The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the CEV. Switch to the CEV to read along with the audio.
The Three Major Festivals
14 “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival for me. 15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month Abib, because in it you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty handed. 16 You are to observe[a] the Festival of Harvest,[b] celebrating[c] the first fruits of your work in planting the field, and the Festival of Tabernacles[d] at the end of the year, when you gather the fruit of your work from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males are to appear in the presence of the Lord God.”
Various Laws
18 “You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, and you are not to let the fat portion of my sacrifice remain overnight until morning.
19 “You are to bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
“You are not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
God Promises Help as the Israelis Enter Canaan
20 “Look, I’m sending an angel in front of you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I’ve prepared. 21 Be careful! Be sure to obey him. Don’t rebel against him, because he won’t forgive your transgression, since my Name is in him. 22 Indeed, if you carefully obey him and do everything that I say, then I’ll be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries, 23 because my angel will go ahead of you and will bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I’ll annihilate them. 24 You are not to bow down to their gods or serve them. You are not to follow their practices,[e] but you are to overthrow them completely and smash their sacred stones[f] to pieces. 25 You are to serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your food[g] and water, and I’ll remove sickness from you. 26 No woman will miscarry or be barren in your land, and I’ll make every day of your life complete.[h]
27 “I’ll go ahead of you and terrorize all the people to whom you are coming. I’ll confuse your enemies and make them turn their backs on you and run away.[i] 28 I’ll send hornets ahead of you and they’ll drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 I won’t drive them out before you in a single year, so that the land does not become desolate and so that wild animals do not overrun you. 30 I’ll drive them out ahead of you little by little until you increase in numbers[j] and possess the land.
31 “I’ll set your borders from the Reed[k] Sea to the Sea of the Philistines,[l] and from the desert to the Euphrates[m] River, bringing[n] the inhabitants of the land under your control,[o] and you are to drive them out ahead of you. 32 You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They are not to live in your land. Otherwise they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a snare for you.”
The Covenant is Sealed with Blood
24 The Lord[p] told Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel, and worship[q] at a distance. 2 Only Moses is to approach the Lord, but the others[r] are not to approach; the people are not to come up with him.”
3 Then Moses came and reported all the words of the Lord and all the statutes to the people, and they all[s] answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has decreed.”
4 So Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He got up early in the morning and built an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain. 5 He sent young Israeli men to offer up burnt offerings and sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls, while he sprinkled the other half[t] on the altar. 7 He took the Book of the Covenant and read it to[u] the people. They said, “We will put into practice and obey everything that the Lord has decreed.”
8 Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord made with you based on all these words.”
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky. 11 Because[v] God[w] did not punish[x] the Israeli leaders, they looked at God, yet lived[y] to eat and drink.
Moses Receives the Law on the Mountain
12 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go up to me on the mountain and stay[z] there. I’ll give you stone tablets with the instruction and law that I’ve written to teach the people.”[aa]
13 So Moses got up, along with Joshua his servant, and went up on the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you, and whoever has a dispute, let him come to them.”
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. Then on the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelis[ab] the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 When Moses went up on the mountain, he went into the center of the cloud and was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.
An Offering for the Sanctuary
25 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelis to take an offering for me, and you are to accept my offering from every person whose heart moves him to give.[ac] 3 This is the offering that you are to accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet material;[ad] fine linen and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed[ae] red, dolphin[af] skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for aromatic incense; 7 and onyx stones, stones for setting on the ephod and the breast piece.[ag] 8 Let them make a sanctuary for me so I may live among them. 9 This is how you are to make it: according to all that I’m showing you, according to the pattern for the tent and the pattern for all its furnishings.”
The Ark of the Covenant
10 “They are to make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits[ah] long, one and a half cubits[ai] wide, and one and a half cubits[aj] high. 11 You are to overlay it with pure gold—you are to overlay it inside and outside—and you are to make a gold molding around it. 12 You are to cast four rings for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on one side of it and two rings on its other side. 13 You are to make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 You are to put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark with which to carry it.[ak] 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark and are not to be removed from it. 16 You are to put the Testimony[al] that I will give you into the ark.
17 “You are to make a Mercy Seat[am] of pure gold, two and a half cubits[an] long and one and a half cubits[ao] wide. 18 You are to make two cherubim[ap] of gold; you are to make them of hammered work at the two ends of the Mercy Seat. 19 Place one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. You are to make the cherubim at the two ends of the Mercy Seat, and of one piece with it. 20 The cherubim are to spread their wings upward, covering the Mercy Seat with their wings and facing each other. The faces of the cherubim is to be turned toward the Mercy Seat. 21 You are to put the Mercy Seat on top of the ark, and put the Testimony that I’ll give you into the ark. 22 I’ll meet with you there, and I’ll tell you all my commandments[aq] for the Israelis from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the Testimony.”
