The Old Testament

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel)

2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel)

3 Kingdoms (1 Kings)

4 Kingdoms (2 Kings)

1Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon)

2Chronicles (2 Paraleipomenon)

1 Ezra (2 Esdras)

2 Ezra (Ezra/2 Esdras)

Nehemiah

Tobit

Judith

Esther

1Maccabees

2Maccabees

3Maccabees

Psalms

Job

Proverbs of Solomon

Ecclesiastes

Song of Songs

Wisdom of Solomon

Wisdom of Sirach

Hosea

Amos

Micah

Joel

Obadiah

Jonah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Baruch

Lamentations of Jeremiah

Epistle of Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Daniel

Back to Table of Contents

GENESIS

Chapters in Genesis

Introduction

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 1

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 2

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 3

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 4

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 5

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 6

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 7

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 8

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 9

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 10

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 11

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 12

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 13

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 14

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 15

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 16

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 17

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 18

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 19

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 20

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 21

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 22

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 23

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 24

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50

51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60

61,62,63,64,65,66,67

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 25

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 26

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 27

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43,44,45,46

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 28

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 29

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 30

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 31

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50

51,52,53,54

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 32

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 33

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 34

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 35

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 36

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 37

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 38

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 39

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 40

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 41

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40

41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50

51,52,53,54,55,56,57

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 42

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 43

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 44

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 45

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 46

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33,34

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 47

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 48

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 49

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

31,32,33

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Genesis Chapter 50

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

21,22,23,24,25,26

Back to Chapters in Genesis

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Author – Traditionally, both Jews and Christians believe Moses is the author and compiler of Genesis and of each of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.

Date – Genesis was written during Israel's forty years of wandering in the wilderness, in the time between the crossing of the Red Sea and the entrance into Canaan.

Major Theme – The early history of man and of Israel. Genesis, which means “origin,” is divided into two parts. The first is the account of the creation of the world and the beginning of the human race with Adam and Eve, and the history of their descendants. The second part of Genesis concerns the early history of Israel, starting with the three patriarchs of the Hebrews, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve tribes that were their descendants. God created all things good, and although His creation rebelled and sinned against Him, He still loves and cares for His people.

Background – Genesis covers the longest time span of any book in the Bible, stretching from the creation of the world to the coming of the Hebrews to Egypt. The first three chapters of Genesis are reflected in the last three chapters of Revelation, the Alpha and Omega of writings “given by inspiration of God” (2Ti.3:16).

Outline

I. The Early History of Man (1:1 –1 1:27 )

A. Creation and the Fall of man (1:1–5:32)

B. Judgment of man by the Flood and the Tower of Babel (6:1–11:32)

II. The Early History of Israel (12:1–50:26)

A. The patriarchs and tribes of Israel (12:1–36:42)

B. Israel in Egypt (37:1–50:26)

Creation

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” These opening words of the Nicene Creed, the central doctrinal statement of Christianity, affirm that the One True God is the source of everything that exists – both physical and spiritual, both animate and inanimate. The Holy Scriptures begin with a similarly striking assertion: “In the beginning God made heaven and begin with a similarly striking earth.” St. Basil the Great declares:

In the fear that human reasonings may make you wander from the truth, Moses has anticipated inquiry by engraving in our hearts, as a seal and a safeguard, the awesome name of God: ‘In the beginning God created.’ It is He – beneficent Nature, Goodness without measure, a worthy object of love for all beings endowed with reason, the beauty the most to be desired, the origin of all that exists... – it is He who ‘in the beginning created heaven and earth.’

The ever-existent Almighty God was not forced to create the universe. Rather, in His goodness and lovingkindness, He freely chose to do so. And the fact that the Lord created the universe out of nothing stands in clear contrast to the creation myths of the surrounding cultures in the ancient world.

The central role of Jesus Christ, the Word of the Father, in the creation of all things is plainly stated in the first chapter of the apostle John’s gospel, where it is written, “In the beginning was the Word,... All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” And the specific role of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Undivided Trinity, in the creation of the world is seen in Genesis 1:2 (see also Ps.103:30; 32:6).

Regarding questions about the scientific accuracy of the Genesis account of creation, and about various viewpoints concerning evolution, the Orthodox Church has not dogmatized any particular view. What is dogmatically proclaimed is that the One Triune God created everything that exists, and that man was created in a unique way and is alone made in the image and likeness of God (Gn.1:26, 27). The Church Fathers also consistently affirm that each species of the animate creation came into existence instantaneously, at the command of God, with its seed within itself.

The development of life was not by accident. Rather, Supreme Intelligence and Impenetrable Wisdom were at work in the creation and sustenance of all that exists. In discussing various scientific theories of his day, St. Basil the Great declared, “If there is anything in this [or any other] system which seems probable to you, keep your admiration for the source of such perfect order – the wisdom of God.” He also wrote, “We must still remain faithful to the principle of true religion and recognize that all that exists is sustained by the Creator’s power.”

The repeated affirmation “and God saw that it was good” in Genesis 1 underscores the intrinsic, fundamental goodness of matter and the whole created order, even after the Fall. This understanding is the basis for a sacramental world-view – that the created order not only is good, but also can be a means for communion with God, by virtue of being created by the All-Good God. Moreover, the astounding beauty, intricate order, and sublime harmony of all aspects of Creation, as well as the tremendously vast expanse of the universe, are intended to draw mankind to an awareness of and appreciation for the Creator, and to the worship of Him – and Him alone (see Ps.18:1–4; Rom.1:20).

¹In the beginning God made heaven and earth^{.†ω 2}The earth was invisible and unfinished; and darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.^{† 3}Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.^{† 4}God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.^{† 5}God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.

⁶Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water”; and it was so. ⁷Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament. ⁸So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day.

⁹Then God said, “Let the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared. ¹⁰So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good. ¹¹Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth.” It was so. ¹²Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth. God saw that it was good.

¹³So evening and morning were the third day.

¹⁴Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven for illumination to divide day from night.^{ω 15}Let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Let them be for illumination in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth.” It was so. ¹⁶Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth, ¹⁸and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. ¹⁹So evening and morning were the fourth day.

²⁰Then God said, “Let the waters bring forth creatures having life, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of heaven's firmament.” It was so. ²¹Thus God made great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. ²²God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on earth.” ²³So evening and morning were the fifth day.

²⁴Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: the quadrupeds, the creeping things, and the wild animals of the earth according to their kind.” It was so.ω ²⁵So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things on earth according to their kind. God saw that it was good. ²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.”^{† 27}So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them. ²⁸Then God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

T h e H o l y T r i n i t y

The Holy Trinity is revealed both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Trinity is revealed in subtle ways; in the New Testament, the Trinity is revealed fully and plainly, beginning at the Baptism of our Lord.

The Holy Trinity is one God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These Persons are distinct, but not separate, and are not three gods. They are One God because They are one in essence or nature. The Father is the unbegotten Fountainhead of Deity. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father (Jn.1:18, 3:16, 16:28). The Holy Spirit is the Helper (Jn.14:16) and Spirit of Truth (Jn.14:17, 16:13), Who proceeds from the Father (Jn.15:26).

The Holy Trinity created the world

Genesis. 1:1 – God the Father created the heavens and the earth. The Creed says: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.”

Genesis. 1:2 – The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. He hovered over creation in creative power and equality with the Father. He co-created with the Father.

Genesis. 1:3 – As the Word of God, the Son made the light (Jn. 1:1–3). With creative power and equality with the Father, He also co-created with the Father and the Spirit.

Genesis. 1:26 – The pronouns “Us” and “Our” reveal a plurality of divine Persons. These Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit operating in complete unity out of the one divine Nature.

The Holy Trinity saves the world

Isaiah.63:16 – The Father is our Redeemer. He not only created the world but redeems it as well.

Psalm.2:7, 8 – The Father’s decree reveals the Son as inheriting the world. This inheritance is the people saved by the Son.

Isaiah.6:1–3 – The words “Holy, Holy, Holy” declare the three Persons who save us. The name “Lord” declares the one essence of the Three.

Isaiah.44:3 – The Father pours out His Spirit on people like water on dry ground. The Holy Spirit quenches the thirst of the person who thirsts for salvation.

Isaiah.48:16, 17 – The Son declares that the Father and the Spirit sent Him to redeem the world. Although the Son alone became a Man, all three Persons save mankind.

The New Testament affirms the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament

John.1:1–3 – The Word is the Son of God, who was present with the Father at the beginning of creation. He was Co-worker with the Father in creating the world.

John.8:58 – Jesus identifies Himself as having existed before Abraham. Before His coming in the flesh as Man, Jesus existed as the eternal Son of the Father, for He is begotten from the Father before all time and ages. He appeared to Moses in the burning bush and proclaimed Himself as “I Am” (Ex.3:1).

Acts.2:17 – The Holy Spirit’s descent at Pentecost affirms His presence in the Old Testament (Joel 2:28–32).

Hebrews.1:8–10 – This Scripture affirms the Father is speaking to the Son in Psalms.44:7 and 101:26–28, in which the Father acknowledges the Son as God and Creator of the world. For the Son was the Father’s Co-worker in creation.

The incarnate Son fully reveals the Holy Trinity

Luke.1:35 – At the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit, the “power” of God the Father (“the Highest”), overshadowed the Virgin Mary; and she gave birth to the Son of God in His flesh.

Matthew.3:16–17 – When the Son of God was baptized in the Jordan by John, the Father’s voice was heard from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. As the main hymn for the Feast of Theophany says, “When You, O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest.”

²⁹Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that sows seed on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. ³⁰I also give every green plant as food for all the wild animals of the earth, for all the birds of heaven, and for everything that creeps on the earth in which is the breath of life.” It was so. ³¹Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good. So evening and morning were the sixth day.^†

²Thus heaven and earth and all their adornment were finished.^{† 2}And on the seventh day God finished the works He made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the works He made. ³Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works God began to make.

⁴This is the book of the genesis of heaven and earth when they were made, in the day the Lord God made heaven and earth,^{†ω 5}before any plant of the field was on earth and before any herb of the field sprang up. For God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; ⁶but a fountain came up from the ground and watered the whole face of the earth. ⁷Then God formed man out of dust from the ground, and breathed in his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul.^†

⁸Then the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man He formed.^{† 9}Besides this, God caused every tree beautiful to the sight and good for food to grow from the ground. Also, in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pishon. It circles all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹²And the gold of that land is good. The carbuncle and the emerald are there as well. ¹³The name of the second river is Gihon. It circles all the land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴The name of the third river is Tigris. It flows over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

¹⁵Then the Lord God took the man He formed and put him in the garden to tend and keep it. ¹⁶And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, “You may eat food from every tree in the garden; ¹⁷but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death.”

¹⁸And the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”^{† 19}Also, God formed out of the ground all the wild animals of the field and all the birds of heaven, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Thus whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰So Adam gave names to all the cattle, to all the birds of heaven, and to all the wild animals of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.^{ω 21}Thus God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and filled up the flesh in its place. ²²Then the Lord God built the rib He took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to him. ²³So Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” ²⁵Now the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed.

³Now the serpent was more cunning than all the wild animals the Lord God made on the earth. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden’?”† ²And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden; ³but from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” ⁴Then the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not die by death. ⁵For God knows in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” ⁶So when the woman saw the tree was good for food, was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate, she took its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

A n ces t r a l s i n

In the Old Testament account of creation, God created mankind and established a place for him called Paradise. He also gave him a commandment regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, ‘You may eat food from every tree in the garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death’ ” (Gn.16:17). In that Adam and Eve did not physically die the day they ate from the tree, the words “you shall die” indicate a spiritual death through separation from God.

Ancestral sin is the disobedience of Adam to God’s command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam willingly disobeyed this commandment and diverted himself, or fell, from God’s path to perfection, thus separating himself from His Creator, the Source of life.

What are the consequences of the Fall?

¹This Fall of Adam caused mankind to become subject to mortality. While this is often seen mainly as a punishment, or penalty, the emphasis concerning God’s judgments on Adam and Eve at the Fall is best understood in terms of His mercy. So, for example, concerning man’s mortality (Gn.3:19), St. Gregory the Theologian states, “Yet here too He provides a benefit – namely death, which cuts off sin, so that evil may not be everlasting. Thus His punishment is changed into a mercy.”

²We who are of Adam’s race are not guilty because of Adam’s sin, but because of our own sin. However, because all of mankind fell away from the grace of God through Adam’s disobedience, man now has a propensity, a disposition, an inclination towards sin, because just as death entered the world through sin, now sin enters through fear of death.

3Mankind’s strong propensity to commit sin reveals that in the Fall, the image of God in man (Gn.1:26, 27) is also fallen. However, the ancient Fathers emphasize that the divine image in man has not been totally corrupted or obliterated. Human nature remains inherently good after the Fall; mankind is not totally depraved. People are still capable of doing good, although bondage to death and the influences of the devil can dull their perception of what is good and lead them into all kinds of evil.

⁴Adam’s Fall not only brought mortality and sin into the world, but also sweat, toil, hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, tribulations, tragedy and tears.

⁵Even after the Fall, the intellectual, desiring and incensive (forceful or driving) aspects of the soul are natural and therefore neutral. They can be used in a good way, or in a bad, harmful way. For instance, desire is very good when one directs it towards God. But when desire is out of control, one may use it in very inappropriate ways, such as becoming gluttonous or desiring another person’s spouse. The classic analogy is that these powers of the soul are like iron, which can be made into a plow to help grow food, or into a sword to be used to kill someone.

Christ, by His Death and Resurrection, conquered the devil and death, freeing mankind from the fear of death (Heb.2:14–15) and making possible a more complete communion between God and man than was ever possible before. This communion allows people to become “partakers of the divine nature” (2Pt.1:4), to transcend death and, ultimately, all the consequences of the Fall.

⁸Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves within the tree in the middle of the garden from the presence of the Lord God.^{† 9}So the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” ¹⁰He replied, “I heard Your voice as You were walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹Thus He said, “Who said you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹²Then Adam said, “The woman You gave me, gave me of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴Thus the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than all the wild animals of the earth. On your breast and belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall be on guard for His heel.”†

¹⁶To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain and your groaning, and in pain you shall bring forth children. Your recourse will be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷Then to Adam He said, “Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the one tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground in your labors. In toil you shall eat from it all the days of your life.^{† 18}Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. ¹⁹In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground from which you were taken. Earth you are, and to earth you shall return.” ²⁰So Adam called his wifés name Life, because she was the mother of all living.

²¹Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made garments of skin, and clothed them.^{ω 22}Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. Now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever – ” ²³therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of pleasure to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴So He cast out Adam, and made him dwell opposite the garden of pleasure. He then stationed the cherubim and the fiery sword which turns every way to guard the way to the tree of life.^†

⁴Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man through God.”^{† 2}Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a shepherd of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³Now in the process of time Cain brought a sacrifice to the Lord from the fruits of the ground.^{† 4}Abel also brought a sacrifice from the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. The Lord respected Abel and his offering, ⁵but He did not respect Cain and his sacrifices. So Cain was extremely sorrowful, and his countenance fell.^{† 6}So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you extremely sorrowful? And why has your countenance fallen?^{† 7}Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him.”^†

⁸Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.^{†ω 9}Then God said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He replied, “I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?”^{† 10}Thus God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. ¹²When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You will be groaning and trembling on the earth.” ¹³Then Cain said to the Lord, “My guilt is too great to be forgiven!^{† 14}Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be groaning and trembling on the earth. Then it will happen if anyone finds me, he will kill me.” ¹⁵So the Lord God said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” Thus the Lord set a sign on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. ¹⁶Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod opposite Eden.^†

¹⁷And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. ¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael; and Mehujael begot Methushael; and Methu-shael begot Lamech.

¹⁹Then Lamech took two wives for himself: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. ²⁰So Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹His brother's name was Jubal. He is the one who invented the psaltery and harp. ²²As for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, a smith and a manufacturer of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. ²³Then Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah:

“Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech,

And listen carefully to my words,

Because I killed a man for wounding me

And a young man for hurting me.

²⁴ If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy -sevenfold.”

²⁵Again Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Seth, saying, “God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”^†

²⁶As for Seth, to him also a son was born. He named him Enosh, and he hoped in the Lord God and called upon His name.^†

⁵This is the book of the genesis of mankind in the day God made Adam, whom He made in God's image.^{†ω 2}He made them male and female, and blessed them; and the day He made them He called his name Adam. ³Now Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son according to his form and image, and named him Seth.^{† 4}After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were seven hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.^{† 5}So all the days Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

⁶Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. ⁷After he begot Enosh, Seth lived seven hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. ⁸So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹Now Enosh lived one hundred and ninety years, and begot Cainan. ¹⁰After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived seven hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. ¹¹So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹²Now Cainan lived one hundred and seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. ¹³After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived seven hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. ¹⁴So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵Now Mahalalel lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Jared. ¹⁶After he begot

Jared, Mahalalel lived seven hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. ¹⁷So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸Now Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. ¹⁹After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. ²⁰So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹Now Enoch lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. ²²After he begot Methuselah, Enoch was well-pleasing to God for two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. ²³So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴Thus Enoch was well-pleasing to God, and was not found, for God translated him.

²⁵Now Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. ²⁶After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters. ²⁷So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸Now Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-eight years, and begot a son. ²⁹And he called his name Noah, saying, “He will give us rest from our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground the Lord God cursed.”^{† 30}After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and sixty-five years, and had sons and daughters. ³¹So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and fifty-three years, and he died.

³²And Noah was five hundred years old, and he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^ω

⁶Now it came to pass that men began to exist in great numbers on the earth, and daughters were born to them. ²So when the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful, they took wives for themselves of all they chose. ³Then the Lord God said, “My Spirit shall not remain with these people forever, for they are flesh. So their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”^{† 4}Now there were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

⁵Then the Lord God saw man's wickedness, that it was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts within his heart was only evil continually.^{† 6}So God was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and He thought this over.^{† 7}Then God said, “I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the earth, from man to cattle, and from the creeping things to the birds of heaven, for I am grieved I made them.”^{† 8}But Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.^†

⁹This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, who was perfect in his generation and well-pleasing to God.^{†ω 10}So Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹Now the earth was corrupt before God and filled with unrighteousness.^{† 12}Thus the Lord God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with unrighteousness through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴Make yourself an ark of square timber. You shall make the ark in compartments, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.^{† 15}Thus you shall make the ark: three hundred cubits in length, fifty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. ¹⁶Now when you assemble the ark, you shall gradually finish it up to a cubit at the top, and set the door in its side. You shall make the ark with lower, second, and third stories. ¹⁷And behold, I am bringing a flood of water on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life. Whatever is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹From every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ²⁰Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing on the earth after its kind, two of every kind, they will enter into the ark with you, male and female, to keep them alive. ²¹You shall also take for yourself all kinds of food to eat, and you shall gather it both for yourself and for them.” ²²Thus Noah did according to all the Lord God commanded him, so he did.

⁷Then the Lord God said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your family, because I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation.^{†ω 2}You shall also bring with you into the ark the clean cattle by sevens, male and female; and the unclean cattle by twos, male and female;^{† 3}and the clean birds of heaven by twos, male and female, to keep seed alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out from the face of the earth every living thing I made.” ⁵So Noah did all the Lord God commanded him.

⁶Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.^ω7 Then Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, entered the ark because of the flood waters. ⁸Also the clean and unclean birds, the clean and unclean cattle, and everything that creeps on the earth, ⁹entered with Noah into the ark, two by two, male and female, as God commanded him. ¹⁰Then it came to pass after seven days, the waters of the flood came upon the earth. ¹¹In the six-hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened.^{ω 12}Then it rained on the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³On the very same day Noah and his wife, his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives entered the ark. ¹⁴Also, all the wild animals after their kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing moving upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, ¹⁵entered the ark with Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. ¹⁶So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God commanded him. Then the Lord God shut him in the ark.^†

¹⁷Now the flood was on the earth forty days and forty nights. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18So the waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and covered all the high mountains.

²¹And all flesh died that moves on the earth: birds and cattle, wild animals, and every creeping thing that moves on the earth, and every man. ²²Thus all things in whose nostrils was the breath of life, and everything on dry land, died. ²³So He blotted out all living things on the face of the earth: both man and cattle, creeping things and the birds of heaven. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained alive.

²⁴Now the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

⁸ Then God remembered Noah, and whatever was with him in the ark: all the wild animals, all the cattle, all the birds, and all the creeping things. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.^{† 2}The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. ³And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.

⁴Then the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.^{ω 5}And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark he had made. ⁷Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters dried up from the earth. ⁸He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. ⁹But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and brought her to himself in the ark. ¹⁰Then he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark.^{† 11}The dove returned to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew the waters had receded from the earth. ¹²So he waited yet another seven days and again sent out the dove; however, she did not return to him any more. ¹³And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed, the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴Now in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried.

¹⁵Then the Lord God spoke to Noah, saying, 1⁶“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and their wives with you. ¹⁷Also, bring out with you every living thing of all flesh: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that moves upon the earth, so they may abound on the earth, and increase and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸So Noah went out, along with his wife and his sons and their wives. ¹⁹Every animal, every bird, and every creeping thing that moves upon the earth, according to their kind, went out of the ark. ²⁰Then Noah built an altar to God, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered whole burnt offerings on the altar.^{† 21}So the Lord God smelled a sweet aroma. Then the Lord God thought it over and said, “I will never again curse the earth because of man's works, although the mind of man is diligently involved with evil things from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.^{†ω 22}While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring shall not cease by day or by night.”^†

⁹Thus God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and have dominion over it.^{† 2}For the dread and fear of you shall be upon all the wild animals of the earth, all the birds of heaven, all that move upon the earth, and all the fish of the sea. I have put them under your authority. ³Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as I did the green herbs. ⁴But you shall not eat flesh with its lifeblood. ⁵Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of all the wild animals I will require it; and I will require the life of man at the hand of his fellow man. ⁶Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; because I made man in God's image. ⁷So then, increase and multiply; and fill the earth and have dominion over it.”

⁸Then God spoke to Noah and his sons with him, saying,^{†ω 9}“Behold, I am establishing My covenant with you and with your seed after you, ¹⁰and every living creature with you: the birds, the cattle, and all the wild animals of the earth, of all that came out of the ark with you.

¹¹Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹²Then the Lord God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I am setting My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵and I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶My rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will certainly remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on the earth.” ¹⁷Again God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I established between Me and all flesh on the earth.”

¹⁸Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.^{ω 19}These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

²⁰Then Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. ²¹So he drank of the wine and was drunk and naked in his house. ²²Now Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. ²³But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walking backwards they covered their father's nakedness. Since their faces were turned away, they did not see his nakedness. ²⁴Thus when Noah became sober and knew what his younger son had done to him, ²⁵he said:

“Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

²⁶ He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,

And Canaan shall be his servant.^†

²⁷May God enlarge Japheth,

And let him dwell in the habitations of Shem.

Let Canaan be his servant as well.”

²⁸Now Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. ²⁹So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

¹⁰ Now this is the genealogy of Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the flood.^†

²The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Elisa, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ³The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim, and Rhodians. ⁵From these the coastal nations were separated into their lands, each according to his language, in their tribes and nations.

⁶The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ⁷The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

⁸Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a giant on the earth. ⁹He was a giant, a hunter before the Lord God; therefore they would say, “As Nimrod the giant, the hunter before the Lord.”

¹⁰And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, ¹²and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the principal city). ¹³Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹⁴Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). ¹⁵Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and the Chettite; ¹⁶the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; ¹⁷the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; ¹⁸the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward, the tribes of the Canaanites were dispersed. ¹⁹And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰These were the sons of Ham, according to their tribes, according to their languages, in their countries and in their nations.

²¹Now sons were also born to Shem himself, the father of all the sons of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder.^{† 22}The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram and Cainan. ²³The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ²⁴Arphaxad begot Cainan, and Cainan begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. ²⁵Two sons were born to Eber: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. ²⁶Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. ³¹These were the sons of Shem, according to their tribes, according to their languages, in their countries, according to their nations.

³²These were the tribes of Noah's sons, according to their genealogy, in their nations; and from these the coastal nations were divided on the earth after the flood.^ω

¹¹ Now the whole earth was one language and one speech. ²And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. ³Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire.” They had brick for stone and asphalt for mortar. ⁴They also said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the sons of men built. ⁶Then the Lord said, “Indeed, the people are one race and one language, and they have begun to do what they said. Now they will not fail to accomplish what they have undertaken.^{† 7}Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language, so they may not understand one another's speech.”^{† 8}So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city and the tower.^{† 9}Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the languages of all the earth; and from there the Lord God scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

¹⁰Now this is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.^{† 11}After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

¹²Now Arphaxad lived one hundred and thirty-five years, and begot Cainan. ¹³After he begot Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. Now Cainan lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Salah. So after he begot Salah, Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

¹⁴Now Salah lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Eber. ¹⁵After he begot Eber, Salah lived three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

¹⁶Now Eber lived one hundred and thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. ¹⁷After he begot Peleg, Eber lived three hundred and seventy years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

¹⁸Now Peleg lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Reu. ¹⁹After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

²⁰Now Reu lived one hundred and thirty-two years, and begot Serug. ²¹After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

²²Now Serug lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Nahor. ²³After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

²⁴Nahor lived seventy-nine years, and begot Terah. ²⁵After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and twenty-nine years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died.

²⁶Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷Now this is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot. ²⁸So Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

²⁹Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰But Sarai was barren, and had no child. ³¹Now Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and led them out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. ³²So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

¹²Now the Lord said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land I will show you.^{†ω 2}I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” ⁴Then Abram departed as the Lord said to him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he de-parted from Haran. ⁵So Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son and all their possessions and every soul they acquired in Haran, and they departed for the land of Canaan. Thus they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. ⁷Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” And there Abram built an altar to the Lord, who appeared to him. ⁸So he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.^{† 9}Then Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

¹⁰Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹So it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know you are a beautiful woman. ¹²Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, so they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³Therefore say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and I may live because of you.” ¹⁴So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. ¹⁵The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. Then the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. ¹⁶Now he treated Abram well for her sake, and gave him sheep, oxen, donkeys, male and female servants, mules and camels. ¹⁷But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.^{† 18}So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” ²⁰So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning Abram; and they sent him away, with his wife and all he had.

¹³Now Abram went up from Egypt to the South, he and his wife and all he had, and Lot with him.^{† 2}Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold. ³So he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent was at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴to the place of the altar he made there at the beginning. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶But the land was not able to support them, so they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great they could not dwell together.^{† 7}So strife arose between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and those of Lot. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land at that time. ⁸So Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. ⁹Is not the whole land before you? Separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

¹⁰Thus Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), like the garden of God, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.^{† 11}Then Lot chose all the plain of Jordan for himself, and journeyed east. So they separated from each other. ¹²Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, but Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.^{ω 13}Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful before God.

¹⁴Then God said to Abram, after Lot separated from him, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward, and westward;^{† 15}for all the land you see I give to you and your seed forever. ¹⁶And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth; that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your seed also could be numbered. ¹⁷Arise, walk in the land through its length and its breadth, for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the oak of Mamre in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.

¹⁴Now it came to pass in the reign of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, ²that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁴Twelve years they served Chedor- laomer, and in the thirteenth they rebelled. ⁵Now in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings with him came and cut down the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim and strong nations with them: the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, ⁶and the Horites in the mountains of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and cut down all the princes of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

⁸Now the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar – four kings against five. ¹⁰Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell in there; but those left fled to the mountains. ¹¹Then they took all the cavalry of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. ¹²They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

¹³Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who at that time dwelt by the oak of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. ¹⁴Now when Abram heard his brother Lot was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.^{†ω 15}So he divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶So he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

¹⁷Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him. ¹⁸Now Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.^{† 19}He blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth;^{† 20}and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands.” Then Abram gave him a tithe of all. ²¹Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and keep the cavalry for yourself.”^{† 22}But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, ²³that I will take nothing of yours, from a thread to a sandal strap, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’ – ²⁴except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

¹⁵After these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield and will be your exceedingly great reward.”^{†ω 2}But Abram said, “Lord, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus, the son of Masek, my domestic maidservant?” ³Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed, my household servant is my heir.”

⁴And immediately the Voice of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but the One who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”^{† 5}Then He brought him outside and said to him, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.”^{† 6}And Abram believed God, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.^{† 7}Then He said to him, “I am the God who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”^{† 8}And he said, “Master and Lord, how will I know I will inherit it?”^{† 9}So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰So he brought all these to Him and cut them in half, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. ¹¹And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹²Now around sunset, a trance fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³Then He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed will be strangers in a land not their own, and will serve them; and they will afflict and humble them four hundred years. ¹⁴Also, the nation they serve I will judge; and afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵But as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace, buried in a good old age.

¹⁶Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the sin of the Amorites is not yet filled up.”

¹⁷And it came to pass, when the sun went down, that there was a flame, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and lamps of fire that passed between those divided pieces. ¹⁸On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I will give this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates – ¹⁹the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Euaites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

¹⁶Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant, whose name was Hagar.^{† 2}So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” Thus Abram obeyed the voice of Sarai. ³Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. ⁴So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. May God judge between you and me.” ⁶Thus Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed, your maid is in your hand; do with her as you please.” So when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.

⁷Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.^{† 8}Then He said, “Hagar, Saraís maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”^{† 9}The Angel of the Lord then said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”^{† 10}Again, the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will surely multiply your seed exceedingly, that it may not be counted because of its multitude.”^{† 11}Once again, the Angel of the Lord said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,

And you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

For the Lord has taken notice of your humiliation.^†

¹² He shall be a rustic man,

And his hand shall be against every man,

And every man's hand against him.

He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

¹³Then Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees-Me”; for she said, “I have seen the One who appeared to me face to face.”^{† 14}Therefore, she called the well the-Well-of-Him-I-Saw-Before-Me; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael.

¹⁶Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

¹⁷When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am your God; be pleasing before Me and blameless.^{†ω 2}I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”^{† 3}Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ⁴“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.^{† 6}I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your seed after you.^{† 8}Also I will give you and your seed after you the land you are occupying as a sojourner, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

⁹Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰This is the covenant you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;^{† 11}and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹²A child of eight days old shall be circumcised by you – every male child throughout your genealogy, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner not of your seed. ¹³He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be cut off from his people; for he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; and I will bless him, and he shall become nations; and kings of peoples shall be from him.” ¹⁷Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his mind, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” ¹⁹Then God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.^{† 20}As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will increase and multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve nations, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” ²²So God finished talking with Abraham and departed from him.

²³So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God said to him. ²⁴Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael. ²⁷Also, all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

¹⁸Then God appeared to him at the oak of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door during the noon hour.^{† 2}So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, ³and said, “O Lord, if I have now found grace in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. ⁴Let water be brought, and let them wash Your feet, while You cool Yourselves under the tree.^{† 5}And I will bring bread for You to eat. After that You may pass by, inasmuch as You have come to Your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” ⁶So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” ⁷Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a young calf, tender and good, gave it to his servant, and he hastened to prepare it. ⁸He also took butter and milk and the calf he prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

9Then He said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “Here, in the tent.”^{† 10}Again He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door behind him.) ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹²Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “I have not yet had a child until now, and my lord is old also?” ¹³Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh within herself, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ ¹⁴Is anything impossible with God? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”^†

¹⁵But Sarah denied she had laughed, for she was afraid, saying, “I did not laugh”; but He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

¹⁶Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham went along and escorted them on their journey. ¹⁷Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham, My servant, what I am about to do?^{† 18}But Abraham shall surely become a great and populous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. ¹⁹For I know he will order his sons and his house after him. They will keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken to him.” ²⁰Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah has been completed, and their sins are exceedingly great.^{ω 21}Therefore, I will go down now and see whether or not they are carrying out the outcry coming to Me concerning them.”

²²Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained before the Lord.^{† 23}So Abraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the ungodly?^{† 24}Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous in it? ²⁵Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” ²⁶Then the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” ²⁷So Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸But suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” He replied, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” ²⁹Again he spoke to Him and said, “But suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of forty.” ³⁰Then he said, “Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it if I should find thirty there.” ³¹Again he said, “Since I have permission to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” ³²Then he said, “Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak but once more, suppose ten should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

³³So the Lord went His way as soon as He finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.^†

¹⁹Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. So when he saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed with his face toward the ground.^{† 2}Then he said, “Behold, my lords, turn in to your servant's house and rest and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” But they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”^{† 3}But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

⁴Now before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the Sodomites, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. ⁵Thus they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” ⁶But Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, ⁷and said, “By no means, my brethren, do not act wickedly. ⁸I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the protection of my roof.”

⁹But they said, “Stand back! You came in to sojourn among us. Was it also to be making judgments? Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. ¹⁰But the men reached out their hands, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. ¹¹Then they struck the men at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, and they became weary trying to find the door.

¹²Now the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here in the city: sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone? – then take them out of this place! ¹³For we will destroy this place, because their outcry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord sent us to destroy it.”^†

¹⁴So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord is about to wipe out this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

¹⁵Now when the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and the two daughters you have, and get out, lest you be destroyed with the transgressions of the city.” ¹⁶But they were thrown into confusion, and the Lord being merciful to him, the angels seized his hand, and the hands of his wife and two daughters, and brought them outside the city.^†

¹⁷So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, they said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be overtaken.” ¹⁸Then Lot said to them, “I pray, O Lord,^{† 19}since Your servant found mercy in Your sight, and You magnified Your righteousness which You showed me by saving my life, nevertheless, I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. ²⁰See now, this city, which is small, is near enough to flee to for refuge, and I shall escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” ²¹And He said to him, “See, I have acquiesced to you on this matter also, in that I will not overthrow this city, concerning which you have spoken.^{† 22}Therefore, hurry to escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” For this reason he called the name of that city Zoar.^†

²³Now the sun rose upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven.^{†† 25}Thus He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.^†

²⁷Then Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, a flame was ascending from the land, like the smoke of a furnace. ²⁹So it came to pass, when God wiped out all the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when the Lord overthrew the cities where Lot had dwelt.

