English: Unlocked Literal Bible

¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and empty. Darkness was upon the surface of the deep. The Spirit of God was moving above the surface of the waters.

³ God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. ⁴ God saw the light, that it was good. He divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

⁶ God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." ⁷ God made the expanse and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. It was so. ⁸ God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

⁹ God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear." It was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land "earth," and the gathered waters he called "seas." He saw that it was good.

¹¹ God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit whose seed is in the fruit, each according to its own kind." It was so. ¹² The earth produced vegetation, plants producing seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit whose seed was in it, after their kind. God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

¹⁴ God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to divide the day from the night and let them be as signs, for seasons, for days and years. ¹⁵ Let them be lights in the sky to give light upon the earth." It was so. ¹⁶ God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

²⁰ God said, "Let the waters be filled with great numbers of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the expanse of the sky." ²¹ God created the great sea creatures, as well as every living creature after its kind, creatures that move and which fill the waters everywhere, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas. Let birds multiply on the earth." ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

²⁴ God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures, each according to its own kind, livestock, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its own kind." It was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals after their kind, the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind. He saw that it was good.

²⁶ God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." ¹

²⁷ God created man in his own image. In his own image he created him. Male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply. Fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

²⁹ God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the surface of all the earth, and every tree with fruit which has seed in it. They will be food to you. ³⁰ To every beast of the earth, to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, and to every creature that has the breath of life I have given every green plant for food." It was so.

³¹ God saw everything that he had made. Behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

¹Some ancient copies have: ... over the livestock, over all the animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

¹ Then the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the living things that filled them.

² On the seventh day God came to the end of his work which he had done, and so he rested on the seventh day from all his work. ³ God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had created and made.

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, on the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ No bush of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. ⁶ But a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. ⁸ Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. This included the tree of life that was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰ A river went out of Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon. It is the one which flows throughout the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² The gold of that land is good. There are also bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon. This one flows throughout the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is Tigris, and it flows east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates. ¹⁵ Yahweh God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to maintain it. ¹⁶ Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "From every tree in the garden you may freely eat. ¹⁷ But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die."

¹⁸ Then Yahweh God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him." ¹⁹ Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the sky. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the livestock, to all the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field. But for the man himself there was found no helper suitable for him. ²¹ Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, so the man slept. Yahweh God took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh where he took the rib. ²² With the rib that Yahweh God had taken from the man, he made a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ The man said,

"This time, this one is bone of my bones,

and flesh of my flesh.

She will be called 'woman,'

because she was taken out of man."

²⁴ Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, he will be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ²⁵ They were both naked, the man and his wife, but were not ashamed.

¹ Now the serpent was more shrewd than any other beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You must not eat from any tree of the garden'?" ² The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ but concerning the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die. ⁵ For God knows that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ⁶ 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 desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for their loins. ⁸ They heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" ¹⁰ The man said, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid myself." ¹¹ God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" ¹² The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it." ¹³ Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

¹⁴ Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,

cursed are you alone among all the livestock

and all the beasts of the field.

It is on your stomach that you will go,

and it is dust that you will eat

all the days of your life.

¹⁵ I will put hostility between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will bruise your head,

and you will bruise his heel."

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth;

it is in pain that you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,

but he will rule over you."

¹⁷ To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree, concerning which I commanded you, saying, 'You may not eat from it,'

Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful work you will eat from it

all the days of your life.

¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

¹⁹ By the sweat of your face

you will eat bread,

until you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken.

For dust you are,

and to dust you will return."

²⁰ The man called his wife's name Eve because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ Yahweh God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

²² Yahweh God said, "Now the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. So now he must not be allowed to reach out with his hand, take from the tree of life, eat it, and live forever." ²³ Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴ So God drove the man out of the garden, and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword that turned every way, in order to guard the way to the tree of life.

¹ The man knew Eve his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have produced a man with Yahweh's help." ² Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a keeper of flocks, but Cain cultivated the soil. ³ It came about that in the course of time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground as an offering to Yahweh. ⁴ As for Abel, he brought some of the firstborn of his flock and some of the fat. Yahweh accepted Abel and his offering, ⁵ but Cain and his offering he did not accept. So Cain was very angry, and he scowled. ⁶ Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry and why are you scowling? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin crouches at the door and desires to control you, but you must rule over it." ⁸ Cain spoke to Abel his brother. It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. ¹

⁹ Then Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" ¹⁰ Yahweh said, "What have you done? Your brother's blood is calling out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. ¹² When you cultivate the ground, from now on it will not yield to you its strength. A fugitive and a wanderer you will be in the earth." ¹³ Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Indeed, you have driven me out this day from this ground, and I will be hidden from your face. I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." ¹⁵ Yahweh said to him, "If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Then Yahweh put a mark on Cain, so that if anyone found him, that person would not attack him.

¹⁶ So Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh and lived in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. ¹⁷ Cain knew his wife and she conceived. She gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and named it after his son Enoch. ¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. ¹⁹ Lamech took for himself two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of those who play the harp and pipe. ²² As for Zillah, she bore Tubal-Cain, the forger of tools of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. ²³ Lamech said to his wives,

"Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice;

you wives of Lamech, listen to my words.

For I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man for bruising me.

²⁴ If Cain is avenged seven times,

then Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times."

²⁵ Adam knew his wife again, and she bore another son. She called his name Seth and said, "God has given me another son in the place of Abel, for Cain killed him." ²⁶ A son was born to Seth and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of Yahweh.

¹The best ancient copies read in this way. However, some old translations and some modern translations read Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go into the fields." It came about that while they were in the fields, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

¹ This is the record of the descendants of Adam. On the day that God created mankind, he made them in his own likeness. ² Male and female he created them. He blessed them and named them mankind when they were created. ³ When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and he called his name Seth. ⁴ After Adam became the father of Seth, he lived eight hundred years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁵ Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. ⁷ After he became the father of Enosh, he lived 807 years and became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁸ Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

⁹ When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ¹¹ Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

¹² When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ²⁰ Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

²¹ When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ²³ Enoch lived 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and then he was gone, for God took him.

²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ²⁷ Methuselah lived 969 years. Then he died.

²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he became the father of a son. ²⁹ He called his name Noah, saying, "This one will give us rest from our work and from the painful labor of our hands, which we must do because of the ground that Yahweh has cursed." ³⁰ Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah. He became the father of more sons and daughters. ³¹ Lamech lived 777 years. Then he died.

³² After Noah had lived five hundred years, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹ It came about when mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were attractive. They took for themselves wives, any of them that they chose. ³ Yahweh said, "My spirit will not remain in mankind forever, for they are flesh. They will live 120 years." ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward. This happened when the sons of God married daughters of men, and they had children with them. These were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

⁵ Yahweh saw that the wickedness of mankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. ⁶ Yahweh regretted that he had made mankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So Yahweh said, "I will wipe away mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—mankind and animals, and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them." ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

⁹ This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹ The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. ¹² God saw the earth; behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

¹³ God said to Noah, "I can see that it is time to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Indeed, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch within and without. ¹⁵ This is how you will make it: The length of the ark is to be three hundred cubits; the breadth of it is to be fifty cubits, and the height of it is to be thirty cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it at a cubit from the top of the side. Place a door in the side of the ark and make a lower, a second, and a third deck. ¹⁷ Listen, I am about to bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh that has in it the breath of life from under heaven. Everything that is on the earth will die. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you. You will come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons' wives with you. ¹⁹ Of every living creature of all flesh, two of every kind you must bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you, both male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds after their kind, and of animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you to keep them alive. ²¹ Gather for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and store it, so that it will be food for you and for them." ²² So Noah did this. According to all that God commanded him, so he did.

¹ Yahweh said to Noah, "Come, you and all your household, into the ark, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. ² Of every clean animal you will bring with you seven males and seven females. From the animals that are not clean, of them bring two, the male and his mate. ³ Also of the birds of the sky, bring seven males and seven females, to keep their offspring alive upon the surface of all the earth. ⁴ For in seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from off the surface of the ground every living thing that I have made." ⁵ Noah did all that Yahweh commanded him.

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth. ⁷ Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives went into the ark together because of the waters of the flood. ⁸ Clean animals and unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps upon the ground, ⁹ two by two, male and female, came to Noah and went into the ark, just as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ It came about that after the 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 the same day, all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened. ¹² The rain began and fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On that very same day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ark. ¹⁴ They entered along with each wild animal according to its kind, and each sort of livestock according to its kind, and each creeping thing that creeps upon the earth according to its kind, and every sort of bird according to its kind, each kind of creature with wings. ¹⁵ Two of all flesh in which was the breath of life came to Noah and entered into the ark. ¹⁶ The animals that went in were male and female of all flesh; they entered in just as God had commanded him. Then Yahweh shut the door after them. ¹⁷ Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. ¹⁸ The waters completely covered over the earth, and the ark floated upon the surface of the water. ¹⁹ The waters rose greatly on the earth so that all the high mountains that were under the entire sky were covered. ²⁰ The waters rose fifteen cubits above the tops of the mountains. ²¹ All living beings that moved upon the earth died—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the living creatures that lived in great numbers upon the earth, and all mankind. ²² All living creatures who lived on the land, who breathed the breath of life through their noses, died. ²³ So every living thing that was on the surface of the earth was wiped out, mankind and animals and creeping things and birds of the sky. They were all destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left. ²⁴ The waters stayed upon the earth for 150 days.

¹ God remembered Noah, all the wild animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters started going down. ² The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and it stopped raining. ³ The flood waters went down slowly from the earth, and after the end of 150 days the waters had gone down. ⁴ The ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ The waters continued to go down until the tenth month. On the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

⁶ It came about after forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. ⁷ He sent out a raven and it flew back and forth until the waters were dried up from the earth. ⁸ Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters had gone down from the surface of the earth, ⁹ but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were still covering the whole earth. He reached out with his hand, and took and brought her into the ark with him. ¹⁰ He waited another seven days and again he sent out the dove from the ark. ¹¹ The dove returned to him in the evening. Look! In her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had gone down from the earth. ¹² He waited another seven days, and sent out the dove again. She did not return again to him.

¹³ It came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from off the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark, looked out, and saw that, behold, the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. ¹⁵ God said to Noah, ¹⁶ "Go out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you. ¹⁷ Take out with you every living creature of all flesh that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth—so that they may increase greatly on the earth, that they may be fruitful and multiply upon the earth." ¹⁸ So Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. ¹⁹ Every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, according to their families, left the ark.

²⁰ Noah built an altar to Yahweh. He took some of the clean animals and some of the clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ Yahweh smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground because of mankind, even though the intention of mankind's heart is evil from childhood. Nor will I again destroy everything living, as I have done.

²² While the earth remains,

seed time and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night

will not cease."

¹ Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. ² The fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every living thing on the earth, upon every bird of the sky, upon everything that moves on the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. ⁴ But you must not eat meat with its life—that is its blood—in it. ⁵ But for your blood, the life that is in your blood, I will require payment. From the hand of every animal I will require it. From the hand of any man, that is, from the hand of one who has murdered his brother, I will require an accounting for the life of that man.

⁶ Whoever sheds man's blood,

by man will his blood be shed,

for it was in the image of God that he made man.

⁷ As for you, be fruitful and multiply, spread throughout the earth and multiply on it."

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ "As for me, listen! I am going to confirm my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, with the birds, the livestock, and every creature of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark, to every living creature on the earth. ¹¹ I hereby confirm my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be destroyed by the waters of a flood. Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

¹² God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ It will come about when I bring a cloud over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the cloud, ¹⁵ then I will call to mind my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. The waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow will be in the clouds and I will see it, in order to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁷ Then God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁸ The sons of Noah that came out of 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 whole earth was populated.

²⁰ Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. ²¹ He drank some of the wine and became drunk. He was lying uncovered in his tent. ²² Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. ²³ So Shem and Japheth took a robe and laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned the other way, so they did not see their father's nakedness. ²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son had done to him. ²⁵ So he said,

"Cursed be Canaan.

May he be a servant to his brothers' servants."

²⁶ He also said,

"May Yahweh, the God of Shem, be blessed,

and may Canaan be his servant.

²⁷ May God extend the territory of Japheth,

and let him make his home in the tents of Shem.

May Canaan be his servant."

²⁸ After the flood, Noah lived three hundred fifty years. ²⁹ All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.

¹ These were the descendants of the sons of Noah, that is, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

² The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

³ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

⁴ The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, ¹ and Dodanim. ⁵ From these the coastland peoples separated and went into their lands, every one with its own language, according to their clans, by their nations.

⁶ The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

⁷ The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

⁸ Cush became the father of Nimrod, who was a mighty one on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. That is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh." ¹⁰ The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹ Out of that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, ¹² and Resen, which was between Nineveh and Calah. It was a large city.

¹³ Mizraim became the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites, ¹⁴ the Pathrusites, the Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.

¹⁵ Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and of Heth, ¹⁶ also of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁷ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread out. ¹⁹ The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and as one goes toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These were the sons of Ham, by their clans, by their languages, in their lands, and in their nations.

²¹ Sons also were born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was also the ancestor of all the people of Eber.

²² The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

²³ The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

²⁴ Arphaxad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber.

²⁵ Eber had two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.

²⁶ Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

³⁰ Their territory was from Mesha, all the way to Sephar, the mountain of the east. ³¹ These were the sons of Shem, according to their clans and their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

³² These were the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations. From these the nations separated and went over the earth after the flood.

¹Some modern English translations read, Kittim .

¹ Now the whole earth used one language and had the same words. ² As they journeyed in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there. ³ They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick instead of stone and tar as mortar. ⁴ They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach to the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves. If we do not, we will be scattered across the surface of the whole earth." ⁵ So Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the descendants of Adam had built. ⁶ Yahweh said, "Look, they are one people with the same language, and they are beginning to do this! Soon nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand each other." ⁸ So Yahweh scattered them from there across the surface of all the earth and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth and from there Yahweh scattered them abroad over the surface of all the earth.

¹⁰ These were the descendants of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and he became the father of Arphaxad two years after the flood. ¹¹ Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arphaxad. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³ Arphaxad lived 403 years after he became the father of Shelah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Eber. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ Eber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Serug. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²⁶ After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ Now these were the descendants of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah, a daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of his son Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and together they left Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. But they came to Haran and stayed there. ³² Terah lived 205 years and then died in Haran.

¹ Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Go from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's household, to the land that I will show you.

² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you,

and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you, but whoever dishonors you I will curse.

Through you will all the families of the earth be blessed."

⁴ So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him to do, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. ⁵ Abram took Sarai, his wife, Lot, his brother's son, all their possessions that they had accumulated, and the people that they had acquired in Haran. They left to go into the land of Canaan, and came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites lived in the land. ⁷ Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So there Abram built an altar to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved to the hill country to the east of Bethel, where he pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh. ⁹ Then Abram continued journeying, going toward the Negev.

¹⁰ There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down into Egypt to stay, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ When he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman. ¹² When the Egyptians see you they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. ¹³ Say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my life will be spared because of you." ¹⁴ It came about that when Abram entered into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. ¹⁵ The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's household. ¹⁶ Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. ¹⁷ Then Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. ¹⁸ Pharaoh summoned Abram, and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her, and go your way." ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men concerning him, and they sent him away, along with his wife and all that he had.

¹ So Abram went up from Egypt and went into the Negev, he, his wife, and all that he had. Lot also went with them. ² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. ³ He continued on his journey from the Negev to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been before, between Bethel and Ai. ⁴ He went to the place where the altar was that he had built previously. Here he called on the name of Yahweh. ⁵ Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. ⁶ The land was not able to support them both living close together, because their possessions were very many, so that they could not stay together. ⁷ Also, there was a dispute between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time. ⁸ So Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; after all, we are family. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Go ahead and separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." ¹⁰ So Lot looked around, and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere all the way to Zoar, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt. This was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan and traveled east, and the relatives separated from each other. ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived among the cities of the plain. He set up his tents as far away as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were very wicked sinners against Yahweh.

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had departed from him, "Look from the place where you are standing to the north, south, east, and west. ¹⁵ All this land which you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." ¹⁸ So Abram picked up his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there built an altar to Yahweh.

¹ It came about in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim, ² that they made war against Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar). ³ These latter five kings joined together in the Valley of Siddim (also called the Salt Sea). ⁴ Twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. ⁷ Then they turned and came to En Mishpat (also called Kadesh), and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazezon Tamar.

⁸ Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar) went out and prepared for battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ against Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, Tidal, king of Goyim, Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell in there. Those who were left fled to the mountains. ¹¹ So the kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and went their way. ¹² When they went, they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who was living in Sodom, along with all his possessions.

¹³ One who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. He was living by the oaks that belonged to Mamre, the Amorite, who was the brother of Eshkol and Aner, who were all allies of Abram. ¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that enemies had captured his relative, he led out his 318 trained men who had been born in his house, and he pursued them as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his men against them at night, he and his servants, and he pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.

¹⁷ After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (also called the King's Valley).

¹⁸ Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ He blessed him saying,

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

²⁰ Blessed be God Most High,

who has given your enemies into your hand."

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

²¹ The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and take the goods for yourself." ²² Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will not take a thread, a sandal strap, or anything that is yours, so that you can never say, 'I have made Abram rich.' ²⁴ I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten and the share of the men that went with me. Let Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre take their portion."

¹ After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and your very great reward."

² Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" ³ Abram said, "Since you have given me no descendant, see, one born in my house will be my heir!" ⁴ Then, behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but rather the one who will come from your own body will be your heir." ⁵ Then he brought him outside, and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So will your descendants be." ⁶ He believed Yahweh, and he counted it to him as righteousness. ⁷ He said to him, "I am Yahweh, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." ⁸ He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?" ⁹ Then he said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a dove, and a young pigeon." ¹⁰ He brought him all these, and cut them in two, and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not divide the birds. ¹¹ When the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹² Then when the sun was going down, Abram fell sound asleep and, behold, a deep and terrifying darkness overwhelmed him. ¹³ Then Yahweh said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. ¹⁴ I will judge that nation that they will serve, and afterward they will come out with abundant possessions. ¹⁵ But you will go to your fathers in peace, and you will be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit." ¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces. ¹⁸ On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I hereby give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

¹ Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne any children for him, but she had a female servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, Yahweh has kept me from having children. Please go to my servant. It may be that I will have children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ It was after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan that Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband as a wife. ⁴ So he went to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, "This wrong on me is because of you. I gave my servant woman into your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Let Yahweh judge between me and you." ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, "See here, your servant woman is in your power, do to her what you think best." So Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring that is on the way to Shur. ⁸ He said, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where did you come from and where are you going?" Then she said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." ⁹ The angel of Yahweh said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." ¹⁰ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants, so that they will be too numerous to count." ¹¹ The angel of Yahweh also said to her,

"Behold, you are pregnant

and will bear a son,

and you will call his name Ishmael,

because Yahweh has heard your affliction.

¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man.

He will be hostile against every man,

and every man will be hostile to him,

and he will live apart from all his brothers."

¹³ Then she gave this name to Yahweh who spoke to her, "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "Do I really continue to see, even after he has seen me?" ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless. ² Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." ³ Abram bowed low with his face to the ground and God talked with him, saying, ⁴ "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer will your name be Abram, but your name will be Abraham—for I appoint you to be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. ⁸ I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land where you have been sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you must keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you must be circumcised. ¹¹ You must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² Every male among you that is eight days old must be circumcised, throughout your people's generations. This includes him who is born into your household and him who is bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. ¹³ He who is born into your household and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised. Thus my covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai any more. Instead, her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her." ¹⁷ Then Abraham bowed low with his face to the ground, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? How can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?" ¹⁸ Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" ¹⁹ God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you must name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant with his descendants after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him abundantly. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him become a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time in the next year."

²² When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. ²³ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all those who were born into his household, and all those who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in that same day, as God had said to him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵ Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶ On the very same day Abraham and Ishmael his son were both circumcised. ²⁷ All the men of his household were circumcised with him, including those born into the household and those bought with money from a foreigner.

¹ Yahweh appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent doorway in the heat of the day. ² He looked up and, behold, he saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed low to the ground. ³ He said, "My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass by your servant." ⁴ Let a little water be brought, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ Let me bring a little food, so that you may refresh yourselves. Afterwards you can go your way, since you have come to your servant." They replied, "Do as you have said." ⁶ Then Abraham quickly went into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Hurry, get three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and make bread." ⁷ Then Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf that was tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He took curds and milk, and the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

⁹ They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He replied, "There, in the tent." ¹⁰ He said, "I will certainly return to you in the springtime, and see, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah was listening in the tent doorway, which was behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, very advanced in age, and Sarah had passed the age when women could bear children. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying to herself, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" ¹³ Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really bear a child, when I am old'? ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the time appointed by me, in the spring, I will return to you. About this time next year Sarah will have a son." ¹⁵ Then Sarah denied it and said, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He replied, "No, you did laugh."

¹⁶ Then the men arose to leave and looked down toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ But Yahweh said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ since Abraham will indeed become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? ¹⁹ For I have chosen him so that he may instruct his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what he has said to him." ²⁰ Then Yahweh said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and because their sin is so serious, ²¹ I will now go down there and see the outcry against her that has come to me, whether they have really done it. If not, I will know."

²² So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before Yahweh. ²³ Then Abraham approached and said, "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are there? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, killing the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be treated the same as the wicked. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" ²⁶ Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake." ²⁷ Abraham answered and said, "See now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord, even though I am only dust and ashes! ²⁸ What if there are five less than fifty righteous? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" Then he said, "I will not destroy it, if I find there forty-five." ²⁹ He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He replied, "I will not do it for the forty's sake." ³⁰ He said, "Please do not be angry, Lord, so I may speak. Perhaps thirty will be found there." He replied, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." ³¹ He said, "See now, I have undertaken to speak to my Lord! Perhaps twenty will be found there." He replied, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake." ³² He said, "Please do not be angry, Lord, and I will speak this one last time. Perhaps ten will be found there." Then he said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake." ³³ Yahweh went on his way as soon as he had finished talking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.

¹ The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, while Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, arose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. ² He said, "See now, my masters, please turn aside into your servant's house, stay for the night, and wash your feet. Then you can rise up early and go on your way." They replied, "No, we will spend the night in the town square." ³ But he urged them strongly, so they went with him, and entered into his house. He prepared a meal and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ⁴ But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the men from every part of the city. ⁵ They called to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men that came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." ⁶ So Lot went out the door to them and shut the door after himself. ⁷ He said, "I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. ⁸ See now, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Please let me bring them out to you, and you do to them whatever is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof." ⁹ They said, "Stand back!" They also said, "This one came here to live as a foreigner, and now he has become our judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them." They pressed hard against the man, against Lot, and came near to break down the door. ¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. ¹¹ Then Lot's visitors struck with blindness the men who were outside the door of the house, both small and great, so that they became exhausted when they were trying to find the door.

¹² Then the men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here? Any sons-in-law, your sons and your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, get them out of here. ¹³ For we are about to destroy this place, because the accusations against it before Yahweh have become so loud that he has sent us to destroy it." ¹⁴ Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, the men who had promised to marry his daughters, and said, "Quick, get out of this place, for Yahweh is about to destroy the city." But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. ¹⁵ When dawn came, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Get going, take your wife and your two daughters that are here, so you are not swept away in the punishment of the city." ¹⁶ But he lingered. So the men grabbed his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, because Yahweh was merciful to him. They brought them out, and set them outside the city. ¹⁷ When they had brought them out, one of the men said, "Run for your lives! Do not look back, or stay anywhere on the plain. Escape to the mountains so you are not swept away." ¹⁸ Lot said to them, "No, please, my masters! ¹⁹ See now, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountains, because the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. ²⁰ See now, the city over there is a little one. Please, let me escape there—Is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved." ²¹ He said to him, "Alright, I am granting this request also, that I will not destroy the city which you have mentioned. ²² Hurry! Escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the city was named Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot reached Zoar. ²⁴ Then Yahweh rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. ²⁵ He destroyed those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the plants that grew on the ground. ²⁶ But Lot's wife, who was behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh. ²⁸ He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain. He looked and behold, smoke was rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹ So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God called Abraham to mind. He sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities in which Lot had lived.

³⁰ But Lot went up from Zoar to live in the mountains with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. ³¹ The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere to lie with us according to the way of all the world. ³² Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may keep our family line alive through our father." ³³ So they made their father drink wine that night. Then the firstborn went in and lay with her father; he did not know when she lay down, nor when she got up. ³⁴ The next day the firstborn said to the younger, "Listen, here I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you should go and lie with him, so that we may keep our family line alive through our father." ³⁵ So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger went and lay with him. He did not know when she lay down or when she got up. ³⁶ So both the daughters of Lot conceived by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn gave birth to a son, and named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the Moabites of today. ³⁸ As for the younger daughter, she also gave birth to a son, and named him Ben-Ammi. He became the ancestor of the people of Ammon of today.

¹ Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He was a foreigner living in Gerar. ² Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." So Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. ³ But God came to Abimelek in a dream in the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife." ⁴ Now Abimelek had not come near her and he said, "Lord, would you kill even a righteous nation? ⁵ Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister?' Even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands." ⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I also know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her. ⁷ Therefore, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you and all who are yours will surely die."

⁸ Abimelek rose early in the morning and called all of his servants to himself. He told all these things to them, and the men were very afraid. ⁹ Then Abimelek called for Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me deeds that ought not to be done." ¹⁰ Abimelek said to Abraham, "What prompted you to do this thing?" ¹¹ Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' ¹² Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ When God caused me to leave my father's house and travel from place to place, I said to her, 'You must show me this faithfulness as my wife: At every place where we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'" ¹⁴ Then Abimelek took sheep and cattle, and male slaves and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham. Then he returned Sarah, Abraham's wife, to him. ¹⁵ Abimelek said, "Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever it pleases you." ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is to cover any offense against you in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone, you are completely made right." ¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife, and his female slaves so that they were able to have children. ¹⁸ For Yahweh had closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelek because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

¹ Yahweh paid attention to Sarah as he had said he would, and Yahweh did for Sarah just as he had promised. ² Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. ³ Abraham named his son, the one who had been born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. ⁴ Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Sarah said, "God has made me laugh; every one who hears will laugh with me." ⁷ She also said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, and yet I have borne him a son in his old age!"

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁹ Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰ So she said to Abraham, "Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac." ¹¹ This thing was very grievous to Abraham because of his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, "Do not be grieved because of the young man and because of your servant girl. Listen to Sarah's words in all she says to you about this matter, because it is through Isaac that your descendants will be named. ¹³ I will also make the son of the servant woman into a nation, because he is your descendant." ¹⁴ Abraham rose up early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy and sent her away. She departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. ¹⁵ When the water in the waterskin was gone, she abandoned the child under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went, and sat down a short distance from him, about the distance of a bowshot away, for she said, "Let me not look upon the death of the child." As she sat there across from him, she lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷ God heard the voice of the young man, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the young man where he is. ¹⁸ Get up, raise up the young man, and encourage him; for I will make him into a great nation." ¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the young man a drink. ²⁰ God was with the young man, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. ²¹ He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

²² It came about at that time that Abimelek and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do. ²³ Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my offspring, nor with my descendants. Show to me and to the land in which you have been staying the same covenant faithfulness that I have shown to you." ²⁴ Abraham said, "I swear." ²⁵ Abraham also complained to Abimelek concerning a well of water that Abimelek's servants had seized from him. ²⁶ Abimelek said, "I do not know who has done this thing. You did not tell me before now; I have not heard of it until today." ²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a covenant. ²⁸ Then Abraham set seven female lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ Abimelek said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set by themselves?" ³⁰ He replied, "These seven female lambs you will receive from my hand, so that it may be a witness for me, that I dug this well." ³¹ So he called that place Beersheba, because there they both swore an oath. ³² They made a covenant at Beersheba, and then Abimelek and Phicol, the captain of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of Yahweh, the eternal God. ³⁴ Abraham remained as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.

¹ It came about after these things that God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" Abraham said, "Here I am." ² Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains there, which I will tell you about." ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. He cut the wood for the burnt offering, then set out on his journey to the place that God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place afar off. ⁵ Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go over there. We will worship and come again to you." ⁶ Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son. He took in his own hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. ⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father," and he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "See, here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" ⁸ Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So they went on, both of them together.

⁹ When they came to the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood on it. Then he bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Abraham reached out with his hand and took up the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ Then the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" and he said, "Here I am." ¹² He said, "Do not lay your hand upon the young man, nor do anything to harm him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." ¹³ Abraham looked up and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham named that place, "Yahweh will provide," and it is said to this day, "On the mountain of Yahweh it will be provided." ¹⁵ The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said—this is Yahweh's declaration—by myself I have sworn that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and I will greatly multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and your descendants will possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸ Through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they departed and went together to Beersheba, and he lived at Beersheba.

²⁰ It came about after these things that Abraham was told, "Milkah has borne children, as well, to your brother Nahor." ²¹ They were Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. ²³ Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These were the eight children that Milkah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. ²⁴ His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maakah.

¹ Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life of Sarah. ² Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned and wept for Sarah. ³ Then Abraham rose up and went from his dead wife, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴ "I am a foreigner and sojourner among you. Please grant me a property for a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead." ⁵ The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying, ⁶ "Listen to us, my master. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb, so that you may bury your dead." ⁷ Abraham arose and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth. ⁸ He spoke to them, saying, "If you agree that I should bury my dead, then hear me and plead with Ephron son of Zohar, for me. ⁹ Ask him to sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, which is at the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me publicly as a property for a burial place." ¹⁰ Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, of all those who had come into the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹ "No, my master, hear me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you to bury your dead." ¹² Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. ¹³ He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "But if you are willing, please hear me. I will pay for the field. Take the money from me, and I will bury my dead there." ¹⁴ Ephron answered Abraham, saying, ¹⁵ "Please, my master, listen to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? Bury your dead." ¹⁶ Abraham listened to Ephron and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the amount of silver that he had spoken in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard measurement of the merchants.

¹⁷ So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was next to Mamre, that is, the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, passed ¹⁸ to Abraham by purchase in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all those who had come into the gate of his city. ¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is next to Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ So the field and the cave in it passed to Abraham as a property for a burial place from the sons of Heth.

¹ Now Abraham was very old and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things. ² Abraham said to his servant, the one who was the oldest of his household and who was in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh ³ and I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I make my home. ⁴ But you will go to my country, and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son Isaac." ⁵ The servant said to him, "What if the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land? Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" ⁶ Abraham said to him, "Make sure that you do not take my son back there! ⁷ Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my relatives, and who promised me with a solemn oath saying, 'To your descendants I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there. ⁸ But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Only you are not to take my son back there." ⁹ So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰ The servant took ten of his master's camels and departed. He also took with him all kinds of goods from his master. He departed and went to the region of Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. ¹¹ He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water. It was evening, the time that women go out to draw water. ¹² Then he said, "Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today and show covenant faithfulness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Look, here I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Let it happen like this. When I say to a young woman, 'Please lower your pitcher so that I may drink,' and she says to me, 'Drink, and I will water your camels too,' then let her be the one that you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown covenant faithfulness to my master." ¹⁵ It came about that even before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out with her water pitcher on her shoulder. Rebekah was born to Bethuel son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother. ¹⁶ The young woman was very beautiful and a virgin. No man had ever known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher and came up. ¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a little drink of water from your pitcher." ¹⁸ She said, "Drink, my master," and she quickly let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." ²⁰ So she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough, then ran again to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels. ²¹ The man watched her in silence to see whether Yahweh had prospered his journey or not. ²² As the camels finished drinking, the man brought out a gold nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two gold bracelets for her arms weighing ten shekels, ²³ and asked, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me please, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" ²⁴ She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor." ²⁵ She also said to him, "We have plenty of both straw and feed, and also room for you to spend the night." ²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped Yahweh. ²⁷ He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his covenant faithfulness and his trustworthiness toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me directly to the house of my master's relatives."

²⁸ Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about all of these things. ²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran to the man who was out at the road by the spring. ³⁰ When he had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he had heard the words of Rebekah his sister, "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man, and, behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹ Then Laban said, "Come, you blessed of Yahweh. Why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels." ³² So the man came to the house and he unloaded the camels. The camels were given straw and feed, and water was provided to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. ³³ They set food before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have said what I have to say." So Laban said, "Speak on." ³⁴ He said, "I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵ Yahweh has blessed my master very much and he has become great. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶ Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given everything that he owns to him. ³⁷ My master made me swear, saying, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I make my home. ³⁸ Instead, you must go to my father's family, and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son.' ³⁹ I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.' ⁴⁰ But he said to me, 'Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and he will prosper your way, so that you will get a wife for my son from among my relatives and from my father's family line. ⁴¹ But you will be free from my oath if you come to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from my oath.' ⁴² So I arrived today at the spring, and said, 'O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please, if you do indeed intend to make my journey successful— ⁴³ here I am, standing by the spring of water—let the young woman who comes out to draw water, the woman to whom I say, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink," ⁴⁴ the woman who says to me, "Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels"—let her be the woman whom you, Yahweh, have chosen for my master's son.' ⁴⁵ Even before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered her pitcher from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels water also.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also. ⁴⁷ I asked her and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milkah bore to him.' Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. ⁴⁸ Then I bowed down and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the way that is right to find the daughter of my master's relative for his son. ⁴⁹ Now therefore, if you are prepared to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing has come from Yahweh; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. ⁵¹ Look, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, so she may be the wife of your master's son, as Yahweh has spoken." ⁵² When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before Yahweh. ⁵³ The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and to her mother. ⁵⁴ Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank. They stayed there overnight, and when they arose in the morning, he said, "Send me away to my master." ⁵⁵ Her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us for a few more days, at least ten. After that she may go." ⁵⁶ But he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since Yahweh has prospered my way. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master." ⁵⁷ They said, "We will call the young woman and ask her." ⁵⁸ So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" She replied, "I will go." ⁵⁹ So they sent their sister Rebekah, along with her female servant, on her journey with Abraham's servant and his men. ⁶⁰ They blessed Rebekah, and said to her,

"Our sister, may you be the mother

of thousands of ten thousands,

and may your descendants possess

the gate of those who hate them."

⁶¹ Then Rebekah arose, and she and her servant girls mounted the camels, and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

⁶² Now Isaac was living in the Negev, and had just returned from Beer Lahai Roi. ⁶³ Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. When he looked up and saw, behold, there were camels coming! ⁶⁴ Rebekah looked, and when she saw Isaac, she jumped down from the camel. ⁶⁵ She said to the servant, "Who is that man who is walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil, and covered herself. ⁶⁶ The servant recounted to Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷ Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

¹ Abraham took another wife; her name was Keturah. ² She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Assyrian people, the Letush people, and the Leum people. ⁴ Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants. ⁵ Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac. ⁶ However, while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them to the land of the east, away from Isaac, his son. ⁷ These were the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, 175 years. ⁸ Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man with a full life, and he was gathered to his people. ⁹ Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre. ¹⁰ This field Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah his wife. ¹¹ After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

¹² Now these were the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham.

¹³ These were the names of Ishmael's sons, according to their birth order: Nebaioth—the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were Ishmael's sons, and these were their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their tribes. ¹⁷ These were the years of the life of Ishmael, 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. ¹⁸ They lived from Havilah to Ashhur, which is near Egypt, as one goes toward Assyria. They lived in hostility with each other.

¹⁹ This is the account of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took as his wife Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ Isaac prayed to Yahweh for his wife because she was barren, and Yahweh answered his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² The children struggled together within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" She went to ask Yahweh about this. ²³ Yahweh said to her,

"Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger."

²⁴ When it was time for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first child came out red all over like a hairy garment. They called his name Esau. ²⁶ After that, his brother came out. His hand was grasping Esau's heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when his wife bore them.

²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a quiet man, who spent his time in the tents. ²⁸ Now Isaac loved Esau because he ate the animals that he had hunted, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ Jacob cooked some stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was weak from hunger. ³⁰ Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me with that red stew. Please, I am exhausted!" That is why his name was called Edom. ³¹ Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright." ³² Esau said, "Look, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?" ³³ Jacob said, "First swear to me," so Esau swore an oath and in that way he sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, then got up and went on his way. In this manner Esau despised his birthright.

¹ Now a famine happened in the land, besides the first famine that had been in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelek, king of the Philistines at Gerar. ² Now Yahweh appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land that I tell you to live in. ³ Stay in this very land, and I will be with you and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants, I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands. Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ⁵ I will do this because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my instructions, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." ⁶ So Isaac settled in Gerar. ⁷ When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister." He feared to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah, because she is so beautiful." ⁸ After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines happened to look out of a window. He saw, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife. ⁹ Abimelek called Isaac to him and said, "Look, certainly she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get her." ¹⁰ Abimelek said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." ¹¹ So Abimelek commanded all the people and said, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."

¹² Isaac planted crops in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold, because Yahweh blessed him. ¹³ The man became rich, and grew more and more until he became very great. ¹⁴ He had many sheep and cattle, and a large household. The Philistines envied him. ¹⁵ Now all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up by filling them with earth. ¹⁶ Abimelek said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we." ¹⁷ So Isaac departed from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar, and lived there.

¹⁸ Once again Isaac dug out the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. The Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham's death. Isaac called the wells by the same names that his father had called them. ¹⁹ When Isaac's servants dug in the valley, they found there a well of flowing water. ²⁰ The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, and said, "This water is ours." So Isaac named that well "Esek," because they had quarreled with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that, too, so he gave it the name of "Sitnah." ²² He left there and dug yet another well, but they did not quarrel over that one. So he called it Rehoboth, and he said, "Now Yahweh has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land."

²³ Then Isaac went up from there to Beersheba. ²⁴ Yahweh appeared to him that same night and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants, for my servant Abraham's sake." ²⁵ Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. There he pitched his tent, and his servants dug a well.

²⁶ Then Abimelek went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phicol, the captain of his army. ²⁷ Isaac said to them, "Why are you coming to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?" ²⁸ Then they said, "We have clearly seen that Yahweh has been with you. So we decided that there should be an oath between us, yes, between us and you. So let us make a covenant with you, ²⁹ that you will do us no harm, just as we have not harmed you, and as we have treated you well and have sent you away in peace. Indeed, you are blessed by Yahweh." ³⁰ So Isaac made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ They rose early in the morning and swore an oath with each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace. ³² That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug. They said, "We have found water." ³³ He called the well Shibah, so the name of that city is Beersheba to this day.

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old, he took a wife, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ They brought sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah.

¹ When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, "My son." Esau said to him, "Here I am," ² and Isaac said, "See now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. ³ Therefore take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. ⁴ Make delicious food for me, the sort that I love, and bring it to me so I can eat it and bless you before I die."

⁵ Now Rebekah heard it when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it back. ⁶ Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son and said, "See here, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother. He said, ⁷ 'Bring me game and make me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of Yahweh before my death.' ⁸ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. ⁹ Go to the flock, and bring me two good kids; and I will make delicious food from them for your father, just like he loves. ¹⁰ You will take it to your father, so that he may eat it, so that he may bless you before his death." ¹¹ Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "See, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ¹² Perhaps my father will touch me, and I will seem to him as a deceiver. I will bring a curse upon me and not a blessing." ¹³ His mother said to him, "My son, let any curse fall on me. Just obey my voice, and go, bring them to me." ¹⁴ So Jacob went and got the young goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made delicious food, just like his father loved. ¹⁵ Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. ¹⁶ She put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ She put the delicious food and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.

¹⁸ Jacob went to his father and said, "My father." His father said, "Here I am; who are you, my son?" ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you said to me. Now sit up and eat some of my game, that you may bless me." ²⁰ Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He said, "Because Yahweh your God brought it to me." ²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near me, so I may touch you, my son, and learn whether you are my true son Esau or not." ²² Jacob went over to Isaac his father; and Isaac touched him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." ²³ Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau's hands, so Isaac blessed him. ²⁴ He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He replied, "I am." ²⁵ Isaac said, "Bring the food to me, and I will eat of your game, so that I may bless you." Jacob brought the food to him. Isaac ate, and Jacob brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son." ²⁷ Jacob came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him. He said,

"See, the smell of my son

is like the smell of a field

that Yahweh has blessed.

²⁸ May God give you a portion of the dew of heaven,

a portion of the fatness of the earth,

and plenty of grain and new wine.

²⁹ May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brothers,

and may your mother's sons bow down to you.

May every one who curses you be cursed;

may every one who blesses you be blessed."

³⁰ As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹ He also made delicious food and brought it to his father. He said to his father, "Father, get up and eat some of your son's game, so that you may bless me." ³² Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." ³³ Isaac trembled very much and said, "Who was it that hunted this game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed." ³⁴ When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a very great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, me also, my father." ³⁵ Isaac said, "Your brother came here deceitfully and has taken away your blessing." ³⁶ Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and, see, now he has taken away my blessing." Then he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" ³⁷ Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Look, I have made him your master, and I have given to him all his brothers as servants, and I have given him grain and new wine. What more can I do for you, my son?" ³⁸ Esau said to his father, "Have you not even one blessing for me, my father? Bless me, even me too, my father." Esau wept loudly. ³⁹ Isaac his father answered and said to him,

"Look, the place where you live will be

far from the richness of the earth,

away from the dew of the sky above.

⁴⁰ By your sword you will live,

and you will serve your brother.

But when you rebel,

you will break his yoke off of your neck."

⁴¹ Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing that his father had given him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are near; after that I will kill my brother Jacob." ⁴² The words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, "See, your brother Esau is consoling himself about you by planning to kill you. ⁴³ Now therefore, my son, obey me and flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran. ⁴⁴ Stay with him for a while, until your brother's fury subsides, ⁴⁵ until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?

⁴⁶ Rebekah said to Isaac, "I abhor life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes one of the daughters of Heth as a wife, like these women, some of the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"

¹ Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. ² Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take a wife from there, one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. ³ May God Almighty bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your descendants after you, that you may inherit the land where you have been sojourning, which God gave to Abraham." ⁵ So Isaac sent Jacob away. Jacob went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

⁶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take a wife from there. He also saw that Isaac had blessed him and given him a command, saying, "You must not take a wife from the women of Canaan." ⁷ Esau also saw that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother, and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau saw that the women of Canaan did not please Isaac his father. ⁹ So he went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ He came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones in that place, put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² He dreamed and saw a stairway set up on the earth. Its top reached to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ Behold, Yahweh stood above it and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread far out to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. Through you and through your descendants will all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. I will bring you into this land again; for I will not leave you. I will do all that I have promised to you." ¹⁶ Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it." ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, "How terrifying is this place! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven."

¹⁸ Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head. He set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. ¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city originally was Luz. ²⁰ Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will protect me on this road on which I am walking, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to wear, ²¹ so that I return safely to my father's house, then Yahweh will be my God. ²² Then this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be a sacred stone. From everything that you give me, I will surely give a tenth back to you."

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. ² As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there by it. For out of that well they would water the flocks, and the stone over the well's mouth was large. ³ When all the flocks had gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the well's mouth and water the sheep, and then put the stone again over the well's mouth, back in its place. ⁴ Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" They replied, "We are from Haran." ⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him." ⁶ He said to them, "Is he well?" They said, "He is well, and, look there, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep." ⁷ Jacob said, "See, it is the middle of the day. It is not the time for the flocks to be gathered together. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze." ⁸ They said, "We cannot water them until all the flocks are gathered together. The men will then roll the stone from the well's mouth, and we will water the sheep." ⁹ While Jacob was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was tending them. ¹⁰ When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob came over, rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. ¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly. ¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative, and that he was Rebekah's son. Then she ran and told her father.

¹³ When Laban heard the news about Jacob his sister's son, he ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. ¹⁴ Laban said to him, "You are indeed my bone and my flesh." Then Jacob stayed with him for about one month. ¹⁵ Then Laban said to Jacob, "Should you serve me for nothing because you are my relative? Tell me, what will your wages be?" ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah's eyes were tender, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. ¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter." ¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him only a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days have been completed—so that I may go to her!" ²² So Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. ²³ In the evening, Laban took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob, who went to her. ²⁴ Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah, to be her servant. ²⁵ In the morning, behold, it was Leah! Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" ²⁶ Laban said, "It is not our custom to give the younger daughter before the firstborn. ²⁷ Complete the bridal week of this daughter, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." ²⁸ Jacob did so, and completed Leah's week. Then Laban gave him Rachel his daughter as his wife also. ²⁹ Laban also gave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel, to be her servant. ³⁰ So Jacob went to Rachel, too, but he loved Rachel more than Leah. So Jacob served Laban for seven more years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was not loved, so he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³² Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked upon my affliction; surely now my husband will love me." ³³ Then she conceived again and bore a son. She said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved, he has therefore given me this son also," and she called his name Simeon. ³⁴ Then she conceived again and bore a son. She said, "Now this time will my husband be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi. ³⁵ She conceived again and bore a son. She said, "This time I will praise Yahweh." Therefore she called his name Judah; then she stopped having children.

¹ When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel was jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die." ² Jacob's anger burned against Rachel. He said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" ³ She said, "See, there is my servant Bilhah. Go to her, so she might give birth to children on my knees, and I will have children by her." ⁴ So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went to her. ⁵ Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶ Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and he has heard my voice and given me a son." For this reason she called his name Dan. ⁷ Bilhah, Rachel's servant, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸ Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister and have prevailed." She called his name Naphtali.

⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took Zilpah, her servant, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a son. ¹¹ Leah said, "This is fortunate!" so she called his name Gad. ¹² Then Zilpah, Leah's servant, bore Jacob a second son. ¹³ Leah said, "I am happy! For the daughters will call me happy." So she called his name Asher.

¹⁴ Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. He brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Give me some of your son's mandrakes." ¹⁵ Leah said to her, "Is it a small matter to you, that you have taken away my husband? Do you now want to take away my son's mandrakes, too?" Rachel said, "Then he will lie with you tonight, in exchange for your son's mandrakes." ¹⁶ Jacob came from the field in the evening. Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So Jacob lay with Leah that night. ¹⁷ God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I gave my servant woman to my husband." She called his name Issachar. ¹⁹ Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. ²⁰ Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons." She called his name Zebulun. ²¹ Afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. ²² God called Rachel to mind and listened to her. He caused her to become pregnant. ²³ She conceived and bore a son. She said, "God has taken away my shame." ²⁴ She called his name Joseph, saying, "Yahweh has added to me another son."

²⁵ After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, so that I may go to my own home and to my country. ²⁶ Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know the service I have given you." ²⁷ Laban said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, wait, because I have learned by using divination that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake." ²⁸ Then he said, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." ²⁹ Jacob said to him, "You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me. ³⁰ For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I worked. Now when will I provide for my own household also?" ³¹ So Laban said, "What will I pay you?" Jacob said, "You will not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. ³² Let me walk through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. These will be my wages. ³³ My integrity will testify for me later on, when you come to check on my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, if any are found with me, will be considered to be stolen." ³⁴ Laban said, "Agreed. Let it be according to your word." ³⁵ That day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. ³⁶ Laban also put three days' journey between himself and Jacob. So Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban's flocks.

³⁷ Jacob took fresh cut branches of the poplar, almond, and plane trees, and he peeled white streaks in them and made the white inner wood appear that was in the sticks. ³⁸ Then he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in front of the watering troughs where they came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. ³⁹ The flocks bred in front of the sticks; and the flocks produced striped, speckled, and spotted young. ⁴⁰ Jacob separated out these lambs, but made the rest of them face toward the striped animals and all the black sheep in the flock of Laban. Then he separated out his flocks for himself alone and did not put them together with Laban's flocks. ⁴¹ Whenever the stronger sheep in the flock were breeding, then Jacob would lay the sticks in the watering troughs before the eyes of the flock, so that they might conceive among the sticks. ⁴² But when the feebler animals in the flock came, he did not put the sticks in front of them. So the feebler animals were Laban's, and the stronger were Jacob's. ⁴³ The man became very prosperous. He had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

¹ Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, that they said, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and it is from our father's possessions that he has gotten all this wealth." ² Jacob saw the look on Laban's face. He saw that his attitude toward him had changed. ³ Then Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." ⁴ Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock ⁵ and said to them, "I see your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know that it is with all my strength that I have served your father. ⁷ Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God has not permitted him to hurt me. ⁸ If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled young. If he said, 'The striped will be your wages,' then the whole flock bore striped young. ⁹ In this way God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. ¹⁰ Once at the time of breeding season, I saw in a dream the male goats that were mating with the flock. The male goats were striped, speckled, and spotted. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I said, 'Here I am.' ¹² He said, 'Lift up your eyes and see all the male goats that are breeding with the flock. They are striped, speckled, and spotted, for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you. ¹³ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to me. Now rise up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth.'" ¹⁴ Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? ¹⁵ Are we not treated by him as foreigners? For he has sold us and has also completely devoured our money. ¹⁶ For all the riches that God has taken away from our father are now ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."

¹⁷ Then Jacob arose and placed his sons and his wives upon the camels. ¹⁸ He drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all his property, including the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram. Then he set out to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. ¹⁹ When Laban had gone to shear his flock, Rachel stole her father's household gods. ²⁰ Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he was fleeing. ²¹ So he fled with all that he had and quickly passed over the River, and headed toward the hill country of Gilead.

²² On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³ So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for a seven days' journey. He overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ Now God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." ²⁵ Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country. Laban also camped with his relatives in the hill country of Gilead. ¹ ²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you deceived me and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me? I would have sent you away with celebration and with songs, with tambourine and with harps. ²⁸ You did not allow me to kiss my grandsons and my daughters good bye. Now you have acted foolishly. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night and said, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' ³⁰ Now you have gone away because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?" ³¹ Jacob answered and said to Laban, "I fled secretly because I was afraid and thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² Whoever has stolen your gods will not continue to live. In the presence of our relatives, identify whatever with me is yours and take it." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

³³ Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. He went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the household gods, put them in a camel's saddle, and sat upon them. Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ³⁵ She said to her father, "Do not be angry, my master, that I cannot stand up before you, for I am having my period." So he searched but did not find his household gods.

³⁶ Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. He said to him, "What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? ³⁷ For you have searched all my possessions. What have you found of all your household goods? Set them here before our relatives, so that they may judge between the two of us. ³⁸ For twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten any rams from your flocks. ³⁹ What was torn by beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it. You demanded payment from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. ⁴⁰ There I was; in the day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night; and I went without sleep. ⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. You have changed my wages ten times. ⁴² Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the one Isaac fears, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and my toil, and he rebuked you last night."

⁴³ Laban answered and said to Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the grandchildren are my grandchildren, and the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? ⁴⁴ So now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me." ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." So they took stones and made a pile. Then they ate there by the pile. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ Laban said, "This pile is a witness between me and you today." Therefore its name was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ It is also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May Yahweh watch between you and me, when we are out of sight one from another. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take any wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, see, God is witness between you and me." ⁵¹ Laban said to Jacob, "Look at this pile, and look at the pillar, which I have set between you and me. ⁵² This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. ⁵³ May the God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us." Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. ⁵⁴ Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and called his relatives to eat a meal. They ate and spent the entire night on the mountain. ⁵⁵ Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandsons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

¹Some modern translations have Laban also camped in the hill country of Gilead .

¹ Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ² When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp," so he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

³ Jacob sent messengers on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom. ⁴ He commanded them, saying, "This is what you will say to my master Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says: 'I have been staying with Laban, and have delayed my return until now. ⁵ I have cattle and donkeys, and flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent this message to my master, so that I may find favor in your eyes.'" ⁶ The messengers returned to Jacob and said, "We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." ⁷ Then Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels. ⁸ He said, "If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that remains will escape." ⁹ Jacob said, "God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will prosper you,' ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all your acts of covenant faithfulness and of all the trustworthiness that you have done for your servant. For with only my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. ¹² But you said, 'I will certainly make you prosper. I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their number.'"

¹³ Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ These he gave into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself. He said to his servants, "Go on ahead of me and put a space between each of the herds." ¹⁷ He instructed the first servant, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose animals are these that are in front of you?' ¹⁸ Then you will say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. They are a gift sent to my master Esau. See, he is also coming after us.'" ¹⁹ Jacob also gave instructions to the second group, the third, and all the men who followed the herds. He said, "You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ You must also say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming after us.'" For he thought, "I will appease him with the gifts that I am sending ahead of me. Then later, when I will see him, perhaps he will receive me." ²¹ So the gifts went on ahead of him. He himself stayed that night in the camp.

²² Jacob got up during the night, and he took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons. He sent them across the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ²⁴ Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until dawn. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip, so that his hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ The man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." ²⁷ The man said to him, "What is your name?" Jacob said, "Jacob." ²⁸ The man said, "Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed." ²⁹ Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." He said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. ³⁰ Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered." ³¹ The sun rose on Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. ³² That is why to this day the people of Israel do not eat the ligaments of the hip which are at the hip joint, because the man injured those ligaments while dislocating Jacob's hip.

¹ Jacob looked up and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. Jacob divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. ² Then he put the female servants and their children in front, followed by Leah and her children, and followed by Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³ He himself went on ahead of them. He bowed toward the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. ⁴ Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they wept. ⁵ When Esau looked up, he saw the women and the children. He said, "Who are these people with you?" Jacob said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant." ⁶ Then the female servants came forward with their children, and they bowed down. ⁷ Next Leah also and her children came forward and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down. ⁸ Esau said, "What do you mean by all these groups that I met?" Jacob said, "To find favor in the sight of my master." ⁹ Esau said, "I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." ¹⁰ Jacob said, "No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then accept my gift from my hand, for indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. ¹¹ Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." Thus Jacob urged him, and Esau accepted it. ¹² Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way. I will go before you." ¹³ Jacob said to him, "My master knows that the children are young, and that the sheep and the cattle are nursing their young. If they are driven hard even one day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ Please let my master go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are before me, and at the pace of the children, until I come to my master in Seir." ¹⁵ Esau said, "Let me leave with you some of my men who are with me." But Jacob said, "Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord." ¹⁶ So Esau that day started on his way back to Seir. ¹⁷ Jacob traveled to Sukkoth, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkoth.

¹⁸ When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. He camped near the city. ¹⁹ Then he bought the piece of ground where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of silver. ²⁰ There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.

¹ Now Dinah, Leah's daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went out to meet the young women of the land. ² Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her and lay with her, and he humiliated her. ³ He was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. ⁴ Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get this young woman for me as a wife." ⁵ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. His sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. ⁶ Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. ⁷ The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of the matter. The men were offended. They were very angry because he had disgraced Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing should not have been done. ⁸ Hamor spoke with them, saying, "My son Shechem loves your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. ⁹ Intermarry with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. ¹⁰ You will live with us, and the land will be open to you to live and trade in, and to acquire property." ¹¹ Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me I will give. ¹² Ask me for as great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me, but give me the young woman as a wife." ¹³ The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, because Shechem had defiled Dinah their sister. ¹⁴ They said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to anyone who is uncircumcised; for that would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ Only on this condition will we agree with you: If you will become circumcised as we are, if every male among you is circumcised. ¹⁶ Then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you do not listen to us and become circumcised, then we will take our sister and we will leave."

¹⁸ Their words pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man did not delay to do what they said, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter, and because he was the most honored person in all his father's household. ²⁰ Hamor and Shechem his son went to the gate of their city and spoke with the men of their city, saying, ²¹ "These men are at peace with us, so let them live in the land and trade in it for, really, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. ²² Only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and become one people: If every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised. ²³ Will not their livestock and their property—all their animals be ours? So let us agree with them, and they will live among us." ²⁴ All who went out to the gates of his city listened to Hamor and Shechem, his son. All males were circumcised, all who went out to the gates of his city. ²⁵ On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob (Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers), each took his sword and they attacked the city that was certain of its security, and they killed all the males. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword. They took Dinah from Shechem's house and went away. ²⁷ The other sons of Jacob came to the dead bodies and plundered the city, because the people had defiled their sister. ²⁸ They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ²⁹ They captured all their wealth, all their children, and their wives. They even plundered everything that was in the houses. ³⁰ Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me, to make me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. If they gather themselves together against me and attack me, then I will be destroyed, I and my household." ³¹ But Simeon and Levi said, "Should Shechem have dealt with our sister as with a prostitute?"

¹ God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there. Build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from Esau your brother." ² Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. ³ Then let us depart and go up to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone." ⁴ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hand, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that was near Shechem. ⁵ As they traveled, God made panic to fall on the cities that were around them, so those people did not pursue the sons of Jacob. ⁶ So Jacob arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. ⁷ He built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him, when he was fleeing from his brother. ⁸ Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died. She was buried down from Bethel under the oak tree, so it was called Allon Bakuth.

⁹ When Jacob came from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. ¹⁰ God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob. Your name will be Israel." So God called his name Israel. ¹¹ God said to him, "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. ¹² The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you. To your descendants after you I also give the land." ¹³ God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. ¹⁴ Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken to him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering over it and poured oil on it. ¹⁵ Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

¹⁶ They journeyed on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor. She had hard labor. ¹⁷ While she was in hardest labor, the midwife said to her, "Do not be afraid, for now you will have another son." ¹⁸ As she was dying, with her dying breath she named him Ben-Oni, but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave. It is the marker of Rachel's grave to this day. ²¹ Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond the watchtower of the flock. ²² While Israel was living in that land, Reuben lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it.

Now Jacob had twelve sons.

²³ His sons by Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

²⁴ His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁵ His sons by Bilhah, Rachel's female servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

²⁶ The sons of Zilpah, Leah's female servant, were Gad and Asher. All these were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

²⁷ Jacob came to Isaac, his father, in Mamre in Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived.

²⁸ Isaac lived for one hundred eighty years. ²⁹ Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his ancestors, an old man full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.

¹ These were the descendants of Esau (also called Edom).

² Esau took his wives from the Canaanites. These were his wives: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³ and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth. ⁴ Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. ⁵ Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. ⁶ Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock—all his other animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. ⁷ He did this because their possessions were too many for them to stay together. The land where they were sojourning could not support them because of their livestock. ⁸ So Esau, also known as Edom, settled in the hill country of Seir.

⁹ These were the descendants of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.

¹⁰ These were the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz son of Adah, the wife of Esau; Reuel son of Basemath, the wife of Esau.

¹¹ The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

¹² Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, bore Amalek. These were the grandsons of Adah, Esau's wife.

¹³ These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

¹⁴ These were the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife, who was the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon. She bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵ These were the clans among Esau's descendants: the descendants of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the clans descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Adah.

¹⁷ These were the clans from Reuel, Esau's son: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah. These were the clans descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. They were the grandsons of Basemath, Esau's wife.

¹⁸ These were the clans of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: Jeush, Jalam, Korah. These are the clans that descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah. ¹⁹ These were the sons of Esau (who was known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

²⁰ These were the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the clans of the Horites, the inhabitants of Seir in the land of Edom.

²² The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman, and Timna was Lotan's sister.

²³ These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

²⁴ These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he was pasturing donkeys of Zibeon his father.

²⁵ These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

²⁶ These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

²⁷ These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

²⁸ These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

²⁹ These were the clans of the Horites: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, Dishan: These were clans of the Horites, according to their clan lists in the land of Seir.

³¹ These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel:

³² Bela son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

³³ When Bela died, then Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his place.

³⁴ When Jobab died, Husham who was of the land of the Temanites, reigned in his place.

