind of welcome you gave us,
and how you turned to God from idols to serve
the  living  and  true  God
and  to  await  His  Son
from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—
Paul’s Ministry
Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

10

5

as those approved by God to be entrusted with
the gospel, not in order to please men but God,
As  you  know,  we
who  examines  our  hearts.
6
never  used  words  of  flattery  or  any  pretext  for
greed.  God  is  our  witness!
Nor  did  we  seek
praise from you or from anyone else, although as
apostles  of  Christ  we  had  authority  to  demand
d
7
it.

c

On  the  contrary,  we  were  gentle  among  you,
8
like  a  nursing  mother  caring  for  her  children.
We cared so deeply that we were delighted to
share  with  you  not  only  the  gospel  of  God,  but
our own lives as well. That is how beloved you
9
have become to us.

Surely  you  recall,  brothers,  our  labor  and  toil.
We worked night and day so that we would not
10
be  a  burden  to  anyone  while  we  proclaimed  to
You are witnesses, and
you the gospel of God.
so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless
For
our conduct was among you who believed.
you know that we treated each of you as a father
encouraging  you,
treats  his  own  children—
comforting you, and urging you to walk in a man-
ner  worthy  of  God,  who  calls  you  into  His  own
13
kingdom and glory.

12

11

And we continually thank God because, when
you  received  the  word  of  God  that  you  heard
from us, you accepted it not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God, which is also
14
now at work in you who believe.

2

You  yourselves  know,  brothers,  that  our
As  you  are
visit  to  you  was  not  in  vain.
aware,  we  had  already  endured  suffering  and
shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of
strong  opposition,  we  were  bold  in  our  God  to
3
speak to you the gospel of God.

4

For our appeal does not arise from deceit or ul-
b 1
a 1
terior  motives  or  trickery.
Instead,  we  speak
Christ we could have been a burden to you
young children among you

BYZ and TR include

That is, Silas

e 16

2

15

For  you,  brothers,  became  imitators  of  the
churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus.
You  suffered  from  your  own  countrymen  the
who
very things they suffered from the Jews,
killed both the Lord Jesus and their own proph-
ets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing
hindering  us
to  God  and  hostile  to  all  men,
from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved.
As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to
full  capacity;  the  utmost  wrath  has  come  upon
c 6
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
them.

although as apostles of

16

e

d 7
Or

.

we were like

at last the wrath (of God) has come upon them.

; SBL, NE, and WH include this phrase with verse 7.

WH and NA

Or

Paul’s Longing to Visit

Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4:17    |    1061

17

19

18

Brothers,  although  we  were  torn  away  from
you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our
desire to see you face to face was even more in-
For we wanted to come to you—indeed
tense.
I,  Paul,  tried  again  and  again—but  Satan  ob-
After all, who is our hope, our joy,
structed us.
our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves
20
in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
Timothy’s Visit

You are indeed our glory and our joy.

3

2

3

So when we could bear it no longer, we were
We
willing to be left on our own in Athens.
 a
sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for
  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  to  strengthen  and
God
so that none of you
encourage you in your faith,
4
would  be  shaken  by  these  trials.  For  you  know
that we are destined for this.
Indeed, when we
were  with  you,  we  kept  warning  you  that  we
5
would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has
For this reason, when I could bear
come to pass.
it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for
fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you
Timothy’s Encouraging Report
and that our labor might have been in vain.

6

But  just  now,  Timothy  has  returned  from  his
visit with the good news about your faith, your
love, and the fond memories you have preserved,
For
longing to see us just as we long to see you.
this reason, brothers, in all our distress and per-
secution, we have been reassured about you, be-
For now we can go on living,
cause of your faith.
9
as long as you are standing firm in the Lord.

8

7

How can we adequately thank God for you in re-
10
turn for our great joy over you in His presence?
Night and day we pray most earnestly that we
may see you face to face and supply what is lack-
11
ing in your faith.

12

13

Now may our God and Father Himself, and our
And may the
Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.
Lord  cause  you  to  increase  and  overflow  with
love for one another and for everyone else, just
so that He may
as our love for you overflows,
establish your hearts in blamelessness and holi-
ness before our God and Father at the coming of
our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
our brother and God’s fellow worker
a 2
to possess his own vessel
have fallen asleep

c 6

Or

Or

, as in verses 14 and 15

4

Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you
in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleas-
ing  to  God,  just  as  you  have  received  from  us.
This is how you already live, so you should do so
For you know the instructions we
all the more.
3
gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

2

4

c

For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You
 b
each  of
must  abstain  from  sexual  immorality;
5
you must know how to control his own body
 in
6
not  in  lustful  passion  like
holiness  and  honor,
and no one
the Gentiles who do not know God;
should ever violate or exploit his brother in this
regard,
  because  the  Lord  will  avenge  all  such
acts, as we have already told you and solemnly
For God has not called us to impu-
warned you.
Anyone, then, who rejects
rity, but to holiness.
this command does not reject man but God, the
9
very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

7

8

Now about brotherly love, you do not need an-
yone  to  write  to  you,  because  you  yourselves
10
have  been  taught  by  God  to  love  one  another.
And you are indeed showing this love to all the
brothers  throughout  Macedonia.  But  we  urge
you, brothers, to excel more and more
and to
aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own mat-
ters, and to work with your own hands, as we in-
structed  you.
Then  you  will  behave  properly
toward  outsiders,  without  being  dependent  on
The Return of the Lord
anyone.
13

11

12

d

14

Brothers,  we  do  not  want  you  to  be  unin-
formed about those who sleep in death,
 so that
you will not grieve like the rest, who are without
hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and
rose  again,  we  also  believe  that  God  will  bring
15
with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

16

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that
we who are alive and remain until the coming of
the  Lord  will  by  no  means  precede  those  who
have  fallen  asleep.
For  the  Lord  Himself  will
descend from heaven with a loud command, with
the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet
of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to
rise.
After  that, we who are  alive and remain
will  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will
always be with the Lord.
our brother and minister of God

know how

b 4

17

no one should ever harm or cheat his brother in this matter

; NE, WH, BYZ, and TR

d 13

those who

Literally

Literally

1062    |    1 Thessalonians 4:18

18

13

Therefore  encourage  one  another  with  these

The Day of the Lord
words.
(Zeph. 1:7–18 ;  Malachi 4:1–6 ;  2 Peter 3:8–13)

for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
In
love, hold them in highest regard because of their
14
work. Live in peace with one another.

5

2

Now about the times and seasons, brothers,
For you are
we do not need to write to you.
3
fully  aware  that  the  Day  of  the  Lord  will  come
While people are saying,
like a thief in the night.
“Peace and security,” destruction will come upon
them  suddenly,  like  labor  pains  on  a  pregnant
4
woman, and they will not escape.

6

But  you,  brothers,  are  not  in  the  darkness  so
5
that  this  day  should  overtake  you  like  a  thief.
For you are all sons of the light and sons of the
day; we do not belong to the night or to the dark-
ness.
So then, let us not sleep as the others do,
For  those
but  let  us  remain  awake  and  sober.
8
who  sleep,  sleep  at  night,  and  those  who  get
But since we belong
drunk, get drunk at night.
to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breast-
plate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope
9
of salvation.

7

10

For  God  has  not  appointed  us  to  suffer  wrath,
but  to  obtain  salvation  through  our  Lord  Jesus
He died for us so that, whether we are
Christ.
11
awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
Therefore  encourage  and  build  one  another

Christian Living
up, just as you are already doing.
12

And  we  urge  you,  brothers,  to  admonish  the
unruly,  encourage  the  fainthearted,  help  the
15
weak, and be patient with everyone.

Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Al-
ways  pursue  what  is  good  for  one  another  and
17
16
for all people.
18

Rejoice  at  all  times.
Pray  without  ceasing.
Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is

19
God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

20

21

Do  not  extinguish  the  Spirit.

22

prophecies with contempt,
Hold fast to what is good.
Final Blessings and Instructions
form of evil.
23

Do  not  treat
but test all things.
Abstain from every

 a

24

Now  may  the  God  of  peace  Himself  sanctify
you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul,
and body be kept blameless
 at the coming of our
The  One  who  calls  you  is
Lord  Jesus  Christ.
25
faithful, and He will do it.
26

Brothers, pray for us as well.

27

Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

I charge you before the Lord to have this letter

28
read to all the brothers.

b

But  we  ask  you,  brothers,  to  acknowledge
those who work diligently among you, who care

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with

you.

a 23

may your spirit, soul, and body be kept entirely blameless

b 28

Amen.

Or

BYZ and TR include

2 Thessalonians

Greetings to the Thessalonians
(1 Thessalonians 1:1–10)

1

a

Paul, Silvanus,

 and Timothy,

To  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  in  God
 b

2
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father

3
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We  are  obligated  to  thank  God  for  you  all  the
time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is
4
growing more and more, and your love for one
That  is  why  we  boast
another  is  increasing.
among God’s churches about your perseverance
and faith in the face of all the persecution and af-
Christ’s Coming
fliction you are enduring.

5

7

All  this  is  clear  evidence  of  God’s  righteous
judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of
6
the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
After  all,  it  is  only  right  for  God  to  repay  with
affliction  those  who  afflict  you,
and  to  grant
relief  to  you  who  are  oppressed  and  to  us  as
well.  This  will  take  place  when  the  Lord  Jesus
8
is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
in  blazing  fire,  inflicting  vengeance  on  those
who do not know God and do not obey the gospel
of our Lord Jesus.
They will suffer the penalty
of  eternal  destruction,  separated  from  the
10
presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
on  the  day  He  comes  to  be  glorified  in  His
saints and regarded with wonder by all who have
believed,  including  you  who  have  believed  our
11
testimony.

9

12

To this end, we always pray for you, that our
God will count you worthy of His calling, and that
He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire
and work of faith,
so that the name of our Lord
Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, ac-
cording to the grace of our God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
a 1
has chosen you as the firstfruits

God the Father

b 2

c

c 12

The Man of Lawlessness

2

2

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Je-
sus Christ and our being gathered together
not  to  be  easily
to  Him,  we  ask  you,  brothers,
disconcerted  or  alarmed  by  any  spirit  or  mes-
3
sage or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that
Let  no
the  Day  of  the  Lord  has  already  come.
one deceive you in any way, for it will not come
4
until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawless-
He
ness—the  son  of  destruction—is  revealed.
will  oppose  and  exalt  himself  above  every  so-
called  god  or  object  of  worship.  So  he  will  seat
himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself
5
to be God.

6

7

Do  you  not  remember  that  I  told  you  these
And you know
things while I was still with you?
what is now restraining him, so that he may be
For the mystery of
revealed at the proper time.
lawlessness is already at work, but the one who
now  restrains  it  will  continue  until  he  is  taken
And then the lawless one will be
out of the way.
revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the
breath of His mouth and annihilate by the maj-
9
esty of His arrival.

8

10

The coming of the lawless one will be accompa-
nied by the working of Satan, with every kind of
and with every
power, sign, and false wonder,
wicked deception directed against those who are
perishing,  because  they  refused  the  love  of  the
For this rea-
truth that would have saved them.
12
son  God will send  them  a powerful  delusion  so
in order that judgment
that they believe the lie,
may  come  upon  all  who  have  disbelieved  the
Stand Firm
truth and delighted in wickedness.
13

11

 d

But  we  should  always  thank  God  for  you,
brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God
chose you from the beginning
 to be saved by the
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  by  faith  in  the
To this He called you through our gospel,
truth.
so  that  you  may  share  in  the  glory  of  our  Lord

14

the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

d 13

God

That is, Silas

SBL, NE, and WH

Or

Or

1064    |    2 Thessalonians 2:15

15

Therefore,  brothers,  stand  firm
Jesus  Christ.
and  cling  to  the  traditions  we  taught  you,
16
whether by speech or by letter.

Now  may  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself  and
God our Father, who by grace has loved us and
en-
given  us  eternal  comfort  and  good  hope,
courage your hearts and strengthen you in every
Request for Prayer
good word and deed.

17

3

a

2

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word
of the Lord may spread quickly and be held
in honor, just as it was with you.
And pray that
3
we may be delivered from wicked and evil men;
But the Lord
for not everyone holds to the faith.
4
is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard
And we have confidence
you from the evil one.
in the Lord that you are doing and will continue
to  do  what  we  command.
May  the  Lord  direct
  and  Christ’s  perse-
your  hearts  into  God’s  love
A Warning against Idleness
verance.
6

5

7

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  keep  away  from  any
 b
brother  who  leads  an  undisciplined  life  that  is
not in keeping with the tradition you received
from  us.
For  you  yourselves  know  how  you
ought to imitate us, because we were not undis-
nor  did  we  eat  anyone’s
ciplined  among  you,

8

9

food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and
toil, we worked night and day so that we would
Not that we lack
not be a burden to any of you.
10
this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an
example for you to imitate.
For even while we
were  with  you,  we  gave  you  this  command:  “If
11
anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

12

For we hear that some of you are leading un-
disciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but be-
We  command  and  urge  such
ing  busybodies.
13
people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working
But as for you,
quietly to earn their own living.
14
brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.

Take  note  of  anyone  who  does  not  obey  the
instructions we have given in this letter. Do not
15
associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
Yet  do  not  regard  him  as  an  enemy,  but  ad-

Signature and Final Greetings
monish him as a brother.
(1 Corinthians 16:19–24 ;  Colossians 4:15–18)

16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you
peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be
17
with all of you.

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is

18
my mark in every letter; it is the way I write.

c

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all

of you.

a 3

from evil

b 6

they received

c 18

Amen.

Or

Or

BYZ and TR include

1 Timothy

Paul’s Greeting to Timothy  (2 Timothy 1:1–2)

15

1

2
our hope,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the com-
mand of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus

To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Correcting False Teachers  (Titus 1:10–16)
Christ Jesus our Lord.
3

4

As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia,
you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain
or  devote
men  not  to  teach  false  doctrines
themselves  to  myths  and  endless  genealogies,
which promote speculation rather than the stew-
5
ardship of God’s work, which is by faith.

a

6

The  goal  of  our  instruction  is  the  love  that
comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and
a  sincere  faith.
Some  have  strayed  from  these
They want
ways and turned aside to empty talk.
to be teachers of the law, but they do not under-
stand what they are saying or that which they so
8
confidently assert.

7

9

10

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it
We realize that law is not enacted
legitimately.
for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebel-
lious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy
and  profane,  for  killers  of father  or  mother,  for
 b
for  the  sexually  immoral,  for
murderers,
homosexuals,  for  slave  traders
  and  liars  and
11
perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to
that  agrees  with  the  glorious
sound  teaching
gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been
God’s Grace to Paul
entrusted.
12

13

I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who  has
strengthened me, that He considered me faithful
I was formerly a
and appointed me to service.
blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet
because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I
And the grace of our Lord
was shown mercy.
overflowed to me, along with the faith and love
a 4
that are in Christ Jesus.

rather than the stewardship of God in faith

14

b 10

16

This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full ac-
ceptance:  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to
But for
save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
this  very  reason  I  was  shown  mercy,  so  that  in
me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might dis-
play His perfect patience as an example to those
Now
who would believe in Him for eternal life.
to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the
only  God, be  honor  and  glory  forever  and  ever.
18
Amen.

17

19

Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this com-
mand  in  keeping  with  the  previous  prophecies
about  you,  so  that  by  them  you  may  fight  the
holding on to faith and a good con-
good fight,
science,  which  some  have  rejected  and  thereby
shipwrecked their faith.
Among them are Hy-
menaeus  and  Alexander,  whom  I  have  handed
A Call to Prayer
over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

20

2

2

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, pray-
ers,  intercessions,  and  thanksgiving  be  of-
for kings and all those in
fered for everyone—
authority—so  that  we  may  lead  tranquil  and
This  is
quiet  lives  in  all  godliness  and  dignity.
4
good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
who wants everyone to be saved and to come to

3

5
the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator
6
between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,
who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the tes-

7
timony that was given at just the right time.

8

For this reason I was appointed as a preacher,
an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the
Gentiles.  I  am  telling  the  truth;  I  am  not  lying
 c
Therefore I want the men eve-
about anything.
 to pray, lifting up holy hands, without
rywhere
Instructions to Women
anger or dissension.
9

Likewise,  I  want  the  women  to  adorn  them-
selves  with  respectable  apparel,  with  modesty,
and  with  self-control,  not  with  braided  hair  or
but  with
gold  or  pearls  or  expensive  clothes,

in every place (of worship)

for kidnappers

c 8

10

Literally

Or

Or

1066    |    1 Timothy 2:11

good deeds, as is proper for women who profess
11
to worship God.

 a

12

 b

13

  must  learn  in  quietness  and  full
A  woman
I  do  not  permit  a  woman  to
submissiveness.
teach or to exercise authority over a man;
 she is
14
For  Adam  was  formed  first,
to  remain  quiet.
And it was not Adam who was
and then Eve.
15
deceived, but the woman who was deceived and
fell into transgression.
Women, however, will
be saved
 through childbearing, if they continue
Qualifications for Overseers
in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
(Titus 1:5–9 ;  1 Peter 5:1–4)

 c

3

2

This  is  a  trustworthy  saying:  If  anyone  as-
pires  to  be  an  overseer,  he  desires  a  noble
task.
An  overseer,  then,  must  be  above  re-
proach, the husband of but one wife,
 temperate,
3
self-controlled,  respectable,  hospitable,  able  to
not  dependent  on  wine,  not  violent  but
teach,
4
gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

d

6

5

An  overseer  must  manage  his  own  household
well  and  keep  his  children  under  control,  with
For if someone does not know
complete dignity.
how to manage his own household, how can he
He must not be a re-
care for the church of God?
cent  convert,  or  he  may  become  conceited  and
7
fall  under  the  same  condemnation  as  the  devil.
Furthermore,  he  must  have  a  good  reputation
with  outsiders,  so  that  he  will  not  fall  into  dis-
Qualifications for Deacons
grace and into the snare of the devil.
(Acts 6:1–7)

8

9

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-
tongued  or  given  to  much  wine  or  greedy  for
They  must  hold  to  the  mystery  of  the
money.
Additionally,
faith  with  a  clear  conscience.
they must first be tested. Then, if they are above
11
reproach, let them serve as deacons.

10

 e

In the same way, the women

must be digni-
fied, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in
12
all things.

13

A deacon must be the husband of but one wife,
a  good  manager  of  his  children  and  of  his  own
For those who have served well as
household.
deacons acquire for themselves a high standing
and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ
a 11
Jesus.
wife
; also in verse 12
Or
in spirit
h 10
Or
; also in verse 12

over her husband
f 16

b 12
their wives
Or

and suffer reproach

Literally

e 11

wife

SBL, BYZ, and TR

The Mystery of Godliness

14

15

Although  I  hope  to  come  to  you  soon,  I
am  writing  you  these  things
in  case  I  am
delayed,  so  that  you  will  know  how  each  one
must conduct himself in God’s household, which
is  the  church  of  the  living  God,  the  pillar  and
16
foundation of the truth.

By common confession, the mystery of godli-

ness is great:

 f

g

He appeared

 in the flesh,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was proclaimed among the nations,
was believed in throughout the world,

A Warning against Apostasy

was taken up in glory.

4

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later
times some will abandon the faith to follow
2
deceitful  spirits  and  the  teachings  of  demons,
influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose con-

3
sciences are seared with a hot iron.

4

They will prohibit marriage and require absti-
nence from certain foods that God has created to
be received with thanksgiving by those who be-
For every creation of
lieve and know the truth.
God  is  good,  and  nothing  that  is  received  with
because  it  is
thanksgiving  should  be  rejected,
A Good Servant of Jesus Christ
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6

5

By  pointing  out  these  things  to  the  brothers,
you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nour-
ished by the words of faith and sound instruction
7
that you have followed.
8
But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train
For physical exercise is
yourself for godliness.
of  limited  value,  but  godliness  is  valuable  in
every  way,  holding  promise  for  the  present  life
This is a trustworthy
and for the one to come.
10
saying, worthy of full acceptance.

9

h

To this end we labor and strive,

 because we
have set our hope on the living God, who is the
Savior of everyone, and especially of those who
12
believe.

Command and teach these things.

11

Let  no  one  despise  your  youth,  but  set  an
example for the believers in speech, in conduct,
faithful to his
Until I come, devote
in love, in faith, in purity.
vindicated

She, however, will be saved

God appeared

d 2

13

c 15

He who appeared

Literally

g 16
Or

; BYZ and TR

Or

yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to ex-
14
hortation, and to teaching.

15

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was
given you through the prophecy spoken over you
Be
at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
diligent in these matters and absorbed in them,
Pay
so that your progress will be evident to all.
close attention to your life and to your teaching.
Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will
Reproof and Respect
save both yourself and those who hear you.

16

5

Do  not  rebuke  an  older  man,  but  appeal  to
him as to a father.

2

older women as
Treat younger men as brothers,
mothers, and younger women as sisters, with ab-
Honoring True Widows  (Ruth 1:1–5)
solute purity.
3

4

Honor the widows who are truly widows.

But
if  a  widow  has  children  or  grandchildren,  they
must first learn to show godliness to their own
family and repay their parents, for this is pleas-
5
ing in the sight of God.

The  widow  who  is  truly  in  need  and  left  all
alone puts her hope in God and continues night
But  she
and  day  in  her  petitions  and  prayers.
who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is
7
still alive.

6

8

Give these instructions to the believers, so that
If anyone does not
they will be above reproach.
provide  for  his  own,  and  especially  his  own
household, he has denied the faith and is worse
9
than an unbeliever.

10

A  widow  should  be  enrolled  if  she  is  at  least
sixty  years  old,  faithful  to  her  husband,
and
well known for good deeds such as bringing up
children,  entertaining  strangers,  washing  the
feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted,
11
and devoting herself to every good work.

13

12

But  refuse  to  enroll  younger  widows.  For
when  their  passions  draw  them  away  from
and thus will
Christ, they will want to marry,
incur  judgment  because  they  are  setting  aside
At  the  same  time  they  will
their  first  faith.
also learn to be idle, going from house to house
and  being  not  only  idle,  but  also  gossips  and
busybodies,  discussing  things  they  should  not
mention.
b 18
a 18

1 Timothy 6:2    |    1067

14

So I advise the younger widows to marry, have
children, and manage their households, denying
For some
the adversary occasion for slander.
16
have already turned aside to follow Satan.

15

If  any  believing  woman  has  dependent  wid-
ows,  she  must  assist  them  and  not  allow  the
church  to  be  burdened,  so  that  it  can  help  the
Honoring Elders
widows who are truly in need.
17

Elders who lead effectively are worthy of dou-
18
ble  honor,  especially  those  who  work  hard  at
For the Scripture says,
preaching and teaching.
 a
“Do  not  muzzle  an  ox  while  it  is  treading  out
the  grain,”
  and,  “The  worker  is  worthy  of  his
19
wages.”

 b

20

Do  not  entertain  an  accusation  against  an  el-
der, except on the testimony of two or three wit-
nesses.
But those who persist in sin should be
rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others
A Charge to Timothy
will stand in fear of sin.
21

I  solemnly  charge  you  before  God  and  Christ
Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these prin-
ciples without bias, and to do nothing out of par-
22
tiality.

Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands
and  thereby  share  in  the  sins  of  others.  Keep
23
yourself pure.

Stop drinking only water and use a little wine
instead,  because  of  your  stomach  and  your  fre-
24
quent ailments.

25

The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead
of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not
surface  until  later.
In  the  same  way,  good
deeds  are  obvious,  and  even  the  ones  that  are
Serving with Honor
inconspicuous cannot remain hidden.
(Ephesians 6:5–9 ;  Colossians 3:22–25)

6

2

All who are under the yoke of slavery should
regard  their  masters  as  fully  worthy  of
honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will
Those  who  have  believing
not  be  discredited.
masters  should  not  show  disrespect  because
they are brothers, but should serve them all the
more,  since  those  receiving  their  good  service
are  beloved  believers.  Teach  and  encourage
these principles.

Deuteronomy 25:4

Luke 10:7; see also Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14–15.

1068    |    1 Timothy 6:3

Reject False Doctrines

3

4

If  anyone  teaches  another  doctrine  and  disa-
grees  with  the  sound  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus
Christ and with godly teaching,
he is conceited
and understands nothing. Instead, he has an un-
healthy  interest  in  controversies  and  disputes
about words, out of which come envy, strife, abu-
and  constant  friction
sive  talk,  evil  suspicions,
between men of depraved mind who are devoid
of  the  truth.  These  men  regard  godliness  as  a
Godliness with Contentment
means of gain.
6

5

a

7

Of course, godliness with contentment is great
 b
For  we  brought  nothing  into  the  world,
gain.
so
But if we
have food and clothing, we will be content with
9
these.

 we cannot carry anything out of it.

8

10

Those  who  want  to  be  rich,  however,  fall  into
temptation and become ensnared by many fool-
ish  and  harmful  desires  that  plunge  them  into
For the love of money is
ruin and destruction.
the  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil.  By  craving  it,  some
have wandered away from the faith and pierced
Fight the Good Fight
themselves with many sorrows.
11

12

But you, O man of God, flee from these things
and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
Fight  the  good
perseverance,  and  gentleness.
fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called when you made the good
confession before many witnesses.

13

15

14

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives
life  to  all  things,  and  of  Christ  Jesus, who  made
the good confession in His testimony before Pon-
Keep  this  commandment  without
tius  Pilate:
stain  or  reproach  until  the  appearance  of  our
which the blessed and only
Lord Jesus Christ,
Sovereign  One—the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of
He
lords—will  bring  about  in  His  own  time.
alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable
light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone
see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion!
A Charge to the Rich
Amen.
(Proverbs 23:1–5 ;  James 5:1–6)

16

17

18

Instruct those who are rich in the present age
not to be conceited and not to put their hope in
the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly
Instruct
provides  all  things  for  us  to  enjoy.
them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to
treasuring up
be generous and ready to share,
for themselves a firm foundation for the future,
so that they may take hold of that which is truly
life.  Guard the Faith
20

19

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to
you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the op-
21
posing  arguments  of  so-called  “knowledge,”
which some have professed and thus swerved

away from the faith.

c

Grace be with you all.

a 5

Withdraw yourself from such.

b 7

so certainly

c 21

Amen.

BYZ and TR include

BYZ and TR

BYZ and TR include

2 Timothy

Paul’s Greeting to Timothy
(1 Timothy 1:1–2)

Holding to Sound Teaching

13

 d

1

2
Christ Jesus,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God,  according  to  the  promise  of  life  in

To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Faithfulness under Persecution
Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Matthew 10:16–25)

3

I  thank  God,  whom  I  serve  with  a  clear  con-
science  as  did  my  forefathers,  as  I  constantly
4
remember  you  night  and  day  in  my  prayers.
Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I

5
may be filled with joy.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first
dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother
6
Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

7

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame
the gift of God, which is in you through the laying
a
on of my hands.
For God has not given us a spirit
8
of fear,

 but of power, love, and self-control.

b

9

10

So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in
He
suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not
because  of  our  works,  but  by  His  own  purpose
and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus be-
And  now  He  has  revealed
fore  time  began.
this  grace  through  the  appearing  of  our  Savior,
Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illumi-
nated the way to life and immortality through the
to which I was appointed as a preacher,
gospel,
12
an apostle, and a teacher.

11

e

Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching
14

 you
have heard from me, with the faith and love that
Guard  the  treasure  en-
are  in  Christ  Jesus.
trusted to you,
 with the help of the Holy Spirit
15
who dwells in us.

 f

You  know  that  everyone  in  the  Province  of
  has  deserted  me,  including  Phygelus  and

Asia
16
Hermogenes.

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of
Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me
Indeed,
and  was  unashamed  of  my  chains.
when he arrived in Rome, he searched diligently
18
until he found me.

17

May the Lord grant Onesiphorus His mercy on
that day. You know very well how much he min-
Grace and Perseverance  (Hebrews 12:1–3)
istered to me in Ephesus.

2

2

You  therefore,  my  child,  be  strong  in  the
And the things
grace that is in Christ Jesus.
that  you  have  heard  me  say  among  many  wit-
nesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be
3
qualified to teach others as well.

4

A  soldier  refrains

Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ
from  entangling
Jesus.
5
himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the
Likewise,  a  competitor
one  who  enlisted  him.
6
does not receive the crown unless he competes
according to the rules.
The hardworking farmer
Con-
should be the first to partake of the crops.
sider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you
8
insight into all things.

7

9

10

Remember  Jesus  Christ,  raised  from  the  dead,
descended from David, as proclaimed by my gos-
for  which  I  suffer  to  the  extent  of  being
pel,
chained like a criminal. But the word of God can-
For  this  reason  I  endure  all
not  be  chained!
things for the sake of the elect, so that they too
may  obtain  the  salvation that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,
with eternal glory.
f 15

what He has entrusted to me
in Asia

c 12

For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I
am  not  ashamed;  for  I  know  whom  I  have  be-
lieved,  and  I  am  convinced  that  He  is  able  to
 for that day.
guard what I have entrusted to Him
      b 9
before times eternal
 cowardice
a 7
the good deposit entrusted to you
e 14
d 13

timidity

 c

sound words
or

Or

Literally

province in what is now western Turkey.

Literally
Or

Or

Literally

; Asia was a Roman

1070    |    2 Timothy 2:11

11

26

This is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with Him,

12

we will also live with Him;

if we endure,

we will also reign with Him;

if we deny Him,

13

He will also deny us;

if we are faithless,

He remains faithful,
The Lord’s Approved Workman
for He cannot deny Himself.

14

 a

Remind the believers of these things, charging
  to  avoid  quarreling  over
them  before  God
words, which succeeds only in leading the listen-
15
ers to ruin.

Make  every  effort  to  present  yourself  ap-
proved  to  God,  an  unashamed  workman  who
16
accurately handles the word of truth.

17

18

But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will
and the talk of
only lead to more ungodliness,
such men will spread like gangrene. Among them
who have devi-
are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
ated from the truth. They say that the resurrec-
tion  has  already  occurred,  and  they  undermine
19
the faith of some.

 b

Nevertheless,  God’s  firm  foundation  stands,
bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are
His,”
 and, “Everyone who calls on the name of
20
the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”

21

A large house contains not only vessels of gold
and  silver,  but  also  of  wood  and  clay.  Some  in-
deed  are  for  honorable  use,  but  others  are  for
c
So if anyone cleanses himself of
common use.
 he will be a vessel for honor: sanc-
what is unfit,
tified,  useful  to  the  Master,  and  prepared  for
22
every good work.

Flee from youthful passions and pursue right-
eousness,  faith,  love,  and  peace,  together  with
23
those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

24

25

But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for
And a serv-
you know that it breeds quarreling.
ant  of  the  Lord  must  not  be  quarrelsome,  but
must  be  kind  to  everyone,  able  to  teach,  and
He must gently reprove those who
forbearing.
oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.
b 19
the Lord
a 14
The Book of Jashar
d 8

Then they will come to their senses and escape
the snare of the devil, who has taken them cap-
Evil in the Last Days
tive to his will.

3

2

3

But understand this: In the last days terrible
For men will be lovers of
times will come.
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,
abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unloving,  unforgiving,  slanderous,
unholy,
4
without self-control, brutal, without love of good,
traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleas-
having a form of
ure rather than lovers of God,
godliness but denying its power. Turn away from
6
such as these!

5

7

They  are  the  kind  who  worm  their  way  into
households  and  captivate  vulnerable  women
who are weighed down with sins and led astray
who  are  always  learning
by  various  passions,
but  never  able  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the
8
truth.

d

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,

 so
also  these  men  oppose  the  truth.  They  are  de-
9
praved  in  mind  and  disqualified  from  the  faith.
But they will not advance much further. For just
like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain
All Scripture Is God-Breathed
to everyone.
(Hebrews 4:12–16)

10

You, however, have observed my teaching, my
11
conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my
my  persecutions,  and
love,  my  perseverance,
the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Ico-
nium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured!
In-
Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
deed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ
while  evil  men  and
Jesus  will  be  persecuted,
imposters  go  from  bad  to worse,  deceiving  and
14
being deceived.

12

13

15

But as for you, continue in the things you have
learned  and  firmly  believed,  since  you  know
From
from  whom  you  have  learned  them.
infancy  you  have  known  the  Holy  Scriptures,
which  are  able  to  make  you  wise  for  salvation
All  Scripture  is
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.
God-breathed  and  is  useful  for  instruction,  for
17
conviction,  for  correction,  and  for  training  in
so that the man of God may be
righteousness,
complete, fully equipped for every good work.
cleanses himself of these
c 21

16

SBL, BYZ, and TR
See Jasher 79:27.

the Book of the Upright One
Numbers 16:5 (see also LXX)
 or

Jasher

Literally

 is often cited as

.

Preach the Word

4

2

I  charge  you  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of
Christ  Jesus,  who  will  judge  the  living  and
the  dead,  and  in  view  of  His  appearing  and  His
Preach the word; be prepared in sea-
kingdom:
son and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and en-
3
courage with every form of patient instruction.

For the time will come when men will not toler-
ate  sound  doctrine,  but  with  itching  ears  they
will  gather  around  themselves  teachers  to  suit
So  they  will  turn  their  ears
their  own  desires.
5
away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

4

8

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship,
6
do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a drink
7
offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith.
From now on there is
laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day—and not only to me, but to all who
Personal Concerns
crave His appearing.
9

10

2 Timothy 4:22    |    1071

Carpus  at  Troas,  and  my  scrolls,  especially  the
14
parchments.

15

Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to
me.  The  Lord  will  repay  him  according  to  his
You  too  should  beware  of  him,  for  he
deeds.
The Lord Remains Faithful
has vigorously opposed our message.

16

17

At my first defense, no one stood with me, but
everyone  deserted  me.  May  it  not  be  charged
But  the  Lord  stood  by  me  and
against  them.
strengthened  me,  so  that  through  me  the  mes-
sage would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gen-
tiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the
And the Lord will rescue me
mouth of the lion.
from  every  evil  action  and  bring  me  safely  into
His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory for-
Final Greetings
ever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 6:21–24 ;  Philippians 4:21–23)

18

19

 a

Greet Prisca

 and Aquila, as well as the house-

20
hold of Onesiphorus.

Make every effort to come to me quickly,
11

be-
cause  Demas,  in  his  love  of  this  world,  has  de-
serted  me  and  gone  to  Thessalonica.  Crescens
Only
has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke  is  with  me.  Get  Mark  and  bring  him  with
12
you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.
13
Tychicus,  however,  I  have  sent  to  Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with

Erastus has remained at Corinth, and Trophi-

21
mus I left sick in Miletus.

Make every effort to come to me before winter.

Eubulus  sends  you  greetings,  as  do  Pudens,
22
Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

b
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you

all.

a 19 Prisca

Priscilla

b 22

Amen.

 is a variant of

; see Acts 18:2.

BYZ and TR include

Titus

13

Paul’s Greeting to Titus
(2 Corinthians 8:16–24)

1

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus
Christ  for  the  faith  of  God’s  elect  and  their
2
knowledge  of  the  truth  that  leads  to  godliness,
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who can-
not  lie,  promised  before  time  began.
In  His
own time He has made His word evident in the
proclamation entrusted to me by the command
4
of God our Savior.

3

a

To Titus, my true child in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ
Appointing Elders on Crete
Jesus our Savior.
(1 Timothy 3:1–7 ;  1 Peter 5:1–4)

5

b

6

The  reason  I  left  you  in  Crete  was  that  you
would set in order what was unfinished and ap-
An
point elders in every town, as I directed you.
elder must be blameless, the husband of but one
wife,
  having  children  who  are  believers  and
who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or
7
insubordination.

8

9

As  God’s  steward,  an  overseer  must  be  above
reproach—not  self-willed,  not  quick-tempered,
not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy
Instead,  he  must  be  hospitable,  a
for  money.
lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and
He must hold firmly to the faithful
disciplined.
word as it was taught, so that he can encourage
others by sound teaching and refute those who
Correcting False Teachers
contradict it.
(1 Timothy 1:3–11)

10

11

For many are rebellious and full of empty talk
and deception, especially those of the circumci-
who  must  be  silenced.  For  the  sake  of
sion,
dishonorable gain, they undermine entire house-
holds and teach things they should not.
As one
 c
of  their  own  prophets  has  said,  “Cretans  are
always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
a 2

before times eternal

faithful to his wife

b 6

12

This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them
14
sternly,  so  that  they  will  be  sound  in  the  faith
and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to
the  commands  of  men  who  have  rejected  the
15
truth.

16

To the pure, all things are pure; but to the de-
filed  and  unbelieving,  nothing  is  pure.  Indeed,
both  their  minds  and  their  consciences  are
They profess to know God, but by their
defiled.
actions they deny Him. They are detestable, dis-
Teaching Sound Doctrine
obedient, and unfit for any good deed.

2

2

But as for you, speak the things that are con-
sistent with sound doctrine.

Older  men  are  to  be  temperate,  dignified,
self-controlled,  and  sound  in  faith,  love,  and
3
perseverance.

4

Older  women,  likewise,  are  to  be  reverent  in
their  behavior,  not  slanderers  or  addicted  to
In  this  way
much  wine,  but  teachers  of  good.
they  can  train  the  young  women  to  love  their
to  be  self-controlled,
husbands  and  children,
pure,  managers  of  their  households,  kind,  and
submissive  to  their  own  husbands,  so  that  the
6
word of God will not be discredited.

5

In  the  same  way,  urge  the  younger  men  to  be

7
self-controlled.

8

In everything, show yourself to be an example
by doing good works. In your teaching show in-
and  wholesome  speech  that  is
tegrity,  dignity,
above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us
will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about
9
us.

10

Slaves  are  to  submit  to  their  own  masters  in
everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumenta-
not  stealing  from  them,  but  showing  all
tive,
good  faith,  so  that  in  every  respect  they  will
adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

c 12

Literally

Or

This quote, also known as the Epimenides paradox, has

been attributed to the Cretan philosopher Epimenides of Knossos.

Titus 3:15    |    1073

7

through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that, having
8
been  justified  by  His  grace,  we  would  become
This saying is
heirs with the hope of eternal life.
trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these
things, so that those who have believed God will
take  care  to  devote  themselves  to  good  deeds.
These things are excellent and profitable for the
Avoid Divisions
people.
(Romans 16:17–20)

9

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, ar-
guments,  and  quarrels  about  the  law,  because
10
these things are pointless and worthless.

11

Reject a divisive man after a first and second
knowing  that  such  a  man  is  cor-

admonition,
Final Remarks and Greetings
rupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.
12

13

As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you,
make  every  effort  to  come  to  me  at  Nicopolis,
Do
because  I  have  decided  to  winter  there.
your best to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos,
14
so  that  they  will  have  everything  they  need.
And  our  people  must  also  learn  to  devote
themselves to good works in order to meet the
pressing needs of others, so that they will not be
15
unfruitful.

All who are with me send you greetings.

b

Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with all of you.

God’s Grace Brings Salvation

11

12
For  the  grace  of  God  has  appeared,  bringing
salvation  to  everyone.
It  instructs  us  to  re-
nounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
13
live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the pre-
as  we  await  the  blessed  hope  and
sent  age,
14
glorious appearance of our great God and Savior
He gave Himself for us to redeem
Jesus Christ.
us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself
a  people  for  His  own  possession,  zealous  for
15
good deeds.

Speak  these  things  as  you  encourage  and
Heirs of Grace
rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

3

2

Remind the believers to submit to rulers and
authorities,  to  be  obedient  and  ready  for
to  malign  no  one,  and  to  be
every  good  work,
peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration
3
to everyone.

For at one time we too were foolish, disobedi-
ent,  misled,  and  enslaved  to  all  sorts  of  desires
and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being
4
hated and hating one another.

5

 a

But  when  the  kindness  of  God  our  Savior  and
He saved us, not
His love for mankind appeared,
by the righteous deeds we had done, but accord-
6
ing  to  His  mercy,  through  the  washing  of  new
This  is
birth
the  Spirit  He  poured  out  on  us  abundantly

  and  renewal  by  the  Holy  Spirit.

a 5

of regeneration

b 15

Amen.

Or

BYZ and TR include

Philemon

Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Philippians 1:1–2 ;  Colossians 1:1–2)

1

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our

2

brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,
to Ap-
phia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier,
3
and to the church that meets at your

 house:

 a

Grace  and  peace  to  you  from  God  our  Father

Philemon’s Faith and Love
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4

5

6

I always thank my God, remembering you in my
because I hear about your faith in the
prayers,
Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
I pray
that your partnership in the faith may become ef-
fective  as  you  fully  acknowledge  every  good
I take great joy and
thing that is ours in Christ.
encouragement
love,  because  you,
in  your
Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus
brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

7

8

9

So although in Christ I am bold enough to order
you to do what is proper,
I prefer to appeal on
the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a
10
prisoner of Christ Jesus as well.

11
I appeal to you for my child Onesimus,
 whose
father  I  became  while  I  was  in  chains.
For-
merly  he  was  useless  to  you,  but  now  he  has
I  am
become  useful  both  to  you  and  to  me.
sending back to you him who is my very heart.

12

b

13

16

14

I would have liked to keep him with me, so that
on  your  behalf  he  could  minister  to  me  in  my
chains for the gospel.
But I did not want to do
anything  without  your  consent,  so  that  your
15
goodness  will  not  be  out  of  compulsion,  but  by
your own free will.
For perhaps this is why he
was separated from you for a while, so that you
might have him back for good—
no longer as a
slave,  but  better  than  a  slave,  as  a  beloved
brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even
17
more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
18
So if you consider me a partner, receive him as
you would receive me.
But if he has wronged
you in any way or owes you anything, charge it
I, Paul, write this with my own
to my account.
hand.  I  will  repay  it—not  to  mention  that  you
20
owe me your very self.

19

 c

Yes,  brother,  let  me  have  some  benefit
21
you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

  from

Confident  of  your  obedience,  I  write  to  you,

22
knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

In the meantime, prepare a guest room for me,
because I hope that through your prayers I will
Additional Greetings
be restored to you.
23

24

Epaphras,  my  fellow  prisoner  in  Christ  Jesus,
as do Mark, Aristarchus,

sends you greetings,
25
Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

d

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your

spirit.

a 2 You

Your
beneficial
 and

11) or

d 25
 are singular throughout this letter, except in verses 3, 22, and 25.
 (see verse 20).

, a play on the name

Onesimus

onaimēn

Greek

c 20

 means
BYZ and TR include

 (see verse

b 10 Onesimus

useful
Amen.

Hebrews

The Supremacy of the Son
(Colossians 1:15–23)

1

2

On many past occasions and in many differ-
ent ways, God spoke to our fathers through
a
But  in  these  last  days  He  has
the  prophets.
spoken  to  us  by  His  Son,
  whom  He  appointed
heir of all things, and through whom He made the
3
universe.

b

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the
exact representation of His nature, upholding all
things by His powerful word. After He had pro-
vided  purification  for  sins,  He  sat  down  at  the
So He became
right hand of the Majesty on high.
5
as far superior to the angels as the name He has
For  to
inherited  is  excellent  beyond  theirs.
which of the angels did God ever say:

4

 c

“You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father”

?

Or again:

 d

“I will be His Father,

and He will be My Son”

?

6

And again, when God brings His firstborn into

 e

the world, He says:
7

“Let all God’s angels worship Him.”

Now about the angels He says:
 f

“He makes His angels winds,
His servants flames of fire.”

8

But about the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, endures forever

and ever,

9

and justice is the scepter of Your

kingdom.

You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness;
 g

therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
above Your companions with the oil
the ages
the world
in His Son

b 2

c 5

a 2

of joy.”
e 6

10

And:

“In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the
foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of

11

Your hands.

12

They will perish, but You remain;
 h
You will roll them up like a robe;

they will all wear out like a garment.

like a garment

 they will be changed;

 i

but You remain the same,

13

and Your years will never end.”

Yet to which of the angels did God ever say:

“Sit at My right hand

 j

14

until I make Your enemies a footstool for

Your feet”

 k
?

Are not the angels
Salvation Confirmed
serve those who will inherit salvation?

 ministering spirits sent to

2

2

We must pay closer attention, therefore, to
what we have heard, so that we do not drift
away.
For if the message spoken by angels was
binding,  and  every  transgression  and  disobedi-
how shall we
ence received its just punishment,
escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

3

This salvation was first announced by the Lord,
4
was  confirmed  to  us  by  those  who  heard  Him,
and  was  affirmed  by  God  through  signs,  won-
ders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
Jesus like His Brothers
distributed according to His will.
5

For it is not to angels that He has subjected the
6
world  to  come,  about  which  we  are  speaking.
But somewhere it is testified in these words:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,

 l

7

  8

You made him a little lower

or the son of man that You care for him?
 m
 than the angels;

 n
You crowned him with glory and honor
and placed everything under his feet.”
g 9

today I have begotten You

d 5

Or
1 Chr. 17:13
lower
TR do not include

Or

; literally
like a garment
i 12
Deuteronomy 32:43 (see DSS and LXX)
m 7

.

Psalm 102:25–27

f 7
Psalm 2:7; literally
and set him over the works of Your hands
Lit.

j 13
Psalm 104:4 (see also LXX)

Psalm 110:1

k 14

; also in verse 9

WH and TR include

.

Are they not all   l 7

h 12
2 Samuel 7:14;
a little while
BYZ and

n 8

Psalm 45:6–7
Or
Psalm 8:4–6 (see also LXX)

1076    |    Hebrews 2:9

9

When  God  subjected  all  things  to  him,  He  left
nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we
But we see
do not see everything subject to him.
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the an-
gels, now crowned with glory and honor because
He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He
10
might taste death for everyone.

In  bringing  many  sons  to  glory,  it  was  fitting
 a
for God, for whom and through whom all things
11
exist, to make the author
 of their salvation per-
fect  through suffering.
For  both  the One  who
sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the
same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers.

He says:

12

“I will proclaim Your name to My brothers;

 b
I will sing Your praises in the

13

assembly.”

And again:

 c

“I will put My trust in Him.”

And once again:

 d
“Here am I, and the children God has

14

given Me.”

