What the Bible Says About Primary History in the Hebrew Bible

Scripture

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
⁴ And God saw that the light was good.
⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.
¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
² Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
⁴ These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
⁵ When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,
⁶ And a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground.
⁷ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
¹⁰ A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.
¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
¹² The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.
¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.
¹⁴ The name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.
²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
²³ Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,
³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
¹⁶ To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
²⁰ The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
²¹ And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
²⁴ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
¹ Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
² And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
³ In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.
⁴ and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,
⁵ but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
⁶ The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
⁸ Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
¹¹ And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
¹² When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
¹⁴ Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.
¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
¹⁶ Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
¹⁷ Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.
¹⁹ Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
²⁰ Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
²² The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
²³ Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
²⁴ If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”
²⁵ And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
²⁶ To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
¹ This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
² Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.
³ When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
⁴ The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.
⁵ Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh.
⁷ Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
⁸ Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
⁹ When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan.
¹⁰ After he fathered Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
¹¹ Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
¹² When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel.
¹³ Thus all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
¹⁴ And Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared.
¹⁶ Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
¹⁷ Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch.
¹⁹ Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
²⁰ Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
²¹ When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he fathered Methuselah.
²² Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years and had other sons and daughters.
²³ Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.
²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech.
²⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh.
²⁷ Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, and he died.
²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son.
²⁹ and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”
³⁰ Lamech lived after he fathered Noah five hundred ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters.
³¹ Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
³² After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
² the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
⁴ There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
⁶ And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
⁷ So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
¹⁰ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.
¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
¹⁷ For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.
²¹ And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself, and it shall be food for you and for them.
²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
¹ Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
² Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate,
³ and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
⁴ For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.
⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.
⁷ And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.
⁸ Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground,
⁹ two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
¹⁰ And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
¹¹ In 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 burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
¹² And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
¹³ On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
¹⁴ they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature.
¹⁵ They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.
¹⁶ And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
¹⁷ The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.
¹⁸ The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.
¹⁹ And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
²⁰ The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
²¹ And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.
²² Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.
²³ He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
²⁴ And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.
¹ But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
² The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained,
³ The waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated.
⁴ And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
⁵ The waters continued to recede until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
⁶ At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made.
⁷ and sent out a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.
⁸ Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.
⁹ But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
¹⁰ He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.
¹¹ And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.
¹² And he waited yet another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
¹³ In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out.
¹⁵ Then God said to Noah,
¹⁶ “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.”
¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.
¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
²¹ And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike down every living creature as I have done.
²² While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
¹ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
² The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.
³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
⁴ But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
⁵ And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
⁶ “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
⁷ And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.
⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
⁹ “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you,”
¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.
¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
¹³ I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,
¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
¹⁷ God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
¹⁸ The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.
¹⁹ These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.
²⁰ Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
²¹ He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
²² And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
²³ Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,
²⁵ he said, “Cursed be Canaan;
a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
²⁶ He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
²⁷ May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”
²⁸ And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
²⁹ All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.
¹ These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
² The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
³ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
⁴ The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
⁵ From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
⁶ The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.
⁷ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
⁸ Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.
⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. So it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”
¹⁰ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
¹¹ From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,
¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
¹³ Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
¹⁴ Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth,
¹⁶ the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
¹⁷ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
¹⁸ the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread abroad.
¹⁹ And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
²¹ To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born.
²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
²³ The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
²⁴ Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber.
²⁵ To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan.
²⁶ Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
²⁷ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth,
²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
³⁰ The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east.
³¹ These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
³² These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.
¹ Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
⁵ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
⁶ And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.
⁸ So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.
¹¹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
¹² And Arpachshad lived five hundred and thirty years after he fathered Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters.
¹³ Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.
¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber.
¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth,
¹⁶ And Eber lived thirty-four years and fathered Peleg.
¹⁷ So Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
¹⁸ Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu.
¹⁹ These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
²⁰ Reu lived thirty-two years and fathered Serug.
²¹ When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he fathered Peleg.
²² Serug lived thirty years and fathered Nahor.
²³ After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah.
²⁵ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah.
²⁶ When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.
²⁸ And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.
³⁰ Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
³¹ Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
³² The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 1:1-11:32

Exodus 1:1-40:38: ¹ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
⁵ All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt.
⁶ Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
⁷ But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
⁹ And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
¹⁰ Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”
¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens.
¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.
¹³ So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves.
¹⁴ and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
¹⁶ “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
¹⁷ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
¹⁸ But the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?”
¹⁹ Then the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
²⁰ So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.
²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
²² Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
¹ Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.
² The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
³ When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.
⁴ And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
⁵ Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.
⁶ When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
⁸ Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
⁹ She said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
¹⁰ When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
¹¹ One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.
¹² He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
¹³ When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”
¹⁴ He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”
¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.
¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
¹⁷ Now the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.
¹⁸ When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?”
¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”
²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.
²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”
²³ During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.
²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
²⁵ God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
¹ Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
² And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
³ And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
⁵ Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
⁶ And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,
⁸ and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
⁹ And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
¹⁰ Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
¹² He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
¹³ Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
¹⁶ Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt,
¹⁷ and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
¹⁸ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.
²⁰ So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.
²¹ And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty,
²² But each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
¹ Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
² The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
³ Then he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—
⁵ “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
⁶ The Lord said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous like snow.
⁷ Then he said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “If they will not believe you or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
⁹ But if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
¹⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
¹¹ Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
¹³ But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you both what to do.
¹⁶ He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
¹⁷ And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
¹⁸ Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
¹⁹ And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
²² Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
²³ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”
²⁴ At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
²⁶ So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.
²⁸ And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do.
²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel.
³⁰ Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.
³¹ And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,
⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.”
⁸ But the number of bricks that they were making before you shall impose on them. You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’
⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.
¹¹ Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.
¹² So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
¹³ The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
¹⁴ And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
¹⁵ Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this?
¹⁶ There is no straw given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
¹⁷ But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
¹⁸ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”
¹⁹ The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”
²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh.
²¹ And they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
²² Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?
²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
² God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.
² God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.
³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.
⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.
⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
⁶ Say therefore to the people of Israel, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
⁷ I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
⁸ And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.
⁹ Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses,
¹¹ Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.
¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
¹⁴ These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben.
¹⁵ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the clans of Simeon.
¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years.
¹⁷ The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans.
¹⁸ The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were 133 years.
¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations.
²⁰ Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years.
²¹ The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
²² The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
²³ Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
²⁴ The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph.
²⁵ Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans.
²⁶ These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.”
²⁷ They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.
²⁸ On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt.
²⁹ he said to him, “I am the Lord.
³⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”
¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.
³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.
⁵ The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.
⁶ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.
⁷ Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’”
⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’”
¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.
¹¹ Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
¹² For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
¹³ Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.
¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent.
¹⁶ And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed.
¹⁷ Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.
¹⁸ The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”
¹⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
²⁰ Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.
²¹ And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
²² But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
²³ But Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.
²⁴ And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
²⁵ Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.
³ The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.
⁴ And the frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.”
⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’”
⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
⁷ But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
⁸ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
⁹ Then Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.”
¹⁰ Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “Be it according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
¹¹ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.
¹³ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.
¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’”
¹⁷ They did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.
¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
²⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
²¹ Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
²² But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.
²³ But I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”
²⁴ And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.
²⁵ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”
²⁶ But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
²⁷ We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.”
²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.”
²⁹ Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.
³¹ And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.
³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
² For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,
³ behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.
⁴ But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”
⁵ And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”
⁶ And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.
⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.
⁹ It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
¹⁰ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast.
¹¹ And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.
¹² But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”
¹⁴ For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.
¹⁵ For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.
¹⁶ But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
¹⁷ Still you exalt yourself against my people by not letting them go.
¹⁸ Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
¹⁹ Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”
²⁰ Whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,
²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”
²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”
²³ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
²⁴ So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
²⁵ And the hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.
²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.
²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
²⁸ Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.
³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”
³¹ Now the flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.
³² The wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.
³³ So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.
³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,
² and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
³ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
⁴ But if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
⁵ They shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field,
⁶ And they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
⁷ Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”
⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?”
⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”
¹⁰ Then he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.
¹¹ Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”
¹³ So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.
¹⁴ The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again.
¹⁵ They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
¹⁶ Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.
¹⁷ Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.”
¹⁸ So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord.
¹⁹ And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.
²⁰ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”
²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
²⁴ Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”
²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
²⁶ Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”
²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”
²⁹ But Moses said, “You must let us also have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.
² Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.”
³ And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.
⁴ So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,
⁵ And every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
⁶ There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.
⁷ But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
¹ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
² “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
³ Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.
⁴ And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old.
⁶ and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
⁷ Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
⁸ They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.
¹⁰ And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
¹¹ In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.
¹³ 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
¹⁴ “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”
¹⁵ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
¹⁶ On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
¹⁷ And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.
¹⁸ In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
¹⁹ For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.
²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”
²¹ Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.
²² Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the 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 over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.
²⁴ You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.
²⁵ And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.
²⁶ And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
²⁷ Then you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
²⁸ Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
²⁹ At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
³⁰ And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.
³¹ Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.
³² Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also.
³³ The Egyptians were urgent with the people 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, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.
³⁵ The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.
³⁶ And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
³⁷ And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
³⁸ A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.
³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
⁴⁰ The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.
⁴¹ At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
⁴² It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.
⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,
⁴⁴ but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
⁴⁵ It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
⁴⁶ It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
⁴⁸ If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
⁴⁹ There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”
⁵⁰ All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
⁵¹ And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
¹ The Lord said to Moses,
² “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
³ Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
⁴ Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out.
⁵ And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month.
⁶ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory.
⁸ You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
⁹ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth.
¹⁰ You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
¹¹ “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you,
¹² you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s.
¹³ But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck.
¹⁴ And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
¹⁵ For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
¹⁶ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
¹⁷ 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 the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
¹⁸ But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”
²⁰ And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
²¹ And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
²² The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses,
² Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
³ For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’
⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
⁶ So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,
⁷ and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
⁸ And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.
⁹ The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
¹⁰ When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
¹¹ They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?
¹² Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
¹³ And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.
¹⁶ Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
¹⁷ And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.
¹⁸ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.
¹⁹ Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,
²⁰ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
²² And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
²³ The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
²⁴ And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,
²⁵ He clogged their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”
²⁷ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared.
²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
²⁹ But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
³⁰ Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
³¹ Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
¹ Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
² The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³ “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.”
⁴ “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.”
⁵ The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
⁶ “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.”
⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
⁸ At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
¹⁰ You blew with your wind; 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, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
¹² You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
¹³ “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”
¹⁴ The peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
¹⁶ Terror and dread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
¹⁷ You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
¹⁸ The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
¹⁹ For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
²¹ And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
²² Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
²⁴ And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
²⁵ And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
²⁶ saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
¹ They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.
² And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
³ and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
⁵ On the sixth day they shall prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”
⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
⁷ and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?”
⁸ And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”
⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
¹⁰ And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”
¹³ In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.
¹⁴ And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.
¹⁵ When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’”
¹⁷ The people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less.
¹⁸ But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.
¹⁹ And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.”
²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
²¹ Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.
²³ he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’”
²⁴ So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.
²⁵ And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.
²⁶ Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.
²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
²⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?
²⁹ See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”
³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.
³¹ Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
³³ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.”
³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.
³⁵ The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
³⁶ (Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
¹ All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
² Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
³ But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
⁴ So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
⁶ Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
⁷ And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
⁸ Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
⁹ So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
¹¹ Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
¹² But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
¹³ And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
¹⁵ And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner,
¹⁶ saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
¹ Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
² Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home,
³ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.
⁴ And the name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God.
⁶ He had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”
⁷ Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.
⁸ Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them.
⁹ Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
¹⁰ Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.
¹² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
¹³ The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.
¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”
¹⁵ And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God;
¹⁶ When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”
¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.
¹⁸ You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.
¹⁹ Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,
²⁰ and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.
²¹ Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
²² And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
²³ If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
²⁴ So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
²⁵ And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
²⁶ They judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
²⁷ Now Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.
¹ On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
² They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,
³ while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
⁴ You yourselves 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 my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.
⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
⁷ So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.
⁸ All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”
¹⁰ the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments.
¹¹ and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
¹² And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.
¹³ No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.
¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
¹⁷ Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
¹⁹ As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
²⁰ The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain.
²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.
²² Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”
²³ Then Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’”
²⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.”
²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.
¹ And God 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 slavery.
³ “You shall have no other gods before me.
⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
⁷ You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that 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 house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
¹⁸ Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off.
¹⁹ and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
²¹ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
²² And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
²³ You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
²⁴ An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
²⁵ If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you profane it.
²⁶ And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
¹ “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.”
² When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
³ If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.
⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone.
⁵ But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
⁶ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.
⁷ “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.”
⁸ If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.
⁹ And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.
¹⁰ If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
¹¹ When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.
¹² “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.”
¹³ But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
¹⁴ But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
¹⁵ “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.”
¹⁶ “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
¹⁷ “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
¹⁸ “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed,”
¹⁹ if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his staff, then the man who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.
²⁰ “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
²¹ But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.
²² “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.”
²³ But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,
²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
²⁶ “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.”
²⁷ And if he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.
²⁸ “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.”
²⁹ But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
³⁰ If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.
³¹ But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
³² If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
³³ “If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,”
³⁴ The owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
³⁵ “When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.”
³⁶ Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.
¹ “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
² If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,
³ But if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
⁴ If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
⁵ “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.”
⁶ “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.”
⁷ If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property.
⁹ For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
¹⁰ If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it,
¹¹ then an oath before the Lord shall be between them, that he has not put his hand to his neighbor’s property; and the owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.
¹² If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn by wild animals; and if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.
¹³ If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn by wild animals; and if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.
¹⁴ If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.
¹⁵ If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.
¹⁶ “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.
¹⁷ You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
¹⁸ “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
¹⁹ “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.
²⁰ “Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
²¹ “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
²² You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.
²³ If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry,
²⁴ and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
²⁵ “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.
²⁶ If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down,
²⁷ for that is his only covering, it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
²⁸ “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
²⁹ “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.”
³⁰ You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
³¹ “You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.”
¹ “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
² You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,
³ nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
⁴ “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.”
⁵ If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
⁶ “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.”
⁷ Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
⁸ And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
⁹ “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
¹⁰ “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,”
¹¹ but 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. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
¹² “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
¹³ “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.
¹⁴ “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.”
¹⁵ You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.
¹⁶ You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field.
¹⁷ Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
¹⁸ “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.”
¹⁹ “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
²⁰ “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”
²¹ Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
²² But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then 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 to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will blot them out.
²⁴ You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
²⁵ You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
²⁶ None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
²⁷ I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
²⁸ And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.
³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.
³¹ And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
³² You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.
³³ They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
² Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
² Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
³ Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”
⁴ And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
⁵ And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.
⁶ And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.
⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
⁸ And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
⁹ Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.
¹¹ And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”
¹³ Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.
¹⁴ He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”
¹⁵ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
¹⁶ The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
¹⁷ Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.
¹⁸ Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
¹ The Lord said to Moses,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.
³ This is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze,
⁴ blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair,
⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, and goatskins, acacia wood,
⁶ oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
⁷ onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
⁸ And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
⁹ Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
¹⁰ “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.”
¹¹ You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.
¹² And cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
¹⁴ And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.
¹⁵ The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
¹⁶ And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.
¹⁷ You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold.
¹⁸ And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.
¹⁹ And make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends.
²⁰ The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.
²¹ And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you.
²² There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
²³ “You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.”
²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold around it.
²⁵ And you shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a golden molding for the rim all around.
²⁶ You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it. And you shall make a golden molding for the rim around it.
²⁷ Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it.
²⁸ And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.
²⁹ And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.
³⁰ And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
³¹ “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.”
³² Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;
³³ Three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.
³⁴ And in the lampstand shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers,
³⁵ There shall be a knob on the one side and a knob on the other side of the lampstand’s one piece with it; there shall be made like almonds in it, all of one piece with the lampstand.
³⁶ Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold.
³⁷ You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.
³⁸ Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold.
³⁹ It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
⁴⁰ And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.
¹ “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size.
³ Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
⁴ And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set.
⁵ And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
⁶ And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
⁷ “And you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.”
⁸ The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size.
⁹ You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent.
¹⁰ And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
¹¹ And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.
¹² And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
¹³ And the breadth of the court on the front of the house, eastward, shall be fifty cubits.
¹⁴ And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
¹⁵ You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.
¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of each board.
¹⁷ There shall be two tenons in each board, fitted to one another. So shall he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
¹⁸ And you shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.
¹⁹ And you shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons.
²⁰ And you shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons.
²¹ In the first row there shall be a curtain of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
²² There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; so shall you do for all the boards of the tabernacle.
²³ There shall be two tenons in one board, set in order, that one may be joined to the other.
²⁴ And they shall be double at the two corners of the house.
²⁵ And there shall be eight frames with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
²⁶ And you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,
²⁷ And five bars for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward.
²⁸ and the middle bar in the center of the frames shall pass through from end to end.
²⁹ And you shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold.
³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
³¹ And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
³² And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver.
³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.
³⁴ You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.
³⁵ And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.
³⁶ “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework.”
³⁷ And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
¹ “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.
² And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
³ Five cubits shall be the length of the one curtain, and five cubits the breadth of the one curtain for the first set of curtains, and five cubits the length of the one curtain, and five cubits the breadth of the one curtain for the second set of curtains.
⁴ You shall make for it a grating of network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.
⁵ You shall put it under the ledge of the altar so that the net shall extend halfway down the altar.
⁶ You shall make poles for the altar, a net of bronze network, to be set halfway up the altar.
⁷ And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar so that the net shall extend halfway down the altar.
⁸ It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
⁹ You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side.
¹⁰ And the length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze.
¹¹ In the same way you shall do with his donkey or with his garment, and with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it.
¹² And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases.
¹³ And the breadth of the court on the front of the house was fifty cubits, and the height, and its gates were on the front of the house.
¹⁴ You shall also make for the gate of the court a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework.
¹⁵ On the one side it shall be two cubits high and a cubit and a half wide, and on the other side it shall be two cubits high and a cubit and a half wide.
¹⁶ For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases.
¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze.
¹⁸ The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze.
¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
²⁰ “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
¹ “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”
² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
³ You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
⁴ These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.
⁵ They shall take the gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁶ “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.
⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.
⁸ And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁹ You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,
¹⁰ six of their names on the one stone, and the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
¹¹ With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.
¹² And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.
¹³ You shall make settings of gold filigree,
¹⁴ two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
¹⁵ “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it.
¹⁶ It shall be square and doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth.
¹⁷ You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;
¹⁸ and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
¹⁹ and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
²⁰ and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.
²¹ There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.
²² You shall make on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.
²³ You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.
²⁴ and you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.
²⁵ And the other two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
²⁶ And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them to the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its front, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
²⁷ And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
²⁸ And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.
²⁹ So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.
³⁰ And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.
³¹ “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.”
³² It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it may not tear.
³³ On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them,
³⁴ A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.
³⁵ It shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
³⁶ “You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’
³⁷ You shall fasten it on a cord of blue and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.
³⁸ It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
³⁹ “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.
⁴¹ And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
⁴² You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs;
⁴³ They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
²⁹ “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish,
² And unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour.
³ You shall put them all in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bull and the two rams.
⁴ You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.
⁵ Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
⁶ and you shall put the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.
⁷ Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.
⁸ Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them,
⁹ And you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.
¹⁰ Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.
¹¹ Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting,
¹² And you shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.
¹³ And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.
¹⁴ But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
¹⁵ Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,
¹⁶ and you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.
¹⁷ Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head,
¹⁸ And burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
¹⁹ And you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,
²⁰ Then you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.
²¹ Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
²² “You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination),”
²³ And one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord.
²⁴ and put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord.
²⁵ And you shall receive them from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.
²⁶ “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.
²⁷ And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’.
²⁸ It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It shall be a contribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.
²⁹ “The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.
³⁰ They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.
³¹ And you shall take the ram of ordination, and boil its flesh in a holy place.
³² And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
³³ They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy.
³⁴ If any of the flesh of the ordination offering or of the bread remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
³⁵ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days shall you ordain them,”
³⁶ and every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it to consecrate it.
³⁷ Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.
³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly.”
³⁹ The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;
⁴⁰ And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering.
⁴¹ The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
⁴² It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
⁴³ There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.
⁴⁴ I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.
⁴⁵ I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.
⁴⁶ They shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
¹ “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
² A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.
³ You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
⁴ A golden altar, a holy anointing oil, and a fragrant incense.
⁵ And you shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
⁶ And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you.
⁷ And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,
⁸ And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.
⁹ You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.
¹⁰ Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement, he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
¹¹ The Lord said to Moses,
¹² When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
¹³ Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
¹⁴ Everyone who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.
¹⁵ The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives.
¹⁶ You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses,
¹⁸ “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it,”
¹⁹ With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,
²⁰ When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.
²¹ So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
²² The Lord said to Moses,
²³ “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane,”
²⁴ and cassia, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),
²⁵ And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
²⁶ With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,
²⁷ And the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,
²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand,
²⁹ You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.
³⁰ You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
³¹ And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations.
³² It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.
³³ Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.
³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),
³⁵ You shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.
³⁶ You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
³⁷ And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord.
³⁸ Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.
¹ The Lord said to Moses,
² “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,”
³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,
⁴ to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
⁵ to cut stones for setting, and to carve wood, to work in every craft.
⁶ And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent,
⁸ the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
⁹ It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”
¹⁰ the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests,
¹¹ to be skilled, in working stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.
¹² And the Lord said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
¹³ “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
¹⁵ Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
¹⁶ Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.
¹⁷ It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.
¹⁸ And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
¹ When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
² So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
³ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
⁴ And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.”
⁶ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
⁸ They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them.
⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.
¹⁰ Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.
¹¹ But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.
¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
¹⁴ And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.
¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
¹⁷ Now when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
¹⁸ But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.”
¹⁹ And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
²⁰ He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?”
²² And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
²³ For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
²⁵ And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”
²⁸ And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.
²⁹ And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
³² Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.
³² But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”
³³ But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
³⁴ But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. But on the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”
³⁵ Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’
² I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
⁴ When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.
⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’”
⁶ So the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
⁷ Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.
⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.
⁹ When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.
¹⁰ And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
¹¹ Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
¹² Moses said to the Lord, “See, 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 by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
¹⁴ And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
¹⁴ And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
¹⁵ And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
¹⁶ For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
¹⁸ Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
¹⁹ And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
²¹ And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,
²³ Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
²³ Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
² Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.
³ No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.”
⁴ So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone.
⁵ The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
⁷ keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
⁸ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
⁹ And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
¹⁰ And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
¹¹ Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
¹² Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.
¹³ You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim
¹⁴ (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
¹⁵ lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,
¹⁶ and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.
¹⁷ You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.
¹⁸ “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.
¹⁹ “All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.”
²⁰ The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck.
²¹ “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
²² You 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 shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
²⁴ For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
²⁵ “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.”
²⁶ The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.
²⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
²⁸ So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
³⁰ Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
³¹ And Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them.
³² Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.
³³ And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
³⁴ Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,
³⁵ the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
¹ Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.
² Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.
³ You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
⁴ Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded.
⁵ Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;
⁶ And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,
⁷ And the ram skins dyed red, and the fine leather, and the acacia wood,
⁸ and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense,
⁹ skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
¹⁰ “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded:
¹¹ the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
¹² the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
¹³ the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;
¹⁴ the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light,
¹⁵ And the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;
¹⁶ And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand.
¹⁷ the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court,
¹⁸ the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords;
¹⁹ the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
²⁰ Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
²¹ And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.
²² So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord.
²³ Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.
²⁴ Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.
²⁵ And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
²⁶ All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair.
²⁷ And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece,
²⁸ And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
²⁹ All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
³⁰ Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
³¹ and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,
³² to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
³³ And in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, for work in every skilled craft.
³⁴ And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.
³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
¹ “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”
² And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.
³ They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,
⁴ So all the skilled men who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came, each from the work that he was doing,
⁵ and they said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.”
⁶ So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing.
⁷ For the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
⁸ And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked.
⁹ The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
¹⁰ And he coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.
¹¹ And he made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set.
¹² And for the east side the hangings were fifty cubits.
¹³ And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
¹⁴ He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains.
¹⁵ The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
¹⁶ He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain.
¹⁷ Then he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
¹⁸ And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole.
¹⁹ The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
²⁰ He made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.
²¹ These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
²² Each board had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the boards of the tabernacle.
²³ With it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar,
²⁴ And with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar,
²⁵ And for the other side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames
²⁶ And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.
²⁷ And for the corners of the court on the west you shall make six frames.
²⁸ He also made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
²⁹ And they made the connecting rods of acacia wood to hold the veil in place.
³⁰ And there were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.
³¹ And he made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,
³² And five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward.
³³ And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames.
³⁴ He overlaid the frames with gold and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
³⁵ He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.
³⁶ He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.
³⁷ He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework.
³⁸ and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.
¹ He made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.
² He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it.
³ He cast four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.
⁴ He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
⁵ And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
⁶ He made the mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
⁷ And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat,
⁸ He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁹ The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
¹⁰ He made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.
¹¹ He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it.
¹² And he made for it a rim of a handbreadth all around, and made a molding of gold around the rim.
¹³ He cast four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.
¹⁴ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
¹⁵ He also made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold to carry the table.
¹⁶ He also made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.
¹⁷ He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
¹⁸ And six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;
¹⁹ Three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a calyx and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a calyx and a flower—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.
²⁰ He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
²¹ And he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
²² Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it.
²³ He made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold.
²⁴ He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.
²⁵ He made the altar of incense of acacia wood.
²⁶ And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it.
²⁷ And he made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the mercy seat.
²⁸ He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
²⁹ He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.
¹ He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood.
² And he made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.
³ And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze.
⁴ He made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down.
⁵ They made the altar of acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high.
⁶ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
⁷ And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.
⁸ He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁹ And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits;
¹⁰ Their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame.
¹¹ With the silver from those of the congregation who were recorded, the hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary,
¹² And the sockets for the pillars of the court were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
¹³ And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty frames,
¹⁴ The hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court,
¹⁵ The bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand.
¹⁶ The pillars of the court around the tabernacle and its gatehooks and its cords were of bronze.
¹⁷ Then the pillars of the court all around the tabernacle were of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals was of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
¹⁸ The screen for the entrance of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high, in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court.
¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
²⁰ All the pegs of the tabernacle and of the court all around were of bronze.
²¹ These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
²² Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses;
²³ and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
²⁴ All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.
²⁵ The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.
²⁶ a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.
²⁷ And of the 100 talents of silver were cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent for a base.
²⁸ Of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them.
²⁹ And the bronze that was offered was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels.
³⁰ with which were made the bases of the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar,
³¹ And the bases of the court all around and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs of the court all around.