³⁰Then Lot with his two daughters went up from Zoar and settled in the mountains; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. ³¹Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us, as is the custom of all the earth. ³²Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may raise up seed from our father.” ³³So they made their father drink wine that night, and the elder went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁴It happened on the next day, the elder said to the younger, “Indeed, I slept with our father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may raise up seed from our father.” ³⁵So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger went in and slept with him; but he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁶Thus both the daughters of Lot conceived by their father. ³⁷Then the elder bore a son and called his name Moab, saying, “He is from my father.” He is the father of the Moabites to this present day. ³⁸Now the younger also bore a son and called his name Ammon, saying, “The son of my family.” He is the father of the Ammonites to this present day.

²⁰Now Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned among the Gerarites.^{† 2}Then Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” lest at a given time the men of the city should kill him because of her. Now Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.^{† 3}But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken, for she is a man's wife.”

⁴Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “O Lord, will You destroy an ignorant and just nation? ⁵Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did she not say to me, ‘He is my brother’? I did this thing with a clean heart and righteous hands.” ⁶Then God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clean heart, and I spared you that you might not sin against Me; therefore, I did not allow you to touch her. ⁷Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet; and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, rest assured you shall die, you and all who are yours.”

⁸So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. ⁹Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”

¹⁰Again Abimelech said to Abraham, “What possessed you to do this thing?” ¹¹Abraham replied, “Because I thought, surely the worship of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. ¹²But indeed, she truly is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³So it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This righteousness shall you do for me: in every place we enter, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

¹⁴Then Abimelech took one thousand pieces of silver, sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵Thus Abimelech said to Abraham, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” ¹⁶Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver, which will vindicate your honor before all those with you. But tell the truth in all things.” ¹⁷So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; ¹⁸for the Lord closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

²¹Now the Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.^{† 2}For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in old age, at the set time, of which God had spoken to him.^{† 3}So Abraham called the name of his son born to him – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. ⁴Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God commanded him. ⁵Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; all who hear will laugh with me.” ⁷She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne a child in my old age.”

⁸So the child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the same day Isaac was weaned. ⁹Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, who was born to Abraham, playing with Isaac her son. ¹⁰Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”^{† 11}And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. ¹²But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of your son and your maidservant. Whatever Sarah said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. ¹³Yet I will also make a great nation of the son of your maidservant, because he is your seed.”

¹⁴So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the wilderness, near the Well of Oath. ¹⁵When the water in the skin was used up, she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. ¹⁶Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.

¹⁷But God heard the voice of the lad from the place where he was. Then the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.^{† 18}Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”^{† 19}Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. ²⁰Thus God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the desert, and became an archer. ²¹He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

²²Now it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and his friend Ochozath, and Phichol, the commander-in-chief of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all you do. ²³Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the righteousness I did to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” ²⁴So Abraham said, “I swear.” ²⁵Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water Abimelech's servants had seized. ²⁶Abimelech replied, “I do not know who did this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”

²⁷So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ²⁸Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹Thus Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why have you placed these seven ewe lambs by themselves?”

³⁰He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, to witness that I dug this well.” ³¹Therefore he called that place, the Well of Oath, because the two of them swore an oath there. ³²Thus they made a covenant at the Well of Oath. So Abimelech rose with Ochozath his friend and Phichol, the commander-in-chief of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

³³Then Abraham planted a field at the Well of Oath, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the eternal God. ³⁴So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.

²²Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”^{†ω 2}Then He said, “Take now your beloved son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I tell you.”^†

³So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split firewood for the whole burnt offering, and arose and went to the place God told him.^{† 4}Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵Thus Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

⁶So Abraham took the firewood of the whole burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. Then he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. ⁷Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the firewood, but where is the sheep for a whole burnt offering?” ⁸And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the sheep for a whole burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. ⁹They came to the place where God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the firewood in order; and he bound Isaac his son hand and foot and laid him on the altar, upon the firewood.

¹⁰Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” ¹²He then replied, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.”^{† 13}Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him a ram was caught in a thicket by its horns. So he brought it for a whole burnt offering in the place of his son. ¹⁴Thus Abraham called the name of the place The-Lord-Has-Appeared; as it is said to this day, “In the mountain the Lord was seen.”^†

¹⁵Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶and said, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you did this thing, and for My sake did not spare your beloved son,^{† 17}I will certainly bless you, and assuredly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies.^{† 18}In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹So Abraham returned to his servants, and they rose and went together to the Well of Oath; and Abraham dwelt at the Well of Oath.

²⁰Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed, Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor: ²¹Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²²Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Ma-achah.

²³Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years.^{† 2}Then Sarah died in the city of Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ³Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴“I am a sojourner and a stranger among you. Give me therefore a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”^{† 5}So the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying, ⁶“Hear us, my Lord, you are a king from God among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold his burial place from you, to bury your dead there.” ⁷Then Abraham stood and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. ⁸Thus he spoke with them, saying, “If you have it in mind for me to bury my dead out of my sight, then listen to me, and speak on my behalf to Ephron the son of Zohar,^{† 9}that he may give me the cave of Mach-pelah, which he has at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as a burial place among you.”

¹⁰Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, and of all who entered at the gate of the city, saying, ¹¹“No, my Lord, hear me, I give you both the field and the cave within it; I give it to you in the presence of all my fellow citizens. Bury your dead.” ¹²Then Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land, ¹³and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you are for me, hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” ¹⁴Ephron then answered Abraham, saying to him, ¹⁵“My lord, listen to me, the land is worth four hundred silver drachmas; but what is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” ¹⁶So Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had mentioned in the hearing of the sons of Heth, the four hundred silver drachmas, currency of the merchants.

¹⁷Thus the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was opposite Mamre, the field and the cave in it, and all the trees in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded ¹⁸to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the city. ¹⁹Then after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which was opposite Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.^{† 20}So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

²⁴Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. ²So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, ³and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;^{† 4}but you shall go to my land where I was born, and to my tribe, and take from there a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land you came from?” ⁶But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. ⁷The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, who took me from my father's house and from the land where I was born, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To you and your seed I give this land,’ He will send His Angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.^{† 8}And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”^{† 9}So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰Then the servant took ten of his lord's camels and some of all his goods and departed, and he went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. ¹¹And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. ¹²Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, give me success this day, and show mercy to my lord Abraham.^{† 13}Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴Now let it be that the virgin to whom I say, ‘Let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’ – let her be the one You appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know You have shown mercy to my lord.”^†

¹⁵Thus it happened, before he finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. ¹⁶Now the virgin was very beautiful to behold, and she was a virgin, for no man had known her. She went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” ¹⁸So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. ¹⁹When she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they finish drinking.” ²⁰Thus she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

²¹And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. ²²So it was, when the camels finished drinking, the man took golden earrings, each a drachma in weight, and two bracelets for her wrists, ten pieces of gold in their weight, ²³and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?” ²⁴So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” ²⁶Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. ²⁷And he said, “Blessed is the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who has not allowed His righ-teousness and His truth to forsake my lord. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my lord's brethren.”^{† 28}So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things.

²⁹Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and he ran out to the man by the well. ³⁰So it came to pass, when he saw the earrings and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man, as he stood by the camels at the well. 31Laban said to him, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” 32Then the man came to the house and unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.

³³Bread was then set before them to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.”

³⁴So he said, “I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵The Lord has blessed my lord greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶And Sarah my lord's wife bore a son to my lord when he was old; and to him he has given all he has. ³⁷Now my lord made me swear an oath, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I sojourn; ³⁸but you shall go to my father's house and to my tribe, and take a wife for my son.’ ³⁹And I said to my lord, ‘Perhaps the woman will not return with me.’ ⁴⁰But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His Angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my tribe and from my father's house. 41You will be clear from this oath when you arrive at my tribe; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

⁴²“So I came to the well today and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, if You will now prosper the way I go, ⁴³behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the daughters of the men come to draw water, and the virgin to whom I will say, “Give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” ⁴⁴and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” – let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for His own servant Isaac; and in this I will know You have dealt mercifully with my lord Abraham.’ ⁴⁵But before I finished speaking in my mind, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water And I said to her, ‘Let me drink.’ ⁴⁶And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. ⁴⁷Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the earrings on her and the bracelets on her wrists.

⁴⁸“Thus being well pleased I worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who led me in the way of truth, to take the daughter of my lord's brother for his son. ⁴⁹Now if you will deal mercifully and justly with my lord, tell me. But if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

⁵⁰Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The command comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either good or bad. ⁵¹Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your lord's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken.” ⁵²And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed to the earth and worshiped the Lord. ⁵³Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver and gold and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and her mother. ⁵⁴And he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed all night.

Then they arose early in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my lord.” ⁵⁵But her brother and her mother said, “Let the virgin remain with us about ten days; after that she may go.” ⁵⁶And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my lord.” ⁵⁷So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” ⁵⁸Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”^{† 59}Thus they sent away Rebekah their sister and her goods and Abraham's servant and those with him. ⁶⁰They blessed Rebekah their sister and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of myriads, and may your seed possess the gates of their enemies.” ⁶¹Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and rode on the camels and went with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

⁶²Now Isaac came through the desert to the Well of the Vision, for he dwelt in the South.^{† 63}Isaac then went out to meditate in the field in the evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw camels coming. ⁶⁴Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel; ⁶⁵for she had said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my lord.” So she took a veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶Now the servant told Isaac all the things he had done. ⁶⁷Thus Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and he took her and she became his wife. So he loved her, and was comforted concerning Sarah his mother.

²⁵Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.^{† 2}So she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. Thus the sons of Dedan were Ragouel, Nabdeed and the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. ⁴And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

⁵Now Abraham gave all his possessions to Isaac.^{† 6}But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines; and while he was still living, he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.

⁷After these things, the sum of years Abraham lived were one hundred and seventy-five years.^{† 8}Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, old and full of days and was added to his people. ⁹So his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, ¹⁰the field and the cave Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife.

¹¹Thus it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt at the Well of the Vision.^†

¹²Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham. ¹³These were the names of Ishmael's sons, by their names, according to their families: Ishmael's firstborn, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kede-mah. ¹⁶These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names, by their towns and settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. ¹⁷These were the years of Ishmael's life: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was added to his people. ¹⁸(He dwelt opposite Egypt, from Havilah as far as Shur, as you go toward Assyria, and dwelt separate from all his brothers.)

¹⁹Now this is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac.^{† 20}Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as his wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, and the sister of Laban the Syrian. ²¹Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and God granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

²²But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. ²³And the Lord said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

And two peoples shall be separated from your body.

One shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”^†

²⁴Thus, when her days were fulfilled to give birth, indeed, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵Now the firstborn came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so she named him Esau. ²⁶Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esaús heel; so she called his name Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah bore them.

²⁷So the boys grew. Now Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.^{† 28}Now Isaac loved Esau because he ate his venison, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹Then Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and was weary. ³⁰So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me taste this red stew, for I am exhausted.” Therefore his name was called Edom. ³¹But Jacob said to Esau, “Sell me your birthright today.” ³²Esau replied, “Look, I am about to die. What good then is this birthright to me?” ³³Then Jacob said, “Swear to me today.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

²⁶Now there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine in the days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar. ²Then the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I will tell you.^{† 3}Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your seed I give all these lands; and I will perform the oath I swore to Abraham your father.^{† 4}And I will make your seed multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give your seed all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;^{† 5}because Abraham your father obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My ordinances, and My laws.”^{† 6}So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

⁷Now the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” lest the men of the place should kill him for Rebekah, because she was beautiful to behold. ⁸Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of Gerar looked through a window and saw Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. ⁹Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said to myself, ‘Lest I should die on account of her.’ ” ¹⁰Thus Abimelech said, “Why have you done this to us? One of the people could easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” ¹¹So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

¹²Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. ¹³The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ¹⁴for he had herds of sheep and oxen and many fields. So the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵Now the Philis-tines had stopped up all the wells his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. ¹⁶Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” ¹⁷Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

¹⁸Again, Isaac dug the wells of water they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names his father had called them. ¹⁹Also, Isaac's servants dug in the valley of Gerar, and found a well of fresh water there. ²⁰But the herdsmen of Gerar fought with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Injustice, because they quarreled with him.^{† 21}Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Enmity. ²²So he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not fight over it. Thus he called its name Room, because he said, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and has increased us in the land.”

²³Then he went up from there to the Well of Oath. ²⁴Now the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant Abraham's sake.”^{† 25}So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord; and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.^{† 26}Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the commander-in-chief of his army. ²⁷Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” ²⁸But they said, “We have certainly seen the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, ²⁹that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ” ³⁰So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

³¹Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. ³²It came to pass the same day, Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” ³³So he called it, Oath; therefore, the name of the city is the Well of Oath to this day.

³⁴Now when Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.^{† 35}But they were contentious with Isaac and Rebekah.

²⁷Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.”^{ω 2}Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.^{† 3}Now therefore, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. ⁴Then make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

⁵Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son; and Esau went to the field to hunt game for his father. ⁶So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her younger son, saying, “Indeed, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ⁷‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’^{† 8}Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. ⁹Go now to the sheep and bring me from there two kids, choice and good, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. ¹⁰Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it and bless you before his death.”

¹¹Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. ¹²Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” ¹³But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” ¹⁴So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. ¹⁵Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶She also put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the exposed part of his neck. ¹⁷Then she gave the savory food and the bread she had prepared into the hands of her son Jacob.

¹⁸Thus he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” ²⁰But Isaac said to his son, “How is it you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.” ²¹Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are my son Esau or not.” ²²So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esaús.” ²³Thus he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esaús hands; so he blessed him. ²⁴Then he said, “Are you my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”

²⁵He said, “Bring your game to me, my son, and I will eat from it, that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing.

Thus he blessed him and said:

“Surely, the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field the Lord has blessed.

28 Therefore, may God give you of the dew of heaven

And of the fatness of the earth,

And plenty of grain and wine.

29 Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be lord over your brethren,

And let your mother's sons bow down to you.

And cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you.”

³⁰Now it happened, as soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob his son, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me.” ³²And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

³³Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him – and indeed, he shall be blessed.” ³⁴When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me – me also, O my father!”^{† 35}But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” ³⁶Then Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing.” So he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

³⁷Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed, I have made him your lord, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” ³⁸Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me – me also, O my father!” But when Isaac was troubled, Esau lifted up his voice and wept. ³⁹Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,

And of the dew of heaven from above.

⁴⁰By your sword you shall live,

And you shall serve your brother;

And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,

That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

⁴¹Thus Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his mind, “Let the days of mourning for my father draw near, then I will kill my brother Jacob.” ⁴²So the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely, your brother Esau is threatening to kill you. ⁴³Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee to Mesopotamia to my brother Laban in Haran. ⁴⁴And stay with him a few days, until your brother's anger ⁴⁵and wrath turn away from you, and he forgets what you did to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”

⁴⁶Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of this land, what good will my life be to me?”

²⁸Now Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. ²Arise, go to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. ³May God bless you, and increase and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of nations; ⁴and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your seed with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.”^{† 5}So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Mesopotamia, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Mesopotamia to take himself a wife from there, and as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” ⁷and Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Mesopotamia. ⁸Also, Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. ⁹So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

¹⁰Now Jacob went out from the Well of Oath and went toward Haran.^{ω 11}So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. Then he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. ¹²Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^{† 13}So behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. Do not fear, the land on which you lie I will give to you and your seed. ¹⁴Also, your seed shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed. ¹⁵Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷So he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”^{† 18}Now Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone he put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.^{† 19}Thus Jacob called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city was Luz previously.

²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If the Lord God will be with me, and keep me in this way I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, ²¹and bring me back in safety to my father's house, then the Lord shall be my God. ²²And this stone I set as a pillar shall be God's house to me, and of all You give me I will surely give a tithe to You.”^†

²⁹Now Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the east, to Laban. ²So he looked and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks; and a large stone was on the well's mouth. ³Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.

⁴So Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” ⁵Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” ⁶So he said to them, “Is he well?” They said, “He is well. Look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.” ⁷Then he said, “It is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.” ⁸But they said, “We cannot, until all the shepherds are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we will water the sheep.”

⁹Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. ¹¹Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. ¹²So Jacob told Rachel he was her father's relative and Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father these words. ¹³Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. ¹⁴Now Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him for a month.^†

¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?”^{† 16}Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. ¹⁸Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” ¹⁹So Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to another man. Stay with me.” ²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. ²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

²²Now Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a wedding feast. ²³Thus it came to pass in the evening, he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. ²⁴So Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a handmaiden. ²⁵Then it came to pass in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” ²⁶Laban replied, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. ²⁷Fulfill her week, and I will give you this one also for the service you will render me still another seven years.”^†

²⁸Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. ²⁹Laban also gave his handmaiden Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a handmaiden. ³⁰Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served with Laban still another seven years.

³¹But when the Lord saw Leah was hated, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. ³²So Leah conceived and bore Jacob a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my humiliation. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” ³³Then she conceived again and bore Jacob a second son, and said, “Because the Lord heard I was hated, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she called his name Simeon. ³⁴She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be on my side, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore she called his name Levi.^{† 35}Now she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will give thanks to the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

³⁰Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” ²So Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” ³She replied to Jacob, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear on my knees, that I also may have children by her.” ⁴She then gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. ⁵Thus Bilhah, Rachel's handmaiden, conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶Then Rachel said, “God has judged me; and He has heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore, she called his name Dan.^{† 7}Now Rachel's handmaiden Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸Then Rachel said, “God has helped me, and I have wrestled with my sister; and indeed, I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.^†

⁹Now when Leah saw she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaiden and gave her to Jacob as wife. ¹⁰So Jacob went in to her, and Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden, conceived and bore Jacob a son. ¹¹Then Leah said, “Good fortune!” Thus she called his name Gad.^{† 12}Now Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden, bore Jacob a second son. ¹³Then Leah said, “I am blessed, for the women will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.^†

¹⁴Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Thus Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son's mandrakes.” ¹⁵But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Not so! Let him lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes.” ¹⁶Now when Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. ¹⁷Thus God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my handmaiden to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.^{† 19}Now Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will choose me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.^{† 21}Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

²²Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. ²³Thus she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”^{† 24}So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The Lord shall add another son to me.”

²⁵Now it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. ²⁶Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the service I rendered you.” ²⁷Then Laban said to him, “If I could find grace in your eyes, I would seek for it divinely, for God has blessed me by your coming.” ²⁸So he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” ²⁹Jacob replied, “You know how I have served you and how numerous your cattle became with me. ³⁰For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. Now therefore, when shall I also establish my own house?”

³¹Thus Laban said to him, “What shall I give you?” Jacob replied, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your sheep: ³²Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing from them all the gray sheep, and all the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. ³³So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and gray among the sheep, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”^{† 34}Then Laban said to him, “Let it be according to your word.” ³⁵So he removed that day all the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the gray ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hands of his sons. ³⁶Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

³⁷Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, tearing off the bark. So the white strips he had peeled appeared on the rods as spotted. ³⁸Then he placed the rods he had peeled in the gutters of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so they should conceive at the rods as they came to drink. ³⁹So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth speckled, spotted, and ash-colored speckled. ⁴⁰But Jacob separated the male lambs, and placed a speckled ram before the sheep and all that were spotted among the male lambs. Then he separated for himself flocks by themselves and did not mix them with the sheep of Laban.

⁴¹Thus it came to pass, whenever the sheep conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the sheep in the gutters, so they might conceive according to the rods. ⁴²But whenever the sheep had already given birth, he did not put them in. Thus it came to pass, that the unmarked were Laban's and the marked were Jacob's. ⁴³So the man became exceedingly rich, and had many cattle and oxen, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

³¹Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from our father's property he acquired all this wealth.” ²So Jacob saw Laban's countenance, and indeed, it was not favorable toward him as before. ³Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to your father's land and to your family, and I will be with you.”^†ω

⁴So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field where the flocks were, ⁵and said to them, “I see your father's countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. ⁶Now you know that with all my might I served your father. ⁷Yet your father deceived me and changed my wages ten times with respect to the male lambs, but God did not allow him to harm me. ⁸If he said thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. But if he said thus, ‘The white shall be your wages,’ then all the sheep bore white. ⁹So God has taken away all your father's cattle and given them to me. ¹⁰Now it came to pass, when the flocks conceived, I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats and the rams that were speckled, spotted, and ash-colored speckled were mating with the sheep and the goats. ¹¹Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ Thus I said, ‘Here I am.’^{† 12}So He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the male goats and the rams mating with the sheep and the goats are speckled, spotted, and ash-colored speckled; for I have seen everything Laban is doing to you. ¹³I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to Me. Now then, arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your nativity, and I will be with you.’ ”^†

¹⁴Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? ¹⁵Are we not considered strangers by him? For he sold us, and also completely consumed our money. ¹⁶For all the riches and glory God has taken from our father are really ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

¹⁷Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. ¹⁸And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions acquired in Mesopotamia, everything belonging to him, to go to his father Isaac in Canaan. ¹⁹Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen her father's idols. ²⁰But Jacob had hidden from Laban the Syrian his intention of running away. ²¹So he fled with all that he had, and crossed the river, and headed for the mountains of Gilead.

²²Then Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. ²³So he took all his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey; and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. ²⁴But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak evil things to Jacob at any time.”^{† 25}So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. ²⁶Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and robbed me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? ²⁷Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? ²⁸And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. ²⁹It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you do not speak evil things to Jacob at any time.’^{† 30}Now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?”

³¹Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters and all my possessions from me by force.’ ³²With whomever you find your gods, let him not live in the presence of our brethren. Identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know Rachel had stolen them. ³³Thus Laban went in and searched Leah's tent, but found nothing. Then he searched Jacob's and those of the handmaidens, but found nothing. Then he entered Rachel's tent. ³⁴Now Rachel had taken the idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. ³⁵Then she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” So he searched the entire tent but did not find the idols.

³⁶Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my injustice? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? ³⁷Although you searched all my things, what part of your household goods have you found? Set them here before my brethren and your brethren, so they may judge between us. ³⁸These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. ³⁹That which was caught by wild animals I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of any stolen by day or by night. ⁴⁰There I was. In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. ⁴¹Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times with respect to the female lambs. ⁴²Unless the God of my father Abraham and the fear of Isaac had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”^†

⁴³Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these sons are my sons, and these sheep are my sheep; all you see belongs to me and my daughters. But what can I do for them today or for the children they bore? ⁴⁴Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” Then he said, “Look, there is no one with us. God Himself is witness between you and me.”

⁴⁵So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.^{† 46}Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate and drank there on the heap; and Laban said to him, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.”^{† 47}Laban called it the Heap of Testimony, but Jacob called it the Witness Heap.

⁴⁸Then Laban said, “This heap and this pillar are a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called This-Heap-Witnesses,^{† 49}and also The Vision, because he said, “May God watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. ⁵⁰If you humble my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us – see, God is witness between you and me.” ⁵¹Then Laban said to Jacob, “Listen, this heap and pillar are a witness. ⁵²This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. ⁵³The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor judge between us.” Thus Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren; and they ate bread and drank and stayed all night on the mountain.

³²So early in the morning, Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.^ω

²So Jacob went on his way, and saw the hosts of God encamped. ³When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's encampment”; and he called the name of that place Encampments.

⁴Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. ⁵And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says, “I sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight.” ’ ” ⁶Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him.” ⁷So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people with him and the oxen and sheep into two companies. ⁸Thus Jacob said, “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the other company will escape.”

⁹Again Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to the land of your nativity, and I will deal well with you,’ ¹⁰let me be satisfied with all the righteousness and all the truth You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. ¹¹Deliver me from the hand of my brother, Esau; for I am afraid of him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. ¹²For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”^†

¹³So he lodged there that same night, and took some of the things he had brought as a present for Esau his brother: ¹⁴two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred sheep and twenty rams, ¹⁵thirty milk camels with their offspring, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. ¹⁶Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, each flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Go on before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” ¹⁷And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these going before you?’ ¹⁸Then you shall say, ‘Your servant Jacob's. These things are a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ” ¹⁹So he commanded the first, the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; ²⁰and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” For he said to himself, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” ²¹So the present went on before him, but he himself lodged that night in the encampment.

²²And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. ²³He took them and crossed over the brook, and sent over what he had. ²⁴Then Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.^{† 25}Now when He saw He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him. ²⁶Then He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.” ²⁷So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” ²⁸And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have prevailed with God and with men.”^†

²⁹Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And he said, “Why do you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. ³⁰So Jacob called the name of that place, the Form of God: “For I saw God face to face, and my soul was saved.”^{† 31}When the Form of God passed by, the sun rose on him, but he limped on his hip. ³²Therefore to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip, in the muscle that shrank.

³³Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau his brother was coming, and four hundred men with him. So Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. ²Then he put the maidservants and their sons in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. ³He then crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. ⁴But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept. ⁵Then he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, “Who are these with you?” He replied, “The children God mercifully gave your servant.”^{† 6}Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down. ⁷Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Rachel and Joseph came near, and they bowed down.

⁸Then Esau said, “What are these things to you, all this company I met?” So he said, “That your servant might find grace in the sight of my Lord.” ⁹But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” ¹⁰But Jacob replied, “If I have now found grace in your sight, receive the present from my hands, inasmuch as I have seen your face, as though someone might see the face of God; and you were pleased with me. ¹¹Receive my blessing I brought you, because God has shown me mercy; and I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

¹²Then Esau said, “Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.” ¹³But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows the children are weak, and the flocks and herds with me are giving birth. If therefore the men should drive them hard one day, all the cattle would die. ¹⁴Let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace the children are able to bear, until I come to my lord in Seir.” ¹⁵Then Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people with me.” But he said, “What need is there? It is enough that I found grace in my lord's sight.” ¹⁶So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.

¹⁷Then Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built houses, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore, he called the name of that place, Succoth. ¹⁸Then Jacob came safely to Salem, a city of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, when he came from Mesopotamia of Syria; and he took up a position in front of the city. ¹⁹He then bought the parcel of land where he pitched his tent from Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred male lambs.^{† 20}There he set up an altar and called on the God of Israel.

³⁴Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. ²But when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, a ruler of the land, saw her, he took her, lay with her, and violated her.^{† 3}Now his soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and sought to win her heart. ⁴Then Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get this young woman as a wife for me.”

⁵But Jacob heard Hamor's son had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came. ⁶Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. ⁷Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were stunned and extremely grieved, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, something that should never have happened. ⁸But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem is passionately in love with your daughter. Give her to him as a wife.^{† 9}Make marriages with us; give us your daughters, and take our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰Dwell among us, and behold, the land before you is spacious. Dwell therein and trade, and acquire possessions in it.”

¹¹Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and we will give whatever you ask. ¹²Make the dowry as great as you wish, and I will give it; only give me this young woman as a wife.” ¹³But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully to them, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. ¹⁴So Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah and the sons of Leah, said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. ¹⁵But on this condition we will consent to you, if you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, ¹⁶then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. ¹⁷But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughters and be gone.”

¹⁸Now their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. ¹⁹So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was the most esteemed of all those in his father's house. ²⁰And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying, ²¹“These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. ²²Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised. ²³Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.” ²⁴Thus all who went out of the gate of their city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised in the flesh.

²⁵Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. ²⁶They also killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. ²⁷Then the sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city in which Dinah their sister had been defiled. ²⁸They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field; ²⁹and took captive all their wives, their children, and their servants and plundered whatever was in the city and in the houses.

³⁰Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You made me an object of hatred, so as to be evil to all the inhabitants of the land, both among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.” ³¹But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”^†

³⁵Now God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”^{† 2}Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. ³Let us arise and go up to Bethel and make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my tribulation, and was with me and saved me on the road I traveled.” ⁴So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods in their hands, and the earrings in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree near Shechem.

⁵Then Israel departed from Shechem, and the fear of God was upon all the cities around them. Thus they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶Now Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), in the land of Canaan, he and all the people with him. ⁷He built an altar there and called the place Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother Esau. ⁸Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak. So Jacob called its name the Oak of Mourning.

⁹Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Mesopotamia, and blessed him.^{† 10}God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not any more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” ¹¹God also said to him, “I am your God. Increase and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.^{† 12}The land I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your seed after you I give this land.” ¹³Then God ascended from him in the place where He talked with him.^{† 14}So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. ¹⁵Thus Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him Bethel.

¹⁶Then Jacob departed from Bethel, and when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored with much difficulty in childbirth. ¹⁷Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Take courage; you will have this son also.” ¹⁸So it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹Thus Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰Then Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

²¹Now Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. ²²So it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. Israel heard about it, and it was seen as evil in his sight.

²³Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; ²⁴the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; ²⁵the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; ²⁶and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.

²⁷Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. ²⁸Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. ²⁹So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. Thus his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

³⁶Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. ²Esau took his wives from the daughters of the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth. ⁴Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel, ⁵and Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. ⁶Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods he gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. ⁷For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojourning could not support them because of their abundance. ⁸So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.

⁹Now this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. ¹⁰These were the names of Esaús sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. ¹¹The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹²Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esaús son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esaús wife. ¹³These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esaús wife. ¹⁴These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esaús wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. She bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

¹⁵These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, ¹⁶Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah. ¹⁷These were the sons of Reuel, Esaús son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esaús wife. ¹⁸These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esaús wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs from Aholibamah. ¹⁹These were the sons of Esau, and these were their chiefs, the sons of Edom.

²⁰These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. ²²And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timna. ²³These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ²⁴These were the sons of Zibeon: Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs in the desert, as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon. ²⁵These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. ²⁶These were the sons of Di-shon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ²⁷These were the sons of Ezer: Balaam, Zucam, Jucam and Ucam. ²⁸These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. ²⁹These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah, ³⁰Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefdoms in the land of Seir.

³¹Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel: ³²Balak the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ³³So when Balak died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. ³⁴When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. ³⁵When Husham died, Hadad the son of Barad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Gethaim. ³⁶When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ³⁷When Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. ³⁸When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. ³⁹And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Harad the son of Barad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Phogor. His wifés name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

⁴⁰These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, in their tribes and places, and in their countries and nations: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, ⁴¹Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁴²Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁴³Chief Magdiel, and Chief Zaphoim. These were the chiefs of Edom, in their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

³⁷Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. ²This is the genealogy of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the sheep with his brothers. Now the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age. He also made him a tunic of many colors.^{† 4}But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak civilly to him.

⁵Then Joseph had a dream, and reported it to his brothers. ⁶Thus he said to them, “Hear this dream I dreamed: ⁷There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸So his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.^†

⁹Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” ¹⁰So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come and bow down on the ground before you?” ¹¹And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

¹²Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. ¹³And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers shepherding the sheep in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.” ¹⁴Then Israel said to him, “Go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the sheep, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. So the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?” ¹⁶He replied, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me where they are feeding their sheep.” ¹⁷The man said to him, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.”’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. ¹⁸Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming. ²⁰Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams.”

²¹But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, “Let us not kill him.” ²²Again, Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit in the desert; and do not lay a hand on him” – that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. ²³So it came to pass, when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped the tunic of many colors off him. ²⁴Then they took him and cast him into a pit, which was empty; for there was no water in it.

²⁵They then sat down to eat a meal, and lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelite wayfarers coming from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. ²⁶So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?^{† 27}Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh”; and his brothers listened. ²⁸Thus the Midianite traders passed by, and the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit; and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of gold. So they took Joseph to Egypt.^{† 29}Then Reuben returned to the pit, and when he saw Joseph was not in there, he tore his clothes. ³⁰So he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is not there; and I, where shall I go?”

³¹Thus they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. ³²Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and had it brought to their father and said, “We found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?” ³³So he recognized it and said, “This is my son's tunic. A wild animal has devoured Joseph and carried him off.” ³⁴Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵Thus all his sons and daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” So his father wept for him. ³⁶Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

³⁸It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. ²Then Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. ³So she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Er. ⁴She conceived again and bore a son, and called his name Onan. ⁵She conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. She was at Chezib when she bore them.

⁶Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and God killed him. ⁸So Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and as her brother-in-law raise up seed to your brother.” ⁹But Onan knew the seed would not be his; and it came to pass that whenever he went in to his brother's wife, he emitted his semen on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. ¹⁰But the thing he did appeared evil in the sight of the Lord; therefore, He also put him to death. ¹¹Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

¹²Now in the process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died; and Judah was comforted and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his shepherd, Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³So it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴Thus she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil, made herself beautiful, and sat down near the gates of Ainan on the way past Timnah; for she saw Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. ¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face and he did not recognize her. ¹⁶Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Let me come in to you”; for he did not know she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷He replied, “I will send a young goat from the flocks.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?” ¹⁸Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your ring and cord, and the staff in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰Thus Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his shepherd the Adullamite to receive his pledge from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the prostitute who was in Ainan by the roadside?” They replied, “There was no prostitute here.” ²²So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said no prostitute had been there.” ²³Then Judah said, “Let her have them, lest we should become a laughingstock; for I sent this young goat but you did not find her.”

²⁴Thus it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed fornication and is pregnant because of her adultery.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned.”^{† 25}When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” So she said, “Determine whose these are – the ring, the cord, and the staff.” ²⁶So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” But he never knew her again.

²⁷Then it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸So it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you.” Therefore she called his name Perez. ³⁰Afterward his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand; and she called his name Zerah.

³⁹Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, Pharaoh's eunuch and captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. ²The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was living in the house of his lord the Egyptian. ³So his lord saw that the Lord was with him and the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴Thus Joseph found grace in his sight and was pleasing to him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and put everything he had under Joseph's authority. ⁵So it was, from the time he made him overseer of his house and all he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all he had in the house and in the field. ⁶Thus he left all he had in Joseph's hand, and did not know what he had except for the bread he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

⁷Then it came to pass after these things that his lord's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” ⁸But he refused and said to his lord's wife, “Look, my lord does not know what is with me in the house and has committed all he has to my hand. ⁹There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”^{† 10}So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to have relations with her. ¹¹But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, ¹²she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

¹³So it was, when she saw he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, ¹⁴she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. ¹⁵Thus it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.” ¹⁶So she kept his garment with her until his lord came home. ¹⁷Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant you brought to us came in to me to mock me; ¹⁸so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, he left his garment with me and fled outside.” ¹⁹So it was, when his lord heard the words his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” his anger was aroused. ²⁰Then Joseph's lord took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined.^†

²¹But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him grace in the sight of the chief prison keeper.^{† 22}So the chief keeper of the prison put under Joseph's authority both the prison and all the prisoners, and whatever they did there. ²³The chief keeper of the prison did not look into anything under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.^†

⁴⁰Now it came to pass after these things, that the king of Egypt's chief cupbearer and chief baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. ²So Pharaoh was angry with his two eunuchs, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. ³Thus he put them in custody with the chief bodyguard in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. ⁴Then the chief jailer committed them to Joseph, and he attended them; so they were in custody for a while.