Now since the children have flesh and blood,
He too shared in their humanity, so that by His
death  He  might  destroy  him  who  holds  the
and free those
power of death, that is, the devil,
who all their lives were held in slavery by their
16
fear of death.

15

17

For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the
For  this  reason  He
descendants  of  Abraham.
had to be made like His brothers in every way, so
that  He  might  become  a  merciful  and  faithful
high  priest  in  service  to  God,  in  order  to  make
Because
 for the sins of the people.
atonement
He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is
Jesus Our Apostle and High Priest
able to help those who are being tempted.

18

 e

3

Therefore,  holy  brothers,  who  share  in  the
heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the
He
apostle  and  high  priest  whom  we  confess.
was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just
3
as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.

2

f

every house is built by someone, but God is the
5
builder of everything.

g

6
house,

Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s
 testifying to what would be spoken later.
 h
But  Christ  is  faithful  as  the  Son  over  God’s

house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly
to  our  confidence  and  the  hope  of  which  we
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
boast.
(Psalm 95:1–11)

7

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

  8

“Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts,

as you did in the rebellion,
9

in the day of testing in the

wilderness,

10

where your fathers tested and tried Me,
and for forty years saw My works.

Therefore I was angry with that

generation,

and I said,

‘Their hearts are always going astray,

11

and they have not known My ways.’

 i

So I swore on oath in My anger,

The Peril of Unbelief

‘They shall never enter My rest.’

”

12

13

See  to  it,  brothers,  that  none  of  you  has  a
wicked  heart  of  unbelief  that  turns  away  from
But exhort one another daily, as
the living God.
long as it is called today, so that none of you may
14
be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

We  have  come  to  share  in  Christ  if  we  hold
15
firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.

As it has been said:

“Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts,

 j

as you did in the rebellion.”

16

17

For  who  were  the  ones  who  heard  and  re-
belled? Were they not all those Moses led out of
And  with  whom  was  God  angry  for
Egypt?
forty  years?  Was  it  not  with  those  who  sinned,
whose  bodies  fell  in  the  wilderness?
And  to
whom  did  He  swear  that  they  would  never
enter  His  rest?  Was  it  not  to  those  who  diso-
So we see that it was because of their
beyed?
unbelief that they were unable to enter.
c 13

to make pro-

e 17

18

19

just as Moses in His house

d 13
g 5

; SBL

j 15

Isaiah 8:17

Isaiah 8:18
Numbers 12:7

NE, WH, BYZ,

h 6
Or

For  Jesus  has  been  counted  worthy  of  greater
glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house
And
has  greater  honor  than  the  house  itself.
a 10
pitiation
Or

just as Moses in all His house

pioneer
f 2

founder

b 12

Psalm 22:22 (see also LXX)

4

i 11

 or
to the end
Literally

and TR include

.

Psalm 95:7–11 (see also LXX)

Psalm 95:7–8

The Sabbath Rest
(Genesis 2:1–3 ;  Exodus 16:22–30)

4

2

Therefore, while the promise of entering His
rest still stands, let us be careful that none of
For we
you be deemed to have fallen short of it.
also received the good news just as they did; but
the message they heard was of no value to them,
since  they  did  not  share  the  faith  of  those  who
3
comprehended it.

a

Now we who have believed enter that rest. As

for the others, it is just as God has said:
 b

“So I swore on oath in My anger,

‘They shall never enter My rest.’

”

4
And yet His works have been finished since the
foundation of the world.
For somewhere He has
spoken  about  the  seventh  day  in  this  manner:
“And on the seventh day God rested from all His
works.”
And  again,  as  He  says  in  the  passage
6
above: “They shall never enter My rest.”

5

 c

7

Since,  then,  it  remains  for  some  to  enter  His
rest,  and  since  those  who  formerly  heard  the
good news did not enter because of their disobe-
God  again  designated  a  certain  day  as
dience,
“Today,”  when  a  long  time  later  He  spoke
through David as was just stated: “Today, if you
8
hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”
9

 d

10

For  if  Joshua  had  given  them  rest,  God  would
not have spoken later about another day.
There
remains,  then,  a  Sabbath  rest  for  the  people  of
For whoever enters God’s rest also rests
God.
11
from  his  own  work,  just  as  God  did  from  His.
Let  us,  therefore,  make  every  effort  to  enter
that rest, so that no one will fall by following the
The Living Word  (2 Timothy 3:10–17)
same pattern of disobedience.
12

13

For  the  word  of  God  is  living  and  active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces
even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and mar-
row. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the
Nothing  in  all  creation  is  hidden  from
heart.
God’s  sight;  everything  is  uncovered  and  ex-
posed before the eyes of Him to whom we must
14
give account.

Hebrews 5:14    |    1077

16

to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who was tempted in every way that we are,
Let us then approach the
yet was without sin.
throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  us  in  our
The Perfect High Priest
time of need.
(Psalm 110:1–7)

5

2

Every high priest is appointed from among
men to represent them in matters relating to
He is
God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
able to deal gently with those who are ignorant
and  misguided,  since  he  himself  is  subject  to
That  is why  he  is  obligated  to offer
weakness.
sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins
4
of the people.

3

5

No one takes this honor upon himself; he must
So  also
be  called  by  God,  just  as  Aaron  was.
Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of be-
coming  a  high  priest,  but  He  was  called  by  the
One who said to Him:

 e

6

“You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father.”

And in another passage God says:
 f

7

“You are a priest forever

in the order of Melchizedek.”

9

8

During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered
up  prayers  and  petitions  with  loud  cries  and
tears to the One who could save Him from death,
Alt-
and He was heard because of His reverence.
hough He was a Son, He learned obedience from
And having been made per-
what He suffered.
fect, He became the source of eternal salvation to
all who obey Him
and was designated by God
Milk and Solid Food
as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
(1 Corinthians 3:1–9)

10

11

12

We have much to say about this, but it is hard
Alt-
to explain, because you are dull of hearing.
hough by this time you ought to be teachers, you
need someone to reteach you the basic principles
13
of God’s word.

 You need milk, not solid food!

g

Therefore,  since  we  have  a  great  high  priest
who  has  passed  through the  heavens,  Jesus  the
15
Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable
a 2
d 7

not having been united in the faith of those who heard

today I have begotten You

e 5

Literally
Psalm 95:7–8

Psalm 2:7; literally

14

For  everyone  who  lives  on  milk  is  still  an
infant,  inexperienced  in  the  message  of  right-
eousness.
But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use have trained their senses to dis-
tinguish good from evil.

b 3

c 4

f 6
Psalm 95:11; also in verse 5

g 12

of the oracles of God

Genesis 2:2

Psalm 110:4

Or

1078    |    Hebrews 6:1

A Call to Maturity

6

b

a

Therefore let us leave the elementary teach-
ings about Christ and go on to maturity, not
laying  again the  foundation  of  repentance  from
dead  works,
instruction
  and  of  faith  in  God,
about baptisms,
 the laying on of hands, the res-
3
urrection  of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment.
4

And this we will do, if God permits.

2

5

6

It is impossible for those who have once been
enlightened,  who  have  tasted  the  heavenly  gift,
who  have
who  have  shared  in  the  Holy  Spirit,
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the
and  then  have
powers  of  the  coming  age—
fallen  away—to  be  restored  to  repentance,  be-
cause they themselves are crucifying the Son of
God  all  over  again  and  subjecting  Him  to  open
7
shame.

For land that drinks in the rain often falling on
it  and  that  produces  a  crop  useful  to  those  for
8
whom it is tended receives the blessing of God.
But  land  that  produces  thorns  and  thistles  is
worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it
9
will be burned.

10

Even though we speak like this, beloved, we are
convinced of better things in your case—things
For  God  is not  un-
that  accompany  salvation.
just.  He  will  not  forget  your  work  and  the  love
you have shown for His name as you have minis-
11
tered to the saints and continue to do so.

12

We  want  each  of  you  to  show  this  same  dili-
gence  to  the  very  end,  in  order  to  make  your
Then you will not be sluggish, but
hope sure.
will imitate those who through faith and patience
God’s Unchangeable Promise
inherit what has been promised.
13

14

When  God  made  His  promise  to  Abraham,
since  He  had  no  one  greater  to  swear  by,  He
saying,  “I  will  surely  bless
swore  by  Himself,
And so
you and multiply your descendants.”
Abraham,  after  waiting  patiently,  obtained  the
16
promise.

15

 c

17

Men  swear  by  someone  greater  than  them-
selves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to
So  when  God  wanted  to
end  all  argument.
make the unchanging nature of His purpose very
clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed
Thus  by  two  unchangeable
it  with  an  oath.
a 1
things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we

from acts that lead to death

cleansing rites

b 2

18

who have fled to take hold of the hope set before
19
us may be strongly encouraged.

20

We  have  this  hope  as  an  anchor  for  the  soul,
firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary be-
where  Jesus our  forerunner
hind  the  curtain,
has entered on our behalf. He has become a high
Melchizedek and Abraham
priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
(Genesis 14:17–24)

7

d

2

This  Melchizedek  was  king  of  Salem  and
 He met Abraham
priest of God Most High.
returning  from  the  slaughter  of  the  kings  and
and Abraham apportioned to him
blessed him,
a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king
of  righteousness.”  Then  also,  “king  of  Salem”
Without  father  or
means  “king  of  peace.”
mother or genealogy, without beginning of days
or end of life, like the Son of God, he remains a
4
priest for all time.

3

5

Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the
patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plun-
Now  the  law  commands  the  sons  of  Levi
der.
who  become  priests  to  collect  a  tenth  from  the
people—that  is,  from  their  brothers—though
But Mel-
they too are descended from Abraham.
chizedek,  who  did  not  trace  his  descent  from
Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed
And  indisputably,
him  who  had  the  promises.
8
the lesser is blessed by the greater.

7

6

In the case of the Levites, mortal men collect the
9
tenth;  but  in  the  case  of  Melchizedek,  it  is  af-
And  so  to  speak,  Levi,
firmed  that  he  lives  on.
10
who  collects  the  tenth,  paid  the  tenth  through
For  when  Melchizedek  met  Abra-
Abraham.
A Superior Priesthood
ham, Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor.
11

Now  if  perfection  could  have  been  attained
through the Levitical priesthood (for on this ba-
sis the people received the law), why was there
still  need  for  another  priest  to  appear—one  in
the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of
For  when  the  priesthood  is  changed,
Aaron?
13
the law must be changed as well.

12

14

He of whom these things are said belonged to
a  different  tribe,  from  which  no  one  has  ever
For it is clear that our Lord
served at the altar.
descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses
said nothing about priests.

d 1

c 14

Or

Or

Genesis 22:17

Genesis 14:18

15

16

4

Hebrews 8:13    |    1079

And  this  point  is  even  more  clear  if  another
one who has
priest like Melchizedek appears,
become a priest not by a law of succession, but
For it is
by the power of an indestructible life.
testified:

17

 a

“You are a priest forever

18

in the order of Melchizedek.”

19

So  the  former  commandment  is  set aside  be-
(for  the  law
cause  it  was  weak  and  useless
made nothing perfect), and a better hope is intro-
20
duced, by which we draw near to God.

21

And  none  of  this  happened  without  an  oath.
but
For others became priests without an oath,
Jesus  became  a  priest  with  an  oath  by  the  One
who said to Him:

“The Lord has sworn and will not change

 b

22

His mind:

‘You are a priest forever.’

”

Because  of  this  oath,  Jesus  has  become  the

23
guarantee of a better covenant.

25

Now there have been many other priests, since
24
death prevented them from continuing in office.
But because Jesus lives forever, He has a per-
manent  priesthood.
Therefore  He  is  able  to
  those  who  draw  near  to  God
save  completely
through Him, since He always lives to intercede
26
for them.

 c

27

Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is
holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners,
Unlike  the
and  exalted  above  the  heavens.
other high priests, He does not need to offer daily
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the
sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for
For the law ap-
all when He offered up Himself.
points as high priests men who are weak; but the
oath,  which  came  after  the  law,  appointed  the
Christ’s Eternal Priesthood
Son, who has been made perfect forever.

28

8

2

The point of what we are saying is this: We
do have such a high priest, who sat down at
the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  the  Majesty  in
and who ministers in the sanctuary and
heaven,
3
true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
And since every high priest is appointed to offer
both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for this
d 5
c 25
b 21
a 17
One also to have something to offer.
f 13

forever

In saying new
Or

5

Now  if  He  were  on  earth,  He  would  not  be  a
priest, since there are already priests who offer
The place where they
gifts according to the law.
serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.
This  is  why  Moses  was  warned  when  he  was
about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you
make everything according to the pattern shown
The New Covenant
you on the mountain.”
(Jeremiah 31:26–40)

 d

6

Now, however, Jesus has received a much more
excellent ministry, just as the covenant He medi-
7
ates is better and is founded on better promises.
For if that first covenant had been without fault,
8
no  place  would  have  been  sought  for  a  second.
But God found fault with the people and said:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares

the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel
9

and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant
I made with their fathers
when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt,

because they did not abide by My

covenant,

and I disregarded them,

declares the Lord.

10

For this is the covenant I will make

with the house of Israel

after those days,

declares the Lord.

I will put My laws in their minds

and inscribe them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,

11

and they will be My people.

No longer will each one teach his neighbor

or his brother,
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know Me,

12

from the least of them to the greatest.

 e

For I will forgive their iniquities
f

and will remember their sins no more.”

13

By speaking of a new covenant,

 He has made
the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and
aging will soon disappear.

e 12

Psalm 110:4
34 (see also LXX)
contained in the Greek. A broader interpretation could also include

Psalm 110:4
Literally

; here and in Hebrews 9:1 and 18,
 or

priesthood

Exodus 25:40; see also Exodus 26:30.

Jeremiah 31:31–
 is included for clarity but is not

.

covenant
tabernacle

1080    |    Hebrews 9:1

The Earthly Tabernacle  (Ex. 40 ;  Acts 7:44–47)

9

 a

2

c

b

3

4

Now the first covenant
 had regulations for
worship  and  also  an  earthly  sanctuary.
A
tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were
the  lampstand,  the  table,  and  the  consecrated
Behind
 This was called the Holy Place.
bread.
the  second  curtain  was  a  room  called  the  Most
containing  the  golden  altar  of  in-
Holy  Place,
cense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.
Inside  the  ark  were  the  gold  jar  of  manna,  Aa-
ron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets
Above the ark were the cheru-
of the covenant.
bim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat.
 But
6
we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

5

d

7

When  everything  had  been  prepared  in  this
way,  the  priests  entered  regularly  into  the  first
But  only
room  to  perform  their  sacred  duties.
the  high  priest  entered  the  second  room,  and
then only once a year, and never without blood,
which he offered for himself and for the sins the
8
people had committed in ignorance.

 e

By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was show-
  had
ing  that  the  way  into  the  Most  Holy  Place
9
not yet been disclosed as long as the first taber-
nacle was still standing.
It is an illustration for
the present time, because the gifts and sacrifices
10
being  offered  were  unable  to  cleanse  the  con-
science of the worshiper.
They consist only in
food  and  drink  and  special  washings—external
Redemption through His Blood
regulations imposed until the time of reform.
11

f

12

But  when  Christ  came  as  high  priest  of  the
good  things  that  have  come,
  He  went  through
the  greater  and  more  perfect  tabernacle  that  is
not made by hands and is not a part of this crea-
He did not enter by the blood of goats and
tion.
calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once
for  all  by  His  own  blood,  thus  securing  eternal
13
redemption.

14

For  if  the  blood  of  goats  and  bulls  and  the
ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are cer-
emonially  unclean  sanctify  them  so  that  their
bodies  are  clean,
how  much  more  will  the
 g
blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the  eternal  Spirit
offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our
consciences from works of death, so that we may
15
serve the living God!

the first

Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new cov-
a 1
enant, so that those who are called may receive
atonement cover
Lit.
diathēkē

; also in v. 18; see the footnote for Heb. 8:13.

the Holy Place
covenant

e 8

b 2
f 11

Or

 is also translated as

; also in vv. 12, 25
 throughout this chapter.

the  promised  eternal  inheritance,  now  that  He
has died to redeem them from the transgressions
16
committed under the first covenant.

h

17

In the case of a will,

 it is necessary to establish
because  a
the  death  of  the  one  who  made  it,
will does not take effect until the one who made
it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still
18
alive.

19
That is why even the first covenant was not put
For when Moses had
into effect without blood.
i
proclaimed every commandment of the law to all
the people, he took the blood of calves and goats,
along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and
saying,
sprinkled the scroll and all the people,
“This is the blood of the covenant, which God has
21
commanded you to keep.”

20

 j

In the same way, he sprinkled with blood the
22
tabernacle  and  all  the  vessels  used  in  worship.
According to the law, in fact, nearly everything
must  be  purified  with  blood,  and  without  the
23
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

24

So it was necessary for the copies of the heav-
enly  things  to  be  purified  with  these  sacrifices,
but  the  heavenly  things  themselves  with  better
For Christ did not enter a
sacrifices than these.
man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He en-
tered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf
25
in the presence of God.

Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again
and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy
26
Place every year with blood that is not his own.
Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer re-
peatedly since the foundation of the world. But
now He has appeared once for all at the end of the
27
ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
28
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after
so  also  Christ  was  of-
that  to  face  judgment,
fered once to bear the sins of many; and He will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring
Christ’s Perfect Sacrifice  (Psalm 40:1–17)
salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

10

For the law is only a shadow of the good
things  to  come,  not  the  realities  them-
selves.  It  can  never,  by  the  same  sacrifices
2
offered year after year, make perfect those who
If it could, would not the
draw near to worship.
offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would
have  been  cleansed  once  for  all,  and  would  no
c 3
longer have felt the guilt of their sins.
your
g 14
Or
j 20
and goats
BYZ, TR
.

the Bread of the Presence
that are to come

Greek
Exodus 24:8

SBL does not include

Or
i 19
BYZ, TR

the Holy of Holies

h 16

d 5

Or

Hebrews 10:39    |    1081

us draw near with a sincere heart in full assur-
ance  of  faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bod-
23
ies washed with pure water.

24

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.
And let us con-
25
sider  how  to  spur  one  another  on  to  love  and
good  deeds.
Let  us  not  neglect  meeting  to-
gether,  as  some  have  made  a  habit,  but  let  us
encourage one another, and all the more as you
26
see the Day approaching.

27

28

If we deliberately go on sinning after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, no further
sacrifice for sins remains,
but only a fearful ex-
pectation of judgment and of raging fire that will
consume all adversaries.
Anyone who rejected
the law of Moses died without mercy on the tes-
timony of two or three witnesses.
How much
more  severely  do  you  think  one  deserves  to  be
punished  who  has  trampled  on  the  Son  of  God,
profaned the blood of the covenant that sancti-
30
fied him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
 f

29

For  we  know  Him  who  said,  “Vengeance  is
31
  and  again,  “The  Lord  will
It is a fearful thing to fall

 g
Mine;  I  will  repay,”
judge His people.”
32
into the hands of the living God.

h

Remember the early days that you were in the
33
light.
 In those days, you endured a great conflict
Sometimes  you  were
in  the  face  of  suffering.
publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at
other  times  you  were  partners  with  those  who
You sympathized with those
were so treated.
in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation
of  your  property,  knowing  that  you  yourselves
35
had a better and permanent possession.

34

36

So do not throw away your confidence; it holds
You need to persevere, so that
a great reward.
after you have done the will of God, you will re-
ceive what He has promised.

For,

37

“In just a little while,

38

He who is coming will come and will

 i

not delay.

But My righteous one will live by faith;

 j

39

and if he shrinks back,
I will take no pleasure in him.”

3

4

Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder
because it is impossible for the blood of
Therefore,

of sins,
bulls  and  goats  to  take  away  sins.
when Christ came into the world, He said:

5

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
6

but a body You prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sin offerings

7

You took no delight.

Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written
about Me in the scroll:

 a

I have come to do Your will, O God.’

”

8

In  the  passage  above  He  says,  “Sacrifices  and
offerings,  burnt  offerings  and  sin  offerings  You
did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (alt-
9
hough  they  are  offered  according  to  the  law).
Then  He  adds,  “Here  I  am,  I  have  come  to  do
Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the
And by that will, we have been sancti-
second.
fied  through  the  sacrifice  of  the  body  of  Jesus
11
Christ once for all.

10

12

Day  after  day  every  priest  stands  to  minister
and to offer again and again the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.
But when this
Priest  had  offered  for  all  time  one  sacrifice  for
13
sins,  He  sat  down  at  the  right  hand  of  God.
Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be
made  a  footstool  for  His  feet,
because  by  a
single offering He has made perfect for all time
15
those who are being sanctified.

14

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this.

16
First He says:

“This is the covenant I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord.
 b

17

I will put My laws in their hearts

and inscribe them on their minds.”

Then He adds:

 c

18

“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”

And where these have been forgiven, an offer-

A Call to Persevere  (Jude 1:17–23)
ing for sin is no longer needed.
19

 d

20

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence
 by the blood of Je-
by the new and living way opened for us
and since we
c 17
let

to enter the Most Holy Place
sus,
through the curtain of His body,
b 16
a 7
have a great priest over the house of God,
f 30
the veil that is His flesh
Psalm 40:6–8 (see also LXX)
ber when you were first enlightened.

21

22

e

But we are not of those who shrink back and
are  destroyed,  but  of  those  who  have  faith  and
through
the Holy Place
preserve their souls.
Remem-

d 19

e 20

g 30
Or
Jeremiah 31:34
But the righteous will live by faith

j 38
Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14

h 32
Literally
Or

Habakkuk 2:3–4 (see also LXX)

i 38

Jeremiah 31:33
Deuteronomy 32:35 (see also LXX)
BYZ and TR

1082    |    Hebrews 11:1

Faith and Assurance     (Gen. 1:1–2 ;  John 1:1–5)

11

do  not  see.
3
commended.

2

Now  faith  is  the  assurance  of  what  we
hope  for  and  the  certainty  of  what  we
This  is  why  the  ancients  were

By  faith  we  understand  that  the  universe  was
formed at God’s command, so that what is seen
The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah  (Genesis 4–9)
was not made out of what was visible.
4

By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than
Cain  did.  By  faith  he  was  commended  as  right-
eous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by
5
faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

 a

 b

By faith Enoch was taken up

 so that he did not
see death: “He could not be found, because God
 For before he was taken,
had taken him away.”
6
he was commended as one who pleased God.

And without faith it is impossible to please God.
For  anyone  who  approaches  Him  must  believe
that  He  exists  and  that  He  rewards  those  who
7
earnestly seek Him.

By  faith  Noah,  when  warned  about  things  not
yet  seen,  in  godly  fear  built  an  ark  to  save  his
family. By faith he condemned the world and be-
came  heir  of  the  righteousness  that  comes  by
The Faith of Abraham and Sarah
faith.
(Genesis 15–22 ;  Romans 4:1–12)

8

afar.  And  they  acknowledged  that  they  were
14
strangers and exiles on the earth.