¹ From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
² And he made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
³ They hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.
⁴ They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.
⁵ And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
⁶ And they set onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
⁷ And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
⁸ He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
⁹ It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its breadth when doubled.
¹⁰ And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;
¹¹ the bells and pomegranates, of gold between them around the hem of the robe.
¹² and the stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each according to its name, for the twelve tribes.
¹³ and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.
¹⁴ The stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each according to its name, for the twelve tribes.
¹⁵ They made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
¹⁶ They made the chains on the breastpiece at the two edges, like cords of gold.
¹⁷ They fastened the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
¹⁸ the turban of fine linen, the linen caps, and the ornate headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twined linen,
¹⁹ They made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
²⁰ They made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.
²¹ And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²² They made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,
²³ And there was an opening in the middle of the robe, like the opening of a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear.
²⁴ And they made on the hem of the robe pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
²⁵ They made bells of pure gold, and attached the bells between the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around, between the pomegranates—
²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁷ And they made the coats of fine linen, woven work, for Aaron and his sons,
²⁸ and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,
²⁹ and a sash of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
³⁰ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.”
³¹ And they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban above, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
³² Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did.
³³ And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;
³⁴ the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen;
³⁵ the ark of the testimony, and the poles and the mercy seat;
³⁶ The table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence.
³⁷ the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light,
³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;
³⁹ The bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand.
⁴⁰ the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court,
⁴¹ the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.
⁴² According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.
⁴³ Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.
¹ Then the Lord said to Moses:
² On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
³ Then you shall put the ark of the testimony in it and screen the ark with the veil.
⁴ And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.
⁵ And you shall set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
⁶ And you shall set the altar of burnt offering before the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
⁷ And you shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
⁸ And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
⁹ Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.
¹⁰ You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.
¹¹ And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
¹² Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water.
¹³ And put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.
¹⁴ He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
¹⁵ and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”
¹⁶ This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
¹⁷ In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.
¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars.
¹⁹ He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁰ He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.
²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²² He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil,
²³ And he set the bread in order on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁴ He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.
²⁵ And he set the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.
²⁶ And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,
²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁸ Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did.
²⁹ And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
³⁰ He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.
³¹ And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there,
³² When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.
³³ And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.
³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
³⁵ Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
³⁶ Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.
³⁷ But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.
³⁸ For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Leviticus 1:1-27:34: ¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.”
³ If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord.
⁴ He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
⁵ Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁶ And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,
⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
⁸ And the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar;
⁹ but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁰ “But if his offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish.
¹¹ And he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
¹² And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar,
¹³ But he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁴ “If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons.”
¹⁵ And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.
¹⁶ And he shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.
¹⁷ It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.
¹ “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it

² And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests, and shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
³ And the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings.
⁴ “When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.
⁵ And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.
⁶ You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
⁷ And if your offering is a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.
⁸ And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.
⁹ And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁰ But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings.
¹¹ You shall not leaven anything that is offered in sacrifice to the Lord.
¹² As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma.
¹³ You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
¹⁴ And if you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain.
¹⁵ You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.
¹⁶ And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the Lord.
¹ “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
² And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar.
³ And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
⁴ Then he shall offer from it all its fat: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
⁵ Then Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
⁶ “If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.”
⁷ If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord,
⁸ Then he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
⁹ Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the Lord its fat; he shall remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails
¹⁰ And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering made by fire to the Lord.
¹¹ Then the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the Lord.
¹² If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord.
¹³ And he shall lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
¹⁴ And he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the Lord, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
¹⁵ And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.
¹⁶ All fat is the Lord’s.
¹⁷ It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,
³ if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
⁴ He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord.
⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting,
⁶ and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
⁷ And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the Lord that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁸ And he shall take from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering; the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
⁹ And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.
¹⁰ But the bull he shall carry outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.
¹¹ But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung—
¹² that is, all the rest of the bull—he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up.
¹³ “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,
¹⁴ When the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting.
¹⁵ the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord.
¹⁶ Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting,
¹⁷ The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil.
¹⁸ And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the tent of meeting before the Lord, and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
¹⁹ And all its fat he shall take from it and burn on the altar.
²⁰ Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.
²¹ He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord.
²² he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering.
²³ if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.
²⁴ And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering.
²⁵ Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
²⁶ All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
²⁷ If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,
²⁸ Or the blood of the sin offering shall be thrown against the side of the altar.
²⁹ He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.
³⁰ And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
³¹ And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
³² And if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish.
³³ And all its fat he shall remove as the fat is removed from the lamb, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the Lord’s food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.
³⁴ And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
³⁵ And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the Lord’s food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.
¹ “If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity;”
² Or if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become unclean, he realizes his guilt.
³ or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt;
⁴ Or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these;
⁵ then he shall confess the sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
⁶ He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven.
⁷ “But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
⁸ And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall wring its head from its neck but shall not sever it completely,
⁹ And he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.
¹⁰ Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.
¹¹ “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.
¹² Then he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it as its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, on the Lord’s food offerings; it is a sin offering.
¹³ Thus the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven.
¹⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
¹⁵ “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.”
¹⁶ He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
¹⁷ “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.”
¹⁸ He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven.
¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before the Lord.”
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor
² If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor
³ or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby—
⁴ then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found,
⁵ or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.
⁶ And he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued at two shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.
⁷ And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.
⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
¹⁰ And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar.
¹¹ Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
¹³ Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
¹⁴ “And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord in front of the altar.”
¹⁵ And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁶ And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
¹⁷ It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
¹⁸ Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, from the Lord’s food offerings. Whatever touches them shall become holy.
¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.
²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.”
²¹ It shall be made with oil on a griddle.
²² And the priest from among Aaron’s sons, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it to the Lord as decreed forever. It shall be wholly burned.
²³ For every grain offering of the priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”
²⁴ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁵ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; it is most holy.
²⁶ The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
²⁷ Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place.
²⁸ But the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.
²⁹ All the males among the priests shall eat of it. It is most holy.
³⁰ But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire.
¹ “This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy.”
² In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar.
³ And all its fat he shall offer from it: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
⁴ Then he shall offer from it all its fat; the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
⁵ Then the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord’s.
⁶ Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.
⁷ The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.
⁸ And the priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered.
⁹ And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it.
¹⁰ But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons’ due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel.
¹¹ “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord.
¹² If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.
¹³ With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.
¹⁴ And of it he shall offer one from each offering, as a food offering to the Lord.
¹⁵ And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering.
¹⁶ But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten.
¹⁷ But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire.
¹⁸ If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
¹⁹ “And the flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh,”
²⁰ If anyone who is unclean eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the Lord that is offered as a food offering to the Lord, that person shall be cut off from his people.
²¹ And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.
²² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²³ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat.
²⁴ And the fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.
²⁵ For anyone who eats the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the Lord shall be cut off from his people.
²⁶ Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places.
²⁷ Whoever eats blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.
²⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁹ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering to the Lord from the sacrifice of his peace offerings.
³⁰ His own hands shall bring the Lord’s food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the Lord.
³¹ And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.
³² And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings.
³³ Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion.
³⁴ For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.
³⁵ This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the Lord’s food offerings, in the day when they were presented to serve as priests of the Lord.
³⁶ On the eighth day he shall bring them to the priest to offer them to the Lord before the Lord; then the priest shall offer them, the grain offering and the drink offering.
³⁷ This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering,
³⁸ which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.
¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread,”
³ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.
⁴ And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁵ And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded to be done.”
⁶ And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
⁷ And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band.
⁸ And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.
⁹ And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹⁰ And Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
¹¹ And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand to consecrate them.
¹² And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
¹³ And Moses brought Aaron’s sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹⁴ Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering.
¹⁵ Then he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it to make atonement for it.
¹⁶ And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
¹⁷ But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹⁸ Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
¹⁹ And he killed it, and Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.
²⁰ Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
²¹ And he washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering for the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
²² Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
²³ And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
²⁴ And he presented Aaron’s sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.
²⁵ And he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
²⁶ And out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh.
²⁷ And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord.
²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
²⁹ And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, as the Lord commanded Moses.
³⁰ Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons’ garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
³¹ And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’
³² And that which was left of the flesh and the bread you shall burn up with fire.
³³ And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you.
³⁴ As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.
³⁵ Therefore you shall stay at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that you may not die, for so I am commanded.
³⁶ Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses.
¹ On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel,
² and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.
³ Then to the people of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering,
⁴ And an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord will appear to you.”
⁵ And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord.
⁶ And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”
⁷ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”
⁸ So Aaron drew near to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
⁹ And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar.
¹⁰ But the fat and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹¹ And the flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.
¹² Then he killed the burnt offering, and Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar.
¹³ And they handed the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head, and he burned them on the altar.
¹⁴ Then he washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.
¹⁵ Then he presented the people’s offering and took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people and killed it and offered it as a sin offering, like the first one.
¹⁶ And he washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.
¹⁷ Then he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.
¹⁸ Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings for the people. And Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar.
¹⁹ And the fat of the bull and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers the entrails and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver.
²⁰ And they put the fat pieces on the breasts, and he burned the fat pieces on the altar,
²¹ And the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses commanded.
²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.
²³ And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
²⁴ And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
¹⁰ Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.
² And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.
⁴ And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.”
⁵ So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.
⁶ And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled.
⁷ And do not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did according to the word of Moses.
⁸ And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying:
⁹ “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.”
¹⁰ You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean,
¹¹ and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”
¹² And Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that is left of the Lord’s food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy.
¹³ You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the Lord’s food offerings, for so I am commanded.
¹⁴ But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons’ due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel.
¹⁵ The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you as a due forever, as the Lord has commanded.”
¹⁶ Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying,
¹⁷ “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?”
¹⁸ Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”
¹⁹ But Aaron spoke to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?”
²⁰ When Moses heard that, he approved.
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.”
³ Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
⁴ Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁵ And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁶ And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.
⁷ And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
⁸ You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
⁹ “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
¹⁰ But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you.
¹¹ You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.
¹² Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is detestable to you.
¹³ “And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
¹⁴ the kite, the falcon of any kind;
¹⁵ Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten.
¹⁶ the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk according to its kind,
¹⁷ And the little owl and the cormorant and the short-eared owl,
¹⁸ the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
¹⁹ the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
²⁰ “All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.”
²¹ Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.
²² Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
²³ But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
²⁴ “And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,
²⁵ And whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
²⁶ Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
²⁷ And among the animals that go on all fours, those that have a true hoof that is completely split open at the bottom, you shall regard as unclean.
²⁸ But the swarming thing that crawls on the ground you shall not eat; they are detestable.
²⁹ “And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind,
³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.
³¹ These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
³² And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean.
³³ And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.
³⁴ Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.
³⁵ And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you.
³⁶ Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean.
³⁷ If any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean,
³⁸ But if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
³⁹ And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
⁴⁰ Whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
⁴¹ “Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten.”
⁴² Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.
⁴³ You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them.
⁴⁴ For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
⁴⁵ For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
⁴⁶ This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground,
⁴⁷ to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.
³ And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
⁴ Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.
⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue for sixty-six days in the blood of her purifying.
⁶ “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering,”
⁷ who shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether male or female.
⁸ And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
² When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.
³ And the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.
⁴ If the case of leprous disease is deeper than the skin of his body, then the priest shall examine him, and if the leprous disease has spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease.
⁵ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up for another seven days.
⁶ And the priest shall look, and if the itch has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease.
⁷ But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest.
⁸ And the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption.
⁹ “When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest,”
¹⁰ And the priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.
¹¹ It is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not shut him up, for he is unclean.
¹² And if the leprous disease breaks out in the skin, so that the leprous disease covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see,
¹³ then the priest shall look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean.
¹⁴ But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.
¹⁵ And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean, for the raw flesh is unclean; it is a leprous disease.
¹⁶ And if the priest examines, and if the disease has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment, or the warp or the woof, or the skin.
¹⁷ And the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has turned white in the skin and has affected the hair, and the itch appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.
¹⁸ “If there is in the skin of one’s body a boil and it heals,”
¹⁹ And in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, reddish-white, like a spot of leprous disease in the skin of the body.
²⁰ And if, when the priest sees it, behold, it appears lower than the skin, and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil.
²¹ But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days.
²² And if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease.
²³ But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
²⁴ Or if there is any flesh in the skin of the body and it is healed and the fresh appears in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil.
²⁵ the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.
²⁶ But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days.
²⁷ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up for another seven days.
²⁸ And if the itch spreads in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest.
²⁹ “When a man or woman has a disease on the head or the beard,”
³⁰ then the priest shall examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, a leprous disease of the head or the beard.
³¹ But if the priest examines the itching disease and it does not appear deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days.
³² And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the disease. If the disease has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall shut him up for another seven days.
³³ then the man shall be shaven, but the woman shall not be shaven.
³⁴ And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.
³⁵ But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing,
³⁶ then the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean.
³⁷ But if in his eyes the itch is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed and he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
³⁸ When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots,
³⁹ “And on the seventh day the priest shall look at the infection, and if the infection has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.”
⁴⁰ “If a man’s hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean.”
⁴¹ But if in his eyes the itch is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed and he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
⁴² But if there is in the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased area, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.
⁴³ “Then the priest shall examine it, and if the swelling of the itch is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead like the appearance of leprous disease in the skin of the body,”
⁴⁴ he is a leprous man; he is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
⁴⁵ “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’”
⁴⁶ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.
⁴⁷ “If there is any garment of wool or linen in the warp or the woof of the linen or of the wool or in a skin or in any article made of skin,
⁴⁸ If the priest examines the itching disease and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days.
⁴⁹ if the disease is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous disease, and it shall be shown to the priest.
⁵⁰ The priest shall examine the plague and shut up the person for seven days.
⁵¹ He shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a persistent leprous disease; it is unclean.
⁵² He shall burn the garment, whether diseased in warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of skin, for it is a persistent leprous disease. It shall be burned in the fire.
⁵³ “But if the priest examines, and the disease has not spread in the skin and it appears no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall shut up the person with the disease for seven days.”
⁵⁴ then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up for seven days.
And the priest shall examine the disease after it has been washed. And behold, if the diseased area has not changed color, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front.
⁵⁶ And if the priest examines, and if the disease has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment, or the warp or the woof, or the skin.
⁵⁷ And if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire that in which it is.
⁵⁸ But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean.”
⁵⁹ This is the law for a case of leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,”
³ And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of the leprous disease is healed in the leprous person,
⁴ the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop.
⁵ And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water.
⁶ As for the living bird, he shall take it together with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
⁷ And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.
⁸ And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days.
⁹ And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.
¹⁰ “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil.”
¹¹ And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
¹² And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
¹³ And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
¹⁴ the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
¹⁵ And the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand
¹⁶ the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
¹⁷ And of the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed.
¹⁸ And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.
¹⁹ the priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Then afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.
²⁰ And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
²¹ But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;
²² And two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford, one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
²³ And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord.
²⁴ And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
²⁵ And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
²⁶ And the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.
²⁷ And if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;
²⁸ And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put.
²⁹ And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.
³⁰ And he shall offer, of the turtle-doves or pigeons, such as he can afford,
³¹ And if the priest makes the anointed one, who is to be cleansed, stand before the Lord, and the priest shall take from the log of oil and shall pour it into the palm of his own left hand
³² This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”
³³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
³⁴ “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession,”
³⁵ Then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘It seems to me there is some case of disease in my house.’
³⁶ Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house.
³⁷ And he shall examine the disease on the walls of the house with the stones with which the disease is found, and he shall scrape off the plaster and throw it into an unclean place outside the city.
³⁸ then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days.
³⁹ And on the seventh day the priest shall go out of the house, to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.
⁴⁰ then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city.
⁴¹ And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city.
⁴² And they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.
⁴³“If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it,”
⁴⁴ then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean.
⁴⁵ And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place.
⁴⁶ And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.’”
⁴⁷ And whoever lies in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
⁴⁸ “But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed.”
⁴⁹ And he shall take for the cleansing of the house two small birds, cedarwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop.
⁵⁰ and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water.
⁵¹ And he shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
⁵² and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn.
⁵³ “But the priest shall examine the disease on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.”
⁵⁴ This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for clothing and for a house,
⁵⁵ and for the living bird he shall take it together with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
⁵⁶ and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot,
⁵⁷ to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.
³ And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness.
⁴ Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.
⁵ And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
⁶ And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
⁷ And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
⁸ And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
⁹ And whatever saddle he who has the discharge rides on shall be unclean.
¹⁰ And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
¹¹ Whoever touches anything that has been on which has the discharge without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
¹² And the earthenware vessel that he who has the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
¹³ “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean.”
¹⁴ And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest.
¹⁵ And the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge.
¹⁶ “If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening.
¹⁷ “And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening.”
¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening.
¹⁹ “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.”
²⁰ Everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean.
²¹ And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
²² And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
²³ And if a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.
²⁴ And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon 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, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, 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 impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity.”
²⁷ Whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
²⁸ But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
²⁹ And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting.
³⁰ And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge.
³¹ Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.
³² This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby.
³³ And for a woman who is in her menstrual impurity, or for anyone in whom a discharge of semen occurs, or for a man who lies with a woman who is unclean,
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died,
² and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
³ But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
⁴ He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.
⁵ And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
⁶ “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.
⁷ Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁸ And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.
⁹ And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering,

¹⁰ But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
¹¹ “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.
¹² And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil

¹³ and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
¹⁴ And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
¹⁵ “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.”
¹⁶ Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
¹⁷ There shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
¹⁸ Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
¹⁹ He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.
²⁰ “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.”
²¹ And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.
²² And the goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.
²³ Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there.
²⁴ And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.
²⁵ And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.
²⁶ And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
²⁷ And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp.
²⁸ And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.
²⁹ “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
³⁰ for on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins.
³¹ It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever.
³² And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments.
³³ and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
³⁴ And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.
⁷ So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
² “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded.
³ Any one of the house of Israel who kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
⁴ and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people.
⁵ To the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.
⁶ And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
⁷ So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
⁸ And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice
⁹ and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people.
¹⁰ And any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.
¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
¹² Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.
¹³ “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
¹⁴ For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life.
¹⁵ And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean.
¹⁶ But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God.
³ You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.
⁴ You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.
⁵ You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
⁶ “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord.
⁷ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
⁸ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.
⁹ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home.
¹⁰ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness.
¹¹ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister.
¹² You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative.
¹³ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative.
¹⁴ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.
¹⁵ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
¹⁶ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
¹⁷ You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity.
¹⁸ And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.
¹⁹ “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.”
²⁰ And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her.
²¹ You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
²² You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
²³ And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.
²⁴ “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean,
²⁵ And the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
²⁶ But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
²⁷ (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean),
²⁸ so that the land will not vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
²⁹ For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people.
³⁰ So you shall keep my charge by not doing any of the abominable customs that were done before you, and by not defiling yourselves with them: I am the Lord your God.”
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
³ Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
⁴ Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.
⁵ “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.
⁶ It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned with fire.
⁷ You shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
⁸ You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes.
⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.
¹⁰ And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
¹¹ “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.”
¹² You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
¹³ “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.”
¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
¹⁵ “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”
¹⁶ You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
¹⁷ You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
¹⁹ “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.
²⁰ “If a man lies with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free;
²¹ But if the man is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;
²² And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.
²³ “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten.”
²⁴ But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.
²⁵ And in the fifth year you shall eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God.
²⁶ “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes.
²⁷ You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.
²⁸ You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
²⁹ “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.
³⁰ You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
³¹ “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.
³² “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
³³ “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
³⁴ You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
³⁵ You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity.
³⁶ You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
³⁷ You shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.”
² “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.
² “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.
³ I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name.
⁴ If the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death,
⁵ then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.
⁶ “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.
⁷ Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
⁸ Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
⁹ For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
¹⁰ “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
¹¹ If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
¹² If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.
¹³ If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
¹⁴ If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you.
¹⁵ If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
¹⁶ If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
¹⁷ “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.
¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood.
¹⁹ You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to make naked one’s relative; they shall bear their iniquity.
²⁰ If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
²¹ If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
²² You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
²³ And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them.
²⁴ But I have 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 has separated you from the peoples.
²⁵ You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.
²⁶ You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
²⁷ “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people,
² except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother,
³ And for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband, he may make himself unclean.
⁴ He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself.
⁵ They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.
⁶ They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord’s food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.
⁷ They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
⁸ You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.
⁹ And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
¹⁰ “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes.
¹¹ He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother.
¹² He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord.
¹³ He shall take a wife in her virginity.
¹⁴ A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people,
¹⁵ And he shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”
¹⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁷ Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God.
¹⁸ For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long,
¹⁹ or a man who has a broken foot or a broken hand
²⁰ or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.
²¹ No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
²² He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things,
²³ but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”
²⁴ So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name: I am the Lord.
³ Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
⁴ None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen,
⁵ or from a stranger’s hand you shall not offer the bread of your God of any of these, because their corruption is in them, and defects are in them; they shall not be accepted for you.”
⁶ The person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water.
⁷ When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food.
⁸ He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.
⁹ They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
¹⁰ A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing.
¹¹ but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his food.
¹² If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things.
¹³ But if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; yet no lay person shall eat of it.
¹⁴ And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest.
¹⁵ They shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord,
¹⁶ and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”
¹⁷ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁸ Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord,
¹⁹ you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats.
²⁰ You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.
²¹ And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.
²² Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar.
²³ You may not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.
²⁴ You shall not offer to the Lord anything that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut. You shall not do it.
²⁵ Neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. There is a blemish in them, because of their corruption: they shall not be accepted for you.”
²⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁷ “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord.
²⁸ But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day.
²⁹ “When you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it in a way that you may be accepted.
³⁰ So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord.
³¹ So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord.
³² And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
³³ who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord.”
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.
³ “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.
⁴ “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.
⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.
⁶ And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
⁷ On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.
⁸ But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”
⁹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.”
¹¹ and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
¹² And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord.
¹³ And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.
¹⁴ And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
¹⁵ “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.”
¹⁶ You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.
¹⁷ You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.
¹⁸ And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁹ You shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.
²⁰ And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.
²¹ And you shall make proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
²² “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”
²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁴ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.”
²⁵ You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.
²⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁷ “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord.
²⁸ And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.
²⁹ For whoever does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
³⁰ And whoever does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.
³¹ You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
³² It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”
³³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
³⁴ Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord.
³⁵ On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.
³⁶ For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.
³⁷ “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day,
³⁸ besides the Lord’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord.
³⁹ “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
⁴⁰ And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
⁴¹ You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
⁴² You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths,
⁴³ that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
⁴⁴ Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly.
³ Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.
⁴ He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the Lord regularly.
⁵ “You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf.”
⁶ And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord.
⁷ And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord.
⁸ Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever.
⁹ And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord’s food offerings, a perpetual due.”
¹⁰ Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp,
¹¹ The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
¹² And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them.
¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁴ “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
¹⁵ And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
¹⁶ Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
¹⁷ “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.
¹⁸ Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life.
¹⁹ If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him,
²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has injured someone, so it shall be done to him.
²¹ Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death.
²² You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”
²³ So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.
⁸ “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years.
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord.
³ For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits,
⁴ but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord.
⁵ You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.
⁶ The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you,
⁷ And for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land, all its yield shall be for food.
⁸ “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years.
⁹ Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.
¹⁰ And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.
¹¹ That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines.
¹² For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.
¹³ “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.
¹⁴ And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.
¹⁵ You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops.
¹⁶ According to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years for crops he shall sell to you.
¹⁷ You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.
¹⁸ “Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely.”
¹⁹ Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely.
²⁰ And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’
²¹ then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.
²² And you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield,
²³ “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.
²⁴ And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.
²⁵ If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.
²⁶ If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it,
²⁷ then let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property.
²⁸ But if he has not sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee.
²⁹ “If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, he may redeem it within a year of its sale. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption.
³⁰ If it is not redeemed within a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong in perpetuity to the buyer, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the jubilee.
³¹ But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them shall be classified with the fields of the land. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee.
³² As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem at any time the houses in the cities they possess.
³³ What if he is not redeemed in these years and he does not obtain his freedom in the Jubilee year, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee.
³⁴ But the field of the pastureland of their cities may not be sold, for it is their possession forever.
³⁵ “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.
³⁶ Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you.
³⁷ You shall not give him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
³⁸ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
³⁹ “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave.
⁴⁰ They shall be with you as hired workers and sojourners. They shall serve you until the year of the jubilee.
⁴¹ then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers.
⁴² For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.
⁴³ You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.
⁴⁴ As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you.
⁴⁵ You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property.
⁴⁶ You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.
⁴⁷ “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan,
⁴⁸ then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him,
⁴⁹ or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him or, if he grows rich, he may redeem himself.
⁵⁰ He shall calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his sale shall vary with the number of years.
⁵¹ If there are still many years left, he shall pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price.
⁵² If there remain but a few years until the year of jubilee, he shall calculate and pay for his redemption in proportion to his years.
⁵³ He shall be with him as a yearly hired worker, and he shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight.
⁵⁴ And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee.
⁵⁵ For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
¹ “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.”
² You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
³ “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them,”
⁴ then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
⁵ Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.
⁶ I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.
⁷ You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
⁸ Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
⁹ I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you.
¹⁰ You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.
¹¹ I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
¹² And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
¹⁴ “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,
¹⁵ if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
¹⁶ then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
¹⁷ I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.
¹⁸ And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,
¹⁹ and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.
²⁰ Then your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.
²¹ “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins.”
²² And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.
²³ “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me,
²⁴ then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
²⁵ And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
²⁶ When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
²⁷ “But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me,”
²⁸ then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.
²⁹ You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.
³⁰ And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you.
³¹ And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing aromas.
³² And I will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it.
³³ And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
³⁴ “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths.”
³⁵ All the days that the land lies desolate, the land will enjoy its Sabbath rest, to make up for the time it did not rest during the Sabbaths you lived in it.
³⁶ And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues.
³⁷ They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
³⁸ And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
³⁹ And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies’ lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.
⁴⁰ “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me,
⁴¹ so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity,
⁴² then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
⁴³ But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes.
⁴⁴ Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.
⁴⁵ But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”
⁴⁶ These are the statutes and rules and laws that the Lord made between himself and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons,”
³ then the valuation shall be made by the priest, according to the ability of the one who vowed to make it.