⁵Then the king of Egypt's chief cupbearer and the chief baker, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation. ⁶So Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw they were troubled. ⁷Thus he asked Pharaoh's eunuchs, who were with him in the custody of his lord, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” ⁸So they said to him, “We each had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Therefore, relate them to me.”^{† 9}Then the chief cupbearer related his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, ¹⁰and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. ¹¹Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.”

¹²And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. ¹³Now within three days Pharaoh will remember your position and restore your office of chief cupbearer; and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴But remember me when it is well with you, and have mercy on me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and I also have done nothing for them to put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶When the chief baker saw the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. ¹⁷In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

²⁰Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he remembered the positions of his chief cupbearer and chief baker among his servants. ²¹Then he restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. ²²But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.^†

⁴¹Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. ²Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine-looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. ³Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. ⁴But the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine-looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. ⁵He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven ears of corn came up on one stalk, plump and good. ⁶Then behold, seven ears of corn, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7But the seven thin ears of corn devoured the seven plump and full ears. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.

⁸Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the interpreters of Egypt and all its wise men. Thus Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. ⁹Then the cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my sin this day. ¹⁰When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the chief bodyguard, both myself and the chief baker, ¹¹we each had a dream in one night, both he and I. Each had a dream regarding himself. ¹²Now there was with us a young Hebrew servant of the chief bodyguard, and we related our dreams to him; and he interpreted them for us. ¹³And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, but he hanged him.”^†

¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. ¹⁵Thus Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” ¹⁶So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

¹⁷Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. ¹⁸Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine-looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. ¹⁹Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. ²¹When they had eaten them, no one would have known they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke and fell asleep again. ²²Again, I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven ears of corn came up on one stalk, full and good. ²³Then behold, seven ears of corn, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. ²⁴But the thin ears of corn devoured the seven good ears. So I told all this to the interpreters, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: ²⁶The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years; the dreams are one. ²⁷But the seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. ²⁸This is the thing I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; ³⁰but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. ³¹So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. ³²Now the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. ³³Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a sensible and intelligent man, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint governors over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. ³⁵So let them gather all the food of the seven good years that are coming, and store up grain under Pharaoh's authority, and let them keep food in the cities. ³⁶That food shall then be as a reserve in the land for the seven coming years of famine in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”

³⁷Now this advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.^{† 38}Thus Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a man as this, who has the Spirit of God in him?” ³⁹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as sensible and intelligent as you. ⁴⁰You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” ⁴¹So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴²Then Pharaoh took the signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³Then he had him ride in the second of his chariots; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” ⁴⁵Then Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah, and he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On.

⁴⁶Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Then Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. ⁴⁸So he gathered up all the food of the seven years of prosperity in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in the very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

⁵⁰Now two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my troubles and all my father's house.” ⁵²And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my humiliation.”^†

⁵³Then the seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt ended, ⁵⁴and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” ⁵⁶The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. ⁵⁷Then all countries also came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

⁴²When Jacob found out there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing idle?”^{† 2}Then he said, “Indeed, I heard there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” ³So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

⁵Thus the sons of Israel went to buy grain with those who were going there, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. ⁷Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” ⁸So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

⁹Then Joseph remembered the dreams he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies. You have come to map out the roads of the country.”^{† 10}But they said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹We are all one man's sons; we are men of peace; your servants are not spies.” ¹²But he said to them, “No, but you have come to map out the roads of the land.” ¹³Then they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” ^14But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, namely, ‘You are spies!’ ¹⁵In this manner you shall be manifested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” ¹⁷So he put them all together in prison three days.

¹⁸Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God.^{† 19}If you are men of peace, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. ²⁰But bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” So they did so. ²¹Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” ²²Reuben then answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ but you would not listen? Therefore, behold, his blood is now required of us.”^{† 23}But they did not know Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.

²⁴Then Joseph turned himself away from them and wept. So he returned to them again, and talked with them; and took Simeon from them, and bound him before their eyes. ²⁵Joseph then gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.

²⁶So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. ²⁷But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. ²⁸So he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned to me, and there it is, in my sack.” Then their hearts failed them, and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this God has done to us?”

²⁹Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that happened to them, saying, ³⁰“The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. ³¹But we said to him, ‘We are men of peace; we are not spies. ³²We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ ³³Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know you are men of peace: leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for your households, and be gone. ³⁴Now, bring your youngest brother to me; then I shall know you are not spies, but men of peace. I will then grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”

³⁵Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. ³⁶So Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more; Simeon is no more; and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” ³⁷Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” ³⁸But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

⁴³Now the famine was severe in the land. ²So it came to pass, when they had eaten the grain they brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back, and buy us a little food.” ³But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ⁵But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

⁶Then Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had yet another brother?” ⁷But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ Thus we replied to him according to these words. Could we possibly have known he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” ⁸Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and all we have. ⁹I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame all my days. ¹⁰For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹²Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. ¹³Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. ¹⁴May God give you grace before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”^†

¹⁵So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. ¹⁶When Joseph saw Benjamin, his brother by the same mother, with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” ¹⁷Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.

¹⁸Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money returned to our sacks the first time, that we are brought here to make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”^{† 19}When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house, ²⁰saying, “We entreat you, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; ²¹but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there to our surprise, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. ²²And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks.” ²³But he said, “Mercy be on you; do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; and I am receiving your genuine money as full payment.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.^†

²⁴So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. ²⁵Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard he would eat bread there. ²⁶Thus when Joseph came home, they brought the present in their hand to him in the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.^{ω 27}Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” ²⁸So they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” Then he said, “Blessed be that man in God”; and they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.^†

²⁹Then Joseph lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, “Is this your younger brother you said you would bring to me?” So he said, “May God grant you mercy, my son.” ³⁰Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. Then he went into his inner chamber and wept there. ³¹He then washed his face and came out; and he composed himself, and said, “Serve the bread.” ³²So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. ³³Now they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. ³⁴Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.^†

⁴⁴Now Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. ²Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word Joseph had spoken. ³As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. ⁴When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? ⁵Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is not this the cup from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ”

⁶So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 7But they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's servants.”

¹⁰Then he replied, “Now as you say, so it will be; he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and you shall be blameless.” ¹¹Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. ¹²So he searched the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. ¹³Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. ¹⁵Thus Joseph said to them, “What is this thing you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” ¹⁶Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the wrongdoing of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” ¹⁷But Joseph said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my servant. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

¹⁸Then Judah came near to him and said, “O my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. ¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ ²⁰Then we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.’ ²¹Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ ²²But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ ²³But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

²⁴“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ ²⁶But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ²⁷Then your servant our father said to us, ‘You know my wife bore me two sons; ²⁸and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he was eaten by a wild animal”; and I have not seen him since. ²⁹But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

³⁰Now therefore, when I come to your servant our father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, ³¹it will happen, when he sees the lad is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. ³²For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my days.’ ³³Now therefore, let your servant remain instead of the lad as a servant to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. ³⁴For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

⁴⁵Now Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.^{†ω 2}Then he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. ³Joseph then said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were stunned in his presence.

⁴But Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵Now therefore, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to save life.^{† 6}For this is the second year of famine in the land, and five years still remain in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷For God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth, and to sustain you as a great remnant. ⁸So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁹“Hurry then and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.^{† 10}You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your sheep and oxen, and all you have. ¹¹There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all you have, come to poverty; for five years of famine still remain.’ ” ¹²And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see it is my mouth that speaks to you. ¹³Therefore, you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” ¹⁴Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after this his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, “Joseph's brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. ^{† 17}So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this, load your conveyances and depart; go to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. ¹⁹Now you are commanded – do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. ²⁰Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”

²¹Thus the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²²He gave to all of them, to each man, two changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of gold and five changes of exceptionally fine garments. ²³He also sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten mules loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. ²⁴So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become angry with each other along the way.”

²⁵Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. ²⁶Thus they told him, saying, “Joseph your son is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But Jacob's mind was completely stunned, for he could not believe them. ²⁷But when they told him all the words Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.^{† 28}Then Israel said, “It is a great thing to me that my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

⁴⁶Now Israel took his journey with all he had, and came to the Well of Oath, and offered a sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac.^{†ω 2}Then God spoke to Israel in a vision of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” So he said, “Here I am.”^{† 3}So God said to him, “I am the God of your fathers; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. ⁴I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” ⁵Then Jacob arose from the Well of Oath, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their baggage, and their wives in the carts Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶So they took their livestock and their goods which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him. ⁷His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed he brought with him to Egypt.

⁸Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. ⁹The sons of Reuben were Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. ¹¹The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹²The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. ¹⁴The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, and his daughter Dinah. All the souls, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

¹⁶The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister; and the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen souls. ¹⁹The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰Also, to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Ase-nath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. Sons were also born to Manasseh: Machir, whom his Syrian concubine bore to him; and Machir begot Gilead. Also, the sons of Ephraim, Ma-nasseh's brother, were Shuthelah and Tahan. ²¹The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, and the sons of Belah were Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim; and Gera begot Ard. ²²These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were eighteen. ²³The son of Dan was Hushim. ²⁴The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven souls in all. ²⁶All the souls who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his loins, besides Jacob's sons’ wives, were sixty-six souls in all. ²⁷The sons of Joseph born to him in the land of Egypt were nine. Thus all the souls of Jacob's house who went to Egypt were seventy-five.

²⁸Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph, that he might meet him in Goshen in the land of Rameses. ²⁹So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept a good while.

³⁰Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die in peace, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”^{† 31}Joseph then said to his brothers, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ³²But the men are shepherds, for they are pastoral men; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all they have.’ ³³So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴that you shall say, ‘Your servants are pastoral men from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen in Arabia; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

⁴⁷Now Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed, they are in the land of Goshen.” ²So he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. ³Then Pharaoh said to Joseph's brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” ⁴They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their cattle, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” ⁵Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Let them dwell in the land of Goshen, and if you know of capable men among them, make them overseers of my cattle.”

Thus Jacob and his sons came to Egypt, and Pharaoh king of Egypt heard about it. So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land.” ⁷Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?” ⁹Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourn are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have they been; but they have not attained to the days and years of my father's sojourn in life.”^†

¹⁰So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before him. ¹¹Thus Joseph settled his father and brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded. ¹²Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number of individual persons.

¹³Now there was no food in all the land; for the famine was very severe; and both the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were devastated by the famine. ¹⁴So Joseph gathered up all the money found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain they bought and all he doled out to them; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. ¹⁵Thus when the money ran out in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money has run out.” ¹⁶Then Joseph said, “Bring your cattle, and I will give you bread for them, if your money has run out.” ¹⁷So they brought their cattle to Joseph, and he gave them bread in exchange for their horses, sheep, oxen, and donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread that year in exchange for all their cattle.

¹⁸When that year ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money has run out; and my lord also has our possessions and cattle. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. ¹⁹Why should we die therefore before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

²⁰So Joseph bought all the land of the Egyptians for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his land to Pharaoh, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh's. ²¹Now as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other. ²²Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. ²³Then Joseph said to all the Egyptians, “Indeed, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. ²⁴Then it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households.” ²⁵So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.” ²⁶Then Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.

²⁷So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they acquired possessions there and increased and multiplied exceedingly. ²⁸Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years. ²⁹Thus when the time drew near for Jacob to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found grace in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and deal with me in mercy and truth. Do not bury me in Egypt,^{† 30}but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” So he said, “I will do as you say.”^{† 31}Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the top of his staff.

⁴⁸Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to Jacob. ²Thus Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. ³Then Jacob said to Joseph, “My God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me^{† 4}and said to me, ‘Behold, I will increase and multiply you; and I will make of you a gathering of nations, and give this land to your seed after you as an everlasting possession.’^†

⁵“Now therefore, your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.^{† 6}Your offspring whom you beget after them shall take possession of their inheritances within the tribes of their brothers. ⁷But as for me, when I came from Mesopotamia of Syria, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, “Who are these with you?”^{† 9}So Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God gave me here.” Jacob then said, “Bring them to me that I may bless them.” ¹⁰Now the eyes of Israel were dim by reason of old age, and he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed and embraced them. ¹¹Then Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your seed.” ¹²So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and they bowed down with their face to the ground.

¹³Then Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. ¹⁴Thus Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵Then he blessed them and said:

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac were well-pleasing,

The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,^†

16 The Angel who redeemed me from all evil,

Bless these lads;

Let my name be named upon them,

And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;

And let them grow into a great multitude in the midst of the earth.”

¹⁷Now when Joseph saw his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. ¹⁸So Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be exalted; but truly, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will be blessed, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ” Thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. ²¹Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.^{† 22}Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers; I am giving you Shechem, which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

⁴⁹Now Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:^†ω

² “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,

And listen to Israel your father.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,

My might and the beginning of my children;

You are hard to bear;

You are hardened in your self-will.^†

⁴ Unstable as water in your insolence,

You went up to your father's bed;

Then you defiled it.

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers;

They accomplished their injustice from their free choice.

⁶ Let not my soul enter their council;

Let not my honor be united to their assembly;

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it was self-willed;

And their wrath, for it was hardened.

I will divide them in Jacob,

And scatter them in Israel.^†

⁸ “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;

Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

Your father's sons shall bow down before you.^†

⁹ Judah is a lion's cub;

From being a shoot, my son, you have grown up.

He bows down, and slept as a lion and a cub;

And who shall rouse him?

¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

Nor a lawgiver from his loins,

Until Shiloh comes;

And to Him shall be the expectation of the nations.

¹¹ Binding his colt to a vine,

And his donkey 's colt to its branch,

He will wash his garments in wine,

And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes are gladdened from the wine,

And his teeth are whiter than milk.

¹³ “Zebulun shall dwell by the seacoast;

He shall be near a haven for ships,

And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

¹⁴ “Issachar. desired what was good,

Resting between the inheritances;^†

¹⁵ And seeing his resting place was good

And the land was fertile,

He set his shoulder to hard work,

And became a farmer.

¹⁶ “Dan shall judge his own people

As one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent by the way,

A viper lying in ambush by the path,

That bites the horsés heels,

That its rider may fall backward,

¹⁸ Waiting for the Lord's salvation.

¹⁹“As for Gad, a raider gang shall raid him,

But he shall raid them in close pursuit.

²⁰ “As for Asher, his food shall be abundant,

And he will furnish dainties for rulers.

²¹“Naphtali is a spreading stem,

Bestowing beauty by its produce.

²² “Joseph is a grown-up son,

A grown-up son that was envied.

Oh my youngest son, return to me.

²³They devised evil plans against him and reviled him,

And the archers were taking aim at him.

²⁴ But their bows were broken by force,

And the sinews of the arms of their hands were enfeebled

On account of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob.

Thence, he who strengthened Israel

²⁵ Is from the God of your father,

And my God has helped you and blessed you

With a blessing from heaven above

And with a blessing of the earth containing everything.

By reason of the blessing of breasts and the womb,

²⁶ He made the blessings of your father and mother

Stronger than the blessings of stable mountains and everlasting hills.

They shall be on the head of Joseph

And on the crown of the brothers he led.

²⁷“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

In the morning he will still be eating,

And in the evening he will provide food.”

²⁸All these are the twelve sons of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; and he blessed each one according to his own blessing. ²⁹Then he charged them and said to them, “I am to be added to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰opposite Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. ³¹There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. ³²The field and the cave there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” ³³Thus when Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was added to his people.^ω

⁵⁰Now Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him, and kissed him. ²Then Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

⁴So when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the princes of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found grace in your sight, speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, in the grave I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ” ⁶Then Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their sheep and oxen they left in the land of Goshen. ⁹There also went up with him both chariots and horses, and it was a very great gathering. ¹⁰Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father.

¹¹So when the inhabitants of the land of Canaan saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called the Mourning of Egypt, which is beyond the Jordan. ¹²Thus his sons did for him just as he commanded them. 13For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, opposite Mamre, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. 14After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

¹⁵When Joseph's brothers saw their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil we did to him.” ¹⁶So they came to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ¹⁷‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “I beg you, forgive the injustice of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’ ” Now, forgive the injustice of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

¹⁹So Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I belong to God. ²⁰But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. ²¹Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your households.” Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.^†

²²So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his brothers. Then Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. ²³Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation and the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees. ²⁴Then Joseph said to his brethren, “I am about to die; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land God swore to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”^{† 25}Thus Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and put him in a coffin in Egypt.^†

Chapters in Exodus

Introduction

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 1

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 2

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 4

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 5

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 7

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 8

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 9

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 10

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 11

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 12

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 13

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 14

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 15

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 16

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 17

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 18

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 19

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 20

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 21

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 22

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 23

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 24

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 25

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 26

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 27

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 28

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 29

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 30

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 31

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 32

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 33

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 34

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 35

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 36

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 37

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 38

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 39

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Exodus Chapter 40

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32

Back to Chapters in Exodus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Author – According to Hebrew and Christian tradition, Moses is the author of Exodus. This is the teaching of Christ (Mk.1:44), of His disciples (Jn.1:45), and of the book itself (17:14).

Date – Exodus, which means “departure,” was written during the forty years of Israel's wandering in the wilderness, from the crossing of the Red Sea to the entrance into the land of Canaan.

Major Themes – God's covenant with Israel and the judgment of her oppressors. God reveals Himself and His Name “YAHWEH,” meaning “I AM the Existing One.”

Background – Exodus immediately follows in the timeline after Genesis. God brought about a series of miracles to release His people from slavery in Egypt. The nation of Egypt was judged by God for its treatment of the Hebrews and its rejection of Him as the One True God. The forty years of wandering in the wilderness is the consequence of Israel's sins, as well as a necessary time of preparation to inherit the promised land as a people set apart for God.

Outline

I. Deliverance from Bondage in Egypt (1:1–15:21)

A. Israel's life in Egypt (1:1–22)

B. Moses’ youth (2:1–25)

C. God calls Moses (3:1–4:31)

D. The plagues in Egypt (5:1–11:10)

E. The Passover (Pascha) (12:1–13:16)

F. Departure from Egypt and crossing the Red Sea (13:17–15:21)

II. Wandering in the Wilderness (15:22–18:27)

III. God's Covenant with Israel (19:1–24:18)

A. The covenant and the Decalogue (19:1–20:21)

B. The book of the covenant (20:22–23:33)

C. Ratification of the covenant (24:1–18)

IV. Instructions for Building the Sanctuary and for Its Ministers (25:1–31:18)

V. The Golden Calf (32:1–34:35)

A. The peoplés sins (32:1–35)

B. Renewal of the covenant (33:1–34:35)

VI. Instructions for Building and Furnishing the Sanctuary (35:1–40:32)

¹Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:^{ω 2}Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³Is-sachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ⁵All those who were the seed of Jacob were seventy-five persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). ⁶Now Joseph died, as well as all his brothers and all that generation.^{† 7}Then the children of Israel increased and multiplied, became numerous, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

⁸But there arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph. ⁹Then he said to his nation, “Look, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude and is stronger than we; ¹⁰come, let us outwit them, lest they multiply, and it happen in the event of war that they also join our enemies and fight against us and so escape out of the land.”^{† 11}Therefore he set taskmasters over them to afflict them in their works; and they built for Pharaoh strong cities – Pithom and Raamses and On, which is Heliopolis. ¹²But the more they humbled them, the more they multiplied and grew; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel.^†13So the Egyptians tyrannized the children of Israel by force. ¹⁴They made their lives bitter with hard labor – in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their labor in which they made them serve was by violence.

¹⁵Then the king of the Egyptians spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;^{† 16}and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women and see they are about to give birth, if it is a male, then you shall kill him; but if a female, let her live.” ¹⁷But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

¹⁸So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the male children alive?” ¹⁹Thus the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the women of Egypt; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” ²⁰Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. ²¹So it was, because the midwives feared God, He provided households for them. ²²So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every male born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the river, but every female you shall save alive.”

²Now a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. ²So the woman conceived and bore a son; and seeing he was a beautiful child, they hid him three months.^{† 3}But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes, daubed it with asphalt, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. ⁴Now his sister was watching from a distance to learn what would be done with him.^†

⁵Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked along the riverside; and seeing the ark among the reeds, she sent a maid to get it.^{ω 6}So when she opened the ark, she saw the child crying, and the daughter of Pharaoh had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” ⁷Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” ⁸So Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” Then the maiden went and called the child's mother. ⁹Pharaoh's daughter then said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.^{† 10}Now when the boy was grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

¹¹Thus it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and saw their burdens. He also saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren of the sons of Israel.^{†ω 12}So he looked this way and that, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.^{† 13}When he went out the second day, he saw two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you hitting your neighbor?” ¹⁴He replied, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses was alarmed and said, “Surely this thing is known.” ¹⁵Thus when Pharaoh heard this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.^†

¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, who fed the sheep of their father Jethro; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

¹⁸When they came to Reuel their father, he said to them, “How is it you came so soon today?” ¹⁹They replied, “An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds; and he also drew enough water for us and watered our sheep.” ²⁰So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” ²¹Then Moses dwelt with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. ²²So the woman conceived and bore Moses a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”^†

²³Now in the course of time, it happened that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of their labors and cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the labors. ²⁴So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.^{† 25}Then God looked upon the children of Israel and was made known to them.

³Now Moses was tending the sheep of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. Then he led them to the back of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.^{ω 2}Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.^{† 3}So Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.”^†

⁴When therefore the Lord saw him turn aside to look, God called to him from the midst ofthe bush and said, “Moses! Moses!” Then he said, “Here I am.”^{† 5}So He said, “Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”^{† 6}Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses then hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.^†

⁷Then the Lord said, “Indeed, I have seen the affliction of My people in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrow.^{† 8}So I came down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Gergesites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the affliction with which the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰Come now, I will send you to Pharaoh, to bring My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt.”

¹¹But Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt?” ¹²Then God said to Moses, “I will be with you, and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” ¹³So Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I go to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴Then God said to Moses, “I AM the Existing One.” He also said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Existing One sent me to you.’ ”^{† 15}Moreover God said to Moses again, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and My memorial to all generations. ¹⁶Go then, and gather the elders of the children of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – appeared to me, saying, “I have surely looked upon you and all the things that happened to you in Egypt; ¹⁷and I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Gergesites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ”

¹⁸“Then they will heed your voice; and you shall go, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The God of the Hebrews met with us; and now, let us go three days’ journey into the desert to sacrifice to our God.’ ¹⁹But I know Pharaoh the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even by a mighty hand. ²⁰Thus I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all My wonders which I will work among them; and after that he will let you go. ²¹Then I will give this people grace in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. ²²But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

⁴ Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ” ²So the Lord said to him, “What is in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”^{† 3}Thus He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. ⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (so he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), ⁵“so they may believe the Lord God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – appeared to you.”

⁶Furthermore, the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” So he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, it was leprous like snow. ⁷Again He said, “Put your hand in your bosom” (so he put his hand in his bosom again and then removed it; and it was restored to the complexion of his other flesh),^{† 8}“then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, they may believe the message of the second. ⁹Then it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land; and the water you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”

¹⁰Then Moses said to the Lord, “I pray, O Lord, I am not capable, neither before nor since You spoke to Your servant; but I am weak in speech and slow of tongue.” ¹¹So the Lord said to him, “Who made man's mouth? And who made the mute, the deaf, the seeing, and the blind? Did not I, God? ¹²Now therefore, go, and I will open your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” ¹³But he said, “I pray, O Lord, appoint another capable one whom You may send.”

¹⁴Then the Lord was very angry with Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he will speak for you, and indeed, he will come out to meet you; and indeed, when he sees you, he will be glad in heart.^{† 15}Now you shall speak to him and put My words in his mouth, and I will open your mouth and his mouth; and I will teach you what you shall do. ¹⁶So he shall be your spokesman to the people, and he himself shall be your mouth; and you shall be to him as God. ¹⁷Now you shall take in your hand the rod that was turned into a serpent, with which you shall work miracles.”^†

¹⁸So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “I will go and return to my brethren in Egypt and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹Now in those days, after some time, the king of Egypt died. So the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” ²⁰Then Moses took his wife and sons and set them on beasts of burden; and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. ²¹Again, the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you work before Pharaoh all the wonders I put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.^{† 22}Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My firstborn son.^{† 23}So I say to you, ‘Let My people go so they may serve Me.’ But if you refuse to let them go, indeed, I will kill your firstborn son.” ’ ”

²⁴Thus it came to pass on the way, at the inn, that the Angel of the Lord met him and sought to kill him. ²⁵Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and fell at His feet and said, “The flow of blood from my son's circumcision is stopped.” ²⁶So He departed from him, because she said, “The flow of blood from my son's circumcision is stopped.” ²⁷Now the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and they kissed one another. ²⁸Then Moses reported to Aaron all the words of the Lord which He sent to him, and all the signs which He commanded him. ²⁹Thus Moses and Aaron went and gathered together the elders of the children of Israel.

³⁰Aaron then spoke all the words the Lord spoke to Moses, and he did the signs in the sight of the people.^{† 31}So the people believed and rejoiced because God had visited the children of Israel and because He had seen their affliction. Then the people bowed and worshiped.

⁵Now after this Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, so they may hold a feast to Me in the desert.’ ” ²Then Pharaoh said, “Who is He, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”^{† 3}So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has called us to Him. Let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest at any time death or slaughter happen to us.” ⁴Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Get back to your work.” ⁵Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, so let us not give them rest from their work.”

⁶So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their clerks, saying, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as yesterday and the day before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸Furthermore, you shall lay on them a daily quota of bricks they are to do each day. You shall hold them to it. You shall not reduce it, for they are loafers; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let the labors of these men be oppressive and cause them anxiety; and let them not pay attention to empty words.”

¹⁰So the taskmasters of the people and their clerks went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go, get it yourselves wherever you can find it; yet nothing will be reduced from your workload.’ ” ¹²The people were then dispersed throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³The taskmasters also forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your daily quota of work as when straw was given you.” ¹⁴Also the clerks from the race of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters set over them, were beaten and questioned, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making bricks both yesterday and the day before, and also today?”

¹⁵Then the clerks of Israel's sons entered and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? ¹⁶No straw is given your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and indeed, your servants are beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” ¹⁷But he said, “You are loafers! You are loafers! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸Now therefore, go and work; for no straw shall be given you; yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” ¹⁹So the clerks from the children of Israel saw they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”

²⁰Then as they departed from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them. ²¹They said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in his hand to kill us.”^†

²²So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You sent me?^{† 23}From the time I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has afflicted this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them from his land.”

²God also spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.^{† 3}I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their God, but I did not reveal to them My name, Lord. ⁴I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of the Canaanites, the land of their sojourn, in which they were strangers.^{† 5}I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I remembered My covenant. ⁶Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the Egyptian tyranny; I will rescue you from their bondage and redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgments. ⁷I will take you as My people and be your God. Then you shall know I am the Lord your God who brought you out from under the Egyptian tyranny.^{† 8}I will also bring you into the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” ⁹So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they paid no heed to Moses because of their faintheartedness and cruel bondage.^†

¹⁰Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹“Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to send forth the children of Israel from his land.” ¹²Moses then spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have paid no heed to me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am not eloquent?” ¹³Thus the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁴Now these are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. This is the family of Reuben. ¹⁵Now the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. ¹⁶Now these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogy: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. ¹⁷The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi, the houses of their family.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Kohath lived one hundred and thirty-three years. ¹⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their kindreds. ²⁰Now Amram took as his wife Jochebed, the daughter of his father's brother; and she bore him Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister; and Amram lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. ²¹The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. ²²The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri. ²³Now Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. This is the genealogy of Korah. ²⁵Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the families of the Levites according to their genealogy. ²⁶Now these are the same Aaron and Moses to whom God said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt with their army.” ²⁷These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.

²⁸In the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.” ³⁰But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am weak in speech; and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

⁷Now the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.^{† 2}You shall speak all I command you, and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel from his land. ³I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.^{† 4}But Pharaoh will not heed you; and I shall lay My hand on Egypt and bring My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt with My power and great vengeance. ⁵Then all the Egyptians shall know I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”^{† 6}Thus, as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ⁷Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

⁸Again the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ⁹“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show us a sign or a wonder,’ then you shall say to Aaron your brother, ‘Take your rod and cast it on the ground before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.’ ”^{† 10}So Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and his servants, and they did so, as the Lord commanded them. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹In response, Pharaoh called together the wise men, the sorcerers, and the charmers of Egypt, and in like manner, they did the same with their sorceries. ¹²For each man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. ¹³But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not give heed to them as the Lord commanded.

¹⁴So the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. ^†15Go to Pharaoh early in the morning, when he goes to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and you shall take in your hand the rod that turned to a serpent. ¹⁶Then you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, to serve Me in the desert”; but indeed, until now you would not hear. ¹⁷Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the water in the river with the rod in my hand, and it shall be turned to blood. ¹⁸Then the fish in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink water from the river.” ’ ” ¹⁹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron your brother, ‘Take your rod in your hand and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt – over their rivers, their canals, their ponds, and all their standing water, so they may become blood. There shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and of stone.’ ”

²⁰So Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded them. Aaron lifted his hand with the rod and struck the waters in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. Then all the waters in the river were turned to blood. ²¹The fish in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. ²²Then the sorcerers of Egypt did the same with their sorceries; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not heed them, as the Lord said. ^{† 23}Pharaoh then turned and went to his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.^{† 24}So all the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink water from the river. ²⁵Then seven days passed after the Lord struck the river.

²⁶Now the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go to serve Me. ²⁷But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. ²⁸So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. ²⁹The frogs shall come up on you, your people, and all your servants.” ’ ”

⁸Again the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron your brother, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, the canals, and the pools, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” ²So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ³Then the sorcerers did the same with their sorceries and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

⁴Pharaoh then called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, and let Him take away the frogs from me and my people; and I will let the people go and sacrifice to the Lord.”^{† 5}Moses replied to Pharaoh, “Appoint me a time when I shall pray for you, for your servants, and for your people to make the frogs disappear from you, your people, and your houses. Only in the river will they remain.” ⁶So Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses then said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know this is none other than the Lord.^{† 7}Now the frogs shall depart from you, your houses, your servants, and your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

⁸Then Moses and Aaron departed from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the time He had agreed to, concerning the frogs He had brought against Pharaoh. ⁹So the Lord did just as Moses said, and the frogs died away from the houses, the villages, and the fields. ¹⁰Then they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ¹¹But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, his heart was hardened; and he did not heed them, as the Lord said.^†

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, that it may become lice on men, on four-footed animals, and throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹³Thus Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and four-footed animals; and there were lice in all the dust of the land. ¹⁴Now the sorcerers so worked with their sorceries to bring forth lice, but they could not; and there were lice on man and four-footed animals. ¹⁵Then the sorcerers said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not heed them, as the Lord said.^†

¹⁶Again the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he goes to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go to serve Me in the desert. ¹⁷Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send the dog-fly on you and your servants, and on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with the dog-fly, and also the ground on which they stand. ¹⁸Now on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no dog-fly be there, that you may know I am the Lord, the Lord of all the earth.^{† 19}I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this shall be a sign in the land.” ’ ” ²⁰So the Lord did thus; and the dog-fly came in abundance into the houses of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt, and the land was destroyed by the dog-fly.

²¹Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.” ²²But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we should sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, they would stone us. ²³We will go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as He said to us.” ²⁴Pharaoh then said, “I will send you away, and you shall sacrifice to the Lord your God in the desert; only you shall not go very far away, and then pray for me to the Lord.” ²⁵Then Moses said, “Indeed, I will go out from you and pray to God, and tomorrow the dog-fly will depart from you, and from your servants and your people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go sacrifice to the Lord.”

²⁶So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to God. ²⁷Thus the Lord did as Moses said and removed the dog-fly from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not one remained. ²⁸But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.^†

⁹Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go so they may serve Me. ²But if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, ³behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the fields – on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the oxen, and the sheep – a very severe pestilence. ⁴Then I will make a clear distinction between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ”

⁵Then God appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the cattle of the Egyptians died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel, not one died. ⁷Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one among the cattle of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.^†

⁸So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh; ⁹and let it become dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils to break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰So they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven; and they caused boils to break out in sores on man and beast. ¹¹Now the sorcerers could not stand before Moses because of the sores, for the sores were on the sorcerers and in all the land of Egypt. ¹²But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart; and he did not heed them, as the Lord said to Moses.

¹³Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, so they may serve Me, ¹⁴for at this time I will send all My plagues into your very heart, and on your servants and your people, that you may know there is not another such as I in all the earth.^{† 15}For now I will stretch forth My hand and smite you and kill your people, and you will be cut off from the earth. ¹⁶But for this very reason were you preserved, that I might display in you My strength, and that My name might be declared in all the earth. ¹⁷As yet, you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.^{† 18}Behold, tomorrow about this time, I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. ¹⁹Therefore, hurry now and gather your cattle and all you have in the fields, for the hail shall come down on every man and animal found in the fields; and whatever is not brought home shall die.” ’ ” ²⁰Thus he who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh gathered his cattle into the houses.^{† 21}But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and cattle in the field.

²²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there shall be hail in all the land of Egypt – both on man and cattle, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³So Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. Thus the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴This hail and the fire mingled with it were so very heavy, there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation; and ²⁵throughout the whole land of Egypt it struck both man and cattle and every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. ²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

²⁷Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are ungodly. ²⁸Therefore, pray for me to the Lord, and let Him cause the thunderings of God to cease, and the hail and fire, for I will let you go and you shall stay no longer.” ²⁹So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail and rain, that you may know the earth is the Lord's. ³⁰But as for you and your servants, I know you will not yet fear the Lord.” ³¹Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was ripe and the flax was beginning to seed. ³²But as for the wheat and the rye, they were not struck, for they were late crops.

³³So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. ³⁴Thus when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants. ³⁵So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord said to Moses.

¹⁰Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that these signs may come upon them;^{† 2}and that you may tell in the hearing of your children and your children's children, in how many things I mocked the Egyptians, and My wonders I wrought among them; and you shall know I am the Lord.”^†

³So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go so they may serve Me.^{† 4}Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring an abundance of locusts into your territory. ⁵And they shall cover the face of the earth, so no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left of the land's abundance which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ⁶They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians – which neither your fathers nor their forefathers saw, since the day they were on the earth to this day.’ ” So Moses turned and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go so they may serve their God. Do you not yet know Egypt is destroyed?”

