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The Seven Lamps
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you [a]mount the lamps, the seven lamps will (A)give light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3 Aaron therefore did so; he [b]mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 (B)Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; (C)according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and (D)cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them, for their [c]cleansing: sprinkle [d]purifying (E)water on them, and let them [e](F)use a razor over their whole [f]body and (G)wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8 Then let them take a [g]bull with (H)its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second [h]bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9 So (I)you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. (J)You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel (K)shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron then shall [i]present the Levites before the Lord as a (L)wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may [j]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12 Now (M)the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and (N)the Levites shall be Mine. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and (O)present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are (P)wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself (Q)instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For (R)every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18 But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 (S)I have given the Levites as [k]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no (T)plague among the sons of Israel by [l]their coming near to the sanctuary.”
20 Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21 (U)The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Retirement
23 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from (V)twenty-five years old and upward [m]they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 But at the age of fifty years they shall [n]retire from service in the work and not work any more. 26 They may, however, [o]assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, (W)to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”
The Passover
9 Thus the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in (X)the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at (Y)its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, [p]at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.” 4 So Moses [q]told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover. 5 (Z)They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; (AA)according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6 But there were some men who were (AB)unclean because of the [r]dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so (AC)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the [s]dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8 Moses therefore said to them, “[t](AD)Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead [u]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the (AE)fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they (AF)shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They (AG)shall leave none of it until morning, (AH)nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. 13 (AI)But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet [v]neglects to observe the Passover, that [w]person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That man (AJ)will bear his sin. 14 (AK)If an alien sojourns among you and [x]observes the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have (AL)one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.’”
The Cloud on the Tabernacle
15 Now on (AM)the day that the tabernacle was erected (AN)the cloud covered the tabernacle, the (AO)tent of the testimony, and (AP)in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. 16 So it was continuously; (AQ)the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 (AR)Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the [y]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [z]command of the Lord they would camp; (AS)as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [aa]the sons of Israel would keep the Lord’s charge and not set out. 20 If [ab]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, (AT)according to the [ac]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then according to the [ad]command of the Lord they set out. 21 If [ae]sometimes the cloud [af]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but (AU)when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 (AV)At the [ag]command of the Lord they camped, and at the [ah]command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord’s charge, according to the [ai]command of the Lord through Moses.
14 “But (A)when you see the (B)abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 (C)The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred (D)since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no [a]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [b]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is [c]the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and (E)false prophets will arise, and will show [d](F)signs and (G)wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of Christ
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, (H)the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 (I)and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in [e]the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see (J)the Son of Man (K)coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and (L)will gather together His [f]elect from the four winds, (M)from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, [g]recognize that [h]He is near, right at the [i]door. 30 Truly I say to you, this [j]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 (N)But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 “Take heed, (O)keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time [k]will come. 34 (P)It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and [l]putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. 35 Therefore, (Q)be on the alert—for you do not know when the [m]master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or (R)when the rooster crows, or (S)in the morning— 36 in case he should come suddenly and find you (T)asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all, ‘(U)Be on the alert!’”
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth (B)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone forth.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silence;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And it is very (G)tempestuous around Him.
4 He (H)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My (I)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. [b]Selah.
7 “(N)Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify [c]against you;
I am God, (O)your God.
8 “I do (P)not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 “I shall take no (Q)young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
10 “For (R)every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 “I know every (S)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [d]Mine.
12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (T)world is Mine, and [e]all it contains.
13 “Shall I eat the flesh of [f](U)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 “Offer to God (V)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (W)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (X)Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall (Y)rescue you, and you will (Z)honor Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take (AA)My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you (AB)hate discipline,
And you (AC)cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you [g](AD)are pleased with him,
And [h]you (AE)associate with adulterers.
19 “You [i](AF)let your mouth loose in evil
And your (AG)tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and (AH)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done and (AI)I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (AJ)reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.