⁴ But if the vow is an oath to the Lord, then all of its valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
⁵ If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
⁶ And if the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
⁷ If the person is sixty years old or older, then your valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
⁸ But if he is too poor to pay the valuation, then he shall be made to stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; the priest shall value him according to what the vower can afford.
⁹ “If the vow is an animal that may be offered as an offering to the Lord, all of it that he gives to the Lord is holy.
¹⁰ He shall not exchange it or make a substitute for it, good for bad, or bad for good; and if he does in fact substitute one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute shall be holy.
¹¹ If the vow is an animal that may be offered as an offering to the Lord, all of it that he gives to the Lord is holy.
¹² the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.
¹³ But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation.
¹⁴ “When a man dedicates his house as a holy gift to the Lord, the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand.
¹⁵ If the one who dedicates his house to the Lord wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation price, and it shall be his.
¹⁶ “If a man dedicates to the Lord part of the land that is his possession, then the valuation shall be in proportion to its seed. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.”
¹⁷ If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, the valuation shall stand.
¹⁸ But if he dedicates his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the price according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and a deduction shall be made from the valuation.
¹⁹ And if the one who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then they shall add a fifth to its valuation price, and it shall remain his.
²⁰ And if he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore.
²¹ But the field, when it is released in the jubilee, shall be a holy gift to the Lord, like a field that has been devoted. The priest shall be in possession of it.
²² And if he dedicates to the Lord a field that he has bought, which is not a part of his possession,
²³ “Then the priest shall calculate the amount of the valuation for it up to the year of jubilee, and the man shall give the valuation on that day as a holy gift to the Lord.”
²⁴ In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession.
²⁵ Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.
²⁶ “But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s.”
²⁷ But if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall redeem it according to the valuation and add a fifth to it; and if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold according to the valuation.
²⁸ “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.
²⁹ No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
³⁰ Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.
³¹ If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it.
³² And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.
³³ “He shall not differentiate between good and bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
³⁴ These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Numbers 1:1-36:13: ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
² “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.”
³ from twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
⁴ And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers.
⁵ These are the names of the men who shall assist you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
⁶ from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
⁷ from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
⁸ from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
⁹ from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
¹⁰ from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
¹¹ those listed of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
¹² from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
¹³ Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran.
¹⁴ those listed of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
¹⁵ from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.”
¹⁶ These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
¹⁷ Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named,
¹⁸ and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their ancestry by their clans and their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head,
¹⁹ as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁰ The people of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
²¹ those listed of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
²² Of the people of Simeon, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, those of them who were listed, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
²³ those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
²⁴ Of the sons of Gad, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war:
²⁵ those listed of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
²⁶ Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
²⁷ those listed of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
²⁸ Those listed of the sons of Issachar, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
²⁹ “those listed of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.”
³⁰ from the sons of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael,
³¹ Those listed of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
³² Of the people of Joseph, namely, of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
³³ those listed of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
³⁴ from twenty years old and upward, all who can go to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
³⁵ those listed of the tribe of the sons of Dan were 62,700.
³⁶ Of the people of Benjamin, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
³⁷ those who were listed of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
³⁸ those listed of the sons of Dan were 62,700.
³⁹ those listed of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
⁴⁰ Of the sons of Asher, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
⁴¹ Those mustered of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
⁴² Of the people of Naphtali, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
⁴³ Those are the clans of the sons of Naphtali, 80,500.
⁴⁴ These are those who were listed, whom Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, twelve men, each representing his fathers’ house.
⁴⁵ So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel—
⁴⁶ All those listed were 603,550.
⁴⁷ But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe.
⁴⁸ For the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁴⁹ “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.”
⁵⁰ but appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.
⁵¹ When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.
⁵² The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp and each man by his own standard.
⁵³ But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”
⁵⁴ Thus the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his father’s house.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
² The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.
³ Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab,
⁴ And his division, the tribe of Gad, and the chief of the people of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
⁵ Those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab,
⁶ Those who will camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab,
⁷ Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon,
⁸ And his company as listed were 57,400.
⁹ All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march.
¹⁰ “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
¹¹ and his army as listed were 46,500.
¹² Those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
¹³ and his army as listed were 59,300.
¹⁴ Then the tribe of Gad, the people of Gad, by their fathers’ houses, and the number of their men of war, who could draw the sword, was 45,650.
¹⁵ “The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.”
¹⁶ All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450.
¹⁷ Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.
¹⁸ On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud,
¹⁹ Then the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur,
²⁰ “On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
²¹ Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan,
²² Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin, being counted, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war,
²³ Those listed of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
²⁴ All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100.
²⁵ On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
²⁶ and his army as listed by their companies, the chief of all the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel,
²⁷ and those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran.
²⁸ This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.
²⁹ Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, – Numbers 2:29
³⁰ On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur,
³¹ All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.”
³² These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers’ houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550.
³³ but the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
³⁴ So the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his father’s house.
¹ These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
² These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
³ These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests.
⁴ But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
⁷ They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle.
⁸ They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle.
⁹ And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel.
¹⁰ And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”
¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹² “Now behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine,”
¹³ for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
¹⁴ And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying:
¹⁵ “List the sons of Levi, by their fathers’ houses, by their clans, according to the number of names, every male from a month old and upward.”
¹⁶ So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.
¹⁷ These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
¹⁸ And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
¹⁹ And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
²⁰ And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.
²¹ Of Gershon were the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.
²² Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
²³ The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west,
²⁴ The chief of the clan of the Gershonites being Eliasaph the son of Lael.
²⁵ And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,
²⁶ and the hangings of the court, the screen for the entrance of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.
²⁷ And of Kohath was the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites.
²⁸ According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600.
²⁹ The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
³⁰ with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites.
³¹ Their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these.
³² and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and have oversight of those who keep guard of the sanctuary.
³³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
³⁴ So Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
³⁵ and the chief of the fathers’ houses of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
³⁶ The appointed duty of the people of Merari as regards the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, and its bases,
³⁷ And the pillars of the court all around and their bases and pegs and cords.
³⁸ Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.
³⁹ All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the command of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
⁴⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names.
⁴¹ You shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.”
⁴² So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him.
⁴³ And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those listed were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
⁴⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁴⁵ “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
⁴⁶ And for the redemption of the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, who are more than the firstborn of the Egyptians,
⁴⁷ you shall take five shekels per head; according to the shekel of the sanctuary shall you take, the shekel of twenty gerahs.
⁴⁸ And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
⁴⁹ So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.
⁵⁰ from the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.
⁵¹ And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
² “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
⁴ This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things.
⁵ When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
⁶ Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.
⁷ And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it.
⁸ And they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand of the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied.
⁹ Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied.
¹⁰ And they shall put it with all the utensils of the altar, and they shall spread a cloth of blue over it, and shall put on it the poles.
¹¹ Over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin and shall put in its poles.
¹² And they shall take all the vessels of ministry used for the service in the tabernacle, and they shall put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame.
¹³ and they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
¹⁴ And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
¹⁵ And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
¹⁶ “And the appointed men shall come and take down the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall cover the ark of the testimony with a veil and put a covering of badger skins on it, and shall insert its poles.”
¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
¹⁸ But do this to them, that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden,
¹⁹ but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden,
²⁰ but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
²¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²² Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans.
²³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
²⁴ This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens.
²⁵ they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,
²⁶ the hangings of the court, the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with them.
²⁷ And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it.
²⁸ This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens:
²⁹ As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses.
³⁰ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting;
³¹ This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
³² and the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry.
³³ This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
³⁴ So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
³⁵ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting;
³⁶ And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all their service, the whole service of the sons of Merari, was under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
³⁷ These were those registered by clans of the Kohathites, all who served at the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
³⁸ Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.
³⁹ All those listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
⁴⁰ the sons of Merari, their clans, by their fathers’ houses,
⁴¹ These are those who were numbered of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting.
⁴² These are those listed of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
⁴³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting;
⁴⁴ All the males among the Levites, from a month old and upward, were listed by name.
⁴⁵ These are the sons of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
⁴⁶ All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting,
⁴⁷ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting;
⁴⁸ When the chief of the fathers of the Levites was counted, Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was appointed to supervise the offering of the Lord’s gift of the holy things.
⁴⁹ According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by Moses, each one according to his service and according to his burden; thus were they numbered by him, as the Lord commanded Moses.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.
³ You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.”
⁴ And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp, as the Lord said to Moses; so the people of Israel did.
⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁶ “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt,
⁷ he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
⁸ But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
⁹ And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
¹⁰ And each man’s holy donations shall be his own. What anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”
¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
¹² “Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,”
¹³ and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act.
¹⁴ and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself,
¹⁵ then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
¹⁶ “And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord.
¹⁷ Then the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.
¹⁸ And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman’s head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse.
¹⁹ Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.
²⁰ “But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you,”
²¹ then the priest shall make the woman take the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman, “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell.
²² May this water that brings a curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’
²³ “Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness.”
²⁴ And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain.
²⁵ And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand and shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and bring it to the altar.
²⁶ And the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
²⁷ And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people.
²⁸ But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
²⁹ This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
³⁰ or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife.
³¹ The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,”
³ he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink.
⁴ All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.
⁵ “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
⁶ “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.
⁷ He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.
⁸ All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.
⁹ “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.
¹⁰ And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting.
¹¹ And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day,
¹² And he shall separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
¹³ “And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting,”
¹⁴ and he shall bring his offering to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering,
¹⁵ and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings.
¹⁶ “And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering,”
¹⁷ and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. He shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering.
¹⁸ And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
¹⁹ And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,
²⁰ And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.
²¹ “This is the law of the Nazirite. On the day when the period of his separation is over, he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
²⁴ The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁴ The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁴ The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
²⁷ “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
¹ On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar,
² the chiefs of Israel, heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the chiefs of the tribes, who were over those who were listed, offered
³ and they brought their offering before the Lord, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox. They brought them before the tabernacle.
⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁵ the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
⁶ So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.
⁷ Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service,
⁸ And he gave the two carts and the four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.
⁹ But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.
¹⁰ And the chiefs offered offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed; and the chiefs offered their offering before the altar.
¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Let them bring their offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
¹² And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah.
¹³ and his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
¹⁴ one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
¹⁵ one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
¹⁶ one male goat for a sin offering;
¹⁷ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
¹⁸ On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, the chief of Issachar, presented an offering.
¹⁹ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
²⁰ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
²¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
²² One bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering
²³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
²⁴ On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, the chief of the people of Zebulun:
²⁵ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
²⁶ one silver plate weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
²⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering
²⁸ and one male goat for a sin offering;
²⁹ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
³⁰ one male goat for a sin offering;
³¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
³² one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
³³ and one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering
³⁴ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, to be sacrificed as a peace offering, were brought by Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
³⁵ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
³⁶ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
³⁷ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
³⁸ and one bull from the herd, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering.
³⁹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁴⁰ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁴¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering
⁴² The golden pans full of incense, weighed 10 shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the pans being 240 shekels.
⁴³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
⁴⁴ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁴⁵ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering
⁴⁶ and one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁴⁷ …one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering,
⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, the chief of the people of Ephraim:
⁴⁹ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁵⁰ the one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁵¹ one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁵² one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, filled with incense;
⁵³ and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
⁵⁴ This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed, from the chiefs of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes,
⁵⁵ and for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
⁵⁶ one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁵⁷ one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁵⁹ one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁶⁰ On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, the chief of the people of Benjamin:
⁶¹ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁶² one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁶³ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering;
⁶⁵ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
⁶⁶ On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, the chief of the people of Dan, offered sacrifice.
⁶⁷ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁶⁸ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁶⁹ one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, filled with incense;
⁷⁰ one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁷¹ one male goat for a sin offering,
⁷² On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, the chief of the people of Asher:
⁷³ and for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
⁷⁴ one golden dish weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
⁷⁵ one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁷⁶ one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁷⁷ the one male goat for a sin offering,
⁷⁸ On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, the chief of the people of Naphtali, offered.
⁷⁹ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁸⁰ his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁸¹ one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering;
⁸² one golden dish of ten shekels, full of incense;
⁸³ and the dedication for the altar was twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, and twelve golden dishes.
⁸⁴ This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed, from the chiefs of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes,
⁸⁵ Each silver plate weighing a hundred and thirty shekels and each basin seventy, all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary,
⁸⁶ The golden dishes weighed 130 shekels, and the silver dishes 70, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
⁸⁷ All the livestock for the burnt offering were twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, with their grain offering.
⁸⁸ all the bulls of the sacrifice of peace offerings were twelve rams, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, with their grain offering.
⁸⁹ And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.
¹ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.”
³ And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.
⁴ This was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁶ “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them.
⁷ Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.
⁸ Then let them take a bull from the herd and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering.
⁹ And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel.
¹⁰ And you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites,
¹¹ And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.
¹² And the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.
¹³ And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.
¹⁴ Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
¹⁵ And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering.
¹⁶ For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself.
¹⁷ For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself.
¹⁸ But I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel.
¹⁹ And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
²⁰ Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
²¹ Thus did the Levites. They purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
²² And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁴ “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting.”
²⁵ And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more.
²⁶ They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.”
¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:
² “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.
³ On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.
⁴ So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover.
⁵ And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did.
⁶ And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.
⁷ And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?”
⁸ And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”
⁹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord.”
¹¹ In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall keep it.
¹² They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.
¹³ But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.
¹⁴ And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”
On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.
¹⁶ So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.
¹⁷ And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled, there the people of Israel camped.
¹⁸ At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.
¹⁹ And when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out.
²⁰ Sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted, they set out.
²¹ And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted, they set out.
²² Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out.
²³ At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp.
³ And when they blow a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
⁴ And if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you.
¹⁰ When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side shall set out.
⁶ And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out.
⁷ But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm.
⁸ And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations.
⁹ And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.
¹⁰ On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
¹¹ In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony,
¹² And the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.
¹⁴ In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony,
¹⁴ The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
¹⁵ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
¹⁶ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
¹⁷ Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out.
¹⁸ And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was Elizur the son of Shedeur.
¹⁹ And the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.
²⁰ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
²¹ So the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.
²² And the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was Elishama the son of Ammihud.
²³ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
²⁴ This was the order of march of the camp of the people of Judah as they set out.
²⁵ Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
²⁶ and over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
²⁷ And over the shoulder of the camp of the sons of Issachar was the standard of the camp of the sons of Zebulun.
²⁸ This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies when they set out.
²⁹ And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel.”
³⁰ But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.”
³¹ And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.
³² And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”
³³ So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them.
³⁴ And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.
³⁵ And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.”
³⁶ And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”
¹ And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.
² Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.
³ Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.
⁴ Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!
⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
⁶ but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
⁷ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.
⁸ The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.
⁹ When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
¹⁰ Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.
¹¹ Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
¹² Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?
¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
¹⁴ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.
¹⁵ If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
¹⁷ And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.
¹⁸ And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.
¹⁹ You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,
²⁰ but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”
²¹ But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’
²² Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?”
²³ And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent.
²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
²⁶ Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.
²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
²⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”
²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
³⁰ Then Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
³¹ Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.
³² The people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
³³ While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague.
³⁴ Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.
³⁵ While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague.
¹ Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.
² And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.
³ Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
⁴ And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out.
⁵ And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
⁶ And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.
⁷ Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.
⁸ With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
⁹ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.
¹⁰ When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.
¹¹ And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.
¹² Let her not be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
¹³ And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.”
¹⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.”
¹⁵ So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.
¹⁶ After that the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.”
³ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.
⁴ These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;
⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Gaddi the son of Susi;
¹⁰ and bring some of the fruit of the land.
¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;
¹² From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;
¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Gaddiel the son of Sodi,
¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
¹⁶ These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
¹⁷ Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country,
¹⁸ And see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many,
¹⁹ Whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
²⁰ And whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
²¹ So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.
²² They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron.
²³ And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.
²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.
²⁵ At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.
²⁶ And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
²⁷ And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
²⁸ However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
²⁹ The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”
³⁰ But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
¹³ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
¹³ And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
³³ And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
¹ Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
² And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
³ Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
⁴ And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel.
⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes
⁷ and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.
⁸ If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.
⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
¹⁴ Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
¹² I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
¹⁴ But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them,
¹⁴ And they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
¹⁵ Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,
¹⁶ ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them, he has killed them in the wilderness.’
¹⁷ And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
¹⁹ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
²¹ But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,
²¹ But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,
²² none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,
²³ shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
²⁴ But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
²⁵ Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
²⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
²⁷ “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.”
²⁸ Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:
²⁹ In this wilderness your dead bodies shall fall, and all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me.
³⁰ not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
³¹ But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
³² But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
³³ And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.
³⁴ According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’
³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”
³⁶ And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—
³⁷ the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord.
³⁸ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of those men who went to spy out the land.
³⁹ And Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
¹⁴ Then they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.”
⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed?
¹⁴ Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.
⁴³ For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”
⁴⁴ But they dared to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.
⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.
¹⁵ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,
³ and you offer to the Lord from the herd or from the flock a food offering or a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or at your appointed feasts, to make a pleasing aroma to the Lord,
⁴ then he who brings his offering shall offer to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil;
⁵ And the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb.
⁶ And for a drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
⁷ and for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
⁸ And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or for peace offerings to the Lord,
⁹ then two tenths of an ephah of fine flour shall be mixed with a third of a hin of oil.
¹⁰ And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹¹ Thus shall it be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat.
¹² According to the number that you prepare, so shall you do with each one according to their number.
¹³ ‘All who are native shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁴ And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do.
¹⁵ For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord.
¹⁶ One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.
¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁸ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you,
¹⁹ You shall offer a cake of the first of your dough as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.
²⁰ You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the Lord’s food offerings, for so I am commanded.
²¹ Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.
²² “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses,
²³ all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations,
²⁴ then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering.
²⁵ And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, for it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord.
²⁶ And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
²⁷ “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.”
²⁸ And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
²⁹ You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
³⁰ “But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.”
³¹ Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.
³² While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
³³ And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation.
³⁴ They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.
³⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
³⁶ And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.
³⁷ The Lord said to Moses,
³⁸ “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.
³⁹ And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
⁴⁰ so you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
⁴¹ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”
¹ Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
² And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
³ They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
⁴ When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
⁵ And he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
⁶ And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:
⁷ and put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow. And the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!
⁸ And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:
⁹ is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,
¹⁰ and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?
¹¹ Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”
¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.
¹³ Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?
¹⁴ Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”
¹⁵ Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”
¹⁶ And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
¹⁷ And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”
¹⁸ So they took every man his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
¹⁹ Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
²⁰ And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
²¹ “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
²² And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁴ “Say to the congregation, ‘Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
²⁵ And Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.”
²⁷ So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
²⁸ And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.
²⁹ If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.
³⁰ But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”
³¹ And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.
³² And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.
³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
³⁴ All Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
³⁵ And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.
³⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
³⁷ “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy.
³⁸ The censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives shall be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.”
³⁹ So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,
⁴⁰ to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.
⁴¹ But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.”
⁴² And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
⁴³ And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting,
⁴⁴ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁴⁵ “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.”
⁴⁷ So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
⁴⁹ Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.
⁵⁰ And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff,
³ And you shall write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house.
⁴ And you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.
⁵ And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.”
⁶ On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
⁷ And Moses laid up the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.
⁸ On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.
⁹ So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord. And they all looked, and took each his staff.
¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.”
¹¹ Thus did the people of Israel. They said to Moses, “We perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
¹² And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
¹³ “Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die. Are we all to perish?”
¹ So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.
² And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.
³ They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die.
⁴ They shall join you and attend to the needs of the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you.
⁵ And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.
⁶ Behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting.
⁷ And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due.
⁹ This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every sin offering of theirs and every guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons.
¹⁰ You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the Lord’s food offerings, for so I am commanded.
¹¹ This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
¹² All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord, I give to you.
¹³ The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
¹⁴ Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.
¹⁵ Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.
¹⁶ They shall have the firstfruits of all the fruit of every tree, and you shall receive the firstfruits of all that is in the land to the Lord.
¹⁷ But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
¹⁸ But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
¹⁹ All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.
²⁰ And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.
²¹ “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting,
²² So the people of Israel shall no longer come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die.
²³ But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
²⁴ For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”
²⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁶ “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.
²⁷ And this your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.
²⁸ So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord’s contribution to Aaron the priest.
²⁹ Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the Lord; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’
³⁰ Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be counted as the Levites’ property, as if it were the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress.
³¹ And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.
³² And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”
¹ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
² “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.
³ And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him.
⁴ And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.
⁵ And the heifer shall be burned in his sight; its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.
⁶ And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer.
⁷ Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening.
⁸ And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until the evening.
⁹ And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering.
¹⁰ And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
¹¹ Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.
¹² He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.
¹³ Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
¹⁴ “This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.
¹⁵ And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean.
¹⁶ Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.
¹⁷ And for the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel.
¹⁸ Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or the grave.
¹⁹ And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.
²⁰ But the man who is unclean and does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water for impurity has not been thrown on him; he is unclean.
²¹ And it shall be a perpetual statute for them.
²² And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
¹ And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
² Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
³ And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!
⁴ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
⁵ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”
⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them,
⁷ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁸ “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”
⁹ And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”
¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
¹³ These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met,
¹⁵ how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers.
¹⁶ And when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
¹⁷ Let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King’s Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
¹⁸ But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.”
¹⁹ And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”
²⁰ He said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force.
²¹ Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.
²⁹ And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,
²⁴ “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.
²⁵ Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor.
²⁶ and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.”
²⁷ And Moses did as the Lord commanded, and they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
²⁸ And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
²⁹ And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
¹ When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
² And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”
³ And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction.
⁴ From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.
⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
⁶ Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
⁷ And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
¹⁰ And the people of Israel set out and camped in Oboth.
¹¹ And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise.
¹² From there they set out and camped in the valley of Zered.
¹³ From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
¹⁴ Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
¹⁵ And the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab.”
¹⁶ And from there they continued to Beer; that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that I may give them water.”
¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well!—Sing to it,
¹⁸ the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs.” And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah,
¹⁹ And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
²⁰ and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the region of Moab, to the top of Pisgah that looks down on the desert.
³⁵ So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they took possession of his land.
²² “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
³² And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
²⁴ And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.
²⁵ And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.
²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
²⁷ Therefore the ballad singers say,
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
²⁸ For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed the heights of the Arnon.
²⁹ Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon.
³⁰ And we overthrew them; Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished; and we laid waste as far as Nophah; fire spread as far as Medeba.
³¹ Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
³² And Moses sent to spy out Jazer. And they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
³³ Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
³⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
³⁵ So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they took possession of his land.
¹ Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.
² And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
³ So Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.
⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,
⁵ And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me.
⁶ Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message.
⁸ And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
⁹ And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
¹⁰ And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying,
¹¹ Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.
¹² God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
¹³ And Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
¹⁴ And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
¹⁵ And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying,
¹⁶ And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
¹⁷ for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’”
¹⁸ But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more.
¹⁹ Now please stay here tonight also, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”
²⁰ And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”
²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
²² But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary.
²³ And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.
²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.
²⁵ And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again.
²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
²⁷ And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
²⁸ Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
²⁹ Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.”
³⁰ And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
³¹ Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.
³² And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.
³³ The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”
³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”
³⁵ And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border.
³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
³⁸ And Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”
³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
⁴⁰ And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
⁴¹ And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-Baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.
¹ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
² And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him.
³ And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height.
⁴ And God met Balaam.
⁵ And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
⁶ And he returned to him, and behold, he and all his officials were standing beside his burnt offering.
⁷ And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’
⁸ How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
⁹ For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!
¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
and let my end be like his!”
¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”
¹² And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
¹³ And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”
¹⁴ And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
¹⁵ And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.”
¹⁶ And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
¹⁷ And he took up his discourse and said: “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, son of Zippor:
¹⁸ And he took up his discourse and said, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, son of Zippor:
¹⁹ God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
²⁰ Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
²¹ He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
²² God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
²³ For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought?’
²⁴ Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all.”
²⁶ But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?”
²⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”
²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
²⁹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
³⁰ And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
²⁴ When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.
² And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him.
³ and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
⁴ the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered,
⁵ How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
⁶ Like palm groves that stretch afar,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
⁷ Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
⁸ God brings him out of Egypt
and is for him like the horns of the wild ox;
he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries,
and shall break their bones in pieces
and pierce them through with his arrows.
⁹ He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
¹⁰ And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.
¹¹ Therefore now flee to your own place. I said I would certainly honor you, but the Lord has held you back from honor.”
¹² Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,
¹³ If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak.’
¹⁴ And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
²⁴ And he took up his discourse and said:
¹⁶ the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:
¹⁷ I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
¹⁸ Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.
¹⁹ “A ruler shall come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.”
²⁰ Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.”
²¹ And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock.
²² God brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
²³ And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?
²⁴ But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction.”
²⁵ Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.
¹ While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.
² They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
³ So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”
⁵ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”
⁶ And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
⁷ When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand
⁸ and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.
⁹ And those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.
¹² Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace,
¹³ He shall have it, and his offspring after him.
¹⁴ The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites.
¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a Midianite family.
¹⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁷ “Harass the Midianites and strike them down,
¹⁸ for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”
¹ After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest,
² “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”
³ Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
⁴ And as the Lord said to Moses, “List all the men of Israel, twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”
⁵ Reuben, the firstborn of Israel; the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;
⁶ Of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.
⁷ These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43,730.
⁸ And the sons of Pallu: Eliab.
⁹ The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord,
¹⁰ and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.
¹¹ But the sons of Korah did not die.
¹² The sons of Simeon according to their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites;
¹³ among these the clans of the people of Reuben: the clan of the Hanochites, the clan of the Palluites, the clan of the Hezronites, and the clan of the Carmites.
¹⁴ These are the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand five hundred.
¹⁵ The sons of Gad according to their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites;
¹⁶ These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
¹⁷ These are the clans of Reuben, and those listed were 43,730.
¹⁸ These are the clans of the people of Gad, as they were listed, 40,500.
¹⁹ The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
²⁰ The sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; and of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.
²¹ The sons of Perez: Hezron, and Hamul.
²² These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76,500.
²³ The sons of Issachar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites;
²⁴ These are the clans of Naphtali, and those listed were 45,400.
²⁵ These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64,300.
²⁶ The sons of Zebulun according to their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.
²⁷ The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
²⁸ The sons of Joseph according to their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim.
²⁹ The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.
³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites;
³¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.
³² Now the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.
³³ Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
³⁴ These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52,700.
³⁵ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites. Of Becher, the clan of the Becherites. Of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.