³⁵ When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.

³⁶ When Hadad died, then Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

³⁷ When Samlah died, then Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place.

³⁸ When Shaul died, then Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place.

³⁹ When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, then Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.

⁴⁰ These were the names of the heads of clans from Esau's descendants, according to their clans and their regions, by their names: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, and Iram. These were the clan heads of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

¹ Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.

² This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, who was a young man seventeen years old, was guarding the flock with his brothers. He was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an unfavorable report about them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age. He made him a beautifully decorated garment. ⁴ His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. They hated him and would not speak peaceably to him.

⁵ Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told his brothers about it. They hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, "Please listen to this dream which I dreamed. ⁷ Behold, we were tying bundles of grain in the field and behold, my bundle rose and stood upright, and behold, your bundles came around and bowed down to my bundle." ⁸ His brothers said to him, "Will you really reign over us? Will you actually rule over us?" They hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. ⁹ He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream: The sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me." ¹⁰ He told it to his father just as to his brothers, and his father rebuked him. He said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come to bow down to the ground to you?" ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

¹² His brothers went to tend their father's flock in Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers tending the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." Joseph said to him, "I am ready." ¹⁴ He said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring me word." So Jacob sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and Joseph went to Shechem. ¹⁵ A certain man found Joseph. Behold, Joseph was wandering in a field. The man asked him, "What do you seek?" ¹⁶ Joseph said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are tending the flock." ¹⁷ The man said, "They left this place, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they plotted against him to kill him. ¹⁹ His brothers said to one another, "Look, this master of dreams is approaching. ²⁰ Come now, therefore, let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits. We will say, 'A wild animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams." ²¹ Reuben heard it and rescued him from their hand. He said, "Let us not take his life." ²² Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him"—that he might rescue him out of their hand to bring him back to his father. ²³ It came about that when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his beautifully decorated garment. ²⁴ They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty with no water in it.

²⁵ They sat down to eat bread. They lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh. They were traveling to carry them down to Egypt. ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands upon him. For he is our brother, our flesh." His brothers listened to him. ²⁸ The Midianite merchants passed by. His brothers drew Joseph up and lifted him up out of the pit. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites carried Joseph into Egypt.

²⁹ Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. He tore his clothes. ³⁰ He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there! And I, where can I go?" ³¹ They slaughtered a goat and then took Joseph's garment and dipped it into the blood. ³² Then they brought the beautifully decorated garment to their father and said, "We found this. Please see whether it is your son's garment or not." ³³ Jacob recognized it and said, "It is my son's clothing. A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph has certainly been torn to pieces." ³⁴ Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins. He mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "Indeed I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son." His father wept for him. ³⁶ The Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard.

¹ It came about at that time that Judah left his brothers and stayed with a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² He met there a daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua. He took her and went to her. ³ She conceived and had a son. He was named Er. ⁴ She conceived again and had a son. She called his name Onan. ⁵ She again had a son and called his name Shelah. It was at Kezib where she gave birth to him. ⁶ Judah found a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar. ⁷ Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him. ⁸ Judah said to Onan, "Go to your brother's wife. Do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a child for your brother." ⁹ Onan knew that the child would not be his. Whenever he went to his brother's wife, he wasted it on the ground so he would not have a child for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him also. ¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house until Shelah, my son, grows up." For he feared, "He might also die, just like his brothers." Tamar left and lived in her father's house.

¹² After a long time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted and went up to the shearers of his sheep at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ Tamar was told, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." ¹⁴ She took off the clothing of her widowhood and covered herself with her veil and wrapped herself. She sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up but she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. ¹⁶ He went to her by the road and said, "Come, please let me come to you"—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law—and she said, "What will you give me so you can come to me?" ¹⁷ He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?" ¹⁸ He said, "What pledge can I give you?" She replied, "Your seal and cord, and the staff that is in your hand." He gave them to her and he went to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ She got up and went away. She took off her veil and put on the clothing of her widowhood. ²⁰ Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order that he might receive the pledge back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. ²¹ Then the Adullamite asked the men of the place, "Where is the cultic prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has not been a cultic prostitute here." ²² He returned to Judah and said, "I did not find her. Also, the men of the place said, 'There has not been a cultic prostitute here.'" ²³ Judah said, "Let her keep the things, that we not be put to shame. Indeed, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

²⁴ It came about after about three months that it was told to Judah, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed prostitution, and indeed, she is pregnant by it." Judah said, "Bring her here and let her be burned." ²⁵ When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law a message, "By the man who owns these I am pregnant." She said, "Determine please whose these are, the seal and cords and staff." ²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I am, since I did not give her as a wife to Shelah, my son." He did not know her again. ²⁷ It came about at the time for her to give birth that, behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ It came about as she was giving birth one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand and said, "This one came out first." ²⁹ But then he drew back his hand, and, behold, his brother came out first. The midwife said, "How you have broken out!" So he was named Perez. ³⁰ Then his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and he was named Zerah.

¹ Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh who was captain of the guard and an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. ² Yahweh was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ His master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh prospered everything that he did. ⁴ Joseph found favor in his sight. He served Potiphar. Potiphar made Joseph manager over his house, and everything that he possessed, he put under his care. ⁵ It came about from the time that he made him manager over his house and over everything he possessed, that Yahweh blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The blessing of Yahweh was on everything that Potiphar had in the house and in the field. ⁶ Potiphar put everything that he had under Joseph's care. He did not have to think about anything except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and attractive. ⁷ It came about after this that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." ⁸ But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not pay attention to what I do in the house, and he has put everything that he owns under my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. He has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" ¹⁰ She spoke to Joseph day after day, but he refused to lie with her or to be with her. ¹¹ It came about one day that he went into the house to do his work. None of the men of the house were there in the house. ¹² She caught him by his clothes and said, "Lie with me." He left his clothing in her hand, fled, and went outside. ¹³ It came about, when she saw that he had left his clothing in her hand and had fled outside, ¹⁴ that she called to the men of her house and told them, "See, Potiphar has brought in a Hebrew to mock us. He came to me to lie with me, and I screamed. ¹⁵ It came about when he heard me scream, that he left his clothing with me, fled, and went outside." ¹⁶ She set his clothing next to her until his master came home. ¹⁷ She told him this explanation, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us, came in to mock me. ¹⁸ It came about that when I screamed, he left his clothing with me and fled outside."

¹⁹ It came about that, when his master heard the explanation his wife told him, "This is what your servant did to me," he became very angry. ²⁰ Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. He was there in the prison. ²¹ But Yahweh was with Joseph and showed covenant faithfulness to him. He gave him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ²² The prison warden gave into Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, Joseph was in charge of it. ²³ The prison warden did not worry about anything that was in his hand, because Yahweh was with him. Whatever he did, Yahweh prospered.

¹ It came about that after these things, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and king's baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers. ³ He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he served them. They remained in custody for some time. ⁵ Both of them dreamed a dream—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the prison—each man had his own dream in the same night, and each dream had its own interpretation. ⁶ Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them. Behold, they were upset. ⁷ He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" ⁸ They said to him, "We have both dreamed a dream and no one can interpret it." Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me, please."

⁹ The chief of the cupbearers told his dream to Joseph. He said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me. ¹⁰ In the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters of grapes ripened. ¹¹ Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I placed the cup into Pharaoh's hand." ¹² Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. ¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand, just as when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ But think of me when it goes well with you, and please show kindness to me. Mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison. ¹⁵ For indeed I was abducted out of the land of the Hebrews. Here also have I done nothing that they should put me in this dungeon."

¹⁶ When the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream, and, behold, three baskets of bread were on my head. ¹⁷ In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds ate them out of the basket on my head." ¹⁸ Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation. The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree. The birds will eat your flesh off you." ²⁰ It came about on the third day that it was Pharaoh's birthday. He made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers, among his servants. ²¹ He restored the chief of the cupbearers to his responsibility, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand again. ²² But he hanged the chief of the bakers, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot about him.

¹ It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile. ² Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds. ³ Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. ⁴ Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. ⁵ Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good. ⁶ Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. ⁷ The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream. ⁸ It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I have remembered my sins today. ¹⁰ Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me. ¹¹ We dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. ¹² There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream. ¹³ It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he hanged."

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." ¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor." ¹⁷ Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile. ¹⁸ Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, and they grazed among the reeds. ¹⁹ Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them. ²⁰ The thin and undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows. ²¹ When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke. ²² I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good. ²³ Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them. ²⁴ The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to me."

²⁵ Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh. ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are the same. ²⁷ The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. ²⁸ That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh. ²⁹ Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt. ³⁰ Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devastate the land. ³¹ The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. ³² That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do it. ³³ Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years. ³⁵ Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. They should preserve it. ³⁶ The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by the famine."

³⁷ This advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸ Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" ³⁹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰ You will be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you." ⁴¹ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt." ⁴² Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, "Bend the knee." Pharaoh put him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt." ⁴⁵ Pharaoh called Joseph's name "Zaphenath-Paneah." He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly. ⁴⁸ He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it. ⁴⁹ Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting. ⁵⁰ Joseph had two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹ Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." ⁵² He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." ⁵³ The seven years of abundance that was in the land of Egypt came to an end. ⁵⁴ The seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he says." ⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

¹ Now Jacob became aware that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" ² He said, "See here, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there so we may live and not die." ³ Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he said, "I fear that harm might come to him." ⁵ The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ⁶ Now Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke severely with them. He said to them, "Where have you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food." ⁸ Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the undefended parts of the land." ¹⁰ They said to him, "No, my master. Your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹ We are all one man's sons. We are honest men. Your servants are not spies." ¹² He said to them, "No, you have come to see the undefended parts of the land." ¹³ They said, "We your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. See, the youngest is this day with our father, and one brother is no longer alive." ¹⁴ Joseph said to them, "It is what I said to you; you are spies. ¹⁵ By this you will be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave here, unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of yourselves and let him get your brother. You will remain in prison, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies." ¹⁷ He put them all in custody for three days.

¹⁸ Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God. ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in this prison, but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. ²⁰ Bring your youngest brother to me so your words will be verified and you will not die." So they did so. ²¹ They said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us." ²² Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy,' but you would not listen? Now, see, his blood is required of us." ²³ They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. ²⁴ He turned from them and wept. He returned to them and spoke to them. He took Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes. ²⁵ Then Joseph commanded his servants to fill his brothers' bags with grain, and to put every man's money back into his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. It was done for them.

²⁶ The brothers loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. ²⁷ As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the opening of his sack. ²⁸ He said to his brothers, "My money has been put back. Look at it; it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?" ²⁹ They went to Jacob, their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰ "The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us and thought that we were spies in the land. ³¹ We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are not spies. ³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no longer alive, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' ³³ The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine in your houses, and go your way. ³⁴ Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you will trade in the land.'"

³⁵ It came about as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bag of silver was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid. ³⁶ Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children. Joseph is no longer alive, Simeon is gone, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me." ³⁷ Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may kill my two sons if I do not bring Benjamin back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him to you again." ³⁸ Jacob said, "My son will not go down with you. For his brother is dead and he alone is left. If harm comes to him on the road in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol."

¹ The famine was severe in the land. ² It came about when they had eaten the grain that they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again; buy us some food." ³ Judah told him, "The man solemnly warned us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.' ⁴ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ⁵ But if you do not send him, we will not go down. For the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" ⁶ Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?" ⁷ They said, "The man asked details about us and our family. He said, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We answered him according to these questions. How could we have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'" ⁸ Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me. We will rise and go that we may live and not die, both we, you, and also our children. ⁹ I will be a guarantee for him. You will hold me responsible. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. ¹⁰ For if we had not delayed, surely by now we would have come back here a second time." ¹¹ Their father Israel said to them, "If it be so, now do this. Take some of the best products of the land in your bags. Carry down to the man a gift—some balm and honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. ¹² Take double money in your hand. The money that was returned in the opening of your sacks, carry again in your hand. Perhaps it was a mistake. ¹³ Take also your brother. Rise and go again to the man. ¹⁴ May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." ¹⁵ The men took this gift, and in their hand they took double the amount of money, along with Benjamin. They got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon." ¹⁷ The steward did as Joseph said. He brought the men to Joseph's house. ¹⁸ The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, "It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time we were brought in, that he may seek an opportunity against us. He might arrest us and take us as slaves, and take our donkeys." ¹⁹ They approached the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, ²⁰ saying, "My master, we came down the first time to buy food. ²¹ It came about, when we reached the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the opening of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hands. ²² Other money we have also brought down in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks." ²³ The steward said, "Peace be to you, do not fear. Your God and the God of your father must have put your money in your sacks. I received your money." The steward then brought Simeon out to them. ²⁴ The steward took the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave feed to their donkeys. ²⁵ They prepared the gifts for Joseph's coming at noon, for they had heard that they would eat there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they brought the gifts which were in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the ground. ²⁷ He asked them about their welfare and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" ²⁸ They said, "Your servant our father is well. He is still alive." And they bowed down and gave him honor. ²⁹ When he lifted up his eyes he saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and he said, "Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?" Then he said, "May God be gracious to you, my son." ³⁰ Joseph hurried to go out of the room, for he was deeply moved about his brother. He sought somewhere to weep. He went to his room and wept there. ³¹ He washed his face and came out. He controlled himself, saying, "Serve the food." ³² The servants served Joseph by himself and the brothers by themselves. The Egyptians there ate with him by themselves because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is detestable to the Egyptians. ³³ The brothers sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. The men were astonished together. ³⁴ Joseph sent portions to them from the food in front of him. But Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of his brothers. They drank freely and were merry with him.

¹ Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's opening. ² Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's opening of the youngest, and also his money for the grain." The steward did as Joseph had said. ³ The morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. ⁴ When they were out of the city but were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? ⁵ Is this not the cup from which my master drinks, and the cup that he uses for divination? You have done evil, this thing that you have done.'" ⁶ The steward overtook them and spoke these words to them. ⁷ They said to him, "Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they would do such a thing. ⁸ Look, the money that we found in our sacks' openings, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then could we steal out of your master's house silver or gold? ⁹ If any of your servants is found with it, let him die, and we also will be my master's slaves." ¹⁰ The steward said, "Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom the cup is found will be my slave, and you others will be innocent." ¹¹ Then each man hurried and brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. ¹² The steward searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. ¹³ Then they tore their clothes. Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴ Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house. He was still there, and they bowed before him to the ground. ¹⁵ Joseph said to them, "What is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?" ¹⁶ Judah said, "What can we say to my master? What can we speak? Or how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Look, we are my master's slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup was found." ¹⁷ Joseph said, "Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup was found, that person will be my slave, but as for you others, go up in peace to your father."

¹⁸ Then Judah came near to him and said, "My master, please let your servant speak a word in my master's ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My master asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' ²⁰ We said to my master, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. But his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.' ²¹ Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may see him.' ²² After that, we said to my master, 'The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father his father would die.' ²³ Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' ²⁴ Then it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master. ²⁵ Our father said, 'Go again, buy us some food.' ²⁶ Then we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down, for we will not be able to see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' ²⁷ Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ One of them went out from me and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since." ²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.' ³⁰ Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the young man is not with us, since his life is bound up in the boy's life, ³¹ it will come about, when he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. ³² For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father and said, 'If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the guilt to my father forever.' ³³ Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the evil that would come on my father."

¹ Then Joseph could not control himself before all the servants who stood by him. He said loudly, "Everyone must leave me." So no servant stood by him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² He wept loudly, the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard of it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" His brothers could not answer him, for they were shocked in his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." They came near. He said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. ⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, master of all his house, and ruler of all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says, "God has made me master of all Egypt. Come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰ You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, for there are still five years of famine, so that you do not come to poverty, you, your household, and all that you have."' ¹² Look, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. ¹³ You will tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and of all that you have seen. You will hurry and bring my father down here." ¹⁴ He hugged his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ The news of the matter was told in Pharaoh's house: "Joseph's brothers have come." It pleased Pharaoh and his servants very much. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Get your father and your households and come to me. I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.' ¹⁹ Now you are commanded, 'Do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives. Get your father and come. ²⁰ Do not be concerned about your possessions, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

²¹ The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. ²² To all of them he gave each man changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. ²³ For his father he sent this: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt; and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other supplies for his father for the journey. ²⁴ So he sent his brothers away and they left. He said to them, "See that you do not quarrel on the journey." ²⁵ They went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. ²⁶ They told him saying "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." His heart was astonished, for he could not believe what they told him. ²⁷ They told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them. When Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. ²⁸ Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

¹ Israel made his journey with all that he had and went to Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, saying, "Jacob, Jacob." He said, "Here I am." ³ He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. ⁴ I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely bring you up again and Joseph will close your eyes with his own hand." ⁵ Jacob rose up from Beersheba. The sons of Israel transported Jacob their father, their children, and their wives, in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ They took their livestock and their possessions that they had accumulated in the land of Canaan. They came into Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. ⁷ He brought with him to Egypt his sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants.

⁸ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt: Jacob and his descendants, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn;

⁹ the sons of Reuben, Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi;

¹⁰ the sons of Simeon, Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman;

¹¹ and the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹² The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

¹³ The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These were the sons of Leah whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. His sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷ The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel. ¹⁸ These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban had given to Leah his daughter. These sons she bore to Jacob—sixteen in all.

¹⁹ The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ²⁰ In Egypt Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On.

²¹ The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

²³ The son of Dan was Hushim.

²⁴ The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter—seven in all.

²⁶ All those who went to Egypt with Jacob, who were his direct descendants, not counting Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six in all. ²⁷ With the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, the people of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

²⁸ Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen. ²⁹ Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He saw him, hugged his neck, and wept on his neck a long time. ³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive." ³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's house, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, 'My brothers and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ³² The men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock. They have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.' ³³ It will come about, when Pharaoh calls you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' ³⁴ that you should say, 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we, and our forefathers.' Do this so that you may live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

¹ Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, "My father and my brothers, their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have arrived from the land of Canaan. See, they are in the land of Goshen." ² He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors." ⁴ Then they said to Pharaoh, "We come as temporary residents in the land. There is no pasture for your servants' flocks, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen." ⁵ Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best region, the land of Goshen. If you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." ⁷ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How long have you lived?" ⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourning are 130. The years of my life have been few and painful. They have not been as long as the days of my ancestors' sojourning." ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. ¹¹ Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² Joseph provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father's household, according to the number of their little ones.

¹³ Now there was no food in all the land; for the famine was severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph gathered all the money that was in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, by selling grain to the inhabitants. Then Joseph brought the money to Pharaoh's palace. ¹⁵ When all the money of the lands of Egypt and Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, "Give us food! Why should we die in your presence because our money is gone?" ¹⁶ Joseph said, "If your money is gone, bring your livestock and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock." ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph. Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, for the flocks, for the herds, and for the donkeys. He fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. ¹⁸ When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my master that our money is all gone, and the herds of cattle are my master's. There is nothing left in the sight of my master, except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was very severe. In this way, the land became Pharaoh's. ²¹ As for the people, he made them slaves from one end of Egypt's border to the other end. ²² It was only the land of the priests that Joseph did not buy, because the priests were given an allowance. They ate from the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, "See, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will plant the land. ²⁴ At the harvest, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field and for food for your households and your little ones." ²⁵ They said, "You have saved our lives. May we find favor in your eyes. We will be Pharaoh's servants." ²⁶ So Joseph made it a statute which is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day, that one-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's.

²⁷ So Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. His people gained possessions there. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly. ²⁸ Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so the years of Jacob's life were one hundred forty-seven years. ²⁹ When the time approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh, and show me faithfulness and trustworthiness. Please do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I lie down with my fathers, you will carry me out of Egypt and bury me in my forefathers' burial place." Joseph said, "I will do as you have said." ³¹ Israel said, "Swear to me," and Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.

¹ It came about after these things, that one said to Joseph, "Look, your father is sick." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ² When Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph has arrived to see you," Israel gathered strength and sat up in bed. ³ Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. He blessed me ⁴ and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you. I will make of you an assembly of nations. I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.' ⁵ Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. ⁶ The offspring who are born after them will be yours; they will be listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. ⁷ But as for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Whose are these?" ⁹ Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." Israel said, "Bring them to me, that I may bless them." ¹⁰ Now Israel's eyes were failing because of his age, so he could not see. So Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, but God has even allowed me to see your children." ¹² Joseph brought them out from between Israel's knees, and then he bowed with his face to the earth. ¹³ Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. ¹⁴ Israel reached out with his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head. He crossed his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ Israel blessed Joseph, saying,

"The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

the God who has cared for me to this day,

¹⁶ the angel who has protected me from all harm,

may he bless these boys.

May my name be named in them,

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth."

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head." ¹⁹ His father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. Yet his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a multitude of nations." ²⁰ Israel blessed them that day with these words,

"The people of Israel will pronounce blessings by your names saying,

'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh'."

In this way, Israel put Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Israel said to Joseph, "See, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² To you, as one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."

¹ Then Jacob called for his sons, and said:

"Gather yourselves together,

that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.

² Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob.

Listen to Israel, your father.

³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,

and the beginning of my strength,

outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.

⁴ Uncontrollable as rushing water,

you will not have the preeminence,

because you went up to your father's bed.

Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.

⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers.

Weapons of violence are their swords.

⁶ O my soul, do not come into their council;

O my glory, do not join in their meetings.

For in their anger they killed men.

It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.

⁷ May their anger be cursed, for it was fierce

and their fury, for it was severe.

I will divide them in Jacob

and scatter them in Israel.

⁸ Judah, your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.

Your father's sons will bow down before you.

⁹ Judah is a lion's cub.

My son, you have gone up from your victims.

He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness.

Who would dare to awaken him?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.

¹¹ Binding his donkey to the vine,

and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine,

and his robe in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes will be as dark as wine,

and his teeth as white as milk.

¹³ Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea.

He will be a harbor for ships,

and his border will extend to Sidon.

¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey,

lying down between the sheepfolds.

¹⁵ He sees a good resting place

and the pleasant land.

He will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a servant for forced labor.

¹⁶ Dan will judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷ Dan will be a snake beside the road,

a poisonous snake in the path

that bites the horse's heels,

so that his rider falls backward.

¹⁸ I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

¹⁹ Gad—raiders will attack him,

but he will attack them at their heels.

²⁰ Asher's food will be rich,

and he will provide royal delicacies.

²¹ Naphtali is a doe let loose;

he will have beautiful fawns.

²² Joseph is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough near a spring,

whose branches climb over the wall.

²³ The archers will attack him bitterly

and shoot at him with hostility.

²⁴ But his bow will remain steady,

and his hands will be skillful

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

²⁵ The God of your father will help you

and the Almighty God will bless you

with blessings of the sky above,

blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

and blessings of the breasts and womb.

²⁶ The blessings of your father are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains

or the desirable things of the ancient hills.

May they be on the head of Joseph,

even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.

²⁷ Benjamin is a hungry wolf.

In the morning he will devour the prey,

and in the evening he will divide the plunder."

²⁸ These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. Each one he blessed with an appropriate blessing. ²⁹ Then he instructed them and said to them, "I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. ³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. ³² The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth." ³³ When Jacob finished these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.

¹ Then Joseph was so distressed that he collapsed on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him. ² Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ They took forty days, for that was the full time for embalming. The Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

⁴ When the days of weeping were over, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ 'My father made me swear, saying, "See, I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. There you will bury me." Now let me go up and bury my father, and then I will return.'" ⁶ Pharaoh answered, "Go and bury your father, as he made you swear." ⁷ Joseph went up to bury his father. All the servants of Pharaoh went with him—the elders of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, ⁸ with all Joseph's household and his brothers, and his father's household. But their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Chariots and horsemen also went with him. It was a very large group of people. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned with very great and grievous sorrow. There Joseph made a seven-day mourning for his father. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians." That is why the name of the place was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. ¹² So his sons did for Jacob just as he had instructed them. ¹³ His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave with the field for a burial place. He had bought it from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned into Egypt, he, along with his brothers, and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.

¹⁵ When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph continues to be angry against us and wants to repay us in full for all the evil we did to him?" ¹⁶ So they commanded the presence of Joseph, saying, "Your father gave instructions before he died, saying, ¹⁷ 'Tell Joseph this, "Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin when they did evil to you."' Now please forgive the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also went and lay facedown before him. They said, "See, we are your servants." ¹⁹ But Joseph answered them, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant to harm me, but God meant it for good, to preserve the lives of many people, as you see today. ²¹ So now do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children." He comforted them in this way and spoke kindly to their hearts.

²² Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived one hundred ten years. ²³ Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. He also saw the children of Makir son of Manasseh, who were placed on the knees of Joseph. ²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die; but God will surely come to you and lead you up out of this land to the land which he swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, "God will surely come to you. At that time you must carry up my bones from here." ²⁶ So Joseph died, 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

¹ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, ⁴ Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ⁵ All the people who were descendants of Jacob were seventy in number. Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶ Then Joseph, all his brothers, and all that generation died. ⁷ But the people of Israel were fruitful, increased in numbers, became great, and became very, very mighty; the land was filled with them.

⁸ Now then a new king arose over Egypt, one who did not know about Joseph. ⁹ He said to his people, "Look, the people of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are. ¹⁰ Come, let us deal with them wisely, otherwise they will continue to grow in numbers, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the land." ¹¹ So they put taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. The Israelites built store cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Rameses. ¹² But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites increased in numbers and spread. So the Egyptians began to dread the people of Israel. ¹³ The Egyptians severely forced the people of Israel to serve. ¹⁴ They made their lives bitter with hard service with mortar and brick, and with all kinds of work in the fields. All their required work was severe.

¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives; the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the other Puah. ¹⁶ He said, "When you assist the Hebrew women on the birthstool, observe when they give birth. If it is a son, then you must kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she may live." ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt ordered them; instead, they let the baby boys live. ¹⁸ The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the baby boys live?" ¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous and have finished giving birth before a midwife comes to them." ²⁰ God protected these midwives. The people increased in numbers and became very mighty. ²¹ Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. ²² Pharaoh ordered all his people, "You must throw every son that is born into the river, but every daughter you will let live."

¹ Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of Levi. ² The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy boy, she hid him for three months. ³ But when she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. Then she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds in the water along the side of the river. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. ⁵ Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river while her attendants walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her attendant to get it. ⁶ When she opened it, she saw the child. Behold, the baby was crying. She had compassion on him and said, "This is certainly one of the Hebrews' children." ⁷ Then the baby's sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and find you a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?" ⁸ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the young girl went and got the child's mother. ⁹ Pharaoh's daughter said to the baby's mother, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and said, "Because I drew him from the water."

¹¹ When Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and observed their hard labors. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one there, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. ¹³ He went out the next day, and, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your companion?" ¹⁴ But the man said, "Who made you a leader and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed that Egyptian?" Then Moses became afraid and said, "What I did has certainly become known to others." ¹⁵ Now when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. There he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came, drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and tried to drive them away, but Moses went and helped them. Then he watered their flock. ¹⁸ When the girls went to Reuel their father, he said, "Why are you home so early today?" ¹⁹ They said, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock." ²⁰ He said to his daughters, "So where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so he can eat a meal with us." ²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, who also gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage. ²² She bore a son, and Moses called his name Gershom; he said, "I have been a resident in a foreign land."

²³ A long time later, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out for help, and their pleas went up to God because of their bondage. ²⁴ When God heard their groaning, God called to mind his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God saw the people of Israel, and he understood their situation.

¹ Now Moses was still shepherding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. Moses led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and arrived at Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush. Moses looked, and behold, the bush was burning, but the bush was not burned up. ³ Moses said, "I will turn aside and see this amazing thing, why the bush is not burned up." ⁴ When Yahweh saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses." Moses said, "Here I am." ⁵ God said, "Do not come any closer! Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is ground that is set apart to me." ⁶ He added, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look at God. ⁷ Yahweh said, "I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I know about their suffering. ⁸ I have come down to free them from the Egyptians' power and to bring them up from that land to a good, large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁹ Now the outcry of the people of Israel has come to me. Moreover, I have seen the way the Egyptians have been oppressing them. ¹⁰ Now then, I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people, the people of Israel, out of Egypt." ¹¹ But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel from Egypt?" ¹² God replied, "I will certainly be with you. This will be a sign to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain."

¹³ Moses said to God, "When I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and when they say to me, 'What is his name?' what should I say to them?" ¹⁴ God said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." God said, "You must say to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, "You must say to the people of Israel, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is how I will be kept in mind for all generations.'

¹⁶ Go and gather the elders of Israel together. Say to them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me and said, "I have indeed observed you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ I have promised to bring you up from the affliction in Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey."' ¹⁸ They will listen to you. You and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt, and you must tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, in order that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.' ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go except under a mighty hand. ²⁰ I will reach out with my hand and attack the Egyptians with all the miracles that I will do among them. After that, he will let you go. ²¹ I will grant this people favor from the Egyptians, so when you leave, you will not go empty-handed. ²² Every woman will ask for silver and gold jewels and for clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and any women staying in her neighbors' houses. You will put them on your sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians."

¹ Moses answered, "But what if they do not believe me or listen to me but say instead, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you'?" ² Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses said, "A staff." ³ Yahweh said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran back from it. ⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out and take it by the tail." So he reached out and took hold of the snake. It became a staff in his hand again. ⁵ "This is so they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." ⁶ Yahweh also said to him, "Now put your hand inside your robe." So Moses put his hand inside his robe. When he brought it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. ⁷ Yahweh said, "Put your hand inside your robe again." So Moses put his hand inside his robe, and when he brought it out, he saw that it was made healthy again, like the rest of his flesh. ⁸ Yahweh said, "If they do not believe you—if they do not pay attention to the first sign of my power or believe in it, then they will believe the second sign. ⁹ If they do not believe even these two signs of my power, or listen to you, then take some water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take will become blood on the dry land."

¹⁰ Then Moses said to Yahweh, "Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you spoke to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." ¹¹ Yahweh said to him, "Who is it who made man's mouth? Who makes a man mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? ¹² So now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say." ¹³ But Moses said, "Lord, please send anyone else, anyone whom you wish to send." ¹⁴ Then Yahweh became angry with Moses. He said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵ You will speak to him and put the words to say into his mouth. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you. He will be like a mouth for you, and you will be like God for him. ¹⁷ You will take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs." ¹⁸ So Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go so I may return to my relatives who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." ¹⁹ Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt, for all the men who were trying to take your life are dead." ²⁰ Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey. He returned to the land of Egypt, and he took the staff of God in his hand. ²¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. ²² You must say to Pharaoh, 'This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my son, my firstborn, ²³ and I say to you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But since you have refused to let him go, I will certainly kill your son, your firstborn.'" ²⁴ Now on the way, when they stopped for the night, Yahweh met Moses and tried to kill him. ²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son, and touched it to his feet. Then she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom to me by blood." ²⁶ So Yahweh let him alone. She said, "You are a bridegroom of blood" because of the circumcision.

²⁷ Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." Aaron went, met him at the mountain of God, and kissed him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh that he had sent him to say and about all the signs of Yahweh's power 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 Yahweh had spoken to Moses. He also displayed the signs of Yahweh's power in the sight of the people. ³¹ The people believed. When they heard that Yahweh had observed the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed down and worshiped him.

¹ After these things happened, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so they can have a festival for me in the wilderness.'" ² Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh? Why should I listen to his voice and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh; moreover, I will not let Israel go." ³ They said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahweh our God so that he does not attack us with plague or with the sword." ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people from their work? Go back to your labors." ⁵ Pharaoh also said, "There are now many people in our land, and you are making them stop their labors." ⁶ On that same day, Pharaoh gave a command to the people's taskmasters and overseers. He said, ⁷ "Unlike before, you must no longer give the people straw to make bricks. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ However, you must still demand from them the same number of bricks as they made before. Do not accept any fewer, because they are lazy. That is why they are calling out and saying, 'Allow us to go and sacrifice to our God.' ⁹ Increase the workload for the men so that they keep at it and pay no more attention to deceptive words."

¹⁰ So the people's taskmasters and overseers went out and informed the people. They said, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will no longer give you any straw. ¹¹ You yourselves must go and get straw wherever you can find it, but your workload will not be reduced.'" ¹² So the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters kept urging them and saying, "Finish your work, just as when straw was given to you." ¹⁴ Pharaoh's taskmasters beat the overseers, who were of the people of Israel, those same men whom they had put in charge of the workers. The taskmasters kept asking them, "Why have you not produced all the bricks required of you, either yesterday and today, as you used to do in the past?"

¹⁵ So the overseers, who were of the people of Israel, came to Pharaoh and cried out to him. They said, "Why are you treating your servants this way? ¹⁶ No straw is being given to your servants anymore, but they are still telling us, 'Make bricks!' We, your servants, are even beaten now, but it is the fault of your own people." ¹⁷ But Pharaoh said, "You are lazy! You are lazy! You say, 'Allow us to go sacrifice to Yahweh.' ¹⁸ So now go back to work. No more straw will be given to you, but you must still make the same number of bricks." ¹⁹ The overseers, who were of the people of Israel, saw that they were in trouble when they were told, "You must not reduce the daily number of bricks." ²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who were standing outside the palace, as they went away from Pharaoh. ²¹ They said to Moses and Aaron, "May Yahweh look at you and punish you, because you have made us offensive in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. You have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

²² Moses went back to Yahweh and said, "Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you send me in the first place? ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have not set your people free at all."

¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. You will see this, for he will let them go because of my strong hand. Because of my strong hand, he will drive them out of his land."

² God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am Yahweh. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty; but by my name, Yahweh, I was not known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them, in order to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. ⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have called to mind my covenant. ⁶ Therefore, say to the people of Israel, 'I am Yahweh. I will bring you out from under the hard labors of the Egyptians, and I will free you from their power. I will rescue you with a display of my power, and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you to myself as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from under the hard labors of the Egyptians. ⁸ 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 as a possession. I am Yahweh.'" ⁹ When Moses told this to the people of Israel, they would not listen to him because of their discouragement about their severe slavery.

¹⁰ Then Yahweh said to Moses, saying, ¹¹ "Go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel go from his land." ¹² Moses said to Yahweh, "If the people of Israel have not listened to me, why will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am not good at speaking?" ¹³ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He gave them a command for the people of Israel and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ These were the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi. These were the clan ancestors of Reuben.

¹⁵ The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul—the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clan ancestors of Simeon.

¹⁶ Here are listed the names of the sons of Levi, according to their genealogies. They were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived until he was 137 years old. ¹⁷ The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, according to their clans. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived until he was 133 years old. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These became the clan ancestors of the Levites, together with their descendants.

²⁰ Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister. She bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years and then died. ²¹ The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zikri. ²² The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

²³ Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

²⁴ The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the clan ancestors of the Korahites.

²⁵ Eleazar, Aaron's son, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the fathers' houses among the Levites, according to their clans.

²⁶ These two men were the Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, "Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their hosts." ²⁷ Aaron and Moses spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt,in order to bring out the people of Israel from Egypt. These were the same Moses and Aaron.

²⁸ When Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ he said to him, "I am Yahweh. Say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything that I will tell you." ³⁰ But Moses said to Yahweh, "I am not good at speaking, so why will Pharaoh listen to me?"

¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "See, I have made you like a god to Pharaoh. Aaron your brother will be your prophet. ² You will say everything that I command you to say. Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh so that he will let the people of Israel go from his land. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will display many signs of my power, many wonders, in the land of Egypt. ⁴ But Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will put my hand on Egypt and bring out my hosts, my people, the people of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I reach out with my hand on Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them." ⁶ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as Yahweh commanded them. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

⁸ Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, ⁹ "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Do a miracle,' then you will say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may become a snake.'" ¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and they did just as Yahweh had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for his Egyptian wise men and sorcerers. They did the same thing by their magic. ¹² Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their snakes. ¹³ Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen, just as Yahweh had foretold.

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hard, and he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Stand on the riverbank to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that had turned into a snake. ¹⁶ Say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say, "Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. Until now you have not listened." ¹⁷ Yahweh says this: "By this you will know that I am Yahweh. I am going to strike the water of the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand, and the river will be turned to blood. ¹⁸ The fish that are in the river will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river."'" ¹⁹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and reach out with your hand over the waters of Egypt, and over their rivers, streams, pools, and all their ponds, so that their water may become blood. Do this so that there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in containers of wood and stone.'"

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did as Yahweh commanded. Aaron raised the staff and struck the water in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the water in the river turned to blood. ²¹ The fish in the river died, and the river began to stink. The Egyptians could not drink water from the river, and the blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt. ²² But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their magic. So Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said would happen. ²³ Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not even pay attention to this. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, but they could not drink the water of the river itself. ²⁵ Seven days passed after Yahweh had attacked the river.

¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Yahweh says this: "Let my people go so that they may worship me. ² If you refuse to let them go, I will afflict all your country with frogs. ³ The river will swarm with frogs. They will come up and go into your house, your bedroom, and your bed. They will go into your servants' houses. They will go onto your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. ⁴ The frogs will attack you, your people, and all your servants."'" ⁵ Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Reach out with your hand and your staff over the rivers, the streams, and the pools, and bring the frogs up over the land of Egypt.'" ⁶ Aaron reached out with his hand over Egypt's waters, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same with their magic; they brought up frogs over the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to Yahweh for him to take away the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to him." ⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, "Honor yourself over me. When should I pray for you, your servants, and your people, so that the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and stay only in the river?" ¹⁰ Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." Moses said, "Let it be as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh, our God. ¹¹ The frogs will go from you, your houses, your servants, and your people. They will stay only in the river." ¹² Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. Then Moses cried out to Yahweh concerning the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³ Yahweh did as Moses asked: The frogs died in the houses, courts, and fields. ¹⁴ The people gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as Yahweh had said that he would do.

¹⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Reach out with your staff and strike the dust on the ground, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.'" ¹⁷ They did so. When Aaron reached out with his hand and his staff and struck the dust on the ground, gnats came on men and animals. All the dust on the ground became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried with their magic to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on men and animals. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so he refused to listen to them. It was just as Yahweh had said Pharaoh would do.

²⁰ Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh as he goes out to the river. Say to him, 'Yahweh says this: "Let my people go so that they may worship me. ²¹ But if you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your servants, and your people, and into your houses. The Egyptians' houses will be full of swarms of flies, and even the ground on which they stand will be full of flies. ²² But on that day I will set the land of Goshen apart, the land in which my people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there. This will happen so that you may know that I am Yahweh in the midst of this land. ²³ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign of my power will take place tomorrow."'" ²⁴ Yahweh did so, and thick swarms of flies came into Pharaoh's house and into his servants' houses. Throughout the whole land of Egypt, the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies.

²⁵ Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in our own land." ²⁶ Moses said, "It is not right for us to do so, for the sacrifices we make to Yahweh our God are something disgusting to the Egyptians. If we make sacrifices right before their eyes that are disgusting to the Egyptians, will they not stone us? ²⁷ No, it is a three days' journey into the wilderness that we must make, in order to sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he commands us." ²⁸ Pharaoh said, "I will allow you to go and sacrifice to Yahweh your God in the wilderness. Only you must not go very far away. Pray for me." ²⁹ Moses said, "As soon as I go out from you, I will pray to Yahweh that the swarms of flies may leave you, Pharaoh, and your servants and people tomorrow. But you must not deal deceitfully any more by not letting our people go to sacrifice to Yahweh." ³⁰ Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. ³¹ Yahweh did as Moses asked; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: "Let my people go so that they may worship me." ² But if you refuse to let them go, if you still keep them back, ³ then Yahweh's hand will bring a terrible plague on your livestock that are in the field—the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. ⁴ But Yahweh will set the livestock of Israel apart from the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal that belongs to the people of Israel will die. ⁵ Yahweh has fixed a time; he has said, "It is tomorrow that I will do this thing in the land."'" ⁶ Yahweh did this the next day: All the cattle of Egypt died, but none of the people of Israel's animals died, not one animal. ⁷ Pharaoh investigated, and, behold, not even one livestock of the people of Israel died. But his heart was stubborn, so he did not let the people go.

⁸ Then Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron, "Take some handfuls of ashes from a kiln. You, Moses, must throw the ashes up into the air while Pharaoh is watching. ⁹ They will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt. They will cause blisters and sores to break out on people and animals throughout all the land of Egypt." ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a kiln and stood in front of Pharaoh. Then Moses threw the ashes up into the air. The ashes caused blisters and sores to break out on men and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not resist Moses because of the blisters, because the blisters were on them and on all the other Egyptians. ¹² Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, so Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and Aaron. This was just as Yahweh had said to Moses that Pharaoh would do. ¹³ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, stand in front of Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: "Let my people go so that they may worship me. ¹⁴ For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, on your servants and your people. I will do this so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ By now I could have reached out with my hand and attacked you and your people with plague, and you would have been eradicated from the land. ¹⁶ But it was for this reason I allowed you to survive: In order to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth. ¹⁷ You are still lifting yourself up against my people by not letting them go. ¹⁸ Listen! Tomorrow about this time I will bring a very strong hail storm, such as has not been seen in Egypt since the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ Now then, send men and gather your livestock and everything you have in the fields to a safe place. Every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home—the hail will come down on them, and they will die."'" ²⁰ Then those of Pharaoh's servants who feared Yahweh's message hurried to bring their slaves and livestock into the houses. ²¹ But those who did not take Yahweh's message seriously left their slaves and livestock in the fields.

²² Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out with your hand toward the sky so that there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on men and animals, and every plant of the field in the land of Egypt." ²³ Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and Yahweh sent thunder, hail, and lightning to the ground. He also rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there were hail and lightning mixed with hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ Throughout all the land of Egypt, the hail struck everything in the fields, both people and animals. It struck every plant in the fields and broke every tree. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived, was there no hail.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent men to summon Moses and Aaron. He said to them, "I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. ²⁸ Pray to Yahweh, because the mighty thunderbolts and hail are too much. I will let you go, and you will stay here no longer." ²⁹ Moses said to him, "As soon as I leave the city, I will spread my hands out to Yahweh. The thunder will stop, and there will not be any more hail. In this way you will know that the earth belongs to Yahweh. ³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet really honor Yahweh God." ³¹ Now the flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was maturing in the ear, and the flax was in bloom. ³² But the wheat and the spelt were not harmed because they were later crops. ³³ When Moses had left Pharaoh and the city, he spread out his hands to Yahweh; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain came down no more. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, together with his servants. ³⁵ The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and so he did not let the people of Israel go, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses.

¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants. I have done this to show these signs of my power among them. ² I have also done this so that you may tell your children and grandchildren the things I have done, how I have harshly treated Egypt, and how I have given various signs of my power among them. In this way you will know that I am Yahweh." ³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says this: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may worship me. ⁴ But if you refuse to let my people go, listen, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your land. ⁵ They will cover the surface of the ground so that no one will be able to see the earth. They will eat the remains of whatever escaped from the hail. They will also eat every tree that grows for you in the fields. ⁶ They will fill your houses, those of all your servants, and those of all the Egyptians—something neither your father nor your grandfather ever saw, nothing ever seen since the day that they were on the earth to this present day.'" Then Moses left and went out from Pharaoh. ⁷ Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people of Israel go so that they may worship Yahweh their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed?" ⁸ Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, who said to them, "Go worship Yahweh your God. But what people will go?" ⁹ Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and our daughters. We will go with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a festival for Yahweh." ¹⁰ Pharaoh said to them, "May Yahweh indeed be with you, if I ever let you go and your little ones go. Look, you have some evil in mind. ¹¹ No! Go, just the men among you, and worship Yahweh, for that is what you want." Then Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. ¹² Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt to the locusts, that they may attack the land of Egypt and eat every plant in it, everything that the hail has left." ¹³ Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind over the land all that day and night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. ¹⁴ The locusts went through all the land of Egypt and infested all parts of it. Never before had there been such a swarm of locusts in the land, and nothing like this will come after it. ¹⁵ They covered the surface of the whole land so that it was darkened. They ate every plant in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Throughout all the land of Egypt, no living green plant remained, nor any tree or plant in the fields. ¹⁶ Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against Yahweh your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now then, forgive my sin this time, and pray to Yahweh your God that he will take this death away from me." ¹⁸ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. ¹⁹ Yahweh brought a very strong west wind that picked up the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds; not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the people of Israel go.

²¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness that may be felt." ²² Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else; no one left his home for three days. However, all the people of Israel had light in the place where they lived. ²⁴ Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go worship Yahweh. Even your little ones may go with you, but your flocks and herds must remain behind." ²⁵ But Moses said, "Allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings so that we may present them to Yahweh our God. ²⁶ Our cattle must also go with us; not a hoof of them may be left behind, for we must take them to worship Yahweh our God. For we do not know with what we must worship Yahweh until we arrive there." ²⁷ But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to Moses, "Go from me! Be careful about one thing, that you do not see me again, for on the day you see my face, you will die." ²⁹ Moses said, "You yourself have spoken. I will not see your face again."

¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "There is still one more plague that I will bring on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he finally lets you go, he will drive you away completely. ² Instruct the people that every man and woman is to ask of his or her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold." ³ Now Yahweh had made the Egyptians eager to please the Israelites. Moreover, the man Moses was very impressive in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and the people of Egypt.

⁴ Moses said, "Yahweh says this: 'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. ⁵ All the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill grinding it, and to all the firstborn of the livestock. ⁶ Then there will be a great outcry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as has never been nor ever will be again. ⁷ But not even a dog will bark against any of the people of Israel, against either man or animal. In this way you will know that I am making a distinction between the Egyptians and the people of Israel.' ⁸ All these servants of yours, Pharaoh, will come down to me and bow down to me. They will say, 'Go, you and all the people who follow you!' After that I will go out." Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

⁹ Yahweh said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not listen to you. This is so that I will do many amazing things in the land of Egypt." ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh. But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

¹ Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt. He said, ² "For you, this month will be the start of months, the first month of the year to you. ³ Tell the assembly of Israel, 'On the tenth day of this month they must each take a lamb or young goat for themselves, each family doing this, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If the household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next door neighbor are to take lamb or young goat meat that will be enough for the number of the people. It should be enough for everyone to eat, so they must take enough meat to feed them all. ⁵ Your lamb or young goat must be without blemish, a one-year-old male. You may take one of the sheep or goats. ⁶ You must keep it safe until the fourteenth day of that month. Then the whole assembly of Israel must kill these animals at twilight. ⁷ You must take some of the blood and put it on the two side doorposts and on the tops of the doorframes of the houses in which you will eat the meat. ⁸ You must eat the meat that night, after first roasting it over a fire. Eat it with bread made without yeast, along with bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roast it over fire with its head, legs, and inner parts. ¹⁰ You must not let any of it be left over until morning. You must burn whatever is left over in the morning. ¹¹ This is how you must eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You must eat it hurriedly. It is Yahweh's Passover. ¹² Yahweh says this: I will go through the land of Egypt in that night and strike down all the firstborn of man and animal in the land of Egypt. I will do acts of judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh. ¹³ The blood will be a sign on your houses for my coming to you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you when I attack the land of Egypt. This plague will not come on you and destroy you. ¹⁴ This day will become a memorial day for you, which you must observe as a festival to Yahweh; for your generations—a statute that you must keep as a festival forever.

¹⁵ You will eat bread without yeast during seven days. On the first day you will remove the yeast from your houses. Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person must be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day there will be an assembly that is set apart to me, and on the seventh day there will be another such gathering. No work will be done on these days, except the cooking for everyone to eat. That must be the only work that may be done by you. ¹⁷ You must observe this Festival of Unleavened Bread because it was on this day that I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. So you must observe this day throughout your people's generations as a statute forever. ¹⁸ You must eat unleavened bread from twilight of the fourteenth day in the first month of the year until twilight of the twenty-first day of the month. ¹⁹ During these seven days, no yeast must be found in your houses. Whoever eats bread made with yeast must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether that person is a foreigner or someone born in your land. ²⁰ You must eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat bread made without yeast.'"

²¹ Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs or kids that will be enough to feed your families and kill the Passover lamb. ²² Then take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that will be in a basin. Apply the blood in the basin to the top of the doorframe and the two doorposts. None of you is to go out of the door of his house until the morning. ²³ For Yahweh will pass through to attack the Egyptians. When he sees the blood on the top of the doorframe and on the two doorposts, he will pass over your door and not permit the destroyer to come into your houses to attack you. ²⁴ You must observe this event. This will always be a law for you and your descendants. ²⁵ When you enter the land that Yahweh will give you, just as he has promised to do, you must observe this act of worship. ²⁶ When your children ask you, 'What does this act of worship mean?' ²⁷ then you must say, 'It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's Passover, because Yahweh passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt when he attacked the Egyptians. He set our households free.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped Yahweh. ²⁸ The people of Israel went and did exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron.

²⁹ It happened at midnight that Yahweh attacked all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the person in the dungeon and all the firstborn of the livestock. ³⁰ Pharaoh got up in the night—he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians. There was a loud outcry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not someone dead. ³¹ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, "Get up, get out from among my people, you and the people of Israel. Go, worship Yahweh, as you have said you wanted to do. ³² Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and also bless me." ³³ The Egyptians were in a great hurry to send them out of the land, for they said, "We will all die." ³⁴ So the people took their dough without adding any yeast. Their kneading bowls were already tied up in their clothes and on their shoulders. ³⁵ Now the people of Israel did as Moses told them. They asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. ³⁶ Yahweh made the Egyptians eager to please the Israelites. So the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. In this way, the Israelites plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. They numbered about 600,000 men on foot, in addition to the little ones. ³⁸ A mixed multitude also went with them, together with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. ³⁹ They baked bread without yeast in the dough that they brought from Egypt. It was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay to prepare food. ⁴⁰ The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all of Yahweh's armed groups went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² This was a night to stay awake, for Yahweh to bring them out from the land of Egypt. This was Yahweh's night to be observed by all the people of Israel throughout their people's generations.

⁴³ Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "Here is the rule for the Passover: No foreigner may share in eating it. ⁴⁴ However, every Israelite's slave, bought with money, may eat it after you have circumcised him. ⁴⁵ Foreigners and hired servants must not eat any of the food. ⁴⁶ The food must be eaten in one house. You must not carry any of the meat out of the house, and you must not break any bone of it. ⁴⁷ All the community of Israel must observe the festival. ⁴⁸ If a foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to Yahweh, all his male relatives must be circumcised. Then he may come and observe it. He will become like the people who were born in the land. However, no uncircumcised person may eat any of the food. ⁴⁹ This same law will apply to both the native born and to the foreigner who lives among you."

⁵⁰ So all the people of Israel did exactly as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ It came about that very day that Yahweh brought Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armed groups.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Set apart to me every firstborn male, the first issue of every womb among the people of Israel, whether man or animal. He is mine."

³ Moses said to the people, "Call this day to mind, the day on which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by Yahweh's strong hand he brought you out from this place. No bread with yeast may be eaten. ⁴ You are going out of Egypt on this day, in the month of Aviv. ⁵ When Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and the Jebusites, the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—then you must observe this act of worship in this month. ⁶ For seven days you must eat bread without yeast; on the seventh day there will be a festival to honor Yahweh. ⁷ Bread without yeast must be eaten throughout the seven days; no bread with yeast may be seen among you. No yeast may be seen with you within any of your borders. ⁸ On that day you are to say to your children, 'This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.' ⁹ This will be a reminder for you on your hand, and a reminder on your forehead. This is so the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ Therefore you must keep this law at its appointed time from year to year.

¹¹ When Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your ancestors to do, and when he gives the land to you, ¹² you must set apart to Yahweh the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn offspring of your livestock that are males, will belong to Yahweh. ¹³ Every firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb. If you do not buy it back, then you must break its neck. But every firstborn of your sons you must redeem. ¹⁴ When your son asks you later, 'What does this mean?' then you are to tell him, 'It was by a strong hand that Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed every firstborn in Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animal. That is why I sacrifice to Yahweh all the first male issue of the womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.' ¹⁶ This will become a reminder on your hands, and a reminder on your forehead, for it was by a strong hand Yahweh 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 land was nearby. For God said, "Perhaps the people will change their minds when they experience war and will then return to Egypt." ¹⁸ So God led the people around through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds. The people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt armed for battle. ¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear and said, "God will surely rescue you, and you must carry away my bones with you." ²⁰ The Israelites journeyed from Sukkoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way. By night he went in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel by day and by night. ²² Yahweh did not take away from before the people the daytime pillar of cloud or the nighttime pillar of fire.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Say to the people of Israel that they should turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You are to camp by the sea opposite Pi Hahiroth. ³ Pharaoh will say about the people of Israel, 'They are wandering confused in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them.' ⁴ I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. I will get honor because of Pharaoh and all his army. The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh." So the Israelites camped as they were instructed. ⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his servants turned against the people. They said, "What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us." ⁶ Then Pharaoh got his chariots ready and took his army with him. ⁷ He took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers on all of them. ⁸ Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and the king pursued the people of Israel. Now the people of Israel had gone away in triumph. ⁹ But the Egyptians pursued them, together with all his horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army. They overtook the Israelites camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh came close, the people of Israel looked up and were surprised. The Egyptians were marching after them, and they were terrified. The people of Israel cried out to Yahweh. ¹¹ They said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us like this, bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not what we told you in Egypt? We said to you, 'Leave us alone, so we can work for the Egyptians.' It would have been better for us to work for them than to die in the wilderness." ¹³ Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the rescue that Yahweh will provide for you today. For you will never see again the Egyptians whom you see today. ¹⁴ Yahweh will fight for you, and you will only have to stand still." ¹⁵ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Why are you, Moses, continuing to call out to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ Lift up your staff, reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it in two, so that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ Be aware that I will harden the Egyptians' hearts so they will go after them. I will get honor because of Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸ Then the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I have gotten honor because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen." ¹⁹ The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from before them and went to stand behind them. ²⁰ The cloud came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. It was a dark cloud to the Egyptians, but it lit the night for the Israelites, so one side did not come near the other all night.

²¹ Moses reached out with his hand over the sea. Yahweh drove the sea back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land. In this way the waters were divided. ²² The people of Israel went into the middle of the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued them. They went after them into the middle of the sea—all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen. ²⁴ But at the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud. He threw the Egyptians into confusion. ²⁵ Their chariot wheels were clogged, and the horsemen drove with difficulty. So the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting for them against us."

²⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, "Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back onto the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen." ²⁷ So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and it returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. The Egyptians fled into the sea, and Yahweh drove the Egyptians into the middle of it. ²⁸ The waters came back and covered Pharaoh's chariots, horsemen, and his entire army that had followed the chariots into the sea. No one survived. ²⁹ However, the people of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. The waters were a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. ³⁰ So Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw dead Egyptians on the seashore. ³¹ When Israel saw the great power that Yahweh used against the Egyptians, the people feared Yahweh, and they trusted Yahweh and his servant Moses.

¹ Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to Yahweh. They sang,

"I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.

² Yahweh is my strength and 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 Yahweh is a warrior;

Yahweh is his name.

⁴ He has thrown Pharaoh's chariots and army into the sea.

Pharaoh's chosen officers were drowned in the Sea of Reeds.

⁵ The depths covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

⁶ Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power;

your right hand, Yahweh, has shattered the enemy.

⁷ In great majesty you overthrew those who rose up against you.

You sent out your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.

⁸ By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up;

the flowing waters stood upright in a heap;

the deep water was congealed in the heart of the sea.

⁹ The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will share out the plunder;

my desire will be satisfied on them;

I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.'

¹⁰ But you blew with your wind, and the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹ Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

honored in praises, doing miracles?

¹² You reached out with your right hand,

and the earth swallowed them.

¹³ In your covenant loyalty you have led the people you have rescued.

In your strength you have led them to the holy place where you live.

¹⁴ The peoples will hear, and they will tremble;

terror will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom will fear;

the soldiers of Moab will shake;

all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away.

¹⁶ Terror and dread will fall on them.

Because of your arm's power, they will become as still as a stone

until your people pass by, Yahweh—

until the people you have rescued pass by.

¹⁷ You will bring them and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance,

the place, Yahweh, that you have made to live in,

the sanctuary, our Lord, that your hands have built.

¹⁸ Yahweh will reign forever and ever."

¹⁹ For Pharaoh's horses went with his chariots and horsemen into the sea. Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them. But the people of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. ²⁰ Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine, and all the women went out with tambourines, dancing along with her. ²¹ Miriam sang to them:

"Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

²² Then Moses led Israel onward from the Sea of Reeds. They went out into the wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days into the wilderness and found no water. ²³ Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. So they named that place Marah. ²⁴ So the people complained to Moses and said, "What can we drink?" ²⁵ Moses cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a tree. Moses threw it into the water, and the water became sweet to drink. It was there that Yahweh gave them a strict law, and it was there that he tested them. ²⁶ He said, "If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and do what is right in his eyes, and if you give ear to his commands and obey all his laws—I will put on you none of the diseases that I put on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh who heals you." ²⁷ Then the people came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They camped there by the water.

¹ The people journeyed on from Elim, and all the community of people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. ² The whole community of the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The people of Israel said to them, "If only we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt when we were sitting by the pots of meat and were eating bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill our whole community with hunger."

⁴ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people will go out and gather a day's portion every day so that I may test them to see whether or not they will walk in my law. ⁵ It will come about on the sixth day, that they will gather twice as much as what they gathered every day before, and they will cook what they bring in." ⁶ Then Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "In the evening you will know that it is Yahweh who has brought you out from the land of Egypt. ⁷ In the morning you will see Yahweh's glory, for he hears your complaining against him. Who are we for you to complain against us?" ⁸ Moses also said, "You will know this when Yahweh gives you meat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—for he has heard the complaints that you speak against him. Who are Aaron and I? Your complaints are not against us; they are against Yahweh." ⁹ Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the community of the people of Israel, 'Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your complaints.'" ¹⁰ It came about, as Aaron spoke to the whole community of the people of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, Yahweh's glory appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² "I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel. Speak to them and say, 'In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.'"

¹³ It came about in the evening that quails came up and covered the camp. In the morning the dew lay round about the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, there on the surface of the wilderness were thin flakes like frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the people of Israel saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" They did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that Yahweh has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is the command that Yahweh has given: 'You must gather, each one of you, the amount you need to eat, an omer for each person of the number of your people. This is how you will gather it: Gather enough to eat for every person who lives in your tent.'" ¹⁷ The people of Israel did so. Some gathered more, some gathered less. ¹⁸ When they measured it with an omer measure, those who had gathered much had nothing left over, and those who had gathered little had no lack. Each person gathered enough to meet their need. ¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, "No one must leave any of it until morning." ²⁰ However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left some of it until morning, but it bred worms and became foul. Then Moses became angry with them. ²¹ They gathered it morning by morning. Each person gathered enough to eat for that day. When the sun became hot, it melted. ²² It came about that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told this to Moses. ²³ He said to them, "This is what Yahweh has said: 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath in Yahweh's honor. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. All that remains over, set it aside for yourselves until morning.'" ²⁴ So they set it aside until morning, as Moses had instructed. It did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it. ²⁵ Moses said, "Eat that food today, for today is a day reserved as a Sabbath to honor Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the fields. ²⁶ You will gather it during six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath there will be no manna." ²⁷ It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather manna, but they found none. ²⁸ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? ²⁹ See, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath. So on the sixth day he is giving you bread for two days. Each of you must stay in his own place; no one must go out from his place on the seventh day." ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The people of Israel called that food "manna." It was white like coriander seed, and its taste was like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, "This is what Yahweh has commanded: 'Let an omer of manna be kept throughout your people's generations so that your descendants might see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, after I brought you out from the land of Egypt.'" ³³ Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and put an omer of manna into it. Preserve it before Yahweh to be kept throughout the people's generations." ³⁴ As Yahweh commanded Moses, Aaron stored it beside the covenant decrees in the ark. ³⁵ The people of Israel ate manna forty years until they came to inhabited land. They ate it until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.