⁸So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God, but who are the ones going?” ⁹Moses replied, “We will go with our young and old; with our sons and daughters, with our sheep and oxen, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Let the Lord be with you when I let you and your little ones go, but not your belongings, for evil lies before you. ¹¹Not so, but let the men go and serve God, for that is what you desired.” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and let the locusts come upon the land of Egypt and eat every herb of the land – everything the hail left.” ¹³So Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven, and the Lord brought a south wind on the land all that day and night. When it was morning, the south wind brought the locusts; ¹⁴and the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested in very great abundance on all the territory of Egypt. Previously there were no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. ¹⁵For they covered the face of the land, and the land was wasted. They ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees left by the hail. There remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.^{† 17}Now therefore, pardon my sin yet this time, and pray to the Lord your God that He take away from me this death.” ¹⁸So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to God. ¹⁹Then the Lord brought in from the opposite direction a strong wind from the sea, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

²¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven and let there be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that may be felt.”^{† 22}So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³No one saw his brother for three days; nor did anyone rise from his bed for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord your God; only let your sheep and oxen be kept back. Let your belongings also go with you.” ²⁵But Moses said, “No, but you must give us whole burnt offerings and sacrifices that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶Thus our cattle shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know in what manner we shall serve the Lord our God until we arrive there.”

²⁷But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸Then Pharaoh said to him, “Depart from me. Take heed to yourself that you see my face no more. For in the day you see my face, you shall die.” ²⁹So Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again.”

¹¹Now the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here. ²Speak now secretly in the hearing of the people, and let everyone ask from his neighbor articles of silver and gold and clothing.” ³So the Lord gave the people grace in the sight of the Egyptians, and they lent to them. Moreover, the man Moses was very great before the Egyptians and before Pharaoh and all his servants.^†

⁴Then Moses said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne even to the firstborn of the female servant behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. ⁶Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. ⁷But against not even one of the descendants of Israel, be it man or cattle, shall a dog snarl its tongue, that you may know the Lord shall make a wide distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.’ ⁸And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Go from here, and all the people who follow you.’ After that I will go out.” Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

⁹But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, that I may multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰So Moses and Aaron did all these signs and wonders in the land of Egypt before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel depart from the land of Egypt.^†

¹²Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.^{† 3}Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the family households, a lamb for each home.^{† 4}If there be too few in a household, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of souls; he will make his count in lambs according to the needs of each one. ⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or the kids. ⁶Then you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ⁷Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.^{† 8}They shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire – its head with its legs and its entrails. ¹⁰You shall let none of it remain until morning, nor shall you break a bone of it; and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.^{† 11}Thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Pascha.^{† 12}For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute vengeance: I am the Lord. ¹³Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.^{† 14}So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.^†

Christ our Passover

Passover, the central rite and symbol of Judaism, is based on the experience of the liberation of the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt (Ex 12:1–15:21). It is called Passover both because the Lord passed over the homes of the Hebrews, sparing them from the death that came to the first-born in Egypt, and because the Hebrews passed over the Red Sea as if it were dry land. Passover celebrates God’s steadfast love and devotion to His people and their freedom in Him.

Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, Passover preeminently signifies God’s rescue and forging together of His chosen people, Israel. The Lord repeatedly brings this event to mind as He encourages and exhorts His people to return to their covenantal responsibilities (Jdg.6:7–10; 1Kg.10:17–19; Ps.80:10, 11; Jer.11:1–8; Mic.6:1–8).

Through His saving work, Christ becomes our Passover (pascha in Greek). Through Him we experience liberation from sin, death, and the devil. St. Paul exclaims, “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast” (1Co.5:7, 8). He is the Paschal Lamb (Is.53:7; Jn.1:29; Rev.5:6–14) who gave Himself up in sacrifice “once for all” (Heb.10:10–14) to reconcile us with God. At every Pascha – “Easter” – the Church sings:

Today a sacred Pascha is revealed to us, a new and holy Pascha, a mystical Pascha, a Pascha worthy of veneration, a Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer.

In many typological details, the Passover of the Jews clearly points towards Christ as our Passover.

1 The Passover lamb, whose blood was smeared by the Hebrews on their doorposts in the sign of the Cross, was a male without blemish; Jesus was a male without blemish who died on the Cross.

2 The blood of the Passover lamb saved the first-born of the Hebrews from death; the blood of Christ saves all those believing in Him from eternal death (Rom.5:8–10; 1Pt.1:17–19).

3 The Passover lamb had none of its bones broken (Ex.12:10, 46); Jesus also had no bones broken as He was sacrificed (Jn.19:31–36).

4 The Hebrews escaped from the burden of slavery in Egypt by passing through the Red Sea; Christians pass “from Egypt, from the burden of sin,” being “set free and saved” through the waters of Holy Baptism (GrgNy). For in the waters of Baptism, we are “baptized into His death,” “crucified with Him,” and raised up “in the likeness of His resurrection” to “walk in newness of life” (Rom.6:3–11).

St. John Chrysostom marvels at the power of Christ’s blood:

If the type of it had such great power... in the midst of Egypt, when smeared on the doorposts, much more the reality.... if death so shuddered at the shadow, tell me how would it not have dreaded the very reality? This blood is the salvation of our souls; by it the soul is washed, and made beautiful and... more gleaming than gold (see Rev.7:13, 14).

Sustained and strengthened by the blood of Christ our Passover, we resume daily our journey to the eternal promised land, the promised kingdom to come.

¹⁵‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No servile work shall be done on them; and whatever must be done by each soul, this only shall be done by you.^{† 17}So you shall keep this commandment, for on this same day I will bring your army out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. ¹⁹For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go away and take a lamb for yourselves according to your families, and sacrifice the Pascha. ²²Then you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood in the basin. But none of you shall go out from the door of his house until morning.^{† 23}For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass by the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.^{† 24}Now you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵So if you enter the land the Lord shall give you, as He promised, you shall keep this service. ²⁶Thus it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean?’ ²⁷that you shall say, ‘This is the Paschal sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people bowed down and worshiped. ²⁸Then the children of Israel went away and did as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did.

²⁹Now it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive woman in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the cattle. ³⁰So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in all the land of Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.^{† 31}Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. Go and serve the Lord as you said. ³²Take also your sheep and oxen and go, and bless me as well.” ³³The Egyptians also urged the people so as to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.”^{† 34}So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵Thus the children of Israel did as Moses commanded them, and they asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, gold, and clothing. ³⁶Now the Lord gave the people grace in the sight of the Egyptians, who lent to them. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides their belongings. ³⁸A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with sheep, oxen, and a great deal of cattle.^{† 39}Then they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because the Egyptians drove them out; and they could not remain, nor had they prepared for themselves provisions for the journey. ⁴⁰Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt and in the land of Canaan was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹Then it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years that the entire army of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt by night. ⁴²It is a night of vigil to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of vigil to the Lord for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the law of Pascha: no foreigner shall eat it. ⁴⁴But every man's servant bought with money, when you circumcise him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. ⁴⁶In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. ⁴⁷All the congregation of the children of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸But when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Lord's Pascha, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and sacrifice it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ⁴⁹One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” ⁵⁰Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ⁵¹So it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their army.^ω

¹³Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, the first-begotten, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both man and cattle; it is Mine.”

³Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you went out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. ⁴On this day you are going out, in the month of new grains. ⁵And it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Gergesites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. ⁶Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days, and no leavened bread shall be seen among you; nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your regions. ⁸Then you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord my God did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ ⁹It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial before your eyes, that the Lord's law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord God brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰You shall therefore keep this law according to the times of the seasons from year to year.

¹¹“Then it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to your fathers, and gives it to you, ¹²that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every male, everything that opens the womb from the herds or among your cattle; as many as you shall have, you shall sanctify the males to the Lord. ¹³But every offspring that opens the womb of a donkey you shall exchange for a sheep; but if you will not exchange it, you shall redeem it; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹⁵Thus it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶It shall be as a sign on your hand and immoveable before your eyes, for with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

¹⁷Thus when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸So God led the people around by way of the desert to the Red Sea, and in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹Now Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” ²⁰So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham by the desert.^{ω 21}Moreover, God led them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire. ²²Thus the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before all the people.^†

¹⁴Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel that they turn and camp at the village between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before them by the sea. ³For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the desert has closed them in.’ ⁴Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them; and I will be glorified in Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know I am the Lord.” So they did.^†

⁵Now it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. ⁷Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. ⁸Thus the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. ⁹So the Egyptians pursued them, all the cavalry and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the village opposite Baal Zephon.

¹⁰Now when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the desert? Why have you so dealt with us to bring us up out of Egypt? ¹²Is this not the word we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”

¹³Then Moses said to the people, “Be of good courage. Stand still and see the Lord's salvation which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again. ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

¹⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.^{†ω 16}Now lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and let the children of Israel go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. ¹⁷I indeed will harden Pharaoh's heart and all the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. So I will be glorified in Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horses. ¹⁸Then the Egyptians will know I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horses.”

¹⁹Now the Angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud also went from before them and stood behind them.^{† 20}So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the night passed; but there was such darkness and blackness, they did not come near one another all that night. ²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord carried back the sea by a strong south wind all that night and made the sea dry ground. Thus the waters were divided.^{† 22}So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.^{† 23}Then the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen. ²⁴Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud; and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. ²⁵He bound the axles of their chariot wheels and caused them to proceed with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots and the riders.” ²⁷So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were trying to flee. But the Lord shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.^{† 28}Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all of Pharaoh's army that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. The waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ³⁰So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹Thus Israel saw the Lord's mighty hand and the things He did to the Egyptians; therefore, the people feared the Lord and believed God and His servant Moses.

¹⁵ Now Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to God and spoke, saying:

“Let us sing to the Lord, for He is greatly glorified.

Horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.^†

² The Lord became my helper and the shield of my salvation;

He is my God, and I will glorify Him;

My father's God, and I will exalt Him.^†

³ The Lord brings wars to nothing;

The Lord is His name.

⁴ Pharaoh's chariots and army He cast into the sea;

His chosen captains also were drowned in the Red Sea.

⁵ The sea covered them;

They sank to the bottom like a stone.

⁶ “Your right hand, O God, is glorified in strength;

Your right hand, O God, dashed the enemy in pieces.^†

⁷ In the greatness of Your glory

You broke the adversaries to pieces;

You sent forth Your wrath;

It consumed them like stubble.

⁸ By the Spirit of Your anger the waters were gathered together;

The waves stood upright in the midst of the sea;

The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.^†

⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils;

I will satisfy my soul;

I will destroy with my sword;

My hand shall have dominion.’

¹⁰ You sent forth Your Spirit;

The sea covered them;

They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹ “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like You, glorified in holiness,

Marvelous in praises, doing wonders?

¹² You stretched out Your right hand;

The earth swallowed them up.

¹³ In righteousness You guided Your people whom You redeemed;

In strength You called them to Your holy resting place.

¹⁴ “The nations heard and were angry;

Pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁵ The princes of Edom

And the chiefs of the Moabites were dismayed;

Trembling took hold of them;

All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

¹⁶ Fear and dread fell upon them;

By the greatness of Your arm, let them become as stone

Till Your people pass over, O Lord,

Till Your people pass over, whom You purchased.^†

¹⁷ Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance,

In Your prepared habitation, O Lord, which Your hands made ready;

The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands established.

¹⁸ “The Lord reigns forever and ever and ever.”

¹⁹For Pharaoh's horses went with his chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.

²⁰Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dances. 21So Miriam led them:

“Let us sing to the Lord, for He is greatly glorified.

Horse and rider He cast into the sea.”^†

²²Thus Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the desert and found no water to drink.^{† 23}Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore he named that place Bitterness.^{† 24}Then the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵So he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. There He proved him^{† 26}and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is pleasing in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His ordinances, I will put none of the diseases on you that I brought on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord your God who heals you.”^†

²⁷Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.^†

¹⁶Now they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. ²Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron.^{† 3}The children of Israel said to them, “Would we had died, smitten by the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread to the full. For you brought us out into this desert to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”^{† 4}Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread out of heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.^{† 5}So it shall be on the sixth day, they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

⁶Then Moses and Aaron said to all the congregation of the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt. ⁷In the morning you shall see the Lord's glory; for He hears your complaints against God. But what are we, that you complain against us?” ⁸Also Moses said, “The Lord's glory shall be seen when He gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints you make against Him. But what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against God.”

⁹Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before God, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” ¹⁰Now when Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and behold, the Lord's glory appeared in the cloud. ¹¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²“I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know I am the Lord your God.’ ”

¹³So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.^{† 14}But when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the desert, was a small round substance, white like coriander seed, like frost on the ground. ¹⁵So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is this?” For they did not know what it was. Thus Moses said to them, “This is the bread the Lord gives you to eat. ¹⁶This is what the Lord has ordered, ‘Let every man gather it for his family, one omer according to the head count and number of souls among you. Each one should gather it with those who share your tents.’ ”

¹⁷Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. ¹⁸So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Each one gathered according to the need of those sharing the tent with him.^{† 19}Moses then said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” ²⁰Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. So Moses was angry with them.^{† 21}Thus they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need, and when the sun became hot, it melted.

²²So it was, on the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. ²³Then he said to them, “This is the word the Lord has spoken: ‘Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a holy rest to the Lord. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains to be kept until morning.’ ” ²⁴So they laid it up till morning as Moses commanded them; but it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. ²⁵Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.”

²⁷Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. ²⁸Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? ²⁹Behold, for the Lord has given you this day as the Sabbath; therefore, on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Let every man remain in his house; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”^{† 30}Thus the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹Now the children of Israel called its name manna, and it was white like coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. ³²Then Moses said, “This is the thing the Lord commanded: ‘Fill an omer with the manna to be kept for your generations, so they may see the bread you ate in the desert when the Lord led you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” ³³Moses then said to Aaron, “Take a golden pot, put one full omer of the manna in it, and lay it up before God to be kept for your generations.”^{† 34}As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the testimony to be kept. ³⁵Thus the children of Israel ate the manna forty years until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of Phoenicia. ³⁶Now an omer was the tenth part of three measures.

¹⁷Now all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the Wilderness of Sin, according to their encampments and by the word of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. ²Therefore the people contended with Moses, saying, “Give us water, that we may drink.” Moses then said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” ³Thus the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why is it you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our cattle with thirst?” ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go before this people and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand the rod with which you struck the river and go. ⁶Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it so the people may drink.” So Moses did so before the children of Israel.^{† 7}Thus he called the name of that place Temptation and Abuse, because of the abusive language of the children of Israel and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

⁸Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. ⁹So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for yourself some mighty men and go out, and set the army in array against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” ¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses said to him and set the army in array against Amalek. Then Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹And so it was, when Moses held up his hands, that Israel prevailed; but when he let down his hands, Amalek prevailed.^{† 12}Now Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and one on the other; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.^{† 13}So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵Now Moses built an altar and called its name The-Lord-My-Refuge; ¹⁶for with a secret hand the Lord wars with Amalek from generation to generation.

¹⁸Now Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all God did for Moses and for Israel His people – that the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. ²Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he sent her back ³with her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gershom (for he said, “I was a sojourner in a foreign land”)^{† 4}and the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father is my help, and He rescued me from the hand of Pharaoh”); ⁵and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the desert, where he encamped at the mountain of God.

⁶Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and two sons with her.” ⁷So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. Thus they greeted one another, and he brought them into the tent. ⁸Then Moses told his father-in-law all the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to all the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them out of the hand of Pharaoh and from the hand of the Egyptians. ⁹Then Jethro was amazed at all the good things the Lord had done for Israel, whom He delivered out of the hand of Pharaoh and from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰Then Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who delivered you out of the hand of Pharaoh and from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know the Lord is great above all the gods; for this reason they did not prevail over them.” ¹²Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for God, for Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

¹³So it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. ¹⁴So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”^{† 15}Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek judgment from God. ¹⁶When they have a dispute, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the ordinances of God and His laws.” ¹⁷So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing you are doing is not good. ¹⁸Both you and these people with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.

¹⁹“Now listen to me; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people that you may bring their concerns to God. ²⁰Teach them God's ordinances and laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the works they are to do. ²¹Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men such as fear God, just men, hating covetousness; and set them over the people to be rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²²Let them judge the people at all times. Then every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will relieve and help you. ²³If you do this thing, God will strengthen you; then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”

²⁴So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all he said. ²⁵Thus Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶They judged the people at all times; all the hard cases they brought to Moses, but the small ones they judged themselves. ²⁷Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he returned to his own land.

¹⁹Now in the third month after the children of Israel departed from the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came into the Sinai Desert. ²For they departed from Rephidim, came into the Sinai Desert, and camped in the desert. So Israel camped there before the mountain.

³Then Moses went up to the mountain of God, and God called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel: ⁴‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.^{† 5}Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be a special people to Me above all nations; for all the earth is Mine. ⁶You shall be to Me a royal priesthood and a holy nation.’ These are the words you shall speak to the children of Israel.”^†

⁷So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words the Lord commanded him. ⁸Then all the people answered with one accord and said, “Everything the Lord said we will do and hearken to.” So Moses reported these words to God.^{† 9}The Lord then said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the pillar of cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever.” So Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰Again the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly charge the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.^{ω 11}Let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will descend upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹²You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely die. ¹³Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the thunders, the trumpets, and the cloud depart from the mountain, they shall ascend the mountain.”

¹⁴So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified them, and they washed their clothes.^{† 15}Then he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.”

¹⁶So it was that on the third day in the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and a dark cloud on Mount Sinai; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, and all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.^{† 18}Now Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because God descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed. ¹⁹And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.^†

²⁰Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹Then God spoke to Moses, “Go down and solemnly charge the people, lest they break through to gaze at God, and many of them perish. ²²Also let the priests who come near the Lord God sanctify themselves, lest He destroysome of them.” ²³But Moses said to God, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You solemnly charged us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and sanctify it.’ ” ²⁴The Lord then said to him, “Go! Go down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to God, lest the Lord destroysome of them.” ²⁵So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

²⁰Now the Lord spoke all these words, saying:^†

²“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.^{† 3}You shall have no other gods before Me.^†

⁴“You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth.^{† 5}You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me;^{† 6}but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

The Grace of Christ and the Law of Moses

The Apostle John wrote, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn.1:17). The grace of Christ and the Law of Moses are complementary, not contradictory. The following helps explain both.

Friendship between Christ and Moses

Christ and Moses were friends and conversed as friends. The pre-incarnate Christ gave Moses the Law; in turn, Moses gave it to Israel (Ex.20:1–26). As the Lawgiver, Christ, not Moses, was the Author of the Law. Moses was His servant.

In the New Testament, Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, and they conversed with Him as friend with friend (Mt. 17:1–8). The presence of Moses shows Christ as the fulfillment of the Law. The presence of Elijah shows Christ as the fulfillment of the Prophets.

Contrast between Christ and Moses

Christ is incomparably greater than Moses, for Christ, the Son of God, who brought all creation into existence from nonexistence, is building His Church. When Christ gave Moses and Israel the Law, He spoke as the Lord their God. Moses, however, spoke to Israel in the name of the Lord their God, not in his own name (Ex.20:22). When the Son of God became incarnate, He continued to speak to Israel, but now directly and not through a prophet. Although during His three-year ministry in Israel, He did works and spoke words in His almighty power, Israel refused to believe Him, their own Lord God. But to those Jews who did believe, He gave authority to become His children (Jn.1:11, 12).

Christ also gave authority to believing Gentiles to become His children. In the Old Testament, He made it clear through Moses and His prophets the Gentiles would be included in promises to Israel (for example, Gn.12:1–3; Is.49:5, 6). Both would be in His Church. Race is not the issue, but rather faith in Christ. His Church is one, composed of every nation, tongue and tribe (Rev.5:9).

Harmonybetween Law and Grace

Christ is the Lawgiver in both Old and New Testaments. Therefore, there is no opposition or contradiction between the old and new laws. In His Incarnation, the Lawgiver Himself fulfilled the old Law, making it obsolete (Heb.8:13).

Christ gave His written Law through Moses to make sin known (Rom.3:20; 7:7). Man’s God-given natural law, written in the conscience, was dulled through disobedience in the years between Adam and Moses. The Mosaic Law helped renew this knowledge of sin to lead man to repentance. After His Ascension, Christ sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to convict the world of sin (Jn.16:8), to renew the natural law in man’s conscience (Heb.8:10), to lead us into all truth (Jn.16:13), and to make it possible for us to become partakers of the divine nature (2Pt.1:4).

Grace from the Lawgiver

Christ is the Incarnate Lawgiver who offers us remission of sins through His precious blood. The old Law could never remit sins (Heb.10:1–4). Christ not only forgives sins, but also heals the damage done through sinning. This is the unspeakable grace of the Lawgiver.

⁷“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

⁸“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: neither you, nor your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor your stranger who sojourns with you. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.

¹²“Honor your father and mother that it may be well with you, and your days may be long upon the good land the Lord your God is giving you.^†

¹³“You shall not murder.^†

¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵“You shall not steal.

¹⁶“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his house, and neither shall you covet his field, nor his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, any of his cattle, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.”^†

¹⁸Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw this, they trembled and stood afar off. ¹⁹Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”^{† 20}And Moses said to the people, “Be of good courage, for God is come to test you, that His fear may be among you so you may not sin.” ²¹So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.^†

²²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and report it to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I talked with you from heaven. ²³You shall not make for yourselves gods of silver, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. ²⁴An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings, your peace offerings, your sheep and your calves. In every place where I record My name I will come to you and bless you.^{† 25}If you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you defile it. ²⁶Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’

²¹“Now these are the ordinances you shall set before them:^{† 2}If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. ³If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴If his lord gave him a wife, and she bore him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her lord's, and he shall go out by himself. ⁵But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my lord, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’^{† 6}then his lord shall bring him to the judgment seat of God, and also to the door, or to the doorpost, and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

Images and imagery

Many people have been taught that the second of the Ten Commandments prohibits icons. However, if correct, all artistic representations of anything would be forbidden. The Lord Himself in the same book of Exodus commanded Moses to make two gold cherubim (angels) “of hammered work,” and to place them at each end of the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant (Ex.25:17–21). The Lord also stipulated that the ten curtains of the tabernacle be woven with images of cherubim on them (Ex.26:1), and likewise the veil (Ex.26:31).

When King Solomon built the temple, the huge basin, or “sea,” was set upon twelve statues of oxen (3Kg.7:13, 30). And upon the ten bases of the sea were cast or engraved “lions, oxen, and cherubim” (3Kg.7:16), as well as palm trees (3Kg.7:22). The Lord bestowed His blessing upon all these artistic representations first by filling the new temple with His Glory (3Kg.8:10, 11), and then by declaring to Solomon, “I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually” (3Kg.9:3).

Perhaps a most striking example of an image made at God’s command in the Old Testament is the bronze serpent that God ordered Moses to make and put on a pole in order to protect the Hebrews bitten by the deadly serpents (Nm.21:4–9; see Jn.3:14, 15). Hundreds of years later, when the Israelites were offering incense to this same bronze serpent in a kind of idol-worship, King Hezekiah, who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord,” had the serpent smashed into pieces (4Kg.18:3, 4).

So it is not the image itself which is faulty or prohibited, but rather its improper use. The prohibition in Exodus 20:4 is not against all artistic representations. Rather, it is against images, whether in human form or not, which would be worshipped as gods and goddesses – “gods of silver, and gods of gold” (Ex.20:23). For the Lord knew that such images would tempt the Hebrews to depart from worshipping Him, the One true God (Ex.20:3–5).

Certainly, before the invisible and limitless Lord God of Israel became incarnate, it was impossible to make an image of Him. However, after God the Son assumed a visible and tangible human body, it was natural and beneficial for the Church to create artistic representations of Him – and of His holy Mother, and of the saints and angels – from the earliest times. According to tradition, St. Luke the Evangelist made at least three icons of Christ and His Mother.

Every image, or icon, of Christ has significant theological content. For it proclaims anew the Incarnation of God, who “became flesh” for our salvation (Jn.1:14). Recognized icons of our Savior, prayerfully made, provide us with inspired, trustworthy representations of Him.

The Seventh Ecumenical Council, held in Nicea in AD 787, condemned the heresy of iconoclasm (the rejection, and even destruction, of icons). These Holy Fathers articulated the critical distinction between the worship reserved for God alone, and the veneration/honor/reverence given to the icons. In addition, this Council declared that “the honor given to the image passes on to that which the image represents.”

Through icons, Orthodox Christians are drawn closer to Christ. A hymn sung the first Sunday of Great Lent, which commemorates the restoration of icons in AD 843, declares: “the icons that depict Thy flesh lead us to the desire and love of Thee.”

⁷“If a man sells his daughter to be a domestic, she shall not go out as the maidservants do. ⁸If she does not please her lord who betrothed her to himself, he shall let her go free. But he has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. ⁹If he betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the right of daughters. ¹⁰But if he takes another wife, he shall not deprive her of necessities, clothing, and marriage rights. ¹¹If he will not do these three things for her, she shall go out free, without paying money.

¹²“He who so strikes a man that he dies shall surely be put to death. ¹³However, if he did not willfully lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hands, I will appoint for you a place where the slayer may flee.^{† 14}But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar that he may die. ¹⁵He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. 16He who curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death.^{† 17}Whoever kidnaps one of the children of Israel and overcomes and sells him, and he is found with him, let him surely die.

¹⁸“If two men revile one another, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, ¹⁹if the man rises again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for his loss of time and for his healing. ²⁰If a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. ²¹Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, the lord shall not be punished; for he is his property.

²²“If two men fight and hurt a woman with child, and her child is born imperfectly formed, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. ²³But if the child is perfectly formed, he shall give life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,^{† 25}burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. ²⁶If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he shall let them go free for their eyés sake. ²⁷If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let them go free for their tooth's sake.

²⁸“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, then the bull shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall be acquitted. ²⁹But if the bull tended to gore in times past, and it was made known to its owner, but he did not keep it confined, and it killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰But if a sum of money is imposed on him, then he shall pay the amount imposed so as to redeem his life. ³¹If a bull gores a son or daughter, it shall be done to him according to this ordinance. ³²If a bull gores a male or female servant, he shall pay their lord thirty shekels of silver, and the bull shall be stoned.

³³“If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his. ³⁵If any man's bull gores his neighbor's bull, and it dies, they shall sell the live bull and divide the money; and the dead bull they shall also divide. ³⁶But if the bull was known to gore in times past, and its owner did not keep it confined, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.

³⁷“Now if a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

²²“If a thief is found breaking in at night and is killed, there shall be no guilt for his blood. ²But if the sun rises on the thief, there shall be guilt if his blood is shed. However, he should make full restitution; but if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ³If the thing stolen, from a donkey to a sheep, is found alive in his hand, he shall restore double. ⁴If a man allows his field or vineyard to be grazed upon, but lets loose his animal and it feeds in the field of another man, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁵“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, but sets threshing floors, stacked grain, or a field on fire, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. ⁶If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep, but it is stolen out of the man's house, the thief shall pay double if he is found. ⁷But if the thief is not found, then the lord of the house shall be brought before God; and he shall swear he played no wicked part with regard to any of his neighbor's deposit. ⁸For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or any alleged loss of whatever kind, the cause of both parties shall come before God; and he that is convicted by God shall repay double to his neighbor. ⁹If anyone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is injured, or is taken, but no one knows it, ¹⁰then an oath of God shall be between them both, that he is not guilty with regard to the deposit; and the owner of the deposit shall accept this. Thus no compensation shall be made to him. ¹¹But if, in fact, the deposit is stolen from him, he shall compensate the owner. ¹²But if it is torn to pieces by a beast, he shall bring it as evidence and make no compensation. ¹³If a man borrows anything from his neighbor and it becomes injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make compensation to the owner. ¹⁴But if its owner was with it, he shall not make compensation; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

¹⁵“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁶But if her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money to her father according to the bride-price of virgins. ¹⁷You shall not permit a sorcerer to live. ¹⁸Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death. ¹⁹He who sacrifices to any god except to the Lord alone, he shall be put to death. ²⁰You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.^{† 21}You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. ²²If you afflict them in any way and they cry out to Me, I will surely hear their cry; ²³and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows and your children orphans. ²⁴If you lend money to any poor brother among you, you shall not be hard on him or charge him interest. ²⁵If you take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁶For that is his only covering, his only garment for covering his nakedness. What will he sleep in? So it will be when he cries to Me, I will hear him, for I am merciful.

²⁷“You shall not speak against gods, nor curse a ruler of your people. ²⁸You shall not delay to offer the first of your threshing floor and fruit press. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ²⁹Likewise you shall do with your calf, sheep, and donkey. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me. ³⁰Now you shall be holy men to Me, and you shall not eat meat torn by wild animals in the field; you shall throw it to the dog.

²³“Now you shall not circulate a false report. Do not agree with the wicked man to be an unrighteous witness.^{† 2}You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor join with them, so as to turn aside with the majority to pervert justice.^{† 3}You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.^{† 4}If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.^{† 5}If you see your enemy's donkey fallen beneath its load, you shall not walk away from it, but shall surely help him with it. ⁶You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. ⁷Keep yourself far from every unjust matter; do not kill the innocent and the righteous; and do not justify the wicked for his gifts. ⁸You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes and corrupts just pronouncements. ⁹Also you shall not oppress a resident alien, for you know the heart of a resident alien, because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce,^{† 11}but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. ¹²Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

¹³“Now in everything I said to you, be circumspect and do not invoke the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth. ¹⁴Keep a feast to Me three times in the year: ¹⁵You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of new grains, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty);^{† 16}and the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors you sowed in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. ¹⁷Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God. ¹⁸When I cast out the nations from before your face and expand your borders, you shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. ¹⁹The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a lamb in its mother's milk.

²⁰“Behold, I send My Angel before your face, to keep you in the way and to bring you into the land I prepared for you.^{† 21}Listen to Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.^{† 22}But if you will indeed obey My voice and do all I command you and keep My covenant, you shall be My special people above all nations, for the whole earth is Mine; and you shall be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. You shall speak these words to the children of Israel; and if you shall indeed obey My voice and do all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.^{† 23}For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Gergesites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.^{† 24}You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. ²⁵So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread, wine, and water; and I will take away sickness from you.^{† 26}No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.†

²⁷“I will send My fear before you; and I will cause confusion among all the nations to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸I will also send hornets before you which shall drive out the Amorites, the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. ²⁹I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land. ³¹And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand and will drive them out from before you. ³²You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a stumbling block to you.”

²⁴Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.^{† 2}Moses alone shall come near to God, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with them.”

³So Moses came and told the people all the words of God and all the ordinances, and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words the Lord spoke we will do.”^{† 4}Then Moses wrote all the words of the Lord; and he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve stones according to the twelve tribes of Israel.^{† 5}Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered whole burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of calves to God. ⁶Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he poured on the altar. ⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All the Lord said, we will do, and be obedient.” ⁸Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant the Lord made with you according to all these words.”

⁹After this, Moses went up, along with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and the seventy of the elders of Israel; ¹⁰and they saw the place where the God of Israel stood. Under His feet was, as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone and the appearance of heaven's firmament in its purity. ¹¹And of Israel's chosen men not one was missing. So they saw the place of God, and ate and drank. ¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone and the law and commandments I wrote, that you may teach them.”^{† 13}So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and they went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴But he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” ¹⁵Then Moses and Joshua went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.^{† 16}Now the glory of God descended on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. Then on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷The sight of the Lord's glory was like a burning fire on the top of the mountain before the children of Israel. ¹⁸So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up the mountain; and he was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.^†

²⁵Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Israel, that they take first fruits from everyone who gives it willingly from the heart. Thus you shall take My first fruits. ³This is the offering you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, fine spun linen; and female goats’ hair, ⁵ram skins dyed red and skins dyed blue, and incorruptible wood; ⁶oil for the light, and incense for anointing oil and for the composition of incense; ⁷sardius stones, and stones for the carved work of the breastplate and the full-length robe. ⁸Also, you shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will appear among you. ⁹According to all I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, so you shall make it.^†

¹⁰“Thus you shall make the ark of testimony from incorruptible wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.^{† 11}You shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and out you shall overlay it and shall make on it a wreath of gold all around. ¹²You shall cast four golden rings for it and put them on its four corners; two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ¹³You shall make poles of incorruptible wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. ¹⁵The poles shall remain fixed in the rings of the ark. ¹⁶Then you shall put into the ark the testimonies I will give you.

¹⁷“You shall also make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18Then you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.^{† 19}Make one cherub at one end and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. ²⁰And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. ²¹You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimonies I will give you. ²²There I will make Myself known to you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of testimony, about everything I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.^†

²³“You shall also make a golden table of pure gold; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. ²⁴You shall make for it golden wreaths twisted all around, and also a crown of a handbreadth all around, ²⁵and you shall make a twisted wreath of gold for the crown all around. ²⁶You shall make four golden rings for it and put the rings on the four corners of its four legs under the crown. ²⁷The rings shall be bearings for the poles, so they may bear the table with them. ²⁸And you shall make the poles of incorruptible wood and overlay them with pure gold, that the table may be carried with them. ²⁹You shall make its dishes, censers, bowls, and cups of pure gold, that you may offer drink offerings with them; ³⁰and you shall set the bread on the table before Me continually.

³¹“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold which shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, branches, and bowls, and its stem and corolla shall be of one piece. ³²Six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side and three branches out of the other. ³³Three bowls shall be made like almonds on each branch, with its ornamental knobs and lilies – and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. ³⁴On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almonds, and each with its ornamental knob and lilies. ³⁵There shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. ³⁶Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. ³⁷You shall make its seven lamps, and you will lay the lamps upon them. From this one presence they will shine outward. ³⁸You shall make its funnels and dishes of pure gold. ³⁹It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ⁴⁰And see to it you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.^†

²⁶“Now you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, and you shall weave them with artistic designs of cherubim. ²The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits and the width of each curtain four cubits. Each curtain shall have the same measurements. ³Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. ⁴You shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the curtain of the second set. ⁵Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain at the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. ⁶You shall make fifty clasps of gold and couple the curtains together with the clasps, that it may be one tabernacle.

⁷“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair skins to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven such curtains. ⁸The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. ⁹You shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. ¹⁰You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. ¹¹You shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. ¹²The remaining remnant of the tent's curtains, that is, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³A cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side of the remaining length of the tent's curtains shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it. ¹⁴You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and blue skins as coverings above that.