³⁶ These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites.
³⁷ These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim as they were listed, 32,500.
³⁸ The sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites;
³⁹ The sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites.
⁴⁰ The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.
⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites;
⁴² These are the sons of Dan by their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan by their clans.
⁴³ All the families of the Shuthelahites, the families of the Shuthelahites, were listed at 64,400.
⁴⁴ The sons of Asher according to their clans: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.
⁴⁵ The sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, the father of Birzaith.
⁴⁶ The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
⁴⁸ The sons of Naphtali by their clans: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
⁴⁹ The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Namites.
⁵⁰ These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans. And those listed were 45,400.
⁵¹ These were the registered men of the people of Israel: 601,730.
⁵² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
⁵³ “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.”
⁵⁴ To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its numbers.
⁵⁵ But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
⁵⁶ According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the larger and the smaller.
⁵⁷ This was the list of the Levites according to their clans: the clan of Gershon, the clan of Kohath, and the clan of Merari.
⁵⁸ These were the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. And Kohath fathered Amram.
⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.
⁶⁰ And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.
⁶² Those listed were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward, for they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.
⁶³ These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
⁶⁴ But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
¹ Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
² They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chiefs, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying,
³ Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons.
⁴ Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord.
⁶ And the Lord said to Moses:
⁷ The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
⁸ And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
⁹ And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
¹⁰ and if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.
¹¹ “If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel.
¹³ And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,
¹⁴ for when the congregation quarreled in the wilderness of Zin, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord, saying,
¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation”
¹⁷ who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.”
¹⁸ So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
¹⁹ and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight.
²⁰ You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.
²¹ And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”
²² And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,
²³ And he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’”
³ And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering.
⁴ The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;
⁵ also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil.
⁶ It is a regular burnt offering, which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
⁷ “Its drink offering shall be a quarter of a hin for each lamb. In the Holy Place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the Lord.”
⁸ The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
⁹ “On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering:”
¹⁰ one-tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs;
¹¹ “At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;”
¹² And three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull, and two tenths of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;
¹³ And a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil.
¹⁴ And their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and a quarter of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year.
¹⁵ And one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
¹⁶ “On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover,”
¹⁷ and on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast. Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.
¹⁸ And their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine, and you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the Lord.
¹⁹ but offer a food offering, a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old;
²⁰ And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram,
²¹ a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs;
²² one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
²³ “You shall offer these in addition to the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a regular burnt offering.”
²⁴ In this way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of the offering made by fire, of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
²⁵ And on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work.
²⁶ “On the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a grain offering of new grain to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work,”
²⁷ But you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
²⁸ And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each bull of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each ram of the two rams,
²⁹ Their grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.
³⁰ And one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
³¹ You shall offer them in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering.
¹ “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets,
² And you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;
³ And you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
⁴ And you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish;
⁵ And one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
⁶ besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.
⁷ And on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work,
⁸ But you shall offer a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; without blemish,
⁹ And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days.
¹⁰ And on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation and afflict yourselves. You shall do no work,
¹¹ “And on the second day you shall offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: a bull from the herd, a ram, and seven male lambs a year old without blemish,”
¹² “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days.”
¹³ And you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish.
¹⁴ And their grain offering shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.
¹⁵ And one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
¹⁶ “One male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.”
¹⁷ “And on the second day you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish, and six lambs and a ram, which shall be without blemish.”
¹⁸ And their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance.
¹⁹ but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; without blemish;
²⁰ then you shall offer one bull from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish.
²¹ And on the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish;
²² “And one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.”
²³ “But on the fourth day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for the camp; you shall purify it as you purified the sin offering, and the burnt offering with it.”
²⁴ their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities;
²⁵ “On the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work,”
²⁶ “On the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish;”
²⁷ and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,
²⁸ And their grain offering shall be of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,
²⁹ And on the sixth day eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish,
³⁰ with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,
³¹ You shall offer them in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, they shall be without blemish with their drink offerings.
³² And on the seventh day you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work.
³³ On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days.
³⁴ and you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish.
³⁵ On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work,
³⁶ But you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old;
³⁷ Their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, as prescribed.
³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly.”
³⁹ These you shall offer to the Lord at your appointed feasts, in addition to your vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.”
⁴⁰ Thus you shall do to the bull, according to each day, for seven days, as the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the drink offering.
¹ Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord has commanded.
² If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
³ “If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father’s house in her youth,”
⁴ and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand.
⁵ But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her.
⁶ “If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself,”
⁷ and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.
⁸ But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them.
⁹ But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.
¹⁰ And if she vowed in her husband’s house or bound herself by a pledge with an oath,
¹¹ And her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears. Then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.
¹² But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will forgive her.
¹³ Every vow and every binding oath to afflict herself, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
¹⁴ But if her husband makes them null and void on the day that he hears them, then whatever proceeds out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning herself shall not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will forgive her.
¹⁵ But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”
¹⁶ These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses about a man and his wife and about a father and his daughter while she is in her youth within her father’s house.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
² Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.
³ So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord’s vengeance on Midian.
⁴ And you shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.”
⁵ So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
⁶ And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
⁷ They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every male.
⁸ They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.
⁹ And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods.
¹⁰ And they burned all their cities where they lived, and all their encampments with fire.
¹¹ They captured all the spoil and plunder, both of man and of beast.
¹² Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
¹³ Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
¹⁴ And Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war.
¹⁵ Moses said to them, “Have you let all the women live?
¹⁶ Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.
¹⁷ Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
¹⁸ But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.
¹⁹ Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
²⁰ And purify all your garments, all that is made of skin, all that is made of goats’ hair, and all that is made of wood.”
²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses:
²² Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
²³ everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. But it shall also be purified with the water of purification. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water.
²⁴ And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.
²⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁶ Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ houses in the congregation,
²⁷ and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.
²⁸ levy a tax for the Lord from the men of war who went out to battle, one out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks.
²⁹ take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord.
³⁰ And from the people of Israel’s half you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites who keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord.”
³¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
³² Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep,
³³ half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep;
³⁴ and 16,000 persons,
³⁵ and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him.
³⁶ The half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep,
³⁷ and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675.
³⁸ The oxen were 36,000, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72.
³⁹ the donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61
⁴⁰ The persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
⁴¹ and the human beings were sixteen thousand, of whom the Lord’s tribute was thirty-two persons.
⁴² And of the people of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army—
⁴³ (The congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep,
⁴⁴ and 36,000 cattle, 45 and the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 46 and the Lord’s tribute of sheep was 675.
⁴⁵ and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him.
⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand persons,
⁴⁷ even the men of war who went out to battle, all the congregation,
⁴⁸ Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses,
⁴⁹ and they said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us.
⁵⁰ And we have brought the Lord’s offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”
⁵¹ And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all crafted articles.
⁵² And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.
⁵³ (the men of war had taken spoil), every man for himself.
⁵⁴ So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, as a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord.
¹ Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock.
² the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and said to Moses, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,”
⁴ the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”
⁵ And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”
⁶ But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?
⁷ Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the Lord has given them?
⁸ Your fathers did this, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
⁹ For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the people of Israel from going into the land that the Lord had given them.
¹⁰ And the Lord’s anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying,
¹¹ ‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me,
¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’
¹³ And the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.
¹⁴ And behold, you have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel.
¹⁵ For if you turn away from following him, he will again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all this people.”
¹⁶ Then they came near to him and said, “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,
¹⁷ But we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until each of the people of Israel has gained his inheritance.
¹⁹ For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this side of the Jordan to the east.”
²⁰ So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war,
²¹ And every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,
²² And the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.
²³ But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
²⁴ Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.”
²⁵ And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben said to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands.
²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our cattle shall remain there in the cities of Gilead,
²⁷ But your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord orders.”
²⁸ So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.
²⁹ And Moses said to them, “If the people of Gad and the people of Reuben, every man who is armed to battle, will pass with you over the Jordan and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.
³⁰ But if they do not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
³¹ And the people of Gad and the people of Reuben answered, “What the Lord has said to your servants, we will do.
³² We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”
³³ So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land and its cities with their territories, the cities of the land throughout the country.
³⁴ And the people of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
³⁵ And Atroth-shophan, Jazer, and Jogbehah,
³⁶ and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
³⁷ And the people of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
³⁸ And Nebo, and Baal-meon (their names were changed), and Sibmah. And they gave other names to the cities that they built.
³⁹ And the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he settled in it.
⁴¹ Jair the son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them Havvoth-jair.
⁴² And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
¹ These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
² Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these are their stages according to their starting places.
³ They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians,
⁴ while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them. On their gods also the Lord executed judgments.
⁵ And the people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.
⁶ And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.
⁷ And they set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is east of Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.
⁸ And they set out from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and they went a three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.
⁹ And they set out from Marah and came to Elim; at Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.
¹⁰ And they set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea.
¹¹ And they set out from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.
¹² And they moved from the wilderness of Sin and encamped at Dophkah.
¹³ And they set out from Dophkah and encamped at Alush.
¹⁴ And they set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
¹⁵ They set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.
¹⁶ And they set out from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
¹⁷ They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
¹⁸ And they set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
¹⁹ And they set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
²⁰ And they set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
²¹ And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
²² They moved from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
²³ They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
²⁴ And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
²⁵ And they set out from Haradah and pitched their tents at Makheloth.
²⁶ And they set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
²⁷ And they set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
²⁸ And they set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
²⁹ And they set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
³⁰ And they set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
³¹ And they set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
³² And they set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
³³ And they set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
³⁴ And they set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
³⁵ They set out from Ebronah and camped at Ezion-geber.
³⁶ And they set out from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh).
³⁷ They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of Edom.
³⁸ And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the Lord and died there, in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month.
³⁹ And Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
⁴⁰ And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.
⁴¹ And they set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
⁴² And they set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
⁴³ and they set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.
⁴⁴ And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the territory of Moab.
⁴⁵ And they set out from Iim and camped at Dibon-gad.
⁴⁶ They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
⁴⁷ They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.
⁴⁸ And they set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
⁴⁹ they camped by the Jordan from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
⁵⁰ And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
⁵¹ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
⁵² then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places.
⁵³ And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.
⁵⁴ You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.
⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
⁵⁶ And it shall be that as I thought to do to them, so I will do to you.”
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
³⁴ Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders),
³ your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east.
⁴ And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea.
⁵ And the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.
⁶ “And as for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast. This shall be your western border.
⁷ And the western border shall be the Great Sea with its coast. This shall be the western border.
⁸ And from Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad.
⁹ Then the border shall extend from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. And the border shall extend to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
¹⁰ And the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea.
¹¹ And the boundary shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the boundary shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east.
¹² And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”
¹³ Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, “This is the land that you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe.
¹⁴ For the tribe of the people of Reuben by fathers’ houses and the tribe of the people of Gad by their fathers’ houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh.
¹⁵ The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
¹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁷ These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.
¹⁸ And you shall take one chief from every tribe to divide the land for inheritance.
¹⁹ and the name of the third shall be Zebulun.
²⁰ And of the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon were taken as their own.
²¹ And the tribal heads of the people of Israel shall allocate the land for inheritance according to the number of names.
²² And the leaders of the two tribes that are to be given to the Levites for inheritance, the leaders of these two tribes shall be with the Levites when the land is apportioned for inheritance.
²³ And of the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 21,000,
²⁴ the tribal chief of the Naphtalites, Ahira the son of Enan.
²⁵ And the chief of the fathers of the clans of the Gileadites, Jezer the son of Machir, was the chief of the Gileadites.
²⁶ “Of the people of Joseph, namely of the people of Ephraim, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war:
²⁷ And the prince of the tribe of the people of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.
²⁸ And from Mahanaim it shall go on to Zedad,
²⁹ These are the men whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance for the people of Israel in the land of Canaan.
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:
² “Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities.
³ And the cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
⁴ “The pasturelands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around.”
⁵ And you shall measure, outside the city, on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle. This shall belong to them as pastureland for their cities.
⁶ “The cities that you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee, and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities.”
⁷ So all the cities that you give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.
⁸ And as for the cities that you shall give from the possession of the people of Israel, from the larger tribes you shall take many, and from the smaller tribes you shall take few; each, in proportion to the inheritance that it inherits, shall give of its cities to the Levites.”
⁹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
¹¹ then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
¹² The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
¹³ And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.
¹⁴ You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
¹⁶ “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁷ And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁸ Or if he struck him down with a wooden object that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁹ The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
²⁰ And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
²¹ or in enmity struck him with his hand so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
²² “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait”
²³ or if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
²⁴ then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.
²⁵ And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
²⁶ But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,
²⁷ And the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.
²⁸ because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
²⁹ And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
³⁰ “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
³¹ Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.
³² And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.
³³ You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
³⁴ You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.”
¹ The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel.
² And they said, “The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.
³ But if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the people of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance.
⁴ When the jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”
⁵ Thus Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of the people of Joseph is right.
⁶ This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father.
⁷ The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
⁸ And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers.
⁹ No inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall hold on to its own inheritance.”
¹⁰ just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did.
¹¹ For Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers.
¹² They shall be married to whom they think best, only within the clan of the tribe of their father shall they be married.
¹³ These are the commandments and the rules that the Lord commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

Deuteronomy 1:1-34:12: ¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
² It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.
³ In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them,
⁴ after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.
⁵ Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying:
⁶ “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
⁷ Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
⁸ See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.
⁹ “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself.”
¹⁰ The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven.
¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!
¹² How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife?
¹³ Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.
¹⁴ Then you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’
¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.
¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.
¹⁷ You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.
¹⁸ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.
¹⁹ Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea.
²⁰ And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
²¹ See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
²² Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’
²³ And the thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe.
²⁴ And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
²⁵ And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
²⁶ Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God.
²⁷ And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
²⁸ Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”
²⁹ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them.
³⁰ The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
³¹ and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.
³² Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God,
³³ who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.
³⁴ And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore,
³⁵ ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,
³⁶ except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!
³⁷ Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there.
³⁸ Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
³⁹ And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there, and to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
⁴⁰ But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’
⁴¹ “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country.”
⁴² And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’
⁴³ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
⁴⁴ Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir, as far as Hormah.
⁴⁵ And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
⁴⁶ So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.
¹ “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir.
² And the Lord spoke to me, saying,
³ You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward.
⁴ and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful.
⁵ Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
⁶ You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.
⁷ For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.
⁸ So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.
⁹ And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’
¹⁰(The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim.)
¹¹ Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
¹² The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them.
¹³ Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered.
¹⁴ And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.
¹⁵ For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from among the camp, until they had perished.
¹⁶ “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people,
¹⁷ the Lord said to me,
¹⁸ You are to pass through the territory of your brothers the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful.
¹⁹ And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’”
²⁰ (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,).
²¹ a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim, but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
²² As he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day.
²³ As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.
²⁴ ‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle.
²⁵ This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’
²⁶ So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,
²⁷ Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left.
²⁸ You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot,
²⁹ as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’
³⁰ But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day.
³¹ And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’
³² Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz.
³³ And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people.
³⁴ And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors.
³⁵ Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured.
³⁶ From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands.
³⁷ Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us.
¹ “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.”
² But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’
³ So the Lord our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him down until he had no survivor left.
⁴ And we took all his cities at that time—there was not a city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
⁵ All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages.
⁶ And we devoted them to destruction, as we did to Sihon the king of Heshbon, devoting to destruction every city, men, women, and children.
⁷ But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as our plunder.
⁸ So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon.
⁹ (The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir.)
¹⁰ all the cities of the tableland and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
¹¹ (For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, according to the common cubit.)
¹² all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out.
¹³ the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of Argob, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (All that portion of Bashan is called the land of Rephaim.)
¹⁴ Jair the Manassite took all the region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.
¹⁵ And I gave Gilead to Machir.
¹⁶ And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Valley of the Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a border, as far over as the river Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites;
¹⁷ the Arabah also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.
¹⁸ And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel.’
¹⁹ Only your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in the cities that I have given you,
²⁰ until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’
²¹ And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. So will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing.
²² You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.
²³ “And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying,”
²⁴ ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?
²⁵ Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.
²⁶ But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen. And the Lord said to me, “Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.
²⁷ Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan.
²⁸ But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’
²⁹ So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.
¹ “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
² You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
³ Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor.
⁴ But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today.
⁵ See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
⁶ Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
⁷ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
⁸ And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?
⁹ “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—”
¹⁰ how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’
¹¹ And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom.
¹² Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
¹³ And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.
¹⁴ And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess.
¹⁵ “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,”
¹⁶ Beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
¹⁷ the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,
¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.
¹⁹ And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
²⁰ But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.
²¹ Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
²² For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land.
²³ Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you.
²⁴ For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
²⁵ “When you father children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger,
²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
²⁷ And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.
²⁸ And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
²⁹ But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
³⁰ When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice.
³¹ for the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.
³² “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of.
³³ Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?
³⁴ Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
³⁵ To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.
³⁶ Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.
³⁷ And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power,
³⁸ driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
³⁹ know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
⁴⁰ Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.
⁴¹ Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan,
⁴² that the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might save his life,
⁴³ Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
⁴⁴ This is the law that Moses set before the people of Israel.
⁴⁵ These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the rules that Moses spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt,
⁴⁶ beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel defeated when they came out of Egypt.
⁴⁷ And they possessed his land and the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were to the east beyond the Jordan,
⁴⁸ from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, as far as Mount Sirion (that is, Hermon),
⁴⁹ together with all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.
⁵ And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.
² The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
³ The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.
⁴ The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire,
⁵ while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.
⁶ “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
⁷ “‘You shall have no other gods before me.
⁸ “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
⁹ You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
¹⁰ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
¹¹ You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
¹² “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
¹³ Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
¹⁴ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
¹⁶ “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
¹⁷ “‘You shall not murder.
¹⁸ And you shall not commit adultery.
¹⁹ And you shall not steal.
²⁰ ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
²¹ And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
²² These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
²³ And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.
²⁴ And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.
²⁵ Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.
²⁶ For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived?
²⁷ Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’
²⁸ And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, “I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.
²⁹ Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!
³⁰ Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.”
³¹ But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’
³² You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
³³ You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.
¹ “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it,”
² that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.
³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
¹⁰ “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build,
¹¹ and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,
¹² then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
¹³ It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
¹⁴ You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—
¹⁵ for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
¹⁶ “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.
¹⁷ You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you.
¹⁸ And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers,
¹⁹ to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.
²⁰ “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’”
²¹ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
²² And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes.
²³ And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers.
²⁴ And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day.
²⁵ And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’
¹ “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,”
² and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
³ You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
⁴ For they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
⁵ But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
⁶ “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
⁸ but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
¹⁰ but repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
¹¹ You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.
¹² And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.
¹³ He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.
¹⁴ You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock.
¹⁵ And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.
¹⁶ And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
¹⁷ If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’
¹⁸ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,
¹⁹ the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.
²⁰ Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed.
²¹ You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
²² The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.
²³ But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.
²⁴ And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.
²⁵ The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.
²⁶ And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
¹ “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.”
² And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
⁴ Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.
⁵ Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.
⁶ So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills,
⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,
⁹ a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.
¹⁰ And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
¹¹ Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
¹² lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,
¹³ and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied
¹⁴ then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
¹⁵ who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,
¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.
¹⁷ Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’
¹⁸ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
¹⁹ And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
²⁰ Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
¹ “Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves, cities great and fortified up to heaven,”
² a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’
³ Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.
⁴ “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you.”
⁵ It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
⁶ “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.”
⁷ Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.
⁸ Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.
⁹ When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water.
¹⁰ And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.
¹¹ And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.
¹² Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’
¹³ “Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people.”
¹⁴ Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’
¹⁵ “So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.”
¹⁶ And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf.
¹⁷ And I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.
¹⁸ Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights.
¹⁹ For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also.
²⁰ And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
²¹ And I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.
²² “At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the Lord to wrath.
²³ And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him or obey his voice.
²⁴ You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.
²⁵ So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you.
²⁶ And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
²⁷ Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin,
²⁸ Lest the land from which you brought us say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’
²⁹ For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.
² And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”
² And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”
³ So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.
⁴ And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.
⁵ Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the Lord commanded me.”
⁶ (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place.
⁷ From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water.
⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day.
⁹ Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.
¹⁰ “But I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the Lord listened to me that time also. The Lord was unwilling to destroy you.”
¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
¹³ and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?
¹⁴ Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
¹⁵ Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.
¹⁶ Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.
¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
¹⁸ He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
¹⁹ Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
²⁰ You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.
²¹ He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
²² Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.
¹ “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”
² And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm,
³ his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land,
⁴ and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day,
⁵ and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place,
⁶ and what he did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel.
⁷ but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.
⁸ “You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess,”
⁹ and that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.
¹⁰ For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables.
¹¹ But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven,
¹² a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
¹³ “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,”
¹⁴ that I will give you the rain of your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.
¹⁵ And I will provide grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.
¹⁶ Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
¹⁷ then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.
¹⁸ “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
²⁰ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
²² For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,
²³ then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.
²⁴ Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours.
²⁵ No one shall be able to stand against you.
²⁶ “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:”
²⁷ a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today,
²⁸ and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.
²⁹ And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
³⁰ Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the road, toward the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oak of Moreh?
³¹ For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And when you possess it and live in it,
³² And you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the rules that I am setting before you today.
¹ “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth.
² You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
³ You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.
⁴ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.
⁵ But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,
⁶ And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
⁷ And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
⁸ “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,”
⁹ for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.
¹⁰ But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety,
¹¹ then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord.
¹² And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your towns, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.
¹³ Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see,
¹⁴ But in the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
¹⁵ “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer.”
¹⁶ Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.
¹⁷ You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present,
¹⁸ but you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake.
¹⁹ Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.
²⁰ “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire.
²¹ If the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, then you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire.
²² Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.
²³ Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.
²⁴ You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.
²⁵ You shall not eat it, that all may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
²⁶ But the holy things that are due from you, and your vow offerings, you shall take, and you shall go to the place that the Lord will choose,
²⁷ And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God.
²⁸ Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
²⁹ “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,”
³⁰ take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’
³¹ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
³² “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
¹ “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,”
² and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’
³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
⁴ You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
⁶ “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, you or your fathers,
⁷ Some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,
⁸ you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.
⁹ But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.
¹⁰ You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
¹¹ then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
¹² “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there,”
¹³ that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known,
¹⁴ then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,
¹⁵ you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword.
¹⁶ You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
¹⁷ None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers.
¹⁸ you shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised.
¹ “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.”
² for you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
³ You shall not eat any abomination.
⁴ These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
⁵ the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
⁶ And every beast that parts the hoof and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
⁷ Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you.
⁸ And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
⁹ “These you may eat of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
¹⁰ but anything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
¹¹ You may eat all clean birds.
¹² But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
¹³ and the glede, the kite, the falcon, all kinds of hawks,
¹⁴ And every raven according to its kind,
¹⁵ the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.
¹⁶ You shall not eat any abomination.
¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl,
¹⁸ the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
¹⁹ “Every swarming thing that flies is unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.
²⁰ You shall eat it, the clean bird, according to its kind, the clean animal, according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the ground, according to its kind.
²¹ “You shall not eat anything that has died naturally. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. ”
²² “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.
²³ And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
²⁴ And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there,
²⁵ then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses
²⁶ and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
²⁷ And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.
²⁸ “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns.
²⁹ And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
¹ “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.”
² And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed.
³ Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.
⁴ But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—
⁵ if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.
⁶ For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
⁷ If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,
⁸ but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
⁹ Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.
¹⁰ You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
¹¹ For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
¹² If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
¹³ And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed.
¹⁴ You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
¹⁶ But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you,
¹⁷ then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.
¹⁸ It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
¹⁹ “All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
²⁰ You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose.
²¹ But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
²² You shall eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as the gazelle and as the deer.
²³ Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
¹ “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
² You shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there.
³ You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.
⁴ And no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, and none of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain all night until morning.
⁵ You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you,
⁶ but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt.
⁷ You shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.
⁸ Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.
⁹ You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.
¹⁰ Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you.
¹¹ You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there.
¹² You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
¹³ “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress.”
¹⁴ You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.
¹⁵ Seven days you shall keep a solemn feast to the Lord your God in the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
¹⁶ “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.”
¹⁷ Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
¹⁸ You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
¹⁹ You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
²⁰ Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
²¹ “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make.”
²² And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.
¹ “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.”
² If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant,
³ And has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden,
⁴ and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel,
⁵ then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones.
⁶ On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
⁷ The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
⁸ “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the Lord your God will choose.
⁹ You shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision.
¹⁰ You shall do according to the decision of the law that they shall teach you, and according to the judgment that they shall tell you. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.
¹¹ According to the instructions they give you, and according to the decision they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.
¹² The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.
¹³ And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.
¹⁴ “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’”
¹⁵ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose.
¹⁶ Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’
¹⁷ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
¹⁸ “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.”
¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,
²⁰ that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
¹ “The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings as their inheritance.”
² They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.
³ And this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach.
⁴ The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
⁵ For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time.
⁶ “And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, where he lives—and he may come when he desires—to the place that the Lord will choose,
⁷ then he may minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord.
⁸ They shall have equal portions to eat, besides what comes from the sale of his patrimony.
⁹ “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations.”
¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer.
¹¹ or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead,
¹² For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.
¹³ You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.
¹⁴ For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.
¹⁵ “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—”
¹⁶ just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’
¹⁷ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken.
¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
¹⁹ And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
²⁰ But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.
²¹ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’
²² when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
¹ “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,”
² you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
³ You shall prepare the way to it and divide the territory of your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance into three parts, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
⁴ This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life.
⁵ as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live,
⁶ lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.
⁷ Therefore I command you, ‘You shall set apart three cities.’
⁸ And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers,
⁹ if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three,
¹⁰ lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.
¹¹ But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities,
¹² then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.
¹³ Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
¹⁴ “You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.”
¹⁵ “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
¹⁶ If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing.
¹⁷ then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days.
¹⁸ And the judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,
¹⁹ then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
²⁰ And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.
²¹ Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
¹ When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
² and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them,
³ and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them,
⁴ for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.
⁵ Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.
⁶ And what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
⁷ And is there any man who has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’
⁸ And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’
⁹ And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, then commanders shall be appointed at the head of the people.
¹⁰ “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.”
¹¹ And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
¹² Now, if it will make no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.
¹³ And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword,
¹⁴ but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you.
¹⁵ Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here.
¹⁶ But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
¹⁷ but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded,
¹⁸ that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
¹⁹ “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?