¹ The whole community of the people of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, following Yahweh's instructions. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So the people blamed Moses for their situation and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?" ³ The people were very thirsty, and they complained against Moses. They said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" ⁴ Then Moses cried out to Yahweh, "What should I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." ⁵ Yahweh said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take with you some elders of Israel. Take with you the staff with which you struck the river, and go. ⁶ I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you will strike the rock. Water will come out of it for the people to drink." Then Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ He named that place Massah and Meribah because the people of Israel were quarreling and because they had tested the Lord by saying, "Is Yahweh among us or not?"

⁸ Then an army of the Amalek people came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men and go out. Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." ¹⁰ So Joshua fought Amalek as Moses had instructed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ While Moses was holding his hands up, Israel was winning; when he let his hands rest, Amalek would begin to win. ¹² When Moses' hands became heavy, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. At the same time, Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one person on one side of him, and the other person on the other side. So Moses' hands were held steady until the sun went down. ¹³ So Joshua laid waste to Amalek and his people with the sword. ¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Write this in a book and read it in Joshua's hearing, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the skies." ¹⁵ Then Moses built an altar and he called it "Yahweh is my banner." ¹⁶ He said, "For a hand was lifted up to the throne of Yahweh—that Yahweh will wage 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. He heard that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, ³ and her two sons; the name of the one son was Gershom, for Moses had said, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land." ⁴ The name of the other was Eliezer, for Moses had said, "My ancestor's God was my help. He rescued me from Pharaoh's sword." ⁵ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with Moses' sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. ⁶ He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons." ⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. They asked about each other's welfare and then went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, about all the hardships that had come to them along the way, and how Yahweh had rescued them. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Yahweh had done for Israel, in that he had rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ Jethro said, "May Yahweh be praised, for he has rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, because when the Egyptians treated the Israelites arrogantly, God rescued his people." ¹² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal before God with Moses' father-in-law.

¹³ On the next day Moses sat down to judge the people. The people stood around him from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing with the people? Why is it that you sit alone and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?" ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, "The people come to me to ask for God's direction. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute, they come to me. I decide between one person and another, and I teach them God's statutes and laws." ¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not very good. ¹⁸ You will surely wear yourselves out, you and the people who are with you. This burden is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself. ¹⁹ Listen to me. I will give you advice, and God will be with you, because you are the people's representative to God, and you bring their disputes to him. ²⁰ You must teach them his statutes and laws. You must show them the way to walk and the work to do. ²¹ Furthermore, you must choose capable men from all the people, men who honor God, men of truth who hate unjust gain. You must put them over people, to be leaders in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and of tens. ²² They will judge the people in all routine cases, but the difficult cases they will bring to you. As for all the small cases, they can judge those themselves. In that way it will be easier for you, and they will carry the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure, and the entire people will be able to go home in peace." ²⁴ So Moses listened to his father-in-law's words and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶ They judged the people in normal circumstances. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but they themselves judged all the small cases. ²⁷ Then Moses let his father-in-law leave, and Jethro went back into his own land.

¹ In the third month after the people of Israel had gone out from the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai. ² After they left Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, they camped in the wilderness in front of the mountain. ³ Moses went up to God. Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, "You must tell the house of Jacob, the people of Israel: ⁴ You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now then, if you obediently listen to my voice and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. ⁶ You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me. These are the words that you must speak to the people of Israel."

⁷ So Moses came and summoned the elders of the people. He set before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together and said, "We will do everything that Yahweh has said." Then Moses came to report the people's words to Yahweh. ⁹ Yahweh said to Moses, "I will come to you in a thick cloud so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe you forever." Then Moses told the people's words to Yahweh. ¹⁰ Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to the people. Today and tomorrow you must set them apart to me, and make them wash their garments. ¹¹ Be ready for the third day, for on the third day Yahweh will come down to Mount Sinai. ¹² You must set boundaries all around the mountain for the people. Say to them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death.' ¹³ No one's hand may touch him. Rather, he must certainly be stoned or shot. Whether an animal or a man, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may come up to the mountain." ¹⁴ Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He set apart the people to Yahweh and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ He said to the people, "Be ready on the third day; do not go near your wives."

¹⁶ On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunder and lightning bolts and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ram's horn. All the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because Yahweh descended on it in fire and smoke. The smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the ram's horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in a voice. ²⁰ Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and he summoned Moses to the top. So Moses went up. ²¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people; otherwise they might break out to Yahweh to look, and many of them might perish. ²² Let the priests also who come near to me set themselves apart—prepare themselves for my coming—so that I do not break out against them." ²³ Moses said to Yahweh, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you commanded us: 'Set boundaries around the mountain and set it apart to Yahweh.'" ²⁴ Yahweh said to him, "Go down and bring up Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to Yahweh, or he will break out against them." ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

¹ God spoke all these words:

² "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ You must have no other gods before me.

⁴ You must not make for yourself a carved figure nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God. I punish the ancestors' wickedness by bringing punishment on the descendants, to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. ⁶ But I show steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ You must not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for I will not hold guiltless anyone who takes my name in vain.

⁸ Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart to me. ⁹ You must labor and do all your work for six days. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. On it you must not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.

¹² Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹³ You must not murder anyone.

¹⁴ You must not commit adultery.

¹⁵ You must not steal from anyone.

¹⁶ You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ You must not covet your neighbor's house; you must not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

¹⁸ All the people saw the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the ram's horn, and saw the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood far off. ¹⁹ They said to Moses, "Speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." ²⁰ Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you so that the honor of him may be in you, and so that you do not sin." ²¹ So the people stood far off, and Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

²² Yahweh said to Moses, "This is what you must tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. ²³ You will not make for yourselves other gods alongside me, gods of silver or gods of gold. ²⁴ You must make an earthen altar for me, and you must sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of cut stones, for if you use your tools on it, you will have defiled it. ²⁶ You must not go up to my altar on steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed.'"

¹ "Now these are the decrees that you must set before them:

² 'If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh year he will go free without paying anything. ³ If he came by himself, he must go free by himself; if he is married, then his wife must go free with him. ⁴ If his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he must go free by himself. ⁵ But if the servant plainly says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free," ⁶ then his master must bring him to God. The master must bring him to a door or doorpost, and his master must bore his ear through with an awl. Then the servant will serve him for life.

⁷ If a man sells his daughter as a female servant, she must not go free as the male servants do. ⁸ If she does not please her master, who has selected her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people. He has no such right, since he has treated her deceitfully. ⁹ If her master selects her as a wife for his son, he must treat her the same as if she were his daughter. ¹⁰ If he takes another wife for himself, he must not diminish her food, clothing, or her marital rights. ¹¹ But if he does not provide these three things for her, then she can go free without paying any money.

¹² Whoever strikes a man so that he dies, that person must surely be put to death. ¹³ If the man did not lie in wait for him, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place to where he can flee. ¹⁴ If a man arrogantly attacks his neighbor and kills him cleverly, then you must take him, even if he is at God's altar, so that he may die.

¹⁵ Whoever hits his father or mother must surely be put to death.

¹⁶ Whoever kidnaps a person—whether the kidnapper sells him, or that person is found in his hand—that kidnapper must be put to death.

¹⁷ Whoever curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death.

¹⁸ If men fight and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and that person does not die, but is confined to his bed; ¹⁹ then if he recovers and is able to walk about using his staff, the man who struck him must pay for the loss of his time; he must also see that he is completely healed. But that man is not guilty of murder.

²⁰ If a man hits his male servant or his female servant with a staff, and if the servant dies as a result of the blow, then that man must surely be punished. ²¹ However, if the servant lives for a day or two, there is to be no vengeance, for he will have suffered the loss of the servant.

²² If men fight together and hurt a pregnant woman so that she miscarries, but there is no other injury to her, then the guilty man must surely be forced to pay a fine as the woman's husband demands it from him, and he must pay as the judges determine. ²³ But if there is serious injury, then you must give a life for a life, ²⁴ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, or a bruise for a bruise.

²⁶ If a man hits the eye of his male servant or of his female servant and destroys it, then he must let the servant go free in compensation for his eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out a tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

²⁸ If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its flesh must not be eaten; but the ox's owner must be acquitted of guilt. ²⁹ But if the ox had a habit of goring in the past, and its owner was warned but did not keep it in, and the ox has killed a man or a woman, that ox must be stoned, and its owner also must be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is required for his life, he must pay for the redemption of his life whatever he is required to pay. ³¹ If the ox has gored a man's son or daughter, the ox's owner must do what this decree requires him to do. ³² If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the ox's owner must pay thirty shekels of silver, and the ox must 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 must repay the loss. He must give money to the dead animal's owner, and the dead animal will become his.

³⁵ If one man's ox hurts another man's ox so that it dies, then they must sell the live ox and divide its price, and they must also divide the dead ox. ³⁶ But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring in time past, and its owner has not kept it in, he must surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his own.

¹ If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, then he must pay five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep. ² If a thief is found breaking in, and if he is struck so that he dies, in that case no bloodguilt will attach to anyone on his account. ³ But if the sun has risen before he breaks in, bloodguilt will attach to the person who kills him.

A thief must make restitution. If he has nothing, then he must be sold for his theft.

⁴ If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox, a donkey, or a sheep, he must pay back double.

⁵ If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets his animal loose, and it grazes in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and from the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ If a fire breaks out and spreads in thorns so that stacked grain, or standing grain, or a field is consumed, the one who started the fire must surely make restitution.

⁷ If a man gives money or goods to his neighbor for safe keeping, and if it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, that thief must pay double. ⁸ But if the thief is not found, then the owner of the house must come before the judges to see whether he has put his own hand on his neighbor's property. ⁹ For every transgression, whether it is an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any other missing thing about which one says, "This belongs to me," the claim of both parties must come before the judges. The man whom the judges find guilty must pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and if it dies or is hurt or is carried away without anyone seeing it, ¹¹ an oath to Yahweh must be taken by them both, as to whether or not one person has put his hand on his neighbor's property. The owner must accept this, and the other will make no restitution. ¹² But if it was stolen from him, the other must make restitution to the owner for it. ¹³ If an animal was torn in pieces, let the other man bring the animal as evidence. He will not have to pay for what was torn.

¹⁴ If a man borrows any animal from his neighbor and the animal is injured or dies without the owner being with it, the other man must surely make restitution. ¹⁵ But if the owner was with it, the other man will not have to pay; if the animal was hired, it will be paid for by its hiring fee.

¹⁶ If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and if he lies with her, he must surely make her his wife by paying the bride wealth required for this. ¹⁷ If her father completely refuses to give her to him, he must pay money equal to the bride wealth of virgins.

¹⁸ You must not allow a sorceress to live.

¹⁹ Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.

²⁰ Whoever sacrifices to any god except to Yahweh must be completely destroyed. ²¹ You must not wrong a foreigner or oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. ²² You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. ²³ If you afflict them at all, and if they call out to me, I will surely hear their outcry. ²⁴ My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows, and your children will become fatherless.

²⁵ If you lend money to any of my people among you who are poor, you must not be like a moneylender to him or charge him interest. ²⁶ If you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you must return it to him before the sun goes down, ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his garment for his body. What else can he lie down in? When he calls out to me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.

²⁸ You must not blaspheme me, God, nor curse a ruler of your people. ²⁹ You must not hold back offerings from your harvest or your winepresses. You must give to me the firstborn of your sons. ³⁰ You must also do the same with your oxen and your sheep. For seven days they may remain with their mothers, but on the eighth day you must give them to me. ³¹ You will be people that are set apart for me. So you must not eat any meat that was torn by animals in the field. Instead, you must throw it to the dogs.

¹ You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. ² You must not follow a crowd to do evil, and you must not bear witness in a dispute while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice. ³ You must not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

⁴ If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.

⁶ Do not thrust aside justice for your poor in his lawsuit. ⁷ Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. ⁸ Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people's words. ⁹ You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce. ¹¹ But in the seventh year you will let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards. ¹² During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave's son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed. ¹³ Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.

¹⁴ You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year. ¹⁵ You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Aviv, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶ You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields. ¹⁷ All your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh three times every year.

¹⁸ You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning. ¹⁹ You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

²⁰ I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him. ²² If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³ My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them. ²⁴ You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do, but you must completely break them down, and you must smash their stone pillars in pieces. ²⁵ You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you. ²⁶ No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives. ²⁷ I will send my terror before you, and will throw into confusion all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become desolate, and the wild animals would become too many for you. ³⁰ Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land. ³¹ I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hands. You will drive them out before you. ³² You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³ They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.'"

¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Come up to me—you, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders, and worship me at a distance. ² Moses alone may come near to me. The others must not come near, nor may the people come up with him." ³ Moses went and told the people all of Yahweh's words and decrees. All the people answered with one voice and said, "We will do all the words that Yahweh has said." ⁴ Then Moses wrote down all of Yahweh's words. Early in the morning, Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve stone pillars, so that the stones would represent the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He sent some young men from among the people of Israel to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to Yahweh. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it into basins; he sprinkled the other half onto the altar. ⁷ He took the book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. They said, "We will do all that Yahweh has spoken. We will be obedient." ⁸ Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it onto the people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you by giving you this promise with all these words."

⁹ Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders went up the mountain. ¹⁰ They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ God did not lay a hand on the leaders of the people of Israel. They saw God, and they ate and drank.

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay there. I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them." ¹³ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God. ¹⁴ Moses had said to the elders, "Stay here and wait for us until we come to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. If anyone has a dispute, let him go to them." ¹⁵ So Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. ¹⁶ Yahweh's glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷ The appearance of Yahweh's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the people of Israel. ¹⁸ Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain. He was up the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² "Tell the people of Israel to take an offering for me from every person who is motivated by a willing heart. You must receive these offerings for me. ³ These are the offerings that you must receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red and fine leather hides; acacia wood; ⁶ oil for the sanctuary lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; ⁷ onyx stones and other precious stones to be set for the ephod and breastpiece. ⁸ Let them make me a sanctuary so that I may live among them. ⁹ You must make it exactly as I will show you in the plans for the tabernacle and for all its equipment.

¹⁰ They are to make an ark of acacia wood. Its length must be two and a half cubits; its width will be one cubit and a half; and its height will be one cubit and a half. ¹¹ You must cover it inside and out with pure gold, and you must make on it a border of gold around its top. ¹² You must cast four rings of gold for it, and put them on the ark's four feet, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side. ¹³ You must make poles of acacia wood and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ You must put the poles into the rings on the ark's sides, in order to carry the ark. ¹⁵ The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be taken from it. ¹⁶ You must put into the ark the covenant decrees that I will give you. ¹⁷ You must make an atonement lid of pure gold. Its length must be two and a half cubits, and its width must be a cubit and a half. ¹⁸ You must make two cherubim of hammered gold for the two ends of the atonement lid. ¹⁹ Make one cherub for one end of the atonement lid, and the other cherub for the other end. They must be made as one piece with the atonement lid. ²⁰ The cherubim must spread out their wings upward and overshadow the atonement lid with them. The cherubim must face one another and look toward the center of the atonement lid. ²¹ You must put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and you must put into the ark the covenant decrees that I am giving you. ²² It is at the ark that I will meet with you. I will speak with you from my position above the atonement lid. It will be from between the two cherubim over the ark of the covenant decrees that I will speak to you about all the commands I will give you for the people of Israel.

²³ You must make a table of acacia wood. Its length must be two cubits; its width must be one cubit, and its height must be a cubit and a half. ²⁴ You must cover it with pure gold and put a border of gold around the top. ²⁵ You must make a surrounding frame for it one handbreadth wide, with a surrounding border of gold for the frame. ²⁶ You must make for it four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four corners, where the four feet were. ²⁷ The rings must be attached to the frame to provide places for the poles, in order to carry the table. ²⁸ You must make the poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold so that the table may be carried with them. ²⁹ You must make the dishes, spoons, pitchers, and bowls to be used to pour out drink offerings. You must make them of pure gold. ³⁰ You must regularly set the bread of the presence on the table before me.

³¹ You must make a lampstand of pure hammered gold. The lampstand is to be made with its base and shaft. Its cups, its leafy bases, and its flowers are to be all made of one piece with it. ³² Six branches must extend out from its sides—three branches must extend from one side, and three branches of the lampstand must extend from the other side. ³³ The first branch must have three cups made like almond blossoms, with a leafy base and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, with a leafy base and a flower. It must be the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. ³⁴ On the lampstand itself, the central shaft, there must be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their leafy bases and the flowers. ³⁵ There must be a leafy base under the first pair of branches—made as one piece with it, and a leafy base under the second pair of branches—also made as one piece with it. In the same way there must be a leafy base under the third pair of branches, made as one piece with it. It must be the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. ³⁶ Their leafy bases and branches must all be one piece with it, one beaten piece of work of pure gold. ³⁷ You must make the lampstand and its seven lamps, and set up its lamps for them to give light from it. ³⁸ The tongs and their trays must be made of pure gold. ³⁹ Use one talent of pure gold to make the lampstand and its accessories. ⁴⁰ Be sure to make them after the pattern that you are being shown on the mountain.

¹ You must make the tabernacle with ten curtains made from fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet wool with the designs of cherubim. This will be the work of a very skilled craftsman. ² The length of each curtain must be twenty-eight cubits, the width four cubits. All the curtains must be of the same size. ³ Five curtains must be joined to each other, and the other five curtains must also be joined to each other. ⁴ You must make loops of blue along the outer edge of the end curtain of one set. In the same way, you must do the same along the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. ⁵ You must make fifty loops on the first curtain, and you must make fifty loops on the end curtain in the second set. Do this so that the loops will be opposite to each other. ⁶ You must make fifty clasps of gold and join the curtains together with them so that the tabernacle becomes united.

⁷ You must make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. You must make eleven of these curtains. ⁸ The length of each curtain must be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain must be four cubits. Each of the eleven curtains must be of the same size. ⁹ You must join five curtains to each other and the other six curtains to each other. You must double over the sixth curtain in the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You must make fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain of the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain that joins the second set. ¹¹ You must make fifty bronze clasps and put them into the loops. Then you join the tent together so that it may be one piece. ¹² The leftover half curtain, that is, the overhanging part remaining from the tent's curtains, must hang at the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ There must be one cubit of curtain on one side, and one cubit of curtain on the other side—that which is left over of the length of the tent's curtains must hang over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other side, to cover it. ¹⁴ You must make for the tabernacle a covering of ram skins dyed red, and another covering of fine leather to go above that.

¹⁵ You must make upright frames out of acacia wood for the tabernacle. ¹⁶ The length of each frame must be ten cubits, and its width must be one and a half cubits. ¹⁷ There must be two wooden pegs in each frame for joining the frames to each other. You are to make all the tabernacle's frames in this way. ¹⁸ When you make the frames for the tabernacle, you must make twenty frames for the south side. ¹⁹ You must make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames. There must be two bases under the first frame to be its two pedestals, and also two bases under each of the other frames for their two pedestals. ²⁰ For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, you must make twenty frames ²¹ and their forty silver bases. There must be two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on. ²² For the back side of the tabernacle on the west side, you must make six frames. ²³ You must make two frames for the back corners of the tabernacle. ²⁴ These frames must be separate at the bottom, but joined at the top to the same ring. It must be this way for both of the back corners. ²⁵ There must be eight frames, together with their silver bases. There must be sixteen bases in all, two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on.

²⁶ You must make crossbars of acacia wood—five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ five crossbars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the frames for the back side of the tabernacle to the west. ²⁸ The crossbar in the center of the frames, that is, halfway up, must reach from end to end. ²⁹ You must cover the frames with gold. You must make their rings of gold, for them to serve as holders for the crossbars, and you must cover the bars with gold. ³⁰ You must set up the tabernacle by following the plan you were shown on the mountain.

³¹ You must make a curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen, with designs of cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ³² You must hang it on four pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. These pillars must have hooks of gold set on four silver bases. ³³ You must hang up the curtain under the clasps, and you must bring in the ark of the covenant decrees. The curtain is to separate the holy place from the most holy place. ³⁴ You must put the atonement lid on the ark of the covenant decrees, which is in the most holy place. ³⁵ You must place the table outside the curtain. You must place the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. The table must be on the north side.

³⁶ You must make a screen for the tent entrance. You must make it out of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ For the screen you must make five pillars of acacia and cover them with gold. Their hooks must be of gold, and you must cast five bronze bases for them.

¹ You must make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide. The altar must be square and three cubits high. ² You must make extensions of its four corners shaped like ox horns. The horns will be made as one piece with the altar, and you must cover them with bronze. ³ You must make equipment for the altar: pots for ashes, and also shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans. You must make all these utensils with bronze. ⁴ You must make a grate for the altar, a network of bronze. Make a bronze ring for each of the grate's four corners. ⁵ You must put the grate under the ledge of the altar, halfway down to the bottom. ⁶ You must make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you must cover them with bronze. ⁷ The poles must be put into the rings, and the poles must be on the two sides of the altar, to carry it. ⁸ You must make the altar hollow, out of planks. You must make it in the way you were shown on the mountain.

⁹ You must make a courtyard for the tabernacle. There must be hangings on the south side of the courtyard, hangings of fine twined linen one hundred cubits long. ¹⁰ The hangings must have twenty posts, with twenty bronze bases. There must also be hooks attached to the posts, as well as silver rods. ¹¹ In the same way, along the north side, there must be hangings one hundred cubits long with twenty posts, twenty bronze bases, hooks attached to the posts, and silver rods. ¹² Along the courtyard on the west side there must be a curtain fifty cubits long. There must be ten posts and ten bases. ¹³ The courtyard must also be fifty cubits long on the east side. ¹⁴ The hangings for one side of the entrance must be fifteen cubits long. They must have three posts with three bases. ¹⁵ The other side must also have hangings fifteen cubits long. They must have their three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ The courtyard gate must be a screen twenty cubits long. The curtain must be made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. It must have four posts with four bases. ¹⁷ All the courtyard posts must have silver rods, silver hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard must be one hundred cubits, the width fifty cubits, and the height five cubits with fine twined linen hangings all along, and bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the equipment to be used in the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard must be made of bronze.

²⁰ You must command the people of Israel to bring olive oil, pure and pressed, for the lamps so they may burn continually. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the tabernacle that contains the ark of the covenant decrees, Aaron and his sons must keep the lamps burning before Yahweh, from evening to morning. This requirement will be a lasting statute throughout the generations of the people of Israel.

¹ Call to yourself Aaron your brother and his sons—Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar—from among the people of Israel so that they may serve me as priests. ² You must make for Aaron, your brother, garments that are set apart to me. These garments will be for his honor and splendor. ³ You must speak to all people who are wise in heart, those whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, so that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him to serve me as my priest. ⁴ The garments that they must make are a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of woven work, a turban, and a sash. They must make these garments that are set apart to me. They will be for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve me as priests. ⁵ Craftsmen must use fine linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet.

⁶ They must make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine-twined linen. It must be the work of a skillful craftsman. ⁷ It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two upper corners. ⁸ Its finely-woven waistband must be like the ephod; it must be made of one piece with the ephod, made of fine twined linen that is gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. ⁹ You must take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel. ¹⁰ Six of their names must be on one stone, and six names must be on the other stone, in order of the sons' birth. ¹¹ With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engraving on a signet, you must engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You must mount the stones in settings of gold. ¹² You must put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be stones to remind Yahweh of Israel's sons. Aaron will carry their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders as a reminder to him. ¹³ You must make settings of gold ¹⁴ and two braided chains of pure gold like cords, and you must attach the chains to the settings.

¹⁵ You must make a breastpiece for decision making, the work of a skillful workman, fashioned like the ephod. Make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen. ¹⁶ It is to be square. You must fold the breastpiece double. It must be one span long and one span wide. ¹⁷ You must place in it four rows of precious stones. The first row must have a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet. ¹⁸ The second row must have an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. ¹⁹ The third row must have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. ²⁰ The fourth row must have a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. They must be mounted in gold settings. ²¹ The stones must be arranged by the names of the sons of Israel. They must be like the engraving on a signet ring, each name standing for one of the twelve tribes. ²² You must make on the breastpiece chains like cords, braided work of pure gold. ²³ You must make two rings of gold for the breastpiece and must attach them to the two ends of the breastpiece. ²⁴ You must attach the two golden chains to the two corners of the breastpiece. ²⁵ You must attach the other ends of the two braided chains to the two settings. Then you must attach those to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front. ²⁶ You must make two rings of gold, and you must put them on the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the edge next to the inner border of the ephod. ²⁷ You must make two more gold rings, and you must attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front of the ephod, close to its seam above the finely-woven waistband of the ephod. ²⁸ They must tie the breastpiece by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so that it might be attached just above the ephod's woven waistband. This is so that the breastpiece might not become unattached from the ephod. ²⁹ When Aaron goes into the holy place, he must carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart in the breastpiece for decision making, as a continuing memorial before Yahweh. ³⁰ You are to put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece for decision making, so they may be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Yahweh. Thus Aaron will always carry the means for making decisions for the people of Israel over his heart before Yahweh.

³¹ You will make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue fabric. ³² It must have an opening for the head in the middle. The opening must have a woven edge round about so that it does not tear. This must be the work of a weaver. ³³ On the bottom hem, you must make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all around. Gold bells must be between them all around. ³⁴ There must be a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate—and so on—all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ The robe is to be on Aaron when he serves, so that its sound can be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he leaves. This is so that he does not die.

³⁶ You must make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving on a signet, "Holy to Yahweh." ³⁷ You must attach this plate by a blue cord to the front of the turban. ³⁸ It must be on Aaron's forehead; he must always bear any guilt that might attach to the offering of the holy gifts that the people of Israel set apart to Yahweh. The turban must be always on his forehead so that Yahweh may accept their gifts. ³⁹ You must make the coat with fine linen, and you must make a turban of fine linen. You must also make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

⁴⁰ For Aaron's sons you must make tunics, sashes, and headbands for their honor and splendor. ⁴¹ You must clothe Aaron your brother, and his sons with him. You must anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them to me, so that they may serve me as priests. ⁴² You must make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh, that will cover them from the waist to the thighs. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons must wear these garments when they enter the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the holy place. They must do this so they would not be guilty or else they would die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants after him.

¹ Now this is what you must do to set them apart to me so that they may serve me as priests. Take one young bull from the herd and two rams without blemish, ² bread without yeast, and cakes without yeast mixed with oil. Also take wafers without yeast rubbed with oil. Make the wafers using fine wheat flour. ³ You must put them into a single basket, bring them in the basket, and present them with the bull and the two rams. ⁴ You must present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You must wash Aaron and his sons in water. ⁵ You must take the garments and clothe Aaron with the coat, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, fastening the finely-woven waistband of the ephod around him. ⁶ You must set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. ⁷ Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head, and in this way anoint him. ⁸ You must bring his sons and put tunics on them. ⁹ You must clothe Aaron and his sons with sashes and put headbands on them. The work of the priesthood will belong to them by permanent law. In this way you must consecrate Aaron and his sons for them to serve me.

¹⁰ You must all bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. ¹¹ You must kill the bull before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² You must take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and you must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ You must take all the fat that covers the inner parts, and also take the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them; burn it all on the altar. ¹⁴ But as for the bull's flesh, as well as its skin and dung, you must burn it up outside the camp. It will be a sin offering.

¹⁵ You must also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. ¹⁶ You must kill the ram, then take its blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁷ You must cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner parts and its legs, and you must put the inner parts, together with its pieces and with its head, ¹⁸ on the altar. Then burn the whole ram. It will be a burnt offering to Yahweh, a sweet aroma, an offering made to Yahweh by fire.

¹⁹ You must then take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on its head. ²⁰ Then you must kill the ram and take some of its blood. Put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, and on the tip of his sons' right ears, on the thumb of their right hands, and on the great toe of their right feet. Then you must sprinkle the blood against the altar on every side. ²¹ You must take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it all on Aaron and on his garments, and also on his sons and on their garments. Aaron will then be set apart for me, as well as his garments, his sons and his sons' garments with him. ²² You must take the ram's fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner parts, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, and the right thigh—for this ram is for the priests' consecration to me. ²³ Take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of bread without yeast that is before Yahweh. ²⁴ You must put these in Aaron's hands and in the hands of his sons and wave them before me for a wave offering before Yahweh. ²⁵ You must then take the food from their hands and burn it on the altar with the burnt offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire.

²⁶ You must take the breast of Aaron's ram of dedication and wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh, and it will be your share. ²⁷ You must set apart to me the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh that is the contribution for the priests—both the breast that was waved and the thigh that was contributed for Aaron and his sons—from the ram of consecration. ²⁸ This will be a perpetual share for Aaron and his sons. It will be a contribution from the people of Israel to give to Yahweh from their peace offerings. ²⁹ The holy garments of Aaron must also be reserved for his descendants after him. They are to be anointed in them and ordained to me in them. ³⁰ The priest who succeeds him from among his sons, who comes into the tent of meeting to serve me in the holy place, is to wear those garments for seven days.

³¹ You must take the ram of consecration and boil its meat in a holy place. ³² Aaron and his sons must eat the ram's meat and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³³ They must eat the meat and bread that were given to atone for them and to ordain them to be set apart to me. No one else may eat that food; they must treat it as holy. ³⁴ If any of the meat of the ordination offering, or any of the bread, remains to the next morning, then you must burn it. It must not be eaten because it has been set apart to me.

³⁵ In this way, by following all that I have commanded you to do, you must treat Aaron and his sons. For seven days you must prepare them. ³⁶ Every day you must offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. You must purify the altar by making atonement for it, and you must anoint it in order to set it apart to me. ³⁷ For seven days you must make atonement for the altar and set it apart to Yahweh. Then the altar will be completely set apart to me. Whatever touches the altar will be set apart to Yahweh.

³⁸ You must regularly offer on the altar every day two lambs a year old. ³⁹ One lamb you must offer in the morning, and the other lamb you must offer about sundown. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb, offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and the fourth part of a hin of wine as a drink offering. ⁴¹ You must offer the second lamb about sunset. You must offer the same grain offering as in the morning, and the same drink offering. These will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire. ⁴² These must be regular burnt offerings throughout your generations, at the entrance to the tent of meeting before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak to you there. ⁴³ That is where I will meet with the people of Israel; the tent will be set apart for me by my glory. ⁴⁴ I will set apart the tent of meeting and the altar for these to belong to me alone. I will also set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. ⁴⁵ I will live among the people of Israel and will be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am Yahweh, their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt so that I might live among them. I am Yahweh, their God.

¹ You must make an altar as a place for burning incense. You must make it with acacia wood. ² Its length must be one cubit, and its width one cubit. It must be square, and its height must be two cubits. Its horns must be made as one piece with it. ³ You must cover the incense altar with pure gold—its top, its sides, and its horns. You must make a surrounding border of gold for it. ⁴ You must make two golden rings to be attached to it under its border on its two opposite sides. The rings must be holders for poles to carry the altar. ⁵ You must make the poles of acacia wood, and you must cover them with gold. ⁶ You must put the incense altar before the curtain that is by the ark of the covenant decrees. It will be before the atonement lid that is over the ark of the covenant decrees, where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aaron must burn fragrant incense every morning. He must burn it when he tends the lamps, ⁸ and Aaron lights the lamps again in the evening so incense will burn on it regularly before Yahweh, throughout your generations. ⁹ But you must offer no other incense on the incense altar, nor any burnt offering or grain offering. You must pour no drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Aaron must make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering he will make atonement for it once a year throughout your generations. It is completely set apart to Yahweh."

¹¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² "When you take a census of the people of Israel, then each person must give a ransom for his life to Yahweh. You must do this after you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them. ¹³ Everyone who is counted in the census is to pay half a shekel of silver, according to the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is the same as twenty gerahs). This half shekel will be an offering to Yahweh. ¹⁴ Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and up, must give this offering to me. ¹⁵ When the people give this offering to me to make atonement for their lives, the rich must not give more than the half shekel, and the poor must not give less. ¹⁶ You must receive this atonement money from the people of Israel and you must allocate it to the work of the tent of meeting. It must be a reminder to the people of Israel before me, to make atonement for your lives."

¹⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ "You must also make a large bronze basin with a bronze stand, a basin for washing. You must put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you must put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet with the water in it. ²⁰ When they go into the tent of meeting or when they go near to the altar to serve me by burning an offering, they must wash with water so that they do not die. ²¹ They must wash their hands and feet so that they do not die. This must be a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants throughout their people's generations."

²² Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ "Take these fine spices: five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels of sweet-smelling cane, ²⁴ five hundred shekels of cassia, measured by the weight of the shekel of the sanctuary, and one hin of olive oil. ²⁵ You must make holy anointing oil with these ingredients, the work of a perfumer. It will be a holy anointing oil, reserved for me. ²⁶ You must anoint the tent of meeting with this oil, as well as the ark of the covenant decrees, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its equipment, the incense altar, ²⁸ the altar for burnt offerings with all its equipment, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹ You must set them apart to me so that they may be holy to me. Anything that touches them will also be holy. ³⁰ You must anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so that they may serve me as priests. ³¹ You must say to the people of Israel, 'This must be an anointing oil that is set apart to Yahweh throughout your people's generations. ³² It must not be applied to people's skin, nor must you make any oil like it with the same formula, because it is set apart to Yahweh. You must regard it in this manner. ³³ Whoever makes perfume like it, or whoever puts any of it on someone, that person must be cut off from his people.'"

³⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Take spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum—sweet spices along with pure frankincense, each in equal amounts. ³⁵ Make it into the form of incense, blended by a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and set apart. ³⁶ You will beat it to powder. Put part of it in front of the ark of the covenant decrees, which is in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You will regard it as very holy to me. ³⁷ As for this incense that you will make, you must not make any with the same formula for yourselves. It must be most holy to you. ³⁸ Whoever makes anything like it to use as a perfume must be cut off from his people."

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ² "See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled Bezalel with my Spirit, to give him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, for all kinds of craftsmanship, ⁴ to make artistic designs and to work in gold, silver, and bronze; ⁵ also to cut and set stones and to carve wood—to do all kinds of craftsmanship. ⁶ In addition to him, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. I have put skill into the hearts of all who are wise so that they may make all that I have commanded you. This includes ⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant decrees, the atonement lid on the ark, and all the furniture of the tent— ⁸ the table and its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its equipment, the incense altar, ⁹ the altar for burnt offerings with all its equipment, and the large basin with its base. ¹⁰ This also includes the finely-woven garments—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and those of his sons, reserved for me so that they may serve as priests. ¹¹ This also includes the anointing oil and the sweet incense for the holy place. These craftsmen must make all these things just as I have commanded you."

¹² Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹³ "Tell the people of Israel: 'You must certainly keep Yahweh's Sabbath days, for these will be a sign between him and you throughout your people's generations so that you may know that he is Yahweh, who sets you apart for himself. ¹⁴ So you must keep the Sabbath, for it must be treated by you as holy, reserved for him. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death. Whoever works on the Sabbath, that person must surely be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ Work will be done for six days, but the seventh day is to be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy before Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the people of Israel must keep the Sabbath. They must observe it throughout their people's generations as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ The Sabbath will always be a sign between Yahweh and the people of Israel, for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"

¹⁸ When God had finished talking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of covenant decrees, made of stone, written on by his own hand.

¹ When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us an idol that will 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 happened to him." ² So Aaron said to them, "Take off the golden rings that are on your wives' ears, and the ears of your sons and daughters, and bring them to me." ³ All the people took off the golden rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and he made a cast metal figure in the shape of a calf. Then they said, "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." ⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and made a proclamation; he said, "Tomorrow will be a festival in Yahweh's honor." ⁶ The people arose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Then they sat down to eat and to drink, and then got up to play.

⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go quickly, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have quickly left the way that I commanded them. They have made a cast metal image in the shape of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it. They have said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'" ⁹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "I have seen this people. Look, they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now then, do not try to stop me. My anger will burn hot against them, so I will destroy them. Then I will make a great nation from you." ¹¹ But Moses tried to calm down Yahweh his God. He said, "Yahweh, why does your anger burn 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, 'He led them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth?' Turn from your burning anger and relent from this punishment on your people. ¹³ Call to mind Abraham and Isaac and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self and said to them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the heavens, and I will give to your descendants all this land of which I have spoken. They will inherit it forever.'" ¹⁴ Then Yahweh relented from the punishment that he had said he would inflict on his people.

¹⁵ Then Moses turned around and went down the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant decrees in his hand. The tablets were written on both their sides, on both the front and the back. ¹⁶ The tablets were God's own work, and the writing was God's own writing, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is the noise of combat in the camp." ¹⁸ But Moses said,

"It is not the sound of a shout of victory,

and it is not the sound of a cry of defeat,

but the sound of singing that I hear."

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf and the people dancing. He became very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the bottom of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf that the people had made, burned it, ground it to powder, and poured it into the water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.

²¹ Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin on them?" ²² Aaron said, "Do not let your anger burn hot, my master. You know these people, how they are set on doing evil. ²³ They said to me, 'Make us a god who will 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 happened to him.' ²⁴ So I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let him take it off.' They gave me the gold and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them get out of control, causing their enemies to mock them). ²⁶ Then Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is on Yahweh's side, come to me." All the Levites gathered around him. ²⁷ He said to them, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: 'Let each man fasten his sword on his side and go back and forth from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and kill his brother, his companion, and his neighbor.'" ²⁸ The Levites did what Moses ordered. That day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹ Moses said to the Levites, "You have been placed into Yahweh's service today, for each of you has taken action against his son and his brother, so Yahweh might give you a blessing today."

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a very great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." ³¹ Moses returned to Yahweh and said, "Alas! These people have committed a great sin and made themselves an idol of gold. ³² But now, please forgive their sin; but if you do not, blot me out of the book that you have written." ³³ Yahweh said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, that person I will blot out of my book. ³⁴ So now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish them, I will punish them for their sin." ³⁵ Yahweh sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt. Go to the land about which I made an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' ² I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³ Go to that land, which is flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up with you, because you are a stiff-necked people. I might destroy you on the way." ⁴ When the people heard these troubling words, they mourned, and no one put on any jewelry. ⁵ Yahweh had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I went among you for even one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your jewelry so that I may decide what to do with you.'" ⁶ So the people of Israel wore no jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

⁷ Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, some distance from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who asked Yahweh for anything went out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp. ⁸ When Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would stand up at their tent entrances and look at Moses until he had gone inside. ⁹ Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the tent entrance, and Yahweh would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ Whenever all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and worship, every man at his own tent entrance. ¹¹ Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua son of Nun, a young man, would stay in the tent.

¹² Moses said to Yahweh, "See, you have been saying to me, 'Take this people on their journey,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my eyes.' ¹³ Now if I have found favor in your eyes, show me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor in your eyes. Remember that this nation is your people." ¹⁴ Yahweh answered, "My own presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ¹⁵ Moses said to him, "If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here. ¹⁶ For otherwise, how will it be known that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Will it not only be if you go with us that I and your people will be distinct from all the other peoples that are on the surface of the earth?"

¹⁷ Yahweh said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have requested, for you have found favor in my eyes, and I know you by name." ¹⁸ Moses said, "Please show me your glory." ¹⁹ Yahweh said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name 'Yahweh' before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." ²⁰ But Yahweh said, "You must not see my face, for no one can see me and live." ²¹ Yahweh said, "See, here is a place by me; you will stand on this rock. ²² While my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen."

¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first tablets. I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, the tablets that you broke. ² Be ready by morning and come up Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the mountain top. ³ No one is to come up with you. Do not let anyone else be seen anywhere on the mountain. No flocks or herds are even to graze in front of the mountain." ⁴ So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and he got up early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had instructed him. Moses carried the tablets of stone in his hand. ⁵ Yahweh came down in the cloud and stood with Moses there, and he pronounced the name "Yahweh." ⁶ Yahweh passed by before him and proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh, the merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, ⁷ keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquities, transgressions, and sins. But he will by no means clear the guilty. He will bring the punishment for the fathers' sin on their children and on their children's children, as far as the third and fourth generations." ⁸ Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped. ⁹ Then he said, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, please go among us, for this people is stiff-necked. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

¹⁰ Yahweh said, "See, I am about to make a covenant. Before all your people, I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth nor in any nation. All the people among you will see my deeds, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. ¹¹ Obey what I command you today. I am about to drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ¹² Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, or they will become a trap among you. ¹³ Rather, you must break down their altars, smash their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. ¹⁴ For you must worship no other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. ¹⁵ So be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they prostitute themselves to their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods. Then one of them will invite you and you will eat some of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and then you will even take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods, and they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods. ¹⁷ Do not make for yourselves gods of molten metal.

¹⁸ You must keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you must eat bread without yeast for seven days at the fixed time in the month of Aviv, for it was in the month of Aviv you came out from Egypt. ¹⁹ The first issue of every womb is mine, even every male firstborn of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. ²⁰ You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb, but if you do not buy it back, then you must break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one may appear before me empty-handed.

²¹ You may work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest. Even at plowing time and in harvest, you must rest. ²² You must observe the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year. ²³ Three times a year all your men must appear before Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will drive out nations before you and expand your borders. No one will desire to have your land as their own when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in a year.

²⁵ You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with any yeast, nor may any meat from the sacrifice at the Festival of the Passover be left over to the morning. ²⁶ You must bring the best of the firstfruits from your soil to my house. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." ²⁷ Yahweh said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." ²⁸ Moses was there with Yahweh for forty days and nights; he did not eat any food nor drink any water. 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 covenant decrees in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while speaking with God. ³⁰ When Aaron and the people of Israel saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community came up to him. Then Moses spoke with them. ³² After this, all the people of Israel came up to Moses, and he told them all the commands that Yahweh had given him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ Whenever Moses went before Yahweh to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. When he came out, he would tell the people of Israel what he was commanded to say. ³⁵ When the people of Israel saw Moses' face shining, he would put the veil over his face again until he went back in to speak with Yahweh.

¹ Moses assembled all the community of the people of Israel and said to them, "These are the things that Yahweh has commanded you to do. ² On six days work may be done, but for you, the seventh day must be a holy day, a Sabbath day of complete rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death. ³ You must not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day."

⁴ Moses spoke to all the community of the people of Israel, saying, "This is the thing that Yahweh commanded. ⁵ Take an offering for Yahweh, all of you who have a willing heart. Bring an offering to Yahweh—gold, silver, bronze, ⁶ blue, purple, and scarlet wool and fine linen; goats' hair; ⁷ ram skins dyed red and fine leather hides; acacia wood; ⁸ oil for the sanctuary lamps, spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, ⁹ onyx stones and other precious stones to be set for the ephod and breastpiece.

¹⁰ Every skilled man among you is to come and make everything that Yahweh has commanded— ¹¹ the tabernacle with its tent, its covering, its clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; ¹² also the ark with its poles, the atonement lid, and the screen to conceal it. ¹³ They brought the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand for the lights, with its accessories, its lamps, and the oil for the lamps; ¹⁵ the incense altar with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the screen for the tabernacle entrance; ¹⁶ the altar for burnt offerings with its bronze grate and its poles and utensils; and the large basin with its base. ¹⁷ They brought the hangings for the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the screen for the courtyard entrance; ¹⁸ and the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard, together with their ropes. ¹⁹ They brought the finely-woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons, for them to serve as priests."

²⁰ Then the entire congregation of the people of Israel left and went away from Moses' presence. ²¹ Everyone whose heart stirred him up and whom his spirit made willing came and brought a contribution to Yahweh for the construction of the tabernacle, for all the items of service in it, and for the holy garments. ²² They came, both men and women, all who had a willing heart. They brought brooches, earrings, rings, and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry. They all presented offerings of gold as a wave offering to Yahweh. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple, or scarlet wool, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather skins brought them. ²⁴ Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to Yahweh, and everyone who had acacia wood for any use in the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled woman spun wool with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple, or scarlet wool, or fine linen. ²⁶ All the women whose hearts stirred them up and who had skill spun goats' hair. ²⁷ The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be set into the ephod and the breastpiece; ²⁸ they brought spices and oil for the lamps, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹ The people of Israel brought a freewill offering to Yahweh; every man and woman whose heart was willing brought materials for all the work that Yahweh had commanded through Moses to be made.

³⁰ Moses said to the people of Israel, "See, Yahweh has called by name on Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. ³¹ He has filled Bezalel with his Spirit, to give him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, for all kinds of craftsmanship, ³² to make artistic designs and to work in gold, silver, and bronze; ³³ also to cut and set stones and to carve wood—to do all kinds of design and craftsmanship. ³⁴ He has put it in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan. ³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work, to work as craftsmen, as engravers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet wool and fine linen, and as weavers. They are craftsmen in all sorts of work, and they are artistic designers.

¹ So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom Yahweh has given skill and ability to know how to do any work in the construction of the holy place are to do the work according to all that Yahweh has commanded."

² Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skillful person in whose mind Yahweh had given skill, and whose heart stirred within him to come and do the work. ³ They received from Moses all the offerings that the people of Israel had brought for constructing the holy place. The people were still bringing freewill offerings every morning to Moses. ⁴ So all the skilled people working on the holy place came from the work that they had been doing. ⁵ The craftsmen told Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that Yahweh has commanded us to do." ⁶ So Moses instructed that no one in the camp should bring any more offerings for the construction of the holy place. Then the people stopped bringing these gifts. ⁷ They had more than enough materials for all the work.

⁸ So all the craftsmen among them constructed the tabernacle with ten curtains made from fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet wool with the designs of cherubim. This was the work of Bezalel, the very skilled craftsman. ⁹ The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, the width four cubits. All the curtains were of the same size. ¹⁰ Bezalel joined five curtains to each other, and the other five curtains he also joined to each other. ¹¹ He made loops of blue along the outer edge of the end curtain of one set, and he did the same along the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. ¹² He made fifty loops on the first curtain and fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. So the loops were opposite to each another. ¹³ He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together with them so that the tabernacle became united.

¹⁴ Bezalel made curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven of these curtains. ¹⁵ The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain was four cubits. Each of the eleven curtains was of the same size. ¹⁶ He joined five curtains to each other and the other six curtains to each other. ¹⁷ He made fifty loops on the edge of the end curtain of the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain that joined the second set. ¹⁸ Bezalel made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be one piece. ¹⁹ He made for the tabernacle a covering of ram skins dyed red, another covering of fine leather to go above that.

²⁰ Bezalel made vertical frames out of acacia wood for the tabernacle. ²¹ The length of each frame was ten cubits, and the width of each frame was one and a half cubits. ²² Each frame had two wooden pegs for joining the frames together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. ²³ He made the frames for the tabernacle in this way: twenty frames for the south side. ²⁴ Bezalel made forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames. There were two bases under one frame to join the frames together, and also two bases under each of the other frames to join frames together. ²⁵ For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames ²⁶ and their forty silver bases. There were two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on. ²⁷ For the back of the tabernacle on the west, Bezalel made six frames. ²⁸ He made two frames for the back corners of the tabernacle. ²⁹ These frames were separate at the bottom, but joined at the top in one ring. He made two of them in this way for the two corners. ³⁰ There were eight frames, together with their silver bases. There were sixteen bases in all, two bases under the first frame, two bases under the next frame, and so on.

³¹ Bezalel made crossbars of acacia wood—five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, ³² five crossbars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the frames for the back side of the tabernacle to the west. ³³ He made the crossbar in the center of the frames, that is, halfway up, to reach from end to end. ³⁴ He covered the frames with gold. He made their rings of gold, for them to serve as holders for the crossbars, and he covered the bars with gold.

³⁵ Bezalel made the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen, with designs of cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ³⁶ He made for the curtain four pillars of acacia wood, and he covered them with gold. He also made gold hooks for the pillars, and he cast for them four silver bases. ³⁷ He made a screen for the tent entrance. It was made of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, using fine linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁸ He also made the hanging's five pillars with hooks. He covered their tops and their rods with gold. Their five bases were made of bronze.

¹ Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, its width was one cubit and a half, and its height was one cubit and a half. ² He covered it inside and out with pure gold and made for it a border of gold around its top. ³ He cast four rings of gold for its four feet, with two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side. ⁴ He made poles of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵ He put the poles into the rings on the ark's sides, in order to carry the ark. ⁶ He made an atonement lid of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width was one and a half cubits. ⁷ Bezalel made two cherubim of hammered gold for the two ends of the atonement lid. ⁸ One cherub was for one end of the atonement lid, and other cherub was for the other end. They were made as one piece with the atonement lid. ⁹ The cherubim spread out their wings upward and overshadowed the atonement lid with them. The cherubim faced one another and looked toward the center of the atonement lid.

¹⁰ Bezalel made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, its width was one cubit, and its height was one and a half cubits. ¹¹ He covered it with pure gold and put a border of pure gold around the top. ¹² He made a surrounding frame for it one handbreadth wide, with a surrounding border of gold for the frame. ¹³ He cast for it four rings of gold and attached the rings to the four corners, where the four feet were. ¹⁴ The rings were attached to the frame to provide places for the poles, in order to carry the table. ¹⁵ He made the poles out of acacia wood and covered them with gold, in order to carry the table. ¹⁶ He made the objects that would be on the table—the dishes, spoons, the bowls, and pitchers to be used to pour out the offerings. He made them out of pure gold.

¹⁷ He made the lampstand of pure hammered gold. He made the lampstand with its base and shaft. Its cups, its leafy bases, and its flowers were all made of one piece with it. ¹⁸ Six branches extended out from its sides—three branches extended from one side, and three branches of the lampstand extended from the other side. ¹⁹ The first branch had three cups made like almond blossoms, with a leafy base and a flower, and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, with a leafy base and a flower. It was the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. ²⁰ On the lampstand itself, the central shaft, there were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their leafy bases and the flowers. ²¹ There was a leafy base under the first pair of branches—made as one piece with it, and a leafy base under the second pair of branches—also made as one piece with it. In the same way there was a leafy base under the third pair of branches, made as one piece with it. It was the same for all six branches extending out from the lampstand. ²² Their leafy bases and branches were all one piece with it, one beaten piece of work of pure gold. ²³ Bezalel made the lampstand and its seven lamps, its tongs and their trays of pure gold. ²⁴ He made the lampstand and its accessories with one talent of pure gold.

²⁵ Bezalel made the incense altar. He made it with acacia wood. Its length was one cubit, and its width one cubit. It was square, and its height was two cubits. Its horns were made as one piece with it. ²⁶ He covered the incense altar with pure gold—its top, its sides, and its horns. He also made a surrounding border of gold for it. ²⁷ He made two golden rings to be attached to it under its border on its two opposite sides. The rings were holders for poles to carry the altar. ²⁸ He made the poles of acacia wood, and he covered them with gold. ²⁹ He made the holy anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

¹ Bezalel made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia wood. It was five cubits long and five cubits wide—a square—and three cubits high. ² He made extensions of its four corners shaped like ox horns. The horns were made of one piece with the altar, and he covered it with bronze. ³ He made all the equipment for the altar—pots for ashes, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans. He made all this equipment with bronze. ⁴ He made a grate for the altar, a network of bronze to be placed under the ledge, halfway down to the bottom. ⁵ He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grate, as holders for the poles. ⁶ Bezalel made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. ⁷ He put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar, to carry it. He made the altar hollow, out of planks.

⁸ Bezalel made the large bronze basin with a bronze stand. He made the basin out of mirrors belonging to the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁹ He also made the courtyard. The hangings on the south side of the courtyard were of fine linen, one hundred cubits long. ¹⁰ The hangings had twenty posts, with twenty bronze bases. There were hooks attached to the posts, as well as silver rods. ¹¹ In the same way, along the north side, there were hangings one hundred cubits long with twenty posts, twenty bronze bases, hooks attached to the posts, and silver rods. ¹² The hangings of the west side were fifty cubits long, with ten posts and bases. The hooks and rods of the posts were silver. ¹³ The courtyard was also fifty cubits long on the east side. ¹⁴ The hangings for one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long. They had three posts with three bases. ¹⁵ On the other side of the entrance of the courtyard were also hangings fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ All the hangings around the courtyard were made of fine linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and rods for the posts were made of silver, and the covering for the tops of the posts was also made of silver. All the courtyard posts had silver bands on them. ¹⁸ The screen at the courtyard gate was twenty cubits long. It was made of blue, purple, and scarlet linen, fine twined linen, and was twenty cubits long. It was twenty cubits in length and five cubits in height, like the courtyard curtains. ¹⁹ Their four pillars and bases were of bronze, and the hooks were of silver. The covering for their tops and its rods were made of silver. ²⁰ All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and courtyard were made of bronze.

²¹ This is the inventory of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, as it was taken following Moses' instructions. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²² Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, made everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses. ²³ Oholiab son of Ahisamak, from the tribe of Dan, worked with Bezalel as an engraver, as a skillful workman, and as an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and in fine linen.

²⁴ All the gold that was used for the project, in all the work connected with the holy place—the gold from the wave offering—was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, measured by the standard of the sanctuary shekel. ²⁵ The silver given by the community weighed one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel, ²⁶ or one beka per person, which is half a shekel, measured by the sanctuary shekel. This figure was reached on the basis of every person who was counted in the census, those twenty years old and older—603,550 men in all. ²⁷ One hundred talents of silver were cast for the bases of the holy place and the bases of the curtain—one hundred bases, one talent for each base. ²⁸ With the remaining 1,775 shekels of silver, Bezalel made the hooks for the posts, covered the tops of the posts, and made the bands for them. ²⁹ The bronze from the wave offering weighed seventy talents and 2,400 shekels. ³⁰ With this he made the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the equipment for the altar, ³¹ the bases for the courtyard, the bases for the courtyard entrance, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the courtyard.

¹ With the blue, purple, and scarlet wool, they made finely-woven garments for service in the holy place. They made Aaron's garments for the holy place, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

² Bezalel made the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine twined linen. ³ They hammered gold sheets and cut them into wires, to work them into the blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and into the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. ⁴ They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, attached at its two upper corners. ⁵ Its finely-woven waistband was like the ephod; it was made of one piece with the ephod, made of fine twined linen that was gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

⁶ They crafted the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, set with engravings as on a signet with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷ Bezalel put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

⁸ He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, fashioned like the ephod. He made it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, and of fine linen. ⁹ It was square. They folded the breastpiece double. It was one span long and one span wide. ¹⁰ They set in it four rows of precious stones. The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet. ¹¹ The second row had an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. ¹² The third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. ¹³ The fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. The stones were mounted in gold settings. ¹⁴ There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a signet with the name of one of the twelve tribes. ¹⁵ On the breastpiece they made chains like cords, braided work of pure gold. ¹⁶ They made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷ They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁸ They attached the other two ends of the braided chains to the two settings. They attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at its front. ¹⁹ They made two rings of gold and put them on the two other corners of the breastpiece, on the edge next to the inner border of the ephod. ²⁰ They made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the front of the ephod, close to its seam above the finely-woven waistband of the ephod. ²¹ They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the ephod's rings with a blue cord, so that it might be attached just above the ephod's finely-woven waistband. This was so that the breastpiece might not become unattached from the ephod. This was done as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

²² Bezalel made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue fabric, the work of a weaver. ²³ The robe had an opening for the head in the middle. The opening had a woven edge round about so that it did not tear. ²⁴ On the bottom hem of the robe, they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and of fine linen. ²⁵ They made bells of pure gold, and they put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the bottom edge the robe, between the pomegranates— ²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate—on the edge of the robe for Aaron to serve in. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

²⁷ They made the tunics of fine linen for Aaron and for his sons. ²⁸ They made the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands of fine linen, the linen undergarments of fine linen, ²⁹ and the sash of fine linen and of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

³⁰ They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold; they engraved on it, like the engraving on a signet, "Holy to Yahweh." ³¹ They attached to the turban a blue cord to the top of the turban. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

³² So the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished. The people of Israel did everything. They followed all the instructions that Yahweh had given to Moses. ³³ They brought the tabernacle to Moses—the tent and all its equipment, its clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; ³⁴ the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the screen to conceal ³⁵ the ark of the covenant decrees, as well as the poles and the atonement lid. ³⁶ They brought the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the presence; ³⁷ the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps in a row, with its accessories and the oil for the lamps; ³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the screen for the tabernacle entrance; ³⁹ the bronze altar with its bronze grate and its poles and utensil and the large basin with its base. ⁴⁰ They brought the hangings for the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the screen for the courtyard entrance; its ropes and tent pegs; and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁴¹ They brought the fine woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons, for them to serve as priests. ⁴² Thus the people of Israel did all the work as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ⁴³ Moses examined all the work, and, behold, they had done it. As Yahweh had commanded, in that way they did it. Then Moses blessed them.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "On the first day of the first month of the new year you must set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ³ You must place the ark of the covenant decrees in it, and you must shield the ark with the curtain. ⁴ You must bring in the table and set in order the things that belong on it. Then you must bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps. ⁵ You must put the golden incense altar before the ark of the covenant decrees, and you must put the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. ⁶ You must put the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁷ You must put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and you must put water in it. ⁸ You must set up the courtyard around it, and you must hang up the screen at the courtyard entrance. ⁹ You must take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything that is in it. You must set it apart and all its furnishings to me; then it will be holy. ¹⁰ You must anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils. You must set apart the altar to me and it will become very holy to me. ¹¹ You must anoint the bronze basin and its base and set it apart to me. ¹² You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and you must wash them with water. ¹³ You are to clothe Aaron with the garments that are set apart to me, anoint him and set him apart so that he may serve as my priest. ¹⁴ You are to bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. ¹⁵ You must anoint them as you anointed their father so that they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will make for them a permanent priesthood throughout their people's generations." ¹⁶ This is what Moses did; he followed all that Yahweh had commanded him. He did all these things.

¹⁷ So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. ¹⁸ Moses set up the tabernacle, put its bases in place, set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its pillars and posts. ¹⁹ He spread the covering over the tabernacle and put the tent over it, as Yahweh had commanded him. ²⁰ He took the covenant decrees and put them into the ark. He also placed the poles on the ark and put the atonement lid on it. ²¹ He brought the ark into the tabernacle. He set up the curtain for the screen to shield the ark of the covenant decrees, as Yahweh had commanded him. ²² He put the table into the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain. ²³ He placed the bread in order on the table before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him. ²⁴ He put the lampstand into the tent of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. ²⁵ He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him. ²⁶ He put the golden incense altar into the tent of meeting in front of the curtain. ²⁷ He burned fragrant incense on it, as Yahweh had commanded him. ²⁸ He hung the screen at the tabernacle entrance. ²⁹ He put the altar for the burnt offering at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. He offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Yahweh had commanded him. ³⁰ He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and he put water in it for washing. ³¹ Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet from the basin ³² whenever they would go into the tent of meeting and whenever they would go up to the altar. They washed themselves, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ³³ Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar. He set up the screen at the courtyard entrance. In this way, Moses finished the work.