15

Now those who say such things show that they
If they had
are seeking a country of their own.
16
been thinking of the country they had left, they
Instead,
would have had opportunity to return.
they were longing for a better country, a heavenly
one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
17
their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

c

 d

18

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered
up  Isaac  on  the  altar.  He  who  had  received  the
promises  was  ready  to  offer  his  one  and  only
son,
even  though  God  had  said  to  him,
19
“Through  Isaac  your  offspring  will  be  reck-
Abraham  reasoned  that  God  could
oned.”
raise  the  dead,  and  in  a  sense,  he  did  receive
The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
Isaac back from death.
(Genesis 27–50)

20

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concern-

21
ing the future.

By  faith  Jacob,  when  he  was  dying,  blessed
each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned
22
on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke
about  the  exodus  of  the  Israelites  and  gave  in-
The Faith of Moses  (Ex. 2–15 ;  Acts 7:20–22)
structions about his bones.
23

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place
he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed
9
and went, without knowing where he was going.
By  faith  he  dwelt  in  the  promised  land  as  a
stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as
did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of
For he was looking forward
the same promise.
to the city with foundations, whose architect and
11
builder is God.

10

By  faith  Sarah,  even  though  she  was  barren
and beyond the proper age, was enabled to con-
12
ceive a child, because she considered Him faith-
And so from one man,
ful who had promised.
and  he  as  good  as  dead,  came  descendants  as
numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless
13
as the sand on the seashore.

By  faith  Moses’  parents  hid  him  for  three
months after his birth, because they saw that he
was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of
24
the king’s edict.

25

26

By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to
He
be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh’s  daughter.
chose to suffer oppression with God’s people ra-
ther than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of
He  valued  disgrace  for  Christ  above  the
sin.
treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to
27
his reward.

28

By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s
anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is
invisible.
By faith he kept the Passover and the
sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the
29
firstborn would not touch Israel’s own firstborn.

All these people died in faith, without having
received  the  things  they  were  promised.  How-
a 5
ever,  they  saw  them  and  welcomed  them  from
e 29

made an attempt

transferred

translated

b 5

e

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea
as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to
c 17
follow,

only begotten son
 they were drowned.

unique son

d 18

Lit.
Literally

 or

Gen. 5:24 (see also LXX)

Or

 or

Gen. 21:12

The Faith of Many  (Joshua–Malachi)

30

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the peo-

31
ple had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she wel-
comed  the  spies  in  peace,  did  not  perish  with
32
those who were disobedient.

7

33

And  what  more  shall  I  say?  Time  will  not
allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jeph-
thah,  David,  Samuel,  and  the  prophets,
who
through  faith  conquered  kingdoms,  adminis-
tered  justice,  and  gained  what  was  promised;
who  shut  the  mouths  of  lions,
quenched  the
raging  fire,  and  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword;
who  gained  strength  from  weakness,  became
35
mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.

34

36

Women received back their dead, raised to life
again.  Others  were  tortured  and  refused  their
release, so that they might gain a better resurrec-
tion.
Still  others  endured  mocking  and  flog-
a
37
ging, and even chains and imprisonment.

38

They  were  stoned,  they  were  sawed  in  two,
they were put to death by the sword. They went
around  in  sheepskins  and  goatskins,  destitute,
oppressed, and mistreated.
The world was not
worthy  of  them.  They wandered  in  deserts  and
mountains,  and  hid  in  caves  and  holes  in  the
39
ground.

40

These were all commended for their faith, yet
God
they did not receive what was promised.
had  planned  something  better  for  us,  so  that
A Call to Endurance  (2 Timothy 2:1–13)
together with us they would be made perfect.

12

 b

Therefore,  since  we  are  surrounded  by
such  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us
throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so
2
easily entangles, and let us run with endurance
Let us fix our eyes on Je-
the race set out for us.
sus, the author
 and perfecter of our faith, who
for  the  joy  set  before  Him  endured  the  cross,
scorning  its  shame,  and  sat  down  at  the  right
Consider  Him  who
hand  of  the  throne  of  God.
endured such hostility from sinners, so that you
God Disciplines His Sons
will not grow weary and lose heart.
4

3

Hebrews 12:21    |    1083

“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of

the Lord,

6

and do not lose heart when He

rebukes you.

 c

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,

and He chastises every son He receives.”

8

9

Endure  suffering  as  discipline;  God  is  treating
you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his
father?
If you do not experience discipline like
everyone else, then you are illegitimate children
and not true sons.
Furthermore, we have all had
earthly  fathers  who  disciplined  us,  and  we  re-
spected them. Should we not much more submit
10
to the Father of our spirits and live?

11

Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as
they thought best, but God disciplines us for our
good, so that we may share in His holiness.
No
discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but pain-
 d
ful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of right-
eousness  and  peace
  to  those  who  have  been
12
trained by it.
e

13

f

Therefore  strengthen  your  limp  hands  and
Make  straight  paths  for  your
 so that  the lame may not be disabled, but

weak  knees.
feet,
A Call to Holiness  (1 Peter 1:13–21)
rather healed.
14

 g

Pursue  peace  with  everyone,  as  well  as  holi-
15
ness,  without  which  no  one  will  see  the  Lord.
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of
16
God, and that no root of bitterness
 springs up to
cause trouble and defile many.
See to it that no
one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau,
who for a single meal sold his birthright.
For
you know that afterward, when he wanted to in-
herit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find
no ground for repentance, though he sought the
An Unshakable Kingdom
blessing with tears.
(Exodus 20:18–21 ;  Deuteronomy 5:22–33)

17

18

 h

19

For you have not come to a mountain that can
be  touched  and  that
  is  burning  with  fire;  to
to a trumpet blast
darkness, gloom, and storm;
20
or  to  a  voice  that  made  its  hearers  beg  that  no
further  word  be  spoken.
For  they  could  not
bear  what  was  commanded:  “If  even  an  animal
touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”
The
 j
sight  was  so  terrifying  that  even  Moses  said,  “I
and He flogs every son He receives
pioneer
am trembling with fear.”

21

 i

f 13
j 21

Lit.
Isaiah 35:3
Exodus 19:12–13

;
Proverbs 4:26 (see
De. 9:19

In  your  struggle  against  sin,  you  have  not  yet
5
resisted  to  the  point  of  shedding  your  blood.
And you have forgotten the exhortation that ad-
b 2
a 37
dresses you as sons:

they were put to the test,

NE, WH, BYZ, TR include

g 15

h 18

Prov. 3:11–12 (see also LXX)
also LXX)

See De. 29:18

Or

Literally

d 11

founder
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
 or
Or
i 20
to what can be touched and

c 6
e 12

1084    |    Hebrews 12:22

22

9

23

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the
city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem.
You have come to myriads of angels
in joyful
assembly,  to  the  congregation  of  the  firstborn,
enrolled  in  heaven.  You  have  come  to  God  the
Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made
to  Jesus  the  mediator  of  a  new  cove-
perfect,
nant,  and  to  the  sprinkled  blood  that  speaks  a
25
better word than the blood of Abel.

24

26

See  to  it  that  you  do  not  refuse  Him  who
speaks.  For  if  the  people  did  not  escape  when
they  refused  Him  who  warned  them  on  earth,
how  much  less  will  we  escape  if  we  reject  Him
At  that  time  His
who  warns us  from  heaven?
voice shook the earth, but now He has promised,
“Once more I will shake not only the earth, but
The  words  “Once  more”
heaven  as  well.”
signify the removal of what can be shaken—that
is,  created  things—so  that  the  unshakable  may
28
remain.

27

 a

29

Therefore, since we are receiving an unshaka-
ble kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and
so  worship  God  acceptably  with  reverence  and
Brotherly Love
awe.
“For our God is a consuming fire.”

 b

2

Continue  in  brotherly  love.
Do  not  ne-
glect to show hospitality to strangers, for
3
by so doing some people have entertained angels
Remember those in prison
without knowing it.
as if you were bound with them, and those who
4
are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.

Marriage should be honored by all and the mar-
riage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the
Christ’s Unchanging Nature
sexually immoral and adulterers.
5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and
be content with what you have, for God has said:

 c

6

“Never will I leave you,

never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence:

 d

7

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?”

8

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of
God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of
Jesus  Christ  is  the
life  and  imitate  their  faith.
same yesterday and today and forever.
c 5
a 26
every good work
e 21

b 29

f 21

you

13

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange
teachings,  for  it  is  good  for  the  heart  to  be
strengthened  by  grace  and  not  by  foods  of  no
value to those devoted to them.
We have an al-
tar from which those who serve at the tabernacle
11
have no right to eat.

10

12

Although  the  high  priest  brings  the  blood  of
animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin,
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
And
13
so  Jesus  also  suffered  outside  the  city  gate,  to
sanctify the people by His own blood.
There-
fore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing
the disgrace He bore.
For here we do not have
a permanent city, but we are looking for the city
Sacrifice, Obedience, and Prayer
that is to come.
15

14

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually of-
16
fer  to  God  a  sacrifice  of  praise,  the  fruit  of  lips
that confess His name.
And do not neglect to do
good and to share with others, for with such sac-
17
rifices God is pleased.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they
watch over your souls as those who must give an
account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy
and  not  with  grief,  for  that  would  be  of  no  ad-
18
vantage to you.

19

Pray for us; we are convinced that we have a
clear conscience and desire to live honorably in
every  way.
And  I  especially  urge  you  to  pray
Benediction and Farewell
that I may be restored to you soon.
20

21

Now  may  the  God  of  peace,  who  through  the
blood of the eternal covenant brought back from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of
the sheep,
 to
do His will. And may He accomplish in us
 what
is  pleasing  in  His  sight  through  Jesus  Christ,  to
22
whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

equip you with every good thing

 e

 f

I urge you, brothers, to bear with my word of
exhortation,  for  I  have  only  written  to  you
23
briefly.

Be aware that our brother Timothy has been
released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him
24
to see you.

Greet all your leaders and all the saints.

25
Those from Italy send you greetings.

g

Haggai 2:6
BYZ and TR

Deuteronomy 4:24

BYZ and TR

Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Joshua 1:5
BYZ and TR include

Psalm 118:6 (see also LXX)

Grace be with all of you.

d 6
Amen.

g 25

James

16
17

A Greeting from James  (Jude 1:1–2)

1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ,

 a

To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion:
Rejoicing in Trials  (Philippians 1:12–20)
Greetings.
2

3

4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you en-
counter trials of many kinds,
because you know
that the testing of your faith develops persever-
ance.
Allow perseverance to finish its work, so
that you may be mature and complete, not lack-
5
ing anything.

6

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to him.
But he must ask
in  faith,  without  doubting,  because  he  who
7
doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed
8
by  the  wind.
That  man  should  not  expect  to
receive anything from the Lord.
He is a double-
9
minded man, unstable in all his ways.

10

The  brother  in  humble  circumstances  should
exult in his high position.
But the one who is
11
rich should exult in his low position, because he
will pass away like a flower of the field.
For the
sun  rises  with  scorching  heat  and  withers  the
plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too,
the  rich  man  will  fade  away  in  the  midst  of  his
12
pursuits.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,
because  when he  has  stood  the  test, he  will  re-
ceive the crown of life that God has promised to
Good and Perfect Gifts
those who love Him.
13

15

14

When  tempted,  no  one  should  say,  “God  is
tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil,
But  each  one  is
nor  does  He  tempt  anyone.
tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured
away  and  enticed.
Then  after  desire  has  con-
ceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-
To the twelve tribes in the Diaspora
a 1
grown, gives birth to death.
the Diaspora
Literally
c 18

of His creatures.

your synagogue

d 2

b

18

Do  not  be  deceived,  my  beloved  brothers.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, com-
ing down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
with  whom  there  is  no  change  or  shifting
He chose to give us birth through the
shadow.
c
word  of  truth,  that  we  would  be  a  kind  of
Hearing and Doing
firstfruits of His creation.
19

20

My beloved brothers, understand this: Every-
one should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and
for man’s anger does not bring
slow to anger,
21
about  the  righteousness  that  God  desires.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every
expression of evil, and humbly accept the word
22
planted in you, which can save your souls.

23

Be  doers  of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only.
Otherwise,  you  are  deceiving  yourselves.
For
anyone who hears the word but does not carry it
24
out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
and after observing himself goes away and im-
But  the
mediately  forgets  what  he  looks  like.
one  who  looks  intently  into  the  perfect  law  of
freedom,  and  continues  to  do  so—not  being  a
forgetful  hearer,  but  an  effective  doer—he  will
26
be blessed in what he does.

25

27

If  anyone  considers  himself  religious  and  yet
does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart
and his religion is worthless.
Pure  and unde-
filed religion before our God and Father is this: to
care  for  orphans  and  widows  in  their  distress,
and  to  keep  oneself  from  being  polluted  by  the
A Warning against Favoritism
world.

2

My  brothers,  as  you  hold  out  your  faith  in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show

 d

2
favoritism.

3

Suppose a man comes into your meeting

 wear-
ing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man
If you lavish at-
in shabby clothes also comes in.
tention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here
is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You

no change or shadow of turning.

b 17

 is applied here to the Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Or

Or

Greek

. Originally referring to the Jewish people living outside the land of Israel,

1086    |    James 2:4

4

have  you  not
must  stand”  or  “Sit  at  my  feet,”
discriminated  among  yourselves  and  become
5
judges with evil thoughts?

6

Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God cho-
sen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and
to  inherit  the  kingdom  He  promised  those  who
But you have dishonored the poor. Is
love Him?
it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into
 a
court?
Are  they  not  the  ones  who  blaspheme
8
the noble name by which you have been called?

7

 b

9

If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scrip-
 you are
But if you show favoritism, you sin

ture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”
doing well.
10
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

11
Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at
 c
For
just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
He  who  said,  “Do  not  commit  adultery,”
  also
  If  you  do  not  commit
said,  “Do  not  murder.”
adultery,  but  do  commit  murder,  you  have  be-
12
come a lawbreaker.

 d

13

Speak  and  act  as  those  who  are  going  to  be
For judg-
judged by the law that gives freedom.
ment  without  mercy  will  be  shown  to  anyone
who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over
Faith and Works  (Galatians 3:1–9)
judgment.
14

15

What  good  is  it,  my  brothers,  if  someone
claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such
16
Suppose a brother or sister is
faith save him?
If  one  of  you
without  clothes  and  daily  food.
tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,”
but does not provide for his physical needs, what
e
So too, faith by itself, if it does not
good is that?
18
result in action,
 is dead.

17

But  someone  will  say,  “You  have  faith  and  I
have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds,
f
You
and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
 Good for you! Even the
believe that God is one.
20
demons believe that—and shudder.

19

 g

21

22

O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith
without deeds is worthless?
Was not our fa-
ther Abraham justified by what he did when he
You see that
offered his son Isaac on the altar?
his  faith  was  working  with  his  actions,  and  his
And  the
faith  was  perfected  by  what  he  did.
the noble name invoked upon you
a 7
Scripture  was  fulfilled  that  says,  “Abraham
d 11

23

Or
there is one God
20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18
Gehenna
l 11

g 20

 or

dead

h 23
Can both fresh and bitter
BYZ and TR

 h

i
believed God, and it was credited to him as right-
24
eousness,”
  and  he  was  called  a  friend  of  God.
As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds

25
and not by faith alone.

 j

In the same way, was not even Rahab the pros-
titute  justified  by  her  actions  when  she  wel-
26
  and  sent  them  off  on  another
comed  the  spies
route?
As the body without the spirit is dead,
Taming the Tongue  (Psalm 64:1–10)
so faith without deeds is dead.

3

2

Not  many  of  you  should  become  teachers,
my brothers, because you know that we who
We all stum-
teach will be judged more strictly.
ble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in
what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control
3
his whole body.

4

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to
make them obey us, we can guide the whole ani-
Consider ships as well. Although they are
mal.
so large and are driven by strong winds, they are
steered  by  a  very  small  rudder  wherever  the
5
pilot is inclined.

6

In the same way, the tongue is a small part of
the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider
The
how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
tongue  also  is  a  fire,  a  world  of  wickedness
among  the  parts  of  the  body.  It  pollutes  the
whole person, sets the course of his life on fire,
7
and is itself set on fire by hell.

k

8

All  kinds  of  animals,  birds,  reptiles,  and  crea-
tures of the sea are being tamed and have been
tamed by man,
but no man can tame the tongue.
9
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

10

With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men, who have been made
in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come
 l
11
blessing  and  cursing.  My  brothers,  this  should
not  be!
My brothers, can a
flow from the same spring?
fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Nei-
The Wisdom from Above
ther can a salt spring
13

12
Can  both  fresh  water  and  salt  water

 produce fresh water.

 m

Who  is  wise  and  understanding  among  you?
Let  him  show  it  by  his  good  conduct,  by  deeds
14
done  in  the  humility  that  comes  from  wisdom.
But  if  you  harbor  bitter  jealousy  and  selfish
if it does not have works

c 11
f 19

e 17

b 8

i 23

j 25

Leviticus 19:18
messengers

that
Exodus
k 6
Or

the noble name of Him to whom you belong

Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17

Neither can salt

Literally

m 12

Genesis 15:6

See Isaiah 41:8.

Literally

Greek

Literally

Literally

15

ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny
Such  wisdom  does  not  come  from
the  truth.
For
above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there
17
will be disorder and every evil practice.

16

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of
18
mercy  and  good  fruit,  impartial,  and  sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit

a

A Warning against Pride
of righteousness.

4

 b

2

What  causes  conflicts  and  quarrels  among
you?  Don’t  they  come  from  the  passions  at
You  crave  what  you  do  not
war  within  you?
have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain
3
it.  You  quarrel  and  fight.  You  do  not  have,  be-
And  when  you  do  ask,
cause  you  do  not  ask.
you do not receive, because you ask with wrong
motives,  that  you  may  squander  it  on  your
4
pleasures.

 c

 d

You  adulteresses!

  Do  you  not  know  that
friendship  with  the  world  is  hostility  toward
God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend
5
 an enemy of God.
of the world renders himself
Or do you think the Scripture says without rea-
  He  caused  to  dwell  in  us
But He gives us more grace.

6
son  that  the  Spirit
yearns with envy?
This is why it says:

 e

 f

“God opposes the proud,

Drawing Near to God

but gives grace to the humble.”

7

8

9

Submit  yourselves,  then,  to  God.  Resist  the
Draw  near  to
devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you.
God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn
double-minded.
10
your  laughter  to  mourning,  and  your  joy  to
Humble  yourselves  before  the  Lord,
gloom.
11
and He will exalt you.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone
who  speaks  against  his  brother  or  judges  him
speaks against the law and judges it. And if you
12
judge  the  law,  you  are  not  a  practitioner  of  the
There is only one Law-
law, but a judge of it.
giver and Judge, the One who is able to save and
a 18
destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
your members?
g 7

for it until it receives the early and the late

is appointed

Literally

d 4

c 4

James 5:11    |    1087

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow
(Proverbs 27:1)

13

14

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow
we will go to this or that city, spend a year there,
You do
carry on business, and make a profit.”
not  even  know  what  will  happen  tomorrow!
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for
15
a little while and then vanishes.

16

17

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is will-
As it is, you
ing, we will live and do this or that.”
boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting
Anyone,  then,  who  knows  the  right
is  evil.
A Warning to the Rich
thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
(Proverbs 23:1–5 ;  1 Timothy 6:17–19)

5

2

3

Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail
Your
over  the  misery  to  come  upon  you.
riches  have  rotted  and  moths  have  eaten  your
clothes.
Your  gold  and  silver  are  corroded.
Their corrosion will testify against you and con-
sume your flesh like fire.
4
You  have  hoarded  treasure  in  the  last  days.
Look,  the  wages  you  withheld  from  the  work-
men  who  mowed  your  fields  are  crying  out
against  you.  The  cries  of  the  harvesters  have
5
reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

6

You  have  lived  on  earth  in  luxury  and  self-
indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the
You  have  condemned  and
day  of  slaughter.
Patience in Suffering  (Job 1:1–5)
murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
7

g

8

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s com-
ing. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit
of  the  soil—how  patient  he  is  for  the  fall  and
too,  be  patient  and
spring  rains.
strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s com-
Do not complain about one another,
ing is near.
brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the
10
Judge is standing at the door!

You,

9

11

Brothers,  as  an  example  of  patience  in  afflic-
tion, take the prophets who spoke in the name of
See how blessed we consider those
the Lord.
who  have  persevered.  You  have  heard  of  Job’s
perseverance  and  have  seen  the  outcome  from
the  Lord.  The  Lord  is  full  of  compassion  and
mercy.

passions warring among

b 1

But the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those making peace.

e 5

the spirit

f 6

Literally

Literally

See Hosea 3:1.

Or

Or

Proverbs 3:34 (see also LXX)

1088    |    James 5:12

12

16

Above  all,  my  brothers,  do  not  swear,  not  by
heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let
your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you
The Prayer of Faith
will not fall under judgment.

13

14

Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is
Is any
anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
one of you sick? He should call the elders of the
15
church to pray over him and anoint him with oil
in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer offered
in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord
will  raise  him  up.  If  he  has  sinned,  he  will  be
forgiven.

17

Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray  for  each  other  so  that  you  may  be  healed.
The prayer of a righteous man has great power
Elijah  was  a  man  just  like  us.  He
to  prevail.
prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did
18
not  rain  on  the  land  for  three  and  a  half  years.
Again  he  prayed,  and  the  heavens  gave  rain,

Restoring a Sinner
and the earth yielded its crops.
19

My brothers, if one of you should wander from
20
the  truth  and  someone  should  bring  him  back,
consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the
error of his way will save his soul from death and
cover over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter

A Greeting from Peter  (2 Peter 1:1–2)

1

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

 a

To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion
2
throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,
according  to  the  fore-
and  Bithynia,  chosen
knowledge  of  God  the  Father  and  sanctified  by
the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprin-
kling by His blood:

A Living Hope
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

3

 b

4

Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord
Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us
 into a living hope through the resur-
new birth
and into
rection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
5
an  inheritance  that  is  imperishable,  undefiled,
who
and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
through faith are shielded by God’s power for the
salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last
6
time.

7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a lit-
tle while you may have had to suffer grief in var-
so that the proven character of your
ious trials
faith—more precious than gold, which perishes
even  though  refined  by  fire—may  result  in
praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus
8
Christ.

9

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him;
and though you do not see Him now, you believe
in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glo-
now that you are receiving the goal of
rious joy,
10
your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning  this  salvation,  the  prophets  who
11
foretold the grace to come to you searched and
trying to determine the
investigated carefully,
time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in
them was pointing when He predicted the suffer-
12
ings of Christ and the glories to follow.

the  things  now  announced  by  those  who
preached  the  gospel  to  you  by  the  Holy  Spirit
sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into
A Call to Holiness  (Hebrews 12:14–17)
these things.
13

c

Therefore prepare your minds for action.

 Be
sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to
14
be  given  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.
As  obedient  children,  do  not  conform  to  the
But just as
passions of your former ignorance.
 d
16
He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
17
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

15

Since  you  call  on  a  Father  who  judges  each
one’s  work  impartially,  conduct  yourselves  in
18
reverent  fear  during  your  stay  as  foreigners.
For you know that it was not with perishable
things  such  as  silver  or  gold  that  you  were
redeemed  from  the  empty  way  of  life  you
but  with  the
inherited  from  your  forefathers,
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish
He was known before the foundation
or spot.
of the world, but was revealed in the last times
21
for your sake.