The Table of Showbread
23 “You are to make a table of acacia wood, two cubits[ar] long, a cubit[as] wide, and one and a half cubits[at] high. 24 You are to overlay it with pure gold, and put a gold molding around it. 25 You are to make a rim one handbreadth in width[au] around it, and you are to make a gold molding around the rim. 26 You are to make four gold rings for it, and put the rings on the four corners where its four feet are. 27 The rings are to be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold so the table can be carried with them. 29 You are to make its plates, dishes, jars, and bowls from which libations will be poured, and you are to make them of pure gold. 30 You are to put the bread of the Presence on the table before me continuously.”
The Lamp Stand(A)
31 “You are to make a lamp stand of pure gold: the lamp stand and its base and stem are to be of hammered work, and its cups, calyxes,[av] and flowers are to be of one piece with it. 32 Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lamp stand from one side of it and three branches of the lamp stand from its other side. 33 Three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers are to be on one branch and three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers are to be on the other branch, and so for the six branches extending from the lamp stand.
34 “On the lamp stand itself there are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms with their calyxes and flowers. 35 A calyx[aw] is to be under the two branches that extend out of the stem;[ax] a calyx is to be under the next pair of branches[ay] that extend out of the stem;[az] and a calyx is to be under the last pair of branches[ba] that extend out of the stem,[bb] and so for the six[bc] branches extending from the lamp stand. 36 Their calyxes and their branches are to be of one piece with it; all of it is to be made of one piece of hammered work of pure gold.
37 “You are to make seven lamps for it, and its lamps are to be mounted so as to give light in front of it. 38 Its tongs and trays are to be of pure gold. 39 The lamp stand[bd]—together with all its furnishings—is to be made from a talent[be] of pure gold. 40 Now see that you make them according to the pattern for them which you are being shown on the mountain.”
The Coming of the Son of Man(A)
29 “Now immediately after the troubles[a] of those days,
‘The sun will be darkened,
the moon will not reflect its light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers from the heavens will be disrupted.’[b]
30 Then the sign that is the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all ‘the tribes of the land[c] will mourn’[d] as they see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’[e] with power and great glory. 31 He’ll send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they’ll gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another.”
The Lesson from the Fig Tree(B)
32 “Now learn a lesson[f] from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and it produces leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you’ll know that the Son of Man[g] is near, right at the door. 34 I tell all of you[h] with certainty, this generation won’t disappear until these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”
The Unknown Day and Hour of Messiah’s Return(C)
36 “No one knows when that day and hour will come[i]—neither the heavenly angels nor the Son,[j] but only the Father, 37 because just as it was in Noah’s time, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 38 In those days before the flood, people[k] were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. 39 They were unaware of what was happening[l] until the flood came and swept all of them away. That’s how it will be when the Son of Man appears. 40 At that time, two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and one will be left behind. 41 Two women will be grinding grain[m] at the mill. One will be taken, and one will be left behind.
42 “So keep on watching, because you don’t know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this: if the owner of the house had known when during[n] the night the thief would be coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 So you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you are not expecting.”
The Faithful or the Wicked Servant(D)
45 “Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give the others[o] their food at the right time? 46 How blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he comes! 47 I tell all of you[p] with certainty, he will put him in charge of all his property.
48 “But if that wicked servant says to himself,[q] ‘My master has been delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunks, 50 that servant’s master will come on a day when he doesn’t expect him and at an hour that he doesn’t know. 51 Then his master[r] will punish him severely[s] and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[t]
A Davidic Psalm for the dedication of the Temple.
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
30 I exalt you, Lord,
for you have lifted me up,
and my enemies could not gloat over me.
2 Lord, my God!
I cried out to you for help
and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me from death;[a]
you kept me alive so that I did not descend into the Pit.[b]
4 You, his godly ones,
sing to the Lord,
give thanks at the mention of his holiness.
5 For his wrath is only momentary;
yet his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may lodge for the night,
but shouts of joy will come in the morning.
6 As for me,
I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
7 By your favor, Lord,
you established me as a strong mountain;
Then you hid your face,
and I was dismayed.
8 I cried out to you, Lord,
and I make supplication to the Lord:
9 “What profit is there in my death[c] if I go down to the Pit?[d]
Can dust worship you?
Can it proclaim your faithfulness?”
10 Hear me, Lord,
and have mercy on me!
Lord, help me!
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with a garment of joy,
12 so that I may sing praise to you
and not remain silent.
Lord, my God,
I will give you thanks forever!
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.