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and because Yahweh's glory filled the tabernacle. ³⁶ Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey. ³⁷ But if the cloud did not rise up from the tabernacle, then the people would not travel. They would stay until the day that it was lifted up. ³⁸ For Yahweh's cloud was over the tabernacle by day, and his fire was over it by night, in plain view of all the people of Israel throughout their journey.

¹ Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and tell them, 'When any man from among you brings an offering to Yahweh, bring as your offering an animal, either from the herd or from the flock.

³ If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he must offer a male without blemish. He is to offer it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, so that it may be accepted before Yahweh. ⁴ He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and then it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for himself. ⁵ Then he must kill the bull before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle it on the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁶ Then he must skin the burnt offering and cut it to pieces. ⁷ Then the sons of Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. ⁸ Then Aaron's sons, the priests, are to place the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar. ⁹ But its inner parts and its legs he must wash with water. Then the priest will burn everything on the altar as a burnt offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for me; it will be an offering made to me by fire.

¹⁰ If his offering for the burnt offering is from the flock, one of the sheep or one of the goats, he must offer a male without blemish. ¹¹ He must kill it on the north side of the altar before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood on every side of the altar. ¹² He is to cut it into pieces with its head and its fat, and the priest must place the pieces on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar, ¹³ but the inner parts and the legs he must wash with water. Then the priest will offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

¹⁴ If his offering to Yahweh is to be a burnt offering of birds, then he must bring as his offering either a dove or a young pigeon. ¹⁵ The priest must bring it to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. Then its blood must be drained out on the side of the altar. ¹⁶ He must remove its crop with its contents, and throw it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for the ashes. ¹⁷ He must tear it open by its wings, but he must not divide it into two parts. Then the priest will burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It will be a burnt offering, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

¹ When anyone brings a grain offering to Yahweh, his offering must be fine flour, and he will pour oil on it and put incense on it. ² He is to take the offering to Aaron's sons the priests, and there the priest will take out a handful of the fine flour with the oil and the incense on it. Then the priest will burn the offering on the altar as a representative offering. It will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire. ³ Whatever is left of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is very holy to Yahweh from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire.

⁴ When you offer a grain offering without yeast that is baked in an oven, it must be soft bread of fine flour mixed with oil, or hard bread without yeast, which is spread with oil. ⁵ If your grain offering is baked with a flat iron pan, it must be of fine flour without yeast that is mixed with oil. ⁶ You are to divide it into pieces and pour oil on it. This is a grain offering. ⁷ If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it must be made with fine flour and oil. ⁸ You must bring the grain offering made from these things to Yahweh, and it will be presented to the priest, who will bring it to the altar. ⁹ Then the priest will take some from the grain offering as a representative offering, and he will burn it on the altar. It will be an offering made by fire, and it will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. ¹⁰ What is left of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is very holy to Yahweh from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire.

¹¹ No grain offering that you offer to Yahweh is to be made with yeast, for you must burn no leaven, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ¹² You will offer them to Yahweh as an offering of firstfruits, but they will not be used to produce a sweet aroma on the altar. ¹³ You must season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must never allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your grain offering. With all your offerings you must offer salt.

¹⁴ If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to Yahweh, offer fresh grain that is roasted with fire and then crushed into meal. ¹⁵ Then you must put oil and incense on it. This is a grain offering. ¹⁶ Then the priest will burn part of the crushed grain and oil and incense as a representative offering. This is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

¹ If someone offers a sacrifice which is a fellowship offering of an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must offer an animal without blemish before Yahweh. ² He will lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. ³ The man will offer the sacrifice of a fellowship offering by fire to Yahweh. The fat that covers or is connected to the inner parts, ⁴ and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will remove all of this. ⁵ Aaron's sons will burn that on the altar with the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire. This will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh; it will be an offering made to him by fire.

⁶ If the man's sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh is from the flock; male or female, he must offer a sacrifice without blemish. ⁷ If he offers a lamb for his sacrifice, then he must offer it before Yahweh. ⁸ He will lay his hand on the head of his sacrifice and kill it before the tent of meeting. Then Aaron's sons will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. ⁹ The man will offer the sacrifice of fellowship offerings as an offering made by fire to Yahweh. The fat, the entire fat tail cut away close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the inner parts and all the fat that is near the inner parts, ¹⁰ and the two kidneys and the fat that is with them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will remove all of this. ¹¹ Then the priest will burn it all on the altar as a burnt offering of food to Yahweh.

¹² If the man's offering is a goat, then he will offer it before Yahweh. ¹³ He must lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it before the tent of meeting. Then the sons of Aaron will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. ¹⁴ The man will offer his sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh. He will remove the fat that covers the inner parts, and all the fat near the inner parts. ¹⁵ He will also remove the two kidneys and the fat that is with them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver with the kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest will burn all that on the altar as a burnt offering of food, to produce a sweet aroma. All the fat belongs to Yahweh. ¹⁷ It will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in every place you make your home, that you must not eat fat or blood.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Tell the people of Israel, 'When anyone sins without wanting to sin, doing any of the things that Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and if he does something that is prohibited, the following must be done.

³ If it is the anointed priest who sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to Yahweh as a sin offering. ⁴ He must bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before Yahweh, lay his hand on its head, and kill the bull before Yahweh. ⁵ The anointed priest will take some of the blood of the bull and take it to the tent of meeting. ⁶ The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before Yahweh, before the curtain of the most holy place. ⁷ Then the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting, and he will pour out all the rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁸ He will cut away all the fat of the bull of the sin offering; the fat that covers the inner parts, all the fat that is attached to the inner parts, ⁹ the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the lobe of the liver, with the kidneys—he will cut away all this. ¹⁰ He will cut it all away, just as he cuts it off from the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Then the priest will burn these parts on the altar for burnt offerings. ¹¹ The skin of the bull and any remaining meat, with its head and with its legs and its inner parts and its dung, ¹² all the rest of the parts of the bull—he will carry all these parts outside the camp to a place that they have cleansed for me, where they pour out the ashes; they will burn those parts there on wood. They must burn those parts where they pour out the ashes.

¹³ If the whole assembly of Israel sins without wanting to sin, and the assembly is unaware that they have sinned and done any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and if they are guilty, ¹⁴ then, when the sin they have committed becomes known, then the assembly must offer a young bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ The elders of the assembly will lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh, and the bull will be killed before Yahweh. ¹⁶ The anointed priest will bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting, ¹⁷ and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the curtain. ¹⁸ He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before Yahweh, which is in the tent of meeting, and he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He will cut off all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰ That is what he must do with the bull. Just as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so will he also do with this bull, and the priest will make atonement for the people, and they will be forgiven. ²¹ He will carry the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the assembly.

²² When a ruler sins without intending to sin, doing any one of all the things that Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and he is guilty, ²³ then his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he must bring for his sacrifice a goat, a male without blemish. ²⁴ He will lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Yahweh. This is a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest will take the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he will pour out its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. ²⁶ He will burn all the fat on the altar, just like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest will make atonement for the ruler concerning his sin, and the ruler will be forgiven.

²⁷ If anyone of the common people sins without intending to sin, doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded him not to be done, and when he realizes his guilt, ²⁸ then his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he will bring a goat for his sacrifice, a female without blemish, for the sin that he has committed. ²⁹ He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering at the place of burnt offering. ³⁰ The priest will take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He will cut away all the fat, just as the fat is cut away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest will burn it on the altar to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. The priest will make atonement for the man, and he will be forgiven.

³² If the man brings a lamb as his sacrifice for a sin offering, he will bring a female without blemish. ³³ He will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering. ³⁴ The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings, and he will pour out all its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He will cut away all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is cut away from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest will burn it on the altar on top of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. The priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and the man will be forgiven.

¹ The person who is a witness or has seen or knows about some matter—if he hears the curse but sins by not testifying, he will bear the guilt of his iniquity. ² Or if anyone touches anything God has designated as unclean, whether it be the carcass of an unclean wild animal or the carcass of any unclean livestock or unclean creatures that move along the ground, even though he was not aware of what he had done, he has become unclean and is guilty. ³ Or if he touches the uncleanness of someone, whatever that uncleanness is, and if he is unaware of it, then he will be guilty when he learns about it. ⁴ Or if anyone swears rashly with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatever it is that a man swears rashly with an oath, even if he is unaware of it, when he learns about it, then he will be guilty, in any of these things. ⁵ When someone is guilty in any of these things, he must confess whatever sin he has committed. ⁶ Then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh for the sin that he has committed, a female animal from the flock, either a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.

⁷ If he cannot afford to buy a lamb, then he can bring as his guilt offering for his sin two doves or two young pigeons to Yahweh, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ He must bring them to the priest, who will offer one for the sin offering first—he will wring off its head from its neck but will not remove it completely from the body. ⁹ Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and he will drain the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. This is a sin offering. ¹⁰ Then he must offer the second bird as a burnt offering, as described in the instructions, and the priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and the person will be forgiven.

¹¹ But if he cannot afford to buy two doves or two young pigeons, then he must bring as his sacrifice for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or any incense on it, for it is a sin offering. ¹² He must bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of it as a representative offering and then burn it on the altar, on top of the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. This is a sin offering. ¹³ The priest will make atonement for any sin that the person has committed, and that person will be forgiven. The leftovers from the offering will belong to the priest, as with the grain offering.'"

¹⁴ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁵ "If anyone sins and acts unfaithfully in regard to the things that belong to Yahweh, but did so unintentionally, then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh. This offering must be a ram without blemish from the flock; its value must be appraised in silver shekels—the shekel of the sanctuary—as a guilt offering. ¹⁶ He must satisfy Yahweh for what he had done wrong in connection with what is holy, and he must add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and that person will be forgiven.

¹⁷ If anyone sins and does anything that Yahweh has commanded not to be done, even if he was unaware of it, he is still guilty and must carry his own guilt. ¹⁸ He must bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, worth the current value, as a guilt offering to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin he has committed, of which he was unaware, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering, and he is certainly guilty before Yahweh."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "If anyone sins and acts unfaithfully against Yahweh by deceiving his neighbor regarding something held in trust, or was left in his care, or about something that was stolen, or if he has oppressed his neighbor, ³ or he has found something that his neighbor lost and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or in any matters like these by which people sin, ⁴ and if he has sinned and is found to be guilty, he must restore whatever he took by robbery or oppression, or that which was entrusted to him, or that which was lost but that he had found. ⁵ In addition, in any matter in which he swore falsely, he must restore it in full and he must add one-fifth of the value of it and pay it all to the owner on the day that he is found guilty. ⁶ Then he must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh, a ram without blemish from the flock that is worth the current value, as a guilt offering to the priest. ⁷ The priest will make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he has become guilty of doing."

⁸ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ⁹ "Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering must be on the hearth of the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar will be kept burning. ¹⁰ The priest will put on his linen clothes, and he will also put on his linen underclothes. He will pick up the ashes that are left after the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he will put the ashes beside the altar. ¹¹ He will take off his garments and put on other garments to carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is clean. ¹² The fire on the altar will be kept burning. It must not go out, and the priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will arrange the burnt offering as required on it, and he will burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. ¹³ Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually. It must not go out.

¹⁴ This is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron will offer it before Yahweh before the altar. ¹⁵ The priest will take up a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and of the oil and the incense which is on the grain offering, and he will burn it on the altar to produce a sweet aroma as a representative offering. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons will eat whatever is left of the offering. It must be eaten without yeast in a holy place. They will eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ It must not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their part of my offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as the sin offering and the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Every male among the descendants of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, taken from the fire offerings made to Yahweh. Whoever touches them will become holy.'"

¹⁹ So Yahweh spoke to Moses again, saying, ²⁰ "This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they will offer to Yahweh on the day when each son is anointed: a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. ²¹ It will be made with oil in a baking pan. When it is soaked, you will bring it in. In baked pieces you will offer the grain offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. ²² The anointed priest from among his sons will offer it. As commanded forever, it must be burned up completely to Yahweh. ²³ Every grain offering of the priest will be completely burned up. It must not be eaten."

²⁴ Yahweh spoke to Moses again, saying, ²⁵ "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the sin offering: The sin offering must be killed at the place where the burnt offering is killed before Yahweh. It is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers it for sin will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Whatever touches its meat will become holy, and if the blood is sprinkled on any garment, you must wash it, the part that was sprinkled on, in a holy place. ²⁸ But the clay pot in which it is boiled must be broken. If it is boiled in a bronze pot, it must be scrubbed and rinsed clean in water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat some of it because it is most holy. ³⁰ But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place must not be eaten. It must be burned with fire.

¹ This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. ² They must kill the guilt offering in the place for killing it, and they must sprinkle its blood against every side of the altar. ³ All the fat in it will be offered: the fat tail, the fat that is over the inner parts, ⁴ the two kidneys and the fat on them, which is next to the loins, and what covers the liver, with the kidneys—all this must be removed. ⁵ The priest must burn these parts on the altar as an offering made with fire to Yahweh. This is the guilt offering. ⁶ Every male among the priests may eat part of this offering. It must be eaten in a holy place because it is most holy. ⁷ The sin offering is like the guilt offering. The same law applies to both of them. They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. ⁸ The priest who offers anyone's burnt offering may have for himself the hide of that offering. ⁹ Every grain offering that is baked in an oven, and every such offering that is cooked in a frying pan or in a baking pan will belong to the priest who offers it. ¹⁰ Every grain offering, either dry or mixed with oil, will belong equally to all the descendants of Aaron.

¹¹ This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which people will offer to Yahweh. ¹² If anyone offers it in order to give thanks, then he must offer it with a sacrifice of cakes made without yeast, but mixed with oil, of cakes made without yeast, but spread with oil, and of cakes made with fine flour that is mixed with oil. ¹³ Also for the purpose of giving thanks, he must offer with the sacrifice of his peace offering cakes of bread made with yeast. ¹⁴ He is to offer one of each kind of these sacrifices as a contribution presented to Yahweh. It will belong to the priests who sprinkle the blood of the peace offerings onto the altar.

¹⁵ The person presenting a peace offering for the purpose of giving thanks must eat the meat of his offering on the day of the sacrifice. He must not leave any of it until the next morning. ¹⁶ But if the sacrifice of his offering is for the purpose of a vow, or for the purpose of a freewill offering, the meat must be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, but whatever remains of it may be eaten on the next day. ¹⁷ However, whatever meat of the sacrifice remains on the third day must be burned. ¹⁸ If any of the meat of the sacrifice of one's peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted, neither will it be credited to the one who offered it. It will be a disgusting thing, and the person who eats it will carry the guilt of his sin.

¹⁹ Any meat that touches an unclean thing must not be eaten. It must be burned with fire. As for the rest of the meat, anyone who is clean may eat it. ²⁰ However, an unclean person who eats any meat from the sacrifice of a peace offering that belongs to Yahweh—that person must be cut off from his people. ²¹ If anyone touches any unclean thing—whether uncleanness of man or of unclean animal or of some unclean, detestable thing—and if he then eats some of the meat of a sacrifice of peace offering that belongs to Yahweh, that person must be cut off from his people.'"

²² Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ "Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'You must eat no fat of cattle, sheep, or goats. ²⁴ The fat of an animal that died without being a sacrifice, or the fat of an animal torn by wild animals, may be used for other purposes, but you must certainly not eat it. ²⁵ Whoever eats the fat of an animal that men can offer as a sacrifice by fire to Yahweh, that person must be cut off from his people. ²⁶ You must eat no blood whatsoever in any of your houses, whether it is from a bird or an animal. ²⁷ Whoever eats any blood, that person must be cut off from his people.'"

²⁸ So Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ²⁹ "Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'He who offers the sacrifice of a peace offering to Yahweh must bring part of his sacrifice to Yahweh. ³⁰ The offering for Yahweh to be made by fire, his own hands must bring it. He must bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before Yahweh. ³¹ The priest must burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. ³² You must give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. ³³ The priest, one of Aaron's descendants, who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat—he will have the right thigh as his share of the offering. ³⁴ For I have taken from the people of Israel, the breast of the wave offering, and the thigh that is the contribution from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and they have been given to Aaron the priest and his sons as their regular share.

³⁵ This is what has been consecrated for Aaron and his descendants from the offerings for Yahweh made by fire, on the day when Moses presented them to serve Yahweh in the work of priest. ³⁶ This is the share that Yahweh commanded to be given them from the people of Israel, on the day that he anointed the priests. It will always be their share throughout all generations.

³⁷ This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration offering, and of the sacrifice of peace offerings, ³⁸ about which Yahweh gave commands to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to offer their sacrifices to Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments and the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread. ³ Assemble all the assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting." ⁴ So Moses did as Yahweh commanded him, and the assembly came together at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁵ Then Moses said to the assembly, "This is what Yahweh has commanded to be done."

⁶ Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷ He put the tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his waist, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him, and then he tied the ephod around him with the finely-woven waistband and bound it to him. ⁸ He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. ⁹ He set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Moses took the anointing oil, anointed the tabernacle and everything in it and set them apart to Yahweh. ¹¹ He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the washbasin and its base, to set them apart to Yahweh. ¹² He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to set him apart. ¹³ Moses brought Aaron's sons and clothed them with tunics. He tied sashes around their waists and wrapped linen cloth around their heads, as Yahweh had commanded him.

¹⁴ Moses brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull that they had brought for the sin offering. ¹⁵ Moses killed it, and he took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar with his finger, purified the altar, poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and set it apart for God in order to make atonement for it. ¹⁶ He took all the fat that was on the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses burned it all on the altar. ¹⁷ But Moses burned the bull, its hide, its meat, and its dung outside the camp, as Yahweh had commanded him.

¹⁸ Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁹ He killed it and sprinkled its blood against every side of the altar. ²⁰ He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head and the pieces and the fat. ²¹ He washed the inner parts and the legs with water, and he burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering and produced a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

²² Then Moses presented the other ram, the ram of consecration, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ²³ Aaron killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴ He brought Aaron's sons, and he put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot. Then Moses sprinkled its blood against every side of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the inner parts, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh. ²⁶ Out of the basket of bread without yeast that was before Yahweh, he took one loaf without yeast, and one loaf of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. ²⁷ He put it all in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them before Yahweh as a wave offering. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from off their hands and burned them on the altar for the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering and produced a sweet aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ²⁹ Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering to Yahweh. It was Moses' share of the ram for the priests' ordination, as Yahweh had commanded him.

³⁰ Moses took some of the anointing oil and the blood that was on the altar; he sprinkled these on Aaron, on his clothes, on his sons, and on his sons' clothes with him. In this way he set apart Aaron and his clothes, and his sons and their clothes to Yahweh.

³¹ So Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, "Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons will eat it.' ³² Whatever remains of the meat and of the bread you must burn. ³³ You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are fulfilled. For Yahweh will consecrate you for seven days. ³⁴ What has been done this day—Yahweh has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. ³⁵ You will stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and keep the command of Yahweh, so you will not die, because this is what I have been commanded." ³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did all the things which Yahweh had commanded them through Moses.

¹ On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, "Take a calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram without blemish for a burnt offering, and offer them before Yahweh. ³ You must speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without blemish, for a burnt offering; ⁴ also take an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you.'" ⁵ So they brought all that Moses commanded to the tent of meeting, and all the assembly of Israel approached and stood before Yahweh. ⁶ Then Moses said, "This is what Yahweh commanded you to do, so that his glory may appear to you." ⁷ Moses said to Aaron, "Come near the altar and offer your sin offering and burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and offer the sacrifice for the people to make atonement for them, as Yahweh has commanded."

⁸ So Aaron went near the altar and killed the calf for the sin offering, which was for himself. ⁹ The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into it and put it on the horns of the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ However, he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the covering of the liver on the altar as a sin offering, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ¹¹ The meat and the hide he burned outside the camp.

¹² Aaron killed the burnt offering, and his sons gave him the blood, which he splashed against every side of the altar. ¹³ Then they gave him the burnt offering, piece by piece, together with the head, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ Aaron presented the people's sacrifice—a goat, then took it as the sacrifice for their sin and killed it; he sacrificed it for sin, as he had done with the first goat. ¹⁶ He presented the burnt offering and offered it as Yahweh had commanded. ¹⁷ He presented the grain offering; he filled his hand with it and burned it on the altar, along with the morning's burnt offering.

¹⁸ He killed also the ox and the ram, the sacrifice for the peace offering, which was for the people. Aaron's sons gave him the blood, which he sprinkled against every side of the altar. ¹⁹ However, they cut out the fat of the bull and the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner parts, the kidneys, and the covering of the liver. ²⁰ They took the parts that were cut out and put these on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. ²¹ Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before Yahweh, as Moses had commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them; then he came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. ²³ Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, then came out again and blessed the people, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted and lay facedown.

¹ Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, each took his censer, put fire in it, and then incense. Then they offered unapproved fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them to offer. ² So fire came out from before Yahweh and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. ³ Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh was talking about when he said,

'I will reveal my holiness to those who come near me.

I will be glorified before all the people.'"

Aaron did not say anything.

⁴ Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come here and carry your brothers out of the camp from before the tabernacle." ⁵ So they came near and carried them, still wearing their priestly tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had instructed.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, "Do not let your hair on your heads hang loosely, and do not tear your clothes, so that you may not die, and so that Yahweh may not be angry with all the assembly. But allow your relatives, the entire house of Israel, to mourn for those whom the fire of Yahweh has set ablaze. ⁷ You must not go out from the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die, for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you." So they acted according to Moses' instructions.

⁸ Yahweh spoke to Aaron, saying, ⁹ "Do not drink wine or strong drink, you, or your sons who remain with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, so you will not die. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations, ¹⁰ to distinguish between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, ¹¹ so that you may teach the people of Israel all the statutes that Yahweh has commanded through Moses."

¹² Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his remaining sons, "Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy. ¹³ You must eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons' share of the offerings to Yahweh made by fire, for this is what I have been commanded to tell you. ¹⁴ As for the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution, you must eat them in a clean place, you and your sons and daughters with you, for they are given as your assigned portion and your sons' assigned portion out of the sacrifices of the fellowship offerings of the people of Israel. ¹⁵ As for the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, they must bring them with the offerings of fat made by fire as a wave offering before Yahweh. They will be yours and your sons' with you as a share forever, as Yahweh has commanded."

¹⁶ Then Moses asked about the goat for the sin offering, and found that it was burned up. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron; he said, ¹⁷ "Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the area of the tabernacle, since it is most holy, and since Yahweh has given it to you to take away the iniquity of the assembly, to make atonement for them before him? ¹⁸ Look, its blood was not brought inside the tabernacle, so you should certainly have eaten it in the tabernacle area, as I commanded." ¹⁹ Then Aaron answered Moses, "See, today they made their sin offering and burnt offering before Yahweh, and this thing has happened to me today. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in the sight of Yahweh?" ²⁰ When Moses heard that, he was satisfied.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. ³ You may eat any animal that has a split hoof and that also chews the cud. ⁴ However, some animals either chew the cud or have a split hoof, and you must not eat them, animals such as the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof. So the camel is unclean to you. ⁵ Also the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is also unclean to you. ⁶ The rabbit, because it chews the cud, but does not have a split hoof, is unclean to you. ⁷ The pig, although it has a split hoof, does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. ⁸ You must not eat any of their meat, nor touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.

⁹ The animals living in the water that you may eat are all those that have fins and scales, whether in the ocean or in the rivers. ¹⁰ But all living creatures that do not have fins and scales in the ocean or rivers, including all that move in the water and all the living creatures that are in the water—they must be detested by you. ¹¹ Since they must be detested, you must not eat of their meat; also, their carcasses must be detested. ¹² Whatever lives in the water and does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

¹³ These are the birds you must detest—and you must not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture, ¹⁴ the kite, any kind of falcon, ¹⁵ every kind of raven, ¹⁶ the horned owl and the screech owl, the seagull, and any kind of hawk. ¹⁷ You must also detest the little owl and the great owl, the cormorant, ¹⁸ the white owl and the barn owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and also the bat.

²⁰ All winged insects that walk on four legs are detestable to you. ²¹ Yet you may eat any of the flying insects that also walk on four legs if they have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. ²² You may also eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. ²³ But all the flying insects that have four feet must be detested by you.

²⁴ You will become unclean until evening by these animals if you touch a carcass of one of them. ²⁵ Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes and remain unclean until evening. ²⁶ Every animal which has a split hoof that is not completely divided or which does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them will be unclean. ²⁷ Whatever walks on its paws among all the animals that walk on all four legs, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches such a carcass will be unclean until the evening. ²⁸ Whoever picks up such a carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. These animals will be unclean to you.

²⁹ Of the animals that creep on the ground, these are the animals that will be unclean to you: the weasel, the rat, every kind of large lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. ³¹ Of all the animals that creep, these are the animals which will be unclean to you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² If any of them dies and falls on anything, that thing will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. Whatever it is and whatever it is used for, it must be put into water; it will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean. ³³ For every clay pot into or onto which any unclean animal falls, whatever is in the pot will become unclean, and you must destroy that pot. ³⁴ Any food that could be eaten but has water on it from such a pot is unclean. Any liquid that is for drinking from such a pot is unclean. ³⁵ Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; if it is an oven or small stove, it must be broken to pieces. They are unclean and they must remain unclean to you. ³⁶ A spring or cistern for collecting water remains clean; but anyone who touches their carcass is unclean. ³⁷ If any part of their carcass falls upon any seeds for sowing, those seeds will still be clean. ³⁸ But if water is put on the seeds, and if any part of their carcass falls on them, then they will be unclean to you.

³⁹ If any animal that you may eat dies, then he who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Whoever eats any of that carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up such a carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ Every animal that creeps on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. ⁴² Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all four legs, or whatever has many feet—all the animals that creep on the ground, these you must not eat, for they are detestable. ⁴³ You must not make yourselves detestable with any living creatures that creep; you must not make yourselves unclean with them and you must not be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ For I am Yahweh your God. You are to keep yourselves holy, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves with any kind of animal that moves about on the ground. ⁴⁵ For I am Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You must therefore be holy, for I am holy.

⁴⁶ This is the law regarding the animals, the birds, every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the ground, ⁴⁷ for which a distinction is to be made between the unclean and the clean, and between the living things that may be eaten and the living things that may not be eaten.'"

¹ Yahweh said to Moses, ² "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, then she will be unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during the days of her monthly impurity. ³ On the eighth day the flesh of a baby boy's foreskin must be circumcised. ⁴ Then the mother's purification from her bleeding will continue for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are finished. ⁵ But if she gives birth to a female child, then she will be unclean for two weeks, as she is during her impurity. Then for sixty-six days she will be purified from her bleeding.

⁶ When the days of her purification are finished, for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one year old lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or dove as a sin offering, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest. ⁷ Then he will offer it before Yahweh and make atonement for her, and she will be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law regarding a woman who gives birth to either a male or a female child. ⁸ If she is not able to afford a lamb, then she must take two doves or two young pigeons, one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering, and the priest will make atonement for her; then she will be clean.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² "When anyone has on the skin of his body a swelling or scab or a bright spot, and it becomes infected and there is leprosy in his body, then he must be brought to Aaron the high priest, or to one of his sons the priests. ³ Then the priest will examine the disease in the skin of his body. If the hair in the diseased area has turned white, and if the disease appears to be deeper than just on the skin, then it is leprosy. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean. ⁴ If the bright spot in his skin is white, and the appearance of it is no deeper than the skin, and if the hair in the diseased area has not turned white, then the priest must isolate the one with the disease for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day, the priest must examine him to see if in his opinion the disease is not any worse, and if it has not spread in the skin. If it has not, then the priest must isolate him seven days more. ⁶ The priest will examine him again on the seventh day to see if the disease is better and has not spread farther in the skin. If it has not, then the priest will pronounce him clean. It is a rash. He must wash his clothes, and then he is clean. ⁷ But if the rash has spread in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must then show himself to the priest again. ⁸ The priest will examine him to see if the rash has spread farther in the skin. If it has spread, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.

⁹ When leprosy is in someone, then he must be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest will examine him to see if there is a white swelling in the skin, if the hair has turned white, or if there is raw flesh in the swelling. ¹¹ If there is, then it is leprosy, and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He will not isolate him, because he is already unclean. ¹² If the leprosy breaks out widely in the skin and covers all the skin of the person with the disease from his head to his feet, as far as it appears to the priest, ¹³ then the priest must examine him to see if the leprosy has covered all his body. If it has, then the priest must pronounce the person who has the disease as clean. If it has all turned white, then he is clean. ¹⁴ But if raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ The priest must look at the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean because the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. ¹⁶ But if the raw flesh turns white again, then the person must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest will examine him to see if the flesh has turned white. If it has then the priest will pronounce that person to be clean.

¹⁸ When a person has a boil on the skin and it has healed, ¹⁹ and in place of the boil there is white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it must be shown to the priest. ²⁰ The priest will examine it to see if it appears deeper under the skin, and if the hair there has turned white. If so, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy, if it has developed in the place where the boil was. ²¹ But if the priest examines it and sees that there is no white hair in it, and that it is not under the skin but has faded, then the priest must isolate him for seven days. ²² If it spreads widely in the skin, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious disease. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, then it is the scar of the boil, and the priest must pronounce him clean.

²⁴ When the skin has a burn and the raw flesh of the burn has become a reddish-white or white spot, ²⁵ then the priest will examine it to see if the hair in that spot has turned white, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin. If it has, then it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it and finds that there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not under the skin but has faded, then the priest must isolate him for seven days. ²⁷ Then the priest must examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread widely in the skin, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy. ²⁸ If the spot stays in its place and has not spread in the skin but has faded, then it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest must pronounce him clean, for it is nothing more than the scar of the burn.

²⁹ If a man or woman has an infectious disease on the head or chin, ³⁰ then the priest must examine the person for an infectious disease to see if it appears to be deeper than the skin, and if there is yellow, thin hair in it. If there is, then the priest must pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, leprosy on the head or the chin. ³¹ If the priest examines the itching disease and sees that it is not under the skin, and if there is no black hair in it, then the priest will isolate the person with the itching disease for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease to see if it has spread. If there is no yellow hair, and if the disease appears to be only skin deep, ³³ then he must be shaved, but the diseased area must not be shaved, and the priest must isolate the person with the itching disease for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease to see if it has stopped spreading in the skin. If it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest must pronounce him clean. The person must wash his clothes, and then he will be clean. ³⁵ But if the itching disease has spread widely in the skin after the priest said he was clean, ³⁶ then the priest must examine him again. If the disease has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to seek for yellow hair. The person is unclean. ³⁷ But if in the priest's view the itching disease has stopped spreading and black hair has grown in the area, then the disease has healed. He is clean, and the priest must pronounce him clean.

³⁸ If a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, ³⁹ then the priest must examine the person to see if the spots are a dull white, which is only a rash that has broken out in the skin. He is clean.

⁴⁰ If a man's hair has fallen out of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹ If his hair has fallen out of the front part of his head, and if his forehead is bald, he is clean. ⁴² But if there is a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is leprosy that has broken out. ⁴³ Then the priest must examine him to see if the swelling of the diseased area on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin. ⁴⁴ If it is, then he is leprous and is unclean. The priest must surely pronounce him unclean because of his disease on his head.

⁴⁵ The leprous person who has the disease must wear torn clothes, his hair must hang loosely, and he must cover his face up to his nose and call out, 'Unclean, unclean.' ⁴⁶ All the days that he has the infectious disease he will be unclean. Because he is unclean with a disease that can spread, he must live alone. He must live outside the camp.

⁴⁷ A garment that is contaminated with leprosy, whether it is a wool or linen garment, ⁴⁸ or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen, or leather or anything made with leather— ⁴⁹ if there is a greenish or reddish contamination in the garment, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or anything made of leather, then it is a leprosy that spreads; it must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest must examine the item for leprosy; he must isolate anything that has leprosy for seven days. ⁵¹ He must examine the leprosy again on the seventh day. If it has spread in the garment or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything in which leather is used, then it is harmful leprosy, and the item is unclean. ⁵² He must burn the garment, or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather, anything in which the leprosy is found, for it can lead to disease. The item must be completely burned up.

⁵³ If the priest examines the item and sees that the leprosy has not spread in the garment or material woven or knitted from wool or linen, or leather goods, ⁵⁴ then he will command them to wash the item in which the leprosy was found, and he must isolate it for seven more days. ⁵⁵ Then the priest will examine the item after the item where there was leprosy was washed. If the leprosy has not changed its color, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn the item, no matter where the leprosy has contaminated it.

⁵⁶ If the priest examines the item, and if the leprosy has faded after it was washed, then he must tear out the contaminated part from the garment or from the leather, or from the woven or knitted material. ⁵⁷ If the leprosy still appears in the garment, either in the woven or knitted material, or in anything made of leather, it is spreading. You must burn any item that has the leprosy. ⁵⁸ The garment or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather—if you wash the item and the leprosy is gone, then the item must be washed a second time, and it will be clean.

⁵⁹ This is the law about leprosy in a garment of wool or linen, or anything woven or knitted from wool or linen material, or leather or anything made with leather, so that you may pronounce it clean or unclean."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "This will be the law for the leper on the day of his cleansing. He must be brought to the priest. ³ The priest will go out of the camp to examine the leper to see if the leprosy is healed. ⁴ Then the priest will command that the one to be cleansed must take two live, clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. ⁵ The priest will command him to kill one of the birds over fresh water that is in a clay pot. ⁶ The priest will then take the live bird and the cedar wood, and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and he will dip all these things, including the live bird, in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷ Then the priest will sprinkle this water seven times onto the person who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and then the priest will pronounce him to be clean. Then the priest will release the living bird into the open fields. ⁸ The person who is being cleansed will wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and then he will be clean. After that he must come into the camp, but he will live outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day he must shave all his hair off his head, and he must also shave off his beard and eyebrows. He must shave off all his hair, and he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; then he will be clean.

¹⁰ On the eighth day he must take two male lambs without blemish, one female lamb a year old without blemish, and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil. ¹¹ The priest who cleanses him will stand the person who is to be cleansed, along with those things, before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² The priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, together with the log of oil; he will wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. ¹³ He must kill the male lamb in the place where they kill the sin offerings and the burnt offerings, in the area of the tabernacle, for the sin offering belongs to the priest, as does the guilt offering, because it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ Then the priest will take oil from the log and pour it into the palm of his own left hand, ¹⁶ and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before Yahweh. ¹⁷ The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. He must put this oil on top of the blood from the guilt offering. ¹⁸ As for the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand, he will put it on the head of the person who is to be cleansed, and the priest will make atonement for him before Yahweh. ¹⁹ Then the priest will offer the sin offering and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness, and afterward he will kill the burnt offering. ²⁰ Then the priest will offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for the person, and then he will be clean.

²¹ However, if the person is poor and cannot afford these sacrifices, then he may take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for himself, and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and a log of oil, ²² together with two doves or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; one bird will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ²³ On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting, before Yahweh. ²⁴ The priest will take the lamb for an offering, and he will take with it the log of olive oil, and he will wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. ²⁵ The priest will kill the lamb for the guilt offering, and he will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ Then the priest will pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, ²⁷ and he will sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Yahweh. ²⁸ The priest will then put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the one who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, the same places where he put the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ He will put the rest of the oil that is in his hand on the head of the one who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Yahweh. ³⁰ He must offer one of the doves or young pigeons, such as the person has been able to get— ³¹ one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, along with the grain offering. Then the priest will make atonement for the one who is to be cleansed before Yahweh. ³² This is the law for a person in whom there is leprosy, who is not able to afford the standard offerings for his cleansing."

³³ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ³⁴ "When you have come into the land of Canaan which I gave to you as a possession, and if I put leprosy that spreads in a house in the land of your possession, ³⁵ then he who owns the house must come and tell the priest. He must say, 'There seems to me to be something like leprosy in my house.' ³⁶ Then the priest will command that they empty the house before he goes in to see the evidence of leprosy, so that nothing in the house will be made unclean. Afterward the priest must go in to see the house. ³⁷ He must examine the leprosy to see if it is in the house walls, and to see whether it appears greenish or reddish in the depressions in the wall's surface. ³⁸ If the house does have leprosy, then the priest will go out of the house and shut the door to the house for seven days. ³⁹ Then the priest will return again on the seventh day and examine it to see if the leprosy has spread in the walls of the house. ⁴⁰ If it has, then the priest will command that they take out the stones in which the leprosy has been found and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹ He will require all the inside walls of the house to be scraped, and they must take the contaminated material that is scraped off outside the city and dump it into the unclean place. ⁴² They must take other stones and put them in the place of the stones that were removed, and they must use new clay to plaster the house.

⁴³ If leprosy comes again and breaks out in the house in which the stones have been taken away and the walls have been scraped and then replastered, ⁴⁴ then the priest must come in and examine the house to see if leprosy has spread in the house. If it has, then it is harmful leprosy, and the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ The house must be torn down. The stones, timber, and all the plaster in the house must be carried away out of the city to the unclean place. ⁴⁶ In addition, whoever goes into the house during the time it is closed up will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who has lain down in the house must wash his clothes, and anyone who ate in the house must wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ If the priest enters the house to examine it to see whether the leprosy has spread in the house after the house was plastered, then, if the leprosy is gone, he will pronounce the house clean. ⁴⁹ Then the priest must take two birds to cleanse the house, and cedar wood, and scarlet yarn, and hyssop. ⁵⁰ He will kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay jar. ⁵¹ He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the killed bird, into the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He will cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water, with the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ But he will let the live bird go out of the city into the open fields. In this way he must make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

⁵⁴ This is the law for all types of leprosy and things that cause it, and for an itch, ⁵⁵ and for leprosy in clothing and in a house, ⁵⁶ for swelling, for a rash, and for a bright spot, ⁵⁷ to determine when any of these cases is unclean or when it is clean. This is the law for leprosy."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² "Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, 'When any man has an infected fluid that comes out of his body, he becomes unclean. ³ His uncleanness is due to this infected fluid. Whether his body flows with fluid or is stopped up, it is unclean. ⁴ Every bed on which he lies will be unclean, and everything on which he sits will be unclean. ⁵ Whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁶ Anyone who sits on anything on which the man with the flow of infected fluid sat, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. ⁷ Anyone who touches the body of the one who has a flow of infected fluid must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. ⁸ If the person who has such a flow of fluid spits on someone who is clean, then that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. ⁹ Any saddle which he who has a flow rides upon will be unclean. ¹⁰ So whoever touches anything that was under that person will be unclean until evening, and anyone who carries those things must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening. ¹¹ Anyone the man with the discharge touches without washing his hands with water must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. ¹² Any clay pot that the one with such a flow of fluid touches must be broken, and every container of wood must be rinsed in water.

¹³ When he who has a flow is cleansed from his flow, then he must count for himself seven days for his cleansing; then he must wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water. Then he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons and come before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting; there he must give the birds to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest must offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest must make atonement for him before Yahweh for his flow.

¹⁶ If any man has an emission of semen, then he must bathe his whole body in water; he will be unclean until evening. ¹⁷ Every garment or leather on which there is semen must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both of them must bathe with water and be unclean until evening.

¹⁹ When a woman has a flow of blood, her impurity will continue for seven days, and whoever touches her will be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Everything she lies on during her period will be unclean; everything that she sits on will also be unclean. ²¹ Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; that person will be unclean until evening. ²² Whoever touches anything that she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; that person will be unclean until evening. ²³ Whether it is on the bed or on anything on which she sits, if he touches it, that person will be unclean until evening. ²⁴ If any man lies with her, and if her impure flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days. Every bed on which he lies will be unclean.

²⁵ If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is not in the time of her impurity, or if she has a flow beyond the time of her impurity, during all the days of the flow of her uncleanness, she will be as if she were in the days of her impurity. She is unclean. ²⁶ Every bed on which she lies all during her flow of blood will be to her just like the bed on which she lies during her impurity, and everything on which she sits will be unclean, just like the uncleanness of her impurity. ²⁷ Whoever touches any of those things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ But if she is cleansed from her flow of blood, then she will count for herself seven days, and after that she will be clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she will take to her two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest will offer one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for her before Yahweh for her unclean flow of blood.

³¹ This is how you must separate the people of Israel from their uncleanness, so they will not die due to their uncleanness, by defiling my tabernacle, where I live among them.

³² This is the law for anyone who has a flow of fluid, for any man whose semen goes out of him and makes him unclean, ³³ for any woman who has a menstrual period, for anyone with a flow of fluid, whether male or female, and for any man who lies with an unclean woman.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses—this was after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they had gone near to Yahweh and then died. ² Yahweh said to Moses, "Speak to Aaron your brother and tell him not to come at just any time into the most holy place inside the curtain, before the atonement lid that is on the ark. If he does, he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement lid. ³ So here is how Aaron must come into the most holy place. He must enter with a young bull as a sin offering, and a ram as a burnt offering. ⁴ He must put on the holy linen tunic, and he must put the linen undergarments on himself, and he must wear the linen sash and linen turban. These are the holy garments. He must bathe his body in water and then dress himself with these clothes. ⁵ He must take from the assembly of the people of Israel two male goats as a sin offering and one ram as a burnt offering.

⁶ Then Aaron must present the bull as the sin offering, which will be for himself, to make atonement for himself and his family. ⁷ Then he must take the two goats and set them before Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ Then Aaron must cast lots for the two goats, one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for the scapegoat. ⁹ Aaron must then present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer that goat as a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat must be brought alive before Yahweh, to make atonement by sending him away as a scapegoat into the wilderness.

¹¹ Then Aaron must present the bull for the sin offering, which will be for himself. He must make atonement for himself and for his family, so he must kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. ¹² Aaron must take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, with his hands full of finely ground sweet incense, and bring these things inside the curtain. ¹³ There he must put the incense on the fire before Yahweh so that the cloud from the incense may cover the atonement lid over the covenant decrees. He must do this so he will not die. ¹⁴ Then he must take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the atonement lid. He must sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times before the atonement lid.

¹⁵ Then he must kill the goat for the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain. There he must do with the blood as he did with the blood of the bull: He must sprinkle it on the atonement lid and then before the atonement lid. ¹⁶ He must make atonement for the holy place because of the unclean actions of the people of Israel, and because of their rebellion and all their sins. He must also do this for the tent of meeting, where Yahweh lives among them, in the presence of their unclean actions. ¹⁷ No one must be in the tent of meeting when Aaron enters it to make atonement in the most holy place, and until he comes out and has finished making atonement for himself and for his family, and for all the assembly of Israel. ¹⁸ He must go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and he must take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the horns of the altar all around. ¹⁹ He must sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and set it apart to Yahweh, away from the unclean actions of the people of Israel.

²⁰ When he has finished atoning for the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he must present the live goat. ²¹ Aaron must lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over him all the evil deeds of the people of Israel, all their rebellion, and all their sins. Then he must put that sinfulness on the head of the goat and send the goat away in the care of a man who is ready to lead the goat into the wilderness. ²² The goat must carry on himself all the people's evil deeds to a solitary place. There in the wilderness, the man must let the goat go free.

²³ Then Aaron must go back into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments that he had put on before going into the most holy place, and he must leave those garments there. ²⁴ He must bathe his body in water in a holy place, and put on his normal garments; then he must go out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering for the people, and in this way make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ He must burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. ²⁶ The man who let the scapegoat go free must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that, he may come back into the camp. ²⁷ 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, must be carried outside the camp. There they must burn their hides, flesh, and dung. ²⁸ The man who burns those parts must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that, he may come back into the camp.

²⁹ It will always be a statute for you that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work, whether the native born or a foreigner who is living among you. ³⁰ This is because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins so you will be clean before Yahweh. ³¹ It is a solemn Sabbath of rest for you, and you must humble yourselves and do no work. This will always be a statute among you. ³² The high priest, the one who will be anointed and ordained to be high priest in his father's place, must make this atonement and put on the linen garments, that is, the holy garments. ³³ He must make atonement for the most holy place; he must make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he must make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. ³⁴ This will always be a statute for you, to make atonement for the people of Israel because of all their sins, once in every year." This was done as Yahweh commanded Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Tell them what Yahweh has commanded: ³ 'Any man from Israel who kills an ox, lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, in order to sacrifice it— ⁴ if he does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a sacrifice to Yahweh before his tabernacle, that man is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood, and that man must be cut off from among his people. ⁵ The purpose of this command is so that the people of Israel will bring their sacrifices to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting, to the priest, to be sacrificed as fellowship offerings to Yahweh, instead of offering sacrifices in an open field. ⁶ The priest will sprinkle the blood on Yahweh's altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting; he will burn the fat for it to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. ⁷ The people must no longer offer their sacrifices to goat idols, for which they act as prostitutes. This will be a permanent statute for them throughout their people's generations.'

⁸ You must say to them, 'Any man of Israel, or any foreigner who lives among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice ⁹ and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting in order to sacrifice it to Yahweh, that man must be cut off from his people.

¹⁰ If any person of the house of Israel, or any foreigner who lives among them consumes any blood, I will set my face against that person who consumes blood and I will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹ For the life of an animal is in its blood. I have given its blood to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, because it is the blood that makes atonement, for it is the blood that atones for the life. ¹² Therefore I said to the people of Israel that no one among you must eat blood, neither may any foreigner who lives among you eat blood. ¹³ Anyone of the people of Israel, or any of the foreigners who live among them, who hunts and kills an animal or bird that may be eaten, that person must pour out its blood and cover the blood with earth.

¹⁴ For the life of each creature is its blood. That is why I said to the people of Israel, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every living creature is its blood. Whoever eats it must be cut off." ¹⁵ Every person who eats an animal that has died or that has been torn by wild animals, whether that person is native born or a foreigner living among you, he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he will be unclean until the evening. Then he will be clean. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash his clothes or bathe his body, then he must carry his guilt.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God. ³ You must not do the things that the people do in Egypt, where you lived previously. You must not do the things that the people do in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not follow their customs. ⁴ My laws are what you must do, and my commandments are what you must keep, so that you walk in them, because I am Yahweh your God. ⁵ Therefore you must keep my decrees and my laws. If a person obeys them, he will live because of them. I am Yahweh.

⁶ Do not approach any close relatives to uncover nakedness, I am Yahweh. ⁷ Do not uncover the nakedness of your father by uncovering the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you must not uncover her nakedness. ⁸ Do not uncover the nakedness of your father's wives; it is your father's nakedness. ⁹ Do not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether she is the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she was born in your home or distant from you. ¹⁰ Do not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. ¹¹ Do not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, brought up in your father's family, since she is your sister. ¹² Do not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's relative. ¹³ Do not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, she is your mother's relative. ¹⁴ Do not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, that is, you must not approach his wife; she is your aunt. ¹⁵ Do not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife; you must not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶ Do not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; that is your brother's nakedness. ¹⁷ Do not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; and you must not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; that is wickedness. ¹⁸ You must not marry your wife's sister as a second wife and uncover her nakedness while your first wife is alive.

¹⁹ Do not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during the impurity of her uncleanness. ²⁰ Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her in this way. ²¹ You must not give any of your children to put them into the fire, so that you sacrifice them to Molech, because you must not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh. ²² Do not lie with other men as with a woman; that is detestable. ²³ Do not lie with any animal and defile yourself with it. Neither should any woman present herself to an animal to lie with it; that is a perversion.

²⁴ Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for in all these ways the nations are defiled, the nations that I will drive out from before you. ²⁵ The land became defiled, so I have punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. ²⁶ You, therefore, must keep my commandments and decrees, and you must not do any of these detestable things, neither the native-born Israelite nor the foreigner who lives among you. ²⁷ For these detestable things are what the people who lived in the land before you committed, and now the land is defiled. ²⁸ Therefore be careful so that the land does not vomit you up also after you have defiled it, as it vomited out the people who were before you. ²⁹ Whoever does any of these detestable things, the persons who do such things will be cut off from among their people. ³⁰ Therefore you must keep my command not to practice any of these detestable customs which were practiced here before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am Yahweh your God.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak to all the assembly of the people of Israel and say to them, 'You must be holy, for I Yahweh your God am holy. ³ Everyone must respect his mother and his father, and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am Yahweh your God. ⁴ Do not turn to worthless idols, nor make for yourselves molten gods. I am Yahweh your God.

⁵ When you offer a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh, you must offer it that you may be accepted. ⁶ It must be eaten the same day you offer it, or on the next day. If anything remains until the third day, it must be burned up with fire. ⁷ If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a foul thing; it must not be accepted, ⁸ and everyone who eats it must carry his own guilt because he has defiled what is holy to Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from his people.

⁹ When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not completely reap the corners of your field, neither will you gather all the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ You must not gather every grape from your vineyard, nor gather the grapes that have fallen on the ground in your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.

¹¹ Do not steal.

Do not lie.

Do not deceive each other.

¹² Do not swear by my name falsely and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

¹³ Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant must not stay with you all night until the morning.

¹⁴ Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but fear your God. I am Yahweh.

¹⁵ Do not cause judgment to be false. You must not exalt the poor nor favor the great. Instead, judge your neighbor justly.

¹⁶ Do not walk around spreading slander among your people, but seek to protect your neighbor's life. I am Yahweh.

¹⁷ Do not hate your brother in your heart. You should rebuke your neighbor frankly, and do not bring sin upon yourself because of him.

¹⁸ Do not take vengeance or hold any grudge against any of your people, but instead love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.

¹⁹ You must keep my commands.

Do not try to breed your animals with different kinds of other animals.

Do not mix two different kinds of seeds when planting your field.

Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of material mixed together.

²⁰ Whoever lies with a slave girl who is promised to a husband, but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, must be punished. They must not be put to death because she was not free.

²¹ A man must bring his guilt offering to Yahweh to the entrance to the tent of meeting—a ram as a guilt offering. ²² Then the priest will make atonement for him with the ram for the guilt offering before Yahweh, for the sin that he has committed. Then the sin which he has committed will be forgiven.

²³ When you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you must regard the fruit they produce as forbidden to be eaten. The fruit must be forbidden to you for three years. It must not be eaten. ²⁴ But in the fourth year all the fruit will be holy, a sacrifice of praise to Yahweh. ²⁵ In the fifth year you may eat the fruit, having waited so that the trees might produce more. I am Yahweh your God.

²⁶ Do not eat any meat with blood still in it.

Do not practice divination or sorcery.

²⁷ You will not round off the corners of the hair on the sides of your head or shave off the edge of your beard.

²⁸ Do not cut your body for the dead or put tattoo marks on your body. I am Yahweh.

²⁹ Do not disgrace your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the nation will fall to prostitution and the land will become full of wickedness.

³⁰ You must keep my Sabbaths and honor the sanctuary of my tabernacle. I am Yahweh.

³¹ Do not turn to sorcerers or spiritists. Do not seek them out, or they will defile you. I am Yahweh your God.

³² You must rise before the gray-headed person and honor the presence of an old man. You must fear your God. I am Yahweh.

³³ If a foreigner lives among you in your land, you must not do him any wrong. ³⁴ The foreigner who lives with you must be to you like the native-born Israelite who lives among you, and you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.

³⁵ Do no injustice when measuring length, weight, or quantity. ³⁶ You must use just scales, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ You must obey all my decrees and all my laws, and do them. I am Yahweh.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Say to the people of Israel, 'Anyone among the people of Israel, or any foreigner who lives in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech, must certainly be put to death. The people in the land must stone him with stones. ³ I also will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people because he has given his child to Molech, so as to defile my holy place and profane my holy name. ⁴ If the people of the land close their eyes to that man when he gives any of his children to Molech, if they do not put him to death, ⁵ then I myself will set my face against that man and his clan, and I will cut him off and everyone else who acts like a prostitute as he did in order to act like a prostitute with Molech.

⁶ The person who turns to sorcerers and spiritists so as to prostitute themselves with them, I will set my face against that person; I will cut him off from among his people. ⁷ Therefore consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am Yahweh your God. ¹

⁸ You must keep my commands and carry them out. I am Yahweh who sets you apart as holy.

⁹ Everyone who curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, so his blood is upon him.

¹⁰ The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, that is, anyone who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife—the adulterer and the adulteress must both certainly be put to death.

¹¹ If a man lies with his father's wife, he uncovers his father's nakedness. Both the son and his father's wife must certainly be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

¹² If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them must certainly be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood is upon them.

¹³ If a man lies with another man, as with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

¹⁴ If a man marries a woman and also marries her mother, this is wickedness. They must be burned, both he and the women, so that there will be no wickedness among you.

¹⁵ If a man lies with an animal, he must surely be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

¹⁶ If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must certainly 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 he sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister and he must carry his guilt.

¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and has uncovered her nakedness, he has uncovered her flow, the fountain of her blood. Both the man and woman must be cut off from among their people.

¹⁹ You must not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, or your father's sister, because you would disgrace your close relative. You must carry your own guilt.

²⁰ If a man lies with his aunt, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness. They will bear responsibility for their sin, and they will die childless.

²¹ If a man marries his brother’s wife, that is abhorrent. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they will be childless.

²² You must therefore keep all my statutes and all my decrees; you must obey them so that the land into which I am bringing you to live will not vomit you up.

²³ You must not walk in the statutes of the nations that I will drive out before you, for they have done all these things, and I detest them.

²⁴ I said to you, "You will inherit their land; I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the other peoples. ²⁵ You must therefore distinguish between the clean animals and the unclean, and between the unclean birds and the clean. You must not make yourselves detestable with unclean animals or birds or with any creature that crawls along the ground, which I have separated as unclean from you.

²⁶ You must be holy, for I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples, for you belong to me.

²⁷ A man or a woman who is a sorcerer or spiritist must certainly be put to death. The people must stone them with stones. Their blood is upon them.'"

¹Several modern translations have ... because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.

¹ Yahweh said to Moses: "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'No one among you should make himself unclean for those who die among his people, ² except for his closest relatives—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, ³ or his virgin sister who is dependent on him, since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. ⁴ But he must not make himself unclean for other relatives and so defile himself.

⁵ Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards, nor cut their bodies. ⁶ They must be holy to their God and not disgrace the name of their God, because the priests offer Yahweh's food offerings, the bread of their God. Therefore the priests must be holy. ⁷ They must not marry any woman who is a prostitute and who is defiled, and they must not marry a woman divorced from her husband, for he is holy to his God.

⁸ You will set him apart, for he is the one who offers bread to your God. He must be holy to you, because I, Yahweh who makes you holy, am holy.

⁹ Any daughter of any priest who defiles herself by becoming a prostitute disgraces her father. She must be burned.

¹⁰ The one who is the high priest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the special garments of the high priest, must not wear his hair loose or tear his clothes. ¹¹ He must not go anywhere that a dead body is present and defile himself, even for his father or his mother. ¹² The high priest must not leave the sanctuary area of the tabernacle or profane the sanctuary of his God, because he has been consecrated as high priest by the anointing oil of his God. I am Yahweh.

¹³ The high priest must marry a virgin as his wife. ¹⁴ He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman who is a prostitute. He will not marry these kinds of women. He may only marry a virgin from his own people, ¹⁵ so he will not defile his children among his people, for I am Yahweh, who makes him holy.'"

¹⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ "Speak to Aaron and tell him, 'Whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect, he must not approach to offer the food to his God. ¹⁸ Any man who has a bodily defect must not approach Yahweh, such as a blind man or a man who is unable to walk, one who is disfigured or deformed, ¹⁹ a man with a crippled hand or foot, ²⁰ a man who has a hump in his back or is abnormally thin or short, or a man with a defect in his eyes, or with a disease, sore, scabs, or whose testicles have been crushed. ²¹ No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest with a bodily defect may come near to perform the offerings made by fire for Yahweh. Such a man has a bodily defect; he must not come near to offer the bread of his God. ²² He may eat the food of his God, whether some of the most holy or some of the holy. ²³ However, he must not enter inside the curtain or come near the altar, because he has a bodily defect, so that he does not defile my holy place, for I am Yahweh, who makes them holy.'" ²⁴ So Moses spoke these words to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the people of Israel.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, tell them to keep away from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they set apart to me. They must not profane my holy name. I am Yahweh. ³ Say to them, 'If any of your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel have set apart to Yahweh, while he is unclean, that person must be cut off from before me: I am Yahweh.

⁴ None of the descendants of Aaron who is leprous or has an infection flowing from his body may eat any of the sacrifices made to Yahweh until he is clean. Whoever touches anything unclean through contact with the dead, or by contact with a man who has a flow of semen, ⁵ or whoever touches any creeping animal that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever kind of uncleanness it may be— ⁶ then the priest who touches anything unclean will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy things, unless he has bathed his body in water.

⁷ When the sun has set, he will then be clean. After sunset he may eat from the holy things, because they are his food. ⁸ He must not eat anything found dead or killed by wild animals, by which he would defile himself. I am Yahweh.

⁹ The priests must follow my instructions, or they will be guilty of sin and could die for profaning me. I am Yahweh who makes them holy.

¹⁰ No one outside the priest's family, including guests of a priest or his hired servants, may eat anything that is holy. ¹¹ But if a priest buys any slave with his own money, that slave may eat from the things set apart to Yahweh. The priest's family members and slaves born in his house, they also may eat with him from those things.

¹² If a priest's daughter married someone who is not a priest, she may not eat any of the holy contribution offerings. ¹³ But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and if she has no child, and if she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat from her father's food. But no one who is not in the priestly family may eat from the priest's food.

¹⁴ If a man eats a holy food without knowing it, then he must repay the priest for it; he must add one-fifth to it and give it back to the priest.

¹⁵ The people of Israel must not profane the holy things that they have raised high and presented to Yahweh, ¹⁶ and cause themselves to carry the sin that would make them guilty of eating the holy food, for I am Yahweh who makes them holy.'"

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ "Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Any man from the house of Israel, or an alien living in Israel, when they present a sacrifice—whether it is to fulfill a vow, or whether it is a freewill offering, or they present to Yahweh a burnt offering, ¹⁹ if it is to be accepted, they must offer a male animal without blemish from the cattle, sheep, or goats. ²⁰ But you must not offer whatever has a blemish. I will not accept it on your behalf.

²¹ Whoever offers a sacrifice of fellowship offerings from the herd or the flock to Yahweh to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, it must be unblemished to be accepted. There must be no defect in the animal. ²² You must not offer animals that are blind, disabled, or maimed, or that have warts, sores, or scabs. You must not offer these to Yahweh as a sacrifice by fire on the altar. ²³ You may present as a freewill offering an ox or a lamb that is deformed or small, but an offering like that will not be accepted for a vow.