¹⁵“You shall make the tabernacle posts out of incorruptible wood. ¹⁶Ten cubits shall be the length of each post, and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁷Two joints shall be made in each post for binding one to another. Thus you shall do for all the posts of the tabernacle. ¹⁸Thus you shall make the posts for the tabernacle, twenty for the north side. ¹⁹You shall make forty bases of silver for the twenty posts: two bases for each of the two joints of the posts. ²⁰For the second side of the tabernacle, the south side, there shall be twenty posts, ²¹and their forty bases of silver: two bases for each of the posts’ two joints. ²²For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six posts. ²³You shall also make two posts for the two back corners of the tabernacle. ²⁴They shall be coupled together at the bottom and at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be equal. ²⁵So there shall be eight posts with their sixteen bases of silver, two bases for both sides of each post.

²⁶“You shall make bars of incorruptible wood: five for the posts on one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷five bars for the posts on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the posts of the side of the tabernacle toward the sea. ²⁸The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the posts from end to end. ²⁹You shall overlay the posts with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰Then you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern shown you on the mountain.

³¹“You shall then make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim.^{† 32}You shall hang it upon the four posts of incorruptible wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold upon four bases of silver. ³³You shall hang the veil on the posts. Then you shall bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the holy of holies. ³⁴You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies. ³⁵You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

³⁶“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle woven of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. ³⁷You shall make five posts for the veil and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.

²⁷“Now you shall make an altar of incorruptible wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide – the altar shall be square – and its height shall be three cubits. ²You shall make horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. ³Also you shall make a crown around the altar; and its cover, its libation bowls, its flesh-hooks, its incense bowl, and all its utensils you shall make of bronze. ⁴You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. ⁵You shall put them below under the grate of the altar, that the grate may be midway up the altar. ⁶You shall make poles for the altar of incorruptible wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to carry it. ⁸You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall you make it.

⁹“You shall also make a court for the tabernacle. For the west side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. ¹⁰And its twenty posts and their twenty bases shall be bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands shall be silver. ¹¹Likewise along the east side shall be curtains one hundred cubits in length, with its twenty posts and their twenty bases of bronze, and the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. ¹²And along the width of the court on the north side shall be curtains of fifty cubits, with their ten posts and ten bases. ¹³The width of the court on the south side shall be curtains of fifty cubits, with their ten posts and ten bases. ¹⁴The length of the curtains on one side shall be fifty cubits, with their three posts and three bases. ¹⁵On the other side shall be curtains of fifteen cubits, with their three posts and three bases. ¹⁶For the gate of the court there shall be a veil twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four posts and four bases. ¹⁷All the posts around the court shall be overlaid with silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits on each side, the width fifty on each side, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its bases of bronze. ¹⁹All the utensils, all the instruments, and all the pegs of the court shall be of bronze.

²⁰“You shall also command the children of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually ²¹in the tabernacle of testimony, outside the veil before the testimony. Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be an ordinance forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

²⁸“Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar may minister to Me. ²Then you shall make a holy garment for Aaron your brother, for honor and glory. ³So you shall speak to all who are wise in understanding, whom I filled with the spirit of wisdom and perception, so they may make Aaron's holy vestments for the sanctuary, in which he shall minister to Me as priest. ⁴These are the garments they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a full-length robe, a skillfully woven tunic with a fringe, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, so they may minister to Me as priests. ⁵They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine linen, ⁶and they shall make the ephod of fine spun linen, the woven work of a designer. ⁷The two parts of the ephod shall be joined together, attached at their two hems. ⁸The woven joining of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of pure gold, and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, and fine woven linen. ⁹Then you shall take two stones, emeralds, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰six of their names on one stone, and six names on the other stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹With the work of the stone-engraver's art, the engraving of a seal, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. ¹²You shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial. ¹³You shall also make bosses of gold, ¹⁴and you shall make two fringes of pure gold intermixed with flowers, a braided work, and fasten the braided fringes to the bosses on the shoulder bands in front.

¹⁵“You shall make the oracle of judgment. Artistically woven according to the style of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine spun linen you shall make it. ¹⁶It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span its width. ¹⁷Interwoven into this texture shall be a setting for four rows of stones. There shall be a row for a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald. This shall be the first row.^{† 18}The second row shall be a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper; ¹⁹the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰and the fourth row, a chrysolite, a beryl, and an onyx. They shall be set in gold settings, bound together with gold, according to their row. ²¹The stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, as the engravings of seals, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes. ²²You shall make chains for the oracle, a braided work of pure gold. ²³Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel upon the oracle of judgment on his breast, as a memorial before God for him as he goes into the sanctuary. ²⁴You shall put fringes upon the oracle of judgment, and wreaths on both sides of the oracle. You shall put the two bosses on both shoulders of the ephod in the front. ²⁵You shall put the revelation and the truth on the oracle of judgment, which will be on the breast of Aaron when he enters the holy place in the Lord's presence; and on his breast Aaron will discern the judgments for the children of Israel at all times.

The priesthood, hebrew and christian

Old Testament priests

The Hebrew word for “priest” is kohen. He is the Levite who stood as intercessor for the people before God. Old Testament priests offered up gifts and sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of the people, that they might be reconciled to Him.

The Lord directed Moses to construct the tabernacle (Ex.25:1–27:21). Then He established a permanent, hereditary priesthood, beginning with Moses’ brother Aaron and continuing through Aaron’s sons (Ex.28:1). The priests were sanctified, or consecrated, with holy oil (Ex.30:22–30). Their holy garments of finely woven and richly decorated material were for the honor and glory of God (Ex.28:2–39).

After Aaron’s death, “the Lord separated the tribe of Levi [Aaron’s tribe] to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name” (Dt.10:8). Besides the various sacrifices, the priests blessed the people (Nm.6:23–25), maintained the tabernacle (later, the temple) and its grounds (Nm.18:1–7), received tithes and offerings (Nm.18:8–32), supervised purification procedures (Lv.13:1–14:57), acted as judges (Dt 17:8–13) and taught the Law (Dt 33:8–11). Only male Levites administered the liturgical rites.

New Testament priests

From the Christian perspective, the authority of the levitical priesthood ended when Christ willingly offered Himself up to the Father as a perfect sacrifice on the cross, typified by the curtain being torn asunder in the temple (Mt 27:51).

Orthodox Christians believe the priesthood of the Church is Christ’s priesthood, with the Eucharist as the first-fruit offering. Concerning the Eucharist, St. John Chrysostom notes, “It is not men who sanctify this offering. It is the Same One who sanctified the first one [the Last Supper] who also sanctifies this one... Christ even now is present, and even now acts.” In the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant prays, “Thou Thyself art the One who offers and is offered, who accepts and is distributed.” The Church retains the male priesthood because the Man Christ Jesus, the Son of God, officiates at every Eucharistic service in and through His bishops, priests and deacons. The clergy do not serve in the place of Christ; rather, Christ Himself serves in them.

St. John Chrysostom marvels at how the “fearful and awe-inspiring symbols” of the levitical priesthood are now “outshone by a splendor greater still” (see 2Co.3:10), namely the new covenant priesthood. He writes:

When you see the Lord sacrificed and lying before you, and the priest standing over the sacrifice and praying, and all who partake being instilled with that precious blood, can you think that you are still among men and still standing on earth? Are you not at once transported to heaven?... He who sits above with the Father is at that moment held in our hands, and gives Himself to those who wish to clasp and embrace Him... how great is the honor which the grace of the Spirit has bestowed on priests.

While the ordained priesthood serves on behalf of all, every believer – baptized and anointed – is a member of God’s royal priesthood. This priestly calling of all believers is foretold in Exodus 19:6: “You shall be to Me a royal priesthood and a holy nation” (see also Is 61:6), and finds its fulfillment in the Church, the new Israel: “You are... a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1Pt.2:9; see also 2:5; Rev.1:5, 6). Thus, all Christians are called to offer all of creation back to God, with praise and thanksgiving. And in this work, man and creation become evermore reconciled with God.

²⁶“To go underneath the ephod, you shall make a full-length robe, entirely blue. ²⁷In the middle of it there shall be an opening for the head, the collar bordered in sheepskin, a woven piece. The hem shall be interwoven with the rest, to prevent ripping. ²⁸Beneath the border of the robe you shall make knobs as of a flowering pomegranate, constructed of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine spun linen, all around the hem of the garment. ²⁹Hanging from each golden knob will be a flower-shaped bell all around the hem of the garment. ³⁰Its sound will be heard when Aaron is serving as a priest, entering and leaving the holy place before the Lord, that he not die. ³¹You shall also make a plate of pure gold and, as the inscription of a seal, engrave on it: Holiness to the Lord. ³²You shall put it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban. It shall be on the front of the turban. ³³So it shall be on Aaron's forehead. Aaron shall take away the defilements of the holy things which the children of Israel might dedicate, of their every gift of holy things. It shall always be on Aaron's forehead to make them acceptable before the Lord.

³⁴“The appointments of the robes you shall make of linen. You shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash of woven work. ³⁵For Aaron's sons you shall make robes and sashes for them, and turbans you shall make for them for honor and glory. ³⁶So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate their hands, and sanctify them so they may minister to Me as priests. ³⁷You shall make for them trousers to cover their naked skin from loin to thigh. ³⁸Thus Aaron and his sons shall wear them when they come into the tabernacle of testimony or when they come near the altar of the holy place to minister as priests, so they not bring guilt upon themselves so as to die. It shall be an ordinance forever to him and his seed after him.

²⁹“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them for ministering to Me as priests, to serve Me in the priesthood: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, ²and unleavened loaves kneaded with oil, and unleavened cakes anointed with oil. You shall make them of wheat flour. ³You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the young bull and the two rams.

⁴“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and wash them with water. ⁵Then taking the garments, you shall dress Aaron your brother with the cloak, the ephod, the full-length robe, and the oracle, and you shall attach the oracle on the ephod for him.^{† 6}You shall put the miter on his head, and the sanctified golden plate on the miter. ⁷You shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8Then you shall bring his sons and put the robes on them. ⁹You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and crest them with turbans. Their priesthood to Me shall be for a continual ordinance. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰“You shall also have the young bull brought before the tabernacle of testimony, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the young bull before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹¹Then you shall kill the young bull before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹²You shall take some of the blood of the young bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. ¹³You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat on them and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴But the flesh of the young bull, with its skin and offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.^†

¹⁵“You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram; ¹⁶and you shall kill the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it all around on the altar. ¹⁷Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and legs, and put them with its pieces and its head. ¹⁸You shall offer the whole ram on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering to the Lord for a sweet aroma, an offering of incense to the Lord. ¹⁹You shall also take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, on the big toe of his right foot, and on the earlobes of his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. ²¹You shall take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his robe, on his sons and on his sons’ robes with him; and he and his garments shall be sanctified, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. But the blood of the ram you shall pour all around on the altar.

²²“You shall also take the fat of the ram, and the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), ²³and one loaf of bread, one unleavened cake from the basket of unleavened bread set before the Lord; ²⁴and you shall put all these things in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall set them aside as a separate offering before the Lord. ²⁵You shall receive them from their hands and offer them on the altar as a whole burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering to the Lord.

²⁶“Then you shall take the breast from the ram of Aaron's consecration and set it aside before the Lord. It shall be your portion. ²⁷You shall sanctify the reserved breast and the shoulder that was lifted (both that which was reserved and that which was lifted) from the ram of consecration, both Aaron's portion and that of his sons. ²⁸It shall be for Aaron and his sons an ordinance forever among the children of Israel. For it shall be a special offering from the children of Israel from their peace offerings, a special offering to the Lord.

²⁹“Moreover, Aaron's holy garment of the sanctuary shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed and consecrated in them. ³⁰That son who succeeds him as priest shall put them on for seven days when he enters the tabernacle of testimony to minister in the holy place. ³¹You shall then take the ram of the consecration and boil its flesh in the holy place. ³²Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread in the basket by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. ³³They shall eat those things by which they were sanctified to consecrate their hands. But an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. ³⁴If any of the flesh of the consecration offerings or of the loaves remains until the morning, you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten because it is holy.

³⁵“Thus you shall do for Aaron and his sons according to all I have commanded you. Seven days you shall consecrate their hands. ³⁶You shall sacrifice a young calf for the sin offering on the day of purification. You shall purify the altar when you perform a consecration on it, and anoint it so as to sanctify it. ³⁷Seven days you shall purify the altar and sanctify it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar will be holy.

³⁸“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two unblemished lambs of the first year, day by day continually. ³⁹One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening. ⁴⁰With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of a measure of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹The other lamb you shall offer in the evening, as at the morning offering, and according to the drink offering of the morning lamb. You shall offer it as a sacrifice of sweet aroma to the Lord.

⁴²“This shall be a continual sacrifice throughout your generations at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony before the Lord, where I will be known to you to speak to you. ⁴³There I shall give directions to the children of Israel, and I shall be sanctified in My glory. ⁴⁴So I will sanctify the tabernacle of testimony and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. ⁴⁵I will be called upon among the children of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶So they shall know I am the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt to be called upon among them and to be their God.

³⁰“Now you shall make an altar of incense of incorruptible wood. ²You shall make it a cubit in length and a cubit in width – it shall be square – and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. ³You shall overlay its grating, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a rim of gold all around. ⁴Two gold rings you shall make for it under the molded rim on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. ⁵You shall make the poles of incorruptible wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶You shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the testimonies, where I will make Myself known to you. ⁷Aaron

shall burn on it fine compounded incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. ⁸When Aaron lights the lamps in the evening, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹You shall not offer strange incense on it, or an offering made by fire, or a sacrifice; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. ¹⁰Now Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year, purging it with the blood of purification throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”^†

¹¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for his soul to the Lord, so there may be no plague among them when you number them. ¹³This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a drachma according to the drachma of the sanctuary (a drachma is twenty obols). The half-drachma shall be an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. ¹⁵The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a drachma when you give an offering to the Lord to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶You shall take the money of the offering of the children of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tabernacle of testimony, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord to make atonement for your souls.”

¹⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of testimony and the altar. You shall put water in it, ¹⁹for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰When they go into the tabernacle of testimony, they shall wash with water, lest they die, or when they come near the altar to minister and to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord. ²¹So they shall wash their hands and feet with water when they go into the tabernacle of testimony, lest they die. It shall be an ordinance forever to them – for him and his genealogy after him.”

²²Furthermore the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³“Also take for yourself aromatic spices, the flower of costly myrrh – five hundred shekels’ worth – and fragrant cinnamon – half as much, two hundred and fifty, and two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling calamus, ²⁴and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵You shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of testimony and the ark of the tabernacle of testimony; ²⁷and the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; ²⁸and the altar of whole burnt offerings with all its utensils, and the table and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. ²⁹You shall sanctify them so they may be most holy; whatever touches them will be holy. ³⁰You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may minister to Me as priests. ³¹You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³²It shall not be poured on man's flesh; nor shall you make any like it according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ³³Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’ ”

³⁴And the Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and sweet galbanum, and pure frankincense; there shall be equal amounts of each. ³⁵You shall make of these perfumed incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, mixed, pure, and holy. ³⁶And you shall beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the testimonies in the tabernacle of testimony, where I will make Myself known to you. It shall be a most holy incense to you. ³⁷You shall not make any for yourselves according to this composition. It shall be to you a holy thing for the Lord. ³⁸Whoever makes any like it to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

³¹Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³I have filled him with the divine Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and in every manner of workmanship,^{† 4}to design artistic works, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in every manner of workmanship. ⁶Indeed I have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put understanding in the hearts of all who are gifted artisans, so they may make all I commanded you: ⁷the tabernacle of testimony, the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat on it, and all the utensils of the tabernacle – ⁸the altars and the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, ⁹and the laver and its base – ¹⁰the liturgical garments for Aaron and the garments of his sons, to minister to Me as priests, ¹¹and the anointing oil and the compound incense for the holy place. According to all I have commanded you they shall do.”

¹²Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹³“You shall direct the children of Israel, saying, ‘See to it that you keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ¹⁴You shall keep the Sabbaths, because this is holy for you to the Lord. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; for whoever works on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath, a holy rest to the Lord. Whoever works on the seventh day shall be put to death.^{† 16}Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbaths, to observe them throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and rested.’ ”

¹⁸So when He made an end of speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.^†

³²Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Rise up and make us gods that shall go before us. As for Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”^{† 2}Aaron then said to them, “Remove the golden earrings in the ears of your wives and daughters and bring them to me.” ³So all the people removed the golden earrings in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴He received them from their hands; and he fashioned them with an engraving tool and made a molten calf. Then he said, “These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.” ⁵So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. Aaron then made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” ⁶Thus he rose early the next day and offered whole burnt offerings and peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

⁷But the Lord said to Moses, “Go quickly! Get down from here! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt are transgressing the law. ⁸They turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They made themselves a calf and are worshiping and sacrificing to it, and are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹Now therefore, let Me be, that I may burn in wrath against them and consume them. ¹⁰Then I will make of you a great nation.”^{† 11}But Moses prayed before the Lord God and said, “Why, O Lord, does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹²Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath and be merciful to the wickedness of Your people. ¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, ‘I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven for multitude; and all this land I spoke about to give their seed, they shall inherit unto the ages.’ ” ¹⁴So the Lord granted mercy for the harm He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were stone tablets written on both sides, on one side and on the other. ¹⁶Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷When Joshua therefore heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” ¹⁸But Moses said, “It is not the noise of those that begin the battle, nor of those that begin the cry of defeat, but the noise of those that begin the banquet of wine that I hear.” ¹⁹So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Thus Moses became very angry; and he cast the two tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. ²¹Moses then spoke to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought so great a sin upon them?” ²²Aaron replied, “Do not be angry, my lord. You know how impulsive this people is. ²³For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this man Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let him remove it.’ Thus they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

²⁵Now when Moses saw the people were scattered (for Aaron scattered them, making them a prey to their enemies), ²⁶Moses then stood in the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is on the Lord's side, come to me.” So all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷He said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” ²⁸So the sons of Levi did as Moses said to them, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹Then Moses said, “You filled your hands to the Lord today, each one on his son or brother, that blessing be given you.”

³⁰Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You committed a great sin. So now I will go up to God to make atonement for your sin.” ³¹Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “I pray, O Lord, these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a god of gold! ³²Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, forgive it – but if not, blot me out of the book You have written.” ³³Then the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever sins against Me, I will blot him out of My book. ³⁴Now therefore, go down and lead the people to the place of which I spoke to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before your face. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will strike them for their sin.”^{† 35}So the Lord struck the people for making the calf which Aaron made.

³³Now the Lord said to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people you brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your seed I will give it.’ ²I will send My Angel before your face, and I will drive out the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Gergesite, the Hivite, the Jebusite, and the Canaanite. ³I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”^{† 4}When the people heard this bad news, they mourned in lamentations. ⁵For the Lord said to the children of Israel, “You are a stiff-necked people. Beware, lest I inflict another plague on you and consume you. Now therefore, take off your bright clothes and ornaments, and I will show you what I will do.” ⁶So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their bright clothes and ornaments by Mount Horeb.

⁷Moses then took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of testimony. Thus it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of testimony, which was outside the camp.^{† 8}So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, which was outside the camp, all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he went into the tabernacle. ⁹Now it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and God talked to Moses. ¹⁰All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man at his tent door. ¹¹Thus the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.^ω

¹²Then Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you above all, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ ¹³Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, reveal Yourself to me, that I may see You clearly and find grace in Your sight, and know this great nation is Your people.”

¹⁴So He said, “I Myself will go before you and give you rest.” ¹⁵Then he said to Him, “If You Yourself do not go up with us, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶For how then will it be known that Your people and I found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So both I and Your people shall be glorified beyond all the nations on the earth.” ¹⁷The Lord then said to Moses, “I will also do this thing you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you above all.” ¹⁸Moses replied, “Reveal Yourself to me.”

¹⁹Then God said, “I will pass before you in My glory, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord, before you. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”^{† 20}But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man can see My face and live.”^{† 21}Moreover, the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me: you shall stand on the rock.^{† 22}So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.^{† 23}Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”†

³⁴Now the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke. ²So be ready in the morning to come up on Mount Sinai and to present yourself to Me there on top of the mountain. ³But no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither sheep nor oxen feed before that mountain.” ⁴So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai as the Lord commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. ⁵Now the Lord descended in the cloud; and He stood with him there, and he called upon the name of the Lord.^{† 6}Then the Lord passed before his face and proclaimed, “The Lord God, compassionate, merciful, longsuffering, abounding in mercy and true,^{† 7}preserving righteousness and showing mercy unto thousands, taking away lawlessness, wrongdoing, and sins; and He will not clear the guilty, visiting the lawlessness of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.” ⁸So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the ground and worshiped. ⁹Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, let my Lord go with us, for the people are stiff-necked; and You will take away our sins and lawlessness, and we will be Yours.”^†

¹⁰The Lord then said to Moses, “Behold, I am establishing a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the works of the Lord, for I will do awesome things for you. ¹¹Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Gergesite, and the Jeb- usite. ¹²Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a stumbling-block in your midst. ¹³But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their groves; and you shall burn the graven images of their gods with fire ¹⁴(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord God, a jealous name, is a jealous God),^{† 15}lest you make a covenant with the foreigners of the land; and they indulge themselves in gross immorality with their gods by making sacrifice to them; and they invite you, and you eat of their sacrifices; ¹⁶and you take of their daughters for your sons and give your daughters to their sons; and your daughters commit fornication with their gods, and your sons commit fornication with their gods. ¹⁷You shall make no molten gods for yourselves.

¹⁸“The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the season in the month of new grain; for in the month of new grain you came out from Egypt. ¹⁹All that open the womb are Mine: every male firstborn among your livestock, of oxen or sheep. ²⁰But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a sheep, and if you will not redeem it, you shall pay a price. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, and none shall appear before Me empty-handed. ²¹Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. There shall be rest in seedtime and harvest. ²²You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.

²³“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God of Israel. ²⁴For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year. ²⁵You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifices with leaven, nor shall the sacrifices from the Feast of Pascha be left until morning. ²⁶The first fruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a lamb in its mother's milk.”

²⁷Again the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words for yourself, for according to these words I established a covenant with you and with Israel.” ²⁸So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

²⁹Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), he did not know the skin of his face was glorified while God talked with Him.^{† 30}So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and the glorified appearance of the skin of his face, they were afraid to come near him. ³¹Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. ³²Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord commanded him on Mount Sinai. ³³When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. ³⁴But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever the Lord commanded him. ³⁵So the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that it was glorified; and Moses put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with Him.

³⁵Now Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said to them, “These are the words the Lord said for you to do. ²Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does work on it shall be put to death. ³You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath Day; I am the Lord.”

⁴Again Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing the Lord commanded, saying, ⁵‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring his first fruits to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;^{† 6}blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, fine linen, and female goats’ hair; ⁷ram skins dyed red, skins dyed blue, and incorruptible wood; 8sardius stones and stones to be set in the ephod and the full-length robe.

⁹‘Every man wise in heart among you, let him come and do all the Lord has commanded: ¹⁰the tabernacle, its cords, coverings, rings, bars, and posts; ¹¹the ark of the testimony, its poles, mercy seat, and veil; ¹²and the curtains of the court and its posts; ¹³and the emerald stones; ¹⁴and the incense and the anointing oil; ¹⁵and the table and all its utensils; ¹⁶and the illuminating lampstand and all its utensils;¹⁷and the altar and all its utensils; ¹⁸and the holy vestments of Aaron the priest and the garments in which they shall do service; ¹⁹and the priestly robes for the sons of Aaron and the compounded incense.’ ”

²⁰So all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. ²¹Then everyone came whose heart was stirred and whose soul was willing; and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of testimony, for all its service and the garments of the holy place. ²²They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing mind, and brought signets, earrings, rings, and necklaces, all jewelry of gold to the Lord.

²³Also every man with whom was found blue fabric and skins dyed blue and skins dyed red brought them. ²⁴Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze also brought these to the Lord; and everyone with whom was found incorruptible wood for any work of the service brought it. ²⁵All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands and brought what they spun – of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. ²⁶Also all the women whose heart stirred with wisdom spun yarn of female goats’ hair. ²⁷The rulers brought emerald stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the oracle, ²⁸and the compounds for the anointing oil, and the compounds for the incense. ²⁹Thus the children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose minds were willing to bring material for all kinds of work, which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, commanded to be done.

³⁰Then Moses said to the children of Israel, “Behold, God has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; ³¹and He has filled him with a divine Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in all things^{† 32}to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, ³³in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. ³⁴He has put in his mind and in that of Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach. ³⁵He filled them with wisdom, understanding, and skill to do all manner of work of the holy place, and to weave the woven and embroidered work with scarlet and fine linen, and to do all work of curious workmanship and embroidery.”

The tabernacle

On Mt. Sinai Moses received not only the Ten Commandments, but also precise and detailed instructions for building the tabernacle – a moveable tent – where God met the assembly of the people Israel (Ex.25:1–27:21). Consequently, the tabernacle is built according to the divine blueprints (Ex.35:4–40:33). Here God’s Presence, His Glory, will be made manifest through the shining cloud filling the holy place (Ex.40:34–38).

The importance of God’s Presence in the tabernacle is apparent in the prayers of the Psalms, which express a longing to be with God, a fervent desire to be in His tabernacle (Pss.26:4–6; 60:4; 64:4; 83:1–4, 10; see also 22:6; 25:8). Indeed, the Lord promises that at the tabernacle, “I shall be known to you to speak to you. There I shall give directions to the children of Israel, and I shall be sanctified in My glory” (Ex.29:42–43; see also Ezk.37:26–28). While the tabernacle is the specific place where God was encountered in Israel, this did not exhaust His Presence, for as Almighty God, He has always been everywhere present, filling all things.

Israel’s most sacred objects were kept in the ark of the covenant, located in the holy of holies (Heb.9:2–5). Each object it held was prophetic of Christ: the tablets of the Law inscribed by God (Ex.25:15) prefigure Christ the Lawgiver; the manna (Ex 16:31–34) points to Christ as the Bread of Life (Jn.6:30–58); and Aaron’s staff that budded (Nm.17:16–26) prefigures the life-giving Cross of Christ. Further, the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies foreshadows the Incarnation (Heb.10:19, 20).

The tabernacle as a whole prefigures Christ, the eternal Word of God, who “became flesh and tabernacled (the usual English translation is ‘dwelt’) among us” (Jn.1:14; see also Col.2:9). St. Gregory of Nyssa observes, “Moses was earlier instructed by a type in the mystery of the tabernacle, which encompasses the universe. This tabernacle would be Christ, who is the power and the wisdom of God (1Co.1:24).” The tabernacle also prefigures Mary the Theotokos, whose womb will be the tabernacle in which the Lord will dwell as He takes His flesh from her.

On the cross, Jesus offers the ultimate sacrifice of His body, which the New Testament calls “the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands” (Heb.9:11). St. John Chrysostom comments that by this greater tabernacle St. Paul “means the flesh [of Christ]. And well did he say, ‘greater and more perfect,’ since God the Word and all the power of the Spirit dwell therein.”

In time, the moveable tabernacle of the wilderness is superseded by the permanent temple in Jerusalem. The temple, in turn, is superseded by Christ (Jn.2:18–21) and the Church, which is His Body (Eph.1:22, 23). Moreover, in Baptism every Christian becomes a tabernacle, a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. As St. Paul exclaims, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1Co.6:19). St. Isaac of Nineveh declares, “Lord, I give praise to Your holy nature, for You have made my nature a sanctuary for Your hiddenness, a tabernacle for Your Mysteries, a place where You can dwell, and a holy temple for Your divinity.”

In his vision of the kingdom of heaven, St. John writes, “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev.21:22). All earthly types vanish as the redeemed behold God and the Lamb in unmediated glory (2Pt.1:4). The ultimate promise of the tabernacle, the temple and the Church is for God Himself to dwell in each believer forever (Jn.14:16, 17, 23; 17:20–23; see also Rev.3:20).

36Now Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord put wisdom and knowledge to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the holy place, did according to all the Lord commanded.

²Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord put wisdom, everyone whose heart willed freely to come and do the work.^{† 3}They received from Moses all the offerings the children of Israel brought for all the works for making the holy place, and they continued bringing him freewill offerings every morning. ⁴Then all the wise men who were doing all the work of the holy place came, each according to the work he was doing, ⁵and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the work the Lord commanded us to do.” ⁶So Moses gave a commandment and proclaimed it throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the holy place.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing more,^{† 7}for the material was sufficient for all the work to be done – indeed, too much.

⁸Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on Aaron's garments for the holy places did as the Lord commanded Moses. ⁹He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen. ¹⁰Thin plates of gold were then cut into threads to be woven into the blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen; and they formed it as a woven piece. ¹¹He then coupled the ephod together from its two sides, a work woven by a mutual twisting of the parts into one another. ¹²They constructed it according to the same workmanship of gold, blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen, as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹³Then they made two emerald stones, clasped together and set in gold, carved and engraved as signets are engraved with the names of the sons of Israel. ¹⁴He attached these as memorial stones to the shoulders of the ephod for the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁵Then they made the oracle, a woven work of embroidery like the workmanship of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen. ¹⁶They made the oracle square by doubling it; a span was its length and a span its width when doubled. ¹⁷Interwoven into this texture was a setting of four rows of stones: the first row, a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; ¹⁸and the second row, a carbuncle, a sapphire, and a jasper; ¹⁹and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰and the fourth row, a chrysolite, a beryl, and an onyx, set around with gold and fastened with gold. ²¹The twelve stones bore the names of the sons of Israel, their names engraved like a signet, each one with its own name according to the twelve tribes. ²²Then they made on the oracle chains, plaited fringes of gold, a work of pure gold. ²³They also made two gold bosses and two gold rings. ²⁴Then they put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the oracle. ²⁵They also attached two golden clasps to the rings on both sides of the oracle, the two clasps to the two couplings. ²⁶Then they placed the two gold bosses, joining them to the shoulders of the ephod opposite one another in the front. ²⁷They made two gold rings and attached them to two loops on top of the oracle, near the back of it, the side toward the ephod. ²⁸Then they made two gold rings and attached them below the two shoulders of the ephod in front, woven into the ephod like the coupling above.

²⁹Then they bound the oracle by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord. ³⁰That way it would be above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and the breastplate would not rip away from the ephod, as the Lord commanded Moses. ³¹He made the undergarment of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. ³²The collar of the undergarment was plaited and interwoven, having a border all around that it would not tear. ³³Beneath the border of the robe there were knobs of flowering pomegranate, constructed of blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen.

³⁴Then they made bells of pure gold and put the bells on the hem of the robe all around between the pomegranates. ³⁵The golden bells and pomegranates, all the hem of the robe, were for the ministry, as the Lord commanded Moses. ³⁶They made fine linen robes, woven work, for Aaron and his sons, and belts of fine linen, and turbans of fine linen, short trousers of fine linen, ³⁷and their sashes of fine woven linen, blue, purple, spun scarlet, made by a weaver according as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁸Then they made the plate of gold, a dedicated thing of the holy place, of pure gold, and on it he wrote an inscription like the engraving of a signet: Holiness to the Lord. ³⁹And they tied a blue cord to it to fasten it above on the turban, in the manner the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁷Now they made ten curtains for the tabernacle. ²The length of one curtain was twenty-eight cubits (and thus it was for all of them), and the width four cubits. ³They made the veil of blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen; a work woven with cherubim. ⁴Then they put it on four posts of incorruptible wood overlaid with gold; and their capitals were gold, and their four bases were silver. ⁵For the tabernacle of testimony, they made the veil of the door blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen, a woven work with cherubs; ⁶and they made its five posts with their rings, and they gilded their capitals and bands with gold; but their five bases were bronze.

⁷Then they made the court toward the south, and its curtains were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits symmetrically. ⁸There were twenty posts for them with twenty bases. ⁹On the north side they were a hundred cubits symmetrically. On the south side they were a hundred cubits symmetrically with their twenty posts and twenty bases. ¹⁰On the west side there were curtains of fifty cubits with their ten posts and twenty bases. ¹¹On the east side, there were curtains of fifty cubits: ¹²with one curtain on one side of the court entrance of fifteen cubits, with its three posts and bases, ¹³and one on the other side of the court entrance of fifteen cubits, with its three posts and bases. ¹⁴All the curtains of the court were of fine twined linen. ¹⁵The bases of the posts were bronze, the hooks of the posts were silver, and their capitals were overlaid with silver; and all the posts of the court were overlaid with silver. ¹⁶The veil of the court entrance was a woven work of blue, purple, spun scarlet, and fine twined linen. Its length was twenty cubits, and its height or width was five cubits, corresponding with the curtains of the court. ¹⁷There were four posts and bases for the veil, made of bronze with their hooks of silver, and their capitals overlaid with silver. ¹⁸The pegs all around the court were made of bronze and overlaid with silver.

¹⁹So this was the construction of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was commanded to Moses, for the service of the Levites through Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. ²⁰Bezalel the son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, did as the Lord commanded Moses.

²¹There was Aholiab the son of Ahisa-mach, of the tribe of Dan, who was a master workman of woven and needlework in the scarlet and fine linen.

³⁸Now Bezalel made the ark.^{† 2}He overlaid it with pure gold inside and out. ³He cast for it four golden rings (two rings on one side and two on the other), ⁴wide enough for the poles with which to carry it. ⁵He also made the mercy seat above the ark of pure gold,^{† 6}and two cherubim of pure gold^{† 7}(a cherub at one end of the mercy seat and one at the other end), 8spreading out their wings above the mercy seat.

⁹Then he made the table of offertory of pure gold ¹⁰and cast for it four rings (two on one side and two on the other), wide enough for the poles with which to carry it. ¹¹Then he made the poles of the ark and the table and gilded them with gold.^{† 12}He also made the utensils of the table, the dishes, the censers, the cups, and the pitchers for pouring drink offerings, of gold.

¹³He then made the lampstand to give light, of gold,^{† 14}both its solid stem and the branches on each side thereof, ¹⁵and the blossoms projecting from its branches, three on one side and three on the other, symmetrical to one another. ¹⁶As to the lamps on top of them, almond blossoms budded from them; and there were sockets to hold the lamps, the seventh of which was atop the lampstand itself at its summit, all of solid gold. ¹⁷The seven lamps, their snuffers and funnels were also made of gold.

