Today's Reading

¹He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. It was square. Its length was five cubits, its breadth was five cubits, and its height was three cubits.

²He made its horns on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with brass.

³He made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of brass.

⁴He made for the altar a grating of a network of brass, under the ledge around it beneath, reaching halfway up.

⁵He cast four rings for the four ends of brass grating, to be places for the poles.

⁶He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with brass.

⁷He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

⁸He made the basin of brass, and its base of brass, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

⁹He made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits;

¹⁰their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.

¹¹For the north side one hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

¹²For the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars, and their fillets, of silver.

¹³For the east side eastward fifty cubits.

¹⁴The hangings for the one side were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three;

¹⁵and so for the other side: on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.

¹⁶All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen.

¹⁷The sockets for the pillars were of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.

¹⁸The screen for the gate of the court was the work of the embroiderer, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen. Twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, like to the hangings of the court.

¹⁹Their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, and their fillets, of silver.

²⁰All the pins of the tabernacle, and around the court, were of brass.

²¹This is the amount of material used for the tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

²²Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.

²³With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a skillful workman, and an embroiderer in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen.

²⁴All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents, and seven hundred thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

²⁵The silver of those who were numbered of the congregation was one hundred talents, and one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

²⁶a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men.

²⁷The one hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, a talent for a socket.

²⁸Of the one thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them.

²⁹The brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand four hundred shekels.

³⁰With this he made the sockets to the door of the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, all the vessels of the altar,

³¹the sockets around the court, the sockets of the gate of the court, all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins around the court.

¹Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses.

²He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.

³They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, in the purple, in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skillful workman.

⁴They made shoulder straps for it, joined together. At the two ends it was joined together.

⁵The skillfully woven band that was on it, with which to fasten it on, was of the same piece, like its work; of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁶They worked the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel.

⁷He put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁸He made the breastplate, the work of a skillful workman, like the work of the ephod; of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.

⁹It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its breadth a span, being double.

¹⁰They set in it four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz, and beryl was the first row;

¹¹and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;

¹²and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

¹³and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold settings.

¹⁴The stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, for the twelve tribes.

¹⁵They made on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.

¹⁶They made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

¹⁷They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.

¹⁸The other two ends of the two braided chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, in its front.

¹⁹They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which was toward the side of the ephod inward.

²⁰They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its front, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

²¹They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not come loose from the ephod, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²²He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.

²³The opening of the robe in its midst was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around its opening, that it should not be torn.

²⁴They made on the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet, and twined linen.

²⁵They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates around the skirts of the robe, between the pomegranates;

²⁶a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁷They made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,

²⁸and the turban of fine linen, and the linen headbands of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen,

²⁹and the sash of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it a writing, like the engravings of a signet: "HOLY TO THE Lord."

³¹They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³²Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; so they did.

³³They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,

³⁴the covering of rams' skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen,

³⁵the ark of the testimony with its poles, the mercy seat,

³⁶the table, all its vessels, the show bread,

³⁷the pure menorah, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light,

³⁸the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent,

³⁹the bronze altar, its grating of brass, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base,

⁴⁰the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting,

⁴¹the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.

⁴²According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.

⁴³Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

³You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

⁴You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that are on it. You shall bring in the menorah, and light its lamps.

⁵You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

⁶You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

⁷You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein.

⁸You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court.

⁹You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture: and it will be holy.

¹⁰You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar will be most holy.

¹¹You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it.

¹²You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water.

¹³You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

¹⁴You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them.

¹⁵You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to me in the priest's office. Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations."

¹⁶Moses did so. According to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.

¹⁷It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up.

¹⁸Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars.

¹⁹He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁰He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.

²¹He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²²He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the side of the tabernacle northward, outside of the veil.

²³He set the bread in order on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁴He put the menorah in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

²⁵He lit the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁶He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil;

²⁷and he burnt incense of sweet spices on it, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁸He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle.

²⁹He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash.

³¹Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there.

³²When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³³He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

³⁴Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁵Moses wasn't able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the Lord's glory filled the tabernacle.

³⁶When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys;

³⁷but if the cloud wasn't taken up, then they did not travel until the day that it was taken up.

³⁸For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

¹When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house.

²And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them.

³Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.

⁴When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof above him. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.

⁵Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

⁶But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

⁷"Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?"

⁸Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you reason these things in your hearts?

⁹Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?'

¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins", he said to the paralytic,

¹¹"I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house."

¹²And he arose immediately, and took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

¹³And he went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them.

¹⁴As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he arose and followed him.

¹⁵It happened, that he was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him.

¹⁶The scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, said to his disciples, "Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"

¹⁷But when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

¹⁸John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

¹⁹And Jesus said to them, "Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then will they fast in those days.

²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.

²²And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins."

²³It happened that he was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.

²⁴The Pharisees said to him, "Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?"

²⁵He said to them, "Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry-he, and those who were with him?

²⁶How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?"

²⁷He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

¹ I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

²Lord my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.

³Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴Sing praise to the Lord, you holy ones of his. Give thanks to his holy name.

⁵For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

⁷You, Lord, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

⁸I cried to you, Lord. To the Lord I made supplication:

⁹"What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?

¹⁰Hear, Lord, and have mercy on me. Lord, be my helper."

¹¹You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

¹²To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: the man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

²"Surely I am the most ignorant man, and do not have a man's understanding.

³I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?

⁵"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

⁶Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

⁷"Two things I have asked of you; do not deny me before I die:

⁸Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;

⁹lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

¹⁰"Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses their father, and doesn't bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵"The leach has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; four that do not say, 'Enough:'

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb; the earth that is not satisfied with water; and the fire that doesn't say, 'Enough.'

¹⁷"The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother: the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸"There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which I do not understand:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maiden.

²⁰"So is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'

²¹"For three things the earth tremble, and under four, it can't bear up:

²²For a servant when he is king; a fool when he is filled with food;

²³for an unloved woman when she is married; and a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.

²⁴"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer.

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.

²⁸You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹"There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going:

³⁰The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and doesn't turn away for any;

³¹the greyhound, the male goat also; and the king against whom there is no rising up.

³²"If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."