²⁰ Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
¹ “If in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him,”
² then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities.
³ Then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities.
⁴ and the elders of the city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.
⁵ Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the Lord, and by their word every dispute and every assault shall be settled.
⁶ And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,
⁷ and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed.
⁸ forgive your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’
⁹ So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
¹⁰ “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive,
¹¹ and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife,
¹² then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and pare her nails.
¹³ And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that, you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
¹⁴ But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants.
¹⁵ “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,
¹⁶ then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn,
¹⁷ but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
¹⁸ “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them,
¹⁹ then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,
²⁰ They shall say to the elders, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.”
²¹ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
²² “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
²³ his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
¹ “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother.”
² If your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him.
³ You shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it.
⁴ You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.
⁵ “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.
⁶ “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.
⁷ You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.
⁸ “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.
⁹ “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.
¹⁰ You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
¹¹ You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.
¹² “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.
¹³ “If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her,
¹⁴ then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
¹⁵ then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.
¹⁶ “And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her;
¹⁷ then both the men who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
¹⁸ Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him,
¹⁹ then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
²⁰ But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman,
²¹ then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
²² “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.
²³ “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her,
²⁴ then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
²⁵ “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.
²⁶ But to the young woman you shall do nothing; in the young woman there is no offense punishable by death, for this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor,
²⁷ for he met her in the open country, and the betrothed young woman cried for help, and there was no one to rescue her.
²⁸ “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found,
²⁹ then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
³⁰ “A man shall not take his father’s wife, so that he does not uncover his father’s nakedness.
¹ “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.
² No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.
³ No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,
⁴ because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
⁵ But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you.
⁶ You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.
⁷ “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.
⁸ You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.
⁹ “When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.”
¹⁰ “If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp.
¹¹ But when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and when the sun has set, he may come into the camp.
¹² You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it.
¹³ And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.
¹⁴ Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
¹⁵ “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you.”
¹⁶ “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you.
¹⁷ “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.”
¹⁸ You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
¹⁹ “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest.
²⁰ You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
²¹ “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.
²² But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.
²³ You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised.
²⁴ “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag.
²⁵ If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.
¹ “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,”
² And when she departs out of his house, she goes and becomes another man’s wife,
³ and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife,
⁴ her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
⁵ “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.”
⁶ “No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.”
⁷ “If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
⁸ Take care, in a case of leprous disease, to be very careful to do according to all that the Levitical priests shall direct you. As I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.
⁹ Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.
¹⁰ When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge.
¹¹ You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you.
¹² And if the man is poor, you shall not sleep in his pledge.
¹³ You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.
¹⁴ “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.
¹⁵ You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
¹⁶ “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.”
¹⁷ “You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge,”
¹⁸ But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.
¹⁹ “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
²⁰ When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.
²¹ When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.
²² You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.
¹ “If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty,”
² then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense.
³ Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.
⁴ “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.”
⁵ “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.”
⁶ And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
⁷ And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’
⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’
⁹ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’
¹⁰ “If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
¹¹ “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts,”
¹² then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
¹³ “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small.”
¹⁴ You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small.
¹⁵ A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
¹⁶ For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.
¹⁷ “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt,
¹⁸ how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.
¹⁹ Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
¹ “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it,
² you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.
³ And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
⁴ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
⁵ “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.
⁶ And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor.
⁷ Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
⁸ And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.
⁹ and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
¹⁰ And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.
¹¹ And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.
¹² “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled,”
¹³ then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.
¹⁴ I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God.
¹⁵ Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’
¹⁶ “This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.
¹⁷ You have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice.
¹⁸ And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,
¹⁹ and that he will set you in praise, fame, and honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”
¹ Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.
² And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster.
³ And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you.
⁴ So when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster.
⁵ And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them;
⁶ You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God.
⁷ And you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.
⁸ And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
⁹ Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God.
¹⁰ “You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
¹¹ That day Moses charged the people, saying,
¹² “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
¹³ And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
¹⁴ And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:
¹⁵ “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
¹⁶ “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
¹⁷ “‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
¹⁸ “‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
¹⁹ “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²⁰ “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²¹ “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²² “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²³ “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²⁴ “‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²⁵ “‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
²⁶ “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
¹ “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”
² And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
³ Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
⁵ Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
⁶ Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
⁷ “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
⁸ The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake.
⁹ The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.
¹⁰ And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
¹¹ And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
¹² The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
¹³ And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
¹⁴ and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
¹⁵ “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”
¹⁶ Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
¹⁷ Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
¹⁹ Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
²⁰ “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.
²¹ The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
²² The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish.
²³ And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron.
²⁴ The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
²⁵ “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”
²⁶ Your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.
²⁷ The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed.
²⁸ The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind,
²⁹ and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.
³⁰ You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her.
³¹ Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you.
³² Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless.
³³ A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually,
³⁴ So you shall be driven mad by the sights that your eyes see.
³⁵ The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
³⁶ “The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone.”
³⁷ And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away.
³⁸ “You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.”
³⁹ You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them.
⁴⁰ You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off.
⁴¹ You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity.
⁴² The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
⁴³ The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
⁴⁴ “He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.”
⁴⁵ “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.”
⁴⁶ They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever.
⁴⁷ Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
⁴⁸ therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.
⁴⁹ The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,
⁵⁰ a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young.
⁵¹ It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
⁵² “They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given you.”
⁵³ And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you.
⁵⁴ The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left,
⁵⁵ so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns.
⁵⁶ The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son and her daughter,
⁵⁷ her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
⁵⁸ “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God,”
⁵⁹ then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting.
⁶⁰ He will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you.
⁶¹ Also every sickness and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed.
⁶² Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
⁶³ And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you.
⁶⁴ “And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.”
⁶⁵ And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul.
⁶⁶ Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.
⁶⁷ In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.
⁶⁸ And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.
² And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,
³ the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.
⁴ But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
⁵ I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
⁶ You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.
⁷ And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them.
⁸ then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir.
⁹ Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
¹⁰ “You are standing today all of you before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel,
¹¹ your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,
¹² that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the Lord your God, which the Lord your God is making with you today,
¹³ that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
¹⁴ It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant, – Deuteronomy 29:14 (ESV)
¹⁵ but with whoever is standing here with us today before the Lord our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.
¹⁶ “You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed.
¹⁷ “And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them.
¹⁸ Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations.
¹⁹ one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.
²⁰ The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.
²¹ And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
²² And the next generation, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick—
²³ the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath—
²⁴ all the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?’
²⁵ Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.’
²⁶ They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.
²⁷ Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book,
²⁸ and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day.’
²⁹ The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
¹ “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,”
² and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul,
³ then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.
⁴ If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.
⁵ And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
⁶ And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
⁷ And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you.
⁸ And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today.
⁹ The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,
¹⁰ if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
¹¹ “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.”
¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
¹⁴ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”
¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,
¹⁸ I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.
¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
²⁰ loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
¹ So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel.
² And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’
³ It is the Lord your God who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
⁴ And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
⁵ And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you.
⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
⁸ It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
⁹ Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.
¹⁰ And he commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths,
¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
¹² Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
¹³ and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.
¹⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
¹⁵ Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
¹⁶ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.
¹⁷ Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’
¹⁸ And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
¹⁹ “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.
²⁰ For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
²¹ And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.
²² So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
²³ And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
²⁴ When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end,
²⁵ that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.
²⁷ For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord.
²⁸ Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
²⁹ For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.
³⁰ Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
³² “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.”
² May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.
³ For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
ascribe greatness to our God!
⁴ “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”
⁵ “They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation.”
³²:6 Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?
⁷ Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.
⁸ When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.
⁹ But the Lord’s portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
¹⁰ “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
¹¹ Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
¹² The Lord alone guided him,
no foreign god was with him.
¹³ He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock.
¹⁴ Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
¹⁵ “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.”
¹⁶ They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked him to anger.
¹⁷ They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
to gods they had never known,
to new gods that had come recently,
whom your fathers had never dreaded.
¹⁸ You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,
and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
¹⁹ “The Lord saw it and spurned them,
because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.”
²⁰ And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a perverse generation,
children in whom is no faithfulness.
²¹ They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
²² For a fire is kindled by my anger,
and it burns to the depths of Sheol,
devouring the earth and its increase,
and setting on fire the foundations of the mountains.
²³ “‘And I will heap disasters upon them;
I will spend my arrows on them;
²⁴ they shall be wasted with hunger,
and devoured by plague
and poisonous pestilence;
I will send the teeth of beasts against them,
with the venom of things that crawl in the dust.
²⁵ The sword shall destroy outside; there shall be terror within for the young man and the young woman, the nursing infant with the man of gray hairs.
²⁶ I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces; I will wipe them from human memory,”
²⁷ Were it not that I feared provocation by the enemy,
lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant,
it was not the Lord who did all this.”
²⁸ “For they are a nation void of counsel,
and there is no understanding in them.”
²⁹ If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would discern their latter end!
³⁰ How could one have chased a thousand,
and two have put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
³¹ For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.
³² For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter;
³³ their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps.
³⁴ “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,
sealed up in my treasuries?
³⁵ Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.
³⁶ For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
and there is none remaining, bond or free.
³⁷ Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
³⁸ who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!
³⁹ “‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
⁴⁰ For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever,
⁴¹ if I sharpen my flashing sword
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and will repay those who hate me.
⁴² I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’
⁴³ “Rejoice with him, O heavens;
bow down to him, all gods,
for he avenges the blood of his children
and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him
and cleanses his people’s land.”
⁴⁴ Then Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.
⁴⁵ And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel,
⁴⁶ he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law.
⁴⁷ For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.
⁴⁸ That very day the Lord spoke to Moses,
⁴⁹ “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession.”
⁵⁰ And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,
⁵¹ because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.
⁵² For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.
⁵ Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
² He said, “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.
³ Yes, he loved his people, all his holy ones were in his hand; so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you,
⁴ Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
⁵ Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
⁶ “Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
⁷ And this he said of Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.”
⁸ And of Levi he said, “Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah,
⁹ who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant.
¹⁰ They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
¹¹ Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
¹² Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.”
¹³ And of Joseph he said, “Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that crouches beneath,
¹⁴ with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months,
¹⁵ with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
¹⁶ with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
¹⁷ A firstborn bull—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
¹⁹ They shall call peoples to the mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
²⁰ And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp.
²¹ And he provided the first part for himself,
for there a ruler’s portion was reserved;
yet he carried out the command of the LORD,
the statutes of Israel.
²² And of Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan.”
²³ And of Naphtali he said, “O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the lake and the south.”
²⁴ And of Asher he said, “Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.
²⁵ Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
²⁶ “There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
²⁷ The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.
²⁸ So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew.
²⁹ Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”
⁴ And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”
² And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, as far as the western sea,
³ the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.
⁴ And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”
⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
⁶ And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.
⁷ Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.
⁸ And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
¹⁰ And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
¹¹ in all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
¹² and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Joshua 1:1-24:33: ¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,
² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.”
³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
¹⁰ And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,
¹¹ “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”
¹² And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
¹³ “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’”
¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
¹⁵ until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.
¹⁶ They answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go.
¹⁷ Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
¹ And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
² And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”
³ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
⁵ At the gate of the city she lodged with a man named Rahab, whose house was built into the city wall, so that she said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.
⁷ So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
⁸ Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
¹¹ And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign
¹³ And when the Lord gives us the land, we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
¹⁴ And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
¹⁵ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall.
¹⁶ And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”
¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.
¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.
¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.
²⁰ If anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.
²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
²² And they departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.
²³ So the two men returned, and they came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them.
²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”
¹ Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
² After three days the officers went through the camp
³ and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it,
⁴ Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
⁶ And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
⁷ The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
⁸ And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
⁹ And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
¹⁰ And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
¹² Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
¹³ And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
¹⁵ and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
¹⁶ the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
¹⁷ And the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
¹ When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
² “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,
³ and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”
⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
⁵ And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,
⁶ that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’
⁷ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
⁸ And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.
⁹ And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.
¹⁰ For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people passed over in haste.
¹¹ And when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
¹² And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them.
¹³ About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
¹⁴ On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.
¹⁵ And the Lord said to Joshua,
¹⁶ “Command the priests bearing the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
¹⁷ “Joshua therefore commanded the priests, ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’”
¹⁸ And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.
¹⁹ The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
²⁰ And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
²¹ And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’
²² then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’
²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,
²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
¹ As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.
² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”
³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
⁴ And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt.
⁵ And all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
⁶ For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
⁷ And their children whom he raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.
⁸ And when the circumcising of all the nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.
⁹ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.
¹⁰ And the people of Israel encamped at Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho.
¹¹ And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.
¹² And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
¹³ When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
¹⁴ And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
¹⁵ And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
¹ Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel.
² And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
³ You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.
⁴ Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. And on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
⁵ And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
⁶ So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”
⁷ And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
⁸ And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them.
⁹ And the armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.
¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”
¹¹ So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
¹² And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
¹³ And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually.
¹⁴ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
¹⁵ On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.
¹⁶ And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.
¹⁷ And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.
¹⁸ But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.
¹⁹ But all the silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
²⁰ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
²¹ Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
²² But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.”
²³ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.
²⁴ And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
²⁵ But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
²⁶ Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”
²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.
⁷ But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai.
³ And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.”
⁴ So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai,
⁵ And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men of them and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads.
⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan!
⁸ O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”
¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face?
¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.
¹² Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction.
¹³ Up, consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”
¹⁴ In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man.
¹⁵ And whoever is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”
¹⁶ So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken.
¹⁷ And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.
¹⁸ And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did:
²¹ when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
²² So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath.
²³ Then they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
²⁴ And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
²⁵ And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.
²⁶ And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
¹ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.
² And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. But lay an ambush against the city, behind it.”
³ So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
⁴ And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it.
⁵ And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them.
⁶ Then they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.’ So we will flee before them.
⁷ Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand.
⁸ And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.”
⁹ Joshua sent them out. They went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people.
¹⁰ Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
¹¹ And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai. With a ravine between them and Ai.
¹² And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
¹³ So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley.
¹⁴ And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
¹⁵ Then Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness.
¹⁶ And all the people who were in the city were called out to pursue after them, and they pursued after Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
¹⁷ And not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.
¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.
¹⁹ And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it.
²⁰ So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers.
²¹ And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.
²² And the others came out of the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And they struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped.
²³ But they took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
²⁴ When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword.
²⁵ And twelve thousand men and women fell that day, all the people of Ai.
²⁶ But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.
²⁷ Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he commanded Joshua.
²⁸ And Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day.
²⁹ And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.
³⁰ At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
³¹ just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.
³² And there in the presence of the people of Israel he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
³³ And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel.
³⁴ And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.
¹ As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this,
² they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord.
³ But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
⁴ They on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,
⁵ And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.”
⁶ And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.”
⁷ But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?”
⁸ But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?”
⁹ They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
¹⁰ and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
¹¹ So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”‘
¹² This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly.
¹³ these wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.”
¹⁴ So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.
¹⁵ And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
¹⁶ This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”
¹⁷ And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
¹⁸ But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.
¹⁹ But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.
²⁰ This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”
²¹ And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them.
²² Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us?
²³ Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”
²⁴ They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing.
²⁵ And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.”
²⁶ So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them.
²⁷ But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
⁵ So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
² he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
³ So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
⁴ “Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel.”
⁵ So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us.”
⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
⁸ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
⁵ So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom and fell upon them.
¹⁰ And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
¹¹ And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
¹² At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹⁰ And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
¹⁴ There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
¹⁵ Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
¹⁶ These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
¹⁷ And it was told to Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
¹⁸ Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them,”
¹⁹ But do not stay there yourselves, pursue your enemies and attack their rear guard. Do not let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”
²⁰ So Joshua and the people of Israel defeated them with a great blow at Gibeon, chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
²¹ And all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah.
²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.”
²³ And they did so, and brought those five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
²⁴ And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.
²⁵ And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
²⁶ And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.
²⁷ But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.
²⁸ As for Makkedah, Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
²⁹ Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
³⁰ The Lord gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
³¹ And Joshua and all Israel passed on from Libnah to Lachish and laid siege to it and fought against it.
³² And the Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.
³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he left none remaining.
³⁴ And Joshua and all Israel passed on from Lachish to Eglon, and they camped against it and fought against it.
³⁵ And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.
³⁶ Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron. And they fought against it
³⁷ And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns they devoted to destruction.
³⁸ Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it.
³⁹ and he captured it with its king and all its towns. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king.
⁴⁰ So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel commanded.
⁴¹ And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon.
⁴² And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
⁴³ Thus Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel commanded.
¹ When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
² and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west,
³ to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
⁴ And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
⁵ And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
⁶ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”
⁷ And Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom and fell upon them.
⁸ And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining.
⁹ And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
¹⁰ And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.
¹¹ And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.
¹² And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.
¹³ But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned.
¹⁴ And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every man they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed.
¹⁵ Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland,
¹⁷ from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death.
¹⁸ Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
¹⁹ There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon.
²⁰ For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
²¹ And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities.
²² There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.
²³ So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.
¹ Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward:
² Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead,
³ and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;
⁴ and Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,
⁵ the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
⁶ Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
⁷ And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments,
⁸ in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
⁹ the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;
¹⁰ the king of Jerusalem, one, the king of Hebron, one,
¹¹ the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
¹² the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;
¹³ the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;
¹⁴ the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;
¹⁵ the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;
¹⁶ the king of Makkedah one; the king of Bethel one;
¹⁷ the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;
¹⁸ the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;
¹⁹ the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;
²⁰ the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;
²¹ the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;
²² the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
²³ the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee, one;
²⁴ the king of Tirzah one, in all thirty-one kings.
¹ Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
² This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites
³ from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, and those of the Avvim,
⁴ From the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, and those of the Avvim,
⁵ and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath,
⁶ all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians.
⁷ Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”
⁸ With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them:
⁹ from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba;
¹⁰ and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites,
¹¹ and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah;
¹² all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out.
¹³ Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
¹⁴ Only to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
¹⁵ Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans.
¹⁶ So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba;
¹⁷ Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon,
¹⁸ but to the tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him.
¹⁹ and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley,
²⁰ and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth,
²¹ all the cities of the tableland and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.
²² Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.
²³ And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages.
²⁴ Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans.
²⁵ Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah,
²⁶ and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,
²⁷ and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan.
²⁸ This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages.
²⁹ and Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans.
³⁰ With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the Lord gave them:
³¹ and in the half-tribe of Manasseh,
³² These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.
³³ But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.
¹ These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel gave them to inherit.
² Their inheritance was by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes.
³ For Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
⁴ For the people of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion was given to the Levites in the land, but only cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands for their livestock and their substance.
⁵ As the Lord had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. And they divided the land.
⁶ Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me.
⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
⁸ But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.
⁹ And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’
¹⁰ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.
¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.
¹² So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day; for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.
¹³ Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.
¹⁵ Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.
¹ The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin at the farthest south.
² And their south boundary ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces southward.
³ Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
⁴ From there it passes along to Azmon, and goes out by the Brook of Egypt, and the border ends at the sea.
⁵ And the east boundary is the Salt Sea, to the mouth of the Jordan. And the boundary on the north side runs from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.
⁶ Then the boundary goes up to Beth-hoglah, and passes along north of Beth-arabah. And the boundary goes up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.
⁷ And the boundary goes up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. Then the boundary passes along to the waters of En-shemesh and ends at En-rogel.
⁸ Then the boundary goes up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern shoulder of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the boundary goes up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.
⁹ Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and continues to the cities of Mount Ephron. And the boundary bends to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).
¹⁰ And the boundary circles west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passes along to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), and goes down to Beth-shemesh and passes along by Timnah.
¹¹ From the Negeb, it extended eastward to the entrance of Debir, and then continued to the waters of En-shemesh, and on to En-rogel.
¹² The west boundary was the Great Sea with its coastline. This is the boundary around the people of Judah according to their clans.
¹³ According to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak).
¹⁴ And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.
¹⁵ And he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.
¹⁶ And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.”
¹⁷ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
¹⁸ And when she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
¹⁹ She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans.
²¹ Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the people of Judah toward the border of Edom in the Negeb were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
²² And the cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
²³ But Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak) the same is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with its pasturelands around it.
²⁴ Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coastline.
²⁵ Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor),
²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah,
²⁷ Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,
²⁸ Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
²⁹ Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
³⁰ Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
³¹ In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.
³³ In the lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
³⁴ Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah;
³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.
³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.
³⁸ Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,
¹² Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities and their villages.
⁴⁰ And Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.
⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—sixteen cities with their villages.
⁴² Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
⁴³ And Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, Gederothaim: fourteen cities with their villages.
⁴⁴ Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.
⁴⁵ Ekron, with its towns and its villages;
⁴⁶ from Ekron to the sea, all that were by the side of Ashdod, with their villages.
⁴⁷ Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea with its coastline.
⁴⁸ And in the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon, six cities with their villages;
⁶⁰ Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.
⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh: eleven cities with their villages.
⁵² Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
⁵³ Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior: nine cities with their villages.
⁵⁵ Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah
⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah: ten cities with their villages.
⁵⁸ Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
⁵⁹ Maarath, Bethanoth, and Eltekon, six cities with their villages;
⁶⁰ Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: two cities with their villages.
⁶¹ In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
⁶² Nibshan, the City of Salt, and Engedi: six cities with their villages.
⁶³ But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
¹ The allotment of the people of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel.
² Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
³ Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
⁴ So the people of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance.
⁵ The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon,
⁶ Then the boundary goes westward to the sea, past Aznoth-tabor, and from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan.
⁷ Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and touched Jericho, ending at the Jordan.
⁸ The border went down to the brook Kanah, south of the brook. These cities, to the south of the brook, among the cities of Manasseh, belong to Ephraim. Then the boundary of Manasseh goes on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea,
⁹ Then the boundary goes down to the brook Kanah. These cities to the south of the brook among the cities of Manasseh are the lot of Ephraim, and all the cities with their villages.
¹⁰ However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
¹ Then allotment was made to the people of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.
² allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, for the people of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.
³ Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
⁴ They approached Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the leaders and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers.” So according to the mouth of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
⁵ Thus there fell to Manasseh ten portions, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan,
⁶ because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons. The land of Gilead was allotted to the rest of the people of Manasseh.
⁷ The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the boundary goes along southward to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.
⁸ The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the boundary of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim.
⁹ Then the boundary goes down to the brook Kanah. These cities to the south of the brook among the cities of Manasseh are the portion of Manasseh’s sons, and the boundary of Manasseh is on the north side of the brook and ends at the sea.
¹⁰ However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
¹¹ In Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.
¹² Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
¹³ Yet it did not drive out the people of Geshur and the people of Maacah, so the Geshurites and the Maacathites dwell among the Israelites to this day.
¹⁴ Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the Lord has blessed me?”
¹⁵ And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
¹⁶ Then the people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”
¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only,
¹⁸ but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”
¹ Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
² There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned.
³ So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?
⁴ Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land. They shall write a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me.
⁵ And they shall divide it into seven portions. Judah shall continue in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall continue in their territory on the north.
⁶ You shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.
⁷ The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage. And Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
⁸ So the men arose and went, and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down in the land and write a description and return to me. And I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.”
⁹ The men went and passed up and down in the land and set in writing a description of it in seven divisions. Then they came to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.
¹⁰ Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord. So there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
¹¹ Then the lot of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the people of Judah and the people of Joseph.
¹² Then their boundary goes along on the western side southward, from the Great Sea.
¹³ The boundary goes down to the edge of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel.
¹⁴ Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the people of Judah. This forms the western side.
¹⁵ And the south side was from the edge of Kiriath-jearim. And the boundary goes on westward to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.
¹⁶ Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel.
¹⁷ Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
¹⁸ Then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the Valley of Rephaim. And it then goes down the Valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jebusites, and downward to En-rogel.
¹⁹ The boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah. Then the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border.
²⁰ The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin, according to their clans, boundary by boundary all around.
²¹ Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,
²² Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
²⁴ Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba: twelve cities with their villages.
²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
²⁶ In Mizpeh, Chephar-haammoni, Ophni,
²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
²⁸ Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities with their villages.
¹ The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah.
² And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah,
³ Then it goes down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and it ends at the sea.
⁴ Elath, Esion Geber,
⁵ Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali
⁶ Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities with their villages.
⁷ Ain, Remmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities with their villages—
⁸ The inheritance of the people of Israel passed beyond the Jordan to the east of Jericho, in the direction of the sunrise.
⁹ The inheritance of the people of Simeon formed part of the territory of the people of Judah. Because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them, the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.
¹⁰ The third lot came up for the people of Zebulun, according to their clans. And the territory of their inheritance reached as far as Sarid.
¹¹ Then their boundary goes up westward and on to Mareal and touches Dabbesheth, then the brook that is east of Jokneam.
¹² Yet their boundary on the north side was from the Jordan.
¹³ And from there it passes along on the east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and goes to Rimmon, stretching to Neah.
¹⁴ Then the boundary turns it on the north to Hannathon, and it ends at the Valley of Iphtahel;
¹⁵ Included also were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve cities with their villages.
¹⁶ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Zebulun according to their clans—these cities with their villages.
¹⁷ The fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the people of Issachar, according to their clans.
¹⁸ Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
¹⁹ The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of the people of Simeon, according to their clans. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah.
²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans.
²¹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to its clans, boundary by boundary all around.
²² The boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordan—sixteen cities with their villages.
²³ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Issachar according to their clans—the cities with their villages.
²⁴ The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its clans.
²⁵ Their boundary was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
²⁶ Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touches Carmel and Shihor-libnath,
²⁷ And it turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan.
²⁸ Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as Sidon the Great.
²⁹ And then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab, Achzib,
³⁰ Ummah also, and Aphek and Rehob—twenty-two cities with their villages.
³¹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans—these cities with their villages.
³² The sixth lot came out for the people of Naphtali, for the people of Naphtali, according to their clans.
³³ Their boundary was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and it ended at the Jordan.
³⁴ Then the boundary turns westward to Aznoth-tabor and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun at the south and Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan.
³⁵ The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth
³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,
³⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans, these cities with their villages.
³⁹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Naphtali, according to their clans—the cities with their villages.
⁴⁰ The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans.
⁴¹ The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
⁴³ When the boundary of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.
⁴⁴ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans—these cities with their villages.
⁴⁵ When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.
⁴⁶ Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against Joppa.
⁴⁷ When the territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor.
⁴⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans, these cities with their villages.
⁴⁹ When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun.
⁵⁰ According to the commandment of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.
⁵¹ These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot at Shiloh before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
¹ Then the Lord said to Joshua,
² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
³ that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
⁴ He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them.
⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past.
⁶ And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.
⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
⁸ And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.
⁹ These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.
¹ Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.
² And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “The Lord commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock.”
³ So by command of the Lord the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.
⁴ And the lot came out for the clans of the Kohathites. So those Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities.
⁵ And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
⁶ And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ten cities.
⁷ The sons of Merari according to their clans received twelve cities as their inheritance.
⁸ And the people of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
⁹ And they gave out from the tribe of the people of Judah and the tribe of the people of Simeon these cities mentioned by name,
¹⁰ which the people of Aaron, of the clans of the Kohathites who were of the people of Levi, had, for the lot fell to them.
¹¹ They gave them Kiriath-arba (Arba being the father of Anak), that is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with the pasturelands around it.
¹² But the fields of the city and its villages had been given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession.
¹³ And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,
¹⁴ And Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,
¹⁵ And the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands.
¹⁶ Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands,
¹⁷ Then out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands,
¹⁸ Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities.
¹⁹ All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the people of Israel were forty-eight in all, with their pasturelands.
²⁰ and out of the tribe of the people of Ephraim, Kibzaim with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,
²¹ Then they gave Hebron to the descendants of Aaron the priest as a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah with its pasturelands,
²² And Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands, four cities.
²³ Out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands,
²⁴ And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah the son of Ammihud, Sherebiah the son of Bunni,
²⁵ And from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities.
²⁶ All that the Levites left in return for their cities was their common land, as the possession of their cities.
²⁷ And to the Gershonites, one of the clans of the Levites, were given out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands—two cities.
²⁸ And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,
²⁹ Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands, and Beth-horon with its pasturelands.
³⁰ And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasturelands, and Bileam with its pasturelands, for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites.
³¹ These were the cities designated for all the people of the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.
³² And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands.
³³ All the cities of the Gershonites according to their clans were thirteen cities with their pasturelands.
³⁴ And to the rest of the Levites, the Merarite clans were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,
³⁵ Jarmuth with its pasturelands, En-gannim with its pasturelands,
³⁶ All these were cities with their pasturelands.
³⁷ Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands—four cities.
³⁸ And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,
³⁹ Heshbon with its pasturelands, Jazer with its pasturelands—four cities in all.
⁴⁰ All these cities with their pasturelands totaled forty-eight cities.
⁴¹ All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the people of Israel were forty-eight in all, with their pasturelands.
⁴² These cities each had its surrounding pasturelands. So it was with all these cities.
⁴³ Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.
⁴⁴ And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.
⁴⁵ Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
¹ At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
² and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you.
³ You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God.
⁴ And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
⁵ Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
⁶ So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.
⁷ Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them,
⁸ saying, “Return to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.”
⁹ So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by command of the Lord through Moses.
¹⁰ And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.
¹¹ And the people of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.”
¹² And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
¹³ Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
¹⁴ And with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
¹⁵ And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them,
¹⁶ “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, ‘What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the Lord by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the Lord?
¹⁷ Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the Lord,
¹⁸ that you too must turn away this day from following the Lord? And if you too rebel against the Lord today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
¹⁹ But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the land of the Lord’s possession, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
²⁰ Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.
²¹ Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel,
²² “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today”
²³ that we have built this altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance.
²⁴ No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?
²⁵ For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.” So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord.
²⁶ “Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,
²⁷ but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”
²⁸ “Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice,
²⁹ “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”
³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes.
³¹ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”
³² And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them.
³³ And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel.
³⁴ The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”
¹ A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years,
² And Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years.
³ You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you.
⁴ Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.
⁵ Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
⁶ Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,
⁷ that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them,
⁸ but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.
⁹ For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.
¹⁰ One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.
¹¹ Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.
¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you,
¹³ know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
¹⁴ “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.”
¹⁵ But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you,
¹⁶ if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them.
¹ Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.
² And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.
³ Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.
⁴ And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
⁵ And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
⁶ And I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
⁷ And they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time.
⁸ Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.
⁹ Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel.
¹⁰ And I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.
¹¹ And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
¹² And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.
¹³ I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’”
¹⁴ “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”
¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,
¹⁷ for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.
¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
²¹ And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”
²² Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
²³ He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem.
²⁶ And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.
²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”
²⁸ So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.
²⁹ After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.
³⁰ And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.
³¹ Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
³² As the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
³³ And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Judges 1:1-21:25: ¹ After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
² The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”
³ Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him.
⁴ Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated ten thousand of them at Bezek.
⁵ And they found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
⁶ Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.
⁷ Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
⁸ And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.
⁹ And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland.
¹⁰ Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron. Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba. And they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.
¹¹ From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher.
¹² And Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it.”
¹³ Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.
¹⁴ When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
¹⁵ She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
¹⁶ And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.
¹⁷ And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah.
¹⁸ Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
¹⁹ And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.
²⁰ And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak.
²¹ But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
²² The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.
²³ And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.)
²⁴ And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”
²⁵ So he showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go.
²⁶ And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.
²⁷ Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
²⁸ When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.
²⁹ And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
³⁰ Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.
³¹ Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob,
³² So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.
³³ Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land.
³⁴ The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain.
³⁵ But the Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain.
³⁶ And the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.
¹ Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim.
² And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?
³ So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
⁴ When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.
⁵ And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.
⁶ And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.
⁷ And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.
⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years.
⁹ And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.
¹⁰ And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
¹¹ And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
¹² and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt.
¹³ They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.
¹⁴ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.
¹⁵ Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.
¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge.
¹⁹ But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.
²⁰ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice,
²¹ I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died,
²² in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.”
²³ So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
³ Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.
² Only that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.
³ the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
⁴ They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
⁵ So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
⁶ and they took their daughters to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
⁷ And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
⁸ Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
⁹ But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
¹¹ So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
¹² And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
¹³ And he gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms.
¹⁴ And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
¹⁵ Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
¹⁶ Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes.
¹⁷ And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
¹⁸ And when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
¹⁹ But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence.
²⁰ And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat.
²¹ But Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
²² And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.
²³ Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
²⁴ When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.”
²⁵ And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
²⁶ Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah.
²⁷ When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.
²⁸ And he said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over.
²⁹ And they killed at that time about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped.
³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
³¹ After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
¹ And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died.
² And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.
³ Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
⁴ Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
⁵ Now she used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
⁶ She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
⁷ And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.’”
⁸ Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
⁹ And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
¹⁰ And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
¹² When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.
¹³ And Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
¹⁴ And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
¹⁵ And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot.
¹⁶ But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
¹⁷ But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
¹⁸ And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
¹⁹ But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
²⁰ And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’”
²¹ But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.
²² And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.
²³ So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.
²⁴ And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
¹ Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
² “That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord!”
³ “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
⁴ “Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water.”
⁵ The mountains quaked before the Lord,
even Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel.
⁶ “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned,
and travelers kept to the byways.
⁷ The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
⁸ When new gods were chosen,
then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel?
⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord.
¹⁰ “Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way.”
¹¹ To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel. Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
¹² “Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break out in a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam.”
¹³ “Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
¹⁴ From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen; from Machir marched down the commanders, and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s staff;
¹⁵ the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels.
¹⁶ “Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.”
¹⁷ Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings.
¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.
¹⁹ “The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
they got no spoils of silver.
²⁰ From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.
²¹ The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
March on, my soul, with might!
²² “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.”
²³ ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord, ‘curse its inhabitants thoroughly, because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.’
²⁴ “Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
²⁵ He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.
²⁶ “She sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera;
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.”
²⁷ “Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.”
²⁸ “Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’”
²⁹ “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be,
blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
³⁰ ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
³¹ “So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.”
¹ The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
² and the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.
³ For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
⁴ They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.
⁵ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.
⁶ And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
⁷ When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites,
⁸ that the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage.
⁹ And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.
¹⁰ And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”
¹¹ Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
¹² And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
¹³ And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
¹⁴ And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
¹⁵ And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
¹⁶ And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
¹⁷ And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.
¹⁸ Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”
¹⁹ So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them.
²⁰ And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so.
²¹ Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
²² Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.”
²³ But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
²⁴ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace.
²⁵ That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it.
²⁶ And build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.”
²⁷ So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
²⁸ When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.
²⁹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”
³⁰ Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.”
³¹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”
³² Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
³³ Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
³⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
³⁵ And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. Then he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said,
³⁷ behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
³⁸ And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.
³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
⁴⁰ So God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
¹ Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
² The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
³ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
⁴ And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
⁵ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
⁶ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
⁷ And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
⁸ So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
⁹ That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.
¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.
¹¹ and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.
¹² And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.
¹³ And when Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
¹⁴ And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
¹⁵ As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
¹⁶ And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars.
¹⁷ And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.
¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch.
²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
²¹ And every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.
²² When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
²³ And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.
²⁴ And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.”
²⁵ And they captured two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
¹ Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.
² And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
³ God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said that.
⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing.
⁵ And he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?”
⁷ And Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”
⁸ And he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”
¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword.
¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure.
¹² And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.
¹³ Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.
¹⁴ And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men.
¹⁵ And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’”
¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth.
¹⁷ And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
¹⁸ Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.”
¹⁹ And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
²⁰ And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man.
²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
²³ Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
²⁴ And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.
²⁵ And they said, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil.
²⁶ And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels.
²⁷ And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
²⁸ So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
²⁹ Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.
³⁰ Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.
³¹ And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him sons.
³² And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
³³ As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.
³⁴ And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side,
³⁵ and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.
¹ Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family,
² “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
³ And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
⁴ And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him.
⁵ And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.
⁶ And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
⁷ Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and lifted his voice and cried out.
⁸ The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
⁹ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’
¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’
¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’
¹² And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
¹³ “But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’”
¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’
¹⁵ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
¹⁶ “Now therefore, if you have acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved—”
¹⁷ for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian,
¹⁸ And you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative—
¹⁹ if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.
²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.”
²¹ And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.
²² Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
²³ God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
²⁴ that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.
²⁵ And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told to Abimelech.
²⁶ And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him.
²⁷ And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech.
²⁸ And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is Zebul not his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but why should we serve him?
²⁹ If you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.
³⁰ When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
³¹ And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you.
³² Now therefore, go by night, you and the people who are with you, and set an ambush in the field.
³³ In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and rush upon the city. And when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may do to them as your hand finds to do.”
³⁴ And Abimelech and all the men who were with him rose up by night and set an ambush against Shechem in four companies.
³⁵ And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from the ambush.
³⁶ And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” And Zebul said to him, “You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men.”
³⁷ And Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.”
³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.”
³⁹ And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
⁴⁰ But Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate.
⁴¹ And Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives, so that they could not dwell at Shechem.
⁴² And the next day the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told.
⁴³ And he took his people and divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. And he looked and saw the people coming out of the city. So he rose against them and killed them.
⁴⁴ Abimelech and the company who was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, while the two companies rushed upon all who were in the field and killed them.
⁴⁵ And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.
⁴⁶ When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith.
⁴⁷ And when Abimelech and all the men who were with him had gone up to Mount Zalmon, he took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.”
⁴⁸ And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.”
⁴⁹ Then all the people likewise cut down each one his bough and followed Abimelech and put them at the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.
⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it.
⁵¹ There was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower.
⁵² And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
⁵³ “But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.”
⁵⁴ Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
⁵⁵ And all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.
⁵⁶ Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.
⁵⁷ And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
¹ After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
² And he judged Israel twenty-three years.
³ After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
⁴ And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
⁵ And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
⁶ The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.
⁷ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,
⁸ And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
⁹ And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
¹⁰ And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”
¹¹ And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?
¹² The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand.
¹³ Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.
¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.
¹⁵ And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.”
¹⁶ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
¹⁷ Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.
¹⁸ And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
¹ Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
² Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. And Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
³ Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.
⁴ After a time the Ammonites made war against Israel.
⁵ And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.
⁶ And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the Ammonites.”
⁷ But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
⁸ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
⁹ And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight against the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them over to me, I will be your head.”
¹⁰ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”
¹¹ Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
¹² Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
¹³ And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.”
¹⁴ Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
¹⁵ And they said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, – Judges 11:15 (ESV)
¹⁶ But when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
¹⁷ then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent.
¹⁸ Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.
¹⁹ And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our country,”
²⁰ But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.
²¹ And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.
²² And they took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
²³ So the Lord, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and are you to take possession of them?
²⁴ Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? And all that the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess.
²⁵ And now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them?
²⁶ While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not deliver them within that time?
²⁷ I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.”
²⁸ But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.
²⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.
³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand,
³¹ then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
³² So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand.
³³ And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.
³⁴ Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
³⁵ And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.”
³⁶ And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.”
³⁷ And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.”
³⁸ And he said, “Go.” So he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains.
³⁹ And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel
⁴⁰ that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
¹ The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.”
² And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand.
³ And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”
⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
⁵ And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said, “No,”
⁶ then they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. And at that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.
⁷ And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.
⁸ After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
⁹ He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
¹⁰ Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.
¹¹ After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years.
¹² And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
¹³ After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years.
¹⁵ Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
¹ And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
² There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children.
³ And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
⁴ Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean,
⁵ For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name,
⁷ But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
⁸ Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”
⁹ And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.
¹⁰ And the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.”
¹¹ And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.”
¹² And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?”
¹³ And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.
¹⁴ She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.”
¹⁶ And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.)
¹⁷ And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?”
¹⁸ And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
¹⁹ So Manoah took a young goat with a grain offering and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching.
²⁰ For when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar.
²¹ The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord.
²² And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”
²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.”
²⁴ And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him.
²⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
¹ Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.
² Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.”
³ But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”
⁴ His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
⁵ Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring.
⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.
⁸ After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey.
⁹ He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate.
¹⁰ His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do.
¹¹ And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.”
¹² And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes,
¹³ But if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.”
¹⁴ And he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.” And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
¹⁵ On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?”
¹⁶ And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.”
¹⁷ She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people.
¹⁸ And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.”
¹⁹ And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.
²⁰ And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
¹ After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in.
² And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”
³ And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.”
⁴ So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.
⁵ And he set the torches on fire and let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards.
⁶ Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.
⁷ And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.”
⁸ And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
⁹ Then the Philistines went up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi.
¹⁰ And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.”
¹¹ Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”
¹² And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.”
¹³ And they said to him, “No; we will bind you fast and give you into their hand, but we will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.
¹⁵ And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men.
¹⁶ Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.”
¹⁷ And when he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.
¹⁸ And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
¹⁹ And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day.
²⁰ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
¹ Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.
² The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.”
³ But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
⁴ After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
⁵ And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.”
⁷ And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
⁸ Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
⁹ Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.”
¹¹ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.”
¹² So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in wait were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
¹³ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
¹⁴ So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web.
¹⁵ And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”
¹⁶ And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.
¹⁷ And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands.
¹⁹ She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
²⁰ And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
²¹ And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.
²² But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
²³ Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.”
²⁴ And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.”
²⁵ And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them.
²⁶ And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.”
²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
²⁹ And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.
³⁰ And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.
³¹ Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
¹ There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
² And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.”
³ Then he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
⁴ So he restored the money to his mother. And his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah.
⁵ And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.
⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
⁷ Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
⁸ And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place.
⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.”
¹⁰ And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in.
¹¹ And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.
¹² And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”
¹ In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
² So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
³ When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. So they turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”
⁴ And he said to them, “Thus and so has Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
⁵ And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.”
⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.”
⁷ Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.
⁸ And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?”
⁹ They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land.
¹⁰ When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
¹¹ So, the five men went on and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.
¹² And they took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
¹³ And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do.”
¹⁵ And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare.
¹⁶ And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the people of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
¹⁷ Now the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered there and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.
¹⁸ And when these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
¹⁹ And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”
²⁰ And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
²¹ So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them.
²² When they were a good way from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.
²³ When they shouted for the men of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?”
²⁴ And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter?’”
²⁵ And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.”
²⁶ So the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.
²⁷ But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
²⁸ There was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.
²⁹ And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first.
³⁰ And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
³¹ And they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.
¹ In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
² And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.
³ Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back.
⁴ His father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
⁵ And on the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.”
⁶ So the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl’s father said to the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.”
⁷ And when the man rose up to go, his father-in-law urged him; so he spent the night there again.
⁸ And on the fifth day he arose early in the morning to depart. But the girl’s father said, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.”
⁹ And when the man and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold, the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”
¹⁰ But the man would not spend the night. He rose up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).
¹¹ And when they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, “Come now, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.”
¹² And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.”
¹³ And he said to his young man, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah.”
¹⁴ So they passed on and went their way. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin,
¹⁵ And they turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah.
¹⁶ And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites.
¹⁷ And when he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city, the old man said, “Where are you going? And where do you come from?”
¹⁸ And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord, but no one has taken me into his house.
¹⁹ We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.”
²⁰ And the old man said, “Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants. Only, do not spend the night in the square.”
²¹ So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys feed. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
²² As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.”
²³ And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing.
²⁴ Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.”
²⁵ But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.
²⁶ And as the morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light.
²⁷ And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
²⁸ And he said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home.
²⁹ When he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.
³⁰ And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”
¹ Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
² The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.
³ (Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”
⁴ And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
⁵ And the men of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.
⁶ Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.
⁷ Behold, all you people of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.
⁸ Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house.
⁹ But now this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy all the males, and also the women and children.
¹⁰ And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin, for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.”
¹¹ So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one.
¹² The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?
¹³ Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.
¹⁴ And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered seven hundred chosen men.
¹⁵ And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered seven hundred chosen men.
¹⁶ Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
¹⁷ And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword. All these were men of war.
¹⁸ The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”
¹⁹ The people of Israel rose early and encamped against Gibeah.
²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.
²¹ And the people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.
²² But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.
²³ And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”
²⁴ And the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.
²⁵ And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel.
²⁶ Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
²⁷ And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
²⁸ and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
²⁹ And Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
³⁰ And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
³¹ And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.
³² And the Benjaminites said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of the men of Israel took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.
³³ And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba.
³⁴ And ten thousand men, chosen from all Israel, came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.
³⁵ And the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day.
³⁶ So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
³⁷ And the men in ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it.
³⁸ Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city,
³⁹ And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
⁴⁰ But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.
⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them.
⁴² And about 22,000 men of Israel fell that day.
⁴³ They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them, and trod them down from Noh as far as opposite Gibeah on the east.
⁴⁴ And 18,000 men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor.
⁴⁵ And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. But 5,000 men of them were cut down on the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down.
⁴⁶ So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.
⁴⁷ But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.
⁴⁸ And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
²¹ Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.”
² And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
³ And they said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”
⁴ And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
⁵ And the people of Israel said, “Which one of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
⁶ And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day.
⁷ What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?”
⁸ And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.
⁹ For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
¹⁰ So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones.
¹¹ So the Israelites did so. They sent twelve thousand of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones.
¹² And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
¹³ And the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them.
¹⁴ And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.
¹⁵ And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
¹⁶ Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
¹⁷ And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
¹⁸ But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”
¹⁹ So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
²⁰ So they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards,
²¹ And watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
²² And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’”
²³ So the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off.
²⁴ And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

1 Samuel 1:1-31:13: ¹ There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.
² He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
³ Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
⁴ On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
⁵ But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
⁶ And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
⁷ So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
⁸ And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
⁹ After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
¹⁰ She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
¹¹ And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
¹² As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
¹³ Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
¹⁴ And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
¹⁵ But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
¹⁶ Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
¹⁷ Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
¹⁸ And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
¹⁹ They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
²⁰ And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
²¹ The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.
²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.”
²³ And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
²⁴ And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
²⁵ Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
²⁶ And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord.
²⁷ For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.
²⁸ Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
² And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
² “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
³ Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
⁴ The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
⁵ Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.”
¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,
¹⁴ The fat portions of the offering he would burn on the altar, but the breast and the right thigh Aaron’s sons shall eat.
¹⁵ Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
¹⁶ If the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.”
¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod.
¹⁹ Moreover, his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.
²¹ Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
²² Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
²³ He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
²⁴ No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.
²⁵ If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
²⁶ Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
²⁷ And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh?
²⁸ Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.
²⁹ Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’
³⁰ Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’
³¹ Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
³² Then you will see distress in the tent that is to befall Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.
³³ The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men.
³⁴ And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.
³⁵ And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.
³⁶ And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”
³ Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.
³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”
⁵ and he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
⁶ And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰ And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
¹³ And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.
¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
¹⁵ And Samuel lay until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.”
¹⁷ And he said, “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.”
¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”
¹⁹ And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.
²¹ And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
¹ And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.
² And the Philistines drew up to meet Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.
³ And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”
⁴ So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
⁵ As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
⁶ And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp,
⁷ And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
⁸ Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.
⁹ Be strong, and behave like men, O Philistines, that you may not become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”
¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
¹¹ And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
¹² A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.
¹³ When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.
¹⁴ And when Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.
¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see.
¹⁶ And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?”
¹⁷ He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
¹⁸ As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.
²⁰ As she was about to die, the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention.
²¹ And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
²² And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
¹ When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
³ And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
⁴ But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
⁵ So neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
⁶ The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.”
⁸ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there.
⁹ But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.”
¹¹ They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
¹² The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
¹ The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
² And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.”
³ They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.”
⁴ And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
⁵ So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.
⁶ Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?
⁷ Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.
⁸ And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way.
⁹ and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
¹⁰ So the men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.
¹¹ And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
¹² And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
¹³ Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it.
¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
¹⁵ The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord.
¹⁶ And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron,
¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
¹⁹ And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow.
²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?”
²¹ And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”
¹ And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord.
² From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
³ Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
⁴ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
⁷ And when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
⁸ And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
¹¹ And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”
¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
¹⁴ And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
¹⁶ He went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places.
¹⁷ Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.
³ Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
² The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
³ Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
⁵ and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
⁷ And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
⁸ According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
⁹ Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him.
¹¹ He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
¹⁵ He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
¹⁶ He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
¹⁷ He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
¹⁸ And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
¹⁹ But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us,
²⁰ that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
²¹ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of the Lord.
²² And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
¹ There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
² He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
³ Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
⁴ And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
⁵ And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.”
⁶ But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.”
⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
⁸ The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.”
⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.)
¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
¹¹ As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
¹² They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
¹³ As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.”
¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel:
¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”
¹⁸ As Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me, where is the house of the seer?”
¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.
²⁰ As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?”
²¹ And Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
²² Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons.
²³ And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’”
²⁴ So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”
²⁵ And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.
²⁶ They rose early, and at dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
²⁷ As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”
¹ Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.
² When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”‘
³ Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
⁴ And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.
⁵ After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.
⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
⁷ And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as occasion demands, for God is with you.
⁸ Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”
⁹ When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
¹⁰ When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
¹¹ And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
¹² And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a proverb in Israel: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
¹³ When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
¹⁴ Now Saul’s uncle said to him, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
¹⁵ And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, what did Samuel say to you?”
¹⁶ He said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
¹⁷ Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah.
¹⁸ and he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
²⁰ Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
²¹ And when he had brought him to his house, he gave him gifts.
²² So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
²³ They ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. So Samuel sent all the people away, every one to his home.
²⁶ Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.
²⁷ But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
¹ Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
² But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.”
³ And the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.”
⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud.
⁵ Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh.
⁶ And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled.
⁷ And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man.
⁸ And he mustered them at Bezek, and the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
⁹ And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.’” Then the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.
¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”
¹¹ And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
¹² The people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”
¹³ But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”
¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.”
¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
¹ And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you.
² And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
³ Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.”
⁴ They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”
⁵ And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
⁶ And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
⁷ Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers.
⁸ When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
⁹ But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them.
¹⁰ And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’
¹¹ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.
¹² And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.
¹³ And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you.
¹⁴ If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.
¹⁵ But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.
¹⁶ Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.
¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.”
¹⁸ So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.”
²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
²¹ And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.
²² For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.
²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
²⁴ Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
¹³ Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
² Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent.
³ Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
⁴ And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
⁵ And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns,
⁷ And some of the Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
⁸ He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
¹⁰ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
¹¹ But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash,
¹² I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
¹⁵ And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
¹⁶ Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
¹⁷ And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual,
¹⁸ And another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
¹⁹ Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.”
²⁰ but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles,
²¹ The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.
²² So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.
²³ And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
¹ One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
² Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron.
³ Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
⁴ Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
⁵ The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
⁶ Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
⁷ And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.
⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them.
¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. This shall be the sign to us.”
¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”
¹² And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
¹³ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him.
¹⁴ In that first strike, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer made their attack and killed some twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.
¹⁵ And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.
¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there.
¹⁷ And Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.
¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel.
¹⁹ And when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle.
²⁰ Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
²¹ Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
²² Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle.
²³ So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
²⁴ And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food.
²⁵ Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground.
²⁶ And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.
²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint.
²⁹ Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey.
³⁰ How much more, if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found? For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”
³¹ They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint.
³² The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood.
³³ Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.”
³⁴ And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and they slaughtered them there.
³⁵ And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”
³⁷ And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.
³⁸ And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today.
³⁹ For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him.
⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
⁴¹ Therefore Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.
⁴² Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken.
⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.”
⁴⁴ And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
⁴⁵ Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.
⁴⁶ Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
⁴⁷ Now when Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. And wherever he turned he routed them.
⁴⁸ And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
⁴⁹ Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
⁵⁰ And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
⁵¹ Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
⁵² There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to his service.
¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord.”
² Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.
³ Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
⁴ So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah.
⁵ And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
⁶ Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
⁷ And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
⁸ And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
¹⁰ The word of the Lord came to Samuel:
¹¹ “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
¹² And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”
¹³ And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
¹⁴ But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
¹⁵ And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
¹⁷ And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
¹⁸ And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
²¹ But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
²² And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
²⁴ Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
²⁵ Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.
²⁶ And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
²⁷ As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
²⁸ And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
²⁹ And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”
³⁰ Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.”
³¹ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
³² Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
³³ And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
³⁵ And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
¹⁶ The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem.
⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
¹⁰ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”
¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
¹⁸ One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.”
¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.”
²⁰ And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.
²¹ And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.
²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.”
²³ And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
¹⁷ Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
³ And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
⁴ And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
⁵ He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
⁷ And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.
⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”
¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years.
¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul.
¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
¹⁷ And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
¹⁸ Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.
¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
²⁰ And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
²¹ And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
²² And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers.
²³ As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
²⁴ All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.
²⁵ And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
²⁷ And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
²⁸ Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
²⁹ And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”
³⁰ Then he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.
³² And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
³⁵ I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
³⁶ Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.
³⁷ And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,
³⁹ Then David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.
⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
⁴¹ And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
⁴² And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.
⁴³ And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
⁴⁷ And that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.
⁴⁸ When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
⁵² And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
⁵³ And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
⁵⁴ Then David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
⁵⁵ As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
⁵⁶ The king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.”
⁵⁷ And as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
¹ As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
² And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
⁵ And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
⁶ As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.
⁷ And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
⁸ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?”
⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day on.
¹⁰ The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand.
¹¹ And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.
¹² Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.
¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.
¹⁴ And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.