¹⁸Then he overlaid the posts with silver and cast golden rings for the posts; and he gilded the posts supporting the veil with gold and made the hooks of gold. ¹⁹He also made the rings of the tabernacle of gold; and the rings of the court and those for drawing out the veil above he made of bronze. ²⁰He then cast in silver the capitals of the tabernacle, and in bronze, the capitals of the door of the tabernacle and the gate of the court; and he made silver hooks to be attached to the posts. ²¹He made of bronze all the pegs of the tabernacle and the court. ²²He made the altar of bronze from the censers used by the men engaged in Korah's rebellion. ²³He made of bronze all the utensils of the altar, and also its grate, its base, its bowls, and its flesh-hooks. ²⁴As an appendage to the altar, he made a network under the grate, beneath it as far as the middle of it; and he fastened four rings of bronze to the four sides of the appendage, wide enough for the bars so as to carry the altar with them. ²⁵He also made the holy anointing oil and the composition of the incense, the pure work of the perfumer.

²⁶He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze from the bronze mirrors of the women who fasted by the doors of the tabernacle of witness on the day he set it up. ²⁷He made the laver that in it Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and feet. Whenever they went into the tabernacle of testimony or came near to minister at the altar, they washed in it, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁹Now all the gold used in all the production of the holy places was that of the offerings: twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and twenty shekels, according to the holy shekel. ²The offering of silver from the numbered men of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels (one drachma per head being a half shekel, according to the holy shekel), ³for everyone surveyed in the tally from twenty years old and up, to the number of six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. ⁴The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the one hundred capitals of the tabernacle and the capitals of the veil; a hundred capitals to the hundred talents, a talent to a capital. ⁵Then from the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the posts, gilded their capitals, and decorated them. ⁶The bronze from the offering was seventy talents and a thousand five hundred shekels, ⁷and with it they made the bases for the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, ⁸the bases for the court all around, the bases for the court gate, the pegs for the tabernacle, the pegs for all around the court, ⁹the bronze appendage of the altar, all the vessels of the altar, and all the instruments of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹⁰So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded; thus did they.

¹¹Also of the gold that remained from the offering they made vessels with which to minister before the Lord. ¹²The remaining blue, purple, and scarlet cloth they made into liturgical vestments for Aaron, to minister in them in the holy place.

¹³So they brought to Moses the garments, the tabernacle and all its vessels, the bases and their bars, the posts, ¹⁴the ark of the covenant and its poles, ¹⁵the altar and all its vessels, the anointing oil, the incense compound, ¹⁶the pure lamp and its lamps (lamps for burning), the oil for light, ¹⁷the table of offertory and the bread set forth upon it and all its utensils, ¹⁸the garments of the holy place, which belong to Aaron and his sons for ministering as priests, ¹⁹the curtains of the court and their posts, the veil for the door of the tabernacle, the court gate, all the utensils for the tabernacle and all its instruments, ²⁰the rams’ skins dyed red, the blue coverings and the other coverings, ²¹the pegs, and all the instruments for the work of the tabernacle of testimony. ²²Whatever things the Lord commanded Moses, thus the children of Israel made and prepared in every respect. ²³Then Moses looked over all the work, and it was done in the manner the Lord commanded Moses. They did it in this way, and Moses blessed them.^†

⁴⁰Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{†ω 2}“On the first day of the first month, the new moon, you shall set up the tabernacle of testimony. ³You shall put in it the ark of the testimony and cover the ark with the veil. ⁴You shall bring in the table and lay out its offering, and bring in the lampstand and install its lamps. ⁵You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark, and put up the veil for the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁶Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offerings before the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁷You shall put a cover over the tabernacle and consecrate everything pertaining to it. ⁸You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; and you shall consecrate it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. ⁹You shall anoint the altar of burnt offerings and all its utensils and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy.

¹⁰“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doors of the tabernacle of testimony and wash them with water. ¹¹You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint and consecrate him that he may minister to Me as priest. ¹²You shall also bring his sons and put garments on them. ¹³You shall anoint them as you anointed their father, so they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” ¹⁴Thus Moses did; according to all the Lord commanded him, so he did.

¹⁵Then it came to pass in the first month of the second year after their departure from Egypt, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁶So Moses set up the tabernacle, placed the capitals, inserted the bars, and set up the posts. ¹⁷He spread out the curtains over the tabernacle and put the veil of the tabernacle on it above, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁸Then he took the testimonies, put them into the ark, and inserted the poles under the ark. ¹⁹He then brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the testimony, as the Lord commanded Moses. ²⁰He put the table in the tabernacle of testimony, on the north side of the tabernacle of testimony, outside the veil of the tabernacle. ²¹He also set the bread of the offertory upon it before the Lord, in the manner the Lord commanded Moses. ²²Then he put the lampstand in the tabernacle of testimony, on the south side of the tabernacle; ²³and he placed its lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. ²⁴He also put the gold altar in the tabernacle of testimony in front of the veil; ²⁵and he burned the incense compound on it, as the Lord commanded Moses. ²⁶Then he put the altar of burnt offering before the doors of the tabernacle. ²⁷He also set up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar. So Moses finished all the work.

²⁸Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of testimony, and the tabernacle was filled with the Lord's glory.^{† 29}But Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of testimony because the cloud overshadowed it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁰Whenever the cloud ascended from the tabernacle, the children of Israel prepared to depart with their belongings. ³¹But if the cloud did not ascend, they did not prepare to depart until the cloud ascended. ³²For before all Israel, throughout all their journeys, the cloud was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night.

LEVITICUS

Chapters in Leviticus

Introduction

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 1

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 2

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 4

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 5

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 7

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 8

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 9

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 10

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 11

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 12

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 13

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 14

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 15

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 16

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 17

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 18

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 19

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 20

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 21

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 22

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 23

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 24

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 25

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 26

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Leviticus Chapter 27

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34

Back to Chapters in Leviticus

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Author – Moses uses the phrase “and the Lord said to Moses” as many as thirty times, usually to begin a chapter. Both Israel and the Church traditionally ascribe authorship to Moses.

Date – The place and time at which this book was given is specifically defined as during the sojourn at Mt. Sinai (7:38; 25:1; 26:46; 27:34).

Major Theme – How to worship God. This is our first-ever book of worship. It was especially written for priests to teach the Israelites how to rightly worship God. This book points out the differences between God's laws for His people and those of the polytheistic, idolatrous, corrupt nations surrounding them. “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (19:2).

Background – The opening statement (1:1) presupposes the Tabernacle has been erected, as described in Exodus 40. God spoke to Moses from the “tabernacle of testimony” (1:1), or “on the Mount” (Ex 25:1), or “upon the door of the tabernacle” (Nm.12:5). The writing of this book took place five months after Israel left Mt. Sinai.

Outline

I. Laws Governing Sacrifices (1:1–7:38)

II. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons (8:1–10:20)

A. Consecration by Moses (8:1–36)

B. Aaron begins his office as priest (9:1–24)

C. Aaron's sons’ sacrilege and its consequences (10:1–20)

III. Laws Regarding Uncleanness (11:1–1 5:33)

A. Uncleanness due to animals (11:1–47)

B. Uncleanness due to childbirth (12:1–8)

C. Uncleanness due to leprosy (13:1–1 4:57)

D. Uncleanness due to issues (15:1–33)

IV. The Day of Atonement (16:1–34)

A. Aaron's preparation (16:1–4)

B. The sin-offering for the priests (16:5–14)

C. The sin-offering for the people (16:15–19)

D. The scapegoat (16:20–22)

E. The offerings completed (16:23–28)

F. Further instructions (16:29–34)

V. The Law of Holiness (17:1–26:46)

A. The place of sacrifice and the sanctity of blood (17:1–16)

B. Sins against the moral law (18:1–20:27)

C. Instructions for the priests (21:1–22:33)

D. The holy convocations (23:1–44)

E. The holy oil, bread of the Presence, the sin of blasphemy (24:1–23)

F. The sabbatical year and the Year of Jubilee (25:1–55)

G. Blessings and cursings (26:1–46)

VI. Laws Governing Vows and Tithes (27:1–34)

¹Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of testimony, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘If a man among you should offer gifts to the Lord from the cattle – the oxen or the sheep – you shall offer your gifts.^{† 3}If his gift should be a whole burnt offering from the oxen, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall offer it at the door of the tabernacle of testimony as acceptable before the Lord.^{† 4}Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.^{† 5}He shall kill the young bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall offer the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar by the doors of the tabernacle of testimony.^{† 6}Then he shall skin the whole burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. ⁷The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay the wood on the fire. ⁸Then the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head and the fat, upon the wood and fire on the altar; ⁹but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. The priest shall then put all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a sacrifice for a sweet aroma to the Lord.^†

¹⁰‘If his gift to the Lord should be from the sheep – from the lambs or the kids – as a whole burnt offering, he shall offer a male without blemish, and put his hand on its head. ¹¹He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. ¹²Then they shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priests shall lay them upon the wood and fire on the altar; ¹³but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall offer all of it, and put it on the altar as a burnt offering, a sacrifice for a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴‘But if you should offer a gift to the Lord from the birds for a burnt offering, he shall offer his gift from the turtledoves or young pigeons. ¹⁵The priest shall offer it on the altar, wring off its head, and put it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. ¹⁶Then he shall remove its crop with its feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. ¹⁷Then he shall split it at its wings, but shall not divide it; and the priest shall put it upon the wood and fire on the altar as a burnt offering, a sacrifice for a sweet aroma to the Lord.

²‘Now if a soul should offer a gift for a grain offering to the Lord, his gift shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.^{† 2}He shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. Then the priest shall put it on the altar as a memorial, a sacrifice for a sweet aroma to the Lord.^{† 3}The rest of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons. It is the most holy of the Lord's sacrifices. ⁴But if you should offer a gift as a grain offering baked in the oven, a gift of fine flour to the Lord, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.^{† 5}But if your gift should be a grain offering fried in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, and mixed with oil. ⁶You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering to the Lord. ⁷If your gift should be a grain offering from the grate, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸You shall offer the grain offering made of these things to the Lord; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. ⁹Then the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion, and put it on the altar as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰But what is left of the grain offering shall be Aaron's and his sons. It is the most holy of the Lord's burnt offerings.

¹¹‘No grain offering you offer to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven or honey in any burnt offering to the Lord. ¹²As for a gift of firstfruits, you shall offer them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a sweet aroma. ¹³Now every gift of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the Lord's covenant to be lacking from your grain offerings. With every gift you shall offer salt to the Lord your God.^{† 14}If you should offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads for the Lord. Thus you shall offer your grain offering of firstfruits. ¹⁵Then you shall put oil on it, and put frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. ¹⁶The priest shall then offer its memorial portion: its beaten grain and oil, with all the frankincense. It is a burnt offering to the Lord.

³‘Now if his gift for the Lord should be a peace offering, and if he should offer it from the oxen, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.^{† 2}Then he shall put his hands on the head of his gift, and kill it at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar of whole burnt offering. ³He shall then offer from the peace offering a burnt offering to the Lord; and he shall remove its fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails,^{† 4}the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; ⁵and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall offer these upon the wood and fire on the altar of whole burnt offering as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord.

⁶‘Now if his peace offering should be a gift from the sheep, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. ⁷If he should offer a lamb as his gift, then he shall offer it without blemish. ⁸Then he shall put his hands on the head of his gift, and kill it before the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar.^{† 9}He shall then offer from the peace offering, a burnt offering to God; and he shall remove its fat, the whole fat tail close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, ¹⁰the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; ¹¹and the priest shall offer these on the altar as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord.

¹²‘Now if his gift should be from the goats, then he shall offer it before the Lord. ¹³He shall put his hands on its head, and kill it before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. ¹⁴Then he shall offer his burnt offering to the Lord; and he shall remove its fat that covers the entrails, all the fat on the entrails, ¹⁵the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys; ¹⁶and the priest shall offer these on the altar as a burnt offering, for a sweet aroma to the Lord. All the fat is the Lord's.^{† 17}This shall be a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’ ”

⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a soul should sin involuntarily before the Lord against any of the Lord's ordinances, which ought not to be done, and does anything against them,^{† 3}even if he should be the anointed priest, and should sin to the detriment of the people, he shall offer to the Lord for the sin he committed a young bull without blemish from the oxen as a sin offering.^{† 4}He shall offer the young bull at the door of the tabernacle of testimony before the Lord, put his hand on the young bull's head, and kill the young bull before the Lord. ⁵Then the anointed and consecrated priest shall take some of the young bull's blood and bring it to the tabernacle of testimony. ⁶The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the holy place.^{† 7}Then the priest shall put some of the blood of the young bull on the horns of the altar of the incense compound before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the young bull at the base of the altar of whole burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁸He shall take from it all the fat of the young bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, ⁹the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove, ¹⁰as it was taken from the young bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹But the young bull's hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and excrement – ¹²the whole young bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.^†

¹³‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel acts involuntarily in ignorance, and it is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they did something against any of the Lord's commandments, which should not be done, and committed sin;^{† 14}when the sin they committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and offer it before the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹⁵Then the elders of the congregation shall put their hands on the head of the young bull before the Lord. The young bull shall then be killed before the Lord. ¹⁶The anointed priest shall bring some of the young bull's blood to the tabernacle of testimony. ¹⁷Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the holy place. ¹⁸The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of the incense compound, which is before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹⁹He shall take all the fat from it and offer it on the altar. ²⁰Then he shall do with the young bull as he did with the young bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and their sin shall be remitted them. ²¹Then they shall carry the young bull outside the camp, and burn it as they burned the first young bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly. ²²Now if a ruler should sin, and do something against any of the commandments of the Lord their God, which should not be done, and commits sin involuntarily,^{† 23}and the sin he committed comes to his knowledge, he shall offer as his gift a kid of the goats, a male without blemish. ²⁴He shall put his hand on the head of the kid and kill it at the place where they kill the whole burnt offering before the Lord. It is a sin offering. ²⁵The priest shall then take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour its remaining blood at the base of the altar of whole burnt offering. ²⁶Then he shall offer all its fat to the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be remitted him.

²⁷‘If any soul of the people of the land should sin involuntarily by doing something against any of the Lord's commandments, which ought not to be done, and commits sin,^{† 28}and the sin he committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for the sin he committed. ²⁹He shall put his hand on the head of his sin offering and kill the kid of the sin offering at the place of the whole burnt offering. ³⁰Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour all its remaining blood at the base of the altar. ³¹He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall offer it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be remitted him. ³²If he should bring as his gift a sheep for a sin offering, he shall offer a female without blemish. ³³Then he shall put his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the whole burnt offering. ³⁴The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of whole burnt offering, and pour all its remaining blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the sheep is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall put it on the altar for a whole burnt offering to the Lord. So the priest shall make atonement for his sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him.

⁵‘Now if a soul should sin in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he saw or knew of the matter – if he does not tell it, he shall bear his guilt. ²Or if a soul should touch any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean animal, or one torn by a wild animal, or the unclean carcasses of creeping things, or the unclean carcasses of cattle;^{† 3}or should touch human uncleanness – even by any uncleanness, which by touching it he is defiled – and he is unaware of it, but afterwards becomes aware, he shall bear his guilt. ⁴Or if a soul should swear, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or good, whatever a man may pronounce by an oath, and it should escape his notice – and thus he should sin in one of these things, ⁵then he shall confess his sin in that thing; ⁶and he shall bring for his trespass against the Lord, and for his guilt, a female from the sheep, a lamb, or a kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning the sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him.^†

⁷‘But if he should be unable to afford a sheep, he shall bring for the sin he committed two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the Lord: one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering. ⁸He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer the first one as a sin offering. Then he shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it. ⁹Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, but the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰He shall then make the second one a whole burnt offering according to the prescribed manner. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for the sin he committed, and it shall be remitted him. ¹¹Now if he should be unable to afford a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, he shall bring for his sin a gift: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, nor shall he put frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.^{† 12}Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful as a memorial portion and put it on the altar of whole burnt offerings to the Lord. It is a sin offering. ¹³The priest shall make atonement for him, for the sin he committed in any of these matters; and it shall be remitted him. The rest shall be the priest's as a grain offering.’ ”

¹⁴Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁵“Now if a soul should be oblivious and sin involuntarily in regard to the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord for his trespass in which he transgressed a ram without blemish from the sheep, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the holy place.^{† 16}Thus he shall make restitution wherein he sinned in regard to the holy things, and he shall add one-fifth to give to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be remitted him.

¹⁷“Now if a soul should sin and do anything against the Lord's commandments, though he may not know it, nevertheless, he trespassed and shall bear his guilt. ¹⁸So he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the sheep for a trespass offering, with your valuation of silver. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred but did not know it, and it shall be remitted him. ¹⁹It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the Lord.”

²⁰Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²¹“Now if a soul should sin and actually disregard the Lord's commandments by lying to his neighbor about a deposit entrusted to him for safekeeping, or about a joint-ownership, or about a robbery, or if he wronged his neighbor in something, ²²or if he found what was lost and should lie about it and swear falsely – in any one of these things a man may do when he sins: ²³then it shall be, whenever he should trespass and is guilty, he shall restore what he stole, or the thing he extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing he found, ²⁴or everything about which he swore falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs on the day his trespass is brought to light.^{† 25}Then he shall bring to the priest his trespass offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the sheep, with your valuation. ²⁶So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and it shall be remitted him for any of these things he did wherein he trespassed.”

⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Now this is the law of the whole burnt offering: The whole burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. ³Then the priest shall put the linen trousers on his body; then he shall put on his linen garment, and take up the ashes of the whole burnt offering, which the fire consumed on the altar; and he shall put them beside the altar. ⁴He shall then take off his linen garment, put on another one, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. ⁵So the fire on the altar shall be burning; it shall not be put out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning and put the whole burnt offering on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offering. ⁶A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.

⁷‘Now this is the law of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall offer it in front of the altar before the Lord. ⁸He shall take from it his handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil and frankincense which is on the grain offering, and offer it on the altar of burnt offering for a sweet aroma, a memorial to the Lord. ⁹Then Aaron and his sons shall eat what is left. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of testimony.^{† 10}It shall not be baked with leaven. I gave it to them as their portion of the Lord's burnt offerings; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the trespass offering. ¹¹All the males of the priests shall eat it. It shall be an ordinance forever in your generations concerning the Lord's burnt offerings. Everyone who touches them shall be sanctified.’ ”

¹²Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 13}“This is the gift of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord on the day you anoint him: one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a daily grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ¹⁴It shall be made in a frying pan with oil. When it is mixed, you shall bring it in. The baked pieces of the grain offering you shall offer for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁵The anointed priest who takes his place from among his sons shall make it. It is an ordinance forever. It shall be wholly consumed. ¹⁶For every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”^†

¹⁷Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 18}“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Now this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the whole burnt offering is killed, they shall kill the sin offering before the Lord. It is most holy.^{† 19}The priest who offers it shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of testimony. ²⁰Everyone who touches its flesh shall be sanctified; and if some of its blood might have been sprinkled on any garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place. ²¹But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; and if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water. ²²Every male among the priests shall eat it. It is most holy. ²³But no sin offering whose blood may have been brought into the tabernacle of testimony to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten. It shall be burned in the fire.

⁷‘Now this is the law of the trespass offering of the ram (it is most holy): ²In the place where they kill the whole burnt offering, they shall kill the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord; and its blood he shall pour all around the base of the altar. ³He shall then offer from it all its fat. The fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat above the entrails, ⁴the two kidneys and the fat on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove. ⁵Then the priest shall offer them on the altar of burnt offering to the Lord. It is a trespass offering. ⁶Every male among the priests may eat these things. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. ⁷The trespass offering is like the sin offering; there is one law for them both: the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. ⁸Now the priest who offers a man's whole burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the whole burnt offering he offered. ⁹Also every grain offering made in the oven, and all that is made on the grate or in a frying pan, shall be the priest's who offers it. ¹⁰Every grain offering, whether prepared with or without oil, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to one as much as the other.

¹¹‘This is the law of the sacrifice of the peace offering, which he shall offer to the Lord: ¹²If he should offer it for a thanksgiving, he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened cakes smeared with oil, and fine flour kneaded with oil.^{† 13}Besides the unleavened loaves, he shall offer with his gifts leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering. ¹⁴Then from all his gifts he shall offer one choice portion to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who pours out the blood of the peace offering. ¹⁵The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.^{† 16}Now if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day he offers his sacrifice; and on the next day the remainder of it may also be eaten;^{† 17}but the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. ¹⁸But if some of the flesh should be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted for him who offered it, nor shall it be imputed to him; it is a defilement; and the soul who eats from it shall bear guilt. ¹⁹The flesh that should touch any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned with fire, but all clean flesh may be eaten.^{† 20}But the soul who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering which is the Lord's while he is unclean, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people. ²¹Moreover, the soul who touches any unclean thing, or some human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and who eats some of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering which is the Lord's, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people.’ ”

²²Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall not eat any fat of oxen, sheep, or goats. ²⁴Also the fat of an animal that dies naturally and the fat of what is torn by wild beasts may be used in any other way; but you shall by no means eat it. ²⁵For whoever eats the fat from the cattle which someone is going to offer to the Lord as a burnt offering, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people. ²⁶Moreover, you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of birds or cattle. ²⁷Any soul who eats blood, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from among his people.’ ”

²⁸Furthermore, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁹“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of the peace offering to the Lord shall bring his gift to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offering.^{† 30}His own hands shall offer the burnt offerings to the Lord. The lobe of the liver and the fat upon the breast, these he shall offer to place as gifts before the Lord. ³¹Then the priest shall offer the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons’. ³²Also the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a choice portion from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. ³³He among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat shall have the right thigh for his portion. ³⁴For the breast from which the fat was offered and the thigh of the choice portion I took from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of your peace offerings, and I gave them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by an ordinance forever.’ ”

³⁵This is the consecrated portion for Aaron and his sons from the burnt offerings of the Lord, on the day He presented them to minister to the Lord as priests. ³⁶The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the children of Israel on the day He anointed them, by an ordinance forever throughout their generations. ³⁷This is the law of the whole burnt offerings, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the consecrations, and the sacrifice of the peace offering, ³⁸in the manner the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day He commanded the children of Israel to offer their gifts before the Lord in the Sinai Desert.

⁸Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, a young bull as the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;^{† 3}and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of testimony.”

⁴So Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁵Then Moses said to the congregation, “This is the word the Lord commanded us to do.” ⁶So Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.^{† 7}He put the tunic on him, girded him with the belt, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him.^{† 8}Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. ⁹He also put the turban on his head; and on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁰Moses then took the anointing oil, ¹¹and he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar, and sanctified it, and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to sanctify them. He also anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and sanctified it. ¹²Moses then poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to sanctify him.^{† 13}After this, Moses brought Aaron's sons and put tunics on them, girded them with the belts, and put hats on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁴Then he brought the young bull for the sin offering; and Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering,^{† 15}and Moses killed it. Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. He poured the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement upon it.^{† 16}Moses then took all the fat on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses offered them on the altar. ¹⁷But the young bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁸Next, Moses brought the ram as the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram, ¹⁹and Moses killed the ram. Then he poured the blood all around on the altar ²⁰and cut the ram into pieces; and he offered the head, the pieces, and the fat. ²¹Then he washed the stomach and the feet in water and offered the whole ram on the altar. It was a whole burnt offering for a sweet aroma, a burnt offering to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²²After this, Moses brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram, ²³and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴Then Moses brought Aaron's sons; and he put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he poured the blood all around on the altar. ²⁵He took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; ²⁶and from the basket of consecration before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer and put them on the fat and on the right thigh;^{† 27}and he put all these in Aaron's hands and in his sons’ hands and offered them as a choice portion before the Lord. ²⁸Then Moses took them from their hands and offered them on the altar for a whole burnt offering of consecration, which was a sweet aroma and a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁹Moses also took the breast and removed it as a deposit from the ram of consecration before the Lord. It was Moses’ part, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰Moses then took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments with him; and he sanctified Aaron and his garments, and his sons and their garments with him.^†

³¹After this, Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh in the court of the tabernacle of testimony, in a holy place, and eat it there with the bread in the basket of consecration as I was commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ ³²What remains of the flesh and the bread shall be burned with fire. ³³You shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of testimony for seven days, until the days of your consecration are fulfilled. For seven days he shall consecrate you. ³⁴As the Lord did on this day, He commanded to do to make atonement for you. ³⁵Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of testimony day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the Lord, that you may not die; for the Lord God so commanded me.” ³⁶So Aaron and his sons did all the words the Lord commanded Moses.

⁹Now it came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and Israel's council of elders. ²Moses said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young calf from the oxen as a sin offering and a ram as a whole burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.^{† 3}And to the council of elders you shall speak, saying, ‘Take one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a young calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a whole burnt offering, ⁴also a young bull and a ram as peace offerings before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’ ”

⁵So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of testimony, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. ⁶Then Moses spoke this word, “This is the thing the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the Lord will appear among you.” ⁷Moses then said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your whole burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for your house. Also offer the gifts of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

⁸Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the young calf of the sin offering. ⁹Then Aaron's sons brought the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he offered on the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp. ¹²Then he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons presented to him the blood, which he poured all around on the altar. ¹³Then they presented the whole burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he put them on the altar. ¹⁴He washed the stomach and the feet and put them on the altar for a whole burnt offering.

¹⁵Then he brought the peoplés gift and took the young goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. ¹⁶He also brought the whole burnt offering and offered it according to the prescribed manner.^{† 17}Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and put it on the altar, besides the whole burnt offering of the morning. ¹⁸He also killed the young bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people; and Aaron's sons presented to him the blood, which he poured all around on the altar. ¹⁹The fat from the young bull and the ram: the fatty tail, what covers the stomach and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver, ²⁰they put on the breasts. Then he offered the fat on the altar; ²¹but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron removed as a choice portion before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²²Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the whole burnt offerings, and peace offerings.^{† 23}After this, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of testimony, and came out, and blessed all the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people;^{† 24}and fire came out from the Lord, and consumed the things on the altar, both the whole burnt offerings and the fat. When all the people saw this, they were amazed and fell on their faces.

¹⁰Now Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.^{† 2}So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. ³Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I shall be sanctified; and before all the congregation I shall be glorified.’ ” So Aaron was greatly distressed. ⁴Moses then called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from the presence of the sanctuary outside the camp.” ⁵So they came near and carried them by their tunics outside the camp, as Moses said. ⁶Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads, nor take off your garments, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning the Lord kindled. ⁷You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of testimony, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did according to Moses’ word.

⁸Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, ⁹“Do not drink wine and strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of testimony, or when you approach the altar, lest you die (it shall be an ordinance forever throughout your generations), ¹⁰that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, ¹¹and that you may teach the children of Israel all the ordinances which the Lord spoke to them by the hand of Moses.”

¹²Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that remains from the burnt offerings of the Lord and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. ¹³You shall eat it in a holy place, because from the burnt offerings of the Lord, it belongs to you and your sons by ordinance; for thus I was commanded. ¹⁴The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the choice portion you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your household with you; because it was given to you and your sons by ordinance from the peace offerings of the children of Israel. ¹⁵The thigh of the choice portion and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the burnt offerings of fat to offer as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be yours and your sons’ and daughters’ with you by an ordinance forever, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

¹⁶Then Moses made careful inquiry about the young goat of the sin offering, and there it was – burned up. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, saying, ¹⁷“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy; and He gave this to you, to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? ¹⁸For you did not bring its blood into the holy place; you personally should have eaten it in a holy place, as the Lord commanded me.” ¹⁹Then Aaron spoke to Moses, saying, “If they had offered their sin offering and whole burnt offerings today before the Lord, and these things happened to me, and I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable to the Lord?” ²⁰So when Moses heard that, he was pleased.

¹¹Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals you may eat among all the animals on the earth:^{† 3}Whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud – that you may eat. ⁴Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁵the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁶the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁷and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. ⁸Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.

⁹‘These you may eat of everything in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers – that you may eat. ¹⁰But everything in the water or in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, from all these, and from every living creature in the water which the waters produce, they are an abomination to you. ¹¹They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. ¹²Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales – that shall be an abomination to you.

¹³‘Now these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the ossifrage, and the sea eagle, ¹⁴the kite, and the falcon after its kind; ¹⁵every raven after its kind, ¹⁶the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; ¹⁷the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; ¹⁸the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; ¹⁹the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰‘Now all flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. ²¹Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. ²²These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. ²³But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.

²⁴‘Now by these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; ²⁵whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: ²⁶any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. ²⁷Now whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. ²⁸Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.

²⁹‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; ³⁰the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. ³²Anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is in which work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. ³³Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: ³⁴in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. ³⁵Everything on which a carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you. ³⁶Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern where there is plenty of water shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. ³⁷But if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. ³⁸However, if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you. ³⁹Now if any animal you are permitted to eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

⁴¹‘Now every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten. ⁴²Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth – these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. ⁴³You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. ⁴⁴For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy. Neither shall you defile your souls with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. ⁴⁵For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy.

⁴⁶‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, ⁴⁷to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”

¹²Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Israel, saying to them, ‘If a woman conceived and bore a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; she shall be unclean as in the days of her menstrual isolation. ³Then on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴She will then continue in the blood of her uncleanness thirty-three days. She is not to touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ⁵But if she bears a female child, she will be unclean two weeks, as in her menstrual isolation, and she will continue in the blood of her uncleanness sixty-six days. ⁶When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she is to bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a whole burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁷Then he shall bring it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and it will cleanse her from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bore a male or a female. ⁸But if she is unable to afford a lamb, she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons – one as a whole burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

¹³Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²“When a man has a scar on the surface of his skin, or a shiny spot, and it appears to be a leprous infection, he is to be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.^{† 3}The priest shall examine the infection on the surface of his skin; and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears deeper than the surface of his skin, it is a leprous infection. Thus the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.^{† 4}But if the shiny spot on the surface of his skin is white, but appears to be no more than skin deep, and its hair has not turned white, but is dark, the priest shall quarantine him for seven days. ⁵Then the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed, if the infection appears as it was, and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall quarantine him another seven days. ⁶Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed, if the infection is dark, and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a spot, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. ⁷But if the spot happens to spread at all on the skin, after he was seen by the priest for his cleansing, then he must be seen by the priest again. ⁸So if the priest sees the spot has indeed spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.

⁹“When the leprous infection is on a man, he shall be brought to the priest.^{† 10}The priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the scar on the skin is white, and has turned the hair white, and some of the flesh in the scar is healthy and alive, ¹¹it is an old leprosy on the surface of his skin. The priest shall pronounce him unclean and shall quarantine him, for he is unclean. ¹²But if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and it covers from head to foot all the skin of the one with the infection, according to the full examination of the priest, ¹³then the priest shall consider; and indeed, if the leprosy covers the entire surface of his skin, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; because it all turned white. He is clean. ¹⁴But in whatever day an open wound appears on him, he shall be unclean. ¹⁵Thus the priest shall examine the open wound and pronounce him unclean; for an open wound is unclean; it is leprosy. ¹⁶But if the surface of the skin is restored and turns white again, he shall come to the priest. ¹⁷The priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the infection has turned white, the priest shall pronounce clean him who has the infection. He is clean.

¹⁸“If onés body develops an ulcer in the skin, and it is healed, ¹⁹and in the place of the ulcer there comes a white scar or a shiny or inflamed spot, it shall be shown to the priest. ²⁰When the priest sees it, and indeed, it appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy which broke out in the ulcer. ²¹But if the priest examines it, and indeed, there is no white hair in it, and it is not deeper than the skin's surface, but is dark, the priest shall quarantine him seven days. ²²But if it should spread over the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous infection which broke out in the ulcer. ²³But if the shiny spot stays in one place and has not spread, it is the scar of the ulcer; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

²⁴“Or if onés body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the open wound of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, ²⁵the priest shall examine it; and indeed, if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous infection. ²⁶But if the priest examines it, and indeed, there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but is dark, then the priest shall quarantine him seven days. ²⁷Then the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous infection broken out in the ulcer. ²⁸But if the bright spot stays in one place and has not spread on the skin, but is dark, it is a scar from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean.

²⁹“If a man or woman appears to have a leprous infection on the head or the beard, ³⁰the priest shall examine the infection; and indeed, if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is thin yellow hair in it, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a lesion, a leprosy of the head or beard. ³¹But if the priest examines the infection of the lesion, and indeed, it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no thin yellow hair in it, the priest shall quarantine seven days the one who has the infection of the lesion. ³²Then on the seventh day the priest shall examine the infection; and indeed, if the lesion has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the indentation does not appear deeper than the skin, 33he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the lesion. Then the priest shall quarantine another seven days the one who has the lesion. ³⁴On the seventh day the priest shall examine the lesion; and indeed, if the lesion has not spread over the skin and the indentation does not appear deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. ³⁵But if the lesion happens to spread at all on the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the lesion has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean. ³⁷But if the lesion appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the lesion has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸“If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically shining white spots, ³⁹the priest shall look; and indeed, if the bright spots on the skin of the body are shining white spots, it is eczema. He is clean.

⁴⁰“As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean. ⁴²Now if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white infection, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. ⁴³Then the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the infection of the reddish-white skin on his bald head or on his bald forehead is like the form of leprosy on the skin of the body, ⁴⁴he is a leprous man. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his infection is on his head.

⁴⁵“Now the clothes of the leper on whom the infection is shall be torn and his head uncovered; and he shall cover his mouth, and he shall be called unclean. ⁴⁶He shall be unclean. All the days he has the infection he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell apart; his way of life shall be outside the camp.^†

⁴⁷“Also, if a garment has a leprous infection in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, ⁴⁸whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather, ⁴⁹and if the infection is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, then it is a leprous infection and shall be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰The priest shall examine the infection and quarantine him who has the infection seven days. ⁵¹Then he shall examine the infection on the seventh day. If the infection has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather, or in anything made of leather, the infection is an active leprosy. It is unclean. ⁵²Therefore he shall burn the garment with the infection, whether the warp or woof in wool or linen, or in anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire.^{† 53}But if the priest examines it, and indeed the infection has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, ⁵⁴then the priest shall order that the object with the infection be washed; and he shall quarantine it another seven days. ⁵⁵Then the priest shall examine the infection after it is washed; and indeed, if the infection has not changed its color, though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. It shall burned in the fire, for it is firmly established in the garment, either in the warp or the woof. ⁵⁶If the priest examines it, and indeed, the infection is dark after washing it, he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or the woof, or the leather. ⁵⁷But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading leprosy; and that garment with the infection shall be burned with fire. ⁵⁸But if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or anything made of leather, and the infection disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean. ⁵⁹This is the law of the leprous infection in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.”