²⁴ Do not offer any animal to Yahweh that has bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles. Do not do this within your land. ²⁵ You must not present the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner. Those animals are deformed and have defects in them, they will not be accepted for you.'"

²⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ²⁷ "When a calf or a sheep or a goat is born, it must remain seven days with its mother. Then from the eighth day on, it may be accepted as a sacrifice for an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

²⁸ Do not kill a cow or ewe along with its young, both on the same day. ²⁹ When you sacrifice a thank offering to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it in an acceptable way. ³⁰ It must be eaten on the same day that it is sacrificed. You must leave none of it until the next morning. I am Yahweh.

³¹ So you must keep my commandments and carry them out. I am Yahweh.

³² You must not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the people of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy, ³³ who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am Yahweh."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses: ² "Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, 'These are the appointed festivals for Yahweh, which you must proclaim as holy assemblies; they are my regular festivals. ³ You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly. You must do no work because it is a Sabbath for Yahweh in all the places where you live.

⁴ These are the appointed festivals of Yahweh, the holy assemblies that you must announce at their appointed times: ⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is Yahweh's Passover. ⁶ On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread for Yahweh. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ⁷ The first day you must set apart to gather together; you will not do any of your regular work. ⁸ You will present a food offering to Yahweh for seven days. The seventh day is an assembly set apart to Yahweh, and on that day you must not do any regular work.'"

⁹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you have come into the land that I will give you, and when you reap its harvest, then you must bring a bundle of the firstfruit of the grain to the priest. ¹¹ He will raise the bundle of grain before Yahweh and present it to him, for it to be accepted on your behalf. It is on the day after the Sabbath that the priest will raise it and present it to me. ¹² On the day when you raise the bundle of grain and present it to me, you must offer a male lamb one year old and without blemish as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ¹³ The grain offering must be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, to produce a sweet aroma, and with it a drink offering of wine, a fourth of a hin. ¹⁴ You must eat no bread, nor roasted or fresh grain, until the same day you have brought this offering to your God. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations, in every place that you live.

¹⁵ Beginning from the day after the Sabbath—that was the day you brought the bundle of grain as the wave offering—count seven full weeks. ¹⁶ You must count fifty days, which would be the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you must present an offering of new grain to Yahweh. ¹⁷ You must bring out of your houses two loaves made from two-tenths of an ephah. They must be made from fine flour and baked with yeast; they will be a wave offering of the firstfruits to Yahweh. ¹⁸ You must present with the bread seven lambs one year old and without blemish, one young bull from the herd, and two rams. They must be a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire and producing a sweet aroma for Yahweh. ¹⁹ You must offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old for a sacrifice, as fellowship offerings. ²⁰ The priest must wave them together with the bread of the firstfruits before Yahweh, and present them to him as an offering with the two lambs. They will be holy offerings to Yahweh for the priest. ²¹ You must make a proclamation on that same day. There will be a holy assembly, and you must do no ordinary work. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live.

²² When you reap the harvest of your land, you must not completely reap the corners of your fields, and you must not gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.'"

²³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ "Speak to the people of Israel and say, 'In the seventh month, the first day of that month will be a solemn rest for you, a memorial with the blowing of trumpets, and a holy assembly. ²⁵ You must do no ordinary work, and you must offer a sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh.'"

²⁶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷ "Now the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It is to be a holy assembly, and you must humble yourselves and present to Yahweh an offering by fire. ²⁸ You must do no work on that day because it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for yourselves before Yahweh your God. ²⁹ Whoever does not humble himself on that day must be cut off from his people. ³⁰ Whoever does any work on that day, I, Yahweh, will destroy him from among his people. ³¹ You must do no work of any kind on that day. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live. ³² This day must be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you must humble yourselves the ninth day of the month at the evening. From evening to evening you are to observe your Sabbath."

³³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁴ "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month will be the Festival of Shelters for Yahweh. It will last seven days. ³⁵ On the first day there must be a holy assembly. You must do no ordinary work. ³⁶ For seven days you must offer a sacrifice made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day there must be a holy assembly, and you must make a sacrifice offered with fire to Yahweh. This is a solemn assembly, and you must not do any ordinary work.

³⁷ These are the appointed festivals for Yahweh, which you must proclaim as holy assemblies to offer sacrifice by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering and a grain offering, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its own day. ³⁸ These festivals will be in addition to the Sabbaths of Yahweh and your gifts, all your vows, and all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh.

³⁹ Regarding the Festival of Shelters, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you must keep this festival of Yahweh for seven days. The first day will be a solemn rest, and the eighth day will also be a solemn rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you must take the best fruit from the trees, branches of palm trees, and leafy branches of thick trees, and willows from streams, and you will rejoice before Yahweh your God for seven days. ⁴¹ For seven days each year, you must celebrate this festival for Yahweh. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations in all the places where you live. You must celebrate this festival in the seventh month. ⁴² You must live in small shelters for seven days. All who were born in Israel must live in small shelters for seven days, ⁴³ so that your descendants, generation after generation, may learn how I made the people of Israel live in such shelters when I led them out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.'" ⁴⁴ In this way, Moses announced to the people of Israel the appointed festivals for Yahweh.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil beaten from olives to be used in the lamp, that the light may burn continually. ³ Outside the curtain before the covenant decrees in the tent of meeting, Aaron must continually, from evening to morning, keep the lamp lit before Yahweh. This will be a permanent statute throughout your people's generations. ⁴ The high priest must always keep the lamps lit before Yahweh, the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold.

⁵ You must take fine flour and bake twelve loaves with it. There must be two-tenths of an ephah in each loaf. ⁶ Then you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before Yahweh. ⁷ You must put pure incense along each row of loaves as a representative offering. This incense will be an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ⁸ Every Sabbath day the high priest must regularly set out the bread before Yahweh on behalf of the people of Israel, as a sign of an everlasting covenant. ⁹ This offering will be for Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a place that is holy, for it is a portion from the offerings to Yahweh made by fire."

¹⁰ Now it happened that the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. This son of the Israelite woman fought against a man of Israel in the camp. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the name of Yahweh and cursed God, so the people brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. ¹² They held him in custody until Yahweh himself should declare his will to them.

¹³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁴ "Take the man who has cursed God outside the camp. All who heard him must lay their hands on his head, and then the entire assembly must stone him. ¹⁵ You must explain to the people of Israel and say, 'Whoever curses his God must carry his own sin. ¹⁶ He who blasphemes the name of Yahweh must surely be put to death. All the assembly must certainly stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a native-born Israelite. If anyone blasphemes the name of Yahweh, he must be put to death. ¹⁷ If anyone strikes down another human being, he must certainly be put to death. ¹⁸ If anyone strikes down someone's animal, he must pay it back, life for life. ¹⁹ If anyone injures his neighbor, it must be done to him as he did to his neighbor: ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has caused an injury to a person, so must it also be done to him. ²¹ Anyone who kills an animal must pay it back, and anyone who kills a person must be put to death. ²² You must have the same law for both the foreigner and the native-born Israelite, for I am Yahweh your God.'" ²³ So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and the people brought the man outside the camp, the one who had cursed Yahweh. They stoned him with stones. The people of Israel carried out the command of Yahweh to Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land that I give you, then the land must be made to keep a Sabbath for Yahweh. ³ You must plant your field for six years, and for six years you must prune your vineyard and gather the produce. ⁴ But in the seventh year, a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land must be observed, a Sabbath for Yahweh. You must not plant your field or prune your vineyard. ⁵ You must not conduct an organized harvest of whatever grows by itself, and you must not conduct an organized harvest of whatever grapes grow on your unpruned vines. This will be a year of solemn rest for the land. ⁶ Whatever the unworked land grows during the Sabbath year will be food for you. You, your male and female servants, your hired servants and the foreigners who live with you may gather food, ⁷ and your livestock and also wild animals may eat whatever the land produces.

⁸ You must count off seven Sabbaths of years, that is, seven times seven years, so that there will be seven Sabbaths of years, totaling forty-nine years. ⁹ Then you must blow a loud ram's horn everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you must blow a ram's horn throughout all your land. ¹⁰ You must set apart the fiftieth year to Yahweh and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you, in which property and slaves must be returned to his own clan. ¹¹ The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you. You must not plant or conduct an organized harvest, and you must not gather the grapes that grow on the unpruned vines. ¹² For it is a Jubilee, which will be holy for you. You must eat the produce that grows by itself out of the fields.

¹³ You must return everyone to his own property in this year of Jubilee.

¹⁴ If you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any land from your neighbor, you must not cheat or wrong each other. ¹⁵ If you buy land from your neighbor, consider the number of years and crops that can be harvested until the next Jubilee. Your neighbor selling the land must consider that also. ¹⁶ A larger number of years until the next Jubilee will increase the value of land, and a smaller number of years until the next Jubilee will decrease the value, because the number of harvests the land will produce for the new owner is related to the number of years before the next Jubilee. ¹⁷ You must not cheat or wrong one another; instead, you must honor your God, for I am Yahweh your God.

¹⁸ Therefore you must obey my decrees, keep my laws, and carry them out. Then you will live in the land in safety. ¹⁹ The land will yield its produce, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. ²⁰ You might say, "What will we eat during the seventh year? Look, we cannot plant or gather our produce." ²¹ I will command my blessing to come upon you in the sixth year, and it will produce harvest enough for three years. ²² You will plant in the eighth year and continue to eat from the previous years' produce and the stored food. Until the harvest of the ninth year comes in, you will be able to eat from the provisions stored in the previous years.

²³ The land must not be sold to a new permanent owner, because the land is mine. You are all foreigners and sojourners on my land. ²⁴ You must observe the right of redemption for all the land that you acquire; you must allow the land to be bought back by the family from whom you bought it. ²⁵ If your fellow Israelite became poor and for that reason sold some of his property, then his nearest relative must come and redeem what his brother has sold. ²⁶ If a man has no relative to redeem his property, but if he has prospered and has the ability to redeem it, ²⁷ then he may calculate the years since the land was sold and repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it. Then he may return to his own property. ²⁸ But if he is not able to get the land back for himself, then the land he has sold will remain in the ownership of the one who bought it until the year of Jubilee. At the year of Jubilee, the land will be returned to the man who sold it, and the original owner will return to his property.

²⁹ If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may buy it back within a whole year after it was sold. For a full year he will have the right of redemption. ³⁰ If the house is not redeemed within a full year, then the house in the walled city will become the permanent property of the buyer throughout his generations. It is not to be returned in the year of Jubilee. ³¹ But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them will be considered as the field of the land. They may be redeemed, and they must be returned during the year of Jubilee. ³² As for the cities of the Levites, the houses owned by the Levites in the cities they possess may be redeemed at any time. ³³ If one of the Levites does not redeem a house he sold, then the house that was sold in the city where it is located must be returned in the year of Jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property among the people of Israel. ³⁴ But the fields around their cities may not be sold because they are the permanent property of the Levites.

³⁵ If your fellow countryman becomes poor, so that he can no longer provide for himself, then you must help him as you would help a foreigner or a sojourner so that he may live among you. ³⁶ Do not take from him interest or usury, but honor your God so that your brother may keep living with you. ³⁷ You must not give him a loan of money and charge interest, nor sell him your food to earn a profit. ³⁸ I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, in order that I might give you the land of Canaan, and that I might be your God.

³⁹ If your fellow countryman has become poor and sells himself to you, you must not make him work like a slave. ⁴⁰ Treat him as a hired servant. He must be like a sojourner. He will serve with you until the year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ Then he will go away from you, he and his children with him, and he will return to his own clan and to his fathers' property. ⁴² For they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They will not be sold as slaves. ⁴³ You must not rule over them severely, but you must honor your God. ⁴⁴ As for your male and female slaves, whom you can obtain from the nations who live around you, you may buy slaves from them. ⁴⁵ You may also buy slaves from the foreigners who are living among you and from their clans who are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may become your property. ⁴⁶ You may provide such slaves as an inheritance for your children after you, to hold as property, and make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your brothers among the people of Israel severely.

⁴⁷ If a foreigner or someone living temporarily with you has become wealthy, and if one of your fellow Israelites has become poor and sells himself to that foreigner, or to a member of a foreigner's clan, ⁴⁸ after your fellow Israelite has been bought, he may be bought back. Someone in his family may redeem him. ⁴⁹ It might be the person's uncle, or his uncle's son, who redeems him, or anyone who is in his clan. Or, if he has become prosperous, he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰ He must bargain with the man who bought him; they must count the years from the year he sold himself to his purchaser until the year of Jubilee. The price of his redemption must be figured in keeping with the rate paid to a hired servant, for the number of years he might continue to work for the one who bought him. ⁵¹ If there are still many years until the year of Jubilee, he must pay back as the price for his redemption an amount of money that is in proportion to the number of those years. ⁵² If there are only a few years to the year of Jubilee, then he must bargain with his purchaser to reflect the number of years left before the year of Jubilee, and he must pay for his redemption in keeping with the number of years. ⁵³ He is to be to the purchaser like a man hired year by year. The purchaser is not to rule over him severely. ⁵⁴ If he is not redeemed by these means, then he must serve until the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him. ⁵⁵ To me the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.'"

¹ "You must make no idols, and you must not lift up a carved figure or a sacred stone pillar, and you must not place any carved stone image in your land to which you bow down, for I am Yahweh your God. ² You must keep my Sabbaths and honor my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.

³ If you walk in my laws and keep my commandments and obey them, ⁴ then I will give you rain in its season; the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will yield their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing will continue to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will extend to the planting season. You will eat your bread to the full and live safely where you make your home in the land. ⁶ I will give peace in the land; you will lie down with nothing to make you afraid. I will take the dangerous animals away from the land, and the sword will not pass through your land. ⁷ You will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. ⁸ Five of you will chase away a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. ⁹ I will look at you with favor and make you fruitful and multiply you; I will establish my covenant with you. ¹⁰ You will eat food stored a long time. You will have to bring out the stored food because you will need the room for the new harvest. ¹¹ I will place my tabernacle among you, and I will not detest you. ¹² I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you to walk standing up straight.

¹⁴ But if you will not listen to me, and will not obey all these commandments, ¹⁵ and if you reject my decrees and detest my laws, so that you will not obey all my commandments, but break my covenant— ¹⁶ if you do these things, then I will do this to you: I will inflict terror on you, diseases and fever that will destroy the eyes and will drain away your life. You will plant your seeds in vain, because your enemies will eat their produce. ¹⁷ I will set my face against you, and you will be overpowered by your enemies. Men who hate you will rule over you, and you will run away, even when no one is chasing you. ¹⁸ If after all this you do not listen to me, then I will punish you seven times as severely for your sins. ¹⁹ I will break your pride in your power. I will make the sky over you like iron and your land like bronze. ²⁰ Your strength will be used up in vain, because your land will not produce its harvest, and your trees in the land will not produce their fruit.

²¹ If you walk against me and will not listen to me, I will bring seven times more blows on you, in proportion to your sins. ²² I will send wild animals against you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you so few in number that your roads will be desolate.

²³ If in spite of these things you still do not accept my correction and you continue to walk in opposition to me, ²⁴ then I will also walk in opposition to you, and I myself will punish you seven times because of your sins. ²⁵ I will bring a sword on you that will execute vengeance for breaking the covenant. You will be gathered together inside your cities, and I will send a plague among you there, and then you will be delivered into the hand of your enemy. ²⁶ When I cut off your staff of food, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will distribute your bread by weight. You will eat but not be satisfied.

²⁷ If you do not listen to me despite these things, but continue to walk against me, ²⁸ then I will walk against you in anger, and I will punish you even seven more times as much for your sins. ²⁹ You will eat the flesh of your sons; you will eat the flesh of your daughters. ³⁰ I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and throw your corpses on the corpses of your idols, and I myself will abhor you. ³¹ I will turn your cities into ruins and destroy your sacred places. I will not be pleased with the aroma of your offerings. ³² I will devastate the land. Your enemies who will live there will be shocked at the devastation. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw out my sword and follow you. Your land will be devastated, and your cities will be ruined.

³⁴ Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths for as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' lands. During that time, the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. ³⁵ As long as it lies desolate, it will have rest, which will be the rest that it did not have with your Sabbaths, when you lived in it.

³⁶ As for those of you who are left in your enemies' lands, I will send fear into your hearts so that even the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind will startle you, and you will flee as though you were fleeing from the sword. You will fall, even when no one is chasing you. ³⁷ You will stumble over each other as though you were running from the sword, even though no one is chasing you. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. ³⁸ You will perish among the nations, and your enemies' land will itself devour you. ³⁹ Those who are left among you will waste away in their iniquity, there in your enemies' lands, and because of their fathers' iniquities they will waste away as well.

⁴⁰ Yet if they confess their iniquity and their fathers' iniquity, and the unfaithfulness that they committed against me, and also their walking against me— ⁴¹ which caused me to turn against them and I brought them into the land of their enemies—if their uncircumcised hearts become humbled, and if they accept the punishment for their sins, ⁴² then will I call to mind my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham; also, I will call the land to mind. ⁴³ The land will be abandoned by them, so it will be pleased with its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will have to pay the penalty for their iniquity because they themselves rejected my decrees and detested my laws. ⁴⁴ Yet despite all this, when they are in their enemies' land, I will not reject them, neither will I detest them so as to completely destroy them and do away with my covenant with them, for I am Yahweh their God. ⁴⁵ But for their sakes I will call to mind the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, so that I might be their God. I am Yahweh."

⁴⁶ These are the commandments, decrees, and laws that Yahweh made between himself and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai through Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'If anyone makes a special vow to Yahweh, use the following valuations. ³ Your standard value for a male from twenty to sixty years old must be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁴ For a female of the same ages your standard value must be thirty shekels. ⁵ From five years to twenty years old your standard value for a male must be twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. ⁶ From one month old to five years your standard value for a male must be five shekels of silver, and for a female three shekels of silver. ⁷ From sixty years old and up for a male your standard value must be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. ⁸ But if the person making the vow cannot pay the standard value, then the person being given must be presented to the priest, and the priest will value that person by the amount the one making the vow is able to afford.

⁹ If what is vowed is an animal that people can give as an offering to Yahweh, any part of that animal that is given to Yahweh becomes holy. ¹⁰ The person must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad for a good one. If he substitutes one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy. ¹¹ However, if what is vowed is an unclean animal that people cannot give as an offering to Yahweh, then the person must bring the animal to the priest. ¹² The priest will value it, by the market value of the animal. Whatever value the priest places on the animal, that will be its value. ¹³ If the owner wishes to redeem it, then a fifth of its value is to be added to its redemption price.

¹⁴ When a man sets apart his house as a holy gift to Yahweh, then the priest will set its value as either good or bad. Whatever the priest values it, so it will be. ¹⁵ But if the owner who set apart his home wishes to redeem it, he must add a fifth of its value to its redemption price, and it will belong to him.

¹⁶ If a man sets apart to Yahweh some of the fields of his property, then the valuation of it will be in proportion to the amount of seed required to plant it—a homer of barley will be valued at fifty shekels of silver. ¹⁷ If he sets apart his field during the year of Jubilee, the valuation of it will stand. ¹⁸ But if he sets apart his field after the year of Jubilee, then the priest must calculate the value of the field by the number of years that remain until the next year of Jubilee, and the valuation of it must be reduced. ¹⁹ If the man who set apart the field wishes to redeem it, then he must add a fifth to the valuation, and it will belong to him. ²⁰ If he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it cannot be redeemed any more. ²¹ Rather, the field, when it is released in the year of Jubilee, will be a holy gift to Yahweh, like the field that has been completely given to Yahweh. It will belong to the priest. ²² If a man sets apart a field that he has bought, but that field is not part of his family's land, ²³ then the priest will figure the valuation of it up to the year of Jubilee, and the man must pay its value on that day as a holy gift to Yahweh. ²⁴ In the year of Jubilee, the field will return to the man from whom it was bought, to the one whose property the land is. ²⁵ All the valuations must be set by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Twenty gerahs must be the equivalent of one shekel.

²⁶ No one may set apart the firstborn among animals, since the firstborn already belongs to Yahweh; whether ox or sheep, it is Yahweh's. ²⁷ If it is an unclean animal, then the owner may buy it back at the valuation of it, and a fifth must be added to that value. If the animal is not redeemed, then it is to be sold at the set value.

²⁸ But nothing that a man devotes to Yahweh, from all that he has, whether man or animal, or his family land, may be sold or redeemed. Everything that is devoted is very holy to Yahweh. ²⁹ No ransom may be paid for the person who is devoted for destruction. That person must be put to death.

³⁰ All the tithe of the land, whether grain grown on the land or fruit from the trees, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh. ³¹ If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value. ³² As for every tenth of the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's rod, one-tenth must be set apart to Yahweh. ³³ The shepherd must not search for the better or the worse animals, and he must not substitute one for another. If he changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed will be holy. It cannot be redeemed.'"

³⁴ These are the commandments that Yahweh gave at Mount Sinai to Moses for the people of Israel.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the wilderness of Sinai. This happened on the first day of the second month during the second year after the people of Israel had come out from the land of Egypt. Yahweh said, ² "Conduct a census of the whole congregation of the men of Israel by their clans, by their ancestral households. Number them by name. Count all the males man by man, ³ who is twenty years old or older. Count all who can fight as soldiers for Israel. You and Aaron must record the number of men in their armed groups. ⁴ A man from each tribe, a clan head, must serve with you as his tribe's leader. Each leader must lead the men who will fight for his ancestors' household. ⁵ These are the names of the leaders who must fight with you:

From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

⁶ from the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

⁷ from the tribe of Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;

⁸ from the tribe of Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

⁹ from the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

¹⁰ from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph, Elishama son of Ammihud;

from the tribe of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

¹¹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Pagiel son of Okran;

¹⁴ from the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;

¹⁵ and from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan."

¹⁶ These were the men appointed from the people. They led their ancestors' tribes. They were the leaders of the clans in Israel. ¹⁷ Moses and Aaron took these men, who were recorded by name, ¹⁸ and they assembled the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The men twenty years old and older registered their ancestry by name, by their clans, by their ancestral households. They were numbered man by man. ¹⁹ Then Moses recorded their numbers in the wilderness of Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

²⁰ From the descendants of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted man by man. ²¹ They counted 46,500 men from the tribe of Reuben.

²² From the descendants of Simeon, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the mustered men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted man by man. ²³ They counted 59,300 men from the tribe of Simeon.

²⁴ From the descendants of Gad, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ²⁵ They counted 45,650 men from the tribe of Gad.

²⁶ From the descendants of Judah, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ²⁷ They counted 74,600 men from the tribe of Judah.

²⁸ From the descendants of Issachar, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ²⁹ They counted 54,400 men from the tribe of Issachar.

³⁰ From the descendants of Zebulun, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ³¹ They counted 57,400 men from the tribe of Zebulun.

³² From the descendants of Ephraim son of Joseph, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ³³ They counted 40,500 men from the tribe of Ephraim.

³⁴ From the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ³⁵ They counted 32,200 men from the tribe of Manasseh.

³⁶ From the descendants of Benjamin, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ³⁷ They counted 35,400 men from the tribe of Benjamin.

³⁸ From the descendants of Dan, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ³⁹ They counted 62,700 from the tribe of Dan.

⁴⁰ From the descendants of Asher, from the records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ⁴¹ They counted 41,500 men from the tribe of Asher.

⁴² From the descendants of Naphtali, from the genealogical records, by their clans, by their ancestral households, the names of all the men twenty years old or older, able to go to war, were counted. ⁴³ They counted 53,400 from the tribe of Naphtali.

⁴⁴ Moses and Aaron counted all these men, together with the twelve men who were leading Israel, each from his ancestor's household. ⁴⁵ So all the men of Israel from twenty years old and older, all who could fight in war, were counted in each of their ancestral households. ⁴⁶ They counted 603,550 men.

⁴⁷ But the Levites were not counted according to their ancestors' tribes ⁴⁸ because Yahweh had said to Moses, ⁴⁹ "You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the total of the people of Israel. ⁵⁰ Rather, assign the Levites to care for the tabernacle of the covenant decrees, and to care for all the furnishings in the tabernacle and for everything in it. The Levites must carry the tabernacle, and they must carry the tabernacle's furnishings. They must care for the tabernacle and make their camp around it. ⁵¹ When the tabernacle is to move to another place, the Levites must take it down. When the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites must set it up. Any stranger who comes near the tabernacle must be killed. ⁵² When the people of Israel set up their tents, each man must do so near the banner that belongs to his armed group. ⁵³ However, the Levites must set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant decrees so that my anger does not come upon the people of Israel. The Levites must perform the duties of the tabernacle of the covenant decrees." ⁵⁴ The people of Israel did all these things. They did everything that Yahweh commanded through Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke again to Moses and Aaron. He said, ² "Each one of the people of Israel must camp around his standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They will camp around the tent of meeting on every side. ³ Those will be camping on the east of the tent of meeting, where the sun rises, they are the camp of Judah by their armed groups, and they are camping under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab is the leader of the people of Judah. ⁴ The number of the host of the people of Judah is 74,600. ⁵ The tribe of Issachar must camp next to Judah. Nethanel son of Zuar must lead the army of Issachar. ⁶ The number of the host of the people of Issachar is 54,400 men. ⁷ The tribe of Zebulun must camp next to Issachar. Eliab son of Helon must lead the army of Zebulun. ⁸ The number of the host of the people of Zebulun is 57,400. ⁹ All the number of the camp of Judah is 186,400. They will set out first.

¹⁰ On the south side will be the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the camp of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. ¹¹ The number of the host of the people of Reuben is 46,500. ¹² Simeon is camping next to Reuben. The leader of the tribe of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ¹³ The number of the host of the people of Simeon is 59,300. ¹⁴ The tribe of Gad is next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. ¹⁵ The number of the host of the people of Gad is 45,650. ¹⁶ The number of all the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, is 151,450. They will set out second.

¹⁷ Next, the tent of meeting must go out from the camp with the Levites in the middle of all the camps. They must go out from the camp in the same order as they come into the camp. Every man must be in his place, by his banner.

¹⁸ On the west side will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. ¹⁹ The number of the host of the people of Ephraim is 40,500. ²⁰ Next to them is the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ²¹ The number of the host of the people of Manasseh is 32,200. ²² Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. ²³ The number of the host of the people of Benjamin is 35,400. ²⁴ All those numbered in the camp of Ephraim is 108,100. They will set out third.

²⁵ On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ The number the host of the people of Dan is 62,700. ²⁷ The people of the tribe of Asher camp next to Dan. The leader of Asher is Pagiel son of Okran. ²⁸ The number the host of the people of Asher is 41,500. ²⁹ The tribe of Naphtali is next. The leader of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. ³⁰ The number of the host of the people of Naphtali is 53,400. ³¹ All those numbered in the camp with Dan is 157,600. They will go out from the camp last, under their banner."

³² These are the descendants of Israel, numbered according to their ancestral households. All those counted in their camps, by their divisions, are 603,550. ³³ But the Levites were not counted along with the people of Israel, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

³⁴ The people of Israel did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses. They camped by their banners. They went out from the camp by their clans, in the order of their ancestor's households.

¹ Now this is the history of the descendants of Aaron and Moses when Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. ² The names of Aaron's sons were Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³ These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed and who were ordained to serve as priests. ⁴ But Nadab and Abihu fell dead before Yahweh when they offered to him unacceptable fire in the wilderness of Sinai. Nadab and Abihu had no children, so just Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests with Aaron their father.

⁵ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁶ "Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest for them to help him. ⁷ They must perform the duties on behalf of Aaron and the whole community before the tent of meeting. They must serve in the tabernacle. ⁸ They must care for all the furnishings in the tent of meeting, and they must help the tribes of Israel to carry out the tabernacle service. ⁹ You must give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are wholly given to help him serve the people of Israel. ¹⁰ You must appoint Aaron and his sons as priests, but any foreigner who comes near must be put to death."

¹¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ¹² "Look, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel. I have done this instead of taking each firstborn, who opens the womb, from among the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, ¹³ for all the firstborn belong to me. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both men and animals. They belong to me. I am Yahweh."

¹⁴ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, ¹⁵ "Count the descendants of Levi in each family, in their clans. Count every male who is one month old and older." ¹⁶ Moses counted them, following the word of Yahweh, just as he was commanded to do.

¹⁷ The names of the sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁸ These are the names of the sons of Gershon, by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁹ The sons of Kohath, by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

²⁰ The sons of Merari, by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, listed clan by clan.

²¹ The clans of the Libnites and the Shimeites come from Gershon. These are the clans of the Gershonites. ²² All the males from a month old and older were counted, totaling 7,500. ²³ The clans of the Gershonites must camp on the west side of the tabernacle. ²⁴ Eliasaph son of Lael must lead the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites. ²⁵ The family of Gershon must care for the tent of meeting including the tabernacle. They must care for the tent, its covering, and the curtain used as the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²⁶ They must care for the courtyard hangings, the curtain at the courtyard entrance—the courtyard that surrounds the sanctuary and the altar. They must care for the ropes of the tent of meeting and for everything in it.

²⁷ These clans come from Kohath: the clan of the Amramites, the clan of the Izharites, the clan of the Hebronites, and the clan of the Uzzielites. These clans belong to the Kohathites. ²⁸ 8,600 males have been counted aged one month old and older to perform the duties of the sanctuary. ²⁹ The Kohath clans must camp on the south side of the tabernacle. ³⁰ Elizaphan son of Uzziel must lead the ancestral households of the Kohathites. ³¹ They must care for the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the holy things that are used in their service, the curtain, and all the work around it. ³² Eleazar son of Aaron the priest must lead the men who lead the Levites. He must supervise the men who perform the duties of the holy place.

³³ Two clans have come from Merari: the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites. These clans have come from Merari. ³⁴ 6,200 males have been counted aged one month old and older. ³⁵ Zuriel son of Abihail must lead the ancestral households of Merari. They must camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶ The descendants of Merari must care for the framing of the tabernacle, the crossbars, posts, bases, all the hardware, and everything related to them, including ³⁷ the pillars and posts of the courtyard that surround the tabernacle, with their sockets, pegs, and ropes.

³⁸ Moses and Aaron and his sons must camp on the east side of the tabernacle, in front of the tent of meeting, toward the sunrise. They are responsible for performing the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the people of Israel. Any foreigner who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.

³⁹ Moses and Aaron counted all the males in the clans of Levi who were aged one month old and older, just as Yahweh commanded. They counted twenty-two thousand men.

⁴⁰ Yahweh said to Moses, "Count all the firstborn males of the people of Israel who are aged one month old and older. List their names. ⁴¹ You must take the Levites for me—I am Yahweh—instead of all the firstborn of the people of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of the firstborn of the livestock of the descendants of Israel." ⁴² Moses counted all the firstborn people of Israel as Yahweh had commanded him to do. ⁴³ He counted all the firstborn males by name, aged one month old and older. He counted 22,273 men.

⁴⁴ Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁴⁵ "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and take the Levites' livestock instead of the people's livestock. The Levites belong to me—I am Yahweh. ⁴⁶ For the redemption of the 273 firstborn sons of Israel who exceed the number of the Levites ⁴⁷ you must collect five shekels for each of them. You must use the shekel of the sanctuary as your standard weight. The shekel equals twenty gerahs. ⁴⁸ You must give the redemption money that you paid to Aaron and his sons." ⁴⁹ So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number of those redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰ Moses collected the money from the firstborn of the people of Israel. He collected 1,365 shekels, weighing with the shekel of the sanctuary. ⁵¹ Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and to his sons. Moses did everything he was told to do by Yahweh's word, as Yahweh had commanded him.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, ² "Conduct a census of the male descendants of Kohath from among the Levites, by their clans and ancestral households. ³ Count all the men who are thirty to fifty years old. These men must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ⁴ The descendants of Kohath must take care of the most holy things reserved for me in the tent of meeting. ⁵ When the camp prepares to move forward, Aaron and his sons must go into the tent, take down the screening curtain that separates the most holy place from the holy place and cover the ark of the testimony with it. ⁶ They must cover the ark with a piece of fine leather. They must spread a cloth that is completely blue over it. They must insert the poles to carry it. ⁷ They are to spread a blue cloth on the table of the bread of the presence. On it they must put the dishes, spoons, bowls, and jars for the drink offering. Bread must always continue to be on the table. ⁸ They are to spread over them a scarlet cloth and cover the same with hides of fine leather. They must insert poles to carry the table. ⁹ They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand, along with its lamps, tongs, trays, and all the jars of oil for the lamps. ¹⁰ They must put the lampstand and all its accessories into a covering of fine leather, and they must put it on a carrying frame. ¹¹ They must spread a cloth of blue on the gold altar. They must cover it with a covering of fine leather, and then insert the carrying poles. ¹² They must take all the equipment for the ministry, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and wrap it in a blue cloth. They must cover that with the hides of fine leather and put the equipment on the carrying frame. ¹³ They must clear away the ashes of fat from the altar and spread a purple cloth on the altar. ¹⁴ They must put on the carrying frame all the equipment that they use in the work of the altar. These objects are the firepans, forks, shovels, bowls, and all the other equipment for the altar. They must cover the altar with fine leather hides and then insert the carrying poles. ¹⁵ When Aaron and his sons have completely covered the holy place and all its equipment, and when the camp moves forward, then the descendants of Kohath must come to carry the holy place. If they touch the holy instruments, they must die. This is the work of the descendants of Kohath, to carry the furnishings in the tent of meeting. ¹⁶ Eleazar son of Aaron the priest oversees the care of the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil. He oversees the care of the entire tabernacle and all that is in it, the holy place and its equipment."

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, ¹⁸ "Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be cut off from among the Levites. ¹⁹ So do this for them that they may live and not die, when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons must go in, and assign each man to his work and his responsibility. ²⁰ But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy place, even for a moment, or they must die."

²¹ Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said, ²² "Conduct a census of the descendants of Gershon also, by their ancestor's families and by their clans. ²³ Count those who are thirty years old to fifty years old. Count all of them who will join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ²⁴ This is the work of the clans of the Gershonites, when they serve and what they carry. ²⁵ They must carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering, the covering of fine leather hides that is on it, and the curtains for the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²⁶ They must carry the curtains of the court, the curtain for the doorway of the court's gate, which is near the tabernacle and near the altar, their ropes, and all the instruments for their service. Whatever should be done with these things, they must do it. ²⁷ Aaron and his sons must direct all the service of the descendants of the Gershonites, in everything that they transport, and in all their service. You must assign them to all their responsibilities. ²⁸ This is the service of the clans of the descendants of the Gershonites for the tent of meeting. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest must lead them in their service.

²⁹ You must count the descendants of Merari by their clans, and order them by their ancestor's families, ³⁰ from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. Count everyone who is going to join the company and serve in the tent of meeting. ³¹ This is their responsibility and their burden in all their service for the tent of meeting. They must care for the framing of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, and sockets, ³² along with the posts of the courtyard around the tabernacle, their sockets, pegs, and their ropes, with all their hardware. List by name the articles they must carry. ³³ This is the service of the clans of the descendants of Merari, what they are to do for the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest."

³⁴ Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the descendants of the Kohathites by the clans of their ancestor's families. ³⁵ They counted them from thirty years old and older up to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ³⁶ They counted 2,750 men by their clans. ³⁷ This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites who served in the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to Yahweh's command that was given through Moses.

³⁸ The descendants of Gershon were counted in their clans, by their ancestor's families, ³⁹ from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ⁴⁰ All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 2,630. ⁴¹ Moses and Aaron counted the clans of the descendants of Gershon who would serve in the tent of meeting. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

⁴² The descendants of Merari were counted in their clans by their ancestor's families, ⁴³ from thirty to fifty years old, everyone who would join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴ All the men, counted by their clans and their ancestor's families, numbered 3,200. ⁴⁵ This was the list of the clans of the descendants of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron counted according to Yahweh's command that came by the hand of Moses.

⁴⁶ So Moses, Aaron, and the chiefs of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans in their ancestral families ⁴⁷ from thirty to fifty years old. They counted everyone who would do work in the tabernacle, and who would carry and care for the items in the tent of meeting. ⁴⁸ They counted 8,580 men. ⁴⁹ At Yahweh's command, Moses counted each man, keeping count of each by the type of work he was assigned to do. He counted each man by the kind of responsibility he would bear. In doing this, they obeyed what Yahweh had commanded them to do through Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Command the people of Israel to send away from the camp every leper, everyone who has an oozing sore, and whoever is unclean through touching a dead body. ³ Whether male or female, you must send them out of the camp. They must not defile the camp, because I live in it." ⁴ The people of Israel did so. They sent them out of the camp, as Yahweh commanded Moses. The people of Israel obeyed Yahweh.

⁵ Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁶ "Speak to the people of Israel. When a man or woman commits any sin such as people do to one another, and is unfaithful to me, that person is guilty. ⁷ Then he must confess the sin that he has done. He must completely pay back the price of his guilt and add to the price one-fifth more. He must give this to the one he has wronged. ⁸ But if the wronged person has no close relative to receive the payment, he must pay the price for his guilt to me through a priest, along with a ram to atone for himself. ⁹ Every contribution, everything the people of Israel have set apart, which they have brought to the priest, will belong to him. ¹⁰ The offerings of every person will be for the priest; if anyone gives anything to the priest, it will belong to him."

¹¹ Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ¹² "Speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, 'Suppose that a man's wife turns away and is unfaithful to her husband. ¹³ If a man lies with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and her impurity is undetected even though she defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not caught in the act, ¹⁴ nevertheless, a spirit of jealousy might still inform the husband that his wife is defiled. However, a spirit of jealousy might falsely come on a man when his wife is not defiled. ¹⁵ In such cases, the man must bring his wife to the priest. The husband must take an offering required on her behalf, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He must pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering for remembering, as a reminder of the iniquity.

¹⁶ The priest must bring her near and place her before Yahweh. ¹⁷ The priest must take a jar of holy water and take dust from the floor of the tabernacle. He must put the dust into the water. ¹⁸ The priest will set the woman before Yahweh and he will untie the hair on the woman's head. He will put into her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that can bring a curse. ¹⁹ The priest will put the woman under an oath and say to her, 'If no other man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray and committed uncleanness, then you will be free from this bitter water that can bring a curse. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband's authority and you have defiled yourself, and some other man has had sexual relations with you, ²¹ then, (the priest must cause the woman to swear an oath that can bring down a curse on her, and then he must continue speaking to the woman) 'Yahweh will make you into a curse that will be shown to your people to be such. This will happen if Yahweh causes your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. ²² This water that brings the curse will go into your stomach and make your abdomen swell and your thighs waste away.' The woman is to reply, 'Amen. Amen.'

²³ The priest must write these curses on a scroll, and then he must wash away the written curses into the bitter water. ²⁴ The priest must make the woman drink the bitter water that brings the curse. The water that brings the curse will enter her and become bitter. ²⁵ The priest must take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand. He must hold up the grain offering before Yahweh and bring it to the altar. ²⁶ The priest must take a handful of the grain offering as a representative offering, and burn it on the altar. Then he must give the woman the bitter water to drink. ²⁷ When he gives her the water to drink, if she is defiled because she has committed a sin against her husband, then the water that brings the curse will enter her and become bitter. Her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away. The woman will be cursed among her people. ²⁸ But if the woman is not defiled and if she is clean, then she must be free. She will be able to conceive children.

²⁹ This is the law of jealousy. It is the law for a woman who goes astray from her husband and is defiled. ³⁰ It is the law for a man with a spirit of jealousy when he is jealous of his wife. He must bring the woman before Yahweh, and the priest must do to her everything that this law of jealousy describes. ³¹ The man will be free from guilt for bringing his wife to the priest. The woman must bear any guilt she might have."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, 'When a man or a woman consecrates himself to Yahweh with the special vow of a Nazirite, ³ he must abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from strong drink. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. ⁴ In all the days of his consecration, he must eat nothing that is made from the grape vine, including everything from the seeds to the skins.

⁵ During all the time of his vow of consecration, no razor is to be used on his head until the days of his consecration to Yahweh are fulfilled. He must be set apart to Yahweh. He must let the hair grow long on his head.

⁶ During all the time that he sets himself apart to Yahweh, he must not come near a dead body. ⁷ He must not make himself unclean even for his father, mother, brother, or sister, if they die. This is because he is consecrated to God, as everyone can see by his long hair. ⁸ During all the time of his consecration he is holy, reserved for Yahweh.

⁹ If someone very suddenly dies beside him and defiles his consecrated head, then he must shave his head on the day of his purification—on the seventh day he must shave it. ¹⁰ On the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹¹ The priest must offer one bird as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. These will atone for him because he sinned by being near the dead body. He must consecrate his head again on that day. ¹² He must set himself apart to Yahweh for the days of his consecration. He must bring a male lamb one year old as a guilt offering. The days before he defiled himself must not be counted, because his consecration was defiled.

¹³ This is the law about the Nazirite for when the time of his consecration is complete. He must be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting. ¹⁴ He must present his offering to Yahweh. He must offer as a burnt offering a male lamb one year old and without blemish. He must bring as a sin offering a female lamb one year old and without blemish. He must bring a ram as a fellowship offering that is without blemish. ¹⁵ He must also bring a basket of bread made without yeast, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, wafers without yeast rubbed with oil, together with their grain offering and drink offerings. ¹⁶ The priest must present them before Yahweh. He must offer his sin offering and burnt offering. ¹⁷ With the basket of unleavened bread, he must present the ram as a sacrifice, the fellowship offering to Yahweh. The priest must present also the grain offering and the drink offering. ¹⁸ The Nazirite must shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He must take the hair from his head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of fellowship offerings. ¹⁹ The priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one loaf of bread without yeast out of the basket, and one wafer without yeast. He must place them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair. ²⁰ The priest must wave them as an offering before Yahweh, a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was the contribution for the priest. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ This is the law for the Nazirite who vows his offering to Yahweh for his consecration. Whatever else he may give, he must keep the obligations of the vow he has taken, to keep the promise indicated by the law of his consecration.'"

²² Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ²³ "Speak to Aaron and to his sons. Say, 'You must bless the people of Israel in this way. You must say to them,

²⁴ "May Yahweh bless you

and keep you.

²⁵ May Yahweh make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you.

²⁶ May Yahweh look on you with favor

and give you peace."'

²⁷ It is in this way that they must give my name to the people of Israel. Then I will bless them."

¹ On the day that Moses completed the tabernacle, he anointed it and set it apart to Yahweh, together with all of its furnishings. He did the same for the altar and all its utensils. He anointed them and set them apart to Yahweh. ² On that day, the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestor's families, offered sacrifices. These men were leading the tribes. They had overseen the counting of the men in the census. ³ They brought their offerings before Yahweh. They brought six covered carts and twelve oxen. They brought one cart for every two leaders, and each leader brought one ox. They presented these things in front of the tabernacle. ⁴ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁵ "Accept the offerings from them and use the offerings for the work in the tent of meeting. Give the offerings to the Levites, to each one as his work needs them." ⁶ Moses took the carts and the oxen, and he gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two carts and four oxen to the descendants of Gershon, because of what their work needed. ⁸ He gave four carts and eight oxen to the descendants of Merari, in the care of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. He did this because of what their work required. ⁹ But he gave none of those things to the descendants of Kohath, because theirs would be the work related to the things that belong to Yahweh that they would carry on their own shoulders. ¹⁰ The leaders offered their goods for the dedication of the altar on the day that Moses anointed the altar. The leaders offered their sacrifices in front of the altar. ¹¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "Each leader must offer on his own day his sacrifice for the dedication of the altar."

¹² On the first day, Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah, offered his sacrifice.

¹³ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ¹⁴ He gave one gold dish that weighed ten shekels and was full of incense. ¹⁵ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ¹⁶ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ¹⁷ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day, Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, offered his sacrifice.

¹⁹ He offered as his sacrifice one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ²⁰ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ²¹ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ²² He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ²³ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day, Eliab son of Helon, leader of the descendants of Zebulun, offered his sacrifice.

²⁵ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ²⁶ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ²⁷ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ²⁸ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁹ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day, Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the descendants of Reuben, offered his sacrifice.

³¹ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ³² He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ³³ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ³⁴ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ³⁵ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the descendants of Simeon, offered his sacrifice.

³⁷ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ³⁸ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ³⁹ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁴⁰ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁴¹ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day, Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the descendants of Gad, offered his sacrifice.

⁴³ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁴⁴ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁴⁵ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁴⁶ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁴⁷ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day, Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the descendants of Ephraim, offered his sacrifice.

⁴⁹ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁵⁰ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁵¹ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁵² He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁵³ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Elishama son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the descendants of Manasseh, offered his sacrifice.

⁵⁵ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁵⁶ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁵⁷ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁵⁸ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁵⁹ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day, Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the descendants of Benjamin, offered his sacrifice.

⁶¹ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁶² He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁶³ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁶⁴ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁶⁵ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Abidan son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the descendants of Dan, offered his sacrifice.

⁶⁷ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁶⁸ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁶⁹ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb.. ⁷⁰ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁷¹ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day, Pagiel son of Okran, leader of the descendants of Asher, offered his sacrifice.

⁷³ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁷⁴ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁷⁵ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁷⁶ He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁷⁷ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Pagiel son of Okran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day, Ahira son of Enan, leader of the descendants of Naphtali, offered his sacrifice.

⁷⁹ His sacrifice was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Both of these objects were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. ⁸⁰ He also gave one gold dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense. ⁸¹ He gave as a burnt offering one young bull, one ram, and a one-year-old male lamb. ⁸² He gave one male goat as a sin offering. ⁸³ He gave two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs that were a year old, as the sacrifice for a fellowship offering. This was the sacrifice of Ahira son of Enan.

⁸⁴ This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day that it was anointed: the chiefs of Israel set apart the twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes. ⁸⁵ Each silver platter weighed 130 shekels and each bowl weighed seventy shekels. All the silver vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. ⁸⁶ Each of the twelve gold dishes, full of incense, weighed ten shekels by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. All the gold dishes weighed 120 shekels. ⁸⁷ They set apart all the animals for the burnt offerings, twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve year-old male lambs. They gave their grain offering. They gave twelve male goats as a sin offering. ⁸⁸ From all their cattle, they gave twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old, as the sacrifice for the fellowship offering. This was for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

⁸⁹ When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him. Yahweh spoke to him from above the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Speak to Aaron. Say to him, 'The seven lamps must give light in front of the lampstand when you light them.'" ³ Aaron did this. He lit the lamps on the lampstand to give light toward the front of it, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ⁴ The lampstand was made in this way and Yahweh showed Moses the pattern for it. It was to be hammered gold from its base to its top, with hammered cups like blossoms.

⁵ Again, Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁶ "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and purify them. ⁷ Do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle the water of atonement on them. Make them shave their entire body, wash their clothes, and purify themselves. ⁸ Then have them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. Let them take another young bull as a sin offering. ⁹ You will bring the Levites in front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole community of the people of Israel. ¹⁰ When you bring the Levites before Yahweh, the people of Israel must lay their hands on the Levites. ¹¹ Aaron must offer the Levites before Yahweh, as a wave offering from the people of Israel so that they may do the service of Yahweh. ¹² The Levites must place their hands on the heads of the bulls. You must offer one bull for a sin offering and the other bull for a burnt offering to me, to atone for the Levites. ¹³ Present the Levites before Aaron and before his sons, and lift them up as a wave offering to me.

¹⁴ In this way you must separate the Levites from among the people of Israel. The Levites will belong to me. ¹⁵ After that, the Levites must go in to serve in the tent of meeting. You must purify them. You must offer them as a wave offering. ¹⁶ Do this, because they are entirely mine from among the people of Israel. They will take the place of each firstborn, the first issue of the womb, of all the descendants of Israel. I have taken the Levites for myself. ¹⁷ All the firstborn from among the people of Israel are mine, both man or animal. On the day that I took the lives of all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set them apart for myself. ¹⁸ I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of all the firstborn. ¹⁹ I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. I have taken them from among the people of Israel to do the work of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting. I have given them to atone for the people of Israel so that no plague will harm the people when they come near to the holy place."

²⁰ Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of the people of Israel did this with the Levites. They did everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites. The people of Israel did this with them. ²¹ The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering to Yahweh and he made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before Aaron's sons. This was as Yahweh had commanded Moses about the Levites. They treated all the Levites in this way.

²³ Yahweh spoke again to Moses. He said, ²⁴ "All of this is for the Levites who are twenty-five years old and more. They must join the company to serve in the tent of meeting. ²⁵ They must stop serving in this way at the age of fifty years. At that age they must not serve any longer. ²⁶ They may help their brothers who continue to work at the tent of meeting, to perform their duties, but they must serve no more. This is how you must deal with the Levites in all their responsibilities."

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they came out from the land of Egypt. He said, ² "Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its fixed time of year. ³ On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you must keep the Passover at its fixed time of year. You must keep it, follow all the regulations, and obey all the decrees that are related to it." ⁴ So, Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Festival of the Passover. ⁵ So they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the wilderness of Sinai. The people of Israel obeyed everything that Yahweh commanded Moses to do. ⁶ There were certain men who became unclean by the body of a dead man. They could not keep the Passover on that day. They went before Moses and Aaron on that same day. ⁷ Those men said to Moses, "We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why do you keep us from offering the sacrifice to Yahweh at the fixed time of year among the people of Israel?" ⁸ Moses said to them, "Wait for me to hear what Yahweh will instruct about you."

⁹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁰ "Speak to the people of Israel. Say, 'If any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body, or are on a long journey, he may still keep the Passover to Yahweh.' ¹¹ In the second month on the fourteenth day at evening, they will eat the Passover meal. They must eat the Passover lamb with bread that is made without yeast and with bitter herbs. ¹² They must not leave any of it until the morning, or break any of its bones. They must follow all the regulations for the Passover. ¹³ But any person who is clean and is not on a journey, but who fails to keep the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people because he did not bring the offering that Yahweh requires at the fixed time of year. That man must carry his sin. ¹⁴ If a stranger lives among you and keeps the Passover to Yahweh, he must keep it according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule. You must have one statute both for the sojourner and for the one who was born in the land."

¹⁵ On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant decrees. At evening the cloud was over the tabernacle. It appeared like fire until morning. ¹⁶ It continued that way. The cloud covered the tabernacle and appeared like fire at night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tent, the people of Israel would set out on their journey. Wherever the cloud stopped, the people would camp. ¹⁸ At Yahweh's command, the people of Israel would travel, and at his command, they would camp. While the cloud stopped over the tabernacle, they would stay in their camp. ¹⁹ When the cloud remained on the tabernacle for many days, then the people of Israel would obey Yahweh's instructions and not travel. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud remained a few days on the tabernacle. In that case, they would obey Yahweh's command—they would make camp and then travel on again at his command. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud was present in camp from evening until morning. When the cloud lifted in the morning, they journeyed. If it continued for a day and for a night, only when the cloud lifted would they journey on. ²² Whether the cloud stayed on the tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, for as long as it stayed there, the people of Israel would stay in their camp and not travel. But whenever the cloud was taken up, they would set out on their journey. ²³ They would camp at Yahweh's command, and they would travel at his command. They obeyed Yahweh's command given through Moses.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Make two silver trumpets. Hammer the silver to make them. You must use the trumpets to call the community together and to call the community to move their camps. ³ The priests must blow the trumpets to call all the community together in front of you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁴ If the priests blow only one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, must gather to you. ⁵ When you blow a loud signal, the tribes camped on the east side must begin their journey. ⁶ When you blow a loud signal the second time, the tribes camped on the south side must begin their journey. They must blow a loud signal for their journeys. ⁷ When the community gathers together, blow the trumpets, but not loudly. ⁸ The sons of Aaron, the priests, must blow the trumpets. This will always be an ordinance for you throughout your people's generations. ⁹ When you go to war in your land against an adversary who oppresses you, then you must sound an alarm with the trumpets. I, Yahweh your God, will call you to mind and save you from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also, at the times of celebration, both your regular festivals and at the beginnings of the months, you must blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices for your fellowship offerings. These will act as a reminder of you to me, your God. I am Yahweh your God."

¹¹ In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was lifted from the tabernacle of the covenant decrees. ¹² The people of Israel then went on their journey from the wilderness of Sinai. The cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran. ¹³ They made their first journey, following Yahweh's command given through Moses. ¹⁴ The camp under the banner of Judah's descendants went out first, moving out their individual armies. Nahshon son of Amminadab led Judah's army. ¹⁵ Nethanel son of Zuar led the army of the tribe of Issachar's descendants. ¹⁶ Eliab son of Helon led the army of the tribe of Zebulun's descendants. ¹⁷ The descendants of Gershon and of Merari, who cared for the tabernacle, took down the tabernacle and then set out on their journey. ¹⁸ Next, the armies under the banner of Reuben's camp set out on their journey. Elizur son of Shedeur led Reuben's army. ¹⁹ Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai led the army of the tribe of Simeon's descendants. ²⁰ Eliasaph son of Deuel led the army of the tribe of Gad's descendants.

²¹ The Kohathites set out. They carried the sanctuary's holy equipment. Others would set up the tabernacle before the Kohathites arrived at the next camp. ²² The armies under the banner of Ephraim's descendants set out next. Elishama son of Ammihud led Ephraim's army. ²³ Gamaliel son of Pedahzur led the army of the tribe of Manasseh's descendants. ²⁴ Abidan son of Gideoni led the army of the tribe of Benjamin's descendants.

²⁵ The armies that camped under the banner of Dan's descendants set out last. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai led Dan's army. ²⁶ Pagiel son of Okran led the army of the tribe of Asher's descendants. ²⁷ Ahira son of Enan led the army of the tribe of Naphtali's descendants. ²⁸ This is the way that the armies of the people of Israel set out on their journey.

²⁹ Moses spoke to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite. Reuel was the father of Moses' wife. Moses spoke to Hobab and said, "We are traveling to a place that Yahweh described. Yahweh said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will do you good. Yahweh has promised to do good for Israel." ³⁰ But Hobab said to Moses, "I will not go with you. I will go to my own land and my own relatives." ³¹ Then Moses replied, "Please do not leave us. You know how to camp in the wilderness. You must watch out for us. ³² If you go with us, we will do for you the same good that Yahweh does to us."

³³ They journeyed from the mountain of Yahweh for three days. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh went before them for three days to find a place for them to rest. ³⁴ Yahweh's cloud was over them in the daytime as they journeyed.

³⁵ Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, "Rise up, Yahweh. Scatter your enemies. Make those who hate you run from you." ³⁶ Whenever the ark stopped, Moses would say, "Return, Yahweh, to Israel's many tens of thousands."

¹ Now the people complained about their troubles as Yahweh listened. Yahweh heard the people and became angry. Fire from Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the camp on its edges. ² Then people called out to Moses, so Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire stopped. ³ That place was named Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burned among them.

⁴ Some foreign people began to camp with Israel's descendants. They wanted better food to eat. Then the people of Israel began to weep and say, "Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵ We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶ Now our appetite is gone, because all we can see is this manna." ⁷ Manna was like coriander seed. It looked like resin. ⁸ The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it in mills, beat it in mortars, boiled it in pots, and made it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy baked with olive oil. ⁹ When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell. ¹⁰ Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses' eyes their complaining was wrong. ¹¹ Moses said to Yahweh, "Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why are you not pleased with me? You make me carry the load of all these people. ¹² Did I conceive all these people? Have I given them birth so that you should say to me, 'Carry them closely to your chest as a father carries a baby?' Should I carry them to the land that you swore to their ancestors to give them? ¹³ Where can I find meat to give to all this people? They are weeping in front of me and are saying, 'Give us meat to eat.' ¹⁴ I cannot bear all these people alone. They are too much for me. ¹⁵ Since you are treating me this way, kill me now—if I find favor in your eyes—do not let me see my misery."

¹⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, "Bring to me seventy of Israel's elders. Be sure that they are elders and officers of the people. Bring them to the tent of meeting to stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and talk with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will bear the burden of the people with you. You will not have to bear it alone. ¹⁸ Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow you will indeed eat meat, for you have wept and Yahweh has heard. You said, "Who will give us meat to eat? It was good for us in Egypt." Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat it. ¹⁹ You will not eat meat for only one day, two days, five days, ten days, or twenty days, ²⁰ but you will eat meat for a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils. It will disgust you because you have rejected Yahweh, who is among you. You have wept before him. You said, "Why did we leave Egypt?"'" ²¹ Then Moses said, "The people I am with are 600,000 footmen, and you have said, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month.' ²² Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?" ²³ Yahweh said to Moses, "Is my hand short? Now you will see whether or not my word is true."

²⁴ Moses went out and told the people Yahweh's words. He gathered seventy of the people's elders and positioned them around the tent. ²⁵ Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Yahweh took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but only on that occasion and not again.

²⁶ Two men remained in the camp, named Eldad and Medad. The Spirit also rested on them. Their names were written on the list, but they had not gone out to the tent. Nevertheless, they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man in the camp ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." ²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, "My master Moses, stop them." ²⁹ Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Yahweh's people were prophets and that he would put his Spirit on them all!" ³⁰ Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.

³¹ Then a wind came from Yahweh and brought quail from the sea. They fell near the camp, about a day's journey on one side and a day's journey on the other side. The quail surrounded the camp about two cubits above the ground. ³² The people were busy gathering quail all that day, all the night, and all the next day. No one gathered less than ten homers of quail. They shared the quail all through the camp. ³³ While the meat was still between their teeth, while they were chewing it, the anger of Yahweh was kindled at them. He attacked the people with a very great disease. ³⁴ That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved meat. ³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed.

¹ Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married. ² They said, "Has Yahweh spoken only with Moses? Has he not spoken also with us?" Now Yahweh heard what they said. ³ Now the man Moses was very humble, humbler than anyone else on earth.

⁴ Right away Yahweh spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." So the three of them went out. ⁵ Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud. He stood at the entrance to the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. They both came forward. ⁶ Yahweh said, "Now listen to my words.

When a prophet of mine is with you,

I will reveal myself to him in visions

and speak to him in dreams.

⁷ My servant Moses is not like that.

He is faithful in all my house.

⁸ I speak to Moses directly, not with visions or riddles.

He sees my form.

So why are you unafraid

to speak against my servant, against Moses?"

⁹ Yahweh's anger burned against them, and then he left them. ¹⁰ The cloud rose from over the tent, and Miriam was suddenly leprous—she was as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward Miriam, he saw that she had leprosy.

¹¹ Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my master, please do not hold this sin against us. We have spoken foolishly, and we have sinned. ¹² Please do not let her be like a dead newborn whose flesh is half consumed when it emerges from its mother's womb." ¹³ So Moses called out to Yahweh. He said, "Please heal her, God, please." ¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, she would be disgraced for seven days. Shut her outside the camp for seven days. After that bring her in again." ¹⁵ So Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days. The people did not journey until she had returned to the camp.