19

20

Through  Him  you  believe  in  God,  who  raised
Him  from  the  dead  and  glorified  Him;  and  so
The Enduring Word  (Isaiah 40:6–8)
your faith and hope are in God.
22

e

23

Since  you  have  purified  your  souls  by  obedi-
ence to the truth so that you have a genuine love
for your brothers, love one another deeply, from
For you have been born again,
a pure heart.
not  of  perishable  seed,  but  of  imperishable,
24
through  the  living  and  enduring  word  of  God.

For,

“All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory like the flowers of the

25

field;

 f

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

It  was  revealed  to  them  that  they  were  not
a 1
serving themselves, but you, when they foretold

To the elect sojourners of the Diaspora of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
has caused us to be born again

has begotten us again

And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

Literally

gird up the loins of your mind
located in what is now Turkey.

b 3
d 16

Or
Lev. 11:44–45; Lev. 19:2

e 22

 or

from the heart

Wherefore
c 13
. These provinces were

f 25
Literally

SBL, NE, and WH

Isaiah 40:6–8

1090    |    1 Peter 2:1

The Living Stone and Chosen People
(Isa. 28:14–22 ;  1 Cor.3:10–15 ;  Eph. 2:19–22)

2

2

Rid  yourselves,  therefore,  of  all  malice,  de-
Like
ceit,  hypocrisy,  envy,  and  slander.
newborn  babies,  crave  pure  spiritual  milk,  so
3
that  by  it  you  may  grow  up  in  your  salvation,
4
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected
5
by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
you also, like living stones, are being built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Je-
sus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture:

6

“See, I lay in Zion a stone,

a chosen and precious cornerstone;

 a

7

and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame.”

To you who believe, then, this stone is precious.

But to those who do not believe,

 b
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”

8

and,

 c

“A stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word—
9
and to this they were appointed.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,
to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out
of darkness into His marvelous light.
Once you
were not a people, but now you are the people of
God; once you had not received mercy, but now
11
you have received mercy.

10

d

12

Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to
abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war
against  your  soul.
Conduct  yourselves  with
such honor among the Gentiles that, though they
slander you as evildoers, they may see your good
Submission to Authorities  (Romans 13:1–7)
deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
13

14

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every
human institution, whether to the king as the su-
preme authority,
or to governors as those sent
by  him  to  punish  those  who  do  wrong  and  to
praise those who do right.
For it is God’s will
that by doing good you should silence the igno-
a 6
rance of foolish men.
f 18

in all fear

h 24

g 22

b 7

c 8

15

16

Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom
17
as  a  cover-up  for  evil;  live  as  servants  of  God.
e
Treat  everyone  with  high  regard:  Love  the
  fear  God,  honor  the

brotherhood  of  believers,
18
king.

f

19

20

Servants,  submit  yourselves  to  your  masters
with all respect,
 not only to those who are good
and gentle, but even to those who are unreason-
able.
For if anyone endures the pain of unjust
suffering because he is conscious of God, this is
How  is  it  to  your  credit  if
to  be  commended.
you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure
it? But if you suffer for doing good and you en-
Christ’s Example of Suffering  (Isaiah 53:1–8)
dure it, this is commendable before God.
21

For to this you were called, because Christ also
suffered  for  you,  leaving  you  an  example,  that
22
you should follow in His footsteps:

 g

23

“He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

When they heaped abuse on Him,

He did not retaliate;

when He suffered, He made no threats,

24

but entrusted Himself to Him who judges

 h

justly.

He Himself bore our sins

in His body on the tree,
so that we might die to sin

 i

25

and live to righteousness.
“By His stripes you are healed.”

 j

For  “you  were  like  sheep  going  astray,”

  but
now  you  have  returned  to  the  Shepherd  and
Wives and Husbands
Overseer of your souls.
(Song of Solomon 1:1–17 ;  Ephesians 5:22–33)

3

Wives,  in  the  same  way,  submit  yourselves
to your husbands, so that even if they refuse
to believe the word, they will be won over with-
when
out words by the behavior of their wives
3
they see your pure and reverent demeanor.

2

4

Your  beauty  should  not  come  from  outward
adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry
but from the inner disposition of
or fine clothes,
your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and
For
quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
this is how the holy women of the past adorned
themselves. They put their hope in God and were
just  as  Sarah
submissive  to  their  husbands,

Love the brotherhood

d 10

e 17

5

6

i 24

j 25

Isaiah 28:16 (see also LXX)
Or

Isaiah 53:9

Psalm 118:22

Isaiah 8:14

Hosea 2:23

Literally

Isaiah 53:4 (see also LXX)

Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah 53:6

4

1 Peter 4:13    |    1091

 f

21
In  the  ark  a  few  people,  only  eight  souls,  were
And this water symbol-
saved through water.
izes  the  baptism  that  now  saves  you  also—not
the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge
 a clear conscience toward God—through the
of
who has gone into
resurrection of Jesus Christ,
heaven and is at the right hand of God, with an-
Living for God’s Glory
gels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
(1 Corinthians 10:23–33)

22

 g

2

  in  His
Therefore,  since  Christ  suffered
body, arm yourselves with the same resolve,
because anyone who has suffered in his body is
Consequently,  he  does  not  live
done  with  sin.
out his remaining time on earth for human pas-
For you have spent
sions, but for the will of God.
enough time in the past carrying out the same de-
sires  as  the  Gentiles:  living  in  debauchery,  lust,
drunkenness,  orgies,  carousing,  and  detestable
4
idolatry.

3

5

Because of this, they consider it strange of you
not  to  plunge  with  them into  the  same  flood  of
reckless  indiscretion,  and  they  heap  abuse  on
But  they  will  have  to  give  an  account  to
you.
6
Him  who  is  ready  to  judge  the  living  and  the
h
That is why the gospel was preached even
dead.
to those who are now dead,
 so that they might
be judged as men in the flesh, but live according
7
to God in the spirit.

8

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-
minded and sober, so that you can pray.
Above
i
all, love one another deeply, because love covers
over  a  multitude  of  sins.
Show  hospitality  to
10
one another without complaining.

9

11

As good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
each of you should use whatever gift he has re-
ceived to serve one another.
If anyone speaks,
he should speak as one conveying the words of
God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God
may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom
be  the  glory  and  the  power  forever  and  ever.
Suffering as Christians
Amen.
12

obeyed  Abraham  and  called  him  lord.  And  you
are her children if you do what is right and refuse
7
to give way to fear.

Husbands,  in  the  same  way,  treat  your  wives
with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with
honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life,
Turning from Evil
so that your prayers will not be hindered.
8

9

Finally,  all  of  you,  be  like-minded  and  sympa-
thetic,  love  as  brothers,  be  tenderhearted  and
humble.
Do  not  repay  evil  with  evil  or  insult
with insult, but with blessing, because to this you
10
were  called  so  that  you  may  inherit  a  blessing.

For,

“Whoever would love life
and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

11

and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.

12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the

righteous,

and His ears are inclined to their prayer.
 a

But the face of the Lord is against

13

those who do evil.”

Who can harm you if you are zealous for what

Suffering for Righteousness
is good?
14

 b

15

But even if you should suffer for what is right,
you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do
c
not  be  shaken.”
But  in  your  hearts  sanctify
Christ as Lord.
 Always be prepared to give a de-
fense  to  everyone  who  asks  you  the  reason  for
the hope that is in you. But respond with gentle-
keeping  a  clear  conscience,
ness  and  respect,
so  that  those  who  slander  you  may  be  put  to
For it
shame by your good behavior in Christ.
is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good
18
than for doing evil.

16

17

 d

 e

19

20

For Christ also suffered

 for sins once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to
God. He was put to death in the body but made
alive in the Spirit,
 He also went and
in whom
who  diso-
preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison
beyed long ago when God waited patiently in the
a 12
days of Noah while the ark was being built.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.
Psalm 34:12–16 (see also LXX)
died
d 18
i 8
to those who are dead
NE and WH

us
see Isaiah 8:13.

Or
e 19

b 14

h 6

.

Or

See Proverbs 10:12

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial
that  has  come  upon  you,  as  though  something
But  rejoice
strange  were  happening  to  you.

c 15

13

“Do not fear their threats; do not be shaken.”

in the spirit, 19 in which

f 21

appeal for

 Isaiah 8:12
g 1

BYZ and TR
for

 This sentence may also be included with the quotation from the previous verse;
BYZ and TR include

Or

Or

1092    |    1 Peter 4:14

that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that
you  may  be  overjoyed  at  the  revelation  of  His
14
glory.

a

15

16

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you
  Spirit  of  glory  and  of
are  blessed,  because  the
God rests on you.
Indeed, none of you should
suffer  as  a  murderer  or  thief  or  wrongdoer,  or
But if you suffer as a Chris-
even as a meddler.
17
tian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you
bear that name.
For it is time for judgment to
begin with the family of God; and if it begins with
18
us, what will the outcome be for those who diso-
bey the gospel of God?

And,

b

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,

 c

19

what will become of the ungodly and the

sinner?”

So  then,  those  who  suffer  according  to  God’s
will  should  entrust  their  souls  to  their  faithful
Instructions to Elders
Creator and continue to do good.
(1 Timothy 3:1–7 ;  Titus 1:5–9)

5

 e

 d

2

 among you:

As  a  fellow  elder,  a  witness  of  Christ’s
sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be
revealed, I appeal to the elders
Be
shepherds  of  God’s  flock  that  is  among  you,
 not out of compulsion, but
watching over them
willingly,  as  God  would  have  you;
  not  out  of
greed, but out of eagerness;
not lording it over
those entrusted to you, but being examples to the
And  when  the  Chief  Shepherd  appears,
flock.
you  will  receive  the  crown  of  glory  that  will
never fade away.

3

4

 f

Cast Your Cares on Him

5

Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves
to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves
with humility toward one another, because,

 g

6

 “God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”

7

Humble  yourselves,  therefore,  under  God’s
mighty  hand,  so  that  in  due  time  He  may  exalt
Cast  all  your  anxiety  on  Him,  because  He
you.
8
cares for you.

9

Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
Resist him, standing firm in
someone to devour.
your faith and in the knowledge that your broth-
ers  throughout  the  world  are  undergoing  the
Benediction and Farewell
same kinds of suffering.
10

h

And after you have suffered for a little while,
the  God  of  all  grace,  who  has  called  you  to  His
eternal glory in Christ,
 will Himself restore you,
11
secure  you,  strengthen  you,  and  establish  you.
12
To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

i

Through Silvanus,

 whom I regard as a faithful
brother, I have written to you briefly, encourag-
ing you and testifying that this is the true grace
13
of God. Stand firm in it.

j

The church in Babylon,

 chosen together with
14
you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.

Greet one another with a kiss of love.

k

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

a 14
name
ders

On their part He is spoken of as evil, but on your part He is glorified.

b 16

glorify God in that

glorify God in this matter

BYZ and TR include
e 2
; NA
h 10

in Christ Jesus
NE and WH do not include

c 18
watching over them

f 2
j 13

but willingly
SBL, NE, and WH

k 14

She in Babylon

i 12

Proverbs 11:31 (see also LXX)
.
That is, Silas

WH, BYZ, and TR
Literally

I appeal therefore to the el-
Literally
g 5

Proverbs 3:34 (see also

Amen.

BYZ and TR include

d 1

LXX)

BYZ and TR

2 Peter

A Greeting from Peter
(1 Peter 1:1–2)

1

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our
God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith
2
as precious as ours:

Grace  and  peace  be  multiplied  to  you  through

Partakers of the Divine Nature
the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3

 a

4

His  divine  power  has  given  us  everything  we
need  for  life  and  godliness  through  the  knowl-
edge of Him who called us by His own
 glory and
Through these He has given us His
excellence.
precious  and  magnificent  promises,  so  that
through them you may become partakers of the
divine  nature,  now  that  you  have  escaped  the
5
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

8

7

For this very reason, make every effort to add
6
to  your  faith  virtue;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge;
and  to  knowledge,  self-control;  and  to  self-
control, perseverance; and to perseverance, god-
and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness;
liness;
and  to  brotherly  kindness,  love.
For  if  you
possess these qualities and continue to grow in
them, they will keep you from being ineffective
and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord
But  whoever  lacks  these  traits  is
Jesus  Christ.
nearsighted to the point of blindness, having for-
gotten  that  he  has  been  cleansed  from  his  past
10
sins.

9

11

Therefore, brothers, strive to make your call-
ing  and  election  sure.  For  if  you  practice  these
and you will re-
things you will never stumble,
ceive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom
12
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

13

Therefore  I  will  always  remind  you  of  these
things, even though you know them and are es-
tablished in the truth you now have.
I think it
b
is right to refresh your memory as long as I live
as long as I am in this tent
a 3
because  I  know  that
in  the  tent  of  my  body,
d 4

b 13
cast them into Tartarus
Literally

to His own

14

Or
Greek

15

this tent will soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus
And I will make
Christ has made clear to me.
every  effort  to  ensure  that  after  my  departure,
Eyewitnesses of His Majesty
you will be able to recall these things at all times.
(Matt. 17:1–13 ;  Mark 9:1–13 ;  Luke 9:28–36)

16

17

For we did not follow cleverly devised fables
when  we  made  known  to  you  the  power  and
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  we  were
For He received
eyewitnesses of His majesty.
honor and glory from God the Father when the
voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, say-
ing, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
And  we  ourselves  heard  this  voice
pleased.”
from heaven when we were with Him on the holy
19
mountain.

18

 c

20

We also have the word of the prophets as con-
firmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay
attention  to  it,  as  to  a  lamp  shining  in  a  dark
place, until the day dawns and the morning star
Above  all,  you  must  un-
rises  in  your  hearts.
derstand  that  no  prophecy  of  Scripture  comes
For  no  such
from  one’s  own  interpretation.
prophecy  was  ever  brought  forth  by  the  will  of
man, but men spoke from God as they were car-
Deliverance from False Prophets
ried along by the Holy Spirit.
(Jude 1:3–16)

21

2

2

Now there were also false prophets among
the people, just as there will be false teach-
ers  among  you.  They  will  secretly  introduce
destructive  heresies,  even  denying  the  Master
who  bought  them—bringing  swift  destruction
Many  will  follow  in  their  de-
on  themselves.
pravity, and because of them the way of truth will
be defamed.
In their greed, these false teachers
will  exploit  you  with  deceptive  words.  The
longstanding  verdict  against  them  remains  in
4
force, and their destruction does not sleep.

3

d

For if God did not spare the angels when they
sinned,  but  cast  them  deep  into  hell,
  placing
c 17
them  in  chains  of  darkness  to  be  held  for

Matthew 17:5; see also Mark 9:7 and Luke 9:35.

; see the First Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 13:1–11 and 1 Enoch 20:1–4).

1094    |    2 Peter 2:5

5

a

6

if He did not spare the ancient world
judgment;
when He brought the flood on its ungodly people,
but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness,
if He condemned the cities of
among the eight;
Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction,
 reducing
 b
7
them to ashes as an example of what is coming
and if He rescued Lot, a right-
on the ungodly;
8
eous man distressed by the depraved conduct of
the  lawless
(for  that  righteous  man,  living
among them day after day, was tormented in his
righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and
if  all  this  is  so,  then  the  Lord  knows
heard)—
how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold
the  unrighteous  for  punishment  on  the  day  of
10
judgment.

9

Such  punishment  is  specially  reserved  for
those  who  indulge  the  corrupt  desires  of  the
c
flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed,
11
they  are  unafraid  to  slander  glorious  beings.

Yet not even angels, though greater in strength
and  power,  dare  to  bring  such  slanderous
12
charges against them before the Lord.

These  men  are  like  irrational  animals,  crea-
tures  of  instinct,  born  to  be  captured  and  de-
stroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not
understand, and like such creatures, they too will
The harm they will suffer is the
be destroyed.
wages of their wickedness.

13

14

They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad
daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling
Their
in their deception as they feast with you.
eyes  are  full  of  adultery;  their  desire  for  sin  is
never  satisfied;  they  seduce  the  unstable.  They
are  accursed  children  with  hearts  trained  in
15
greed.

d

16

They have left the straight way and wandered
off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor,
 who
But he was re-
loved the wages of wickedness.
buked for his transgression by a donkey, other-
wise  without  speech,  that  spoke  with  a  man’s
17
voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

18

These  men  are  springs  without  water  and
mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is re-
served for them.
With lofty but empty words,
they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh
and  entice  those  who  are  just  escaping  from
others  who  live  in  error.
They  promise  them
a 6
freedom,  while  they  themselves  are  slaves  to
ties

to destruction

b 6
e 20

d 15

19

depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has
20
mastered him.

21

If indeed they have escaped the corruption of
e
the  world  through  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ,
 only to be entangled and
overcome  by  it  again,  their  final  condition  is
worse than it was at first.
It would have been
better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the  way  of
righteousness than to have known it and then to
turn away from the holy commandment passed
on to them.
Of them the proverbs are true: “A
dog  returns  to  its  vomit,”
  and,  “A  sow  that  is
The Coming Judgment
washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
(Genesis 7:1–24 ;  Jude 1:17–23)

22

 f

3

2

Beloved, this is now my second letter to you.
Both  of  them  are  reminders  to  stir  you  to
wholesome  thinking
by  recalling  what  was
foretold  by  the  holy  prophets  and  commanded
3
by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

g

4

Most importantly, you must understand that in
the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and fol-
lowing  their  own  evil  desires.
“Where  is  the
promise  of  His  coming?”  they  will  ask.  “Ever
since  our  fathers  fell  asleep,  everything  contin-
5
ues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

 h

7

through which

But they deliberately overlook the fact that long
ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the
6
earth  was  formed  out  of  water  and  by  water,
 the world of that time perished
And by that same word, the present
in the flood.
heavens  and  earth  are  reserved  for  fire,  being
kept for the day of judgment and destruction of
The Day of the Lord
ungodly men.
(Zeph. 1:7–18 ;  Mal. 4:1–6 ;  1 Thess. 5:1–11)

8

i

9

Beloved, do  not let  this one  thing  escape  your
notice:  With  the  Lord  a  day  is  like  a  thousand
years, and a thousand years are like a day.
The
Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some
understand slowness, but is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come
10
to repentance.

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.
  j
The heavens will disappear with a roar, the ele-
  by  fire,  and  the  earth
ments  will  be  destroyed
to blaspheme angelic majes-
and its works will be laid bare.

c 10

k

on future generations of the ungodly

WH does not include
h 6

NA, SBL, BYZ, and TR

through whom
will be burned up

found
Jude 1:18.

NA

Bosor
.
i 8

Or
SBL and WH
See Psalm 90:4.

the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
j 10
will be found
Or

dissolved

will be unable to hide

f 22
Or

. BYZ and TR

; SBL, NE, and WH

, i.e.,

.

; also in verses 11 and 12.

Or

k 10
Proverbs 26:11

g 3
will not be
See

11

Since everything will be destroyed in this way,
what kind of people ought you to be? You ought
12
to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness
as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the
day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed
13
by  fire  and  the  elements  will  melt  in  the  heat.
But  in  keeping  with  God’s  promise,  we  are
looking  forward  to  a  new  heaven  and  a  new
Final Exhortations
earth, where righteousness dwells.
14

Therefore,  beloved,  as  you  anticipate  these
things, make every effort to be found at peace—
15
spotless and blameless in His sight.

a

2 Peter 3:18    |    1095

16

b

He
wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
writes  this  way  in  all  his  letters,
  speaking  in
them about such matters. Some parts of his let-
c
ters are hard to understand, which ignorant and
  as  they  do  the  rest  of
unstable  people  distort,
17
the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore,  beloved,  since  you  already  know
these  things,  be  on  your  guard  so  that  you  will
not be carried away by the error of the lawless
and fall from your secure standing.
But grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Sav-
ior  Jesus  Christ.  To  Him  be  the  glory  both  now
and to the day of eternity.

18

d

Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings
salvation,  just  as  our  beloved  brother  Paul  also

Amen.

a 14
d 18

to be found by Him in peace, without spot and without blemish.
Amen.

b 16

in all the letters

c 16

will distort

Or
NE, WH, and NA do not include

Or

NA

1 John

5

The Word of Life
(Luke 24:36–49 ;  John 20:19–23)

1

2

That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which
we have heard, which we have seen with our
own  eyes,  which  we  have  gazed  upon  and
touched with our own hands—this is the Word
And this is the life that was revealed; we
of life.
have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim
to you the eternal life that was with the Father
3
and was revealed to us.

We  proclaim  to  you  what  we  have  seen  and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with
us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father
and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
We write these
Walking in the Light  (John 8:12–29)
things so that our
5

 joy may be complete.

4

 a

6

And  this  is  the  message  we  have  heard  from
Him  and  announce  to  you:  God  is  light,  and  in
Him  there  is  no  darkness  at  all.
If  we  say  we
 b
7
have fellowship with Him yet walk in the dark-
ness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But
if  we  walk  in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the  light,  we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood
8
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

9
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
If  we
to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.
say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a
Jesus Our Advocate
liar, and His word is not in us.

10

2

My little children, I am writing these things
to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone
does  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  before  the  Fa-
 c
He Him-
ther—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
self is the atoning sacrifice
 for our sins, and not
only  for  ours  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole
3
world.

2

4

By  this  we  can  be  sure  that  we  have  come  to
If
know  Him:  if  we  keep  His  commandments.
anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His
a 4
commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not

your

But

b 7

c 2

But if anyone keeps His word, the love of
in him.
6
God has been truly perfected in him. By this we
Whoever  claims  to
know  that  we  are  in  Him:
A New Commandment
abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.
7

8

Beloved,  I  am  not  writing  to  you  a  new  com-
mandment, but an old one, which you have had
from  the  beginning.  This  commandment  is  the
message you have heard.
Then again, I am also
writing  to  you  a  new  commandment,  which  is
true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is
9
fading and the true light is already shining.

10

If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his
Whoever
brother,  he  is  still  in  the  darkness.
loves his brother remains in the light, and there
is no cause of stumbling in him.
But whoever
hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in
the darkness. He does not know where he is go-
12
ing, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

11

I  am  writing  to  you,  little  children,  because
13
your sins have been forgiven through His name.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know

Him who is from the beginning.

d

I  am  writing  to  you,  young  men,  because  you
have overcome the evil one.

I  have  written  to  you,  children,  because  you
14
know the Father.

I  have  written  to  you,  fathers,  because  you

know Him who is from the beginning.

I  have  written  to  you,  young  men,  because  you
are  strong,  and  the  word  of  God  abides  in  you,
Do Not Love the World
and you have overcome the evil one.
15

16

Do not love the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
For all that is in the world—the
is not in him.
desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and
17
the pride of life—is not from the Father but from
The  world  is  passing  away,  along
the  world.
with its desires; but whoever does the will of God
d 13
remains forever.

you have overcome evil

the propitiation

BYZ and TR

NA does not include

.