¹⁴Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. ³The priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprous infection is healed in the leper,^†4the priest shall give orders to take, for the one declared clean, two small birds, live and clean, and also cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. ⁵Then the priest must give orders that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. ⁶As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood, the scarlet and hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird killed over the running water.^{† 7}Then he shall sprinkle the water seven times on the one cleansed from his leprosy, and he shall be clean; then he shall send away the living bird into a field. ⁸And the one who was cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water; and he shall be clean. After this, he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. ⁹But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows – all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.

¹⁰“Then on the eighth day he shall take two one-year-old lambs without blemish, a one-year-old sheep without blemish, three-tenths of the finest wheaten flour for a grain offering mixed with oil, and also one cup of oil.^{† 11}Then together with these things, the priest who cleanses shall present before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of testimony the man to be made cleansed. ¹²The priest shall then take one lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and the cup of oil, and set them apart as a wave offering before the Lord. ¹³Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the whole burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy. ¹⁴The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it on the tip of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵The priest shall also take some of the oil from the cup and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. ¹⁶Then he shall dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷The priest shall then put some of the remaining oil on the tip of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and also on the thumb of his right hand, the big toe of his right foot, and on the blood of the trespass offering. ¹⁸Then the priest shall put the rest of the oil on the head of the one to be cleansed. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord. ¹⁹Afterward, the priest shall offer the sin offering, and by it make atonement for the one to be cleansed. Then he shall kill the whole burnt offering. ²⁰The priest shall offer the whole burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar before the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

²¹“But if he is poor and cannot afford it, he shall take one lamb as a choice portion for a trespass offering, along with one-tenth of fine flour mixed with oil and a cup of oil as a grain offering, and ²²two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to afford: one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering, to make atonement for him. ²³He shall bring them to the priest on the eighth day for his cleansing, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, before the Lord. ²⁴The priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering and the cup of oil and put them as a deposit before the Lord. ²⁵Then the priest shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and take some of its blood, and put it on the tip of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, then on the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶The priest shall then pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷and sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil in his left hand, seven times before the Lord. ²⁸Then the priest shall put some of the oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and also on the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering. ²⁹The rest of the oil in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the Lord. ³⁰After this, he shall offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, such as he can afford – ³¹one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering, with the grain offering. Thus the priest shall make atonement for the one to be cleansed before the Lord. ³²This is the law for one who has a leprous infection, who cannot afford the usual cleansing.”

³³Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ³⁴“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I put the leprous infection in a house in the land of your possession, ³⁵and he who owns the house comes and tells the priest, saying, ‘It seems to me there is an infection in my house,’ ³⁶then before the priest goes into the house to examine the infection, he shall give orders for them to empty the house, that everything in the house may not become unclean. Afterward the priest shall enter the house to examine it. ³⁷He shall examine the infection; and indeed, if the plague on the walls of the house has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deep in the walls, ³⁸then the priest shall go outside the house to the door of the house, and quarantine the house seven days. ³⁹After this, the priest shall come again on the seventh day to examine it; and indeed, if the infection has spread on the walls of the house, ⁴⁰then the priest shall give orders to take away the stones with the infection; and they shall cast them into an unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹They shall then scrape the house inside and outside, and the dust they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city. ⁴²Then they shall take other scraped stones and put them in the place of those stones; and they shall take other mortar and plaster the house.

⁴³“Now if the infection comes back and breaks out in the house, after they took away the stones and scraped and plastered the house, ⁴⁴then the priest shall enter the house to examine it; and indeed, if the infection has spread in it, there is an active leprosy in the house. It is unclean. ⁴⁵So they shall break down the house, its stones, timber, and all its plaster, and carry them outside the city to an unclean place. ⁴⁶Moreover, he who goes into the house at all while it is quarantined shall be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷Also the one who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and the one who eats in the house shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

⁴⁸“But if the priest enters the house to examine it, and indeed, the infection has not spread at all in the house after it was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce it clean, because the infection is healed.^{† 49}Then to cleanse the house he shall take two live birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 50And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water; ⁵¹and he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the living bird and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵²Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, the running water, and the living bird, along with the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the spun scarlet. ⁵³Then he shall send away the living bird into a field outside the city and make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.

⁵⁴“This is the law for any leprous infection and lesion,^{† 55}and for a leprous garment, a house, ⁵⁶a scar, a mark, and a bright spot, ⁵⁷to determine in which day there is the unclean, and in which day it will be declared clean. This is the law of leprosy.”

¹⁵Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, to any and every man, ‘When any man has a seminal discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. ³This shall be the law of his uncleanness – whether his bodily member flows with an involuntary discharge of semen, or is stopped up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. ⁴Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies is unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. ⁵Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁶Whoever sits on anything on which he who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁷Whoever touches the skin of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁸If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁹Any saddle of a donkey on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean until evening. ¹⁰Whoever touches anything under him shall be unclean until evening; and whoever carries any of those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ¹¹Whomever he who has the discharge touches, and has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ¹²An earthen vessel that he who has the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden vessel shall be rinsed in water.

¹³‘Now when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing. He shall wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water; then he shall be clean.^{† 14}On the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring these before the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, and give them to the priest. ¹⁵Then the priest shall offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.

¹⁶‘If any man has an emission of semen, he shall wash all his body in water and be unclean until evening. ¹⁷Any garment and any leather on which there is semen shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening. ¹⁸Also, when a woman lies with a man and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

¹⁹‘If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual period seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. ²⁰Everything she lies on during her menstruation shall be unclean; also everything she sits on shall be unclean. ²¹Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and be unclean until evening. ²²Whoever touches anything she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ²³If anything is on her bed, or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. ²⁴If any man lies with her, and her uncleanness is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

²⁵‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her menstruation, or if it runs beyond this time, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her menstruation. She shall be unclean.^{† 26}Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her menstruation; and whatever she sits on, it shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her menstruation. ²⁷Whoever touches her shall be unclean; and he shall wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ²⁸But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. ²⁹Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ³⁰The priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a whole burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord because of the discharge of her uncleanness.

³¹‘Thus you shall make the children of Israel ungodly because of their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle among them.^{† 32}This is the law for one who has a discharge and who emits semen and is unclean thereby, ³³and for her who is indisposed because of her menstrual period, and for one who has a discharge, either man or woman, and for the man who lies with her during her menstrual period.’ ”

¹⁶Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they offered strange fire before the Lord and died;^{† 2}and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil, in the presence of the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony, lest he die; for I will be seen in the cloud above the mercy seat.^{† 3}Thus Aaron shall come into the holy place with a young bull of the oxen as a sin offering, and a ram as a whole burnt offering.^{† 4}He shall put the holy linen tunic and the linen trousers on his body; he shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired. These are holy garments. Therefore he shall wash his body in water and put them on.^†

⁵“Then he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a whole burnt offering.^{† 6}Aaron shall offer the young bull as his sin offering, to make atonement for himself and his house.^{† 7}He shall take the two kids and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁸Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two kids: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.^{† 9}Aaron shall bring the kid on which the Lord's lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. ¹⁰But the kid on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to let it go as the scapegoat into the desert.

Sacrifice

In the Book of Leviticus and detailed further in Deuteronomy 12– 26, the Lord commands Moses to institute a comprehensive system of ritual sacrifices to be offered by the priests on behalf of the people of God, thus giving the Hebrews a means to be reconciled with God and to restore harmony amongst themselves, relationships disrupted by sin. The word “sacrifice” means to make holy or sacred. These sacrifices and offerings – offered first at the tabernacle and later in the temple – were basically of two types: animal (cattle, sheep, goats, doves) and vegetable (wheat, barley, olive oil, wine, cereal, frankincense). The offerings were types prefiguring a greater reality to be fulfilled in the coming Incarnation of Christ.

The Old Covenant

In the Old Testament animal sacrifices, the blood shed and poured out represented the life-force of the animal offered to God (Gn.9:4; Lv.17:11; Dt.12:23). The animal was more than simply a substitute for the worshiper. There was also identification between the animal sacrificed and the one on whose behalf it was offered, explaining the emphasis in the Old Testament on the blood of the sacrifice (Ex.12:13, 24:4–8, 29:15–21, 30:1–10; Lv.14:24, 25; Nm.19:1–4). These sacrifices point to the blood of Christ in the New Testament: “My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mt.26:28; see also Acts.20:28; Rom.5:8–10; Col.1:19, 20; Heb.9:11–14; 1Pt.1:17–19; 1Jn.1:7; Rev.1:4–6; 7:13–15).

On the Day of Atonement, the preeminent Old Testament sacrifice was made. It was to atone for all the sins the nation of Israel had committed that year (Lv.16:2–34). The ceremony included (1) animal sacrifices as offerings for sins, and (2) the placing of “all the transgressions of the children of Israel... on the head of the living kid” – the scapegoat – which was then driven off into the wilderness (Lv.16:21). This event prefigures the once-for-all self-sacrifice of Christ, our great High Priest (Heb.4:14 – 5:10, 10:19–22), who takes upon Himself all the sins of all humanity (Is. 53:11, 12; Jn.1:29; 2Co.5:21; 1Pt.2:24), tramples down death by His voluntary Death on the cross, and thereby reconciles us to God (Is. 53:5; Gal.3:13, 14; Col.1:13, 14; Tts.2:13, 14; 1Pt.3:18).

The New Covenant

Christ’s once-for-all offering of Himself is for all people for all time, and supersedes the Mosaic sacrificial system. Accordingly, the mystery of the eucharistic service, accomplished within the Divine Liturgy of the Church, is done “in remembrance” of Christ’s sacrifice (Lk.22:19) and is a “reasonable and bloodless sacrifice” to be understood as our sacrifice-offering to God – “a mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise.” In the Divine Liturgy, instead of an animal or grain offering, we offer the Body and Blood of Christ to God. In a mystery known only to God, we thereby participate in the very Body and Blood of Christ offered once for all. And in this substantial union between Christ – the One sacrificed – and the worshiper, we come to more fully understand how we are united to Christ in our baptism and nurtured in our union with Christ by the eucharistic offering. The Church prays, “Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all.”

Offering sacrifices never exempted the Hebrews from the duty to live prayerfully and morally (Pr.15:8, 9). Moreover, Old Testament prophets stood against empty ritual and vain sacrifice (1Kg.15:22; Pss.49:7–15, 50:15–17; Is.1:1–20; Hos.6:6; Am.5:9–27; Mic.6:1–8). Hence, the Mosaic sacrificial system not only prefigures Christ’s own sacrifice, but also points to the pouring out of ourselves in self-sacrificial service as detailed in Romans 12:1 and 1 Peter 2:5.

¹¹“Then Aaron shall offer the young bull as his sin offering, to make atonement for himself and his house. Thus he shall kill the young bull as his sin offering. ¹²He shall then take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of the incense compound, beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. ¹³He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat on the testimonies, lest he die. ¹⁴He shall take some of the young bull's blood with his finger and sprinkle it upon the east side of the mercy seat seven times.

¹⁵“After that, he shall kill the kid of the sin offering before the Lord on behalf of the people, and bring some of its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the young bull, and sprinkle it upon the east side of the mercy seat seven times. ¹⁶So he shall make atonement in the holy place because of the impurities and injustices of the children of Israel, for all their sins; and thus he shall do this in the tabernacle of testimony, built among them in the midst of their uncleanness.^{† 17}There shall be no man in the tabernacle of testimony when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, his household, and all the congregation of the children of Israel. ¹⁸Then he shall go out to the altar before the Lord and make atonement upon it; and he shall take some of the blood of both the young bull and the kid and put it on the horns of the altar all around. ¹⁹Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse and sanctify it because of the impurities of the children of Israel.

²⁰“When Aaron shall finish making atonement in the holy place, the tabernacle of testimony and the altar, and shall also cleanse matters concerning the priests, then he shall bring the living kid. ²¹Aaron shall place his hands on the head of the living kid, confess over it all the transgressions of the children of Israel, and all their lawlessness, and all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the living kid, and send it away into the desert by the hand of a suitable man.^{† 22}The kid shall bear on itself all their wrongdoings to an uninhabited land. Thus he shall send away the kid into the desert. ²³Then Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of testimony and take off the linen garments he put on when he went into the holy place; and he shall leave them there. ²⁴He shall then wash his body with water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out to offer his whole burnt offering and the whole burnt offering of the people, to make atonement for himself, his house, the people, and in matters concerning the priests. ²⁵The fat of the sin offering he shall offer on the altar. ²⁶He who sent away the kid which was set apart for remission shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. ²⁷The young bull and the kid for the sin offerings whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place shall be carried outside the camp; and they shall burn them in the fire: their skin, their flesh, and their offal.^{† 28}Then he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; and afterward, he may come into the camp.

²⁹“This shall be an ordinance forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a resident alien who dwells among you. ³⁰For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord. Thus you shall be clean. ³¹It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths, a rest for you, and you shall humble your souls. It is an ordinance forever. ³²So the priest who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father's place shall make atonement and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments. ³³Then he shall make atonement in the most holy place, the tabernacle of testimony and the altar; and he shall make atonement for matters concerning the priests and all the congregation.^{† 34}So this shall be an ordinance forever for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins; and he shall do this once a year,” as the Lord gave orders to Moses.

¹⁷Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing the Lord commanded, saying, ³“Whatever man of the children of Israel, or resident aliens dwelling among them, kills a young bull, a sheep, or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, ⁴and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, to offer it as a whole burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord, acceptable for a sweet aroma; and whatever man kills outside and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, so as to offer it as a gift to the Lord before the Lord's tabernacle, blood shall be reckoned to that man, for he has shed blood; and that man shall be utterly destroyed from among his people, ⁵that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices they kill in the fields to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of testimony, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord. ⁶The priest shall pour the blood upon the altar all around before the Lord at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony, and offer the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ⁷They shall no more offer their sacrifices to worthless things, after whom they prostituted themselves. This shall be an ordinance forever for you throughout your generations.’ ”^†

⁸“Also you shall say to them, ‘Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the resident aliens who dwell among you, offers a whole burnt offering or sacrifice^{† 9}and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be utterly destroyed from among his people.

¹⁰‘And whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the resident aliens dwelling among you, eats any blood, I will set My face against that soul who eats blood and will utterly destroy him from among his people. ¹¹For the life of all flesh is in its blood, and I give it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for its blood makes atonement for the soul.’^{† 12}“Therefore, I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any resident alien who dwells among you eat blood.’ ¹³Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the resident aliens dwelling among you, hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dirt;^{† 14}for the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore, I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be utterly destroyed.’

¹⁵“Every soul who eats what died naturally or what was torn by wild animals, whether a native of your own country or a resident alien, he shall both wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean. ¹⁶But if he does not both wash his body and bathe in water, he shall bear his guilt.”

¹⁸Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. ³According to the way of life in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the way of life in the land of Canaan, where I bring you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. ⁴You shall do My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.^{† 5}You shall therefore keep all My ordinances and My judgments, and do these, which if a man does, he shall live by them; I am the Lord your God.^{† 6}None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord.^{† 7}The nakedness of your father or mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. ⁸The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover; it is your father's nakedness. ⁹The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, her nakedness you shall not uncover. ¹⁰The nakedness of your son's daughter, or your daughter's daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. ¹¹The nakedness of your father's wifés daughter, begotten by your father – she is your sister – you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹²You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is near of kin to your father. ¹³You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. ¹⁴You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, and approach his wife; she is your aunt. ¹⁵You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law – she is your son's wife – you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. ¹⁷You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover their nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is impious. ¹⁸Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

¹⁹‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her menstrual period of uncleanness. ²⁰Moreover, you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, to defile yourself with her. ²¹Furthermore, you shall not give your offspring to worship a ruler, nor shall you defile My holy name: I am the Lord. ²²You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. ²³Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

²⁴‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these ways of life the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before your face. ²⁵For the land is defiled, and on its account I am repaying them for their wrongdoing. Thus the land became vexed with those dwelling upon it. ²⁶You shall therefore keep all My ordinances and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any resident alien who dwells among you ²⁷ (for the men of the land before you did all these abominations, and thus the land was defiled), ²⁸that the land not be vexed with you in your defilement of it, as it was vexed with the nations before you. ²⁹For whoever does any of these abominations, these souls shall be utterly destroyed from among their people. ³⁰Therefore, you shall keep My ordinances, so as not to do any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and not to defile yourselves by them; for I am the Lord your God.’ ”

¹⁹Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ³Every one of you shall reverence his father and mother and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. ⁴Do not follow idols, nor make for yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. ⁵And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it in a manner acceptable for you. ⁶It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day, and if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. ⁷And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is not fit to be offered. It shall not be accepted. ⁸Therefore, everyone who eats it shall bear his guilt, because he has defiled the holy things of the Lord; and the souls that eat it shall be utterly destroyed from among their people.

⁹‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰Also you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the resident alien: I am the Lord your God.

¹¹‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ¹²You shall not swear by My name unjustly, nor shall you defile the name of your God: I am the Lord your God. ¹³You shall not treat your neighbor unjustly, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. ¹⁴You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord your God.

¹⁵‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor admire the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. ¹⁶You shall not go about deceitfully among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord your God. ¹⁷You shall not hate your brother in your mind. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear guilt because of him. ¹⁸You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.^†

¹⁹‘You shall keep My law. You shall not let your cattle mate with a different species. You shall not sow your field with mixed seeds. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.

²⁰‘Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine and has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be an inquiry; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. ²¹Then he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony, a ram as a trespass offering. ²²The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for the sin he committed; and the sin he committed shall be remitted him.

²³‘When you come into the land the Lord your God gives you and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall cleanse its impurity. Three years its fruit shall be impure to you. It shall not be eaten. ²⁴But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. ²⁵Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.

²⁶‘You shall not eat upon the mountains, nor divine for omens, nor watch birds for omens. ²⁷You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. ²⁸You shall not make any gashing on your bodies for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord your God. ²⁹Do not defile your daughter, to cause her to commit fornication, lest the land fall into fornication, and the land become full of lawlessness.

³⁰‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My holy things: I am the Lord. ³¹You shall not follow ventriloquists, nor attach yourselves to enchanters, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. ³²You shall rise before the gray-headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord your God. ³³And if a resident alien dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. ³⁴The resident alien who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. ³⁵You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or balances. ³⁶You shall have honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures: I am the Lord your God, who brings you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷‘Therefore you shall keep all My law and all My ordinances, and perform them: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

²⁰Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Again, you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the resident aliens dwelling in Israel, gives any of his children to worship a ruler, let him be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.^{† 3}I will set My face against that man and will destroy him from among his people, because he gave his children to a ruler, to defile My holy things and profane the name of those sanctified for Me.^{† 4}But if the natives of the land disregard that man, taking no notice of him when he gives his children to a ruler, and they do not kill him, ⁵then I will set My face against that man and those of his kind. For since he and those in agreement with him prostituted themselves to rulers, I will destroy them from among their people. ⁶Also the soul who follows ventriloquists and charmers, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that soul and destroy him from among his people. ⁷Therefore, you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ⁸You shall keep My ordinances and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ⁹Whatever man curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death. He cursed his father or mother. Thus he shall be guilty.^†

¹⁰‘The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, or who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. ¹¹The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness; both shall surely be put to death, for they are guilty. ¹²If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both shall surely be put to death. They are impious, and therefore guilty. ¹³If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both committed an abomination. They shall be put to death, for they are guilty. ¹⁴If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. ¹⁵If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. ¹⁶If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death, for they are guilty.

¹⁷‘If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a reproach. They shall be utterly destroyed in the presence of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness. They shall bear their guilt. ¹⁸If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both shall be utterly destroyed from among their people. ¹⁹You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister, nor your mother's sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. ²⁰If a man lies with his close relative, he has uncovered his relativés nakedness. They shall die childless. ²¹If a man takes his brother's wife, it is uncleanness. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They shall be childless.

²²‘You shall therefore keep all My ordinances and all My judgments and perform them, that the land to which I am bringing you to dwell in not be provoked at you. ²³Also, you shall not walk in the ordinances of the nations I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. ²⁴But I said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who separated you from all peoples.^{† 25}You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make your souls abominable by animals or birds, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I separated from you as unclean.^{† 26}You shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord your God, who separated you from all peoples for Myself, am holy.

²⁷‘A man or a woman who is a ventriloquist or a charmer shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones, for they are guilty.’ ”

²¹Now the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘They shall not be defiled by the dead among their people,^{† 2}except for their nearest relatives: their father, mother, sons, daughters, brother, 3and virgin sister near to him and having no husband; for these he may be defiled. ^{† 4}Otherwise, he shall not be unexpectedly defiled and profaned among his people. ⁵You shall not shave a bald spot on your head for the dead, nor shall they shave the edges of their beard, nor make any cuttings on their flesh. ⁶They shall be holy to their God, and not defile the name of their God, for they offer the sacrifices of the Lord as the gifts of their God; therefore, they shall be holy. ⁷They shall not take a wife who is a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for a priest is holy to the Lord his God. ⁸Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the gifts of the Lord your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctifies them, am holy. ⁹The daughter of any priest, if she defiles herself by playing the harlot, she defiles the name of her father. She shall be burned with fire. ¹⁰The high priest who is great among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who was consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; ¹¹nor shall he go near any soul who died, nor defile himself for his father or mother; ¹²nor shall he go out of the holy places, nor defile the sanctified place of his God; for the consecration of God's holy anointing oil is upon him: I am the Lord. ¹³Moreover, he shall take a wife in her virginity. ¹⁴But a widow, a divorced woman, a defiled woman, or a prostitute – these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.^{† 15}Nor shall he defile his seed among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”

¹⁶Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷“Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations who has any defect may approach to offer the gifts of his God.^{† 18}For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man lame or blind, who has a slit nose or ear, ¹⁹a man who has a broken hand or foot, ²⁰or is a hunchback or has a defect in his eye, or an inflammation with respect to the eyes, or a man who has a severe itch or a single testicle. ²¹No man of the seed of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the sacrifices to your God. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the gifts of your God. ²²The gifts of his God are most holy, and he may eat only the holy things; ²³but he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he defile the holy place of his God; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ” ²⁴Thus Moses told this to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

²²Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful for the holy things of the children of Israel, in what is sanctified to Me, so as not to defile My holy name: I am the Lord. ³Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, whoever of your seed goes near the holy things the children of Israel sanctify to the Lord while his uncleanness is upon him, that soul shall be utterly destroyed by Me: I am the Lord your God. ⁴Whatever man of the seed of Aaron who is a leper or has an involuntary discharge of semen shall not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. Also whoever touches any impurity of a soul who had an emission of semen while asleep on his bed, ⁵or whoever touches any unclean creeping thing by which he would be defiled, or anyone by whom he would be defiled, whatever his uncleanness may be – ⁶the soul who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he washes his body with water. ⁷Thus when the sun goes down, he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because it is his food. ⁸Whatever dies naturally or is torn by wild animals he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the Lord. ⁹They shall therefore keep My ordinances, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they defile these. I the Lord God sanctify them. ¹⁰No foreigner shall eat the holy things; one who sojourns with the priest or a hired servant shall not eat the holy things. ¹¹But if the priest buys a soul with his money, this one may eat the priest's food; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. ¹²If the priest's daughter is married to a foreigner, she may not eat of the holy offerings. ¹³But if the priest's daughter is a widow or divorced and has no child, and has returned to her father's house as in her youth, she may eat her father's food; but no foreigner shall eat it. ¹⁴Also, if a man eats the holy things in ignorance, then he shall restore the holy thing to the priest and add one-fifth to it. ¹⁵They shall not defile the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, ¹⁶or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy things; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ”

¹⁷Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 18}“Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the congregation of Israel, and say to them, ‘Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the resident aliens dwelling among them in Israel, who offers his gifts in accord with any agreed-on offering or any offering of choice which they offer to God as a whole burnt offering – ¹⁹to be acceptable on your behalf, they must be males without blemish from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. ²⁰Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer it to the Lord, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. ²¹And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lordfrom the cattle or the sheep, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering, or in your feasts, it must be without blemish to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. ²²Those blind, broken, or with a cut tongue, or afflicted with warts, or having a bad itch or a skin disease, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord. ²³Either a bull or a sheep that has anyears cut off or a shortened tail, you may offer for yourself, but for a vow of yours it shall not be accepted. ²⁴You shall not offer to the Lord what is castrated by crushing, bruising, tearing, or extracting; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. ²⁵Nor from a foreigner's hand shall you offer any of these as the gifts of your God, because their corruption is in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on your behalf.’ ”

²⁶Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷“When a young bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as a gift made by fire to the Lord. ²⁸Whether it is a young bull or a sheep, do not kill both her and her young on the same day. ²⁹Now if you offer a sacrifice, a vow of rejoicing to the Lord, you shall offer it so as to be acceptable for you. ³⁰On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave none of its flesh until morning: I am the Lord. ³¹Therefore you shall keep My commandments and do them. ³²You shall not defile My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, ³³who brings you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”

²³And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. ³Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath rest, a holy convocation to the Lord. You shall do no work on it; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks was the festival celebrated at the beginning of the grain harvest (Ex 34:22). This was the feast at which the Hebrews offered their firstfruits of the harvest to the Lord at the tabernacle. It was one of the three major Jewish feasts, along with the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (see Ex 23:14–17; 34:18–23; Dt 16:1–17).

According to Leviticus 23:15, 16, the Feast was celebrated for seven consecutive weeks beginning “the morning following the Sabbath day” of Passover. Thus comes its title, the “Feast of Weeks.” Later in the Old Testament this feast became known as “Pentecost” (“fiftieth”), since it was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover (see Tb 2:1; 2Mc 12:32).

The Jewish Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled as described in Acts 2. On this Day of Pentecost came the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ, as Christ Himself had promised (Jn 14:16, 17). The descent of the Holy Spirit fulfills the Jewish Feast of Pentecost in a number of ways.

1 The reaping of the firstfruits of the grain harvest is fulfilled by the first harvest on the Day of Pentecost, which consisted of the Jews who believed and were baptized. St. John Chrysostom says the Holy Spirit “came down as the keen-edged sickle.”

2 The offering of the two “deposit loaves” of leavened bread (Lv 23:17, 18) is prophetic of the ingathering of both Jews and Gentiles (Bede). St. John Cassian says the preaching of the apostles on the Day of Pentecost was “the true bread of the first fruits... when five thousand men were filled with the gift of its food” (Acts 4:4).

3 The fiftieth day – seven consecutive weeks following Pascha plus one day – indicates the fullness of time in a mystery, similar to the Christian understanding of the eighth day.

4 The giving of the Law to Moses by the Son of God is brought to completion by the givingof the Spirit (see Rom 8:3–11; Gal 5:3–6; Eph 2:13–18) to the Church.

The Orthodox services for Pentecost place their emphasis on the descent of the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. His descent means that the Mosaic Law, given by the Lawgiver and honored on the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, is now transcended: “The All-Holy Spirit, who freely distributes gifts to all, has descended and come to earth; not as He formerly had in the Law’s dark shadow, shining in the Prophets, but now in very truth, He is bestowed in us through Christ” (Vespers, Thursday after Pentecost).

The worship services for Pentecost repeatedly emphasize how Old Testament prophecies of the Holy Spirit are fulfilled on this day. Two of the greatest of these prophecies are found in the Old Testament readings for this Feast – Ezekiel 36:24–28 and Joel 2:23–32. St. Peter directly quotes the passage from Joel in his exhortation to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16–21). A third reading – Numbers 11:16–17, 24–29 – relates how the Lord commands Moses to select seventy of the elders of Israel, who, when the Spirit comes upon them, prophesy at the tabernacle. The comment of Moses regarding this event, “Would that all the Lord’s people might be prophets when the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” (Nm 11:29), is prophetic of the Day of Pentecost.

A hymn for the Feast of Pentecost declares, “Once, when He descended and confounded the tongues, the Most High divided the nations [Gn 11:1–9]; and when He divided the tongues offire, He called all men into unity; and with one accord we glorify the All-holy Spirit.”

⁴‘These are the feasts to the Lord, holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. ⁵On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Pascha to the Lord.^{† 6}Then on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. ⁷On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no service work on it. ⁸But you shall offer a whole burnt offering to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no ser-vice work.’ ”

⁹Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits from your harvest to the priest. ¹¹He shall offer the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the morning after the first day the priest shall offer it. ¹²Then you shall offer on that day on which you offer the sheaf a sheep of the first year, without blemish, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. ¹³Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a sacrifice to the Lord, for a sweet aroma to the Lord; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. ¹⁴You shall eat neither bread nor roasted fresh ears until the same day you have offered gifts to your God; it shall be an ordinance forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15‘Then you shall count for yourselves from the morning following the Sabbath day, from the day you brought the sheaf of the deposit, seven full weeks.^{† 16}Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. ¹⁷You shall bring from your dwellings two deposit loaves of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven. They are firstfruits to the Lord. ¹⁸Then you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year without blemish, one young bull, and two rams without blemish. They shall be a whole burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and drink offerings, a sacrifice for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁹After this, you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering, with the loaves of the firstfruits. ²⁰The priest shall deposit them with the loaves of the firstfruits as a deposit offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy things to the Lord; and for the priest who presented them, his shall they be. ²¹Then you shall proclaim the same day as a holy convocation for you. You shall do no service work on it. It shall be an ordinance forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ²²When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleanings from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the resident alien: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

²³Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a rest, a memorial of trumpets, a holy convocation for you. ²⁵You shall do no service work on it, and you shall offer a whole burnt offering to the Lord.’ ”

²⁶Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷“Also, the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall humble your souls and offer a whole burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁸And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. ²⁹For any soul who is not humbled on that same day shall be utterly destroyed from among his people. ³⁰Any soul who does any work on that same day, that soul shall be destroyed from among his people. ³¹You shall not do any work; this is an ordinance forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³²It shall be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for you, and you shall humble your souls; from the ninth day of the month, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbaths.”

³³Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁴“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. ³⁵On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no service work on it. ³⁶For seven days you shall offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord. Then on the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord. It is the final day of the festival for you, and you shall do no service work on it.

³⁷‘These are the feasts to the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord, whole burnt offerings and their grain and drink offerings, everything on its day – ³⁸besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts, all your vows, and all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.

³⁹‘Also on the fifteenth day of this seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast to the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a rest, and on the eighth day a rest.^{† 40}And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the ripe fruit of a tree, leaves of palm trees, the branches of leafy trees, and the pure willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be an ordinance forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴²You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, ⁴³that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

⁴⁴So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

²⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Command the children of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. ³Outside the veil in the tabernacle of testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it burning from evening until morning before the Lord continually; it shall be an ordinance forever in your generations. ⁴Upon the pure lampstand, you shall burn the lamps before the Lord until morning.

⁵“You shall also take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. ⁶You shall set them as two deposits, six loaves in each deposit, on the pure table before the Lord. ⁷Then you shall put pure frankincense and salt on each deposit, that it may be on the bread for a memorial offering to the Lord. ⁸Every Sabbath day it shall be placed before the Lord continually, in the presence of the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. ⁹It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat these things in a holy place; for this is most holy to him from the things sacrificed to the Lord, as a perpetual ordinance.”

¹⁰Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp.^{† 11}Then the Israelite woman's son, by pronouncing the Name, cursed; and so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) ¹²Then they placed him in custody, to make a decision regarding him through an ordinance of the Lord. ¹³Thus the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁴“Take the one who cursed outside the camp; then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. ¹⁵Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever curses God shall bear his guilt. ¹⁶Let him who pronounces the Lord's name be surely put to death. Let all the congregation of Israel stone him with stones, the resident alien as well as the native. Let him die when he pronounces the Lord's name. ¹⁷Whoever strikes a man and he dies, let him surely be put to death. ¹⁸Whoever strikes an animal and it dies, let him compensate life for life. ¹⁹If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him – ²⁰fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. ²¹Whoever strikes a man and he dies, let him surely be put to death. ²²You shall have the same judgment for what is right both for the resident alien and the native; for I am the Lord your God.’ ” ²³Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they took outside the camp him who had cursed, and stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁵Now the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. ³Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather its fruit; ⁴but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. ⁵What grows by itself in your field you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of the vines you dedicated, for it is a year of rest for the land. ⁶So the products of the land during the Sabbath year shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the alien who dwells with you, ⁷and for your cattle and the wild animals in your land – all its produce shall be for food.

⁸‘You shall also count seven years of rest for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-nine years.^{† 9}Then you shall sound the trumpet throughout your land on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.^{† 10}Then you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim remission throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall signal the Year of Remission for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his homeland. ¹¹That fiftieth year shall be the Signal of Remission for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows by itself, nor gather its sanctified things. ¹²For it is the Signal of Remission; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.

¹³‘In this Year of Remission, each shall return to his possession. ¹⁴Also, if you should make a sale of land to your neighbor or buy it from him, let a man not oppress his neighbor. ¹⁵According to the number of years after the Signal, you shall buy land tenure from your neighbor, and he shall sell tenure to you according to the number of years of crops. ¹⁶According to the increase in years, his acquisition price for tenure should be increased, and according to the fewer number of years his price should be diminished; for he sells to you according to the number of the crops. ¹⁷Therefore, let not a man oppress his neighbor, but you shall fear the Lord your God; for I am the Lord your God.

¹⁸‘So you shall do all My ordinances and keep My judgments, and do them; then you will dwell in the land in confidence. ¹⁹Then the land will yield its produce, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in confidence. ²⁰But if you should say, “What shall we eat in this seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” ²¹Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. ²²And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat from the old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

²³‘The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine; for in my sight you are resident aliens and sojourners. ²⁴According to all the land of your possession, you shall grant a ransom of the land. ²⁵If your brother with you becomes poor and has sold some of his possession, and his closest relative comes, then he may redeem what his brother sold. ²⁶Or if the poor man has no close relative to redeem it, but he himself becomes prosperous enough to redeem it, ²⁷then let him compute the years since its sale and return the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. ²⁸But if he does not become prosperous enough to return to it himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Remission; and in the Remission it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.