¹⁶ After that, the people journeyed from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Send some men to examine the land of Canaan, which I have given to the people of Israel. Send a man from every tribe of their ancestors. Each man must be a leader among them." ³ Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, so that they might obey Yahweh's command. All of them were leaders among the people of Israel. ⁴ These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph (that is to say, from the tribe Manasseh), Gaddi son of Susi;

¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

¹⁶ These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to examine the land. Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name of Joshua.

¹⁷ Moses sent them to examine the land of Canaan. He said to them, "Approach from the Negev and go up into the hill country. ¹⁸ Examine the land to see what it is like. Observe the people who live there, whether they are strong or weak, and whether they are few or many. ¹⁹ See what the land is like where they live. Is it good or bad? What cities are there? Are they like camps, or are they fortified cities? ²⁰ See what the land is like, whether it is good for growing crops or not, and whether there are trees there or not. Be brave and bring back samples of the land's produce." Now the time was the season for the first ripe grapes.

²¹ So the men went up and examined the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo Hamath. ²² They went up from the Negev and arrived at Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. ²³ When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut down a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a staff between two of their group. They also brought pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was named the Valley of Eshkol, because of the grape cluster that the people of Israel cut down there.

²⁵ After forty days, they returned from examining the land. ²⁶ They came back to Moses, Aaron, and all the community of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the community, and showed them the produce from the land. ²⁷ They told Moses, "We reached the land to which you sent us. It certainly flows with milk and honey. Here is some produce from it. ²⁸ However, the people who make their homes there are strong. The cities are fortified and very large. We also saw descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites live in the Negev. The Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites have their homes in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan River."

³⁰ Then Caleb silenced the people who were before Moses and said, "Let us go up and take possession of the land, for we are certainly able to conquer it." ³¹ But the other men who had gone with him said, "We are not able to attack the people because they are stronger than we are." ³² So they spread around a discouraging report to the people of Israel about the land that they had examined. They said, "The land that we looked at is a land that eats up its inhabitants. All the people whom we saw there are people of great height. ³³ There we saw the Nephilim, descendants of Anak, people who came from giants. In our own sight we were like grasshoppers in comparison with them, and this is what we were in their sight, too."

¹ That night all the community wept loudly. ² All the people of Israel criticized Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, "We wish we had died in the land of Egypt, or here in this wilderness! ³ Why did Yahweh bring us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become victims. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?"

⁴ They said to one another, "Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt." ⁵ Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes. ⁷ They spoke to all the community of the people of Israel. They said, "The land that we passed through and examined is a very good land. ⁸ If Yahweh is pleased with us, then he will take us into this land and give it to us. The land flows with milk and honey. ⁹ But do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not fear the people in the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection will be removed from them, because Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them." ¹⁰ Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of Yahweh appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

¹¹ Yahweh said to Moses, "How long must this people despise me? How long must they fail to trust me, despite all the signs of my power that I have done among them? ¹² I will attack them with plague, disinherit them, and make from your own clan a nation that will be greater and mightier than they are."

¹³ Moses said to Yahweh, "If you do this, then the Egyptians will hear about it, because you rescued this people from them by your power. ¹⁴ They will tell it to this land's inhabitants. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are present with this people, because you are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over our people. 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 that have heard this report about you will say, ¹⁶ 'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.' ¹⁷ Now, I beg you, may the power of my Lord be great. For you have said, ¹⁸ 'Yahweh is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He forgives iniquity and transgression. He will by no means clear the guilty when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.' ¹⁹ Pardon, I plead with you, this people's iniquity because of the greatness of your covenant faithfulness, just as you have always forgiven this people from the time they were in Egypt until now."

²⁰ Yahweh said, "I have pardoned them in keeping with your request, ²¹ but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory, ²² all those people who saw my glory and the signs of power that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—they have still tested me these ten times and have not listened to my voice. ²³ So I say that they will certainly not see the land about which I made an oath to their ancestors. Not one of them who despised me will see it, ²⁴ except for my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly. I will bring him into the land where he had gone, and his descendants will take possession of it. ²⁵ (Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds."

²⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said, ²⁷ "How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me. ²⁸ Say to them, 'As I live—this is Yahweh's declaration—as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you: ²⁹ Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all you who complained against me, you who were counted in the census, the whole number of the people from twenty years old and upward. ³⁰ You will certainly not go into the land that I promised to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹ But your little ones who you said would be victims, I will take them into the land. They will experience the land that you have rejected! ³² As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They must bear the punishment for your acts of rebellion until the end of your corpses in the wilderness. ³⁴ According to the number of the days during which you examined the land, forty days, you will bear the punishment for your sins for forty years, one year for every day, and you will know my opposition. ³⁵ I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will certainly do this to all this evil community that is gathered together against me. They will be completely cut off in this wilderness, and here they will die.'"

³⁶ So the men Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made the entire community grumble against Moses by spreading a bad report about the land— ³⁷ these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh. ³⁸ Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

³⁹ When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply. ⁴⁰ They rose up early in the morning and went to the top of the mountain and said, "Look, we are here, and we will go to the place that Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned." ⁴¹ But Moses said, "Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed. ⁴² Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies. ⁴³ The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh. So he will not be with you." ⁴⁴ But they arrogantly went up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp. ⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites came down, and also the Canaanites who lived on those hills. They attacked the Israelites and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you go into the land where you will live, which Yahweh will give to you, ³ you are to prepare an offering by fire to Yahweh, either a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a freewill offering, or an offering at your feasts, to produce a pleasing aroma for Yahweh from the herd or the flock. ⁴ You must offer to Yahweh a burnt offering as well as a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of oil. ⁵ You must also offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, one-fourth of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb. ⁶ If you are offering a ram, you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. ⁷ For the drink offering, you must offer a third of a hin of wine. It will produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. ⁸ When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to Yahweh, ⁹ then you must offer with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil. ¹⁰ You must offer as the drink offering half a hin of wine, as an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh.

¹¹ It must be done this way for each bull, for each ram, and for each of the male lambs or young goats. ¹² Every sacrifice that you prepare and offer must be done as described here. ¹³ All who are native-born must do these things in this way, when anyone brings an offering made by fire, to produce an aroma that is pleasing to Yahweh. ¹⁴ If a sojourner is staying with you, or whoever may live among you throughout your people's generations, he must make an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. He must act as you act. ¹⁵ There must be the same law for the community and for the foreigner who stays with you, a permanent law throughout your people's generations. As you are, so also must be the sojourner staying with you. He must act as you act before Yahweh. ¹⁶ The same law and decree must apply to you and to the foreigner who is staying with you.'"

¹⁷ Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁸ "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land where I will take you, ¹⁹ when you eat the food produced in the land, you must lift up a contribution to Yahweh. ²⁰ From the first of your dough you must offer a loaf to lift it up as a contribution, a contribution from the threshing floor. You must lift it up in this way. ²¹ You must give to me a lifted contribution throughout your people's generations from the first of your dough.

²² You will sometimes sin without intending to do so, when you do not obey all these commands that I have spoken to Moses— ²³ everything that I have commanded you through Moses from the day that I began to give you commands and onward throughout your people's generations. ²⁴ In the case of unintentional sin without the community's knowledge, then all the community must offer one young bull as a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. Along with this must be made a grain offering and drink offering, as commanded by the decree, and one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest must make atonement for all the community of the people of Israel. They will be forgiven because the sin was an error. They have brought their sacrifice, an offering made by fire to me. They have brought their sin offering before me for their error. ²⁶ Then all the community of the people of Israel will be forgiven, and also the foreigners who are staying with them, because all the people committed the sin unintentionally.

²⁷ If a person sins unintentionally, then he must offer a female goat a year old as a sin offering. ²⁸ The priest must make atonement before Yahweh for the person who goes astray and sins unintentionally. That person will be forgiven when atonement has been made. ²⁹ You must have the same law for the one who does anything unintentionally, the same law for the one who is native born among the people of Israel and for the foreigners who are staying among them. ³⁰ But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native born or a foreigner, blasphemes me. That person must be cut off from among his people. ³¹ Because he has despised my word and has broken my commandment, that person must be cut off completely. His iniquity will be on him.'"

³² While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. ³³ Those who found him brought him to Moses, Aaron, and all the community. ³⁴ They kept him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done with him. ³⁵ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "The man must surely be put to death. All the community must stone him with stones outside the camp." ³⁶ So all the community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

³⁷ Again Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ³⁸ "Speak to the descendants of Israel and command them to make for themselves tassels to hang from the borders of their garments, to hang them from each border by a blue cord. They must do this throughout their people's generations. ³⁹ It will be a special reminder to you, when you may look at it, of all my commandments, to carry them out so that you do not look to your own heart and your own eyes and prostitute yourselves to them. ⁴⁰ Do this so that you may call to mind and obey all my commandments, and so that you may be holy, reserved for me, your God. ⁴¹ I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to become your God. I am Yahweh your God."

¹ Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, descendants of Reuben, gathered some men. ² They rose up against Moses, along with other men from the people of Israel, 250 leaders of the community who were men of reputation in the community. ³ They assembled themselves together to confront Moses and Aaron. They said to them, "You have gone too far! All the community is set apart, every one of them, and Yahweh is among them. Why do you lift up yourselves above the rest of Yahweh's community?"

⁴ When Moses heard that, he lay facedown. ⁵ He spoke to Korah and all his companions, "In the morning Yahweh will make known who belongs to him and who is set apart to him. He will bring that person near to him. The one he chooses he will bring near to himself. ⁶ Do this, Korah and all your group. Take censers ⁷ tomorrow and put fire and incense in them before Yahweh. The one whom Yahweh chooses, that man will be set apart to Yahweh. You have gone too far, you descendants of Levi." ⁸ Again, Moses said to Korah, "Now listen, you descendants of Levi: ⁹ is it a small thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do work in Yahweh's tabernacle, and to stand before the community to serve them? ¹⁰ He has brought you near, and all your kinfolk, the descendants of Levi, with you, yet you are seeking the priesthood also! ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Yahweh. Who is Aaron that you grumble against him?"

¹² Then Moses called for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but 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? Now you want to make yourself ruler over us! ¹⁴ In addition, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us the fields and vineyards as an inheritance. Now do you want to blind us with empty promises? We will not come to you."

¹⁵ Moses was very angry and said to Yahweh, "Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any of them." ¹⁶ Then Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow you and all your companions must go before Yahweh—you and they, and Aaron. ¹⁷ Each of you must take his censer and put incense in it. Then each man must bring before Yahweh his censer, 250 censers. You and Aaron, also, must each bring your censer." ¹⁸ So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense in it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹ Korah assembled all the community against Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and Yahweh's glory appeared to all the community.

²⁰ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron: ²¹ "Separate yourselves from among this community that I may consume them immediately." ²² Moses and Aaron lay facedown and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all humanity, if one man sins, must you be angry with all the community?" ²³ Yahweh replied to Moses. He said, ²⁴ "Speak to the community. Say, 'Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'"

²⁵ Then Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶ He spoke to the community and said, "Now leave the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be consumed by all their sins." ²⁷ So the community on every side of the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram left them. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents, with their wives, sons, and their little ones. ²⁸ Then Moses said, "By this you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own accord. ²⁹ If these men die a natural death such as normally happens, then Yahweh has not sent me. ³⁰ But if Yahweh creates something new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that they possess, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you must understand that these men have despised Yahweh."

³¹ As soon as Moses finished speaking all these words, the ground opened under those men. ³² The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their families, and all the people who belonged to Korah, as well as all their possessions. ³³ So they and all that they possessed went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed over them, and they perished from among the community. ³⁴ All Israel around them fled from their cries. They exclaimed, "The earth may swallow us up also!" ³⁵ Then fire flashed out from Yahweh and devoured the 250 men who had offered incense.

³⁶ Again Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ³⁷ "Speak to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest and let him take up the censers out of the flames, for the censers are set apart to me. Then let him scatter the burning coals at a distance. ³⁸ Take the censers of those who lost their lives because of their sin. Let them be made into hammered plates as a covering over the altar. Those men did offer them before me, so they are set apart to me. They will be a sign of my presence to the people of Israel."

³⁹ Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been used by the men who were burned up, and they were hammered out into a covering for the altar, ⁴⁰ to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider who was not descended from Aaron should come up to burn incense before Yahweh, so they might not become like Korah and his group—just as Yahweh had commanded through Moses.

⁴¹ But the next morning all the community of the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. They said, "You have killed Yahweh's people." ⁴² Then it happened, when the community had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting and, behold, the cloud was covering it. Yahweh's glory appeared, ⁴³ and Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ⁴⁵ "Go away from in front of this community so that I may consume them immediately." Then Moses and Aaron lay down with their faces to the ground. ⁴⁶ Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer, put fire in it from off the altar, put incense in it, carry it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because anger is coming from Yahweh. The plague has begun." ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses directed. He ran into the middle of the community. The plague had quickly started to spread among the people, so he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸ Aaron stood between the dead and the living; in this way the plague was stopped. ⁴⁹ Those who died by the plague were 14,700 in number, besides those who had died in the matter of Korah. ⁵⁰ Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague ended.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, ² "Speak to the people of Israel and get staffs from them, one for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff. ³ You must write Aaron's name on Levi's staff. There must be one staff for each leader from his ancestors' tribe. ⁴ You must place the staffs in the tent of meeting in front of the covenant decrees, where I meet with you. ⁵ It will happen that the staff of the man whom I choose will bud. I will cause the complaints from the people of Israel to stop, which they are speaking against you." ⁶ So Moses spoke to the people of Israel. All the tribal leaders gave him staffs, one staff from each leader, selected from each of the ancestral tribes, twelve staffs in all. Aaron's staff was among them. ⁷ Then Moses deposited the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of the covenant decrees.

⁸ The next day Moses went into the tent of the covenant decrees and, behold, Aaron's staff for the tribe of Levi had budded. It grew buds and produced blossoms and ripe almonds! ⁹ Moses brought out all the staffs from before Yahweh to all the people of Israel, and each man took his staff. ¹⁰ Yahweh said to Moses, "Put Aaron's staff in front of the covenant decrees. Keep it as a sign of guilt against the people who rebelled so that you may end complaints against me, or they will die." ¹¹ Moses did just as Yahweh had commanded him.

¹² The people of Israel spoke to Moses and said, "We will die here. We will all perish! ¹³ Everyone who comes up, who approaches Yahweh's tabernacle, will die. Must we all perish?"

¹ Yahweh said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your ancestor's clan will be responsible for all sins committed against the sanctuary. But only you and your sons with you will be responsible for all sins committed by anyone in the priesthood. ² As for your fellow members of the tribe of Levi, your ancestors' tribe, you must bring them with you so they may join you and help you when you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the covenant decrees. ³ They must perform your duties and the duties of the whole tent. However, they must not come near to anything in the holy place or connected with the altar, or they and also you will die. ⁴ They must join you and perform the duties connected with the tent of meeting, for all the work connected with the tent. A foreigner must not come near you. ⁵ You must perform the duties for the holy place and for the altar so that my anger does not come on the people of Israel again. ⁶ Look, I myself have chosen your fellow members of the Levites from among the descendants of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to me to do the work connected to the tent of meeting. ⁷ But only you and your sons may exercise the priesthood regarding everything connected with the altar and everything inside the curtain. You yourselves must fulfill those responsibilities. I am giving you the priesthood as a gift. Any foreigner who approaches must be put to death."

⁸ Then Yahweh said to Aaron, "Look, I have given you the duty of handling the contributions lifted up to me, and all the holy offerings that the people of Israel give to me. I have given these offerings to you as a consecrated portion and to your sons as your assigned portion for all time. ⁹ This will belong to you from the most holy things that are kept from the fire. From every offering of theirs—every grain offering, every sin offering, and every guilt offering—they are set apart to you and to your sons. ¹⁰ These offerings are very holy; every male must eat it, for they are holy to you. ¹¹ These are the contributions that will belong to you, set apart out of all their gifts of the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, your sons, and your daughters, as your portion forever. Everyone who is ceremonially clean in your family may eat any of these offerings. ¹² All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and grain, the firstfruits that the people give to me—all these things I have given to you. ¹³ The first ripe produce of all that is in their land, which they bring to me, will be yours. Everyone who is clean in your family may eat these things. ¹⁴ Every devoted thing in Israel will be yours. ¹⁵ Every first issue of the womb, all the firstborn that the people offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the people must certainly redeem every firstborn son, and they must redeem the firstborn male of unclean animals. ¹⁶ Those that are to be redeemed by the people must be redeemed after becoming one month old. Then the people may redeem them for the price of five shekels of silver, by the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs. ¹⁷ But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat—you must not redeem these animals; they are set apart to me. You must sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to Yahweh. ¹⁸ Their meat will be yours. Like the breast and the right thigh that are lifted as an offering, their meat will be yours. ¹⁹ All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to Yahweh, I have given to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a continual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt, a binding covenant forever, before Yahweh for both you and your descendants with you." ²⁰ Yahweh said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in the people's land, nor will you have any share of property among the people. I am your share and inheritance among the people of Israel.

²¹ To the descendants of Levi, look, I have given all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the service that they provide in working at the tent of meeting. ²² From now on the people of Israel must not come near the tent of meeting, or they will be responsible for this sin and die. ²³ The Levites must do the work connected to the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for any iniquity regarding it. This will be a permanent law throughout your people's generations. Among the people of Israel they must have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithes of the people of Israel, which they offer as a contribution to Yahweh—it is these that I have given to the Levites as their inheritance. That is why I said to them, 'They must have no inheritance among the people of Israel.'"

²⁵ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ²⁶ "You must speak to the Levites and say to them, 'When you receive from the people of Israel the tenth that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, you will present a contribution from it to Yahweh, a tenth of the tithe. ²⁷ Your contribution must be considered by you as if it were a tenth of the grain from the threshing floor or of the production from the winepress. ²⁸ So you also must make a contribution to Yahweh from all the tithes that you receive from the people of Israel. From them you must give his contribution to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ Out of all the gifts you receive, you must make every contribution to Yahweh. You must do this from all the best and the holiest things that have been given to you.' ³⁰ Therefore you must say to them, 'When you present the best of it, then it must be credited to the Levites as the product from the threshing floor and the winepress. ³¹ You may eat the rest of your gifts in any place, you and your families, because it is your pay in return for your work in the tent of meeting. ³² You will not bear any sin by eating and drinking it, if you have presented to Yahweh the best of what you have received. But you must not profane the holy offerings of the people of Israel, or you will die.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, ² "This is a statute, a law which Yahweh is commanding you: Say to the people of Israel that they must bring to you a red heifer without flaw or blemish, and which has never carried a yoke. ³ Give the heifer to Eleazar the priest. He must bring it outside the camp, and someone must kill it in front of him. ⁴ Eleazar the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. ⁵ The heifer must be burned in his sight—its hide, its flesh, and its blood with its dung, must be burned. ⁶ The priest must take cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet wool, and throw it all into the middle of the burning heifer. ⁷ Then he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. Then he may come into the camp, where he will remain unclean until the evening. ⁸ The one who has burned the heifer must wash his clothes in water and bathe in water. He will remain unclean until the evening. ⁹ A man who is clean must gather up the heifer's ashes and put them outside the camp in a clean place. These ashes must be kept for the community of the people of Israel. They will mix the ashes with water for purification from sin, since the ashes were from a sin offering. ¹⁰ The one who gathered the heifer's ashes must wash his clothes. He will remain unclean until the evening. This will be a permanent law for the people of Israel and the foreigners who stay with them.

¹¹ Whoever touches the dead body of any man will be unclean for seven days. ¹² Such a person must purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day. Then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself the third day, then he will not be clean on the seventh day. ¹³ Whoever touches a dead person, the body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself—this person defiles Yahweh's tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel because the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him. He will remain unclean; his uncleanness will remain on him.

¹⁴ This is the law for when someone dies in a tent. Everyone who goes into the tent and everyone who is already in the tent will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ Every open container with no cover becomes unclean. ¹⁶ In the same way, anyone outside a tent who touches someone who has been killed with a sword, any other dead body, a human bone, or a grave—that person will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁷ Do this for the unclean person: Take some ashes from the burnt sin offering and mix them in a jar with fresh water. ¹⁸ Someone who is clean must then take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the containers inside the tent, on the persons who were there, and on anyone who touched the bone, the one who was killed, the one who died, or the grave. ¹⁹ On the third day and on the seventh day, the clean person must sprinkle the unclean person. On the seventh day the unclean person must purify himself. He must wash his clothes and bathe in water. At evening he will become clean.

²⁰ But anyone who remains unclean, who refuses to purify himself—that person will be cut off from the community, because he has defiled Yahweh's sanctuary. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he remains unclean. ²¹ This will be an ongoing law concerning these situations. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity must wash his clothes. The one who touches the water for impurity will become unclean until evening. ²² Whatever the unclean person touches will become unclean. The person who touches it will become unclean until evening."

¹ So the people of Israel, the whole community, went into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

² There was no water for the community, so they assembled together against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people complained against Moses. They said, "It would have been better if we had died when our fellow Israelites died in front of Yahweh! ⁴ Why have you brought Yahweh's community into this wilderness to die here, we and our animals? ⁵ Why did you make us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this horrible place? There is no place for seed, figs, vines, or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink." ⁶ So Moses and Aaron went away from in front of the assembly. They went to the entrance of the tent of meeting and lay facedown. There Yahweh's brilliant glory appeared to them. ⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ⁸ "Take the staff and assemble the community, you, and Aaron your brother. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and command it to flow with water. You will produce water for them out of that rock, and you must give it to the community and their livestock to drink." ⁹ Moses took the staff from before Yahweh, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock. Moses said to them, "Listen now, you rebels. Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" ¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, and much water came out. The community drank, and their livestock drank. ¹² Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me or honor me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them." ¹³ This place was called the waters of Meribah because the people of Israel had quarreled with Yahweh there, and he showed himself to them as holy.

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: Your brother Israel says this: "You know all the hardship that has found us. ¹⁵ You know that our ancestors went down to Egypt and lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians treated us harshly and also our ancestors. ¹⁶ When we called out to Yahweh, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your land. ¹⁷ I am asking you to let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, nor will we drink the water in your wells. 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 your border."

¹⁸ But the king of Edom replied to him, "You may not pass through here. If you do, I will come with the sword to attack you."

¹⁹ Then the people of Israel said to him, "We will go along the highway. If we or our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. Just let us walk through on foot, without doing anything else."

²⁰ But the king of Edom replied, "You may not pass through." So the king of Edom came against Israel with a strong hand with many soldiers. ²¹ The king of Edom refused to allow Israel to cross over their border. Because of this, Israel turned away from the land of Edom.

²² So the people journeyed from Kadesh. The people of Israel, the whole community, came to Mount Hor. ²³ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on Edom's border. He said, ²⁴ "Aaron must be gathered to his people, for he will not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel. This is because you both rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor. ²⁶ Take Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron must die and be gathered to his people there." ²⁷ Moses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the community. ²⁸ Moses took Aaron's priestly garments off him and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down. ²⁹ When all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.

¹ When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was traveling by the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. ² Israel vowed to Yahweh and said, "If you give us victory over these people, then we will completely destroy their cities." ³ Yahweh listened to Israel's voice and he gave them victory over the Canaanites. They completely destroyed them and their cities. That place was named Hormah.

⁴ They traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Reeds to go around the land of Edom. The people became very discouraged on the way. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, no water, and we hate this miserable food." ⁶ Then Yahweh sent poisonous snakes among the people. The snakes bit the people; many people of Israel died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and you. Pray to Yahweh for him to take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ Yahweh said to Moses, "Make a snake and attach it to a pole. It will happen that everyone who is bitten will survive, if he looks at it." ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and attached it to a pole. When a snake bit any person, if he looked at the bronze snake, he survived.

¹⁰ Then the people of Israel traveled on and camped at Oboth. ¹¹ They traveled from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim in the wilderness that faces Moab toward the east. ¹² From there they traveled on and camped in the Valley of Zered. ¹³ From there they traveled on and camped on the other side of the Arnon River, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites. The Arnon River forms the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ That is why it says in the scroll of the Wars of Yahweh,

"... Zahab ¹ in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,

¹⁵ the slope of the valleys that lead toward the town of Ar

and lie along the border of Moab."

¹⁶ From there they traveled to Beer, the well where Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather the people together for me to give them water."

¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song:

"Spring up, well!

Sing about it,

¹⁸ about the well that our leaders dug,

the well the nobles of the people dug,

with the scepter and their staffs."

Then from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah.

¹⁹ From Mattanah they traveled to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰ and from Bamoth to a valley in the land of Moab. That is where the top of Mount Pisgah looks down on the wilderness.

²¹ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites saying, ²² "Let us pass through your land. We will not turn into any field or vineyard. We will not drink the water from your wells. We will travel by the king's highway until we have crossed your border."

²³ But King Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. Instead, Sihon gathered all his army together and went out into the wilderness against Israel. He came to Jahaz, where he fought against Israel. ²⁴ Israel attacked the army of Sihon with the edge of the sword and took their land from the Arnon to the Jabbok river, as far as the land of the people of Ammon. Now the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. ²⁵ Israel took all the Amorite cities and lived in all of them, including Heshbon and all of its villages. ²⁶ Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab. Sihon had taken all his land from his territory to the Arnon River. ²⁷ That is why those who speak in proverbs say,

"Come to Heshbon.

Let the city of Sihon be rebuilt and established again.

²⁸ A fire blazed from Heshbon,

a flame from the city of Sihon

that devoured Ar of Moab,

and the owners of the high places of Arnon.

²⁹ Woe to you, Moab!

You have perished, people of Chemosh.

He has made his sons to be fugitives

and his daughters to be prisoners

of Sihon king of the Amorites.

³⁰ But we have conquered Sihon.

Heshbon is devastated all the way to Dibon.

We have defeated them all the way to Nophah,

which reaches to Medeba."

³¹ So Israel began to live in the Amorites' land. ³² Then Moses sent men to look at Jazer. They took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.

³³ Then they turned and went up by the road of Bashan. Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his army, to fight them at Edrei. ³⁴ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Do not fear him, because I have given you victory over him, all his army, and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon." ³⁵ So they killed him, his sons, and all his army, until none of his people were left alive. Then they took over his land.

¹Some modern English translations read, Waheb .

22 ¹ The people of Israel traveled on until they camped in the plains of Moab near Jericho, on the other side of the Jordan River from the city.

² Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ Moab was very afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was in terror of the people of Israel. ⁴ The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, "This multitude will eat up all that is around us as an ox eats up the grass in a field." Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor, at Pethor which is by the Euphrates River, in the land of his nation and his people. He called him and said, "Look, a nation has come here from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and they are right now next to me. ⁶ Please come now and curse this nation for me, because they are too strong for me. Perhaps then I can manage to attack them and drive them out of the land. I know that those you bless will be blessed, and that those you curse will be cursed."

⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left, taking payment for divination. They came to Balaam and spoke to him Balak's words. ⁸ Balaam said to them, "Stay here tonight. I will bring you what Yahweh says to me." So the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam that night. ⁹ God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men who came to you?" ¹⁰ Balaam answered God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent them to me. He said, ¹¹ 'Look, the people who have come from Egypt cover the surface of my land. Now come and curse them for me. Perhaps I will manage to fight them and drive them out.'" ¹² God replied to Balaam, "You must not go with those men. You must not curse the people of Israel because they have been blessed." ¹³ Balaam rose up in the morning and said to Balak's leaders, "Go back to your land because Yahweh refuses to allow me to go with you." ¹⁴ So the leaders of Moab left and went back to Balak. They said, "Balaam refused to come with us."

¹⁵ Balak sent again more leaders who were even more honored than the first group. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said to him, "Balak son of Zippor says this, 'Please let nothing stop you from coming to me, ¹⁷ because I will pay you extremely well and give you great honor, and I will do whatever you tell me to do. So please come and curse this people for me.'"

¹⁸ Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, "Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh, my God, and do less or more than what he tells me. ¹⁹ Now then, please wait here tonight too, so that I may learn anything further that Yahweh says to me." ²⁰ God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them. But only do what I tell you to do."

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the leaders of Moab. ²² But because he went, God's anger was kindled. The angel of Yahweh placed himself in the road as someone hostile to Balaam, who was riding on his donkey. Balaam's two servants were also with him. ²³ The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. The donkey turned off the road and went into a field. Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. ²⁴ Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow part of the road between some vineyards, with a wall on his right side and another wall on his left side. ²⁵ The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh again. She went against the wall and pinned Balaam's foot against it. Balaam struck her again. ²⁶ The angel of Yahweh went further and stood in another narrow place where there was no way to turn to either side. ²⁷ The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and she lay down under Balaam. Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸ Then Yahweh opened the donkey's mouth so she could talk. She said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that induced you to strike me these three times?" ²⁹ Balaam replied to the donkey, "It was because you acted so stupidly with me. I wish there were a sword in my hand. If there were, by now I would have killed you." ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life long to this present day? Have I ever been in the habit of doing such things to you before?" Balaam said, "No."

³¹ Then Yahweh opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed down and lay facedown. ³² The angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Look, I have come as someone hostile to you because your actions before me have been wicked. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you and spared her life." ³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, "I have sinned. I did not know that you stood against me in the road. So now, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back." ³⁵ But the angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, "Go on ahead with the men. But you must only speak the words that I tell you." So Balaam went with the leaders of Balak.

³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at a city in Moab at the Arnon, which is on the border. ³⁷ Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send men to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?" ³⁸ Then Balaam replied to Balak, "See, I have come to you. Do I now have any power to say anything? I can only say the words that God puts into my mouth." ³⁹ Balaam went with Balak, and they arrived at Kiriath Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Then Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep and gave some meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

⁴¹ In the morning, Balak took Balaam up to the high place of Baal. From there Balaam could see only a part of the Israelites in their camp.

¹ Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars here for me and prepare seven bulls and seven rams." ² So Balak did as Balaam requested. Then Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on every altar. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand at your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you." So he went away to a hilltop with no trees. ⁴ Then God met Balaam, and Balaam said to him, "I have built seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each one." ⁵ Yahweh put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak and speak to him." ⁶ So Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt offering, and all the leaders of Moab were with him. ⁷ Then Balaam began to speak his proverb and said,

"Balak has brought me from Aram,

the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.

'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said.

'Come, denounce Israel.'

⁸ How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce those whom Yahweh does not denounce?

⁹ For from the top of the rocks I see him;

from the hills I look at him.

See, there is a people who live alone

and do not consider themselves as just an ordinary nation.

¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob

or number even only one-fourth of Israel?

Let me die the death of a righteous person,

and let my life's end be like his!"

¹¹ Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them." ¹² Balaam answered and said, "Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?"

¹³ So Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the nearest of them, not all of them. There you will curse them for me." ¹⁴ So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim, to the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven more altars. He offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet with Yahweh over there." ¹⁶ So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, "Return to Balak and give him my message." ¹⁷ Balaam returned to him, and look, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. Then Balak said to him, "What has Yahweh said?"

¹⁸ Balaam began his prophecy. He said,

"Rise up, Balak, and hear.

Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

¹⁹ God is not a man, that he should lie,

or a human being, that he should change his mind.

Has he promised anything without doing it?

Has he said he would do something without carrying it out?

²⁰ Look, I have been commanded to bless.

God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.

²¹ He has not looked upon disaster in Jacob,

and he has not seen trouble in Israel.

Yahweh their God is with them,

and the shout of the king is among them.

²² God brought them out of Egypt

with strength like that of a wild ox.

²³ There is no sorcery that works against Jacob,

and no divination harms Israel.

Now it must be said about Jacob and Israel,

'Look what God has done!'

²⁴ Look, the people rise like a lioness,

as a lion emerges and attacks.

He does not lie down until he eats his victim

and drinks the blood of what he has killed."

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them or bless them at all." ²⁶ But Balaam answered and said to Balak, "Did I not tell you that I must say all that Yahweh tells me to say?" ²⁷ So Balak replied to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God for you to curse them there for me." ²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wilderness. ²⁹ Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams." ³⁰ So Balak did as Balaam had said; he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹ When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to use sorcery. Instead, he looked toward the wilderness. ² Balaam raised his eyes and saw that Israel was camped, each in their own tribe, and the Spirit of God came on him. ³ He received this prophecy and said,

"This is the declaration of Balaam son of Beor,

the declaration of the man whose eyes are wide open,

⁴ the declaration of the one who hears the words of God,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

who bows down with his eyes open.

⁵ How delightful are your tents, Jacob,

the place where you live, Israel!

⁶ Like valleys they spread out,

like gardens by the riverside,

like aloes planted by Yahweh,

like cedars beside the waters.

⁷ Water will flow from their buckets,

and their seed will have abundant water.

Their king will be greater than Agag,

and their kingdom will be honored.

⁸ God will bring him out of Egypt.

He will have strength like a wild ox.

He will eat up the nations who fight against him.

He will break their bones to pieces.

He will shoot them with his arrows.

⁹ He crouches down like a lion,

like a lioness. Who dares disturb him?

May everyone who blesses him be blessed;

may everyone who curses him be cursed."

¹⁰ Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam and he struck his hands together in anger. Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them three times. ¹¹ So flee home now. I said I would greatly reward you, but Yahweh has kept you from getting any reward."

¹² Then Balaam replied to Balak, "I said to the messengers that you sent to me, ¹³ 'Even if Balak gave me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond Yahweh's word and anything bad or good, or anything at all that I might want to do. I can say only what Yahweh tells me to say.' Did I not say this to them? ¹⁴ So now, look, I will go back to my people. But first let me advise you about what this people will do to your people in the days ahead."

¹⁵ Balaam began this prophecy. He said,

"This is the declaration of Balaam son of Beor,

the declaration of the man whose eyes are wide open.

¹⁶ This is the declaration of someone who hears words from God,

who has knowledge from the Most High,

who sees visions from the Almighty,

who bows down with open eyes.

¹⁷ I see him, but he is not here now.

I look at him, but he is not near.

A star will come out of Jacob,

and a scepter will rise out of Israel.

He will shatter Moab's leaders

and destroy all the descendants of Seth.

¹⁸ Then Edom will become a possession of Israel,

and Seir will also become their possession,

enemies of Israel,

whom Israel will conquer with force.

¹⁹ Out of Jacob a king will come who will have dominion,

and he will destroy the survivors of their city."

²⁰ Then Balaam looked at Amalek and began his prophecy. He said,

"Amalek was once the greatest of nations,

but his end will be eternal destruction."

²¹ Then Balaam looked toward the Kenites and began his prophecy. He said,

"The place where you live is strong,

and your nest is in the rocks.

²² Nevertheless you Kenites will be consumed by fire

when Assyria carries you away captive."

²³ Then Balaam began his final prophecy. He said,

"Woe! Who will survive when God does this?

²⁴ Ships will come from the coast of Cyprus ¹ ;

they will attack Assyria and will conquer Eber,

but they, too, will end in destruction."

²⁵ Then Balaam got up and left. He returned to his home, and Balak also went away.

¹Some modern English translations read, Kittim .

¹ Israel stayed in Shittim, and the men began to prostitute themselves with women of Moab, ² for the Moabites had invited the people to the sacrifices to their gods. So the people ate and bowed down to Moabite gods. ³ The men of Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel. ⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Kill all the leaders of the people and hang them up before me to expose them in the daylight, so that my fierce anger may turn away from Israel." ⁵ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you must kill his people who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor."

⁶ Then one of the men of the sons of Israel came and brought among his family members a Midianite woman. This happened in the sight of Moses and all the community of the people of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ When Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, saw that, he rose up from among the community and took a spear in his hand. ⁸ He followed the man of Israel into the tent and thrust the spear through both of their bodies, both the man of Israel and the woman. So a plague that God had sent on the people of Israel stopped. ⁹ Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand in number.

¹⁰ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹¹ "Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, has turned my rage away from the people of Israel because he was passionate with my zeal among them. So I have not consumed the people of Israel in my jealousy. ¹² Therefore say, 'Yahweh says, "Look, I am giving to Phinehas my covenant of peace. ¹³ For him and his descendants after him, it will be a covenant of an everlasting priesthood because he was zealous for me, his God. He has atoned for the people of Israel."'"

¹⁴ Now the name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of an ancestor's family among the Simeonites. ¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi daughter of Zur, who was head of a tribe and ancestral household in Midian.

¹⁶ So Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁷ "Treat the Midianites as enemies and attack them, ¹⁸ for they treated you like enemies with their deceitfulness. They led you into evil in the case of Peor and in the case of their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a leader in Midian, who was killed on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor."

¹ It came about after the plague that Yahweh spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He said, ² "Count all the community of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and up, by their ancestor's families, all who are able to go to war for Israel." ³ So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, ⁴ "Count the people, from twenty years old and up, as Yahweh commanded Moses and the people of Israel, who came out of the land of Egypt."

⁵ Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. From his son Hanok came the clan of the Hanokites. From Pallu came the clan of the Palluites.

⁶ From Hezron came the clan of the Hezronites. From Karmi came the clan of the Karmites.

⁷ These were the clans of Reuben, who numbered 43,730 men. ⁸ Eliab was a son of Pallu. ⁹ Eliab's sons were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These were the same Dathan and Abiram who were in the company of Korah when they rebelled against Moses and Aaron and rebelled against Yahweh. ¹⁰ The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when all his company died. At that time, fire devoured 250 men, who became a warning sign. ¹¹ But Korah's line did not die out.

¹² The clans of Simeon's descendants were these:

Through Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites,

through Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites,

through Jakin, the clan of the Jakinites,

¹³ through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites,

through Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.

¹⁴ These were the clans of Simeon's descendants, who numbered 22,200 men.

¹⁵ The clans of Gad's descendants were these:

Through Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites,

through Haggi, the clan of the Haggites,

through Shuni, the clan of the Shunites,

¹⁶ through Ozni, the clan of the Oznites,

through Eri, the clan of the Erites,

¹⁷ through Arod, the clan of the Arodites,

through Areli, the clan of the Arelites.

¹⁸ These were the clans of Gad's descendants, who numbered 40,500 men.

¹⁹ Judah's sons were Er and Onan, but these men died in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ The clans of Judah's other descendants were these:

through Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites,

through Perez, the clan of the Perezites, and

through Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.

²¹ The descendants of Perez were these:

Through Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites,

through Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.

²² These were the clans of Judah's descendants, who numbered 76,500 men.

²³ The clans of Issachar's descendants were these:

Through Tola, the clan of the Tolaites,

through Puah, the clan of the Puites,

²⁴ through Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites,

through Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.

²⁵ These were the clans of Issachar, who numbered 64,300 men.

²⁶ The clans of Zebulun's descendants were these:

Through Sered, the clan of the Seredites,

through Elon, the clan of the Elonites,

through Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites.

²⁷ These were the clans of the Zebulunites, who numbered 60,500 men.

²⁸ The clans of Joseph's descendants were Manasseh and Ephraim. ²⁹ The descendants of Manasseh were these:

through Makir, the clan of the Makirites (Makir was Gilead's father),

through Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.

³⁰ Gilead's descendants were these:

Through Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites,

through Helek, the clan of the Helekites,

³¹ through Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites,

through Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites,

³² through Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites,

through Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.

³³ Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters.

The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.

³⁴ These were the clans of Manasseh, who numbered 52,700 men.

³⁵ The clans of Ephraim's descendants were these:

Through Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites,

through Beker, the clan of the Bekerites,

through Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites.

³⁶ The descendants of Shuthelah were, by Eran, the clan of the Eranites.

³⁷ These were the clans of Ephraim's descendants, who numbered 32,500 men. These were Joseph's descendants, counted in each of their clans.

³⁸ The clans of Benjamin's descendants were these:

Through Bela, the clan of the Belaites,

through Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites,

through Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites,

³⁹ through Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites,

through Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites.

⁴⁰ The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman. From Ard came the clan of the Ardites, and from Naaman came the clan of the Naamites.

⁴¹ These were the clans of Benjamin's descendants. They numbered 45,600 men.

⁴² The clans of Dan's descendants were, by Shuham, the clans of the Shuhamites. These were the clans of Dan's descendants. ⁴³ All the clans of the Shuhamites numbered 64,400 men.

⁴⁴ The clans of Asher's descendants were these:

Through Imnah, the clan of the Imnites,

through Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites,

through Beriah, the clan of the Beriites.

⁴⁵ The descendants of Beriah were these:

Through Heber, the clan of the Heberites,

through Malkiel, the clan of the Malkielites.

⁴⁶ The name of Asher's daughter was Serah.

⁴⁷ These were the clans of Asher's descendants, who numbered 53,400 men.

⁴⁸ The clans of Naphtali's descendants were these:

Through Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites,

through Guni, the clan of the Gunites,

⁴⁹ through Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites,

through Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites.

⁵⁰ These were the clans of Naphtali's descendants, who numbered 45,400 men.

⁵¹ This was the complete count of men of Israel: 601,730.

⁵² Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ⁵³ "The land must be divided among these men as an inheritance according to the number of their names. ⁵⁴ To the larger clans you must give more inheritance, and to the smaller clans you must give less inheritance. To every family you must give an inheritance according to the number of men who were counted. ⁵⁵ However, the land must be divided by random lots. They must inherit the land according to the names of their ancestors' tribes. ⁵⁶ Their inheritance must be divided among the larger and the smaller clans, distributed to them by random lot."

⁵⁷ The Levite clans, counted clan by clan, were these:

Through Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites,

through Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites,

through Merari, the clan of the Merarites.

⁵⁸ The clans of Levi were these:

the clan of the Libnites,

the clan of the Hebronites,

the clan of the Mahlites,

the clan of the Mushites,

and the clan of the Korahites.

Kohath was Amram's ancestor.

⁵⁹ The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to Levites in Egypt. She bore to Amram their children, who were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ Nadab and Abihu died when they offered before Yahweh unacceptable fire.

⁶² The males who were counted among them numbered twenty-three thousand, all males one month old and up. But they were not counted among Israel's descendants because no inheritance was given to them among the people of Israel.

⁶³ These are the ones who were counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest. They counted the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. ⁶⁴ But among these there was no man who had been counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when the descendants of Israel were counted in the wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For Yahweh had said that all of those people would certainly die in the wilderness. There was not a man left among them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

¹ Then to Moses came the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh, of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and before all the community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said, ³ "Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company that gathered themselves together to oppose Yahweh, in the company of Korah. He died for his own sin, and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should our father's name be taken away from among his clan members because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's relatives." ⁵ So Moses brought their case before Yahweh.

⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ⁷ "Zelophehad's daughters are speaking correctly. You must certainly give them a possession as an inheritance among their father's relatives, and you must ensure that their father's inheritance passes on to them. ⁸ You must speak to the people of Israel and say, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you must cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, then you must give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his father's brothers. ¹¹ If his father has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his clan, and he must take it for his own. This will be a law established by decree for the people of Israel, as Yahweh has commanded me.'"

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, "Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. ¹³ After you have seen it, you, too, must be gathered to your people, like Aaron your brother. ¹⁴ This will happen because you two rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin during the strife of the congregation. There, when the water flowed from the rock, in your anger you failed to honor me as holy before the eyes of the whole community." These are the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to Yahweh and said, ¹⁶ "May you, Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all humanity, appoint a man over the community, ¹⁷ a man who may go out and come in before them and lead them out and bring them in, so that your community is not like sheep that have no shepherd." ¹⁸ Yahweh said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom my Spirit lives, and lay your hand on him. ¹⁹ Place him before Eleazar the priest and before all the community, and command him before their eyes to lead them. ²⁰ You must put some of your authority on him, so that all the community of the people of Israel may obey him. ²¹ He will go before Eleazar the priest to seek my will for him by the decisions of the Urim. It will be at his command that the people will go out and come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole community." ²² So Moses did as Yahweh had commanded him. He took Joshua and placed him before Eleazar the priest and all the community. ²³ Moses laid his hands on him and commanded him to lead, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ² "Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'You must offer sacrifices to me at the appointed times, the food of my offerings made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for me.' ³ You must also say to them, 'This is the offering made by fire that you must offer to Yahweh—male lambs a year old without blemish, two each day, as a regular burnt offering. ⁴ One lamb you must offer in the morning, and the other lamb you must offer in the evening. ⁵ You must offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering that was commanded at Mount Sinai to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ⁷ The drink offering with it must be one-fourth of a hin for one of the lambs. You must pour out in the holy place a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh. ⁸ The other lamb you must offer in the evening along with another grain offering like the one offered in the morning. You must also offer another drink offering with it, an offering made by fire, to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh.

⁹ On the Sabbath day you must offer two male lambs, each a year old without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, and the drink offering with it. ¹⁰ This is to be the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it.

¹¹ At the beginning of each month, you must offer a burnt offering to Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old without blemish. ¹² You must also offer three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with oil for each bull, and two-tenths of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with oil for the one ram. ¹³ You must also offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb. This is to be the burnt offering, to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ¹⁴ The people's drink offerings must be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for a lamb. This is to be the burnt offering for every month throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵ One male goat as a sin offering to Yahweh must be offered. This will be in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it.

¹⁶ During the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, comes Yahweh's Passover. ¹⁷ On the fifteenth day of this month a feast is to be held. For seven days, bread without yeast must be eaten. ¹⁸ On the first day, there must be a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day. ¹⁹ However, you must offer a sacrifice made by fire, a burnt offering to Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, without blemish. ²⁰ Along with the bull, you must offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and along with the ram, two-tenths. ²¹ With each of the seven lambs, you must offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, ²² and one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. ²³ You must offer these in addition to the regular burnt offering required each morning. ²⁴ As described here, you must offer these sacrifices daily, for the seven days of the Passover, the food of the offering made by fire, a sweet aroma for Yahweh. It must be offered in addition to the regular burnt offering and the drink offering with it. ²⁵ On the seventh day you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh, and you must not do regular work on that day.

²⁶ Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you offer a new grain offering to Yahweh in your Festival of Weeks, you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh, and you must not do regular work on that day. ²⁷ You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. ²⁸ Offer also grain offering to go with them: Fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for each bull and two-tenths for the one ram. ²⁹ Offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for each of the seven lambs, ³⁰ and one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. ³¹ When you offer those animals without blemish, along with their drink offerings, this must be in addition to the regular burnt offering and the grain offering with it.

¹ In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day. It will be a day when you blow trumpets. ² You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ³ You must offer with them their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, ⁴ and one-tenth for each lamb of the seven lambs. ⁵ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for yourselves. ⁶ Make these offerings in the seventh month in addition to all of the offerings you will make on the first of each month: the special burnt offering and the grain offering to go with it. These must be in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offerings. As you make these offerings, you will obey what has been decreed to produce a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to Yahweh.

⁷ On the tenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must humble yourselves and do no work. ⁸ You must offer a burnt offering to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. They must each be without blemish. ⁹ You must offer with them a grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram, ¹⁰ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the seven lambs. ¹¹ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering. This will be in addition to the sin offering of atonement, the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

¹² On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly to honor Yahweh. You must not do regular work on that day, and you must celebrate the festival for him seven days. ¹³ You must offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old. Each must be without blemish. ¹⁴ You must offer with them a grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ephah for every bull of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each ram of the two rams, ¹⁵ and a tenth of an ephah for each of the fourteen lambs. ¹⁶ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and the drink offering with it.

¹⁷ On the second day of the assembly, you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ¹⁸ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ¹⁹ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

²⁰ On the third day of the assembly, you must offer eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ²¹ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ²² You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

²³ On the fourth day of the assembly, you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ²⁴ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ²⁵ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

²⁶ On the fifth day of the assembly, you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ²⁷ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ²⁸ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

²⁹ On the sixth day of the assembly, you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ³⁰ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ³¹ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

³² On the seventh day of the assembly, you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ³³ You must make with them a grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ³⁴ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

³⁵ On the eighth day you must have another solemn assembly. You must not do regular work on that day. ³⁶ You must make a burnt offering, an offering made by fire to produce a sweet aroma for Yahweh. You must offer one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, each without blemish. ³⁷ You must offer their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, making as many offerings as were commanded. ³⁸ You must offer one male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering, its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

³⁹ These are what you must offer to Yahweh at your fixed festivals. These must be in addition to your vows and freewill offerings. You must offer these as your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and fellowship offerings.'" ⁴⁰ Moses told the people of Israel everything that Yahweh had commanded him to say.

¹ Moses spoke to the leaders of the tribes of the people of Israel. He said, "This is what Yahweh has commanded. ² When a man makes a vow to Yahweh, or swears an oath to bind himself with a binding promise, he must not break his word. He must keep his promise to do everything that comes out of his mouth. ³ When a young woman living in her father's house makes a vow to Yahweh and binds herself with a promise, while within the house of her father, ⁴ if her father hears the vow and the promise by which she has bound herself, and if he says nothing to reverse her, then all her vows will remain in force, and every pledge by which she has bound herself will stand. ⁵ But if her father overrules her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; Yahweh will forgive her because her father has forbidden her. ⁶ If she marries a husband after she makes a vow or her lips uttered a rash promise by which she has bound herself, ⁷ and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows will stand, and the pledges by which she bound herself will stand. ⁸ But if her husband stops her on the day that he hears about it, then he cancels the vow that she has made, the rash talk of her lips with which she has bound herself, and Yahweh will forgive her. ⁹ But any vow of a widow or a divorced woman will stand against her. ¹⁰ If a woman made a vow in her husband's house or bound herself by a promise with an oath, ¹¹ and her husband hears of it but he says nothing to her and he does not oppose her, then all her vows will stand, and every pledge by which she bound herself will stand. ¹² But if her husband cancels them on the day that he heard about them, then whatever came out of her lips about her vows or promises will not stand. Her husband has canceled them, and Yahweh will forgive her. ¹³ Any vow and any binding oath to afflict her, her husband may make it stand or her husband may cancel it. ¹⁴ But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows and binding promises that she has made, and they will stand, because he has said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them. ¹⁵ If her husband cancels his wife's vow after he has heard about them, then he will be responsible for her guilt." ¹⁶ These are the statutes that Yahweh commanded Moses to announce—statutes for what is between a man and his wife and between a father and his daughter when she is in her youth in her father's family.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ² "Take vengeance on the Midianites for what they did to the people of Israel. After doing that, you will die and be gathered to your people." ³ So Moses spoke to the people. He said, "Arm some of your men for war so they may go against Midian and carry out Yahweh's vengeance on it. ⁴ Every tribe throughout Israel must send a thousand soldiers to war." ⁵ So out of Israel's thousands of men, one thousand from each tribe were provided from the clans of Israel, twelve thousand men armed for war. ⁶ Then Moses sent them to battle, a thousand from every tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and with some articles from the holy place and the trumpets in his possession for sounding signals. ⁷ They fought against Midian, as Yahweh had commanded Moses. They killed every man. ⁸ They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their dead: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor, with the sword. ⁹ The army of Israel took captive the women of Midian, their children, all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods. They took these as plunder. ¹⁰ They burned all their cities where they lived and all their camps. ¹¹ They took all the plunder and prisoners, both people and animals. ¹² They brought the prisoners, the booty, and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the community of the people of Israel. They brought these to the camp in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan near Jericho.

¹³ Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. ¹⁴ But Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from serving in the battle. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, "Have you let all the women live? ¹⁶ Look, these women caused the people of Israel, through Balaam's advice, to commit faithlessness against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, when the plague spread among Yahweh's community. ¹⁷ Now then, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by lying with him. ¹⁸ But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man by lying with him. ¹⁹ All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you must purify yourselves and your captives. ²⁰ You must purify every garment and everything made of animal hide and goats' hair, and everything made of wood."

²¹ Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to war, "This is a decreed law that Yahweh has commanded Moses: ²² The gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead, ²³ and everything that resists fire, you must put it through the fire, and it will become clean. You must then purify those things with the water of cleansing. Whatever cannot go through the fire you must cleanse with that water. ²⁴ You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and then you will become clean. Afterward you may come into Israel's camp."

²⁵ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ²⁶ "You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the community's ancestral clans are to count all the plundered things that were captured, both men and animals. ²⁷ Divide the plunder into two parts. Divide it between the soldiers who went out to battle and all the rest of the community. ²⁸ Then levy a tax to be given to me from the soldiers who went out to battle. This tax must be one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats. ²⁹ Take this tax from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest for a contribution to Yahweh. ³⁰ Also from the people of Israel's half, you must take one out of every fifty—from the persons, cattle, donkeys, and sheep—from all the animals. Give these to the Levites who perform the duties of my tabernacle." ³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

³² Now the booty that remained of the spoil that the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep, ³³ seventy-two thousand cattle, ³⁴ sixty-one thousand donkeys, ³⁵ and thirty-two thousand women who had not known a man by lying with him. ³⁶ The half that was kept for the soldiers numbered 337,000 sheep, ³⁷ and the tax for Yahweh of the sheep was 675.

³⁸ The cattle were thirty-six thousand, from which the tax for Yahweh was seventy-two.

³⁹ The donkeys were 30,500 from which the tax for Yahweh was sixty-one.

⁴⁰ The persons were sixteen thousand women, from which the tax for Yahweh was thirty-two.

⁴¹ Moses took the tax that was to be a contribution presented to Yahweh. He gave it to Eleazar the priest, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

⁴² As for the people of Israel's half that Moses had taken from the soldiers who had gone to war— ⁴³ the community's half was 337,500 sheep, ⁴⁴ thirty-six thousand oxen, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys, ⁴⁶ and sixteen thousand women. ⁴⁷ From the people of Israel's half, Moses took one out of every fifty, both of people and animals. He gave them to the Levites who performed the duties of Yahweh's tabernacle, as Yahweh had commanded him to do.

⁴⁸ Then the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and the captains over hundreds, came to Moses. ⁴⁹ They said to Moses, "Your servants have counted the soldiers who are under our command, and not one man is missing. ⁵⁰ We have brought Yahweh's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Yahweh." ⁵¹ Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold—all the articles of craftsmanship. ⁵² All the gold of the contribution that they gave to Yahweh—the offerings from the commanders of thousands and from the captains of hundreds—weighed 16,750 shekels. ⁵³ Each soldier had taken plunder, each man for himself. ⁵⁴ Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds. They took it into the tent of meeting as a reminder of the people of Israel for Yahweh.

¹ Now the descendants of Reuben and of Gad had large numbers of livestock. When they saw the land of Jazer and Gilead, the land was a wonderful place for livestock. ² So the descendants of Gad and Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the community. They said, ³ "This is a list of places we have surveyed: Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. ⁴ These are the lands that Yahweh attacked before the community of Israel, and they are good places for livestock. We, your servants, have a lot of livestock." ⁵ They said, "If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to us, your servants, as a possession. Do not make us cross over the Jordan."

⁶ Moses replied to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, "Should your brothers go to war while you settle down here? ⁷ Why discourage the hearts of the people of Israel from going over into the land that Yahweh has given them? ⁸ Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to examine the land. ⁹ They went up to the Valley of Eshkol. They saw the land and then discouraged the hearts of the people of Israel so that they refused to enter the land that Yahweh had given them. ¹⁰ Yahweh's anger was kindled on that day. He took an oath and said, ¹¹ 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and up, will see the land about which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not completely followed me, except for ¹² Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun. Only Caleb and Joshua have completely followed me.' ¹³ So Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel. He made them wander around in the wilderness for forty years until all the generation who had done evil in his sight was destroyed. ¹⁴ Look, you have risen up in your fathers' place, like just more sinful men, to add to Yahweh's burning anger toward Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn away from following him, he will again leave Israel in the wilderness and you will have destroyed all this people."

¹⁶ So they came near Moses and said, "Allow us to build fences here for our livestock and cities for our families. ¹⁷ However, we ourselves will be ready and armed to go with Israel's army until we have led them into their place. But our families will live in the fortified cities because of the other people who still live in this land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our houses until every one of the people of Israel has obtained his inheritance. ¹⁹ We will not inherit the land with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance is here on the east side of the Jordan."

²⁰ So Moses replied to them, "If you do what you say, if you arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to war, ²¹ then every one of your armed men must cross over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has driven out his enemies from before him ²² and the land is subdued before him. Then afterward you may return. You will be guiltless toward Yahweh and toward Israel. This land will be your possession before Yahweh. ²³ But if you do not do so, look, you will have sinned against Yahweh. Be sure that your sin will find you out. ²⁴ Build cities for your families and pens for your sheep; then do what you have said." ²⁵ The descendants of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses and said, "Your servants will do as you, our master, commands. ²⁶ Our little ones, our wives, our cattle, and all our livestock will stay there in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷ However, we, your servants, every man who is armed for war, will cross over before Yahweh to battle, as our master says."

²⁸ So Moses gave instructions concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the ancestor's clans in the tribes of the people of Israel. ²⁹ Moses said to them, "If the descendants of Gad and Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man who is armed to battle before Yahweh, and if the land is subdued before you, then you will give them the land of Gilead as a possession. ³⁰ But if they do not cross over with you armed, then they will acquire their possessions among you in the land of Canaan." ³¹ So the descendants of Gad and Reuben answered and said, "As Yahweh has said to us, your servants, this is what we will do. ³² We will cross over armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, but our possessed inheritance will remain with us on this side of the Jordan."

³³ So to the descendants of Gad and Reuben, and also to the half tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan. He gave to them the land, and distributed to them all its cities with their borders, the cities of the land around them. ³⁴ The descendants of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities with pens for sheep. ³⁷ The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal Meon—their names were later changed, and Sibmah. They gave other names to the cities that they rebuilt. ³⁹ The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it away from the Amorites who were in it. ⁴⁰ Then Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and his people settled there. ⁴¹ Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured its towns and called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴² Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.

¹ These were the movements of the people of Israel after they left the land of Egypt by their armed groups under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. ² Moses wrote down the places from where they left to where they went, as commanded by Yahweh. These were their movements, departure after departure. ³ They traveled from Rameses during the first month, leaving on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the morning after the Passover, the people of Israel left openly, in the sight of all the Egyptians. ⁴ This happened while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, those whom Yahweh had killed among them, for he also made judgments against their gods.

⁵ The people of Israel set out from Rameses and camped at Sukkoth. ⁶ They set out from Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. ⁷ They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, which is opposite Baal Zephon, where they camped opposite Migdol. ⁸ Then they set out from opposite Pi Hahiroth and passed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness. They traveled three days' journey into the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. ⁹ They set out from Marah and arrived at Elim. At Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. That is where they camped. ¹⁰ They set out from Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds. ¹¹ They set out from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the wilderness of Sin. ¹² They set out from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. ¹³ They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush. ¹⁴ They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where no water was found for the people to drink. ¹⁵ They set out from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. ¹⁶ 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 They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. ¹⁹ They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. ²⁰ They set out from Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah. ²¹ They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah. ²² They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. ²³ They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. ²⁵ They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. ²⁶ They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. ²⁷ They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah. ²⁸ They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah. ²⁹ They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. ³⁰ They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. ³¹ They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan. ³² They set out from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad. ³³ They set out from Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. ³⁴ They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. ³⁵ They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. ³⁶ They set out from Ezion Geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin at Kadesh. ³⁷ They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

³⁸ Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at Yahweh's command and died there in the fortieth year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month. ³⁹ Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

⁴⁰ The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the southern wilderness in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the people of Israel.