Or

Or

; also in v. 14

Beware of Antichrists

4

1 John 3:22    |    1097

18

Children,  it  is  the  last  hour;  and  just  as  you
have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now
19
many antichrists have appeared. This is how we
know it is the last hour.
They went out from us,
but they did not belong to us. For if they had be-
longed to us, they would have remained with us.
But  their  departure  made  it  clear  that  none  of
20
them belonged to us.

a

21

22

You, however, have an anointing from the Holy
One, and all of you know the truth.
I have not
written to you because you lack knowledge of the
truth, but because you have it, and because no lie
Who is the liar, if it is not
comes from the truth.
the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This
is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the
Son.
Whoever  denies  the  Son  does  not  have
the  Father,  but  whoever  confesses  the  Son  has
Remain in Christ
the Father as well.
24

23

As for you, let what you have heard from the
beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also
remain in the Son and in the Father.
And this is
the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal
26
life.

25

27

I have written these things to you about those
who are trying to deceive you.
And as for you,
the anointing you received from Him remains in
you,  and  you  do  not  need  anyone  to  teach  you.
But  just  as  His  true  and  genuine  anointing
teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as
28
you have been taught.

b

And now, little children, remain in Christ,
 so
that when He appears, we may be confident and
29
unashamed before Him at His coming.

If  you  know  that  He  is  righteous,  you  also
know that everyone who practices righteousness
Children of God
has been born of Him.

3

Behold what manner of love the Father has
given to us, that we should be called children
of God. And that is what we are! The reason the
2
world does not know us is that it did not know
Beloved, we are now children of God, and
Him.
what  we  will  be  has  not  yet  been  revealed.  We
3
 we will be like
know that when Christ appears,
And everyone
Him, for we will see Him as He is.
who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as
a 20
Christ is pure.
d 3
BYZ and TR

and you know all things

is violation of the Law

just as He is pure

Literally

b 28

e 4

d

c

Literally

Or

NA

e

5

Everyone  who  practices  sin  practices  lawless-
ness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.
But you
6
know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and
in Him there is no sin.
No one who remains in
Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to
f
7
sin has seen Him or known Him.

g

8

Little children,

 let no one deceive you: The one
who practices righteousness is righteous, just as
Christ is righteous.
The one who practices sin
is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning
from the very start. This is why the Son of God
9
was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

10

Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, be-
cause God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on
By
sinning, because he has been born of God.
this  the  children  of  God  are  distinguished  from
the  children of  the  devil: Anyone  who does  not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor is any-
Love One Another
one who does not love his brother.
(John 13:31–35 ;  Romans 12:9–13)

11

12

This is the message you have heard from the
Do not
beginning: We should love one another.
be  like  Cain,  who  belonged  to  the  evil  one  and
murdered  his  brother.  And  why  did  Cain  slay
him?  Because  his  own  deeds  were  evil,  while
So do not
those of his brother were righteous.
14
be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

13

15

We know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love our brothers. The one who
Everyone who
does not love remains in death.
hates  his  brother  is  a  murderer,  and  you  know
16
that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.

17

By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down
His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for  our  brothers.
If  anyone  with  earthly  pos-
sessions sees his brother in need, but withholds
his  compassion  from  him,  how  can  the  love  of
18
God abide in him?

19

Little  children,  let  us  love  not  in  word  and
speech, but in action and truth.
And by this we
will  know  that  we  belong  to  the  truth,  and  will
Even if our
assure our hearts in His presence:
hearts  condemn  us,  God  is  greater  than  our
21
hearts, and He knows all things.
22

20

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we
and  we  will  re-
have  confidence  before  God,
when it appears
when He appears
ceive  from  Him  whatever  we  ask,  because  we
He is righteous

g 7

c 2

f 7

remain in Him

Young children in training
Literally

 or
Literally

1098    |    1 John 3:23

15

23

16

24

keep His commandments and do what is pleasing
And  this  is  His  commandment:
in  His  sight.
that we should believe in the name of His Son, Je-
sus Christ, and we should love one another just
Whoever keeps His com-
as He commanded us.
mandments remains in God, and God in him. And
by  this  we  know  that  He  remains  in  us:  by  the
Testing the Spirits
Spirit He has given us.

If  anyone  confesses  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of
God, God abides in him, and he in God.
And we
have come to know and believe the love that God
has  for  us.  God  is  love;  whoever  abides  in  love
In this way, love
abides in God, and God in him.
has  been  perfected  among  us,  so  that  we  may
have  confidence  on  the  day  of  judgment;  for  in
18
this world we are just like Him.

17

4

2

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits to see whether they are from God.
For many false prophets have gone out into the
By this you will know the Spirit of God:
world.
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has
and every spirit
come in the flesh is from God,
 is not from God. This
that does not confess Jesus
is  the  spirit  of  the  antichrist,  which  you  have
heard  is  coming  and  which  is  already  in  the
4
world at this time.

3

 a

5

You, little children, are from God and have over-
come them, because greater is He who is in you
They  are  of  the
than  he  who  is  in  the  world.
world. That is why they speak from the world’s
We
perspective, and the world listens to them.
are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;
whoever  is  not  from  God  does  not  listen  to  us.
 of truth and the
That is how we know the Spirit
Love Comes from God
spirit of deception.
7

6

 b

8

Beloved, let us love one another, because love
comes  from God. Everyone  who loves has  been
Whoever does not
born of God and knows God.
9
love does not know God, because God is love.

 c
This is how God’s love was revealed among us:
God sent His one and only
 Son into the world, so
And love con-
that we might live through Him.
sists in this: not that we loved God, but that He
loved  us  and  sent  His  Son  as  the  atoning  sacri-
11
fice

 for our sins.

10

 d

12

13

14

Beloved,  if  God  so loved  us,  we  also  ought  to
No  one  has  ever  seen  God;
love  one  another.
but  if  we  love  one  another,  God  remains  in  us,
and His love is perfected in us.
By this we know
that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given
And we have seen and testify
us of His Spirit.
that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior
a 3
of the world.
We love Him
tiation
e 19
BYZ and TR
been begotten from Him.
g 7
three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth:

that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh

BYZ and TR

b 6

f 1

TR and GOC

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives
out fear, because fear involves punishment. The
19
one  who  fears  has  not  been  perfected  in  love.
20
 because He first loved us.

We love

 e

If  anyone  says,  “I  love  God,”  but  hates  his
brother,  he  is  a  liar.  For  anyone  who  does  not
love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love
And we have this
God, whom he has not seen.
commandment  from  Him:  Whoever  loves  God
Overcoming the World
must love his brother as well.

21

5

3

2

Everyone  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  the
Christ  has  been  born  of  God,  and  everyone
f
who  loves  the  Father  also  loves  those  born  of
Him.
By this we know that we love the children
of  God:  when  we  love  God  and  keep  His  com-
For this is the love of God, that we
mandments.
keep  His  commandments.  And  His  command-
ments  are  not  burdensome,
because  everyone
born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
5
victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

4

6

Who  then  overcomes  the  world?  Only  he  who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is the
One  who  came  by  water  and  blood,  Jesus
Christ—not  by  water  alone,  but  by  water  and
blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, be-
For there are three
cause the Spirit is the truth.
that  testify:
the  Spirit,  the  water,  and  the
God’s Testimony about His Son
blood—and these three are in agreement.
9

8

7

 g

10

Even  if  we  accept  human  testimony,  the  testi-
mony of God is greater. For this is the testimony
Whoever be-
that God has given about His Son.
lieves in the Son of God has this testimony within
him;  whoever  does  not  believe  God  has  made
Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed
in  the  testimony  that  God  has  given  about  His
Son.

only begotten

as a propi-

unique

d 10

c 9

spirit

and everyone loving the One having begotten also loves the one having
three that testify in heaven: The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these
Literally

 or

Or

Or

Or

11

12

17

And  this  is  that  testimony:  God  has  given  us
Whoever
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
has the Son has life; whoever does not have the
Effective Prayer
Son of God does not have life.
13

a  sin  that  leads  to  death;  I  am  not  saying  he
All unrighteous-
should ask regarding that sin.
ness is sin, yet there is sin that does not lead to
The True God
death.
18

1 John 5:21    |    1099

a

14

I have written these things to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, so that you may
And this is the
know that you have eternal life.
confidence  that  we  have  before  Him:  If  we  ask
15
anything  according  to  His  will,  He  hears  us.
And if we know that He hears us in whatever
we ask, we know that we already possess what
16
we have asked of Him.

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not
leading to death, he should ask God, who will give
life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is

 c

b

We  know  that  anyone  born  of  God  does  not
keep on sinning; the One who was born of God
19
protects  him,
  cannot  touch
  and  the  evil  one
We know that we are of God, and that the
him.
20
whole world is under the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come and
has  given  us  understanding,  so  that  we  may
know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is
true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God
21
and eternal life.

d

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

a 13
tects himself

BYZ and TR include
 or

and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God

b 18

the one who was born of God pro-

God protects the one born of Him

c 18

evil

.

d 21
Or

Amen.

Or

; similarly in verse 19

BYZ and TR include

2 John

A Greeting from the Elder
(3 John 1:1–4)

Beware of Deceivers

7

1

The elder,

2

To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love
in  the  truth—and  not  I  alone,  but  also  all  who
because  of  the  truth  that
know  the  truth—
3
abides in us and will be with us forever:

Grace,  mercy,  and  peace  from  God  the  Father
and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will
Walking in the Truth
be with us in truth and love.
(John 8:30–47)

4

5

6

I  was  overjoyed  to  find some  of  your  children
walking in the truth, just as the Father has com-
And now I urge you, dear lady—not
manded us.
as a new commandment to you, but one we have
had  from  the  beginning—that  we  love  one  an-
And this is love, that we walk according
other.
to  His  commandments.  This  is  the  very  com-
mandment  you  have  heard  from  the  beginning,
that you must walk in love.

8

For  many  deceivers  have  gone  out  into  the
world,  refusing  to  confess  the  coming  of  Jesus
Christ  in  the  flesh.  Any  such  person  is  the  de-
a
Watch yourselves, so
ceiver and the antichrist.
that you do not lose what we have worked for,
Anyone
but  that  you  may  be  fully  rewarded.
who runs ahead without remaining in the teach-
ing  of  Christ  does  not  have  God.  Whoever  re-
mains in His teaching has both the Father and the
10
Son.

9

11

If anyone comes to you but does not bring this
teaching, do not receive him into your home or
even greet him.
Whoever greets such a person
Conclusion  (3 John 1:13–14)
shares in his evil deeds.
12

I have many things to write to you, but I would
prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I
 so
hope to come and speak with you face to face,
13
that our joy may be complete.

b

c

The  children  of  your  elect  sister  send  you

greetings.

a 8

what you have worked for

b 12

mouth to mouth

c 13

Amen.

NE and WH

Literally

BYZ and TR include

3 John

A Greeting from the Elder  (2 John 1:1–3)

1

The elder,

2
To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth:

3

Beloved, I pray that in every way you may pros-
per and enjoy good health, as your soul also pros-
pers.
For  I  was  overjoyed  when  the  brothers
came  and  testified  about  your  devotion  to  the
I have no
truth, in which you continue to walk.
greater  joy  than  to  hear  that  my  children  are
Gaius Commended for Hospitality
walking in the truth.
5

4

6

Beloved, you are faithful in what you are doing
for  the  brothers,  and  especially  since  they  are
strangers  to  you.
They  have  testified  to  the
church about your love. You will do well to send
7
them  on  their  way  in  a  manner  worthy  of  God.
For  they  went  out  on  behalf  of  the  Name,  ac-
Therefore we
cepting nothing from the Gentiles.
ought to support such men, so that we may be fel-
Diotrephes and Demetrius
low workers for the truth.
9

8

a

10

Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept
So if I come, I will call attention
our instruction.
to his malicious slander against us. And unsatis-
fied with that, he refuses to welcome the broth-
ers  and  forbids  those  who  want  to  do  so,  even
11
putting them out of the church.

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what
is good. The one who does good is of God; the one
12
who does evil has not seen God.

Demetrius has received a good testimony from
everyone, and from the truth itself. We also tes-
tify for him, and you know that our testimony is
Conclusion
true.
(2 John 1:12–13)

13

14

b

I have many things to write to you, but I would
Instead, I
prefer not to do so with pen and ink.
hope to see you soon and speak with you face to
face.

Peace to you.

The friends here send you greetings.

I  have  written  to  the  church  about  this,

  but

Greet each of our friends there by name.

a 9

I have written something to the church

b 14

and we will speak mouth to mouth

Literally

begin a new verse (15) after

face to face.

Literally

; some translators

Jude

A Greeting from Jude  (James 1:1)

1

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of

James,

To those who are called, loved by God the Father,
2
and kept in Jesus Christ:
God’s Judgment on the Ungodly  (2 Pet. 3:1–7)
Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3

4

Beloved, although I made every effort to write
to you about the salvation we share, I felt it nec-
essary  to  write  and  urge  you  to  contend  ear-
nestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the
For certain men have crept in among you
saints.
unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated
long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace
of our God into a license for immorality, and they
5
deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

 a

Although you are fully aware of this, I want to
remind  you  that  after  Jesus
  had  delivered  His
6
people  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  He  destroyed
And the angels who
those who did not believe.
did not stay within their own domain but aban-
doned their proper dwelling—these He has kept
7
in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judg-
In like manner, Sodom
ment on that great day.
and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who
indulged  in  sexual  immorality  and  pursued
strange  flesh,  are  on  display  as  an  example  of
8
those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.

9

Yet in the same way these dreamers defile their
bodies, reject authority, and slander glorious be-
But even the archangel Michael, when he
ings.
disputed with the devil over the body of Moses,
 b
did  not  presume  to  bring  a  slanderous  charge
10
against  him,  but  said,  “The  Lord  rebuke  you!”

These men, however, slander what they do not
understand, and like irrational animals, they will
11
be destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
Woe to them! They have traveled the path of
Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of
12
Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

 c

These  men  are  hidden  reefs

  in  your  love
feasts,  shamelessly  feasting  with  you  but  shep-
the Lord
a 5
herding only themselves. They are clouds without

b 9

are blemishes

d 15

c 12

water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees
13
in  autumn,  twice  dead  after  being  uprooted.
They  are  wild  waves  of  the  sea,  foaming  up
their  own  shame;  wandering  stars,  for  whom
14
blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Enoch,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  also  prophe-

sied about them:

15

“Behold, the Lord is coming

with myriads of His holy ones
to execute judgment on everyone,

and to convict all the ungodly

of every ungodly act of wickedness
and every harsh word spoken

 d

against Him by ungodly sinners.”

16

These  men  are  discontented  grumblers,  fol-
lowing  after  their  own  lusts;  their  mouths
spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own
A Call to Persevere  (Heb. 10:19–39 ;  2 Pet. 3)
advantage.
17

18

But you, beloved, remember what was foretold
by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ
when
they said to you, “In the last times there will be
scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly
desires.”
These are the ones who cause divi-
20
sions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.

19

 e

21

But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in
your  most  holy  faith  and  praying  in  the  Holy
Spirit,
keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God  as
you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to
22
bring you eternal life.
23

And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt;
save  others  by  snatching  them  from  the  fire;
and  to  still  others  show  mercy  tempered  with
Doxology  (Romans 16:25–27)
fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
24

25

Now  to  Him  who  is  able  to  keep  you  from
stumbling and to present you unblemished in His
glorious presence, with great joy—
to the only
God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and
authority  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  before
all time, and now, and for all eternity.

Amen.

e 18

NE, WH, BYZ, and TR

sumption of Moses.

Or

This account is attributed by Origen to the Testament of Moses, also called the As-

See the First Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9).

See 2 Peter 3:3.

Revelation

Prologue  (Daniel 12:1–13)

1

 a

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God  gave  Him  to  show  His  servants  what
must soon
 come to pass. He made it known by
who tes-
sending His angel to His servant John,
tifies  to  everything  he  saw.  This  is  the  word  of
3
God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

2

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of
this  prophecy,  and  blessed  are  those  who  hear
and obey what is written in it, because the time
John Greets the Seven Churches
is near.
4

John,

 b

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

 c

5

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was
 before
and is to come, and from the seven spirits
and  from  Jesus  Christ,  the  faithful
His  throne,
witness,  the  firstborn  from  the  dead,  and  the
ruler of the kings of the earth.

6

To  Him who  loves  us  and has  released  us  from
who has made us to be a
our sins by His blood,
kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him
7
be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every
eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him.
And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because
8
of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

d

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,

” says the Lord
God,  who  is  and  was  and  is  to  come—the
John’s Vision on Patmos
Almighty.

9

seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
12
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

f

13

14

Then I turned to see the voice that was speak-
ing  with  me.  And  having  turned,  I  saw  seven
golden lampstands,
and among the lampstands
was One like the Son of Man,
 dressed in a long
robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
The
hair of His head was white like wool, as white as
snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.
His
feet  were  like  polished  bronze  refined  in  a  fur-
nace, and His voice was like the roar of many wa-
ters.
He held in His right hand seven stars, and
a  sharp  double-edged  sword  came  from  His
mouth.  His  face  was  like  the  sun  shining  at  its
17
brightest.

15

16

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead
man.  But  He  placed  His  right  hand  on  me  and
18
said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I
am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of
19
Death and of Hades.

20

Therefore  write  down  the  things  you  have
seen, the things that are, and the things that will
happen  after  this.
This  is  the  mystery  of  the
seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the
seven  golden  lampstands:  The  seven  stars  are
the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
To the Church in Ephesus
lampstands are the seven churches.
(Acts 19:8–12 ;  Ephesians 1:1–2)

2

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of Him who holds the
seven  stars  in  His  right  hand  and  walks
2
among the seven golden lampstands.

10

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribula-
tion  and kingdom  and  perseverance  that  are  in
Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the
On
word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
e
the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard be-
hind  me  a  loud  voice  like  a  trumpet,
saying,
“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the
suddenly
in Asia
b 4
quickly
a 1
c 4
d 8
the sevenfold Spirit
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and,

 or

11

Literally
TR

Or
Or

3

I  know  your  deeds,  your  labor,  and  your
perseverance. I know that you cannot toler-
ate those who are evil, and you have tested
and exposed as liars those who falsely claim
to be apostles.
Without growing weary, you
have  persevered  and  endured  many  things
for the sake of My name.

the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End

e 11

saying, “I am the

; Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.

one like a son of man

f 13

Or

TR
; see Daniel 7:13.

1104    |    Revelation 2:4

4

16

5

But I have this against you: You have aban-
Therefore,  keep  in
doned  your  first  love.
mind  how  far  you  have  fallen.  Repent  and
perform the deeds you did at first. But if you
do not repent, I will come to you and remove
6
your lampstand from its place.

But you have this to your credit: You hate
the  works  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  I  also
7
hate.

He  who  has  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the
Spirit says to the churches. To the one who
overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from
the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

8

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of the First and the Last,
9
who died and returned to life.

I know your affliction and your poverty—
though you are rich! And I am aware of the
slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews,
10
but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about to throw some of
you into prison to test you, and you will suf-
fer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even
unto death, and I will give you the crown of
11
life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit  says  to  the  churches.  The  one  who
overcomes will not be harmed by the second
death.

To the Church in Pergamum

12

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These  are  the  words  of  the  One  who  holds
13
the sharp, double-edged sword.

I know where you live, where the throne
of  Satan  sits, yet  you  hold fast  to  My name.
You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the
days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was
14
killed among you where Satan dwells.

But  I  have  a  few  things  against  you,  be-
cause some of you hold to the teaching of Ba-
laam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling
block before the Israelites so they would eat
food  sacrificed  to  idols  and  commit  sexual
In the same way, some of you
immorality.
also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

15

a 27

Psalm 2:9 (see also LXX)

Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to
you shortly and wage war against them with
17
the sword of My mouth.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To the one who
overcomes,  I  will  give  the  hidden  manna.  I
will  also  give  him  a  white  stone  inscribed
with a new name, known only to the one who
To the Church in Thyatira
receives it.
(Acts 16:11–15)

18

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose
eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are
19
like polished bronze.

I know your deeds—your love, your faith,
your  service,  your  perseverance—and  your
20
latest deeds are greater than your first.

But  I  have  this  against  you:  You  tolerate
that  woman  Jezebel,  who  calls  herself  a
prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My
servants  to  be  sexually  immoral  and  to  eat
Even though I have
food sacrificed to idols.
given  her  time  to  repent  of  her  immorality,
22
she is unwilling.

21

Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sick-
ness,  and  those  who  commit  adultery  with
23
her  will  suffer  great  tribulation  unless  they
Then I will strike her
repent of her deeds.
children dead, and all the churches will know
that  I  am  the  One  who  searches  minds  and
hearts, and I will repay each of you according
24
to your deeds.

26

But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who
do  not  hold  to  her  teaching  and  have  not
learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I
25
will  place  no  further  burden  upon  you
than to hold fast to what you have until I
And to the one who overcomes and
come.
continues  in  My  work  until  the  end,  I  will
He  will
give  authority  over  the  nations.
rule  them  with  an  iron  scepter  and  shatter
—just  as  I  have  received
them  like  pottery
And I will give
authority from My Father.
29
him the morning star.

28

27

 a

He who has an ear, let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Sardis

3

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

 a

These are the words of the One who holds
 of God and the seven stars.
2

the seven spirits

3

I know your deeds; you have a reputation for
Wake up and
being alive, yet you are dead.
strengthen what remains, which is about to
die; for I have found your deeds incomplete
Remember,  then,
in  the  sight  of  My  God.
what  you  have  received  and  heard.  Keep  it
and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come
like a thief, and you will not know the hour
4
when I will come upon you.

5

But you do have a few people in Sardis who
have not soiled their garments, and because
they  are  worthy,  they  will  walk  with  Me  in
 b
Like them, he who overcomes will be
white.
dressed in white. And I will never blot out
his  name  from  the  Book  of  Life,  but  I  will
confess his name before My Father and His
6
angels.

He  who  has  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the

To the Church in Philadelphia
Spirit says to the churches.

7

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the One who is holy
and true, who holds the key of David. What
He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts
8
no one can open.

c

9

I  know  your  deeds.  Behold,  I  have  placed
before you an open door, which no one can
shut.  I  know  that  you  have  only  a  little
strength,  yet  you  have  kept  My  word  and
As for those who
have not denied My name.
belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim
to be Jews but are liars instead, I will make
them come and bow down at your feet, and
10
they will know that I love you.

d

11

Because  you  have  kept  My  command  to
persevere, I will also keep you from the hour
of  testing  that  is  about  to  come  upon  the
whole world, to test those who dwell on the
 Hold fast to what
earth.
you  have,  so  that  no  one  will  take  your
crown.
The  one  who  overcomes  I  will
make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he
will  never  again  leave  it.  Upon  him  I  will
b 5
write the name of My God, and the name of

I am coming soon.
12

the sevenfold Spirit

scrape off

c 7

a 1

Revelation 4:4    |    1105

the  city  of My  God  (the new  Jerusalem  that
comes  down  out  of  heaven  from  My  God),
13
and My new name.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the
To the Church in Laodicea  (Colossians 2:1–5)

Spirit says to the churches.

14

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

 e

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful
and  true  Witness,  the  Originator
  of  God’s
15
creation.