²⁹‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. ³⁰But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong legally to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Remission. ³¹However, the houses of unwalled villages shall be counted as belonging to the open country. They may be redeemed and released at any time during the Remission. ³²Nevertheless, the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. ³³Even whoever purchases a house from the Levites, the house that was sold in the city of their possession shall be released in the Remission; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. ³⁴But the fields set apart for their cities may not be sold, for this is their perpetual possession.

³⁵‘If your brother becomes poor and weak in strength among you, then you shall help him, like a resident alien or a sojourner, that he may live with you. ³⁶Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God – I am the Lord – that your brother may live with you. ³⁷You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. ³⁸I am the Lord your God, who brings you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, so as to be your God.

³⁹‘Now if your brother with you becomes poor and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. ⁴⁰But as a hired servant or a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall work for you until the Year of Remission. ⁴¹Then in the Remission he shall depart from you – he and his children with him – and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. ⁴²For they are My personal servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold with the sale of a household servant. ⁴³You shall not overwork him with labor, but you shall fear the Lord your God. ⁴⁴As for the male and female servants you may have from the Gentiles around you, from them you may buy male and female servants. ⁴⁵Moreover you may buy some of the children of sojourners dwelling among you, and some of their families with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your possession. ⁴⁶You may also distribute them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a permanent possession. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not overwork him with labor.

⁴⁷‘Now if a resident alien or sojourner with you prospers, and your brother becomes poor and sells himself to the resident alien or sojourner with you, or to a member of the resident alien's family, ⁴⁸after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; ⁴⁹or his uncle or his unclés son may redeem him; or anyone near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰Thus he shall compute the years with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Remission; it shall be according to the time he was a hired servant for him. ⁵¹If there are still more years remaining to someone, he shall pay his ransom from the money of his sale. ⁵²Now if there remain but a few years until the Year of Remission, then he shall compute with him, and according to his years, he shall repay his ransom. ⁵³He shall be with him as a hired servant year by year, and you shall not allow someone to overwork him with labor in your sight. ⁵⁴But if he is not redeemed in these years he shall be released in the Year of Remission – he and his children with him. ⁵⁵For the children of Israel are personal servants to Me; they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

²⁶‘Now you shall not make handcrafted objects for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up a distinctive stone in your land, to worship it; for I am the Lord your God. ²You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My holy things: I am the Lord.

³‘If you walk in My ordinances and keep My commandments, and do them,^{† 4}then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. ⁵Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. ⁶War shall not pass through your land, and I will give peace in the land; and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; and I will utterly destroy the bad wild animals from the land. ⁷You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by slaughter before you. ⁸Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. ⁹For I will look upon you and make you fruitful, and multiply and establish My covenant with you. ¹⁰You shall eat the old harvest of the past two years, and clear out the old because of the new. ¹¹I will establish My covenant among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. ¹³I am the Lord your God, who brings you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their servants; I broke the bands of your yoke and made you walk with confidence.

¹⁴‘Now if you do not obey Me, neither do all these ordinances, ¹⁵but your soul disobeys them and despises My judgments, so as not to do all My commandments but to shatter My covenant, ¹⁶I also will do thus to you: I will bring difficulty upon you, both the itch, the jaundice, the gangrenous eyes, and the withering away of your life. You shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. ¹⁷I will set My face against you, and you shall fall before your enemies. Those who hate you shall pursue you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

¹⁸‘Then after all this, if you do not obey Me, I will increase your punishment seven times more for your sins. ¹⁹I will crush your excessive arrogance; I will make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. ²⁰Your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit. ²¹Then if after this, you walk contrariwise and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. ²²I will also send among you the wild animals of the land; and they will eat you, and utterly destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.

²³‘Then if by these things you are not corrected by Me, but walk contrary to Me, ²⁴then I also will walk in hostility to you, and I will strike you yet seven times for your sins. ²⁵I will also strike you with the sword, exacting the vengeance of the covenant; and you will flee for refuge to your cities. I will also send forth death among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of enemies. ²⁶When you are afflicted by want of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven; and they shall dole out your bread by measure, and you shall eat and still be hungry.

²⁷‘Now if after all this, you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, ²⁸then I also will walk in hostility to you; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. ²⁹Then you shall eat the flesh of your sons and daughters. ³⁰I will make desolate your pillars, and will utterly destroy your wooden handcrafted objects; and I will put your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you. ³¹I will lay your cities waste, and bring your holy things to desolation; and I will not smell the odor of your sacrifices. ³²I will bring your land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. ³³I will scatter you among the Gentiles, and the sword shall suddenly destroy you. Then your land shall be a desert and your cities deserts. ³⁴Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, and you are in your enemies’ land. Thus the land shall rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. ³⁵As long as it lies desolate it shall rest – for the time it did not rest on your Sabbaths when you dwelt in it.

³⁶‘Now as for those of you remaining in the land, I will send faintness into their heart in the land of their enemies; and the sound of the shaking leaf shall chase them. Then they shall flee as though fleeing from a battle, and shall fall when no one pursues. ³⁷Brother shall disregard brother as in warfare though no one is in pursuit; and you will be unable to withstand your enemies. ³⁸You shall perish among the Gentiles, and the land of your enemies shall devour you. ³⁹Now those of you who are left shall be destroyed because of their sins, and waste away in their enemies’ land.

⁴⁰‘But if they confess their sins and the sins of their fathers, that they transgressed and disregarded Me and walked contrary to Me, ⁴¹and that I also have walked in hostility to them and destroyed them in the land of their enemies, then their uncircumcised heart will feel ashamed, and they will render satisfaction for their guilt. ⁴²Then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; and I will remember the land. ⁴³The land also shall be deserted by them; and the land will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate because of them. Then they must take responsibility for their lawless acts, because they disregarded My judgments, and their soul abhorred My ordinances. ⁴⁴Yet for all that, when they were in the land of their enemies, I did not neglect them nor treat them with contempt, so as to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. ⁴⁵But I will remember their former covenant when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, in the sight of the Gentiles, to be their God: I am the Lord.’ ”

⁴⁶These are the judgments, the ordinances, and the law which the Lord made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

²⁷Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 2}“Speak to the children of Is-rael, and say to them, ‘When a man vows a vow to the Lord equivalent to the value of his soul, ³and if your valuation is of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old, his valuation shall be fifty didrachm of silver, according to the pure measure. ⁴But if it is of a female, your valuation shall be thirty didrachm; ⁵and if from five years old up to twenty years old, your valuation for a male shall be twenty didrachm, and for a female ten didrachm; ⁶and if from a month old up to five years old, your valuation for a male shall be five didrachm of silver, and for a female, three didrachm of silver; ⁷and if from sixty years old and above, if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen didrachm, and for a female ten didrachm. ⁸But if he is too poor to pay your valuation, he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall set a value for him; according to the ability of him who vowed, the priest shall value him. ⁹If they bring from the cattle a gift to the Lord, whoever gives from these to the Lord, his gift shall be holy. ¹⁰He shall not change it, good for bad or bad for good; and if he changes it at all, cattle for cattle, then both it and that which is changed shall be holy. ¹¹But if it is any unclean animal which they do not offer as a gift to the Lord, he shall present the animal before the priest; ¹²and the priest shall set a value for it, whether good or bad; and as the priest values it, so it shall stand. ¹³But if he wants at all to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth to his valuation. ¹⁴And when a man sanctifies his house to be holy to the Lord, then the priest shall set a value for it, whether good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. ¹⁵If he who sanctified his house wants to redeem it, he must add one-fifth of the silver of its valuation, and it shall be his. ¹⁶Now if a man sanctifies part of the field of his possession to the Lord, then the valuation shall be according to the seed required for it: a cor of barley for fifty didrachm of silver. ¹⁷If he sanctifies part of his field from the Year of Remission, according to his valuation it shall stand. ¹⁸But if he sanctifies his field subsequently after the Jubilee, the priest shall reckon to him the silver due according to the years that remain till the Year of Remission, and it shall be deducted from his valuation. ¹⁹And if he who sanctifies the field ever wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth of the silver to his valuation, and it shall belong to him. ²⁰But if he does not want to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore; ²¹but the field, when it is released in the Remission, shall be holy to the Lord, as a field set apart; it shall be the possession of the priest. ²²But if a man sanctifies to the Lord part of a field he bought which is not the field of his possession, ²³then the priest shall reckon to him its full assessment from the Year of Remission, and he shall pay its valuation on that day as holy to the Lord. ²⁴Then in the Year of Remission, the field shall return to the man from whom he bought it, to the one who owned the land as a possession. ²⁵Now all your valuations shall be according to the pure measures: twenty obols to the didrachm. ²⁶But the firstborn of your cattle, which shall be the Lord's firstborn, no man shall sanctify, whether a young calf or sheep; it is the Lord's. ²⁷Now if it is an unclean four-footed animal, he shall change it according to his valuation; and he shall add one-fifth to it, and it will be his. But if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold according to his valuation. ²⁸Nevertheless, any devoted thing a man may devote to the Lord of anything he has, man or animal, or part of the field of his possession, shall not be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord. ²⁹Furthermore, people devoted to the Lord shall not be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death. ³⁰Now all the tithe of the land, whether seed of the land or fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. ³¹If a man

wants at all to redeem his tithe, he shall add one-fifth to it, and it will be his. ³²Now concerning the tithe of the oxen or the sheep, of whatever passes in the numbering under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. ³³You shall not change good for bad; but if he changes it at all, both it and that which is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’ ” ³⁴These are the commandments the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

NUMBERS

Previous Home Next

Chapters in Numbers

Introduction

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 1

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 2

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 4

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 5

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 7

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60

61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70

71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80

81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 8

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 9

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 10

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 11

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 12

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 13

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 14

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 15

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 16

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 17

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 18

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 19

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 20

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 21

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 22

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 23

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 24

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 25

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 26

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60

61, 62, 63, 64, 65

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 27

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 28

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 29

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 30

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 31

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 32

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 33

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50

51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 34

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 35

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

31, 32, 33, 34

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Verses in Numbers Chapter 36

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

11, 12, 13

Back to Chapters in Numbers

Back to the Old Testament

Back to Table of Contents

Author – Moses is the author of this fourth book of the Pentateuch (Dt 31:9). He kept a list of the stopping places on the journey from Egypt through the wilderness (Dt 33:2).

Date – After the Exodus from Egypt.

Major Theme – God dwells among His people, instructing, sustaining, and guiding them. He never abandons them, in spite of their disobedience. He is setting His chosen people apart from the ungodly nations that surround them.

Background – The journey from Egypt to the promised land was 40 years long. During that time the older people passed away, replaced by a new generation. Though under the able leadership of Moses, they continually grumbled against him. Even his own brother, Aaron, and his sister, Miriam, turned against him. Moses was preparing the Israelites for what they would encounter when they crossed over the Jordan to claim the land God promised them.

Outline

I. Preparation for the Journey from Sinai to Canaan (1–1 0:1 0)

A. The first census (1–54)

B. Position of the tribes in the camp and on the march (2:1 –34)

C. The census and duties of the Levites (3:1 –4:49)

D. Regulations of the Nazirites and the priestly blessing (5:1 –6:26)

E. The offerings of the leaders and consecration of priests (7–8:26)

F. The supplementary Passover (9:1 –1 4)

G. The fiery cloud and the silver trumpets (9:1 5–1 0:1 0)

II. The Journey from Sinai to the Plains of Moab (1 0:1 1 –22:1 )

A. Departure (1 0:1 1 –36)

B. Rebellion (1 1–35)

C. Miriam and Aaron rebel against Moses (1 2:1 –1 6)

D. twelve scouts (1 3:1 –33)

E. The rebellion of priests, Levites, and people (1 4:1 –1 7:28)

F. Duties and dues of the priests and Levites (1 8:1 –1 9:22)

G. Final events at Kadesh (20:1 –22:1 )

III. On the Plains of Moab (22:2–36:1 3)

A. Balak and Balaam (22:2–24:25)

B. Apostasy at Peor (25:1 –1 8)

C. The second census (26:1 –271 )

D. Joshua succeeds Moses (272–30:1 7 )

E. The holy war against Midian (31–54)

F. Settlement of two and a half tribes in Transjordan (32:1 –42)

G. Forty stages on the journey (33:1 –56)

H. Tribal boundaries; cities for the Levites (34:1 –36:1 3)

¹Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the tabernacle of testimony, on the first day of the second month in the second year after they came out of the land of Egypt, saying,^{† 2}“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and according to their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male^{† 3}from twenty years old and above – all who go out with the army of Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. ⁴With you there shall be each man according to the tribe of each ruler and their fathers’ houses. ⁵These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; ⁶from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; ⁷from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; ⁸from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; ⁹from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; ¹⁰from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; ¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; ¹²from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; ¹³from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; ¹⁴from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; ¹⁵from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.” ¹⁶These were chosen from the congregation, rulers of their fathers’ tribes and chiliarchs in Israel.

¹⁷Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, ¹⁸and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month in the second year; and they registered their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, every male according to their head count, ¹⁹in the manner the Lord commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

²⁰Now there were the children of Reuben, Israel's firstborn son, and their families according to their tribes by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ²¹Their census from the tribe of Reuben was forty-six thousand five hundred. ²²There were the children of Simeon, and their families according to their tribes by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ²³Their census from the tribe of Simeon was fifty-nine thousand three hundred. ²⁴There were the children of Judah, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ²⁵Their census from the tribe of Judah was seventy-four thousand six hundred. ²⁶There were the children of Issachar, and their families by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ²⁷Their census from the tribe of Issachar was fifty-four thousand four hundred. ²⁸There were the children of Zebulun, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ²⁹Their census from the tribe of Zeb-ulun was fifty-seven thousand four hundred. ³⁰There were the children of Joseph: the children of Ephraim, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ³¹Their census from the tribe of Ephraim was forty thousand five hundred; ³²and the children of Manasseh, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ³³Their census from the tribe of Manasseh was thirty-two thousand two hundred. ³⁴There were the children of Benjamin, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ³⁵Their census from the tribe of Benjamin was thirty-five thousand four hundred. ³⁶There were the children of Gad, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ³⁷Their census from the tribe of Gad was forty-five thousand six hundred fifty. ³⁸There were the children of Dan, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ³⁹Their census from the tribe of Dan was sixty two thousand seven hundred. ⁴⁰There were the children of Asher, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ⁴¹Their census from the tribe of Asher was forty-one thousand five hundred. ⁴²There were the children of Naphtali, and their families by their fathers’ houses, and according to the number of names by their head count, every male from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out with the army. ⁴³Their census from the tribe of Naphtali was fifty-three thousand four hundred. ⁴⁴This is the census taken by Moses and Aaron, along with the twelve rulers of Israel and their paternal households, each man according to his tribe. ⁴⁵So the entire census of the children of Israel, with their armies, and from twenty years old and above – all who were able to go out to war in Israel – ⁴⁶was six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

⁴⁷But the Levites from their father's tribe were not numbered with the children of Israel,^{† 48}for the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁹“See to it that the tribe of Levi is not numbered, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel; ⁵⁰but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall minister liturgically in the tabernacle and camp around it.^{† 51}When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall dismantle it; and when the tabernacle is to make camp, the Levites shall set it up. The foreigner who comes near, let him be put to death. ⁵²But the children of Israel shall make camp with their armies, each man according to his own rank, and each man according to his own regiment. ⁵³However, the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of testimony in the Lord's presence, so there may be no sin among the children of Israel; and the Levites themselves shall guard the tabernacle of testimony.”^{† 54}Thus the children of Israel did according to all the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²“Let the children of Israel – each man according to his division and military standard – camp according to their fathers’ houses, around and facing the tabernacle of testimony.^{† 3}Those camping first and on the east side shall be the division of Judah with their army; and the ruler of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.”^{† 4}His army was numbered at seventy-four thousand six hundred. ⁵“Those camping next to Judah shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the ruler of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son of Zuar.” ⁶His army was numbered at fifty-four thousand four hundred. ⁷“Also camping next to Judah shall be the tribe of Zebulun; and the ruler of the children of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon.” ⁸His army was numbered at fifty-seven thousand four hundred. ⁹“All those numbered in the armies from the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred – these shall break camp first.

¹⁰“On the south side shall be the division of the camp of Reuben with their army; and the ruler of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.” ¹¹His army was numbered at forty-six thousand five hundred. ¹²“Those camping next to Reuben shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the ruler of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.” ¹³His army was numbered at fifty-nine thousand three hundred. ¹⁴“Also camping next to Reuben shall be the tribe of Gad; and the ruler of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.” ¹⁵His army was numbered at forty-five thousand six hundred fifty. ¹⁶“All those numbered in the armies from the camp of Reuben were one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty – they shall be the second to break camp. ¹⁷Then the tabernacle of testimony shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall break camp, each one next by regiment.

¹⁸“On the west side shall be the division of the camp of Ephraim with their army; and the ruler of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.” ¹⁹His army was numbered at forty thousand five hundred. ²⁰“Those camping next to Ephraim shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the ruler of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.” ²¹His army was numbered at thirty-two thousand two hundred. ²²“Also camping next to Ephraim shall be the tribe of Benjamin; and the ruler of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.” ²³His army was numbered at thirty-five thousand four hundred. ²⁴“All those numbered in their armies from the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred – they shall be the third to break camp. ²⁵On the north side shall be the division of the camp of Dan with their army; and the ruler of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.” ²⁶His army was numbered at sixty-two thousand seven hundred. ²⁷“Those camping next to Dan shall be the tribe of Asher; and the ruler of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.” ²⁸His army was numbered at forty-one thousand five hundred. ²⁹“Also camping next to Dan shall be the tribe of Naphtali; and the ruler of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.” ³⁰His army was numbered at fifty-three thousand four hundred. ³¹“All those numbered in the armies with Dan were one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred – they shall break camp last, with their divisions.”

³²This numbering of the children of Israel was according to their fathers’ houses. All the numbering of the camps with their armies was six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty. ³³But the Levites were not numbered with them, as the Lord commanded Moses. ³⁴Thus the children of Israel did all the Lord commanded Moses; so they camped according to their divisions. Thus they broke camp, each one by his family, according to their fathers’ houses.

³Now these are the genealogies of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. ²These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. ⁴Nadab and Abihu had died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests with Aaron their father.

⁵Again, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, so they may minister liturgically with him.^{† 7}They shall perform duties for him and for the children of Israel before the tabernacle of testimony, according to all the works of the tabernacle. ⁸They shall also perform duties for all the furnishings of the tabernacle of testimony, and for all the children of Israel, according to all the works of the tabernacle. ⁹Thus you shall assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons the priests; they are given entirely to Me from the children of Israel. ¹⁰And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons over the tabernacle of testimony, and they shall guard their priesthood and all the things related to the altar and within the veil; but the foreigner who touches these things shall be put to death.”

¹¹Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 12}“Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. The Levites shall be a ransom from them; therefore, they shall be Mine, ¹³because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to cattle. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”

¹⁴Furthermore, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, ¹⁵“Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their tribes, and by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and above.” ¹⁶So Moses and Aaron numbered them according to the voice of the Lord, in the manner the Lord commanded them. ¹⁷These are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁸These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their tribes: Libni and Shimei; ¹⁹and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel; ²⁰and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the tribes of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.

²¹From Gershon came the tribe of the Libnites and the Shimites; these are the families of the Gershonites. ²²Their census, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, was seven thousand five hundred. ²³The children of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle along the west side, ²⁴and the ruler of the father's house of the tribe of Gershon was Eliasaph the son of Lael. ²⁵The charge of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of testimony included the overall covering of the tabernacle and the screen for the door of the tabernacle of testimony, ²⁶and the curtains of the court, and the screen for the gate of the court by the tabernacle, and the rest of all its works.

²⁷From Kohath came the tribes of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these are the tribes of the Kohathites. ²⁸Their census, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, was eight thousand six hundred, keeping charge of the holy things. ²⁹The tribes of the children of Kohath were to camp along the south side of the tabernacle, ³⁰and the ruler of the house of the families of the Kohathite tribes was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹Their charge included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the holy place with which they ministered liturgically, the screen, and all their works. ³²Now the ruler over the rulers of the Levites was Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed to be in charge of those responsible for the holy things.

³³From Merari came the tribe of the Mahlites and the tribe of the Mushites; these were the tribes of Merari. ³⁴Their census, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, was six thousand five hundred, ³⁵and the ruler of the house of the families of the Merari tribe was Zuriel the son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶The appointed duty of the children of Merari included the pillars of the tabernacle, and the bars, the columns, and the bases, and all their furnishings and works, ³⁷and the pillars of the court all around, with their bases, pegs, and cords.

³⁸Those camped in front of the tabernacle of testimony on the east were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, performing the guard duties of the holy place on behalf of the children of Israel; but the foreigner who touches these things shall be put to death.

³⁹The entire census of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the voice of the Lord, by their tribes, all the males from a month old and above, was twenty-two thousand.

⁴⁰Again, the Lord said to Moses, “Take a census of all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. ⁴¹You shall take the Levites for Me – I am the Lord – instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn cattle among the children of Israel.” ⁴²So Moses took a census of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, in the manner the Lord commanded him. ⁴³Thus all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above from the census, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

⁴⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. ⁴⁶But for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three firstborn from the children of Israel who are more in number than the Levites, ⁴⁷you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them according to the holy didrachm, the twenty obols of the shekel. ⁴⁸Then you shall give the silver with which the excess number of them is redeemed to Aaron and his sons.” ⁴⁹So Moses took the silver, the redemption of those who exceeded the number, for the redemption of the Levites. ⁵⁰From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the silver, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the holy shekel. ⁵¹Then Moses gave their redemption money for those in excess to Aaron and his sons, according to the voice of the Lord, in the manner the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,^{† 2}“Take a sum total of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their tribes and the houses of their families, ³from twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter liturgical service to do all the works in the tabernacle of testimony. ⁴These are the works, the most holy things, of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of testimony: ⁵When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall enter, and take down the overshadowing veil and cover the ark of the testimony with it.^{† 6}Then they shall put on it a blue leather covering; and on top of this they shall spread an entirely blue cloth, and then insert the carrying-poles. ⁷On the table of presentation they shall spread a cloth all of purple and put on it the dishes, the censers, the cups, and the bowls for pouring the drink-offerings; and the perpetual loaves shall be on it.^{† 8}They shall spread over it a scarlet cloth; and they shall cover it with a blue leather covering and then insert its carrying-poles. ⁹Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its funnels, and all its oil vessels with which they minister liturgically. ¹⁰Then they shall put it with all its vessels in a covering of blue leather, and put it on a carrying-pole. ¹¹Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth; and they shall cover it with a covering of blue leather and then insert its carrying-poles. ¹²Then they shall take all the vessels for liturgical service with which they minister liturgically in the holy things, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with blue leather covering, and put them on carrying-poles. ¹³Also they shall put the covering on the altar and spread a cloth entirely of purple over it. ¹⁴They shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister liturgically there – the fire pans, the forks, the bowls, the cover, and all the vessels of the altar – and they shall spread on it a covering of blue leather and insert its carrying-poles. Then they shall spread on it a blue leather cover, and insert its carrying-poles. After this, they shall take a purple cloth to cover the laver and its base, and put them into a blue leather cover, and then put them on carrying-poles. ¹⁵Then after Aaron and his sons finish covering the holy things and all the holy vessels, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall enter to carry them; but they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of testimony the sons of Kohath are to carry: ¹⁶(the overseer is Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest) the oil for the light, the incense compound, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, and whatever is in it, in the holy place with all its works.” ¹⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ¹⁸“Do not destroy the tribe of the Kohathite families from among the Levites; ¹⁹but do this in regard to them, so they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them according to his transport duty. ²⁰But they shall not go in unexpectedly to watch the holy things, lest they die.”

²¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²²“Also take a census of the sons of Gershon, by their fathers’ houses according to their tribes. ²³From twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall take a census of them, all who enter to minister liturgically, to do its works in the tabernacle of testimony. ²⁴This is the liturgical service of the tribe of the Gershonites, in serving liturgically and in carrying: ²⁵They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of testimony with its covering, the covering of blue leather over it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of testimony, ²⁶the curtains of the court, which are around the tabernacle of testimony, and all the abundance of liturgical vessels, with which they minister liturgically: so shall they do. ²⁷Aaron and his sons shall assign all the liturgical service of the sons of the Gershonites, according to all their liturgical service and all the things to be carried by them. You shall assign them by name with all the matters to be carried by them. ²⁸This is the liturgical service of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of testimony, and their duties shall be under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹“As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their tribes and their fathers’ houses. ³⁰From twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the liturgical service to do the work of the tabernacle of testimony. ³¹These things to be carried by them are their duties relative to all their works in the tabernacle of testimony: the capitals of the tabernacle, and its bars, pillars, bases, and the screen. They shall also carry the bases, the pillars, and the screen of the door of the tabernacle, ³²and the pillars around the court with their bases, and the pillars of the screen of the courtyard gate, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and liturgical things; and you shall assign them by name all the vessels they are responsible to carry. ³³This is the liturgical service of the tribe of the sons of Merari, in all their works for the tabernacle of testimony, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

³⁴Thus Moses, Aaron, and the rulers of the congregation took a census of the sons of the Kohathites by their tribes and their fathers’ houses, ³⁵from twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the liturgical service for work in the tabernacle of testimony. ³⁶Their numbering according to their tribes was two thousand seven hundred fifty. ³⁷This is the numbering of the tribe of the Kohathites, all who were serving liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the voice of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

³⁸Those numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their tribes and their fathers’ houses, ³⁹from twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone entering the liturgical service to do the works in the tabernacle of testimony – ⁴⁰those numbered by their tribes and their fathers’ houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty. ⁴¹This was the census of the tribe of the sons of Gershon, everyone serving in the tabernacle of testimony, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the voice of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

⁴²Those numbered of the tribe of the sons of Merari, who were numbered by their tribes and their fathers’ houses, ⁴³from twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone entering the liturgical service for the works in the tabernacle of testimony – ⁴⁴those numbered by their tribes and their fathers’ houses were three thousand two hundred. ⁴⁵This was the census of the tribe of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the voice of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

⁴⁶All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the rulers of Israel numbered, by their tribes and their fathers’ houses, ⁴⁷from twenty-five years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone entering for the task of works and the works of carrying the things in the tabernacle of testimony – ⁴⁸those numbered were eight thousand five hundred eighty. ⁴⁹By the voice of the Lord by the hand of Moses they were numbered, each man according to his works and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, in the manner the Lord commanded Moses.

⁵Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Command the children of Israel to put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has an involuntary discharge of semen, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.^{† 3}You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, so they may not defile their camps, in the midst of which I dwell.” ⁴So the children of Israel did so, and sent them outside the camp; as the Lord spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

⁵Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘When a man or woman commits one of the sins that humans commit, and actually disregards a neighbor, that soul has committed a trespass. ⁷Then he shall confess openly the sin he committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in the capital amount, plus one-fifth of it, and repay the one he wronged.^{† 8}But if the man has no close relative to make restitution on his behalf for the trespass, the restitution for the wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him. ⁹Every offering that is sanctified among the children of Israel, which they bring to the Lord for the priest, shall be his. ¹⁰So the sanctified offerings of each man shall be his; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.’ ”

¹¹Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹²“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘If any man's wife commits transgression and disregards and despises him, ¹³and someone has sexual intercourse with her, and she conceals it from her husband and keeps it hidden, but she is defiled, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught – ¹⁴and if a spirit of jealousy comes upon him, and he becomes jealous of his wife, who is defiled; or if a spirit of jealousy comes upon him, and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she is not defiled – ¹⁵then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the gift required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it, and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing sin to remembrance.

¹⁶‘Then the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord. ¹⁷The priest shall take clean running water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust on the floor of the tabernacle of testimony and throw it into the water. ¹⁸Then the priest shall stand the woman before the Lord, uncover the woman's head, and put the sacrifice for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of conviction that brings a curse. ¹⁹Then the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not committed transgression to be defiled while under your husband's jurisdiction, be innocent from this water of conviction that brings a curse. ²⁰But if you committed transgression and defiled yourself under your husband's jurisdiction, and some man other than your husband had sexual relations with you” – ²¹then the priest shall put the woman under oath by the words of the oath of this curse; and the priest shall say to the woman, “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; ²²and may this water that causes this curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.” Then the woman shall say, “May it be so.”

²³‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and wipe them off into the water of conviction that brings a curse. ²⁴Then he shall give the woman a drink of this water of conviction that brings a curse, and it shall enter her. ²⁵Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, put the sacrifice before the Lord, and bring it to the altar; ²⁶and the priest shall take a handful of the sacrifice as its memorial portion, offer it on the altar, and afterward give the woman the water to drink. ²⁷So it shall be, if she is defiled but kept it hidden from her husband, then the water of conviction that brings a curse will enter her, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people. ²⁸But if the woman is not defiled, but is clean, then she shall be innocent and may conceive children.

²⁹‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's jurisdiction, transgresses and defiles herself, ³⁰or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute all this law upon her. ³¹Then the man shall be innocent of guilt, but that woman shall bear her guilt.’ ”

⁶ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When either a man or woman vows an extraordinary vow to sanctify himself as one of purity to the Lord,^{† 3}he shall separate himself from wine and intoxicants, and shall not drink any wine and vinegar made from wine, and any vinegar made from intoxicants; neither shall he drink anything made from grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. ⁴All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. ⁵All the days of his vow of purification no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he vowed to the Lord; he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. ⁶All the days of his vow to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. ⁷He shall not defile himself even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because the vow of his God is on his head. ⁸All the days of his vow he shall be holy to the Lord. ⁹But if anyone dies very suddenly near him on the spot, the head of his vow shall be defiled; and he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. ¹⁰Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹¹Then the priest shall make one a sin offering and the other a whole burnt offering and make atonement for him, concerning which he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that day. ¹²He shall sanctify to the Lord the days of his vow, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be null and void, because the head of his vow was defiled.

¹³‘Now this is the law of vowing: When the days of his vow are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the doors of the tabernacle of testimony. ¹⁴Then he shall offer his gift to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a whole burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, ¹⁵a basket of unleavened bread of fine flour, prepared with oil, and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offering. ¹⁶Then the priest shall bring these things before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his whole burnt offering; ¹⁷and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer his grain offering and his drink offering. ¹⁸Then the one vowing shall shave the head of his vow at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony; and he shall put his hair on the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. ¹⁹Then the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened loaf from the basket, and one unleavened cake, and put these upon the hands of the one vowing after he has shaved the head of his vow; ²⁰and the priest shall bring these things as a deposit offering before the Lord; they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of the deposit offering and the thigh of the choice portion. After that, the one vowing may drink wine.’ ²¹This is the law of the one vowing, who vows to the Lord his gift to the Lord concerning his vow; and the force of his vow is not limited to what he could afford regarding his vow, which he vows according to the law of purity.”

²²Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,^{† 23}“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them (My name shall be put on the children of Israel, and I the Lord shall bless them):

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be merciful to you;

²⁶ the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” ’ ”

⁷Now it came to pass, on the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and sanctified it and all its vessels, and the altar and all its vessels; thus he anointed and sanctified these things. ²Then the rulers of Israel, the twelve rulers of their fathers’ houses who were the rulers of the tribes and were in charge of the census, brought gifts.^{† 3}They brought their gifts before the Lord: six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the rulers, and for each one a young bull; and they presented them before the tabernacle. ⁴Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁵“Receive these things from them so they may be used in doing the works of liturgical service in the tabernacle of testimony; and you shall give these things to the Levites, to every man according to his liturgical service.” ⁶Thus Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave these things to the Levites. ⁷Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their liturgical service; ⁸and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their liturgical service, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. ⁹But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because their liturgical service had to do with the holy place, which they carried on their shoulders.

¹⁰Now the rulers brought their gifts for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed; so the rulers brought their gift before the altar. ¹¹For the Lord said to Moses, “They shall bring their gifts, one ruler each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

¹²So the one who brought his gift on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, ruler of the tribe of Judah. ¹³The gift he brought was one silver bowl; its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ¹⁴one gold censer of ten shekels full of incense; ¹⁵one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; 16one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ¹⁷and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

¹⁸On the second day, Nethanel the son of Zuar, ruler of Issachar, brought his gift. ¹⁹The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ²⁰one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ²¹one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ²²and one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ²³and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

²⁴On the third day, Eliab the son of Helon, ruler of the children of Zebulun, brought his gift. ²⁵The gift he brought was one silver bowl; its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ²⁶one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ²⁷one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ²⁸one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ²⁹and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Eliab the son of Helon.

³⁰On the fourth day, Elizur the son of Shedeur, ruler of the children of Reuben, brought his gift. ³¹The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ³²one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ³³one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ³⁴one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ³⁵and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

³⁶On the fifth day, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, ruler of the children of Simeon, brought his gift. ³⁷The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ³⁸one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ³⁹one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ⁴⁰one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ⁴¹and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

⁴²On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, ruler of the children of Gad, brought his gift. ⁴³The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ⁴⁴one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁴⁵one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ⁴⁶one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ⁴⁷and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

⁴⁸On the seventh day, Elishama the son of Ammihud, ruler of the children of Ephraim, brought his gift. ⁴⁹The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁰one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁵¹one young bull from the oxen, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ⁵²one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ⁵³and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Elishama the son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴On the eighth day, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, ruler of the children of Manasseh, brought his gift. ⁵⁵The gift he brought was one silver bowl; its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ⁵⁶one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁵⁷one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ⁵⁸one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ⁵⁹and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰On the ninth day, Abidan the son of Gideoni, ruler of the children of Benjamin, brought his gift. ⁶¹The gift he brought was one silver bowl, its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver cup of seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel, both of them full of fine flour prepared with oil for a grain offering; ⁶²one gold censer of ten shekels, full of incense; ⁶³one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year for a whole burnt offering; ⁶⁴one male kid from the goats for a sin offering; ⁶⁵and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two young heifers, five rams, five male goats, and five ewe lambs in their first year. This was the gift of Abidan the son of Gideoni.