⁴¹ They set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. ⁴² They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. ⁴³ They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth. ⁴⁴ They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab. ⁴⁵ They set out from Iye Abarim 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, opposite Nebo. ⁴⁸ 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 to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰ Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, ⁵¹ "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ⁵² then you must drive out all the land's inhabitants before you. You must destroy all their carved figures. You must destroy all their cast metal images and demolish all their high places. ⁵³ You must take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given you the land to possess. ⁵⁴ You must inherit the land by lot, according to each clan. To the larger clans you must give a larger share of land, and to the smaller clans you must give a smaller share of land. Wherever the lot falls to each clan, that land will belong to it. You will inherit the land according to your ancestors' tribes. ⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the land's inhabitants before you, then the people you allow to stay will become like objects in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will make your lives difficult in the land where you settle. ⁵⁶ Then it will happen that what I now intend to do to those people, I will do also to you.'"

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ² "Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, the land that will belong to you, the land of Canaan and its borders,

³ your southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. The eastern end of the southern border will be on a line that ends at the southern end of the Salt Sea. ⁴ Your border will turn south from the hill of Akrabbim and pass along through the wilderness of Zin. From there, it will run south of Kadesh Barnea and continue to Hazar Addar and further to Azmon. ⁵ From there, the border will turn from Azmon toward the brook of Egypt and follow it to the sea.

⁶ The western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea. This will be your western border.

⁷ Your northern border will extend along a line that you must mark out from the Great Sea to Mount Hor, ⁸ then from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, then on to Zedad. ⁹ Then the border will continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

¹⁰ Then you must mark out your eastern border from Hazar Enan south to Shepham. ¹¹ Then the eastern border will go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain. The border will continue along the east side of the Sea of Kinnereth. ¹² Then the border will continue south along the Jordan River to the Salt Sea and continue down the eastern border of the Salt Sea. This will be your land, following its borders all around.'"

¹³ Then Moses commanded the people of Israel and said, "This is the land that you will receive by lot as a possession, which Yahweh has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half tribe. ¹⁴ The tribe of the descendants of Reuben, following the assignment of property to their ancestor's tribe, and the tribe of the descendants of Gad, following the assignment of property to their ancestor's tribe, and the half tribe of Manasseh have all received their land. ¹⁵ The two tribes and the half tribe have received their possession beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise."

¹⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁷ "These are the names of the men who will divide the land for your inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. ¹⁸ You must choose one leader from every tribe to divide the land as their possession. ¹⁹ These are the names of the men:

From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.

²⁰ From the tribe of the descendants of Simeon, Shemuel son of Ammihud.

²¹ From the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon.

²² From of the tribe of the descendants of Dan a leader, Bukki son of Jogli.

²³ From the descendants of Joseph, of the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh a leader, Hanniel son of Ephod.

²⁴ From the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim a leader, Kemuel son of Shiphtan.

²⁵ From the tribe of the descendants of Zebulun a leader, Elizaphan son of Parnak.

²⁶ From the tribe of the descendants of Issachar a leader, Paltiel son of Azzan.

²⁷ From the tribe of the descendants of Asher a leader, Ahihud son of Shelomi.

²⁸ From the tribe of the descendants of Naphtali a leader, Pedahel son of Ammihud."

²⁹ Yahweh commanded these men to divide the land of Canaan and to give it to each of the tribes of Israel as their possession.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho and said, ² "Command the people of Israel to give some of their own shares of the inheritance that they possess to the Levites. They must give them cities to live in and pastureland surrounding those cities. ³ The Levites will have these cities to live in. The pastureland will be for their cattle, their flocks, and all their other animals. ⁴ The pasturelands around the cities that you will give to the Levites must extend from the city walls for one thousand cubits in every direction. ⁵ You must measure two thousand cubits from outside the city on the east side, and two thousand cubits to the south side, two thousand cubits to the west side, and two thousand cubits to the north side. This will be the pasturelands for their cities. The cities will be in the center. ⁶ Six of the cities that you will give to Levites must serve as cities of refuge. You must provide these as places to which a person who has killed someone can flee. Also provide forty-two other cities. ⁷ The cities that you give to the Levites will total forty-eight. You must give their pasturelands with them. ⁸ As for the cities which you will give from the possession of the children of Israel, from tribes with many you shall take many, and from tribes with few you shall take few. Every tribe according to its inheritance shall give some of his cities to the Levites."

⁹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹⁰ "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, ¹¹ then you must choose cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, a place to which a person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee. ¹² These cities must be your refuge from the avenger, so that the killer will not die without first standing trial before the community. ¹³ You must choose six cities as cities of refuge. ¹⁴ You must provide three cities beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan. They will be cities of refuge. ¹⁵ For the people of Israel, for the foreigner, and for the sojourner, these six cities will serve as a refuge to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally can flee.

¹⁶ But if an accused man has struck his victim with an instrument of iron, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. ¹⁷ If an accused man has struck his victim with a stone in his hand that might kill the victim, and if his victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. ¹⁸ If an accused man has struck his victim with a wooden weapon that might kill the victim, and if the victim dies, then the accused is indeed a murderer. He must certainly be put to death. ¹⁹ The avenger of blood must put the murderer to death. When he meets him, the avenger of blood must put him to death. ²⁰ If he strikes another in hatred or throws something at him, while hiding to ambush him, so that the victim dies, ²¹ or if he strikes him down in hatred with his hand so that the victim dies, then the accused who struck him must surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood may put the murderer to death when he meets him.

²² But if an accused man suddenly hits a victim without premeditated hate or throws something that hits the victim without lying in wait ²³ or if he throws a stone that could kill a victim without seeing the victim, then the accused was not the victim's enemy; he was not trying to hurt the victim. But this is what to do if the victim dies anyway. ²⁴ In that case, the community must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood on the basis of these rules. ²⁵ The community must rescue the killer from the power of the avenger of blood. The community must return the accused to the city of refuge to which he had originally fled. He must live there until the death of the current high priest, the one who was anointed with the holy oil. ²⁶ But if the killer at any time goes beyond the border of the city of refuge to which he fled, ²⁷ and if the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and if he kills the killer, the avenger of blood will not be guilty of murder. ²⁸ This is because the accused man should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest, the killer may return to the land where he has his own property.

²⁹ These laws must be statutes for you through all your people's generations in all the places where you live. ³⁰ Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be killed, as testified to by the words of witnesses. But one witness's word alone may not cause any person to be put to death. ³¹ Also, you must not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of murder. He must certainly be put to death. ³² You must not accept ransom for the one who has fled to a city of refuge. You must not in this way allow him to reside on his own property until the high priest dies. ³³ Do not pollute in this way the land where you live, because blood from murder pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land when blood has been shed on it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. ³⁴ So you must not defile the land in which you live because I am living in it. I, Yahweh, live among the people of Israel.'"

¹ Then the leaders of the ancestors' families of the clan of Gilead son of Makir (who was Manasseh's son), who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and before the leaders who were the heads of the ancestor's families of the people of Israel. ² They said, "Yahweh commanded you, our master, to give a share of land by lot to the people of Israel. You were commanded by Yahweh to give the possession of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. ³ But if his daughters marry men in another tribe of the people of Israel, then their share of land will be removed from our ancestor's share. It will be added to the share of the tribes that they join. In that case, it will be removed from the assigned share of our inheritance. ⁴ In that case, when the year of Jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their possession will be joined to the possession of the tribe that they have joined. In this way, their possession will be taken away from the possession of our ancestors' tribe."

⁵ So Moses gave a command to the people of Israel, at Yahweh's word. He said, "What the tribe of Joseph's descendants says is right. ⁶ This is what Yahweh commands concerning Zelophehad's daughters. He says, 'Let them be married to whom they think best, but they must marry only within the clan of the tribe of their father.' ⁷ No possession of the people of Israel must change from one tribe to another. Each one of the people of Israel must continue with the possession of his ancestor's tribe. ⁸ Every woman of the people of Israel who has a possession in her tribe must marry someone from the clans belonging to her father's tribe. This is so that everyone of the people of Israel may own an inheritance from his ancestors. ⁹ No share may change hands from one tribe to another. Everyone of the tribes of the people of Israel must keep his own inheritance."

¹⁰ So Zelophehad's daughters did as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, married descendants of Manasseh. ¹² They married into the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph. In this way, their inheritances remained in the tribe to which their father's clan belonged.

¹³ These are the commands and the decrees that Yahweh gave by Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain of the Jordan River valley over against Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. ² It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. ³ It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the people of Israel, telling them all that Yahweh commanded him concerning them. ⁴ This was after Yahweh had attacked Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth at Edrei. ⁵ Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to announce these instructions, saying,

⁶ "Yahweh our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have lived long enough in this hill country. ⁷ Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there in the plain of the Jordan River valley, in the hill country, in the lowlands, in the Negev, and by the seashore—the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. ⁸ Look, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their descendants after them.'

⁹ I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to carry you myself alone. ¹⁰ Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and, look, you are today as the multitude of the stars of heaven. ¹¹ May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you! ¹² But how can I myself alone carry your loads, your burdens, and your disputes? ¹³ Take wise men, understanding men, and men of good repute from each tribe, and I will make them heads over you.' ¹⁴ You answered me and said, 'The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.' ¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and men of good repute, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. ¹⁶ I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is with him. ¹⁷ You will not show partiality to anyone in a dispute; you will hear the small and the great alike. You will not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. The dispute that is too hard for you, you will bring to me, and I will hear it.' ¹⁸ I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

¹⁹ We journeyed away from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw, on our way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea. ²⁰ I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God is giving to us. ²¹ Look, Yahweh your God has set the land before you; go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you; do not be afraid, neither be discouraged.' ²² Every one of you came to me and said, 'Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may search out the land for us, and bring us word about the way by which we should attack, and about the cities to which we will come.' ²³ The advice pleased me well; I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe. ²⁴ They turned and went up into the hill country, came to the Valley of Eshkol, and scouted it. ²⁵ They took some of the produce of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. They also brought us word and said, 'It is a good land that Yahweh our God is giving to us.'

²⁶ Yet you refused to attack, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God. ²⁷ You complained in your tents and said, "It is because Yahweh hated us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. ²⁸ Where can we go now? Our brothers have made our heart to melt, saying, 'Those people are bigger and taller than we are; their cities are large and are fortified up to the heavens; moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'" ²⁹ Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, neither be afraid of them. ³⁰ Yahweh your God, who goes before you, he will fight for you, like everything that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, ³¹ and also in the wilderness, where you have seen how Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.' ³² Yet in spite of this word you did not believe Yahweh your God, ³³ who went before you on the way to find a place for you to make camp, in fire by night and in a cloud by day.

³⁴ Yahweh heard the sound of your words and was angry; he swore and said, ³⁵ 'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it and I will give him and his descendants the land that he has stepped on, because he wholly followed Yahweh.' ³⁷ Also Yahweh was angry with me because of you, saying, 'You also will not go in there; ³⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he will go in there; encourage him, for he will lead Israel to inherit it. ³⁹ Moreover, your little children, the ones you said would be victims, who today have no knowledge of good or evil—they will go in there. To them I will give it, and they will possess it. ⁴⁰ But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness along the way to the Sea of Reeds.'

⁴¹ Then you answered and said to me, 'We have sinned against Yahweh; we will go up and fight, and we will follow all that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do.' Every man among you girded on his weapons of war, and you were ready to attack the hill country. ⁴² Yahweh said to me, 'Say to them, "Do not attack and do not fight, for I will not be with you, and you will be defeated by your enemies.' ⁴³ I spoke to you in this way, but you did not listen. You rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh; you were arrogant and attacked the hill country. ⁴⁴ But the Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you like bees, and crushed you in Seir, as far as Hormah. ⁴⁵ You returned and wept before Yahweh; but Yahweh did not listen to your voice, nor did he pay attention to you. ⁴⁶ So you stayed in Kadesh many days, all the days that you stayed there.

¹ Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Sea of Reeds, as Yahweh had spoken to me; we went around Mount Seir for many days. ² Yahweh spoke to me, saying, ³ 'You have gone around this mountain long enough; turn northward. ⁴ Command the people, saying, "You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful ⁵ not to fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not even enough for the sole of a foot to step on; for I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. ⁶ You will purchase food from them for money, so that you may eat; you will also buy water from them for money, so that you may drink. ⁷ For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness. For these forty years Yahweh your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."' ⁸ So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, from Elath and from Ezion Geber. Then we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. ⁹ Yahweh said to me, 'Do not trouble Moab, and do not fight with them in battle. For I will not give you his land for your own possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot, for their possession.' ¹⁰ (The Emites lived there previously, a people as great, as many, and as tall as the Anakim; ¹¹ these also are considered to be the Rephaim, like the Anakim; but the Moabites call them the Emites. ¹² The Horites also lived in Seir previously, but the descendants of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them and lived in their place, like Israel did to the land of his possession that Yahweh gave to them.) ¹³ "'Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.' So we went over the brook Zered. ¹⁴ Now the days from when we came from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years. It was by that time that all that generation of the men fit for fighting were gone from the people, as Yahweh had sworn to them. ¹⁵ Moreover, the hand of Yahweh was against that generation in order to destroy them from the people until they were gone.

¹⁶ So it happened, when all the men fit for fighting were dead and gone from among the people, ¹⁷ that Yahweh spoke to me, saying, ¹⁸ 'You are today to pass over Ar, the border of Moab. ¹⁹ When you come near opposite the people of Ammon, do not trouble them or fight 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 descendants of Lot as a possession.'" ²⁰ (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— ²¹ a people as great, as many, and as tall as the Anakim. But Yahweh destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they succeeded them and lived in their place. ²² This Yahweh also did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them, and the descendants of Esau succeeded them and have lived in their place even until today. ²³ As for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.) ²⁴ "'Now rise up, go on your journey, and pass over the Valley of the Arnon; look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and fight with him in battle. ²⁵ Today I will begin to put the fear and terror of you on the peoples that are under the whole sky; they will hear a report about you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.'

²⁶ I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ²⁷ 'Let me pass through your land; I will go along the highway; I will turn neither to the right hand nor to the left. ²⁸ You will sell me food for money, so that I may eat; give me water for money, so that I may drink; only let me pass through on my feet; ²⁹ as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir, and as the Moabites who live in Ar, did for me; until I pass over the Jordan into the land that Yahweh our God is giving us.' ³⁰ But Sihon, king of Heshbon, would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God had hardened his mind and made his heart obstinate, that he might defeat him by your might, which he has now done today. ³¹ Yahweh said to me, 'Look, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before you; begin to possess it, in order that you may inherit his land.' ³² Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. ³³ Yahweh our God gave him over to us and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. ³⁴ We took all his cities at that time and completely destroyed every city—men and the women and the little ones; we left no survivor. ³⁵ Only the livestock we took as booty for ourselves, along with the spoil of the cities that we had taken. ³⁶ From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, all the way to Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. Yahweh our God gave them into our hands. ³⁷ It was only to the land of the descendants of Ammon that you did not go, as well as all the side of the Jabbok River, and the cities of the hill country—wherever Yahweh our God had forbidden us to go.

¹ Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, came and attacked us, he and all his people, to fight at Edrei. ² Yahweh said to me, 'Do not fear him; for I have given you victory over him and have put all his people and his land under your control. You will do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.' ³ So Yahweh our God also gave us victory over Og the king of Bashan, and all his people were put under our control. We struck them down until not one survivor remained for him. ⁴ We took all his cities at that time. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ⁵ These were all cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; this was besides very many unwalled villages. ⁶ We completely destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, completely destroying every city—men and the women and the little ones. ⁷ But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves. ⁸ At that time we took the land 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 (Mount Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians, and the Amorites call it Senir) ¹⁰ and all the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and all Bashan, all the way to Salekah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan." ¹¹ (For of the remnant of the Rephaim, only Og king of Bashan had remained. Look! His bed was a bed of iron. Was it not in Rabbah, where the descendants of Ammon live? It was nine cubits long and four cubits wide, the way people measure.)

¹² "This land that we took in possession at that time—from Aroer, that is by the Valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead, and its cities—I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. ¹³ The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob in Bashan was called the land of Rephaim. ¹⁴ Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took all the region of Argob to the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites. He called the region, even Bashan, by his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.) ¹⁵ I gave Gilead to Makir. ¹⁶ To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave territory from Gilead to the Valley of the Arnon—the middle of the valley is the territory's border—and to the Jabbok River, which is the border with the descendants of Ammon. ¹⁷ Another of its borders is also the plain of the Jordan River valley, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea) to the slopes of Mount Pisgah eastward.

¹⁸ I commanded you at that time, saying, 'Yahweh your God has given you this land to possess it; you, all the men of war, will pass over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. ¹⁹ But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock), will stay in your cities that I have given you, ²⁰ until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers, as he has to you, until they also possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving them beyond the Jordan; then will you return, every man of you, to your own property that I have given you.' ²¹ I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings; Yahweh will do the same to all the kingdoms where you go over. ²² You will not fear them, for Yahweh your God is the one who will fight for you.'

²³ I earnestly appealed to Yahweh at that time, saying, ²⁴ 'O Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or in earth that can do the same works as you have done, and the same mighty acts? ²⁵ Let me go over, I beg you, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and also Lebanon.' ²⁶ But Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he did not listen to me. Yahweh said to me, 'Let this be enough for you—speak no more to me about this matter: ²⁷ go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward, northward, southward, and eastward; look with your eyes, for you will not go over the Jordan. ²⁸ Instead, instruct Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will go over before this people, and he will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.' ²⁹ So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

¹ Now, Israel, listen to the laws and the decrees that I am about to teach you, to do them; so that you may live and go in and possess the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ² You will not add to the words that I command you, neither will you diminish them, so that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am about to command you. ³ Your eyes have seen what Yahweh did because of Baal Peor; for all the men who followed the Baal of Peor, Yahweh your God has destroyed them from among you. ⁴ But you who clung to Yahweh your God are alive today, every one of you. ⁵ Look, I have taught you laws and decrees, as Yahweh my God had commanded me, that you should do so in the midst of the land which you are going into in order to possess it. ⁶ Therefore keep them and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear about all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' ⁷ For what other great nation is there that has a god so near to them, as Yahweh our God is whenever we call upon him? ⁸ What other great nation is there that has laws and decrees so righteous as all this law that I am setting before you today?

⁹ Only pay attention and carefully guard yourself, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not leave your heart for all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children. ¹⁰ On the day that you stood before Yahweh your God at Horeb, when Yahweh said to me, 'Assemble me the people, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.' ¹¹ You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. ¹² Yahweh spoke to you out of the middle of the fire; you heard the voice with its words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice. ¹³ He declared to you his covenant that he commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments. He wrote them on two tablets of stone. ¹⁴ Yahweh commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, so that you might do them in the land that you are crossing over to take possession of it.

¹⁵ So watch yourselves carefully—for you saw no kind of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb out of the middle of the fire— ¹⁶ that you do not corrupt yourselves by making a carved image in the form of any figure, in the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷ the likeness of any animal on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, ¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. ¹⁹ You must not lift your eyes up to the heavens and look at the sun, the moon, or the stars—all the host of the heavens—and be drawn away to worship them and adore them—those things of which Yahweh your God has given a share to all the peoples under all the heavens. ²⁰ But Yahweh has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of his own inheritance, as you are today. ²¹ Yahweh was angry with me because of you; he swore that I would not go over the Jordan, and that I would not go into the good land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance. ²² Rather, I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you will go over and possess that good land. ²³ Pay attention to yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything that Yahweh your God has forbidden you to make. ²⁴ For Yahweh your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

²⁵ When you beget children and children's children, and when you will have been in the land for a long time, and if you corrupt yourselves and make a carved figure in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God, to provoke him to anger— ²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from off the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but you will be completely destroyed. ²⁷ Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations, where Yahweh will lead you away. ²⁸ There you will serve other gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. ²⁹ But from there you will seek Yahweh your God, and you will find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you are in distress, and when all these things will have come on you, in those later days you will return to Yahweh your God and listen to his voice. ³¹ For Yahweh your God is a merciful God; he will not fail you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers that he swore to them.

³² Ask now about the days that are past, which were before your time, since the day that God created man on the earth, ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has been anything so great as this, or has anything like it ever been heard? ³³ Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? ³⁴ Or has God ever attempted to go and take for himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, as everything that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵ To you these things were shown, so that you might know that Yahweh is God, and that there is no one else besides him. ³⁶ Out of heaven he made you to hear his voice, so that he might instruct you; on earth he made you see his great fire; you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. ³⁷ Because he loved your fathers, he chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt with his presence, with his great power; ³⁸ in order to drive out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as today. ³⁹ Know therefore today, and lay it on your heart, that Yahweh is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no one else. ⁴⁰ You will keep his statutes and his commandments that 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 Yahweh your God is giving you forever."

⁴¹ Then Moses selected three cities on the east side of the Jordan, ⁴² so that anyone might flee to one of them if he killed another person accidentally, without being his enemy previously. By fleeing to one of these cities, he might survive. ⁴³ They were: Bezer in the wilderness, the plain country, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

⁴⁴ This is the law that Moses placed before the people of Israel; ⁴⁵ these are the covenant decrees, laws, and ordinances that he spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt, ⁴⁶ when they were east of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel had defeated when they came out of Egypt. ⁴⁷ They took his land as a possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan—these, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the east. ⁴⁸ This territory went from Aroer, on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, to Mount Siyon (or Mount Hermon), ⁴⁹ and included all of the plain of the Jordan River valley, eastward beyond the Jordan, to the Sea of the Arabah, to the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

¹ Moses called to all Israel and said to them, "Listen, Israel, to the statutes and the decrees that I will speak in your ears today, that you may learn them and keep them. ² Yahweh our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. ³ Yahweh did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with us, all of us alive here today. ⁴ Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mount out of the middle of the fire ⁵ (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to reveal to you his word; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain). Yahweh said,

⁶ 'I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

⁷ You will have no other gods before me.

⁸ You will not make for yourself a carved figure nor any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below. ⁹ You will not bow down to them or serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God. I punish the ancestors' wickedness by bringing punishment on the children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ and showing steadfast love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹ You will not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

¹² Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. ¹³ For six days you will labor and do all your work; ¹⁴ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. On it you will not do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your animals, nor any foreigner who is within your gates. This is so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. ¹⁵ You will call to mind that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you to do, that you may live a long time in the land that Yahweh your God gives you, and so that it may go well with you.

¹⁷ You will not murder.

¹⁸ You will not commit adultery.

¹⁹ You will not steal.

²⁰ You will not give false witness against your neighbor.

²¹ You will not covet your neighbor's wife, you will not covet your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

²² These words Yahweh spoke in a loud voice to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness; he did not add any more words. He wrote them down on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. ²³ It came about, when you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning, that you came near to me—all your elders and the heads of your tribes. ²⁴ You said, 'Look, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire; we have seen today that when God speaks with people, they can live. ²⁵ But why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of Yahweh our God any longer, we will die. ²⁶ For who besides us is there among all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speak out of the middle of the fire and lived, as we have done? ²⁷ As for you, you should go and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says; repeat to us everything that Yahweh our God says to you; we will listen to it and obey it.'

²⁸ Yahweh heard your words when you spoke to me. He said to me, 'I have heard the words of this people, what they said to you. What they said was good. ²⁹ Oh, that there were such a heart in them, that they would honor me and always keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children forever! ³⁰ Go say to them, "Return to your tents." ³¹ But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandments, the statutes, and the decrees that you will teach them, so that they may keep them in the land that I will give them to possess.' ³² You will keep, therefore, what Yahweh your God has commanded you; you will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ³³ You will walk in all the ways that Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and so that it may go well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

¹ Now these are the commandments, statutes, and decrees that Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you might keep them in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess; ² so that you might honor Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his statutes and commandments that I am commanding you—you, your sons, and your sons' sons, all the days of your lives, so that your days may be prolonged. ³ Therefore listen to them, Israel, and keep them, so that it may go well with you, so that you may greatly multiply, in a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you would do.

⁴ Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one. ⁵ You will love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶ The words that I am commanding you today will be in your heart; ⁷ and you will diligently teach them to your children; you will talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. ⁸ You will tie them as a sign upon your hand, and they will serve as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You will write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁰ When Yahweh your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would give you, with large and very good cities that you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all kinds of good things that you did not make, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant, you will eat and be satisfied— ¹² then be careful so that you do not forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹³ You will honor Yahweh your God; him you will worship, and you will swear by his name. ¹⁴ You will not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you— ¹⁵ for Yahweh your God in the midst of you is a jealous God—if you do, the anger of Yahweh your God will be kindled against you and he will destroy you from the surface of the earth.

¹⁶ You will not test Yahweh your God as you tested him at Massah. ¹⁷ You will diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, his solemn commands, and his statutes, that he has commanded you. ¹⁸ You will do what is right and good in the sight of Yahweh, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land that Yahweh swore to your fathers, ¹⁹ to drive out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has said.

²⁰ When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What are the covenant decrees, the statutes, and the other decrees that Yahweh our God commanded you?' ²¹ then you will say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt; Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, ²² and he displayed signs and wonders, great and severe, on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes; ²³ and he brought us out from there, so that he might bring us in, to give us the land that he swore to our fathers. ²⁴ Yahweh commanded us to always keep all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God for our good, so that he might keep us alive, as we are today. ²⁵ If we keep all these commands before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us, this will be our righteousness.'

¹ When Yahweh your God brings you into the land that you go to possess, he will drive out many nations before you—the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—seven nations greater and mightier than you. ² It is Yahweh your God who gives them over to you when you defeat them, and then you must completely destroy them. You will make no covenant with them, and show them no mercy. ³ Neither will you arrange any marriages with them. You will not give your daughters to their sons, and you will not take their daughters for your sons. ⁴ For they will turn away your sons from following me, so that they may worship other gods. So the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and he will destroy you quickly. ⁵ This is how you will deal with them: You will break down their altars, dash their stone pillars in pieces, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their cast idols.

⁶ For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God. He has chosen you to be a people for him to possess, more than all the other peoples that are on the face of the earth. ⁷ Yahweh did not set his love upon you or choose you because you were more in number than any people—for you were the fewest of all peoples— ⁸ but because he loves you, and he wished to keep the oath that he had sworn to your fathers. This is why Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. ⁹ Therefore know that Yahweh your God—he is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenants and faithfulness for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, ¹⁰ but repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them; he will not be lenient on whoever hates him; he will repay him to his face.

¹¹ You will therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the decrees that I command you today, so that you will do them.

¹² If you listen to these decrees, and keep and do them, it will happen that Yahweh your God will keep with you the covenant and the faithfulness that he swore to your fathers. ¹³ He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground—your grain, your new wine, and your oil—the calves of your herds and the young of your flocks in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. ¹⁴ You will be blessed more than all other peoples; there will not be a childless male or a barren female among you or among your livestock. ¹⁵ Yahweh will take away from you all sickness; none of the evil diseases of Egypt that you have known will he put on you, but he will put them on all those who hate you. ¹⁶ You will consume all the peoples whom Yahweh your God will give over to you, and your eye will not pity them. You will not worship their gods, for that will be a trap for you.

¹⁷ If you say in your heart, 'These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?'— ¹⁸ do not be afraid of them; you will call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt; ¹⁹ the great sufferings that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which Yahweh your God brought you out. Yahweh your God will do the same to all the peoples whom you fear. ²⁰ Moreover, Yahweh your God will send the hornet among them, until those who are left and who hide themselves from you perish from your presence. ²¹ You will not be frightened at them, for Yahweh your God is among you, a great and fearsome God. ²² Yahweh your God will drive out those nations before you little by little. You will not defeat them all at once, or the wild animals would become very many around you. ²³ But Yahweh your God will give you victory over them when you meet them in battle; he will greatly confuse them until they are destroyed. ²⁴ He will put their kings under your power, and you will make their name perish from under heaven. No one will be able to stand before you, until you have destroyed them. ²⁵ You will burn the carved figures of their gods—do not covet the silver or the gold that covers them and take it for yourself, because if you do, you will become trapped by it—for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God. ²⁶ You will not bring any abomination into your house and start to worship it. You will utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.

¹ You must keep all the commands that I am giving you today, so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers. ² You will call to mind all the ways that Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order that he might humble you, that he might test you to know what was in your heart, as to whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³ He humbled you, and made you hunger, and fed you with manna, which you had not known and which your fathers had not known. He did that to make you know that it is not by bread alone that people live; rather, it is by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh that people live. ⁴ Your clothing did not wear out and fall off you, and your feet did not swell up during those forty years. ⁵ You will think about in your heart, how, as a man disciplines his son, so Yahweh your God disciplines you. ⁶ You will keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, so that you might walk in his ways and honor him. ⁷ For Yahweh your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out into valleys and among hills; ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, of vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey. ⁹ It is a land in which you will not eat bread in poverty and in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are made of iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper. ¹⁰ You will eat and be full, and you will bless Yahweh your God for the good land that he has given you.

¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget Yahweh your God, by failing to keep his commandments and his rules and statutes that I am commanding you today. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are full, and when you build good houses and live in them, your heart will be lifted up. ¹³ Be careful when your herds and flocks multiply and when your silver and gold increase, and all that you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart becomes lifted up and you forget Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹⁵ Do not forget him 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 rock of flint. ¹⁶ He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors had never known, so that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end, ¹⁷ but you may say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand acquired all this wealth.' ¹⁸ But you will call to mind Yahweh your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is today. ¹⁹ It will happen that, if you will forget Yahweh your God and walk after other gods, worship them, and reverence them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. ²⁰ Like the nations that Yahweh is making to perish before you, so will you perish, because you would not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.

¹ Hear, Israel; you are about to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, and cities that are 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 people say, 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' ³ Know therefore today that Yahweh your God is he who goes over before you like a devouring fire; he will destroy them, and he will subdue them before you; so will you drive them out and make them to perish quickly, as Yahweh has said to you. ⁴ Do not say in your heart, after Yahweh your God has thrust them out from before you, 'It was because of my righteousness that Yahweh has brought me in to possess this land,' for it was because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is driving them out from 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 it is because of the wickedness of these nations that your God is driving them out from before you, and so that he may make come true the word that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁶ Know therefore, that Yahweh your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. ⁷ Remember and do not forget how you provoked Yahweh your God to anger in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Yahweh. ⁸ Also at Horeb you provoked Yahweh to anger, and Yahweh was angry enough with you to destroy you. ⁹ When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that Yahweh made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water. ¹⁰ Yahweh gave to me the two tablets of stone written with his finger; on them was written everything just like all the words that Yahweh announced to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly. ¹¹ It happened at the end of those forty days and forty nights that Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. ¹² Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside out of the path that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a cast figure.' ¹³ Furthermore, Yahweh spoke to me and said, 'I have seen this people; they are a stubborn people. ¹⁴ Let me alone, so 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 around and came down the mountain, and the mountain was burning. The two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. ¹⁶ I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had molded for yourselves a calf. You had quickly turned aside out of the path that Yahweh had commanded you. ¹⁷ I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands. I broke them before your eyes. ¹⁸ Again I lay facedown before Yahweh for forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin that you had committed, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger. ¹⁹ For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry enough against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also. ²⁰ Yahweh was very angry with Aaron so as to destroy him; I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. ²¹ I took your sin, the calf that you had made, and burned it, beat it, and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

²² At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah, you provoked Yahweh to wrath. ²³ When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea and said, 'Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you did not believe or listen to his voice. ²⁴ You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you.

²⁵ So I lay facedown before Yahweh those forty days and forty nights, because he had said that he would destroy you. ²⁶ I prayed to Yahweh and said, 'O Lord Yahweh, do not destroy your people or your inheritance whom you have redeemed through your greatness, which you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²⁷ Call to mind your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin, ²⁸ so that the land from where you brought us should say, "Because Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land that he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness." ²⁹ Yet they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great strength and by the display of your power.'

¹ At that time Yahweh said to me, 'Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. ² I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you will put them in the ark.' ³ So I made an ark of acacia wood, and I carved two tablets of stone like the first, and I went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. ⁴ He wrote on the tablets, like the first writing, the Ten Commandments which Yahweh had spoken to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly; then Yahweh gave them to me. ⁵ I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark that I had made; there they are, as Yahweh commanded me." ⁶ (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; Eleazar, his son, served in the priest's office in his place. ⁷ From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of streams of water. ⁸ At that time Yahweh chose the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to serve him, and to bless people in his name, as today. ⁹ Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance of land with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, as Yahweh your God spoke to him.) ¹⁰ "I stayed on the mountain as at the first time, forty days and forty nights. Yahweh listened to me that time also; Yahweh did not wish to destroy you. ¹¹ Yahweh said to me, 'Arise, go before the people to lead them on their journey; they will go in and possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give to them.'

¹² Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, except to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to worship Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today for your own good? ¹⁴ Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is in them. ¹⁵ Only Yahweh took pleasure in your fathers so as to love them, and he chose you, their descendants, after them, more than any of the other peoples, as he does today. ¹⁶ Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and no longer stiffen your necks. ¹⁷ For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the Great God, the Mighty One and the Fearsome One, who favors no one and takes no bribes. ¹⁸ He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and he shows love for the foreigner by giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. ²⁰ You will fear Yahweh your God; him will you worship. To him you must cling, and by his name will you swear. ²¹ He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and fearsome things, which your eyes have seen. ²² Your fathers went down into Egypt as seventy persons; now Yahweh your God has made you as many as the stars of the heavens.

¹ Therefore you will love Yahweh your God and always keep his instructions, his statutes, his decrees, and his commandments. ² Notice that I am not speaking to your children, who have not known nor have they seen the punishment of Yahweh your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, or his outstretched arm, ³ the signs and deeds that he did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to all his land. ⁴ Neither did they see what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, or to their chariots, how he made the water of the Sea of Reeds overwhelm them as they pursued after you, and how Yahweh has destroyed them until today, ⁵ or what he did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place. ⁶ They had not seen what Yahweh had done to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel. ⁷ But your eyes have seen all the great works of Yahweh that he did.

⁸ Therefore keep all the commandments that I am commanding you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land where you are going over to possess it, ⁹ and that you may prolong your days in the land that Yahweh swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ For the land, where you go in to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt, from where you came, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot, like a garden of herbs; ¹¹ but the land, where you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of the heavens, ¹² a land that Yahweh your God cares for; the eyes of Yahweh your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

¹³ It will happen, if you will listen diligently to my commandments that I command you today, to love Yahweh your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴ that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. ¹⁵ I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be full. ¹⁶ Pay attention to yourselves so that your heart is not deceived, and you turn aside and worship other gods and bow down to them; ¹⁷ so that the anger of Yahweh is not kindled against you; and so that he does not shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain, and the land will not yield its fruit, and so that you perish quickly from off the good land that Yahweh is giving you.

¹⁸ Therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and soul, bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You will teach them to your children and talk about them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. ²⁰ You will write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors to give them for as long as the heavens are above the earth. ²² For if you diligently keep all these commandments that I am commanding you, so as to do them, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him, ²³ then Yahweh will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and mightier than yourselves. ²⁴ Every place where the sole of your foot will tread will be yours; from the wilderness to Lebanon, from the river, the Euphrates River, to the western sea will be your border. ²⁵ No man will be able to stand before you. Yahweh your God will lay the fear of you and the terror of you upon all the land that you tread on, as he has said to you.

²⁶ Look, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: ²⁷ the blessing, if you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God that I command you today, ²⁸ and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn aside from the way that I command you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. ²⁹ It will happen, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, that you will set the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal. ³⁰ Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the western road, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, over against Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? ³¹ For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, and you will possess it and live in it. ³² You will keep all the statutes and the decrees that I set before you today.

¹ These are the statutes and the decrees that you will keep in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. ² You will surely destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess worshiped their gods, on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. ³ You must break down their altars, dash in pieces their stone pillars, and burn their Asherah poles. You must cut down the carved figures of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. ⁴ You will not worship Yahweh your God like that. ⁵ But to the place where Yahweh your God chooses out of all your tribes to establish his name, that will be the place where he lives, and it is there that you will go. ⁶ It is there that you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, your offerings for vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. ⁷ It is there that you will eat before Yahweh your God and rejoice about everything that you have put your hand to, you and your households, where Yahweh your God has blessed you. ⁸ You will not do all the things that we are doing here today; now everyone is doing whatever is right in his own eyes; ⁹ for you have not yet come to the rest, to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you. ¹⁰ But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, he will give you rest from all your enemies round about so that you live in safety. ¹¹ Then to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to cause his name to live there—there you will bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, and all your choice offerings for vows that you will vow to Yahweh. ¹² You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levites who are within your gate, because he has no portion or inheritance among you. ¹³ Pay attention to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings at every place that you see; ¹⁴ but it is at the place that Yahweh will choose among one of your tribes that you will offer your burnt offerings, and there you will do everything that I command you.

¹⁵ However, you may kill and eat animals within all your gates, as you desire, receiving the blessing of Yahweh your God for all that he has given you; the unclean and the clean persons both may eat of it, animals such as the gazelle and the deer. ¹⁶ But you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out on the earth like water. ¹⁷ You must not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you must not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand. ¹⁸ Instead, you will eat them before Yahweh your God in the place that Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God about everything to which you put your hand. ¹⁹ Pay attention to yourself so that you do not abandon the Levite as long as you live on your land.

²⁰ When Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat flesh,' because of your desire to eat meat, you may eat meat, as your soul desires. ²¹ If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to establish his name is too far from you, then you will kill some of your herd and your flock that Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; you may eat within your gates, as your soul desires. ²² Like the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you will eat of it; the unclean and the clean persons may eat of it alike. ²³ Only be sure that you do not consume the blood, for the blood is the life; you will not eat the life with the meat. ²⁴ You will not eat it; you will pour it out on the earth like water. ²⁵ You will not eat it, so that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you will do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. ²⁶ But the things that belong to Yahweh that you have and the offerings for your vows—you will take these and go to the place that Yahweh chooses. ²⁷ There you will offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; the blood of your sacrifices will be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you will eat the flesh. ²⁸ Observe and listen to 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 eyes of Yahweh your God.

²⁹ When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations from before you, when you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and live in their land, ³⁰ pay attention to yourself that you are not trapped into following them, after they are destroyed from before you—trapped into investigating their gods, into asking, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I will do the same.' ³¹ You must not worship Yahweh your God in that way, for everything that is an abomination to Yahweh, things that he hates—they have done these with their gods; they even burn their sons and their daughters in fire for their gods.

³² Whatever I command you, observe it. Do not add to it or take away from it.

¹ If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and if he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and if the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you and said, 'Let us go after other gods, that you have not known, and let us worship them,' ³ do not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You will walk after Yahweh your God, honor him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you will worship him and cling to him. ⁵ That prophet or that dreamer of dreams will be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and who redeemed you out of the house of bondage. That prophet wants to draw you out of the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So completely remove the evil from among you.

⁶ Suppose that your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is to you like your own soul, secretly entices you and says, 'Let us go and worship other gods' which you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors— ⁷ any of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, near to you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.' ⁸ You must not give in to him or listen to him, and you must not permit your eye to pity him, and you must not spare him or conceal him. ⁹ Instead, you will surely kill him; your hand will be the first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ¹⁰ You will stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹¹ All Israel will hear and fear, and will not continue to do this kind of wickedness among you.

¹² If you hear anyone say about one of your cities, that Yahweh your God gives you to live in: ¹³ Some wicked fellows have gone out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city and said, 'Let us go and worship other gods that you have not known.' ¹⁴ Then you will examine the evidence, make search, and investigate it thoroughly. When you discover that it is true and certain that such an abominable thing has been done among you, then you will take action. ¹⁵ You will surely attack the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, completely destroy it and all the people who are in it, along with its livestock, with the edge of the sword. ¹⁶ You will gather all the spoil from it into the middle of its street and will burn the city, as well as all its booty, as a burnt offering for Yahweh your God. The city will be a heap of ruins forever; it must never be built again. ¹⁷ None of those things set apart for destruction must stick in your hand. This must be the case, so that Yahweh will turn from the burning of his anger, show you mercy, have compassion on you, and make you increase in numbers, as he has sworn to your fathers. ¹⁸ He will do this because you are listening to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, to do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

¹ You are the people of Yahweh your God. Do not cut yourselves, nor shave any part of your face for the dead. ² For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, more than all peoples that are on the surface of the earth.

³ You must not eat any abominable thing. ⁴ These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, ⁵ the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, and ibex, and the antelope, and the mountain sheep. ⁶ You may eat any animals that parts the hoof, that is, that has the hoof divided in two, and that chews the cud. ⁷ Nevertheless, you must not eat some animals that chew the cud or that have the hoof divided in two: the camel, the rabbit, and the rock badger; because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, they are unclean to you. ⁸ The pig is unclean to you as well because he parts the hoof but does not chew the cud; he is unclean to you. Do not eat pig meat, and do not touch their carcasses.

⁹ Of these things that are in water you may eat: whatever has fins and scales; ¹⁰ but whatever has no fins and scales you must not eat; they are unclean to you.

¹¹ All clean birds you may eat. ¹² But these are the birds that you must not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, ¹³ the red kite and black kite, any kind of falcon. ¹⁴ You must not eat any kind of raven, ¹⁵ and the ostrich, and the night hawk, the sea gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁶ the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, ¹⁷ the pelican, the osprey, the cormorant. ¹⁸ You must not eat the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. ¹⁹ All winged, swarming things are unclean to you; they must not be eaten. ²⁰ You may eat all clean flying things.

²¹ You must not eat of anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the foreigner who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a nation that is set apart to Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

²² You must surely tithe all the yield of your seed, that which comes out from the field year after year. ²³ You must eat before Yahweh your God, in the place where he will choose to make a dwelling for his name, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock; that you may learn to always honor Yahweh your God. ²⁴ If the journey is too long for you so that you are not able to carry it, because the place where Yahweh your God will choose to establish his name is too far from you, then, when Yahweh God blesses you, ²⁵ you will convert the offering into money, tie up the money in your hand, and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose. ²⁶ There you will spend the money for whatever you desire: cattle, sheep, wine or strong drink, or for whatever you desire. Then you will eat there before Yahweh your God and rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷ The Levite who is within your gates—do not abandon him, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

²⁸ At the end of every three years you will present all the tithe of your produce in the same year, and you will store it up within your gates; ²⁹ and the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates, will come and eat and be satisfied. Do this so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand that you do.

¹ At the end of every seven years, you must cancel debts. ² This is the manner of the release: Every creditor will cancel that which he has lent to his neighbor; he will not demand it from his neighbor or his brother because Yahweh's cancellation of debts has been proclaimed. ³ From a foreigner you may demand it; but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand must release. ⁴ However, there should be no poor among you (for Yahweh will surely bless you in the land that he gives you as an inheritance to possess), ⁵ if only you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all these commandments that I am commanding you today. ⁶ For Yahweh your God will bless you, as he promised you; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

⁷ If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, within any of your gates in your land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother; ⁸ but you must surely open your hand to him and surely lend him sufficient for his need. ⁹ Be careful not to have a wicked thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of release, is near,' so that you will not be stingy in regard to your poor brother and give him nothing; he might cry out to Yahweh about you, and it would be sin for you. ¹⁰ You must surely give to him, and your heart must not be sorry when you give to him, because in return for this Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to. ¹¹ For the poor will never cease to exist in the land; therefore I command you and say, 'You must surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.'

¹² If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let him go free from you. ¹³ When you let him go free from you, you must not let him go empty-handed. ¹⁴ You must liberally provide for him out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As Yahweh your God has blessed you, you must give to him. ¹⁵ You must remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding you today to do this. ¹⁶ It will happen that if he says to you, 'I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, and because he is well off with you, ¹⁷ then you must take an awl and thrust it through his ear to a door, and he will be your servant for life. You must do the same with your female servant. ¹⁸ It must not seem difficult for you to let him go free from you, because he has served you for six years and given twice the value of a hired person. Yahweh your God will bless you in all that you do.

¹⁹ All the firstborn males in your herd and your flock you must set apart to Yahweh your God. You will do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. ²⁰ You must eat the firstborn before Yahweh your God year by year in the place that Yahweh will choose, you and your household. ²¹ If it has any blemish—for example, if it is lame or blind, or has any blemish whatever—you must not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God. ²² You will eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean persons alike must eat it, as you would eat a gazelle or a deer. ²³ Only you must not eat its blood; you must pour its blood out on the ground like water.

¹ Observe the month of Aviv, and keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, for in the month of Aviv Yahweh your God brought you out of Egypt by night. ² You will sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God with some of the flock and the herd in the place where Yahweh will choose to make a dwelling for his name. ³ You will eat no leavened bread with it; seven days will you eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. Do this all the days of your life so that you may call to mind the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. ⁴ No yeast must be seen among you within all your borders during seven days; nor must any of the meat that you sacrifice in the evening on the first day remain until the morning. ⁵ You must not sacrifice the Passover within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you. ⁶ Instead, sacrifice at the place where Yahweh your God will choose to make a dwelling for his name. There you will perform the sacrifice of the Passover in the evening at the going down of the sun, at the time of year that you came out of Egypt. ⁷ You must roast it and eat it at the place that Yahweh your God will choose; in the morning you will turn and go to your tents. ⁸ For six days you will eat unleavened bread; on the seventh day there will be a solemn assembly for Yahweh your God; on that day you must do no work.

⁹ You will count seven weeks for yourselves; from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you must start counting seven weeks. ¹⁰ You must keep the Festival of Weeks for Yahweh your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand that you will give, according as Yahweh your God has blessed you. ¹¹ You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your city gates, and the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place where Yahweh your God will choose to make a dwelling for his name. ¹² You will call to mind that you were a slave in Egypt; you must observe and do these statutes.

¹³ You must keep the Festival of Shelters for seven days after you have gathered in the harvest from your threshing floor and from your winepress. ¹⁴ You will rejoice during your festival—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, and the foreigner, and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates. ¹⁵ For seven days you must observe the festival for Yahweh your God at the place that Yahweh will choose, because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your harvest and all the work of your hands, and you must be completely joyful. ¹⁶ Three times in a year all your males must appear before Yahweh your God at the place that he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Shelters. No one will appear before Yahweh empty-handed. ¹⁷ Rather, every man will bring a gift as he is able, that you might know the blessing that Yahweh your God has given to you.

¹⁸ You must make judges and officers within all your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you; they will be taken from each of your tribes, and they must judge the people with righteous judgment. ¹⁹ You must not take justice away by force; you must not show partiality nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. ²⁰ You must follow after justice, after justice alone, so that you may live and inherit the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

²¹ You must not set up for yourselves an Asherah, any sort of pole, beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you will make for yourself. ²² Neither must you set up for yourself any sacred stone pillar, which Yahweh your God hates.

¹ You must not sacrifice to Yahweh your God an ox or a sheep in which is any blemish or anything bad, for that would be an abomination to Yahweh your God.

² If there is found among you, within any of your city gates that Yahweh your God is giving you, any man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God and transgresses his covenant, ³ anyone who has gone and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, either the sun, the moon, or any of the host of heaven—nothing that I have commanded— ⁴ and if you are told about this, or if you have heard of it, then you must make a careful investigation. If it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, this is what you should do. ⁵ You must bring that man or woman, who has done this evil thing, to your city gates, that very man or woman, and you must stone that person to death. ⁶ At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, will he who must die be put to death; but at the mouth of only one witness he must not be put to death. ⁷ The hand of the witnesses must be the first to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people; and you will remove the evil from among you.

⁸ If a matter arises that is too hard for you to judge—perhaps a question of one kind of bloodshed or another, of one kind of lawsuit or another, or of one kind of wound or another—matters of controversy within your city gates—then you must go up to the place that Yahweh your God chooses. ⁹ You must go to the priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the judge who will be serving at that time; you will seek their advice, and they will give you the verdict. ¹⁰ Then you must do according to what they order you to do, at the place Yahweh will choose. Be careful to do all that they teach you. ¹¹ Follow the law they teach you, and do according to the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right hand or to the left. ¹² Anyone who acts in arrogance, listening neither to the priest who is standing to serve before Yahweh your God nor to the judge—that man will die; you will completely remove the evil from Israel. ¹³ All the people must hear and fear, and act arrogantly no more.

¹⁴ When you have come to the land that Yahweh your God gives you, and when you take possession of it and begin to live in it, and then you say, 'I will set a king over myself, like all the nations that are round about me,' ¹⁵ then you must surely set as king over yourself someone whom Yahweh your God will choose. You must set as king over yourself someone from among your brothers. You must not put a foreigner, who is not your brother, over yourself. ¹⁶ But he must not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt so that he may multiply horses, for Yahweh had said to you, 'You will never return that way again.' ¹⁷ He must not take many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

¹⁸ When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself in a scroll a copy of this law, from the law that is before the priests, who are Levites. ¹⁹ The scroll must be with him, and he must read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to honor Yahweh his God, so as to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to observe them. ²⁰ He must do this so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so that he does not turn away from the commandments, to the right hand or to the left, so he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his descendants in the midst of Israel.

¹ The priests, who are Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, will have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they must eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire as their inheritance. ² They must have no inheritance among their brothers; Yahweh is their inheritance, as he said to them. ³ This is the share given to the priests, given to them from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether it be an oxen or a sheep: the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts. ⁴ The firstfruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you must give him. ⁵ For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to serve in the name of Yahweh, him and his sons forever.

⁶ If a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel where he is living and desires with all his soul to come to the place Yahweh will choose, ⁷ then he must serve in the name of Yahweh his God as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh. ⁸ They must have similar portions to eat, besides of what comes of the sale of his family's inheritance.

⁹ When you have come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must not learn to observe the abominations of those nations. ¹⁰ There must not be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or his daughter in the fire, or anyone who uses divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer ¹¹ or one who casts spells or a sorcerer or a spiritist or one who seeks the dead. ¹² For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh; it is because of these abominations that Yahweh your God is driving them out from before you. ¹³ You must be blameless before Yahweh your God. ¹⁴ For these nations that you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and divination; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you to do so.

¹⁵ Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet from among you, one of your brothers, like me. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ This is what you asked from Yahweh your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let us not hear again the voice of Yahweh our God, nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.' ¹⁷ Yahweh said to me, 'What they have said is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers, just like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all that I command him. ¹⁹ It will happen that if anyone does not listen to the words of mine that he speaks in my name, I will require it of him.

²⁰ But the prophet who speaks a word arrogantly in my name, a word that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that very prophet must die.' ²¹ This is what you must say in your heart: 'How will we recognize a message that Yahweh has not spoken?' ²² You will recognize a message that Yahweh has spoken when a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh. If that thing does not occur nor happen, then that is something that Yahweh has not spoken and the prophet has spoken it in arrogance, and you must not be afraid of him.

¹ When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, those whose land Yahweh your God is giving you, and when you come after them and live in their cities and houses, ² you must select three cities for yourself in the middle of your land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess. ³ You must build a road and divide the borders of your land into three parts, the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, so that everyone who kills another person may flee there.

⁴ This is the instruction concerning the one who kills another and flees from there in order to save his own life—the one who unintentionally kills his neighbor without hating him at the time of the accident. ⁵ For example, if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and he chops with the ax to cut down a tree, and the ax head slips off of the handle and strikes his neighbor and kills him—then that man must flee to one of these cities and save his life. ⁶ Otherwise the avenger of blood might go after the one who took a life, and in the heat of his anger overtake him, if the distance is too great, strike him and kill him, even though that man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. ⁷ Therefore I command you to select three cities for yourself. ⁸ If Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has sworn to your ancestors to do, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your ancestors; ⁹ if you keep all these commandments to do them, which I am commanding you today—commandments to love Yahweh your God and to always walk in his ways, then you must add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. ¹⁰ Do this so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of the land that Yahweh your God is giving you for as an inheritance, so that no bloodguilt may be on you.

¹¹ But if anyone hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and mortally wounds him so that he dies, and if he then flees into one of these cities— ¹² then the elders of his city must send and bring him back from there, and turn him over to the hand of the avenger of blood, so that he may die. ¹³ Your eye must not pity him; instead, you must completely remove the bloodguilt from Israel so that it may go well with you.

¹⁴ You must not remove your neighbor's landmark that they set in place a long time ago, in your inheritance that you will inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.

¹⁵ One sole witness must not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any matter that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, must any matter be confirmed. ¹⁶ Suppose that an unrighteous witness rises up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing. ¹⁷ Then both men, the ones between whom the controversy exists, must stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. ¹⁸ The judges must make diligent inquiries; see, if the witness is a false witness and has testified falsely against his brother, ¹⁹ then must you do to him, as he had wished to do to his brother; and you will remove the evil from among you. ²⁰ Then those who remain will hear and fear, and will from then on commit no longer any such evil among you. ²¹ Your eyes must not pity; life will pay for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

¹ When you march out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you must not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, he who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. ² When you are about to enter into battle, the priest must approach and speak to the people. ³ He must say to them, 'Listen, Israel, you are going to battle against your enemies. Do not let your hearts faint. Do not fear or tremble. Do not be afraid of them. ⁴ For Yahweh your God is the one who is going with you to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.' ⁵ The officers must speak to the people and say, 'What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and another man dedicates it. ⁶ Is there anyone who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go home, so he will not die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. ⁷ What man is there who is betrothed to a woman but has not yet married her? Let him go home so that he does not die in battle and another man marry her.' ⁸ The officers must speak further to the people and say, 'What man is there who is fearful or fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that his brother's heart does not melt like his own heart.' ⁹ When the officers have finished speaking to the people, they must appoint commanders of armies over them.

¹⁰ When you march up to attack a city, make those people an offer of peace. ¹¹ If they answer peaceably and open their gates to you, all the people who are found in it must become forced labor for you and must serve you. ¹² But if it makes no offer of peace to you, and instead makes war against you, then you must besiege it, ¹³ and when Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, you must strike every man in the town with the edge of the sword. ¹⁴ But the women, the little ones, the livestock, and everything that is in the city, and all its spoil, you will take as booty for yourself. You will consume the booty of your enemies, whom Yahweh your God has given to you. ¹⁵ You must act in this way toward all the cities that are very far from you, cities that are not of the cities of these following nations. ¹⁶ In the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must keep alive nothing that breathes. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ Do this so that they do not teach you to act in any of their abominable ways, as they have done for their gods. If you do, you will sin against Yahweh your God.

¹⁹ When you will besiege a city for a long time, as you wage war against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. For you may eat from them, so you must not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man whom you should besiege? ²⁰ Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you may destroy and cut down; you will build siege works against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

¹ If someone is found killed in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has attacked him; ² then your elders and your judges must go out, and they must measure to the cities that are around him who has been killed. ³ Then the elders of the town nearest to the dead man's body must take a heifer from the herd, one that has never been put to work, and that has not borne the yoke. ⁴ Then they must lead the heifer down to a valley with running water, a valley that has been neither plowed nor sown, and there in the valley they must break the heifer's neck. ⁵ The priests, descendants of Levi, must come forward, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve him and give blessing in the name of Yahweh and to decide every case of dispute and assault by their word. ⁶ All the elders of the city that is the nearest to the killed man must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; ⁷ and they must answer to the case and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ⁸ Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not put guilt for innocent bloodshed in the midst of your people Israel.' Then the bloodshed will be forgiven them. ⁹ In this way you will completely remove the innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

¹⁰ When you go out to do battle against your enemies and Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, and you take them away as captives, ¹¹ if you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you delight in her and wish to take her for yourself as a wife, ¹² then you will bring her home to your house; she will shave her head and cut her nails. ¹³ Then she will take off the clothes she was wearing when she was taken captive and she will remain in your house and mourn for her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go to her and be her husband, and she will be your wife. ¹⁴ But if you take no delight in her, then you may let her go where she wishes. But you must not sell her at all for money, and you must not treat her like a slave, because you have humiliated her.

¹⁵ If a man has two wives and one is loved and the other is hated, and they have both borne him children—both the beloved wife and the hated wife—if the firstborn son is of her that is hated, ¹⁶ then on the day that the man causes his sons to inherit what he possesses, he may not make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn before the son of the hated wife, the son who is actually the firstborn. ¹⁷ Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he possesses, for that son is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.

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 who, even though they correct him, will not listen to them; ¹⁹ then his father and his mother must lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his city. ²⁰ They must say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' ²¹ Then all the men of his city must stone him to death with stones; and you will remove the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and fear.

²² If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, ²³ then his body must not remain all night on the tree. You must surely bury him the same day; for whoever is hanged is cursed by God. You must not defile the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

¹ You must not watch your fellow Israelite's ox or his sheep go astray and hide yourself from them; you must surely bring them back to him. ² If your fellow Israelite is not near to you, or if you do not know him, then you must bring the animal home to your house, and it must be with you until he looks for it, and then you must restore it to him. ³ You must do the same with his donkey; you must do the same with his garment; you must do the same with every lost thing of your fellow Israelite's, anything that he has lost and you have found; you must not hide yourself. ⁴ You must not see your fellow Israelite's donkey or his ox fallen down in the road and hide yourself from them; you must surely help him to lift it up again.

⁵ A woman must not wear what pertains to a man, and neither must a man put on women's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God.

⁶ If a bird's nest happens to be in front of you on the road, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. ⁷ You must surely let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself. Obey this command so that it may go well with you, and that you may prolong your days.

⁸ When you build a new house, then you must make a railing for your roof so that you do not bring blood on your house if anyone falls from there.

⁹ You must not plant your vineyard with two kinds of seed, so that the whole harvest is not confiscated by the holy place, the seed that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. ¹⁰ You must not plow with an ox and a donkey together. ¹¹ You must not wear fabric made of wool and linen together.

¹² You must make yourself fringes on the four corners of the cloak with which you clothe yourself.

¹³ Suppose a man takes a wife, and he goes to her, and then hates her, ¹⁴ and then accuses her of shameful deeds and puts a bad reputation on her, and says, 'I took this woman, but when I came near to her, I found no proof of virginity in her.' ¹⁵ Then the father and mother of the girl must take proof of her virginity to the elders at the city gate. ¹⁶ The girl's father must say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, and he hates her. ¹⁷ See, he has accused her of shameful things and said, "I did not find in your daughter the proof of virginity." But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity.' Then they will spread the garment out before the elders of the city. ¹⁸ The elders of that city must take that man and punish him; ¹⁹ and they must force him to pay a fine of one hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the girl, because the man has caused a bad reputation for a virgin of Israel. She must be his wife; he may not send her away during all his days. ²⁰ But if this thing is true, that the proof of virginity was not found in the girl, ²¹ then they must bring out the girl to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city must stone her to death with stones, because she has committed a disgraceful action in Israel, to act as a prostitute in her father's house; and you will remove the evil from among you.

²² If a man is found lying with a woman who is married to another man, then they must both die, the man who was lying with the woman and the woman herself; and you will remove the evil from Israel.