16

I  know  your  deeds;  you  are  neither  cold
nor  hot.  How  I  wish  you  were  one  or  the
other!
So  because  you  are  lukewarm—
neither  hot  nor  cold—I  am  about  to  vomit
17
you out of My mouth!

18

You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy
and  need  nothing.’  But  you  do  not  realize
that  you  are  wretched,  pitiful,  poor,  blind,
and naked.
I counsel you to buy from Me
gold refined by fire so that you may become
rich,  white  garments  so  that  you  may  be
clothed  and  your  shameful  nakedness  not
exposed,  and  salve  to  anoint  your  eyes  so
that you may see.
Those I love I rebuke and
20
discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

19

21

Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock.  If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in and dine with him, and he with
Me.
To the one who overcomes, I will grant
the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as
I overcame and sat down with My Father on
22
His throne.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the

The Throne in Heaven

Spirit says to the churches.”

4

After this I looked and saw a door standing
open  in  heaven.  And  the  voice  I  had  previ-
ously heard speak to me like a trumpet was say-
ing,  “Come  up  here,  and  I  will  show  you  what
2
must happen after these things.”

At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne
3
standing  in  heaven,  with  someone  seated  on  it.
The One seated there looked like jasper and car-
nelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emer-
Surrounding  the
ald  encircled  the  throne.
throne  were twenty-four  other  thrones,  and  on
these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in
Ruler
quickly
white, with golden crowns on their heads.

Beginning

suddenly

d 11

e 14

4

Or

Or

See Isaiah 22:22.

Or

 or

Or

 or

1106    |    Revelation 4:5

Worship of the Creator

5

 a

6

  of  God.

From the throne came flashes of lightning, rum-
blings,  and  peals  of  thunder.  Before  the  throne
burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven
spirits
And  before  the  throne  was
something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living
7
creatures,  covered  with  eyes  in  front  and  back.
The first living creature was like a lion, the sec-
ond like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and
And each
the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
of the four living creatures had six wings and was
covered with eyes all around and within. Day and
night they never stop saying:

8

“Holy, Holy, Holy,

9

is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

10

And  whenever  the  living  creatures  give  glory,
honor,  and  thanks  to  the  One  seated  on  the
throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-
four  elders  fall  down  before  the  One  seated  on
the throne, and they worship Him who lives for-
ever and ever. They cast their crowns before the
11
throne, saying:

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things;

by Your will they exist and were

The Lamb Takes the Scroll
created.”

5

Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the
One seated on the throne. It had writing on
And
both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice,
“Who is worthy to break the seals and open the
3
scroll?”

2

4

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth was able to open the scroll or look inside
And  I  began  to  weep  bitterly,  because  no
it.
one was found worthy to open the scroll or look
5
inside it.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep!
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its
6
seven seals.”

Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been
slain, standing in the center of the throne, encir-
the sevenfold Spirit
a 5
cled by the four living creatures and the elders.
d 14

Him who lives for ever and ever

This is the sevenfold Spirit

b 6

 b

7

The  Lamb  had  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,
  of  God  sent
which  represent  the  seven  spirits
And He came and took the
out into all the earth.
scroll from the right hand of the One seated on
8
the throne.

When  He  had  taken  the  scroll,  the  four  living
creatures  and  the  twenty-four  elders  fell  down
before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they
were holding golden bowls full of incense, which
And  they  sang  a
are  the  prayers  of  the  saints.
new song:

9

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open

its seals,

because You were slain,

and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue

10

and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom

 c

The Lamb Exalted

and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign upon

 the earth.”

11

Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many
angels encircling the throne, and the living crea-
tures and the elders. And their number was myr-
In
iads of myriads and thousands of thousands.
a loud voice they were saying:

12

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

13

and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on
earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all
that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power

14

forever and ever!”

d

And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and

The First Seal: The White Horse
the elders fell down and worshiped.

6

Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of
the seven seals, and I heard one of the four
living  creatures  say  in  a  voice  like  thunder,
2
“Come!”

So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider
held  a  bow.  And  he  was  given  a  crown,  and  he
c 10
rode out to overcome and conquer.

they will reign over

they reign upon

Or

TR includes

Or

.

Or

; WH

The Second Seal: War

15

Revelation 7:11    |    1107

3

And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I

4
heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

Then  another  horse  went  forth.  It  was  bright
red, and its rider was granted permission to take
away peace from the earth and to make men slay
The Third Seal: Famine
one another. And he was given a great sword.
5

And  when  the  Lamb  opened  the  third  seal,  I

heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

6

a

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider
held  in  his  hand  a  pair  of  scales.
And  I  heard
what sounded like a voice from among the four
living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a
 and three quarts of barley for a denar-
denarius,
The Fourth Seal: Death
ius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”
7

And  when  the  Lamb  opened  the  fourth  seal,  I
heard the voice of the fourth living creature say,
8
“Come!”

Then  I  looked  and  saw  a  pale  green  horse.  Its
rider’s  name  was  Death,  and  Hades  followed
close behind. And they were given authority over
a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine,
The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs
by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.
9

10

And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of those who had been
slain for the word of God and for the testimony
And they cried out in a loud
they had upheld.
voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You
judge  those  who  dwell  upon  the  earth  and
11
avenge our blood?”

Then each of them was given a white robe and
told to rest a little while longer until the full num-
ber of their fellow servants, their brothers, were
The Sixth Seal: Terror
killed, just as they had been killed.
12

13

And  I  watched  as  the  Lamb  opened  the  sixth
seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the
sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and
and  the
the  whole  moon  turned  blood  red,
stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs
14
dropping  from  a  tree  shaken  by  a  great  wind.
The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up,
and every mountain and island was moved from
a 6
its place.

A choenix of wheat for a denarius.

Greek

 b

16

Then  the  kings  of  the  earth,  the  nobles,  the
commanders,  the  rich,  the  mighty,  and  every
slave and free man hid in the caves and among
the  rocks  of  the  mountains.
And  they  said  to
the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide
 from the face of the One seated on the throne,
us
and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great
day of Their
 wrath has come, and who is able to
144,000 Sealed
withstand it?”

17

 c

7

2

After this I saw four angels standing at the
four  corners  of  the  earth,  holding  back  its
four winds so that no wind would blow on land
or sea or on any tree.
And I saw another angel
ascending from the east, with the seal of the liv-
ing God. And he called out in a loud voice to the
four angels who had been given power to harm
“Do not harm the land or
the land and the sea:
sea  or  trees  until  we  have  placed  a  seal  on  the
4
foreheads of the servants of our God.”

3

And  I  heard  the  number  of  those  who  were
5
sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:

From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

6

from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

7

from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

8

from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
Praise from the Great Multitude
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

9

After this I looked and saw a multitude too large
to count, from every nation and tribe and people
and tongue, standing before the throne and be-
fore  the  Lamb.  They  were  wearing  white  robes
And
and holding palm branches in their hands.
they cried out in a loud voice:

10

“Salvation to our God,

11

who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”

denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.

See Hosea 10:8.

BYZ and TR

And all the angels stood around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures.

His
 A choenix was a Greek dry measure equivalent to 1.92 pints or 0.91 liters. A

b 16

c 17

1108    |    Revelation 7:12

12

7

And  they  fell  facedown  before  the  throne  and
saying,  “Amen!  Blessing
worshiped  God,
and  glory  and  wisdom  and  thanks  and  honor
and  power  and  strength  be  to  our  God  forever
13
and ever! Amen.”

Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and
hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down
upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned
up,  along  with  a  third  of  the  trees  and  all  the
8
green grass.

Then one of the elders addressed me: “These
in  white  robes,”  he  asked,  “who  are  they,  and
14
where have they come from?”

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.”

So  he  replied,  “These  are  the  ones  who  have
come  out  of  the  great  tribulation;  they  have
washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb.

For this reason,

15

they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His

temple;

16

and the One seated on the throne

will spread His tabernacle over them.

‘Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;

 a

17

nor will the sun beat down upon them,

nor any scorching heat.’
b

For the Lamb in the center of the

throne
will be their shepherd.
 c

‘He will lead them to springs of living

water,’

 d

and ‘God will wipe away every tear

The Seventh Seal

from their eyes.’

”

8

2

When  the  Lamb  opened  the  seventh  seal,
there was silence in heaven for about half an
And I saw the seven angels who stand be-
hour.
3
fore God, and they were given seven trumpets.

Then another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the
4
saints,  on  the  golden  altar  before  the  throne.
And the smoke of the incense, together with the
prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the
5
hand of the angel.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire
from  the  altar,  and  hurled  it  to  the  earth;  and
there  were  peals  of  thunder,  rumblings,  flashes
The First Four Trumpets
of lightning, and an earthquake.
6

And the seven angels with the seven trumpets
a 16
prepared to sound them.

b 17

c 17

9

Then  the  second  angel  sounded  his  trumpet,
and  something  like  a  great  mountain  burning
with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the
a  third  of  the  living  crea-
sea  turned  to  blood,
tures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
10
destroyed.

11

Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and
a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven
and  landed  on  a  third  of  the  rivers  and  on  the
The  name  of  the  star  is
springs  of  water.
Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter
 and many people died from
like wormwood oil,
12
the bitter waters.

e

Then  the  fourth  angel  sounded  his  trumpet,
and a third of the sun and moon and stars were
struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third
of  the  day  was  without light,  and  a  third  of  the
13
night as well.

And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying over-
head,  calling  in  a  loud  voice,  “Woe!  Woe!  Woe
to those who dwell on the earth, because of the
trumpet  blasts  about  to  be  sounded  by  the  re-
The Fifth Trumpet
maining three angels!”

9

2

Then  the  fifth  angel  sounded  his  trumpet,
and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven
to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the
The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and
Abyss.
smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great fur-
nace, and the sun and the air were darkened by
3
the smoke from the pit.

5

And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the
4
earth, and they were given power like that of the
They  were  told  not  to
scorpions  of  the  earth.
harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree,
but only those who did not have the seal of God
The locusts were not given
on their foreheads.
power to kill them, but only to torment them for
6
five months, and their torment was like the sting-
In  those  days  men  will  seek
ing  of  a  scorpion.
death and will not find it; they will long to die, but
7
death will escape them.

And the locusts looked like horses prepared for
d 17
battle,  with  something  like  crowns  of  gold  on

became wormwood

e 11

Isaiah 49:10

See Psalm 23:1.

Isaiah 49:10

Isaiah 25:8

Literally

Revelation 11:5    |    1109

3

Then  he  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice
on  the  land.
like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the
4
seven thunders sounded their voices.

When  the  seven  thunders  had  spoken,  I  was
about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from
heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders
5
have said, and do not write it down.”

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea
6
and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.
And  he  swore  by  Him  who  lives  forever  and
ever,  who  created  heaven  and  everything  in  it,
the  earth  and  everything  in  it,  and  the  sea  and
7
everything  in  it:  “There  will  be  no  more  delay!
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,
when he begins to sound his trumpet, the mys-
tery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed
8
to His servants the prophets.”

Then  the  voice  that  I  had  heard  from  heaven
spoke  to  me  again,  saying,  “Go,  take  the  small
scroll  that  lies  open  in  the  hand  of  the  angel
9
standing on the sea and on the land.”

And I went to the angel and said, “Give me the

small scroll.”

“Take  it  and  eat  it,”  he  said.  “It  will  make  your
stomach  bitter,  but  in  your  mouth  it  will  be  as
10
sweet as honey.”

 c

So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand
and  ate  it,  and  it  was  as  sweet  as  honey  in  my
mouth.  But  when  I  had  eaten  it,  my  stomach
11
turned bitter.

And  they  told  me,  “You  must  prophesy  again
about  many  peoples  and  nations  and  tongues
The Two Witnesses
and kings.”

11

2

Then I was given a measuring rod like a
staff and was told, “Go and measure the
temple of God and the altar, and count the num-
But exclude the court-
ber of worshipers there.
yard  outside  the  temple.  Do  not  measure  it,
because it has been given over to the nations, and
3
they  will  trample  the  holy  city  for  42  months.
And  I  will  empower  my  two  witnesses,  and
they  will  prophesy  for  1,260  days,  clothed  in
4
sackcloth.”

8

9

10

their heads; and their faces were like the faces of
They  had  hair  like  that  of  women,  and
men.
They also had breast-
teeth like those of lions.
plates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of
their wings was like the roar of many horses and
They  had  tails
chariots  rushing  into  battle.
with  stingers  like  scorpions,  which  had  the
They
power to injure people for five months.
were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His
 and in Greek it is
name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
12
Apollyon.

11

a

b

The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are

The Sixth Trumpet
still to follow.
13

14

Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and
I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar before God
saying to the sixth angel with
the  trumpet,  “Release  the  four  angels  who  are
15
bound at the great river Euphrates.”

So the four angels who had been prepared for
this hour and day and month and year were re-
leased to kill a third of mankind.
And the num-
ber of mounted troops was two hundred million;
17
I heard their number.

16

Now the horses and riders in my vision looked
like this: The riders had breastplates the colors
of  fire,  sapphire,  and  sulfur.  The  heads  of  the
horses  were  like  the  heads  of  lions,  and  out  of
18
their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.
A  third  of  mankind  was  killed  by  the  three
plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded
For the power of the horses
from their mouths.
was  in  their  mouths  and  in  their  tails;  indeed,
their  tails  were  like  snakes,  having  heads  with
20
which to inflict harm.

19

Now the rest of mankind who were not killed
by these plagues still did not repent of the works
of their hands. They did not stop worshiping de-
mons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and
Fur-
wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
thermore,  they  did  not  repent  of  their  murder,
The Angel and the Small Scroll  (Ezek. 3:1–15)
sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.

21

10

Then I saw another mighty angel coming
down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud,
with a rainbow above his head. His face was like
He
the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.
held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He
a 11 Abaddon
placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot

b 11 Apollyon

Destruction

2

d

5

These witnesses are the two olive trees and the
two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the
If anyone wants to harm them, fire pro-
earth.
ceeds  from  their  mouths  and  devours  their

d 4

c 9

Destroyer

 means

.

 means

.

See Num. 5:24 and Ezek. 3:3.

See Zech. 4:14.

1110    |    Revelation 11:6

6
enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm
These  witnesses  have
them  must  be  killed.
power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall dur-
ing the days of their prophecy, and power to turn
the waters into blood and to strike the earth with
The Witnesses Killed and Raised
every kind of plague as often as they wish.
7

8

When the two witnesses have finished their tes-
timony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss
will  wage  war  with  them,  and  will  overpower
Their bodies will lie in the street
and kill them.
of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and
9
Egypt—where  their  Lord  was  also  crucified.
For three and a half days all peoples and tribes
and  tongues  and  nations  will  view  their  bodies
10
and  will  not  permit  them  to  be  laid  in  a  tomb.
And  those  who  dwell  on  the  earth  will  gloat
over  them  and  celebrate  and  send  one  another
gifts, because these two prophets had tormented
11
them.

12

But after the three and a half days, the breath
of life from God entered the two witnesses, and
they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon
And the witnesses heard
those who saw them.
a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.”
And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their
13
enemies watched them.

And in that hour there was a great earthquake,
and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand
were killed in the quake, and the rest were terri-
14
fied and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe has passed. Behold, the third

The Seventh Trumpet
woe is coming shortly.
15

Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet,

and loud voices called out in heaven:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of His Christ,

16

and He will reign forever and ever.”

17

And  the  twenty-four  elders  who  sit  on  their
thrones  before  God  fell  on  their  faces and  wor-
shiped God,

saying:

18

b

The nations were enraged,

 c

and Your wrath has come.

The time has come to judge the dead
and to reward Your servants the

prophets,

as well as the saints and those who fear Your

name,

both small and great—
and to destroy those who destroy

the earth.”

19

Then the temple of God in heaven was opened,
and the ark of His covenant appeared in His tem-
ple.  And  there  were  flashes  of  lightning,  rum-
blings,  peals  of  thunder,  an  earthquake,  and  a
The Woman and the Dragon
great hailstorm.

12

2

And  a  great  sign  appeared  in  heaven:  a
woman clothed in the sun, with the moon
under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her
She  was  pregnant  and  crying  out  in  the
head.
3
pain and agony of giving birth.

4

Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge
red  dragon  with  seven  heads,  ten  horns,  and
His tail swept
seven royal crowns on his heads.
a third of the stars from the sky, hurling them to
the  earth.  And  the  dragon  stood  before  the
woman  who  was  about  to  give  birth,  ready  to
5
devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

d
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who

6

will  rule  all  the  nations  with  an  iron  scepter.
And  her  child  was  caught  up  to  God  and  to  His
throne.
And  the  woman  fled  into  the  wilder-
ness, where God had prepared a place for her to
The War in Heaven
be nourished for 1,260 days.
7

9

8

Then  a  war  broke  out  in  heaven:  Michael  and
his  angels  fought  against  the  dragon,  and  the
But  the
dragon  and  his  angels  fought  back.
dragon  was  not  strong  enough,  and  no  longer
was  any  place  found  in  heaven  for  him  and  his
And  the  great  dragon  was  hurled
angels.
down—that ancient serpent called the devil and
Satan,  the  deceiver  of  the  whole  world.  He  was
10
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

“We give thanks to You, O Lord God

a

Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:

“Now have come the salvation and the power

because You have taken Your great power

a 17

and have begun to reign.

and who is to come

b 18

and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.

d 5

c 18

TR includes

.

See Psalm 2:1.

See Daniel 12:2.

See Psalm 2:9 (see also LXX).

For the accuser of our brothers has been

thrown down—

11

he who accuses them day and night

before our God.

They have conquered him by the blood

of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony.

12

And they did not love their lives
so as to shy away from death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens,

and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea;

with great fury the devil has come down

to you,
The Woman Persecuted

knowing he has only a short time.”

13

14

And  when  the  dragon  saw  that  he  had  been
thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who
had  given  birth  to  the  male  child.
But  the
woman was given two wings of a great eagle to
fly from the presence of the serpent to her place
in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a
15
time, and times, and half a time.

17

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed wa-
16
ter like a river to overtake the woman and sweep
But the earth helped
her away in the torrent.
the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up
the  river  that  the  dragon  had  poured  from  his
And  the  dragon  was  enraged  at  the
mouth.
woman  and  went  to  make  war  with  the  rest  of
her  children,  who  keep  the  commandments  of
God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
The Beast from the Sea  (Daniel 7:1–8)
And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

a

13

Then  I  saw  a  beast  with  ten  horns  and
seven heads rising out of the sea. There
2
were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphe-
The beast I saw was
mous names on its heads.
like  a  leopard,  with  the  feet  of  a  bear  and  the
mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast
3
his power and his throne and great authority.

4

One of the heads of the beast appeared to have
been  mortally  wounded.  But  the  mortal  wound
was healed, and the whole world marveled and
They worshiped the dragon
followed the beast.
who  had  given  authority  to  the  beast,  and  they
worshiped  the  beast,  saying,  “Who  is  like  the
And he stood on the sand of the sea.
a 17
beast, and who can wage war against it?”

Revelation 13:17    |    1111

5

6

The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant
and blasphemous words, and authority to act for
42 months.
And the beast opened its mouth to
speak  blasphemies  against  God  and  to  slander
His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell
7
in heaven.

Then  the  beast  was  permitted  to  wage  war
against  the  saints  and  to  conquer  them,  and  it
8
was given authority over every tribe and people
And all who dwell on the
and tongue and nation.
earth  will  worship  the  beast—all  whose  names
have not been written from the foundation of the
world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb
9
who was slain.
10

b

He who has an ear, let him hear:

“If anyone is destined for captivity,
 c
 d

into captivity he will go;

if anyone is to die

 by the sword,

by the sword he must be killed.”

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the
The Beast from the Earth
saints.
11

12

Then  I  saw  another  beast  rising  out  of  the
earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but
And this beast exercised
spoke like a dragon.
all the authority of the first beast and caused the
earth  and  those  who  dwell  in  it  to  worship  the
first  beast,  whose  mortal  wound  had  been
13
healed.

14

And  the  second  beast  performed  great  signs,
even causing fire from heaven to come down to
earth in the presence of the people.
Because of
the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the
first  beast,  it  deceived  those  who  dwell  on  the
earth, telling them to make an image to the beast
that had been wounded by the sword and yet had
The second beast was permitted to give
lived.
breath to the image of the first beast, so that the
image could speak and cause all who refused to
The Mark of the Beast
worship it to be killed.
16

15

17

And  the  second  beast  required  all  people,
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive  a  mark  on  their  right  hand  or  on  their
so that no one could buy or sell un-
forehead,
less he had the mark—the name of the beast or
And I stood on the sand of the sea.
the number of its name.
b 8

written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb

Literally

who was slain from the foundation of the world.
sentence as verse 18; others include it with Revelation 13:1.

c 10

 BYZ and TR

if anyone kills

d 10

 Some texts number this

Or

NE, WH, and BYZ

See Jeremiah 15:2.

1112    |    Revelation 13:18

18

13

Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has
insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is
The Lamb and the 144,000
the number of a man, and that number is 666.

a

And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to
write,  “Blessed  are  the  dead—those  who  die  in
the Lord from this moment on.”

14

Then I looked and saw the Lamb stand-
ing  on  Mount  Zion,  and  with  Him
144,000  who  had  His  name  and  His  Father’s
And I heard a
name written on their foreheads.
sound from heaven like the roar of many waters
and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound
3
I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.

2

And they sang a new song before the throne and
before  the  four  living  creatures  and  the  elders.
And  no  one  could  learn  the  song  except  the
4
144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
These are the ones who have not been defiled
with women, for they are virgins. They follow the
Lamb  wherever  He  goes.  They  have  been  re-
deemed  from  among  men  as  firstfruits  to  God
and to the Lamb.
And no lie was found in their
The Three Angels and Babylon’s Fall
mouths; they are blameless.
6

5

b

7

Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with
the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell
on  the  earth—to  every  nation  and  tribe  and
tongue and people.
And he said in a loud voice,
“Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour
of His judgment has come. Worship the One who
made the heavens and the earth and the sea and
8
the springs of waters.”

c

Then  a  second  angel  followed,  saying,  “Fallen,
fallen  is  Babylon  the  great,
  who  has  made  all
the nations drink the wine of the passion of her
9
immorality.”

10

And a third angel followed them, calling out in a
loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its
image and receives its mark on his forehead or
on his hand,
he too will drink the wine of God’s
anger,  poured  undiluted  into  the  cup  of  His
wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sul-
fur in the presence of the holy angels and of the
Lamb.
And  the  smoke  of  their  torment  rises
forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest
for those who worship the beast and its image, or
12
for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

11

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their la-
The Harvest of the Earth
bors, for their deeds will follow them.”
14

And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated
 with
on the cloud was One like the Son of Man,
a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in
15
His hand.

d

16

Then  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple,
crying  out  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  One  seated  on
the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because
the time has come to harvest, for the crop of the
So the One seated on the cloud
earth is ripe.”
swung  His  sickle  over  the  earth,  and  the  earth
17
was harvested.