¹⁵ And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.
¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
¹⁸ Then David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’”
²³ And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?”
²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”
²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
²⁶ And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law.
²⁷ David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife.
²⁸ Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him.
²⁹ And Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
¹ And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
² And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.”
⁴ And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you.
⁵ For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
⁶ And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
⁸ And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.
⁹ Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre.
¹⁰ And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
¹¹ Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
¹² So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
¹³ Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.
¹⁴ And when David fled and escaped, he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.
¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”
¹⁶ And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head.
¹⁷ And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me so and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”
¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.
¹⁹ And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
²¹ And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
²³ And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
²⁴ And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
¹ Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
² he said to him, “Far be it from you! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.”
³ Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
⁵ David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.
⁶ If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’
⁷ If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him.
⁸ Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”
⁹ And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?”
¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?”
¹¹ Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
¹² And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you?
¹³ But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.
¹⁴ If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die;
¹⁵ but do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.”
¹⁷ And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
¹⁹ And on the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²⁰ I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²¹ And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.
²² But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.
²³ And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
²⁴ So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
²⁵ And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
²⁶ Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
²⁷ But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
²⁸ Then Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
²⁹ He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
³⁰ Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
³³ But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
³⁴ Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy.
³⁶ And he said to his servant, “Run, find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
³⁷ And when the boy had come to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
³⁸ And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
³⁹ But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.”
⁴¹ And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most.
⁴² Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
¹ Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”
² And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
³ Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”
⁴ And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.”
⁵ And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”
⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
⁷ Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
⁸ And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
⁹ And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
¹⁰ And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.
¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
¹² And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
¹³ So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.
¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?
¹⁵ Have I need of mad men, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a mad man in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
¹ David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
² And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
³ And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.”
⁴ And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
⁵ Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
⁶ Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
⁷ And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
⁸ that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. And none of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”
⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
¹⁰ And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
¹¹ Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.
¹² And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
¹³ And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?”
¹⁴ Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house?
¹⁵ Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? No! Far be it from me. Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
¹⁶ And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
¹⁷ And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.
¹⁹ And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey, and sheep, he put to the sword.
²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.
²² And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.
²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be safe.”
⁶ When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
² Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
³ But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
⁴ Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.”
⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
⁶ When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
⁷ Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
⁸ And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
¹⁰ And David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.”
¹³ Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
¹⁴ And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
¹⁵ David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
¹⁶ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
¹⁷ And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”
¹⁸ And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?”
²⁰ Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”
²¹ And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me.
²² Please, go, make sure yet again. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.
²³ See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
²⁴ And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
²⁵ And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
²⁶ And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
²⁹ And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
¹ When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.
³ And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
⁴ And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
⁵ And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”
⁷ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
⁸ Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.
⁹ And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?
¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’
¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
¹² May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.
¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you.
¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!
¹⁵ May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”
¹⁶ As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.
¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
²⁰ And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
²¹ Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.
²² And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
²⁵ Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.
² And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.
³ Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.
⁴ David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
⁵ So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.
⁶ And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
⁷ I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.
⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.
⁹ When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.
¹⁰ And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
¹¹ Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
¹² So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this.
¹³ And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword.
¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.
¹⁵ Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.
¹⁶ They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
¹⁷ Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
¹⁸ Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
¹⁹ And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
²⁰ And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.
²² God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”
²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.
²⁵ Please let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
²⁶ Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.
²⁷ And now this present that your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your servant.
²⁹ If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
³⁰ And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel,
³¹ that this shall be no grief to you or pangs of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause or that my lord has avenged himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”
³² And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
³³ Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand.
³⁴ Nevertheless, as your soul lives, the Lord, the God of Israel, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice and granted your petition.”
³⁶ And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
³⁷ In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
³⁸ And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
⁴⁰ When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
⁴¹ And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
⁴² And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
⁴³ David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
⁴⁴ Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
¹ Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”
² So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
³ And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness.
⁴ David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come in very deed.
⁵ Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.
⁸ Then said Abishai to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”
¹⁰ And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
¹¹ The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
¹² So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
¹³ Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.
¹⁴ And David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
¹⁵ And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king.
¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”
¹⁷ The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
¹⁸ And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?
¹⁹ Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
²⁰ Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.
²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.”
²² And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it.
²³ The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
²⁴ Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.
²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
¹ Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
² And David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
³ David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
⁴ And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.
⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
⁶ So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
⁷ And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
⁸ Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
⁹ Now David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.
¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
¹¹ David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.
¹² And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.
² And David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.”
³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.
⁴ And the Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.
⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
⁶ And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”
⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.”
⁹ The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”
¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.”
¹⁶ And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?
¹⁷ The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.
¹⁸ Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
¹⁹ Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.
²⁰ Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
²¹ And the woman came to Saul, and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me.
²² Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.
²⁴ Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it,
²⁵ And she brought it before Saul and before his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.
¹ Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
² As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing in the rear with Achish,
³ The commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.”
⁴ But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?
⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. But the lords do not approve of you.
⁷ And now return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
⁸ And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
⁹ And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
¹⁰ Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.”
¹¹ So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
¹ Then David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day.
² They had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.
³ So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.
⁵ David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
⁶ And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
⁷ And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
⁸ And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
⁹ So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.
¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink,
¹² and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
¹³ And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
¹⁴ We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
¹⁵ And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”
¹⁶ And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
¹⁷ And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.
¹⁸ David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.
¹⁹ Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all.
²⁰ David captured all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them before the other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people, he greeted them.
²² Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.”
²³ But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us he has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.
²⁴ For who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.”
²⁵ And from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.”
²⁷ to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, to those in Jattir,
²⁸ and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
²⁹ and to those in Racal, to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those in the cities of the Kenites,
³⁰ also to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had roamed.
³¹ and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men had roamed.
¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
³ The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
⁵ And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
⁶ Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.
⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
¹¹ But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
¹² all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
¹³ And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

2 Samuel 1:1-24:25: ¹ After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.
² It happened on the third day that a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.
³ And David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
⁴ And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”
⁵ And David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
⁶ And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.”
⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’
⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
⁹ And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’
¹⁰ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.
¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.”
¹⁴ And David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died.
¹⁶ And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son
And he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
¹⁹ “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!”
²⁰ Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
²¹ “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.”
²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
²³ “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.”
²⁴ “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.”
²⁵ How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
²⁷ “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
¹ After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.”
² So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
³ And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.
⁴ And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
⁵ David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.
⁶ Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.
⁷ Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
⁹ And he made him king over Gilead, and the Ashurites, and Jezreel, and Ephraim, and Benjamin, and all Israel.
¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
¹² Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
¹⁴ And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
¹⁵ So they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
¹⁶ And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
¹⁷ And there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
¹⁸ Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
¹⁹ And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
²⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
²¹ And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
²² And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”
²³ But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
²⁵ The sons of Benjamin also rallied to Abner and became one band with him.
²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?”
²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.”
²⁸ So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.
²⁹ Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim.
³⁰ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
³¹ But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner’s men.
³² And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
¹ There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
² And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
³ and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
⁴ And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
⁵ And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
⁶ While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
⁷ And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
⁸ Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman.
⁹ God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,
¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
¹¹ And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
¹² And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.”
¹³ And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.”
¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.
¹⁶ And her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.
¹⁷ And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.
¹⁸ Now then bring it about, for the Lord has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
¹⁹ Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.
²⁰ So Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men along with him. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
²¹ And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
²² Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.”
²⁴ Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?”
²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”
²⁶ When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it.
²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
²⁸ When David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!”
³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier.
³² And they buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.
³³ And the king lamented for Abner, saying, “Should Abner die as a fool dies?
³⁴ Your hands were not bound; your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen.” And all the people wept again over him.
³⁵ Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down.”
³⁶ Then all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people.
³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s will to put to death Abner the son of Ner.
³⁸ And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!”
¹ When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.
² And Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth, for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin.
³ And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day.
⁴ Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
⁵ Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest.
⁶ And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
⁷ And when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night,
⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”
⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity,
¹⁰ when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”
¹² And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.
¹ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
² In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’”
³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
⁵ And David sent and gathered together the elders of Israel and the priests and the Levites.
⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.”
⁷ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
⁹ And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward.
¹⁰ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
¹¹ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
¹² And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
¹³ And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
¹⁴ And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
¹⁵ David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
¹⁶ And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.
¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁹ And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
²⁰ So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” So the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.
²¹ And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
²² And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
²³ And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
²⁴ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.
²⁵ And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
¹ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.
³ And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart.
⁴ And they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,
⁵ And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
⁶ And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.
⁸ And David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day.
⁹ And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
¹¹ And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
¹² And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.
¹³ And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.
¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
¹⁸ And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
¹⁹ And distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will make merry before the Lord.
²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.
²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
¹ Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.”
³ And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
⁶ I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
⁷ In all the places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
⁹ And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
¹² When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
¹⁴ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
¹⁵ but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.
¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?
¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!
²⁰ And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God!
²¹ Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
²² Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
²³ And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
²⁴ For you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God.
²⁵ And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
²⁶ And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
²⁷ For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
²⁸ And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
²⁹ Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
¹ After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
² And he defeated Moab and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates.
⁴ And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots.
⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians.
⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
⁸ And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer,
¹⁰ then Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.
¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations he subdued,
¹² from Edom, and from Moab, and from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
¹³ And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
¹⁴ He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.
¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
¹⁷ and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary;
¹⁸ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.
¹ And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
³ And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
⁴ And the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
⁵ Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
⁶ And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
⁸ And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
⁹ Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
¹⁰ And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
¹ After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
² And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
⁵ When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.
⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
⁸ The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country.
⁹ When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.
¹⁰ But the rest of the men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites.
¹¹ And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
¹² Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”
¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
¹⁴ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
¹⁵ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer leading them.
¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.
¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.
¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.
¹ In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
² It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
³ And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
⁴ So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
⁵ And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
⁶ So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going.
⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.
¹⁰ When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.
¹³ And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”
¹⁶ And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men.
¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.
¹⁸ Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting.
¹⁹ and charged the messenger, “As soon as you see David, tell him, ‘All is well with me from the battle.’ Then, in the morning, send him away.”
²⁰ and if the king’s anger rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
²¹ Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”
²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
²³ The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.
²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.”
²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”
²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband.
²⁷ And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
¹ And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.
² The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
³ But the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
⁵ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
⁶ He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
⁸ And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.
¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.
¹⁶ David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
¹⁷ And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.
¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”
¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead.
²⁰ Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
²² He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
²³ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
²⁴ Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him
²⁵ and he sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city.
²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters.
²⁸ Now therefore gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.
²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.
³⁰ And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount.
³¹ And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
¹ Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her.
² And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.
³ But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man.
⁴ And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
⁵ But Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’”
⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
⁷ Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.”
⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.
⁹ Then she took a pan and baked them before him, and he ate.
¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
¹¹ But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
¹² But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
¹³ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
¹⁴ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!”
¹⁶ But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
¹⁷ Then he called his young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.”
¹⁸ Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her.
¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
²⁰ And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.
²¹ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
²² But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
²³ After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
²⁵ But the king would not listen to all the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
²⁶ Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
²⁷ But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
²⁸ Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”
²⁹ And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.
³⁰ But Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”
³¹ Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.
³² But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead.
³³ Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”
³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.
³⁵ And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come to pass.”
³⁶ While he was yet speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.”
³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day.
³⁸ So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
³⁹ And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.
¹ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom.
² And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.
³ And go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
⁴ When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.”
⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
⁶ Your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
⁷ And now the king, my lord, the word that I speak to you is in fact: for the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. The Lord your God be with you.”
⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.”
¹⁰ But the king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.”
¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
¹² But the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
¹⁴ For we will all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
¹⁵ Now I have come to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
¹⁶ For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.
¹⁷ Your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”
¹⁸ Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”
¹⁹ And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
²⁰ In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”
²¹ Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
²² Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.”
²³ So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
²⁴ And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.
²⁵ Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
²⁷ And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
²⁸ And Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence.
²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.
³⁰ Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
³¹ Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
³² Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.”
³³ Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
¹ After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
² And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”
³ And Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”
⁴ Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”
⁵ And when anyone came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
⁶ And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
⁷ And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.
⁸ For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’”
⁹ And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
¹⁰ But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”
¹¹ With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
¹² And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
¹³ And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.”
¹⁴ Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
¹⁵ And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
¹⁶ And the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
¹⁷ And the king went out, and all the people after him, and they halted at the last house.
¹⁸ And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home.
²⁰ You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”
²¹ But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
²² And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
²³ And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
²⁴ And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.
²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
²⁶ But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”
²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
²⁸ See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
³⁰ But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
³¹ And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
³² While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
³³ And David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
³⁶ Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear.”
³⁷ So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
¹ When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
² And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.”
³ And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’”
⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
⁵ When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.
⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
⁷ And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!
⁸ The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.”
¹⁰ But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’
¹¹ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.
¹² It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.”
¹³ So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.
¹⁴ And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.
¹⁵ Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
¹⁶ And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.
¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”
²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?”
²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
²³ Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.
¹ Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.
² And I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,
³ And I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes back to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.”
⁴ And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
⁵ Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.”
⁶ So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.”
⁷ And Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.”
⁸ Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people.”
⁹ Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’
¹⁰ Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant.
¹¹ But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.
¹² So we shall come upon him in some place where he is found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left.
¹³ Moreover, if he is hidden in a pit or in some other place, and as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’
¹⁴ And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.
¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled.
¹⁶ Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’”
¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city.
¹⁸ But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it.
¹⁹ And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.
²⁰ When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
²¹ After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, “Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.”
²² Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
²³ When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.
²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
²⁵ Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.
²⁶ Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,
²⁸ brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,
²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
¹ Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
² And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.”
³ But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.”
⁴ And the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
⁵ And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
⁷ And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.
⁸ The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.
⁹ And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
¹⁰ And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
¹¹ And Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
¹² But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’
¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
¹⁴ Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.
¹⁵ And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
¹⁶ Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them.
¹⁷ And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his tent.
¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.
¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
²⁰ Then Joab said to him, “You will not carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.”
²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” And the Cushite bowed before Joab and ran.
²² Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
²³ But whatever happens, he said, I will run.
²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running alone.
²⁵ And the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer.
²⁶ And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.”
²⁷ The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”
²⁸ Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
²⁹ The king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.”
³⁰ The king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
³¹ And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.”
³² The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.”
³³ And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
¹ It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”
² And the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.”
³ The people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
⁴ The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines,
⁶ You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
⁷ Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
⁸ Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king.
⁹ And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.
¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”
¹¹ And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?
¹² And you are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’
¹³ And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’”
¹⁴ And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.”
¹⁵ And the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.
¹⁶ And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
¹⁷ And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king,
¹⁸ And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household and to do his pleasure.
¹⁹ And said to him, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart.
²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
²¹ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?”
²² But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?”
²³ And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.
²⁴ And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety.
²⁵ And when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
²⁶ And he answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me, that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame.
²⁷ And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you.
²⁸ For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?”
²⁹ And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.”
³⁰ And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”
³¹ Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan.
³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.
³³ And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.”
³⁴ Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
³⁵ I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?
³⁶ Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?
³⁷ Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.
³⁸ And the king answered him, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.”
³⁹ All the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed too. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home.
⁴⁰ Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.
⁴¹ Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”
⁴² Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”
⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Was it not our advice first to bring back our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
¹ Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”
² So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
³ And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
⁴ Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
⁵ Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.
⁶ And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”
⁷ And Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
⁸ When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out.
⁹ And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
¹⁰ But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹¹ And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.”
¹² And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway and into the field and threw a garment over him.
¹³ And when he was removed from the highway, all the men passed on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹⁴ And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in.
¹⁵ And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down.
¹⁶ Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’”
¹⁷ And when he came near her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.”
¹⁸ Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.
¹⁹ I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?”
²⁰ Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy!
²¹ That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”
²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
²³ Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
²⁴ And Adoram was in charge of the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder,
²⁵ and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
²⁶ and Ira the Jairite was also David’s priest.
¹ Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
² So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)
³ And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?”
⁴ Then the Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?”
⁵ They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel,
⁶ let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
⁸ But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
⁹ and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. And they were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
¹⁰ Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens.
¹¹ And when David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,
¹² he went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.
¹³ And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.
¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
¹⁵ There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary.
¹⁶ And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David.
¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”
¹⁸ And after this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.
¹⁹ And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
²⁰ And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.
²¹ And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.
²² These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
¹ And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
² He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
³ my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
⁴ I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
⁵ “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;”
⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
⁷ “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.”
⁸ “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.”
⁹ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
¹⁰ He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
¹¹ He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
¹² He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
¹³ “Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.”
¹⁴ The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
¹⁵ And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.
¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
¹⁷ “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.”
¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
²⁰ He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
²¹ “The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.”
²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²³ For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²⁴ I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
²⁵ And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
²⁶ “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;”
²⁷ With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁸ You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
²⁹ For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.
³⁰ For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
³² “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?”
³³ This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.
³⁴ He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
³⁵ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁶ You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
³⁷ You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip;
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
³⁹ I consumed them; I struck them down, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.
⁴⁰ For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴¹ You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
⁴² They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴³ I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
⁴⁴ “You delivered me from strife with my people;
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
⁴⁶ The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁷ “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,”
⁴⁸ It is God who avenges me and subdues the peoples under me;
⁴⁹ who delivered me from my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.
⁵⁰ “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
⁵¹ Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.”
¹ Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
² “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.”
³ The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
⁴ he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
⁵ “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?”
⁶ But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;
⁷ But the man who touches them
shall be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.”
⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men in one encounter.
⁹ And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi.
¹⁰ He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword.
¹¹ And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.
¹² But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.
²³:13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁴ And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
¹⁵ And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!”
¹⁶ Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord,
¹⁷ And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
¹⁸ Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
¹⁹ Was he not the most honored of the thirty and did he not become their commander? And he was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle.
²⁰ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
²¹ And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
²² These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.
²³ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁴ Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem.
²⁵ Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,
²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,
²⁷ Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,
²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin,
³⁰ Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.
³¹ Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan
³³ Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo,
³⁵ Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite
³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
³⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
³⁹ Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.
²⁴ Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
² So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
³ But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?”
⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.
⁵ They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.
⁶ Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites, and they came to Dan.
⁷ and came to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. And they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba.
⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
⁹ And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
¹⁰ But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
¹¹ For when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
¹² “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’”
¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
¹⁵ So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.
¹⁶ And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁷ Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
¹⁸ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded.
²⁰ Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
²¹ Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”
²⁴ But Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

1 Kings 1:1-22:53: ¹ Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.
² So his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.”
³ So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
⁴ The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
⁵ Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
⁶ His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?”
⁷ He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.
⁸ But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.
⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah.
¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
¹¹ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
¹² Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
¹³ Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’
¹⁴ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).
¹⁶ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
¹⁷ She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
¹⁸ And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.
¹⁹ He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
²⁰ And my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
²¹ Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
²⁴ And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
²⁵ For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
²⁶ But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.
²⁷ Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
²⁸ Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
²⁹ And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,
³⁰ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
³² King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
³³ The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
³⁴ There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
³⁵ Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place.
³⁶ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.
³⁷ As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.
³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”
⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.
⁴¹ Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?”
⁴² While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.”
⁴³ Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king.
⁴⁴ The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule.
⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
⁴⁶ And besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
⁴⁷ Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself on the bed.
⁴⁸ And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day in my own eyes.’
⁴⁹ Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.
⁵⁰ And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
⁵¹ Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”
⁵² And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”
⁵³ So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
¹ When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
² “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man,”
³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
⁴ that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
⁵ “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.”
⁶ Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
⁷ But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
⁸ And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
⁹ Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
¹⁰ Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
¹¹ And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
¹² So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.”
¹⁴ Then he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
¹⁵ And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.
¹⁶ And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.”
¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.
²⁰ Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”
²² King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
²⁴ Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all my father’s affliction.”
²⁷ So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
²⁸ When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
²⁹ When it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar, Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
³⁰ Then Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
³² The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But for David, and for his descendants, and for his house, and for his throne, there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.
³⁴ Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
³⁵ The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
³⁶ Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever.
³⁷ For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.”
³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
³⁹ But three years later, two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,”
⁴⁰ So Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
⁴¹ But the king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
⁴² the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’
⁴³ Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?”
⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will bring back your harm on your own head.
⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
³ Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.
² The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
³ Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
⁴ And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
⁶ And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
⁷ And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
⁸ And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
⁹ Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
¹¹ And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
¹² behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
¹³ I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
¹⁴ And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.
¹⁵ And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
¹⁶ Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
¹⁷ And the one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.
¹⁸ It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house.
¹⁹ And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
²⁰ Then she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast.
²¹ And when I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.”
²² And the other woman said, “No, but the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, but the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” So they spoke before the king.
²³ Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No, but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’”
²⁴ And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king.
²⁵ And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.”
²⁶ Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.”
²⁷ Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.”
²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
¹ Kings 4:1
“King Solomon was king over all Israel,”
² Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal,
³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
⁴ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
⁵ Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend;
⁶ Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
⁷ Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year.
⁸ These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;
⁹ The son of Dekar, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elonbeth-hanan;
¹⁰ Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher);
¹¹ Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
¹² Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam,
¹³ Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
¹⁴ Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;
¹⁵ Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
¹⁶ Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, and from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam,
¹⁷ and Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);
¹⁸ Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;
¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan. And there was one governor who was over the land.
²⁰ Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.
²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
²² The food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
²³ ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.
²⁴ For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him.
²⁵ And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.
²⁶ Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.
²⁷ And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking.
²⁸ Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.
²⁹ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore,
³⁰ so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
³¹ For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
³² He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.
³³ He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.
³⁴ And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
⁵ Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David.
² And Solomon sent word to Hiram,
³ “You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.”
⁴ But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune.
⁵ And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to David my father, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’
⁶ Now therefore command that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. And my servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants such wages as you set, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.
⁷ When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.”
⁸ So Hiram sent word to Solomon, “I have received the message you sent me and will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.
⁹ My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct. And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it. And you shall meet my wishes by providing food for my household.”
¹⁰ So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired,
¹¹ Solomon also gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty thousand cors of beaten oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year.
¹² The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
¹³ And King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men.
¹⁴ And he sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in shifts. They would be a month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
¹⁵ Solomon also had 70,000 burden-bearers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hill country,
¹⁶ besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work.
¹⁷ At the king’s command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.
¹⁸ So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the men of Gebal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.
¹ In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.
² The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.
³ The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and its height was 120 cubits.
⁴ And for the house he made windows with recessed frames.
⁵ He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around.
⁶ The lowest storey was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.
⁷ When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.
⁸ The entrance for the lowest story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third.
⁹ So he built the House and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the House of beams and planks of cedar.
¹⁰ And he built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.
¹¹ Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.
¹² “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.”
¹³ And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.
¹⁴ So Solomon built the house and finished it.
¹⁵ He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress.
¹⁶ He also built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place.
¹⁷ The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long.
¹⁸ The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen.
¹⁹ The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
²⁰ The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid an altar of cedar.
²¹ So Solomon overlaid the house on the inside with pure gold.
²² And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until all the house was finished. And the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
²³ In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high.
²⁴ And five cubits was the length of the wings of the cherubim.
²⁵ The doors for the most holy place were made of olive wood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.
²⁶ The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub.
²⁷ He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house.
²⁸ And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.
²⁹ Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms.
³⁰ He also overlaid the floor of the house with gold, in the inner and outer rooms.
³¹ For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.
³² So he built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.
³³ So also he made for the entrance to the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood
³⁴ And the two doors were of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
³⁵ He carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.
³⁶ And he built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams.
³⁷ In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.
³⁸ In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.
⁷ Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
² He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars.
³ It was paneled with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row.
⁴ There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers.
⁵ All the doorways and windows had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.
⁶ He made the Hall of Pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, and a porch was in front of them, and a canopy in front of them.
⁷ And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. And it was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.
⁸ His house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had taken in marriage.
⁹ All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court.
¹⁰ The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits.
¹¹ Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord:
¹² The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord, and the vestibule of the house.
¹³ And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.
¹⁴ He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
¹⁵ He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same.
¹⁶ He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits.
¹⁷ There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital.
¹⁸ So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pomegranates. And so he did for the other capital.
¹⁹ So he set the pillars at the entrance of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north.
²⁰ There were capitals on the two pillars, above the rounded projection next to the latticework.
²¹ And he set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz.
²² And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
²³ Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
²⁴ And under the brim of it round about there were knops, compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea all around. The knops were cast in two rows when it was cast.
²⁵ It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward.
²⁶ It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.
²⁷ He made ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.
²⁸ And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the panels, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.
²⁹ And on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. Upon the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work.
³⁰ And each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each.
³¹ Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit from it. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. And also on its opening there were engravings, and their panels were square, not round.
³² And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half.
³³ The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast.
³⁴ And there were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands.
³⁵ He set up the stands on the right side of the house, and when he had set up the sea on the right side of the house, the south side of the house was finished.
³⁶ For on the plates of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around.
³⁷ He made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.
³⁸ He made ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands.
³⁹ He set the basin between the sea and the landings; at the southeast corner.
⁴⁰ Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord:
⁴¹ The two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;
⁴² the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;
⁴³ And the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands;
⁴⁴ and the one sea, twelve oxen underneath it.
⁴⁵ and the pots, the shovels, and the basins. All these vessels that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze.
⁴⁶ In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
⁴⁷ Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.
⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence,
⁴⁹ the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn before the inner sanctuary according to the rule;
⁵⁰ the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.
⁵¹ Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
¹ Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.
² And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
³ And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
⁴ And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.
⁵ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
⁶ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
⁷ For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
⁸ And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.
⁹ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
¹⁰ And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,
¹¹ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
¹² Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.
¹³ I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”
¹⁴ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.
¹⁵ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying,
¹⁶ Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there. But I chose David to be over my people Israel.
¹⁷ Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
¹⁸ “But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.’”
¹⁹ Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’
²⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
²¹ And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
²² Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven,
²³ and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart,
²⁴ who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day.
²⁵ Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’
²⁶ Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.
²⁷ “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!”
²⁸ Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day,
²⁹ that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.
³⁰ And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
³¹ “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house,”
³² then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
³³ “When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house,”
³⁴ then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.
³⁵ “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them,”
³⁶ then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.
³⁷ “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,”
³⁸ whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house,
³⁹ then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
⁴⁰ that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.
⁴¹ “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake
⁴² (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house,
⁴³ “hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.”
⁴⁴ “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,”
⁴⁵ then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.
⁴⁶ “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near,”
⁴⁷ yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’
⁴⁸ if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,
⁴⁹ then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause,
⁵⁰ and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them.
⁵¹ (for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace).
⁵² Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you.
⁵³ for you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”
⁵⁴ Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.
⁵⁵ And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying:
⁵⁶ “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.”
⁵⁷ be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us,
⁵⁸ that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.
⁵⁹ Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires,
⁶⁰ that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.
⁶¹ Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
⁶² Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.
⁶³ Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord.
⁶⁴ The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings.
⁶⁵ So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days.
⁶⁶ On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.
⁴ And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,
² that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.
³ And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.
⁴ And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,
⁵ then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
⁶ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,
⁷ then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
⁸ And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’
⁹ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’
¹⁰ At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house,
¹⁴ Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.
¹² But Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
¹³ And King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men.
¹⁴ And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.
¹⁵ And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the Lord and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer.
¹⁶ (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.)
¹⁷ And Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Lower Beth-horon,
¹⁸ as well as Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,
¹⁹ All the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
²⁰ All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel—
²¹ Their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction—these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day.
²² But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.
²³ These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work: 550 who had charge of the people who carried on the work.
²⁴ But Pharaoh’s daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
²⁵ Three times a year Solomon used to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to the Lord, making offerings with it before the Lord. So he finished the house.
²⁶ And King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
²⁷ And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon.
²⁸ And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.
²³ Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
² She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
³ And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
⁴ And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
⁵ the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
⁶ She said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,
⁷ So I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.
⁸ Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
⁹ Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
¹⁰ Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
¹¹ Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones.
¹² The king also made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
¹³ King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked, besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.
¹⁴ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,
¹⁵ besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.
¹⁶ King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield.
¹⁷ and he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
¹⁸ Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold.
¹⁹ The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,
²⁰ Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made for any kingdom.
²¹ All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.
²² The king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
²³ Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
²⁴ The whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
²⁵ And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
²⁶ And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
²⁷ Now the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.
²⁸ And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price.
²⁹ A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king’s traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
³ He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
² from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
³ He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
⁴ For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
⁶ So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.
⁸ So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
⁹ And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
¹⁰ and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.
¹¹ Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
¹² Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
¹³ However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.
¹⁴ And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.
¹⁵ For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, that he struck down every male in Edom.
¹⁶ (For Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom.)
¹⁷ that Hadad fled to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was still a little child.
¹⁸ And they set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him an allowance of food and gave him land.
¹⁹ And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
²⁰ And the sister of Tahath was his wife, and she bore him Genubath his son.
²¹ But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father’s servants, Hadad still being a little child.
²² Then Pharaoh said to him, “What does he lack with me that you now seek to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Nothing; but please let me go.”
²³ God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.
²⁴ And he gathered men around him and became leader of a marauding band, after David had killed them of Zobah.
²⁵ And he was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria.
²⁶ Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.
²⁷ And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father.
²⁸ The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.
²⁹ And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country.
³⁰ and Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.
³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes.
³² (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),
³³ because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.
³⁴ However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes.
³⁵ but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes.
³⁶ Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.
³⁷ However, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.
³⁸ And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
³⁹ And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’”
⁴⁰ Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
⁴¹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?
⁴² And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
⁴³ And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
¹² Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
² And when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
³ Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,
⁴ “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”
⁵ He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.
⁶ Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
⁷ And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”
⁸ But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
⁹ He said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?”
¹⁰ And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs.
¹¹ And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.
¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”
¹³ And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him,
¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”
¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
¹⁶ So when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents.
¹⁷ But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.
¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. So King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
¹⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
²⁰ When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
²¹ When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
²² But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God:
²³ Speak good words to them and they will be your servants forever.
²⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.
²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.
²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.
²⁷ If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
²⁸ So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
²⁹ And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
³⁰ Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
³¹ He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
³² And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.
³³ He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.
And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel.
And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’”
³ And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’”
⁴ And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.
⁵ And the altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
⁶ And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him and became as it was before.
⁷ And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
⁸ But the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place,
⁹ For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’
¹⁰ And he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.
¹¹ Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king.
¹² And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone.
¹³ And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.
¹⁴ And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”
¹⁵ Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
¹⁶ And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place,
¹⁷ For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’
¹⁸ And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him.
¹⁹ So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.
²⁰ And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back.
²¹ And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you,
²² But when he had gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body.
²³ And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.
²⁴ And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body.
²⁵ And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
²⁶ And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the Lord spoke to him.”
²⁷ And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.
²⁸ And he went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey.
²⁹ And the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back to the city to mourn and to bury him.
³⁰ And he laid his body in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
³¹ And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
³² For the saying that he called out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.”
³³ After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places.
³⁴ And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.
¹ At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.
² And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.
³ And take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
⁴ And Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.
⁵ Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
⁶ And when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.
⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel,
⁸ and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes,
⁹ but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,
¹⁰ therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.
¹¹ Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.
¹² Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.
¹³ And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.
¹⁴ Moreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today.
¹⁵ And the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.
¹⁶ And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.
¹⁷ Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
¹⁸ And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
²⁰ And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
²¹ Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
²² And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.
²³ For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
²⁴ And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
²⁵ In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.
²⁶ He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made.
²⁷ And King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.
²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
³⁰ And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
³¹ And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.
¹ Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.
² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
³ And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.
¹⁵ Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem,
⁵ because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
⁶ Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
⁸ And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah,
¹⁰ And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
¹¹ And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done.
¹² He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
¹³ He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.
¹⁴ But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.
¹⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
¹⁶ And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
¹⁷ Now Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,
¹⁹ “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.”
²⁰ Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
²¹ When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and he lived in Tirzah.
²² Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
²³ Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet.
²⁴ And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
²⁵ Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.
²⁶ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
²⁷ Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
²⁸ Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place.
²⁹ And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.
³⁰ because of the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.
³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
³² And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
³³ In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty-four years.
³⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
¹⁶ And the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying:
² “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins,
³ Surely I will sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
⁴ Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.”
⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
⁶ And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried at Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place.
⁷ Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it.
⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.
⁹ But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah,
¹⁰ When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire and died,
¹¹ When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends.
¹² Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,
¹³ for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.
¹⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines,
¹⁶ And the people who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.
¹⁷ Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him.
¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire and died,
¹⁹ For his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.
²² But the people who were living in the land of the sons of Ammon, the Ammonites, made him king in place of his father Hazael.
²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah.
²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
²⁵ Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him.
²⁶ For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols.
²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
²⁸ So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place.
²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
³¹ And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
³¹ And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
³² And he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
³³ And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
³⁴ In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
¹ Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
² And the word of the Lord came to him:
³ “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.”
⁴ You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
⁵ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.
⁶ And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
⁷ And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him,
⁹ “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.”
¹¹ And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
¹² And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
¹³ And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
¹⁴ For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”
¹⁵ She went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
¹⁶ The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
¹⁷ After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
¹⁸ And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”
¹⁹ And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.
²⁰ Then he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?”
²¹ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.”
²² And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
²³ And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.”
²⁴ And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
¹ After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
³ And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, )
⁴ And when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.
⁵ And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.”
⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.
⁷ And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
⁸ And he answered him, “I am the prophet of the Lord. But how have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
⁹ And he said, “What have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you.
¹¹ And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”‘
¹² And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. So, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.
¹³ Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water?
¹⁴ And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”‘; and he will kill me.”
¹⁵ And Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”
¹⁸ And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.
¹⁹ Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
²⁰ So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
²¹ And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
²³ Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.
²⁴ And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”
²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”
²⁶ And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.
²⁷ And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
²⁸ And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.
²⁹ And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.
³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,”
³² And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord.
³³ And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”
³⁴ And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”
³⁵ And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
³⁶ And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
³⁷ Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”
³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
³⁹ And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
⁴⁰ And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.”
⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.
⁴³ And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times.
⁴⁴ And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”
⁴⁵ And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
⁴⁶ And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
¹ Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
³ Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
⁴ But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
⁵ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep.
⁶ And he looked, and behold, there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.
⁷ And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”
⁸ And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
⁹ There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
¹⁰ He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
¹¹ And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
¹² And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
¹³ And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
¹⁴ He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
¹⁵ And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
¹⁶ And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
¹⁷ And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.
¹⁸ Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
¹⁹ So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.
²⁰ And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
²¹ And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
¹ Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it.
² And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad:
³ Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’”
⁴ And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.”
⁵ And the messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.”
⁶ But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.
⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.”
⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”
⁹ Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again.
¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”
¹¹ And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’”
¹² And when Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, “Take your positions.” And they took their positions against the city.
¹³ And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
¹⁴ And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By the servants of the governors of the districts.’” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.”
¹⁵ Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.
¹⁶ And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him.
¹⁷ The young men of the leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out from Samaria.”
¹⁸ And he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
¹⁹ And the servants of the governors of the districts went out first.
²⁰ They struck down every man in it, but each man fled to his own home.
²¹ And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow.
²² And the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you.”
²³ And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
²⁴ And do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places,
²⁵ and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
²⁶ In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
²⁷ The people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country.
²⁸ And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’”
²⁹ And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day.
³⁰ But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand men who were left.
³¹ And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
³² So they tied on sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, and went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please, let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
³³ Now the men took this as a good omen, and they quickly accepted his offer and said, “Your brother Ben-hadad lives.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” So Ben-hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
³⁴ And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” And Ahab said, “I will let you go on these terms.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
³⁵ And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him.
³⁶ Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down.
³⁷ Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” And the man struck him—struck him and wounded him.
³⁸ So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
³⁹ And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’
⁴⁰ And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”
⁴¹ And he hurried and took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
⁴² And he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’”
⁴³ And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria.
¹ Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
² And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”
³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
⁴ And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.
⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?”
⁶ And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”
⁷ And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.
⁹ And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.
¹⁰ But set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,
¹² They proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
¹³ And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him.
¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
¹⁶ And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.”
²¹ “Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.”
²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.
²¹ Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
²² I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin.
²³ And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’
²⁴ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.
²⁵ (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.)
²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.
²⁷ And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
²⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”
²² For three years Syria and Israel continued without war.
² It came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
³ And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?”
⁴ And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
⁵ But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”
⁶ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
⁷ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?”
⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
⁹ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.”
¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
¹¹ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”
¹² And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
¹³ And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”
¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
¹⁵ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
¹⁶ And the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
¹⁷ And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”
¹⁸ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
¹⁹ And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.
²⁰ and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.
²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’
²² And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’
²³ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”
²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?”
²⁵ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.”
²⁶ And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,
²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”
²⁸ And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”
²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
³⁰ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
³¹ Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.”
³² And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out.
³³ And a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
³⁴ But someone drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
³⁵ And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.
³⁶ So there went a proclamation throughout the camp as the sun was going down, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country.”
³⁷ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
³⁸ And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken.
³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
⁴¹ Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
⁴³ He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
⁴⁴ And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
⁴⁶ He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
⁴⁷ There was not a king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.
⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing.
⁵⁰ Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
⁵² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
⁵³ For he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.

2 Kings 1:1-25:30: ¹ After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
² Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”
³ But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
⁴ Now therefore thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
⁵ The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
⁶ And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
⁷ He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”
⁸ They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
⁹ Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”
¹⁰ But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
¹¹ Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
¹² But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
¹³ Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
¹⁴ Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.”
¹⁵ And the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.
¹⁶ And he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
¹⁷ So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
¹ Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
² And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
³ And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
⁵ The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
⁶ And Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
⁷ Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
⁸ Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
¹⁰ And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
¹¹ And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
¹² And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
¹³ He picked up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
¹⁴ Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
¹⁵ Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
¹⁶ And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”
¹⁷ But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.
¹⁸ And when they came back to him (for he was staying in Jericho), he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
¹⁹ Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.”
²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
²¹ Then he went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
²² So the waters have been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
²³ He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
²⁴ He turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
²⁵ He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
³ Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
² He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
³ Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
⁵ But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
⁶ And King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel.
⁷ And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
⁸ And he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jesus answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”
⁹ So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.
¹⁰ And the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”
¹² And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
¹³ And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
¹⁴ And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.
¹⁵ But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.
¹⁶ And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’
¹⁷ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’
¹⁸ This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand,
¹⁹ And you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
²⁰ The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.
²¹ And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border.
²² And they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
²³ And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!”
²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the Moabites, until they fled before them. And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they went.
²⁵ And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.
²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.
²⁷ Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
¹ Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”
² And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
³ Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few.
⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.”
⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her.
⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
⁸ One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food.
⁹ And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.
¹⁰ Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”
¹¹ One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there.
¹² And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him.
¹³ And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”
¹⁴ And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
¹⁵ And he said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway.
¹⁶ And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.”
¹⁷ But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.
¹⁸ When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers.
¹⁹ But he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
²⁰ So he picked him up and brought him to his mother. And the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.
²¹ And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.
²² She called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.”
²³ So he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.”
²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey, and said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.”
²⁵ So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
²⁶ Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘All is well.’
²⁷ And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”
²⁹ He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.”
³⁰ Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her.
³¹ Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. So he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”
³² When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed.
³³ So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord.
³⁴ Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm.
³⁵ Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
³⁶ Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.”
³⁷ Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took up her son and went out.
³⁸ And Elisha came again to Gilgal when there was a famine in the land. And as the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his servant, “Set on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”
³⁹ Then one went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were.
⁴⁰ So they poured out for the men to eat. And when they ate of the stew, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.
⁴¹ But he said, “Then bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour some out for the men, that they may eat.” And there was no harm in the pot.
⁴² A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.”
⁴³ But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”
⁴⁴ So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.
⁵ Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.
² Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.
³ She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
⁴ Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.”
⁵ And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
⁷ And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”
⁸ But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”
¹¹ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.
¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
¹³ But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
¹⁴ Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
¹⁵ Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.”
¹⁶ But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.
¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.
¹⁸ In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”
¹⁹ But he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a little way.
²⁰ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
²¹ So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?”
²² And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’”
²³ And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi.
²⁴ And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed.
²⁵ He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
²⁶ But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants?
²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow.
¹ Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us.
² Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.”
³ Then one said, “Please come with your servants.” And he answered, “I will come.”
⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
⁵ But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.”
⁶ And the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float.
⁷ Therefore he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
⁸ Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.”
⁹ And the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.”
¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
¹¹ And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?”
¹² And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
¹³ And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”
¹⁴ So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
¹⁸ And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
¹⁹ And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
²⁰ As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
²¹ As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?”
²² He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”
²³ So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.
²⁴ Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria.
²⁵ And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.
²⁶ Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”
²⁷ And he said, “If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?”
²⁸ And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’
²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.”
³⁰ When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body.
³¹ Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”
³² Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
³³ And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and the king said, “This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
⁷ Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.”
² Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
³ Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate.
⁴ If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.”
⁵ And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there.
⁶ For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.”
⁷ So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives.
⁸ And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them.
⁹ Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.”
¹⁰ So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city and told them, “We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no one to be seen or heard there, nothing but the horses tied and the donkeys tied and the tents as they were.”
¹¹ Then the gatekeepers called out, and it was told within the king’s household.
¹² And the king rose in the night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. So they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.’”
¹³ And one of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of Israel who have already perished. Let us send and see.”
¹⁴ So they took two horsemen, and the king sent them after the army of the Syrians, saying, “Go and see.”
¹⁵ They went after them as far as the Jordan, and behold, all the way was littered with garments and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king.
¹⁶ So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.
¹⁷ Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said when the king came down to him.
¹⁸ And it happened just as the man of God had said to the king: “Two seahs of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, at this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.”
¹⁹ The officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing happen?” And he had said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
²⁰ And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.
¹ Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.”
² And the woman arose and did as the man of God had said. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
³ And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land.
⁴ Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.”
⁵ And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.”
⁶ And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
⁷ Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,”
⁸ And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’”
⁹ So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’”
¹⁰ And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.”
¹¹ And he set his face and stared at him until he was ashamed. And the man of God wept.
¹² And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”
¹³ And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”
¹⁴ Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. When Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem,
¹⁵ But on the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
¹⁶ In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign.
¹⁷ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
¹⁸ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
¹⁹ Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.
²⁰ In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own.
²¹ Then Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders.
²² To Edom. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
²³ Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²⁴ Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
²⁵ In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.
²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
²⁷ And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
²⁸ He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.
²⁹ And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
¹ Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
² And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber.
³ Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
⁴ So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
⁵ And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.”
⁶ And he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
⁷ And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
⁸ For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
⁹ Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.
¹⁰ And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
¹¹ When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.”
¹² And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’”
¹³ Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Syria,
¹⁵ but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. So Jehu said, “If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.”
¹⁶ So Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’”
¹⁸ So the horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Go behind me.”
¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus the king has said, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace? Go behind me.”
²⁰ And the watchman told, saying, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”
²¹ Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
²² And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?”
²³ And Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!”
²⁴ And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.
²⁵ Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him:
²⁶ ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground,’ declares the Lord. So now take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”
²⁷ When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there.
²⁸ So his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.
²⁹ In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window.
³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?”
³² And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.
³³ He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.
³⁴ Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.”
³⁵ But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
³⁶ Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel,
³⁷ and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.
¹ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying,
² “Now, when this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,”
³ So take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up.
⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?”
⁵ So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.”
⁶ Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up.
⁷ And when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
⁸ And the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.”
⁹ And in the morning, when the sacrifice was offered, Jehu commanded all the people, “You are righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these?
¹⁰ Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.
¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
¹² Then he set out and went to Samaria. On the way, when he was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
¹³ Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah, and we came down to visit the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother.”
¹⁴ And he said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.
¹⁵ And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. And Jehu took him up with him into the chariot.
¹⁶ And he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he had him ride in his chariot.
¹⁷ And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to Elijah.
¹⁸ Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much.
¹⁹ Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.
²⁰ And Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it.
²¹ And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.
²² He said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the vestments for them.
²³ Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.”
²⁵ So as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, “Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape.” So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal.
²⁶ And they brought out the pillar that was in the house of Baal, and burned it.
²⁷ They demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.
²⁸ Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.
²⁹ But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.
³⁰ And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”
³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.
³² In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel.
³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, Gilead and Bashan.
³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
³⁵ In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel.
³⁶ and the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
¹ Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.
² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death.
³ And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
⁴ But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king’s son.
⁵ And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king’s house

⁶ And a third of you shall come in through the gate of Sur, a third through the gate of the guard, and a third through the gate behind the guards. So you shall guard the palace.
⁷ And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord,
⁸ And you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
⁹ And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
¹⁰ And the priest gave to the captains the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord.
¹¹ Then the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king.
¹² Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
¹³ And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people.
¹⁴ And when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”
¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”
¹⁶ And they laid hands on her; she went through the horses’ entrance to the king’s house, and there she was put to death.
¹⁷ And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people.
¹⁸ Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. His altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
¹⁹ And he took the captains, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings.
²⁰ So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king’s house.
²¹ And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king’s house.
¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
² And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
³ But the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.
⁴ Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord,
⁵ let the priests take it for themselves, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.”
⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had made no repairs on the house.
⁷ So King Joash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house.”
⁸ And the priests agreed that they should take the money to repair the house, each from his donor, and that they should repair the house of the Lord.
⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bore a hole in its lid and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the Lord. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.
¹⁰ And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord.
¹¹ Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord,
¹² The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.
¹³ But there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord,
¹⁴ But they did not ask an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly.
¹⁵ And they did not ask an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly.
¹⁶ The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.
¹⁷ At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. Then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
¹⁸ Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²⁰ His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash in the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla.
²¹ And Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
¹ In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.
² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
³ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.
⁴ Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them.
⁵ So the Lord gave Israel a savior, and they escaped from the hand of the Syrians. Then the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.
⁶ Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.
⁷ For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
⁹ And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.
¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
¹¹ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
¹² Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
¹³ And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
¹⁴ Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
¹⁵ And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows.
¹⁶ Then he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with your arrows.” And he struck it three times and stopped.
¹⁷ And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.”
¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped.
¹⁹ Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
²⁰ So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.
²¹ Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out and were drawn up at the border.
²² Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.
²⁴ So Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his place.
²⁵ And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
¹ In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.
² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
³ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.
⁴ But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
⁵ And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father.
⁶ But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”
⁷ He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.
⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.”
⁹ And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.
¹⁰ You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.
¹³ And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.
¹⁵ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
¹⁶ And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
¹⁷ Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
¹⁸ And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.
¹⁹ And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.
²⁰ And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
²¹ And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
²² He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.
²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.
²⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
²⁵ He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
²⁶ For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
²⁷ And the Lord did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
²⁹ And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
¹ In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
² He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
³ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
⁴ Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
⁵ And the Lord touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land.
⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
⁷ And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.
⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.
⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
¹⁰ Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place.
¹¹ Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he might help him to confirm his hold on the royal power.
¹² Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place.
¹³ Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria.
¹⁴ Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and he struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and put him to death and reigned in his place.
¹⁵ Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, and the conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
¹⁶ At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on, because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, and he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant.
¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.
¹⁸ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
¹⁹ Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he might help him to confirm his hold on the royal power.
²⁰ And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.
²¹ And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.
²² And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.
²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.
²⁴ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
²⁵ And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place.
²⁶ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done.
²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.
²⁸ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.
²⁹ In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
³⁰ Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.
³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
³² In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
³³ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
³⁴ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
³⁵ Only the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord.
³⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
³⁷ In those days the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.
³⁸ And Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father.
¹⁶ In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.
² Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.
³ but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel.
⁴ And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
⁵ Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.
⁶ At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day.
⁷ So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.”
⁸ Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria.
⁹ And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.
¹⁰ When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.
¹¹ Uriah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.
¹² When the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it
¹³ And he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.
¹⁴ And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
¹⁵ And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.”
¹⁶ And he removed the bronze altar that was before the Lord, from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
¹⁷ And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal.
¹⁸ And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the Lord, because of the king of Assyria.
¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²⁰ And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
¹ In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years.
² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
³ Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
⁴ And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.
⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
⁷ And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods.
⁸ and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.
⁹ And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
¹⁰ They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
¹¹ and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger,
¹² they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.”
¹³ Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
¹⁴ But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
¹⁵ They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.
¹⁶ And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
¹⁷ And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.
¹⁹ Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.
²⁰ And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
²¹ When he had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord and made them commit great sin.
²² For the people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. They did not depart from them,
²³ until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.
²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
²⁵ And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
²⁶ So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.”
²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.”
²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
²⁹ But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.
³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
³² They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.
³³ They feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
³⁴ To this day they do according to their former manner. They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
³⁵ The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,
³⁶ but you shall fear the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.
³⁷ And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to do. You shall not fear other gods.
³⁸ And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, and you shall not fear other gods.
³⁹ but you shall fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
⁴⁰ but they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
⁴¹ So these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day.
¹ In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
² And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
³ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.
⁴ He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
⁵ He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.
⁶ For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses.
⁷ And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.
⁸ He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.
⁹ In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.
¹⁰ And at the end of three years they captured it.
¹¹ The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,
¹² because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed.
¹³ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
¹⁴ And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
¹⁵ And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
¹⁶ At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord and from the doorposts that he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.
¹⁷ And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer’s Field.
¹⁸ And when they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
¹⁹ And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?
²⁰ You say (but they are but empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?
²¹ Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
²² But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
²³ Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
²⁴ How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
²⁵ Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”
²⁶ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
²⁷ But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
²⁸ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
²⁹ Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.
³⁰ “Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’”
³¹ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern,
³² until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.”
³³ Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
³⁴ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
³⁵ Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
³⁶ But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”
³⁷ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
¹ As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.
² And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz.
³ And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.
⁴ It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.
⁵ When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah,
⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Thus shall you say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me.
⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.
⁸ Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.
⁹ Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,
¹⁰ “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
¹¹ Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?
¹² have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?
¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?”
¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.
¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.
¹⁶ Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
17Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands
¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.
¹⁹ So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
²⁰ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
²¹ This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: “‘She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem.
²² Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
²³ By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest lodging place, its most fruitful forest.
²⁴ I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and I dried up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.
²⁵ “Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,
²⁶ Therefore their inhabitants were of small power;
they were dismayed and confounded;
they were like the grass of the field
and like the green herb,
like the grass on the housetops
and like a field of grain
before it is grown.
²⁷ “But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.
²⁸ Because your rage against me and your complacency has come up to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.
²⁹ “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
³⁰ And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
³¹ For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.
³² Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it.
³³ By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord.
³⁴ For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.
³⁵ And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
³⁶ And Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh.
³⁷ And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
¹ In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’”
² Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying,
³ “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
⁴ And when Isaiah had gone out into the middle of the court, the word of the Lord came to him:
⁵ “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.”
⁶ And I will add fifteen years to your life.
⁷ And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”
⁸ And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?”
⁹ And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”
¹⁰ And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.”
¹¹ And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.
¹² At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
¹³ And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.”
¹⁵ And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord:
¹⁷ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
¹⁸ And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
²⁰ The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²¹ And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
³ For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
⁴ And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.”
⁵ And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
⁶ And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
⁷ And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.
⁸ And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.”
⁹ But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.
¹⁰ And the Lord said by his servants the prophets,
¹¹ “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols,”
¹² therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
¹³ And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
¹⁴ And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies,
¹⁵ because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”
¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
¹⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
¹⁸ And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son reigned in his place.
¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
²⁰ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done.
²¹ And he walked in all the way in which his father walked and served the idols that his father served and worshiped them.
²² And he abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.
²³ And the servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his house.
²⁴ And the people of the land slew all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
²⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²⁶ And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.
¹ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
² And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
³ And in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying,
⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people.
⁵ And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house,
⁶ to the carpenters, and the builders, and the masons, and to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house.
⁷ But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”
⁸ And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
⁹ And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.”
¹⁰ Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
¹² And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,
¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, and they talked with her.
¹⁵ And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me,
¹⁶ Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read.
¹⁷ Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.
¹⁸ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,
¹⁹ because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.
²⁰ Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.
²³ Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him.
² And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord.
³ And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
⁴ And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
⁵ And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens.
⁶ And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people.
⁷ And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
⁸ And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the gate of the city.
⁹ Yet the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers.
¹⁰ And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.
¹¹ And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts. And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
¹² And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
¹³ And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
¹⁴ And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.
¹⁵ Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah.
¹⁶ And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things.
¹⁷ Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.”
¹⁸ And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.
¹⁹ And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel.
²⁰ He sacrificed all the priests of the high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
²¹ And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
²² Neither in the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been kept.
²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.
²⁴ Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.
²⁵ Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.
²⁶ Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him.
²⁷ And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”
²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
²⁹ In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo as soon as he saw him.
³⁰ And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.
³¹ Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
³² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
³³ And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
³⁴ And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there.
³⁵ And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
³⁶ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
³⁷ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
² And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets.
² And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets.
³ Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,
⁴ And also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.
⁵ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
⁶ So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
⁷ And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
¹⁰ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
¹¹ And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it.
¹² and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign,
¹³ And he carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold.
¹⁴ He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land.
¹⁵ And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
¹⁶ All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
¹⁷ And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
¹⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
²⁰ For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
¹ And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.
² And the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
³ On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
⁴ Then the city was breached, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah.
⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.
⁶ Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him.
⁷ And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.
⁸ In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
⁹ And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
¹¹ And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.
¹² But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
¹³ And the bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon.
¹⁴ And he carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land.
¹⁵ The fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver.
¹⁶ The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.
¹⁷ The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework.
¹⁸ And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold.
¹⁹ And from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five men of the king’s council who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.
²⁰ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
²¹ And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
²² And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor.
²³ Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite.
²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”
²⁵ But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Judeans and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
²⁶ And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
²⁷ And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.
²⁸ and he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
²⁹ So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table.
³⁰ and his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.