18

Then another angel came out of the temple in
Still an-
heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
other  angel,  with  authority  over  the  fire,  came
from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the
angel  with  the  sharp  sickle,  “Swing  your  sharp
sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the
19
vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”

20

So  the  angel  swung  his  sickle  over  the  earth
and  gathered  the  grapes  of  the  earth,  and  he
threw  them  into  the  great  winepress  of  God’s
And the winepress was trodden outside
wrath.
the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as
high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of
The Song of Moses and the Lamb
1,600 stadia.
(Deuteronomy 32:1–47)

e

15

Then I saw another great and marvelous
sign  in  heaven:  seven  angels  with  the
seven final plagues, with which the wrath of God
2
is completed.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed
with fire, beside which stood those who had con-
quered the beast and its image and the number
3
of its name. They were holding harps from God,
and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses

and of the Lamb:

“Great and wonderful are Your works,

Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints,
who  keep  the  commandments  of  God  and  the
a 18
faith of Jesus.
d 14
f 3

616
one like a son of man

King of the saints

King of the ages

TR includes

b 5

before the throne of God
e 20 1,600 stadia

O Lord God Almighty!
 f
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations!
.

c 8

Some manuscripts
Or

; see Daniel 7:13.

See Isaiah 21:9 and Revelation 18:2.
 is approximately 184 miles or 296 kilometers.

SBL and WH

; TR

4

Who will not fear You, O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.

All nations will come and worship before You,

for Your righteous acts have been

Preparation for Judgment
revealed.”

5

After  this  I
6

looked,  and  the  temple—the
tabernacle  of  the  Testimony—was  opened  in
heaven.
And out of the temple came the seven
angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean
and bright linen and girded with golden sashes
7
around their chests.

8

Then one of the four living creatures  gave the
seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath
of God, who lives forever and ever.
And the tem-
ple was filled with smoke from the glory of God
and from His power; and no one could enter the
temple until the seven plagues of the seven an-
The First Six Bowls of Wrath
gels were completed.

16

Then I heard a loud voice from the tem-
ple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour
2
out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.”

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl
on  the  earth,  and  loathsome,  malignant  sores
broke out on those who had the mark of the beast
3
and worshiped its image.

And the second angel poured out his bowl into
the  sea,  and  it  turned  to  blood  like  that  of  the
4
dead, and every living thing in the sea died.

5

And the third angel poured out his bowl into the
rivers and springs of water, and they turned to
blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters say:

“Righteous are You, O Holy One,

who is and was,
because You have brought these

6

judgments.

For they have spilled the blood of saints and

prophets,

7

and You have given them blood to drink,
as they deserve.”

And I heard the altar reply:

8

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,

true and just are Your judgments.”

Then  the  fourth  angel  poured  out  his  bowl  on
the  sun,  and  it  was  given  power  to  scorch  the
a 21
people with fire.
And the people were scorched

great hail as of a talent

9

Revelation 17:2    |    1113

by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God,
who had authority over these plagues. Yet they
10
did not repent and give Him glory.

11

And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the
throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged
into  darkness,  and  men  began  to  gnaw  their
and curse the God of heaven
tongues in anguish
for their pains and sores. Yet they did not repent
12
of their deeds.

And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the
great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up
13
to prepare the way for the kings of the East.

14

And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like
frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the
These  are  de-
beast,  and  the  false  prophet.
monic spirits that perform signs and go out to all
the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle
15
on the great day of God the Almighty.

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the
one who remains awake and clothed, so that he
16
will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

And they assembled the kings in the place that

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath
in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17

Then  the  seventh  angel  poured  out  his  bowl
into  the  air,  and  a  loud  voice  came  from  the
18
throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”

And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,
peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes
of which had not occurred since men were upon
The
the earth—so mighty was the great quake.
great city was split into three parts, and the cities
of  the  nations  collapsed.  And  God  remembered
Babylon  the  great  and  gave  her  the  cup  of  the
20
wine of the fury of His wrath.

19

21

Then every island fled, and no mountain could
 a
And  great  hailstones  weighing  al-
be  found.
most  a  hundred  pounds  each
  rained  down  on
them  from  above.  And  men  cursed  God  for  the
The Woman on the Beast
plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.

17

2

Then  one  of  the  seven  angels  with  the
seven bowls came and said to me, “Come,
I will show you the punishment of the great pros-
titute, who sits on many waters.
The kings of the
earth  were  immoral  with  her,  and  those  who
dwell  on  the  earth  were  intoxicated  with  the
wine of her immorality.”

Greek

; that is, hailstones weighing approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms each

1114    |    Revelation 17:3

3

15

4

And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into
a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a
scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous
The
names and had seven heads and ten horns.
woman  was  dressed  in  purple  and  scarlet,  and
adorned  with  gold  and  precious  stones  and
pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of
abominations  and  the  impurities  of  her  sexual
And on her forehead a mysterious
immorality.
name was written:

5

BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
The Mystery Explained
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6

I could see that the woman was drunk with the
blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I
7
was utterly amazed at the sight of her.

“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will
tell  you  the  mystery  of  the  woman  and  of  the
beast that carries her, which has the seven heads
8
and ten horns.

The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no
more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss
and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on
the earth whose names were not written in the
Book of Life from the foundation of the world will
marvel when they see the beast that was, and is
9
not, and yet will be.

10

This  calls  for  a  mind  with  wisdom.  The  seven
heads are seven mountains on which the woman
sits.
There  are  also  seven  kings.  Five  have
fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But
when he does come, he must remain for only a
11
little while.

12

The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth
king, who belongs to the other seven and is going
The  ten  horns  you  saw  are
into  destruction.
ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom,
13
but  will  receive  one  hour  of  authority  as  kings
These  kings  have  one
along  with  the  beast.
purpose:  to  yield  their  power  and  authority  to
The Victory of the Lamb
the beast.
14

They will make war against the Lamb, and the
Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord
of lords and King of kings; and He will be accom-
panied  by  His  called  and  chosen  and  faithful
a 2
ones.”
detestable bird.

have fallen by

d 4

b 2

c 3

17

Then  the  angel  said  to  me,  “The  waters  you
saw,  where  the  prostitute  was  seated,  are  peo-
16
ples  and  multitudes  and  nations  and  tongues.
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw
will hate the prostitute. They will leave her des-
olate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and
burn her with fire.
For God has put it into their
hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give
their  kingdom  to  the  beast,  until  the  words  of
God  are  fulfilled.
And  the  woman  you  saw  is
the  great  city  that  rules  over  the  kings  of  the
Babylon Is Fallen  (Isaiah 21:1–10)
earth.”

18

18

After  this  I  saw  another  angel  descend-
ing  from  heaven  with  great  authority,
And

and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
he cried out in a mighty voice:

2

 a

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a lair for demons
and a haunt for every unclean spirit,
3

every unclean bird,
and every detestable beast.

b

 c

All the nations have drunk

 the wine
of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with

her,

and the merchants of the earth have

grown wealthy

from the extravagance of her luxury.”

4

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

d

“Come out of her, My people,
5

so that you will not share in her sins
or contract any of her plagues.
For her sins are piled up to heaven,

6

and God has remembered her iniquities.
Give back to her as she has done to others;
pay her back double for what she has

7

done;

mix her a double portion in her own cup.
As much as she has glorified herself and lived

in luxury,

give her the same measure of torment and

grief.

In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen;
8

I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—

death and grief and famine—
and she will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who

a haunt for every unclean spirit and every unclean and

judges her.”

See Isaiah 21:9 and Revelation 14:8.

NE, WH, BYZ, and TR

SBL and WH

See Jeremiah 51:45.

Lament over Babylon

20

Revelation 19:3    |    1115

9

Then the kings of the earth who committed sex-
ual immorality and lived in luxury with her will
weep  and  wail  at  the  sight  of  the  smoke  rising
In fear of her
from the fire that consumes her.
torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out:

10

a

 “Woe, woe to the great city,

the mighty city of Babylon!

For in a single hour

11

your judgment has come.”

12

13

And the merchants of the earth will weep and
mourn over her, because there is no one left to
cargo  of  gold,  silver,  pre-
buy  their  cargo—
cious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk,
and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every
article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and
of  cinnamon,  spice,  incense,  myrrh,
marble;
and  frankincense;  of  wine,  olive  oil,  fine  flour,
and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages;
And  they  will
of  bodies  and  souls  of  slaves.
say:

14

 b

“The fruit of your soul’s desire
has departed from you;

all your luxury and splendor have vanished,

15

never to be seen again.”

The  merchants  who  sold  these  things  and
gained their wealth from her will stand at a dis-
tance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and
mourn,

saying:

16

“Woe, woe to the great city,

clothed in fine linen and purple and

scarlet,

17

adorned with gold and precious stones

and pearls!

For in a single hour

such fabulous wealth has been

destroyed!”

Rejoice over her, O heaven,

and you saints and apostles and

prophets,

because God has pronounced for you

The Doom of Babylon

His judgment against her.

21

Then  a  mighty  angel  picked  up  a  stone  the
size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea,
saying:

“With such violence

the great city of Babylon will be cast

22

down,

never to be seen again.

And the sound of harpists and musicians,

of flute players and trumpeters,
will never ring out in you again.
Nor will any craftsmen of any trade

be found in you again,
nor the sound of a millstone
be heard in you again.

23

The light of a lamp

will never shine in you again,

and the voices of a bride and bridegroom

will never call out in you again.

For your merchants were the great ones

of the earth,

24

because all the nations were deceived

by your sorcery.”

And there was found in her the blood of proph-
ets and saints, and of all who had been slain on
Rejoicing in Heaven
the earth.

19

After this I heard a sound like the roar of
a great multitude in heaven, shouting:

 c

“Hallelujah!

18

Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all
who make their living from the sea, will stand at
and cry out at the sight of the smoke
a distance
rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city
19
was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.

Salvation and glory and power belong to our

2

God!

For His judgments are true and just.

He has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her

Then  they  will  throw  dust  on  their  heads  as

immorality.

they weep and mourn and cry out:

“Woe, woe to the great city,

where all who had ships on the sea
were enriched by her wealth!

For in a single hour

a 9

when they see the smoke of her burning

she has been destroyed.”

Hallelu YAH

Praise the LORD

3

He has avenged the blood of His servants
that was poured out by her hand.”

And a second time they called out:

“Hallelujah!
b 14

Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

c 1 Hallelujah

And:

Literally
of the Hebrew

, meaning

; also in verse 18

Literally

; also in verses 3, 4, and 6.

 is a transliteration

1116    |    Revelation 19:4

4

c

And the twenty-four elders and the four living
creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits
on the throne, saying:
5

 “Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

16

will  rule  them  with  an  iron  scepter.
  He  treads
the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the
And  He  has  a  name  written  on  His
Almighty.
robe and on His thigh:

Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

 “Praise our God,

all you who serve Him,

and those who fear Him,
The Marriage of the Lamb
small and great alike!”

6

And I heard a sound like the roar of a great mul-
titude, like the rushing of many waters, and like
a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out:

“Hallelujah!

7
For the Lord our God

 a

 the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him the glory.

For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
8

and His bride has made herself ready.

She was given clothing of fine linen,

bright and pure.”

For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts
9
of the saints.

Then  the  angel  told  me  to  write,  “Blessed  are
those who are invited to the marriage supper of
the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true
10
words of God.”

So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told
me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with
you and your brothers who rely on the testimony
of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus
The Rider on the White Horse
is the spirit of prophecy.”

11

Then  I  saw  heaven  standing  open,  and  there
before  me  was  a  white  horse.  And  its  rider  is
12
called Faithful and True. With righteousness He
judges and wages war.
He has eyes like blazing
fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has
a  name  written  on  Him  that  only  He  Himself
b
He  is  dressed  in  a  robe  dipped  in
knows.
14
blood,

 and His name is The Word of God.

13

The  armies  of  heaven,  dressed  in  fine  linen,
15
white  and  pure,  follow  Him  on  white  horses.
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword
with  which  to  strike  down  the  nations,  and  He
a 6

the Lord God

  b 13

17

18

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he
cried  out  in  a  loud  voice  to  all  the  birds  flying
overhead,  “Come,  gather  together  for  the  great
so that you may eat the flesh of
supper of God,
kings  and  commanders  and  mighty  men,  of
horses  and  riders,  of  everyone  slave  and  free,
19
small and great.”

20

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth
with their armies assembled to wage war against
the  One  seated  on  the  horse,  and  against  His
army.
But the beast was captured along with
the  false  prophet,  who  on  its  behalf  had  per-
formed signs deceiving those who had the mark
of  the  beast  and  worshiped  its  image.  Both  the
beast  and  the  false  prophet  were  thrown  alive
And  the
into  the  fiery  lake  of  burning  sulfur.
rest were killed with the sword that proceeded
from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

21

And  all  the  birds  gorged  themselves  on  their
Satan Bound
flesh.

20

2

Then I saw an angel coming down from
heaven with the key to the Abyss, hold-
He  seized  the
ing  in  his  hand  a  great  chain.
dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and
And
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it
over him, so that he could not deceive the nations
until  the  thousand  years  were  complete.  After
that,  he  must  be  released  for  a  brief  period  of
4
time.

3

Then  I  saw  the  thrones,  and  those  seated  on
them  had  been  given  authority  to  judge.  And  I
saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of
God, and those who had not worshiped the beast
or  its  image  and  had  not  received  its  mark  on
their foreheads or hands. And they came to life
5
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of  the dead did  not come back to life
until the thousand years were complete. This is

sprinkled with blood

c 15

SBL, BYZ, and TR

WH

See Psalm 2:9 (see also LXX).

6

3

Revelation 21:16    |    1117

Blessed  and  holy  are
the  first  resurrection.
those  who  share  in  the  first  resurrection!  The
second death has no power over them, but they
will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign
Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire
with Him for a thousand years.
7

8

When  the  thousand  years  are  complete,  Satan
and will go out
will be released from his prison,
to deceive the nations in the four corners of the
earth—Gog  and  Magog—to  assemble  them  for
battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea-
9
shore.

 a

10

  and  consumed  them.

And they marched across the broad expanse of
the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints
and  the  beloved  city.  But  fire  came  down  from
And  the  devil
heaven
who had deceived them was thrown into the lake
of  fire  and  sulfur,  into  which  the  beast  and  the
false  prophet  had  already  been  thrown.  There
they will be tormented day and night forever and
Judgment before the Great White Throne
ever.
11

Then I saw a great white throne and the One
seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His pres-
And I
ence, and no place was found for them.
saw  the  dead,  great  and  small,  standing  before
the throne.

12

And books were opened, and one of them was the
Book of Life. And the dead were judged according
The
to  their  deeds,  as  recorded  in  the  books.
sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave
up their dead, and each one was judged accord-
14
ing to his deeds.

13

15

Then  Death  and  Hades  were  thrown  into  the
lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of
And if anyone was found whose name was
fire.
not  written  in  the  Book  of  Life,  he  was  thrown
A New Heaven and a New Earth
into the lake of fire.
(Isaiah 65:17–25)

21

b

2

Then  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new
 for the first heaven and earth had
earth,
I saw the
passed away, and the sea was no more.
holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven  from  God,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned
for her husband.
a 9

came down from God out of heaven

b 1

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with

man,

and He will dwell with them.

They will be His people,
4

c
and God Himself will be with them

as their God.
 d

‘He will wipe away every tear from their

eyes,’

and there will be no more death

or mourning or crying or pain,

for the former things have passed away.”

5

And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold,
I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this
6
down,  for  these  words  are  faithful  and  true.”
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and
the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End.  To  the
thirsty  I  will  give  freely  from  the  spring  of  the
water  of  life.
The  one  who  overcomes  will  in-
herit all things, and I will be his God, and he will
8
be My son.

7

But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abom-
inable and murderers and sexually immoral and
sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place
will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.
The New Jerusalem
This is the second death.”

9

Then  one  of  the  seven  angels  with  the  seven
bowls  full  of  the  seven  final  plagues  came  and
said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the
10
wife of the Lamb.”

12

11

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a moun-
tain great and high, and showed me the holy city
of  Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of  heaven  from
shining with the glory of God. Its radiance
God,
was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as
The city had a great and high
clear as crystal.
wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names
of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels
There  were  three  gates  on  the
at  the  gates.
east, three on the north, three on the south, and
The  wall  of  the  city  had
three  on  the  west.
twelve  foundations  bearing  the  names  of  the
15
twelve apostles of the Lamb.

13

14

16

The  angel  who  spoke  with  me  had  a  golden
measuring rod to measure the city and its gates
The  city  lies  foursquare,  with  its
and  walls.

c 3

God Himself will be with them.

d 4

BYZ and TR

and BYZ

See Isaiah 65:17 and Isaiah 66:22 (see also LXX).

SBL, NE, WH,

Isaiah 25:8.

1118    |    Revelation 21:17

 a

17

width  the  same  as  its  length.  And  he  measured
the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were
equal—12,000  stadia
  in  length  and  width  and
b
height.
And he measured its wall to be 144 cu-
18
 by the human measure the angel was using.
bits,

19

The  wall  was  made  of  jasper,  and  the  city
The foun-
itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.
dations of the city walls were adorned with every
kind of precious stone:

The first foundation was jasper,

the second sapphire,

the third chalcedony,
20
the fourth emerald,

the fifth sardonyx,

the sixth carnelian,

the seventh chrysolite,

the eighth beryl,

the ninth topaz,

the tenth chrysoprase,

the eleventh jacinth,

21

and the twelfth amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with
each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main
22
street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

24

But  I  saw  no  temple  in  the  city,  because  the
23
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
And  the  city  has  no  need  of  sun  or  moon  to
shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates
By its light
the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
25
the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the
Its  gates  will
earth  will  bring  their  glory.
never be shut at the end of the day, because there
26
will be no night there.
27

c

And into the city will be brought the glory and
But nothing unclean will
honor of the nations.
ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abom-
ination or a lie, but only those whose names are
The River of Life
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

22

Then the angel showed me a river of the
water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing
down
from the throne of God and of the Lamb
the middle of the main street of the city. On either
a 16 12,000 stadia

2

side  of  the  river  stood  a  tree  of  life,  bearing
twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for
each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
3
healing of the nations.

4

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of
God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and
His servants will worship Him.
They will see His
5
face,  and  His  name  will  be  on  their  foreheads.
There will be no more night in the city, and they
will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the
sun.  For  the  Lord  God  will  shine  on  them,  and
Jesus Is Coming
they will reign forever and ever.
6

Then  the  angel  said  to  me,  “These  words  are
faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits
 d
of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His
7
servants what must soon

 take place.”

e

“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one
”

8
who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.

9

And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
things.  And  when  I  had  heard  and  seen  them,
I  fell  down  to  worship  at  the  feet  of  the  angel
But he said to
who had shown me these things.
me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with
you  and  your  brothers  the  prophets,  and  with
those who keep the words of this book. Worship
10
God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of
11
prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
Let  the  unrighteous  continue  to  be  unright-
eous,  and  the  vile  continue  to  be  vile;  let  the
righteous  continue  to  practice  righteousness,
12
and the holy continue to be holy.”

13

“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is
with Me, to give to each one according to what he
has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
14
First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

f

15

Blessed  are  those  who  wash  their  robes,
  so
that they may have the right to the tree of life and
may enter the city by its gates.
But outside are
the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the
murderers,  the  idolaters,  and  everyone  who
16
loves and practices falsehood.

“I,  Jesus,  have  sent  My  angel  to  give  you  this
testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
suddenly
 is approximately 216 feet or 65.8
Blessed are those
.
Or

BYZ and TR include

b 17 144 cubits

and honor

c 24

f 14

d 6

 or

quickly
meters. The measure could indicate either height or thickness.
who do His commandments

 is approximately 1,380 miles or 2,220 kilometers.
e 7

scroll

; similarly in verses 7, 12, and 20

Or

; also in verses 9, 10, 18, 19

BYZ and TR

17

The  Spirit and  the  bride  say,  “Come!”  Let  the
one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who
is thirsty come, and the one who desires the wa-
Nothing May Be Added or Removed
ter of life drink freely.

18

I  testify  to  everyone  who  hears  the  words
of  prophecy  in  this  book:  If  anyone  adds  to
them, God will add to him the plagues described
And  if  anyone  takes  away  from
in  this  book.

19

Revelation 22:21    |    1119

the words of this book of prophecy, God will take
away his share in the tree of life and the holy city,
20
which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am

21
coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

 a

b

The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus

c
saints.

  be  with  all  the

Amen.

a 21
c 21

the Lord Jesus Christ

our Lord Jesus Christ

b 21

the saints

Amen.

WH and BYZ
SBL, WH, NE, and NA do not include

; TR

SBL, WH, NE, and TR do not include

.

Lengths

Table of Weights and Measures

Finger
Handbreadth (4 fingers)
Span
Cubit
Long Cubit
Rod (6 long cubits)
Fathom
Weights
Stadion

0.73 inches
2.92 inches
9 inches
18 inches
21 inches
10.5 feet
6 feet
607 feet

1.85 centimeters
7.42 centimeters
22.86 centimeters
45.72 centimeters
53.34 centimeters
3.20 meters
1.83 meters
185 meters

Gerah (1/20 shekel)
Beka (1/2 shekel)
Pim (2/3 shekel)
Shekel (20 gerahs)
Mina (50 shekels)
Talent (60 minas)
Liquid Measures
Litra (Roman Pound)

0.0201 ounces
0.201 ounces
0.268 ounces
0.402 ounces
1.256 pounds
75.4 pounds
12 ounces

0.57 grams
5.70 grams
7.60 grams
11.4 grams
0.57 kilograms
34.2 kilograms
340 grams

Log
Hin (12 logs)
Bath (6 hins)
Homer (10 baths)
Cor (10 baths)
Bath (NT)
Dry Measures
Metretes (NT)

Cab (1/18 ephah)
Omer (1/10 ephah)
Seah (1/3 ephah)
Ephah (10 omers)
Lethech (5 ephahs)
Homer (10 ephahs)
Cor (10 ephahs)
Cor (NT)

0.33 quarts
0.98 gallons
5.8 gallons
58 gallons
58 gallons
8.7 gallons
10.4 gallons

1.1 dry quarts
2.0 dry quarts
6.7 dry quarts
0.624 bushels
3.12 bushels
6.24 bushels
6.24 bushels
10 bushels

0.31 liters
3.7 liters
22 liters
220 liters
220 liters
32.9 liters
39.4 liters

1.2 liters
2.2 liters
7.3 liters
22 liters
110 liters
220 liters
220 liters
350 liters

Jeremiah 52:21
Exodus 25:25
Exodus 28:16
Genesis 6:15
Ezekiel 40:5
Ezekiel 40:5
Acts 27:28
Luke 24:13

Exodus 30:13
Genesis 24:22
1 Samuel 13:21
Genesis 23:15
Ezra 2:69
Exodus 25:39
John 19:39

Leviticus 14:10
Numbers 15:4
1 Kings 5:11
Ezekiel 45:11
Ezekiel 45:14
Luke 16:6
John 2:6

2 Kings 6:25
Exodus 16:16
Genesis 18:6
Exodus 16:36
Hosea 3:2
Leviticus 27:16
1 Kings 4:22
Luke 16:7