²³ If there is a girl who is a virgin, betrothed to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, ²⁴ take both of them to the city gate, and stone them to death. You must stone the girl, because she did not cry out, even though she was in the city. You must stone the man, because he violated his neighbor's wife; and you will remove the evil from among you.

²⁵ But if the man finds the betrothed girl in the field, and if he seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her must die. ²⁶ But to the girl you must do nothing; there is no sin worthy of death in the girl. For this case is like when a man attacks his neighbor and kills him. ²⁷ For he found her in the field; the betrothed girl cried out, but there was no one to save her.

²⁸ If a man finds a girl who is a virgin but who is not betrothed, and if he seizes her and lies with her, and if they are discovered, ²⁹ then the man who lay with her must give fifty shekels of silver to the girl's father, and she must become his wife, because he has violated her. He may not send her away during all his days.

³⁰ A man must not take his father's wife as his own; he must not take away his father's marriage rights.

¹ No man whose genitals are crushed or cut off may enter the assembly of Yahweh.

² No illegitimate child may belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

³ An Ammonite or a Moabite may not belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh. ⁴ This is because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the road when you had come out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you. ⁵ But Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam; instead, Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you. ⁶ You must never seek their peace or prosperity, during all your days.

⁷ You must not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you must not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a foreigner in his land. ⁸ The descendants of the third generation that are born to them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

⁹ When you march out as an army against your enemies, then you must keep yourselves from every evil thing. ¹⁰ If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nighttime accident, then he must go out of the army's camp; he must not come back into the camp. ¹¹ When evening comes, he must bathe himself in water; when the sun goes down, he will come back inside the camp. ¹² You must have a place also outside the camp to which you will go; ¹³ and you will have something among your tools to dig with; when you squat down to relieve yourself, you must dig with it and then put back the earth and cover up what has come out from you. ¹⁴ For Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to give you victory and to give your enemies into your hand. Therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see any unclean thing among you and turn away from you.

¹⁵ You must not give back to his master a slave who has escaped from his master. ¹⁶ Let him live with you, in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

¹⁷ There must be no cultic prostitute among any of the daughters of Israel, neither must there be a cultic prostitute among the sons of Israel. ¹⁸ You must not bring the wages of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both these are abominations to Yahweh your God.

¹⁹ You must not lend on interest to your fellow Israelite—interest of money, interest of food, or the interest of anything that is lent on interest. ²⁰ To a foreigner you may lend on interest; but to your fellow Israelite you must not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land which you are going in to possess.

²¹ When you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you must not be slow in fulfilling it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; it would be sin for you not to fulfill it. ²² But if you will refrain from making a vow, it will be no sin for you. ²³ That which has gone out from your lips you must observe and do; according as you have vowed to Yahweh your God, anything that you have freely promised with your mouth.

²⁴ When you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you desire, but do not put any in your basket. ²⁵ When you go into your neighbor's ripe grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor's ripe grain.

¹ When a man takes a wife and marries her, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found something shameful about her, then he must write her a certificate of divorce, put it into her hand, and send her out of his house. ² When she has gone out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. ³ If the second husband hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it into her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband dies, the man who took her to be his wife— ⁴ then her former husband, the one who had first sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has become unclean; for that would be an abomination to Yahweh. You must not cause the land to become guilty, the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

⁵ When a man takes a new wife, he will not go to war with the army, neither may he be commanded to go on any forced duty; he will be free to be at home for one year and will bring joy to his wife whom he has taken.

⁶ No man may take a mill or an upper millstone as a pledge, for that would be taking a person's life as a pledge.

⁷ If a man is found kidnapping any of his brothers from among the people of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him, that thief must die; and you will remove the evil from among you.

⁸ Be careful regarding any plague of leprosy, so that you carefully observe and follow every instruction given to you which the priests, the Levites, teach you; as I commanded them, so you will act. ⁹ Call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Miriam as you were coming out of Egypt.

¹⁰ When you make your neighbor any kind of loan, you must not go into his house to fetch his pledge. ¹¹ You will stand outside, and the man to whom you have lent will bring the pledge outside to you. ¹² If he is a poor man, you must not lie down with his pledge in your possession. ¹³ You must surely restore to him the pledge by the time the sun goes down, so that he may lie down in his cloak and bless you; it will be righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.

¹⁴ You must not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your fellow Israelites or of the foreigners who are in your land within your city gates. ¹⁵ Each day you must give him his wage; the sun must not go down on this unsettled matter, for he is poor and is counting on it. Do this so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, and so that it not be a sin that you have committed.

¹⁶ The parents must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Everyone must be put to death for his own sin.

¹⁷ You must not twist the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless, nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge. ¹⁸ Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God rescued you from there. Therefore I instruct you to obey this command.

¹⁹ When you reap your harvest in your field, and if you have forgotten an omer of grain in the field, you must not go back to get it; it must be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ²⁰ When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again; it will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow. ²¹ When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean it again. What is left over will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. ²² You must call to mind that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I instruct you to obey this command.

¹ If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges judge them, then they will acquit the righteous and condemn the wicked. ² If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, then the judge will make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the ordered number of blows, according to his wickedness. ³ The judge may give him forty blows, but he may not exceed that number; for if he should exceed that number and beat him with many more blows, then your fellow Israelite would be humiliated before your eyes.

⁴ You must not muzzle the ox when he threshes the grain.

⁵ If brothers live together and one of them dies, not having any son, then the wife of the dead man must not be married off to someone else outside the family. Instead, her husband's brother must go to her and take her to himself as a wife, and do the duty of a husband's brother to her. ⁶ This is so that the firstborn that she bears will succeed in the name of that man's dead brother, so that his name will not perish from Israel. ⁷ But if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife for himself, then his brother's wife must go up to the gate to the elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to raise up for his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.' ⁸ Then the elders of his city must call him and speak to him. But suppose that he insists and says, 'I do not wish to take her.' ⁹ Then his brother's wife must come up to him in the presence of the elders, take off his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She must answer him and say, 'This is what is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.' ¹⁰ His name will be called in Israel, 'The house of him whose sandal has been taken off.'

¹¹ If men fight with each other, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband out of the hand of him who struck him, and if she stretches out her hand and takes him by the private parts, ¹² then you must cut off her hand; your eye must have no pity.

¹³ You must not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small. ¹⁴ You must not have in your house different measures, a large and a small. ¹⁵ A perfect and just weight you must have; a perfect and just measure you must have, so that your days may be long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you. ¹⁶ For all who do such things, all that act unrighteously, are an abomination to Yahweh your God.

¹⁷ Call to mind what Amalek did to you on the road as you came out of Egypt, ¹⁸ how he met you on the road and attacked those of you at the rear, all who were feeble in your rear, when you were faint and weary; he did not honor God. ¹⁹ Therefore, when Yahweh your God has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you must not forget that you must blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

¹ When you have come into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, and when you possess it and live in it, ² then you must take some of the first of all the produce of the land that you have brought in from the land that Yahweh your God is giving you. You must put it in a basket and go to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to make a dwelling for his name. ³ You must go to the priest who will be serving in those days and say to him, 'I acknowledge today to Yahweh your God that I have come to the land that Yahweh swore to our ancestors to give us.' ⁴ The priest must take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God. ⁵ You must say before Yahweh your God, 'My ancestor was a wandering Aramean. He went down into Egypt and stayed there, and his people were few in number. There he became a great, mighty, and populous nation. ⁶ The Egyptians treated us badly and afflicted us. They put hard labor on us. ⁷ We cried out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and he heard our voice and saw our affliction, our labor, and our oppression. ⁸ Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, with great fearsomeness, with signs, and with wonders; ⁹ and he has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land that flows with milk and honey. ¹⁰ Now look, I have brought the first of the produce of the land that you, Yahweh, have given me.' You must set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before him; ¹¹ and you must rejoice in all the good that Yahweh your God has done for you, for your house—you, and the Levite, and the foreigner who is among you.

¹² When you have finished giving all the tithe of your harvest in the third year, that is, the year of tithing, then you must give it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, so that they may eat within your city gates and be filled. ¹³ You must say before Yahweh your God, 'I have completely removed from my house the things that belong to Yahweh, and have given them to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all your commandments that you have given me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, neither have I forgotten them. ¹⁴ I have not eaten any of it in my mourning, nor have I put it somewhere else when I was unclean, nor have I given any of it in honor of the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have obeyed everything you have commanded me to do. ¹⁵ Look down from the holy place where you live, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land that you have given us, as you had sworn to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'

¹⁶ Today Yahweh your God is commanding you to obey these statutes and decrees; you will therefore keep them and do them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷ You have declared today that Yahweh is your God, and that you will walk in his ways and keep his statutes, his commandments, and his decrees, and that you will listen to his voice. ¹⁸ Today Yahweh has declared that you are a people who are his own possession, as he had promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, ¹⁹ and he will set you high above all the other nations that he has made, and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people that is set apart to Yahweh your God, just as he said."

¹ Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people and said, "Keep all the commandments that I command you today. ² On the day when you will pass over the Jordan to the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, you must set up some large stones and plaster them with plaster. ³ You must write on them all the words of this law when you have passed over, so that you may go into the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, promised you. ⁴ When you have passed over the Jordan, set up these stones that I am commanding you about today, on Mount Ebal, and plaster them with plaster. ⁵ There you must build an altar to Yahweh your God, an altar of stones; but you must raise no iron tool to work the stones. ⁶ You must build the altar of Yahweh your God of unworked stones; you must offer burnt offerings on it to Yahweh your God, ⁷ and you will sacrifice fellowship offerings and will eat there; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God. ⁸ You will write on the stones all the words of this law. Write them very plainly."

⁹ Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel and said, "Be silent and listen, Israel: Today you have become the people of Yahweh your God. ¹⁰ You must therefore obey the voice of Yahweh your God and obey his commandments and statutes that I am commanding you today."

¹¹ Moses commanded the people the same day and said, ¹² "These tribes must stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people after you have passed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³ These are the tribes that must stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. ¹⁴ The Levites will answer and say to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:

¹⁵ 'May the man be cursed who makes a a carved image or a cast metal figure, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and who sets it up in secret.' Then all the people must answer and say, 'Amen.'

¹⁶ 'May the man be cursed who dishonors his father or his mother.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

¹⁷ 'May the man be cursed who removes his neighbor's landmark.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

¹⁸ 'May the man be cursed who misleads the blind on the road.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

¹⁹ 'May the man be cursed who uses force to take away the justice due to a foreigner, fatherless, or widow.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²⁰ 'May the man be cursed who lies with his father's wife, because he has taken away his father's rights.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²¹ 'May the man be cursed who lies with any animal.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²² 'May the man be cursed who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or with the daughter of his mother.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²³ 'May the man be cursed who lies with his mother-in-law.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²⁴ 'May the man be cursed who kills his neighbor secretly.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²⁵ 'May the man be cursed who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

²⁶ 'May the man be cursed who does not confirm the words of this law, that he will obey them.' Then all the people must say, 'Amen.'

¹ If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God so as to keep all his commandments that I am commanding you today, Yahweh your God will set you above all the other nations of the earth. ² All these blessings will come on you and overtake you, if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. ³ Blessed will you be in the city and blessed will you be in the field. ⁴ Blessed will be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, and the increase of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ⁵ Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough. ⁶ Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.

⁷ Yahweh will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck down before you; they will come out against you one way but will flee before you seven ways. ⁸ Yahweh will command the blessing to come on you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to; he will bless you in the land that he is giving you. ⁹ Yahweh will establish you as a people that is set apart for himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Yahweh, and they will be afraid of you. ¹¹ Yahweh will make you very prosperous in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. ¹² Yahweh will open to you his storehouse of the heavens to give the rain for your land at the right time, and to bless all the work of your hand; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. ¹³ Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail; you will be only above, and you will never be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you today, so as to observe and to do them, ¹⁴ and if you do not turn away from any of the words that I am commanding you today, to the right hand or to the left, so as to go after other gods to serve them.

¹⁵ But if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep all his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come on you and overtake you. ¹⁶ Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field. ¹⁷ Cursed will be your basket and your kneading trough. ¹⁸ Cursed will be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. ¹⁹ Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.

²⁰ Yahweh will send on you curses, confusion, and rebukes in all that you put your hand to, until you are destroyed, and until you perish quickly because of the evil of your deeds by which you will have abandoned me. ²¹ Yahweh will make the plague cling to you until he destroys you from off the land that you are going in to possess. ²² Yahweh will attack you with infectious diseases, with fever, with inflammation, with drought, with sword, with scorching winds, and with mildew. These will pursue you until you perish. ²³ Your skies that are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron. ²⁴ Yahweh will make the rain of your land into powder and dust; from the heavens will it come down on you, until you are destroyed.

²⁵ Yahweh will cause you to be struck down before your enemies; you will go out one way against them but will flee before them seven ways. You will be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ Your dead body will be food to all the birds of the heavens and to the wild animals of the earth; there will be no one to frighten them away. ²⁷ Yahweh will attack you with the boils of Egypt and with ulcers, scurvy, and itch, from which you cannot be healed. ²⁸ Yahweh will attack you with madness, with blindness, and with mental confusion. ²⁹ You will grope about at noonday like the blind grope in the darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways; you will be always oppressed and robbed, and there will be no one to save you. ³⁰ You will betroth a woman, but another man will seize her and rape her. You will build a house but not live in it; you will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit. ³¹ Your ox will be killed before your eyes, but you will not eat its meat; your donkey will be forcibly taken away from before you and will not be restored to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to deliver you. ³² Your sons and your daughters will be given to other peoples; your eyes will look for them the entire day, but will fail with longing for them. There will be no strength in your hand. ³³ The produce of your land and of all your labors—a nation that you do not know will eat it up; you will always be oppressed and crushed, ³⁴ so that you will become insane by what you have to see happen. ³⁵ Yahweh will attack you in the knees and legs with severe boils from which you cannot be cured, from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.

³⁶ Yahweh will take you and the king whom you will place over yourself to a nation that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors; there you will worship other gods of wood and stone. ³⁷ You will become a source of horror, a proverb, and a byword, among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away. ³⁸ You will take much seed out into the field, but will gather little seed in, for the locusts will consume it. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will neither drink any of the wine, nor even gather in the grapes, for worms will eat them. ⁴⁰ You will have olive trees within all your territory, but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olive trees will drop their fruit. ⁴¹ You will have sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, for they will go into captivity. ⁴² All your trees and the produce of your ground—the locusts will take them over. ⁴³ The foreigner who is among you will rise up above you higher and higher; you yourself will come down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will be the head, and you will be the tail. ⁴⁵ All these curses will come on you and will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed. This will happen because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep his commandments and his regulations that he commanded you. ⁴⁶ These curses will be on you as signs and wonders, and on your descendants forever.

⁴⁷ Because you did not worship Yahweh your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart when you were in prosperity, ⁴⁸ therefore will you serve the enemies that Yahweh will send against you; you will serve them in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in poverty. He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he destroys you. ⁴⁹ Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle flies to its victim, a nation whose language you do not understand; ⁵⁰ a nation with a fierce face that does not respect the aged and does not show favor to the young. ⁵¹ They will eat the young of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave for you no grain, new wine, or oil, no calves of your herds or the lambs of your flock, until they have caused you to perish. ⁵² They will besiege you in all your city gates, until your high and fortified walls come down everywhere in your land, walls in which you had trusted. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout all the land that Yahweh your God had given you. ⁵³ You will eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies will oppress you. ⁵⁴ The man who is timid and very delicate among you—he will be envious of his brother and his own dear wife, and of whatever children he has left. ⁵⁵ So he will not give to any of them the flesh of his own children that he is going to eat, because he will have nothing left for himself in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will oppress you within all your city gates. ⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to put the bottom of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness—she will be envious of her own dear husband, of her son, and of her daughter, ⁵⁷ and of her own newborn that comes out from between her legs, and of the children whom she will bear. She will eat them in private for lack of anything else, during the siege and in the distress with which your enemy will oppress you within your city gates.

⁵⁸ If you do not keep all the words of this law that are written in this book, so as to honor this glorious and fearful name, Yahweh your God, ⁵⁹ then Yahweh will make your plagues terrible, and those of your descendants; they will be great plagues, of long duration, and severe diseases, of long duration. ⁶⁰ He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of; they will cling to you. ⁶¹ Also every sickness and plague that is not written in the book of this law, those also Yahweh will bring on you until you are destroyed. ⁶² You will be left few in number, although you were like the stars of the heavens in number, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. ⁶³ As Yahweh once rejoiced over you in doing you good, and in multiplying you, so he will rejoice over you in making you perish and in destroying you. You will be plucked off the land that you are going into to possess. ⁶⁴ Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; there you will worship other gods that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, gods of wood and stone. ⁶⁵ Among these nations will you find no ease, and there will be no rest for the bottoms of your feet; Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a soul that mourns. ⁶⁶ Your life will hang in doubt before you; night and day you will be afraid and will have no assurance of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, 'I wish it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'I wish it were morning!' because of the fear in your hearts and the things your eyes will have to see. ⁶⁸ Yahweh will bring you into Egypt again by ships, by the route about which I had said to you, 'You will not see Egypt again.' There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male slaves and female slaves, but no one will purchase you."

¹ These are the words that Yahweh commanded Moses to tell the people of Israel in the land of Moab, words that were added to the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.

² Moses called to all Israel and said to them, "You have seen everything that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land— ³ the great sufferings that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. ⁴ But until today Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, or ears to hear. ⁵ I have led you for forty years in the wilderness; your clothes did not wear out on you, and your sandals did not wear out on your feet. ⁶ You did not eat any bread, and you did not drink any wine or other strong drink, so that you might know that I am Yahweh your God. ⁷ When you came to this place, Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan, came out against us to fight, and we struck them down. ⁸ We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, so that you may prosper in everything that you do.

¹⁰ You stand today, all of you, before Yahweh your God; your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, and your officers—all the men of Israel, ¹¹ your little ones, your wives, and the foreigner who is among you in your camp, from him who cuts your wood to him who draws your water. ¹² You are here in order to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God and into the oath that Yahweh your God is making with you today, ¹³ so that he may make you today into a people for himself, and that he may be God for you, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

¹⁴ For it is not only with you that I am making this covenant and this oath— ¹⁵ with everyone standing here with us today before Yahweh our God—but also with those who are 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 You have seen their disgusting idols made of wood and stone, silver and gold, that were among them. ¹⁸ Make sure there is not among you any man, woman, clan, or tribe whose heart is turning away today from Yahweh our God, so as to go worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is not among you any root that produces poison fruit and wormwood. ¹⁹ When that person hears the words of this curse, he will bless himself in his heart and say, 'I will have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This would destroy the wet together with the dry. ²⁰ Yahweh will not pardon him. Instead, the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smolder against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book will come on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven. ²¹ Yahweh will set him apart for disaster out of all the tribes of Israel, in keeping with all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law.

²² The generation to come, your children who will rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a distant land, will speak when they see the plagues on this land and the diseases with which Yahweh has made it sick— ²³ and when they see that the whole land has become sulfur and burning salt, where nothing is sown or bears fruit, where no vegetation grows, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, that Yahweh destroyed in his anger and wrath— ²⁴ they will say together with all the other nations, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?' ²⁵ Then people will say, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, that he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, ²⁶ and because they went and served other gods and bowed down to them, gods that they had not known and that he had not given to them. ²⁷ Therefore the anger of Yahweh has been kindled against this land, so as to bring on it all the curses that are written in this book. ²⁸ Yahweh has uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great fury, and has thrown them into another land, as today.' ²⁹ The secret matters belong alone to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong forever to us and to our descendants, so that we may do all the words of this law.

¹ When all these things have come on you, the blessings and the curses that I have set before you, and when you call them to mind among all the other nations where Yahweh your God has banished you, ² and when you return to Yahweh your God and obey his voice, following all that I am commanding you today—you and your children—with all your heart and with all your soul, ³ then Yahweh your God will reverse your captivity and have compassion on you; he will return and gather you from all the peoples where Yahweh your God has scattered you. ⁴ If any of your exiled people are in the farthest places under the heavens, from there Yahweh your God will gather you, and from there he will bring you. ⁵ Yahweh your God will bring you into the land that your forefathers possessed, and you will possess it again; he will do you good and will multiply you more than he did your forefathers. ⁶ Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so you will love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. ⁷ Yahweh your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, those who persecuted you. ⁸ You will return and obey the voice of Yahweh, and you will do all his commandments that I am commanding you today. ⁹ Yahweh your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, for prosperity. For Yahweh will again delight in making you prosperous, as he rejoiced over your fathers. ¹⁰ He will do this if you will obey the voice of Yahweh your God, so as to keep his commandments and regulations that are written in this book of the law, if you turn to Yahweh your God with all your heart and all your soul.

¹¹ For this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, neither is it too far for you to reach. ¹² It is not in heaven, so that you should have to say, 'Who will go up for us to heaven and bring it down to us and make us able to hear it, so that we may do it?' ¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, so that you should have to say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us and make us to hear it, so that we may do it?' ¹⁴ But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and your heart, so that you may do it.

¹⁵ See, today I have placed before you life and good, death and evil. ¹⁶ If you obey the decrees of Yahweh your God, in which I am commanding you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, you will live and multiply, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you do not listen and are drawn away and bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ then I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you will not prolong your days in the land that you are passing over the Jordan to go into and possess. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life so that you may live, you and your descendants. ²⁰ Do this so as to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him. For he is your life and the length of your days; do this so that you may live in the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

¹ Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² He said to them, "I am now one hundred twenty years old; I can no more go out and come in; Yahweh has said to me, 'You will not go over this Jordan.' ³ Yahweh your God, he will go over before you; he will destroy these nations from before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua, he will go over before you, as Yahweh has spoken. ⁴ Yahweh will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which he destroyed. ⁵ Yahweh will deliver them over to you, and you will do to them according to all that I commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, fear not, and do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, he it is who goes with you; he will not fail you nor abandon you." ⁷ Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh has sworn to their ancestors to give them; you will cause them to inherit it. ⁸ Yahweh, he it is who goes before you; he will be with you; he will not fail you nor abandon you; do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

⁹ Moses wrote this law and gave it out to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; he also gave copies of it to all the elders of Israel. ¹⁰ Moses commanded them and said, "At the end of every seven years, at the time fixed for the cancellation of debts, during the Festival of Shelters, ¹¹ when all Israel has come to appear before Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose for his sanctuary, you will read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ¹² Assemble the people, the men, the women, and the little ones, and your foreigner who is within your city gates, so that they may hear and learn, and so that they may honor Yahweh your God and keep all the words of this law. ¹³ Do this so that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to honor Yahweh your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

¹⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, the day is coming when you must die; call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, so that I may give him a command." Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ Yahweh appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud; the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent. ¹⁶ Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, you will lie down with your fathers; this people will rise up and act like a prostitute going after the strange gods that are among them in the land where they are going. They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them. ¹⁷ Then, on that day, my anger will be kindled against them and I will abandon them. I will hide my face from them and they will be devoured. Many disasters and troubles will find them so that they will say on that day, 'Have these disasters not come upon us because our God is not in our midst?' ¹⁸ I will surely hide my face from them on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, because they will have turned to other gods. ¹⁹ Now therefore write this song for yourselves and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. ²⁰ For when I will have brought them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, and when they have eaten and become satisfied and prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and they will serve them and they will despise me and they will break my covenant. ²¹ When many evils and troubles come upon this people, this song will testify before them as a witness (for it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants). For I know the plans that they are forming today, even before I have brought them into the land that I swore to them." ²² So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. ²³ Yahweh gave Joshua son of Nun a command and said, "Be strong and of good courage; for you will bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to them, and I will be with you."

²⁴ It happened that when Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, ²⁵ that he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and he said, ²⁶ "Take this book of the law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, so that it may be there as a witness against you. ²⁷ For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck; look, while I am still alive with you even today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; how much more after my death? ²⁸ Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so 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 utterly corrupt yourselves and turn aside out of the path that I have commanded you; disaster will come on you in the following days. This will happen because you will do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands."

³⁰ Moses recited in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were finished.

¹ Give ear, you heavens, and let me speak.

Let the earth listen to the words of my mouth.

² Let my teaching drop down like the rain,

let my speech distill like the dew,

like the gentle rain on the tender grass,

and like the showers on the plants.

³ For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh,

and ascribe greatness to our God.

⁴ The Rock, his work is perfect;

for all his paths are just.

He is the faithful God, without iniquity.

He is just and upright.

⁵ They have acted corruptly against him.

They are not his children. It is their disgrace.

They are a perverted and crooked generation.

⁶ Do you reward Yahweh in this way,

you foolish and unwise people?

Is he not your Father, the one who has created you?

He made you and established you.

⁷ Call to mind the days of ancient times,

think about the years of generations past.

Ask your father and he will show you,

your elders and they will tell you.

⁸ When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance—

when he divided all of mankind,

he set the boundaries of the peoples

according to the number of the children of Israel.

⁹ For Yahweh's portion is his people;

Jacob is his apportioned inheritance.

¹⁰ He found him in a desert land,

and in the barren and howling wilderness;

he shielded him and cared for him,

he guarded him as the apple of his eye.

¹¹ As an eagle that guards her nest

and flutters over her young,

Yahweh spread out his wings and took them,

and carried them on his pinions.

¹² Yahweh alone led him;

no foreign god was with him.

¹³ He made him ride on high places of the land,

and he fed him the fruits of the field;

he nourished him with honey from the rock,

and oil from the flinty crag.

¹⁴ He ate butter from the herd and drank milk from the flock,

with fat of lambs,

rams of Bashan and goats,

with the finest of the wheat—

and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of grapes.

¹⁵ But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—

you grew fat, you were too fat, and you had eaten your fill—

he abandoned the God who made him,

and he rejected the Rock of his salvation.

¹⁶ They made Yahweh jealous by their strange gods;

with their abominations they angered him.

¹⁷ They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—

gods they had not known,

gods that recently appeared,

gods your fathers did not fear.

¹⁸ You have deserted the Rock, who became your father,

and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

¹⁹ Yahweh saw this and he rejected them,

because his sons and his daughters provoked him so.

²⁰ "I will hide my face from them," he said,

"and 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 by what is not god

and angered me by their worthless things.

I will make them envious by those who are not a people;

by a foolish nation I will make them angry.

²² For a fire is kindled by my anger

and is burning to the lowest Sheol;

it is devouring the earth and its produce;

it is setting on fire the foundations of the mountains.

²³ I will heap disasters on them;

I will shoot all my arrows at them;

²⁴ They will be wasted by hunger and devoured by burning heat

and bitter destruction;

I will send on them the teeth of wild animals,

with the poison of things that crawl in the dust.

²⁵ Outside the sword will bereave,

and in the bedrooms terror will do so.

It will destroy both young man and virgin,

the nursing baby, and the man of gray hairs.

²⁶ I said that I would scatter them far away,

that I would make the memory of them to cease from among mankind.

²⁷ Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,

and that their enemies would judge mistakenly,

and that they would say, 'Our hand is exalted,'

I would have done all this.

²⁸ For Israel is a nation devoid of counsel,

and there is no understanding in them.

²⁹ Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,

that they would consider their coming fate!

³⁰ How could one chase a thousand,

and two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

and Yahweh had given them up?

³¹ For our enemies' rock is not like our Rock,

just as even our enemies have concluded.

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 plan secretly kept by me,

sealed up among my treasures?

³⁵ Vengeance is mine to give, and recompense,

at the time when their foot slips;

for the day of disaster for them is near,

and the things that are to come on them will hurry to happen."

³⁶ For Yahweh will give justice to his people,

and he will pity his servants.

He will see that their power is gone,

and no one remains, either slaves or free people.

³⁷ Then he will say, "Where are their gods,

the rock in whom they took refuge,

³⁸ the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices

and drank the wine of their drink offerings?

Let them rise up and help you;

let them be your protection.

³⁹ See now that I, even I, am God,

and that there is no god besides me;

I kill, and I make alive;

I wound, and I heal,

and there is no one who can save you from my might.

⁴⁰ For I lift up my hand to heaven

and say, 'As I live forever, I will act.

⁴¹ When I sharpen my glittering sword,

and when my hand begins to bring justice,

I will render vengeance on my enemies,

and I will pay back those who hate me.

⁴² I will make my arrows drunk with blood,

and my sword will devour flesh

with the blood of the killed and the captives,

and from the heads of the leaders of the enemy.'"

⁴³ Rejoice, you nations, with God's people,

for he will avenge the blood of his servants;

he will render vengeance on his enemies,

and he will make atonement for his land, for his people.

⁴⁴ Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Joshua son of Nun. ⁴⁵ Then Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel. ⁴⁶ He said to them, "Fix your mind on all the words that I have witnessed to you today, so that you may command your children to keep them, all the words of this law. ⁴⁷ For this is no trivial matter for you, because it is your life, and through this thing you will prolong your days in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

⁴⁸ Yahweh spoke to Moses on that same day and said, ⁴⁹ "Go up into this range of the mountains of Abarim, up Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho. You will look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel as their possession. ⁵⁰ You will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your fellow Israelite died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. ⁵¹ This will happen because you were unfaithful to me among the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not treat me with honor and respect among the people of Israel. ⁵² For you will see the land before you, but you will not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel."

¹ This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. ² He said:

Yahweh came from Sinai

and rose from Seir upon them.

He shined out from Mount Paran,

and he came with ten thousands of holy ones.

In his right hand were flashes of lightning.

³ Indeed, he loves the peoples;

all his holy people are in your hand,

and they bowed down at your feet;

they received your words.

⁴ Moses commanded us a law,

an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

⁵ Then there was a king in Jeshurun,

when the heads of the people had gathered,

all the tribes of Israel together.

⁶ Let Reuben live and not die,

but may his men be few.

⁷ This is the blessing for Judah. Moses said:

Listen, Yahweh, to the voice of Judah,

and bring him to his people again.

Fight for him;

be a help against his enemies.

⁸ About Levi, Moses said:

Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful one,

the one whom you tested at Massah,

with whom you struggled at the waters of Meribah,

⁹ who said about his father and mother, "I have not seen them."

Neither did he acknowledge his brothers,

nor did he take account of his own children.

For he guarded your word

and kept your covenant.

¹⁰ He teaches Jacob your decrees

and Israel your law.

He will put incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

¹¹ Bless, Yahweh, his possessions,

and accept the work of his hands.

Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,

and those of the people who hate him, so that they do not rise up again.

¹² About Benjamin, Moses said:

The one loved by Yahweh lives in security beside him;

Yahweh shields him all the day long,

and he lives between Yahweh's arms.

¹³ About Joseph, Moses said:

May his land be blessed by Yahweh

with the precious things of heaven, with the dew,

and with the deep that lies beneath.

¹⁴ May his land be blessed with the precious things of the harvest of the sun,

with the precious things of the produce of the months,

¹⁵ with the finest things of the ancient mountains,

and with the precious things of the everlasting hills.

¹⁶ May his land be blessed with the precious things of the earth and its abundance,

and with the good will of him who was in the bush.

Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,

and on the top of the head of him who was prince over his brothers.

¹⁷ The firstborn of an ox, majestic is he,

and his horns are the horns of a wild ox.

With them he will push the peoples,

all of them, to the ends of the earth.

These are the ten thousands of Ephraim;

these are the thousands of Manasseh.

¹⁸ About Zebulun, Moses said:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

and you, Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹ They will call the peoples to the mountains.

There will they offer sacrifices of righteousness.

For they will suck the abundance of the seas,

and from the sand on the seashore.

²⁰ About Gad, Moses said:

Blessed be he who enlarges Gad.

He will live there like a lioness,

and he will tear off an arm or a head.

²¹ He provided the best part for himself,

for there was the leader's portion of land reserved.

He came with the heads of the people.

He carried out the justice of Yahweh

and his decrees with Israel.

²² About Dan, Moses said:

Dan is a lion cub

that leaps out from Bashan.

²³ About Naphtali, Moses said:

Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

and full of the blessing of Yahweh,

take possession of the land to the west and south.

²⁴ About Asher, Moses said:

Blessed be Asher more than the other sons;

let him be acceptable to his brothers,

and let him dip his foot in olive oil.

²⁵ May your city bars be iron and bronze;

as long as will be your days, so long will your security be.

²⁶ There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

and in his majesty on the clouds.

²⁷ The eternal God is a refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He thrust out the enemy from before you,

and he said, "Destroy!"

²⁸ Israel dwelt in safety.

Jacob's spring was secure

in a land of grain and new wine;

indeed, let his heavens drop dew on him.

²⁹ Your blessings are many, Israel!

Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,

the shield of your help,

and the sword of your majesty?

Your enemies will come trembling to you;

you will trample down their high places.

¹ Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. There Yahweh showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, ² and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the western sea, ³ and the Negev, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. ⁴ Yahweh said to him, "This is the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have allowed you to look at it with your eyes, but you will not go over there." ⁵ So Moses the servant of Yahweh, died there in the land of Moab, as the word of Yahweh promised. ⁶ Yahweh buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no one knows where his grave is to this day. ⁷ Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. ⁸ The people of Israel mourned for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and then the days of mourning for Moses were finished.

⁹ Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. The people of Israel listened to him and did what Yahweh had commanded Moses. ¹⁰ There has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face. ¹¹ There has never been any prophet like him in all the signs and wonders that Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land. ¹² There has never been any prophet like him in all the mighty, fearsome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

¹ Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' chief assistant, saying, ² "Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore, arise, cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them—to the people of Israel. ³ I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will walk. I have given it to you, just as I promised to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea, where the sun goes down, will be your land. ⁵ No one will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not abandon you or leave you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous. You will cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their ancestors I would give to them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ This book of the law must not leave your mouth. You must meditate on it day and night so that you can be careful to do all that is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go."

¹⁰ Then Joshua commanded the leaders of the people, ¹¹ "Go through the camp and command the people, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves. In three days you will cross over this Jordan and go in and possess the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess.'"

¹² To the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, ¹³ "Call to mind the word that Moses the servant of Yahweh, commanded you when he said, 'Yahweh your God is giving you rest, and he is giving you this land.' ¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock will stay in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But your mighty warriors will go over with your brothers and help them ¹⁵ until Yahweh has given your brothers rest just as he has given it to you. Then they also will take possession of the land Yahweh your God gives them. Then you will return to your own land and possess it, the land that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan, where the sun rises." ¹⁶ Then they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷ We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. Only may Yahweh your God be with you, as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your commands and disobeys the words you have commanded them will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous."

¹ Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men out from Shittim as spies. He said, "Go, look over the land, especially Jericho." They went away and came to the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and they lodged there. ² It was told to the king of Jericho, "Look, men of Israel have come here to spy on the land." ³ The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, "Bring out the men who have come to you who entered your house, for they have come to spy on the whole land." ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She replied, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ They left when it was dusk, when it was time for the city gate to shut. I do not know where they went. You will probably catch them if you hurry after them." ⁶ But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan. The gate was shut as soon as the pursuers went out.

⁸ The men had not yet lain down for the night, when she came up to them on the roof. ⁹ She said, "I know that Yahweh has given you the land and that the fear of you has come upon us. All those who live in the land will melt away before you. ¹⁰ We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan—Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted and there was no courage left in anyone—for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth below. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by Yahweh that, just as I have been kind to you, you will also deal kindly with my father's house. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all their families, and that you will deliver our souls from death." ¹⁴ The men said to her, "Our life for yours, even to death! If you do not speak about our business, then, when Yahweh gives us this land we will be merciful and faithful to you."

¹⁵ So she let them down out through the window using a rope. The house in which she lived was built into the wall of the city. ¹⁶ She said to them, "Go in the hills and hide or the pursuers will find you. Hide there for three days until the pursuers have returned. Then go on your way." ¹⁷ The men said to her, "We will be be free from the oath you made us swear to if you do not do this. ¹⁸ When we come into the land, you must tie this scarlet rope in the window through which you let us down, and you will gather into the house your father and mother, your brothers and all your father's household. ¹⁹ Whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, their blood will be upon their own heads and we will be guiltless. But if a hand is laid upon any who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head. ²⁰ But if you speak about our business, we will be free from the oath you made us swear." ²¹ Rahab replied, "May what you say be done." She sent them away and they left. Then she tied the scarlet rope in the window.

²² They left and went up into the hills and they stayed there three days until their pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the road and found nothing. ²³ The two men returned and crossed over and came back to Joshua son of Nun, and they told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, "Truly Yahweh has given this land to us. All the inhabitants of the land are melting away because of us."

¹ Joshua got up early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim. They came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and they camped there before they crossed over. ² After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp; ³ they commanded the people, "When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and the priests from the Levites carrying it, you must leave this place and follow it. ⁴ There must be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits. Do not come close to it, so that you can see which way to go, since you have not gone this way before." ⁵ Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves tomorrow, for Yahweh will do wonders among you." ⁶ Then Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass in front of the people." So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went in front of people.

⁷ Yahweh said to Joshua, "This day I will make you a great man in the eyes of all Israel. They will know that as I was with Moses, I will be with you. ⁸ You will command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant, 'When you have come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you must stand still in the Jordan River.'" ⁹ Then Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here, and listen to the words of Yahweh your God." ¹⁰ And Joshua said, "By this you will know that the living God is among you and will drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹ Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth crosses over ahead of you into the Jordan. ¹² Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each. ¹³ When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and even the waters that flow down from upstream will stop flowing and they will stand in one heap."

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests who carried the ark of the covenant went ahead of the people. ¹⁵ As soon as those who were carrying the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who carried the chest were dipped in the edge of the water—now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of the harvest— ¹⁶ the waters that flowed down from upstream stood up in one heap. The water stopped flowing from a great distance. The waters stopped flowing from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, all the way down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea. The people crossed over near Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people of Israel crossed over on dry ground.

¹ When all the people crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua, ² "Choose twelve men for yourselves from among the people, one man from each tribe. ³ Give them this command: 'Take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing on the dry ground, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you will spend the night tonight.'" ⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ⁵ Joshua said to them, "Go over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. ⁶ This will be a sign in your midst for you when your children ask in days to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' ⁷ Then you will say to them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones will be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.'"

⁸ The people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded, and they picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh said to Joshua. They set the stones up according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. They carried the stones with them, over to the place where they camped and they set them down there. ⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is there to this day. ¹⁰ The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over. ¹¹ When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before the people. ¹² The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed before the people of Israel formed up as an army, just as Moses said to them. ¹³ About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on the plains of Jericho. ¹⁴ On that day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses—all his days.

¹⁵ Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua, ¹⁶ "Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan." ¹⁷ So, Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." ¹⁸ When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were lifted up out on dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed its banks, just as they were four days before.

¹⁹ The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They camped in Gilgal, east of Jericho. ²⁰ The twelve stones that they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. ²¹ He said to the people of Israel, "When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?' ²² tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.' ²³ Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you had crossed over, just as Yahweh your God did to the Sea of Reeds, 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 Yahweh is mighty, and that you will honor Yahweh your God forever."

¹ As soon as all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were along the coast of the Great Sea, heard that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan until the people of Israel had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel. ¹

² At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and once more circumcise all the sons of Israel." ³ Then Joshua made himself flint knives and he circumcised all the sons of Israel at Gibeath Haaraloth. ⁴ This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the males who had come out of Egypt, including all the men of war, had died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out from Egypt. ⁵ Though all the males who came out of Egypt were circumcised, still, none of the boys born in the wilderness on the way out of Egypt had been circumcised. ⁶ For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the people, that is, all the men of war who had come out of Egypt, died, because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh. Yahweh swore to them that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to their ancestors that he would give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ It was their children that Yahweh raised up in their place that Joshua circumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. ⁸ When they were all circumcised, they remained where they were in the camp until they healed. ⁹ Then Yahweh said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you." So, the name of that place has been called Gilgal until this present day.

¹⁰ The people of Israel camped at Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. ¹¹ On the day after Passover, that same day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped on the day after they ate the produce of the land. There was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate the produce of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³ When Joshua was near Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing in front of him; he had drawn his sword and it was in his hand. Joshua went to him and said, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" ¹⁴ He said, "Neither. For I am the commander of the army of Yahweh. Now I have come." Then Joshua lay facedown on the ground to worship and said to him, "What does my master say to his servant?" ¹⁵ The commander of Yahweh's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, because the place you are standing is holy." That is what Joshua did.

¹Some modern translations have until the people of Israel had crossed over, and others have, until we had crossed over . The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have we, but a note in their margin instructs readers to say they .

¹ Now all the entrances to Jericho were closed because of the army of Israel. No one went out and no one came in. ² Yahweh said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, its king, and its mighty warriors. ³ You must march around the city, all the men of war going around the city one time. You must do this for six days. ⁴ Seven priests must carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you must march around the city seven times, and the priests must sound blasts on the trumpets. ⁵ Then they must sound a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people must shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat. The soldiers must attack, each one going straight ahead." ⁶ Then Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh." ⁷ He said to the people, "Go over and march around the city, and the armed men will go ahead of the ark of Yahweh."

⁸ Just as Joshua had said to the people, the seven priests carried the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh. As they advanced, they gave a blast on the trumpets. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed after them. ⁹ Armed men walked before the priests, and they made a blast on their trumpets, but then the rear guard walked up behind the ark, and the priests blew their trumpets continually. ¹⁰ But Joshua commanded the people, saying, "Do not shout. No sound must leave your mouths until the day I tell you to shout. Only then you must shout." ¹¹ So he caused the ark of Yahweh to go around the city one time that day. Then they entered their camp, and they stayed the night in the camp.

¹² Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the ark of Yahweh. ¹³ The seven priests, who were carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh, walked steadily and gave blasts on the trumpets. Armed soldiers were walking in front of them. But when the rear guard walked after the ark of Yahweh, then the trumpets gave out continual blasts. ¹⁴ They marched around the city one time the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ It was on the seventh day that they got up early, as dawn was breaking, and they marched around the city in the same way that was their pattern, this time for seven times. It was on this day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ It was on the seventh day, when the priests gave a blast with the trumpets, that Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it will be set apart to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she and all the ones with her in her house—because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸ But as for you, be on guard about taking the things set apart for destruction, so that after you mark them for destruction, you do not then take any of them. If you do this, you will make the camp of Israel something that must be destroyed and you will bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver, gold, and the things made of bronze and iron are set apart to Yahweh. They must go into the treasury of Yahweh." ²⁰ So the people gave a great shout, and they blew on the trumpets. Now when the people heard the trumpet sound, they gave a great shout, the wall fell down flat, and every man charged straight in and captured the city. ²¹ They completely destroyed all that was in the city by the edge of the sword—man and woman, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

²² Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house. Bring out the woman and all who are with her, as you swore to her." ²³ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all the relatives that were with her. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ They burned the city and everything in it. Only the silver, gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron were put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh. ²⁵ But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all that were with her to live. She lives in Israel to this day because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. ²⁶ Then Joshua commanded them at that time with an oath, and he said, "Cursed is the man in Yahweh's sight who rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay the foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates."

²⁷ So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

¹ But the people of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things that were set apart for destruction. Achan son of Karmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some things that were set apart for destruction, and Yahweh's anger burned against the people of Israel.

² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." So the men went up and spied out Ai. ³ When they returned to Joshua, they said to him, "Do not send all the people up to Ai. Send only two or three thousand men to go up and attack Ai. Do not make all the people labor in battle, for they are few in number." ⁴ So only about three thousand men went up from the army, but these ran away from the men of Ai. ⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six men as they pursued them from the city gate as far as to the stone quarries, and they killed them as they were going down a hill. The hearts of the people melted and became like water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his garments. He and the elders of Israel put dust on their heads and lay facedown on the ground in front of the ark of Yahweh, remaining there until evening. ⁷ Then Joshua said, "Ah, Yahweh Lord, why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all? To give us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we made a different decision and we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Lord, what can I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? ⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it. They will surround us and make the people of the earth forget our name. What will you do for your great name?"

¹⁰ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying there on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned. They have broken my covenant which I commanded them. They have stolen some of the things that were set apart. They have stolen and then also hidden their sin by putting what they have taken among their own belongings. ¹² As a result, the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turned their backs from their enemies because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy the things that should have been destroyed, but are still among you. ¹³ Get up! Consecrate the people to me and say to them, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. For Yahweh, the God of Israel says, "There are things set apart to be destroyed that are still among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove from among you all the things that were set apart to be destroyed." ¹⁴ In the morning, you must present yourselves by your tribes. The tribe that Yahweh selects will come near by their clans. The clan that Yahweh selects must come near by each household. The household that Yahweh selects must come near one by one. ¹⁵ It will happen that the one who is selected and who has those things that were set apart for destruction, he will be burned, he and all he has, because he has broken the covenant of Yahweh and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"

¹⁶ So, Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel near, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. ¹⁷ Joshua brought the clans of Judah near, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He brought near the clan of the Zerahites person by person, and Zabdi was selected. ¹⁸ He brought Zabdi's household near, person by person, and Achan son of Karmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. ¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and give praise to him. Please tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me." ²⁰ Achan answered Joshua, "Truly, I have sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is what I did: ²¹ When I saw among the plunder a beautiful coat from Babylon, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I desired them and took them. They are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, and the silver is under it."

²² Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent and there were the things. When they looked, they found them hidden in his own tent, and the silver under them. ²³ They took the items from the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. They poured them out before Yahweh. ²⁴ Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the coat, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, sheep, and his tent and all that he had, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. ²⁵ Then Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you today." All Israel stoned him with stones. Then they stoned the rest with stones and burned them with fire. ²⁶ They set up over him a great heap of stones that is here until this day. Yahweh turned away his burning anger. Therefore the name of the place has been called the Valley of Achor until this present day.

¹ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Do not fear; do not be discouraged. Take with you all the people of war. Go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. ² You will do to Ai and her king as you have done to Jericho and her king, except that you will take the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

³ So Joshua got up and took all the men of war up to Ai. Then Joshua chose thirty thousand men—mighty warriors—and he sent them out at night. ⁴ He commanded them, "Look, you will lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. ⁵ I and all the men with me will approach the city, and when they come out to attack us, we will run away from them just as before. ⁶ They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. They will say, 'They are running away from us as they did the last time.' So we will run away from them. ⁷ Then you come up out of your place of hiding, and you will capture the city. Yahweh your God will give it into your hand. ⁸ When you capture the city, you will set it on fire. You will do this when you obey the command given in the word of Yahweh. See, I have commanded you." ⁹ Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush, and they hid between Bethel and Ai to the west of Ai. But Joshua slept that night among the people.

¹⁰ Joshua got up early in the morning and got his soldiers ready, Joshua and the elders of Israel, and they attacked the people of Ai. ¹¹ All the fighting men who were with him went up and approached the city. They came near the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between them and Ai. ¹² He took about five thousand men and set them in ambush on the west side of the city between Bethel and Ai. ¹³ They positioned all the soldiers, the main army on the north side of the city, and the rear guard on the west side of the city. Joshua spent that night in the valley. ¹⁴ It came about when the king of Ai saw it, he and his army got up early and rushed out to attack Israel at a certain place that was overlooking the Jordan River valley. He did not know that an ambush was waiting to attack from behind the city. ¹⁵ Joshua and all Israel let themselves be defeated before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. ¹⁶ All the people who were in the city were called together to go after them, and they went after Joshua and they were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷ There was not a man left in Ai and Bethel who had not gone out to pursue Israel. They abandoned the city and left it open as they pursued Israel.

¹⁸ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Point that spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will give Ai into your hand." Joshua held out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. ¹⁹ The soldiers hiding in ambush quickly rushed out of their place as he reached out with his hand. They ran and entered the city and captured it. They quickly set the city on fire. ²⁰ The men of Ai turned and looked back. They saw the smoke from the city rising into the sky, and they could not escape this way or that. For the Israelite soldiers who had fled into the wilderness now turned back to face those who were pursuing them. ²¹ When Joshua and all Israel saw the ambush had captured the city with the smoke rising, they turned around and killed the men of Ai. ²² The others came out from the city against them, so that they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. Israel attacked the men of Ai; none remained of those who survived or escaped. ²³ They kept the king of Ai, whom they captured alive, and they brought him to Joshua.

²⁴ It came about when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field near the wilderness where they pursued them, and when all of them, to the very last one, had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai. They attacked it with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ All those who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand, all the people of Ai. ²⁶ Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he had reached out while holding his spear, until he had completely destroyed all the people of Ai. ²⁷ Israel took only the livestock and the plunder from the city for themselves, just as Yahweh had commanded Joshua. ²⁸ Joshua burned Ai and turned it into a heap of ruins forever. It is a devastated place to this day. ²⁹ He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. When the sun was going down, Joshua gave the command and they took the king's body down from the tree and threw it in front of the city gate. There they set up a great heap of stones on top of it. That heap remains there to this day.

³⁰ Then Joshua built an altar to Yahweh, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded the people of Israel, as it was written in the book of the law of Moses: "An altar from uncut stones, on which no one has wielded an iron tool." He offered on the altar burnt offerings to Yahweh, and they sacrificed peace offerings. ³² There, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses. ³³ All Israel, their elders, officers, and their judges stood on both sides of the ark before the priests and Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh—the foreigner as well as the native born—half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. They blessed the people of Israel, just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded them at first. ³⁴ Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, just as they had been written in the book of the law. ³⁵ There was not one word from all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the assembly of Israel, including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

¹ Then all the kings who lived beyond the Jordan in the hill country, and in the lowlands along the shore of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites— ² these gathered themselves together under one command, to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

³ When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, ⁴ they acted with a cunning plan. They went as messengers. They took worn-out sacks and put them on their donkeys. They also took old wineskins that were worn, torn, and had been repaired. ¹ ⁵ They put old and patched sandals on their feet, and dressed in old, worn-out clothing. All the bread in their food supply was dry and moldy. ⁶ Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have traveled from a very far country, so now make a covenant with us." ⁷ The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live near us. How can we make a covenant with you?" ⁸ They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua said to them, "Who are you? Where did you come from?" ⁹ They said to him, "Your servants have come here from a land very far away, because of the fame of Yahweh your God. We have heard a report about him and about everything that he did in Egypt— ¹⁰ and everything that he did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. ¹¹ Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey. Go to meet them and say to them, "We are your servants. Make a treaty with us." ¹² This is our bread, it was still warm when we took it from our houses on the day we set out to come to you. But now, see, it is dry and moldy. ¹³ These wineskins were new when we filled them, and look, now they are leaking. Our garments and our sandals are worn out from a very long journey.'" ¹⁴ So the Israelites took some of their provisions, but they did not consult with Yahweh for guidance. ¹⁵ Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The leaders of the people also swore a vow to them.

¹⁶ Three days after the Israelites made this covenant with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and that they lived nearby. ¹⁷ Then the people of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. ¹⁸ The people of Israel did not attack them because their leaders had taken an oath about them before Yahweh, the God of Israel. The whole community was grumbling against their leaders. ¹⁹ But all the leaders said to all the people, "We have taken an oath concerning them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, and now we cannot harm them. ²⁰ This is what we will do to them: To avoid any wrath that may come on us because of the oath we swore to them, we will let them live." ²¹ The leaders said to their people, "Let them live." So, the Gibeonites became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the Israelites, just as the leaders said about them.

²² Joshua called for them and said, "Why did you deceive us when you said, 'We are very far from you', when you live right here among us? ²³ Now, because of this, you are cursed and some of you will always be slaves, those who cut wood and draw water for the house of my God." ²⁴ They answered Joshua and said, "Because it was told to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you—so we were very afraid for our lives because of you. That is why we did this thing. ²⁵ Now, look, you hold us in your power. Whatever seems good and right for you to do to us, do it." ²⁶ So Joshua did this for them: He delivered them out of the control of the people of Israel, so that the people of Israel did not kill them. ²⁷ That day Joshua made the Gibeonites cutters of wood and drawers of water for the community, and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place that Yahweh chooses.

¹Instead of They went as messengers, some Hebrew copies and some ancient translations of the Hebrew copies have, They got provisions ready and loaded their donkeys .

¹ Now when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and had completely destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king), he also heard how the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. ² The people of Jerusalem were very afraid because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors. ³ So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent a message to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon: ⁴ "Come up to me and help me. Let us attack Gibeon because they have made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel." ⁵ 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—came up, they and all of their armies. They encamped near Gibeon, and they attacked it.

⁶ The people of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua and to the army at Gilgal. They said, "Hurry! Do not withdraw your hands from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us. Help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country have gathered together to attack us." ⁷ Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the men of war with him, and all the mighty warriors. ⁸ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them. I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to stop your attack." ⁹ Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. ¹⁰ Yahweh confused the enemy before Israel, and Israel killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and pursued them on the road going up to Beth Horon, and they killed them on the road to Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹ As they ran away from Israel, down the hill from Beth Horon, Yahweh threw large stones down from heaven upon them all the way to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than who were killed with the sword by the men of Israel.

¹² Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh on the day Yahweh gave the men of Israel victory over the Amorites. This is what Joshua said to Yahweh before Israel,

"Sun, be still at Gibeon,

and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."

¹³ The sun stood still,

and the moon stopped moving

until the nation took vengeance

on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?

The sun stayed

in the middle of the sky;

it did not go down

for about a whole day.

¹⁴ There has been no other day like it before or after it, when Yahweh obeyed the voice of a human being. For Yahweh was waging war on behalf of Israel.

¹⁵ Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.

¹⁶ Now the five kings had escaped and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷ It was told to Joshua, "They have been found!—the five kings hidden in the cave at Makkedah!" ¹⁸ Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and place soldiers there to guard them. ¹⁹ Do not stay yourselves. Pursue your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not permit them to enter into their cities, because Yahweh your God has given them into your hand." ²⁰ Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaughtering them with a very great slaughter, until they were almost completely destroyed; only a few survivors who escaped reached the fortified cities. ²¹ Then the whole army returned in peace to Joshua at the camp at Makkedah. No one dared to say one word against any of the people of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and out of the cave bring to me these five kings." ²³ They did as he said. They brought to him these five kings 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 When they brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned every man of Israel. He said to the commanders of the soldiers who had gone into battle with him, "Put your feet on their necks." So they came up and put their feet on their necks. ²⁵ Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Be strong and courageous. This is what Yahweh will do to all your enemies you are going to fight." ²⁶ Then Joshua struck the kings. He hung them on five trees. They hung on the trees until evening. ²⁷ When it was sunset, Joshua gave orders, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves. They put large stones over the mouth of the cave. Those stones remain there to this very day.

²⁸ In this way, Joshua captured Makkedah on that day and killed everyone there with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivor in it. He did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Joshua and all Israel passed on from Makkedah to Libnah. He went into battle against Libnah. ³⁰ Yahweh also gave it into the hand of Israel—along with their king. Joshua struck it with the edge of the sword and every person in it. He left no survivor in it. He did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish. He camped by it and waged war against it. ³² Yahweh gave Lachish into the hand of Israel. Joshua captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, just as he had done to Libnah.

³³ Then Horam, king of Gezer, came up to help Lachish. Joshua attacked him and his army until there was not even one survivor left.

³⁴ Then Joshua and all Israel passed on from Lachish to Eglon. They camped by it and waged war against it, ³⁵ and captured it that same day. They struck it with the edge of the sword and they completely destroyed everyone in it, as Joshua had done to Lachish.

³⁶ Then Joshua and all Israel passed on from Eglon to Hebron. They waged war against it. ³⁷ They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, together with its king and its villages, and all the people in it. They left no survivors. Just as they had done to Eglon, they totally destroyed it and every person in it.

³⁸ Then Joshua turned, and all the army of Israel with him, and they passed on to Debir and waged war against it. ³⁹ They captured it, its king and all its nearby villages. They struck them with the edge of the sword and completely destroyed every person in it. They left no survivor. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.

⁴⁰ Joshua conquered all the land, the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills. Of all their kings he left not one survivor. He completely destroyed everything that breathed, just as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded. ⁴¹ Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen to Gibeon. ⁴² Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. ⁴³ Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.

¹ When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard this, he sent a message to Jobab, king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akshaph. ² He also sent the message to the kings who were in the northern hill country, in the Jordan River valley south of Kinnereth, in the lowlands, and in Naphoth Dor to the west. ³ He also sent a message to the Canaanites to the east and west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites by Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah. ⁴ All their armies came out with them, a great number of soldiers, in number like the sand on the seashore. They had a great number of horses and chariots. ⁵ All these kings met at the appointed time, and they camped at the waters of Merom to wage war with Israel.

⁶ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid in their presence, because tomorrow at this time I am giving them all to Israel as dead men. You will hamstring their horses, and you will burn their chariots." ⁷ Joshua and all the men of war came. They arrived suddenly at the waters of Merom, and attacked the enemy. ⁸ Yahweh gave the enemy into the hand of Israel, and they struck them and pursued them to Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah to the east. They struck them until not even one survivor of them was left. ⁹ Joshua did to them just as Yahweh told him. He hamstrung the horses and burned the chariots.

¹⁰ Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor. He struck its king with the sword. (Hazor had been head of all these kingdoms.) ¹¹ They struck with the sword every living creature that was there, and he set them apart to be destroyed, so there was not any living creature left alive. Then he burned Hazor. ¹² Joshua captured all the cities of these kings. He also captured all their kings and struck them with the edge of the sword. He completely destroyed them with the edge of the sword, just as Moses the servant of Yahweh had commanded. ¹³ Israel did not burn any of the cities built on mounds, except Hazor. It alone Joshua burned. ¹⁴ The army of Israel took all the plunder from these cities along with the livestock for themselves. They killed every human being with the edge of the sword until all were dead. They left alive no creature that breathed. ¹⁵ Just as Yahweh had commanded his servant Moses, in the same way, Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did it. He left nothing undone of all that Yahweh commanded Moses to do.

¹⁶ Joshua took all that land: the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Jordan River valley, the hill country of Israel and its lowlands. ¹⁷ From Mount Halak near Edom, and going north as far as Baal Gad in the valley near Lebanon below Mount Hermon, he captured all their kings and put them to death. ¹⁸ Joshua waged war for a long time with all the kings. ¹⁹ Not one city made peace with the army of Israel except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Israel captured all the rest of the cities in battle. ²⁰ For it was Yahweh who hardened their hearts so they would wage war against Israel, so that they might be devoted to destruction without mercy, just as he had instructed Moses.

²¹ Then Joshua came at that time and he destroyed the Anakim. He did this in the hill country, at Hebron, Debir, Anab, and in all the hill country of Judah, and in all the hill country of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them and their cities. ²² None of the Anakim were left in the land of Israel except at Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. ²³ So Joshua captured the whole land, just as Yahweh said to Moses. Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel, assigned to each of their tribes. Then the land had rest from the wars.

¹ Now these are the kings of the land, whom the men of Israel conquered. The people of Israel took possession of the land on the east side of the Jordan where the sun rises, from the Valley of the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah to the east.

² Sihon, king of the Amorites, lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer, which is on the rim of the Arnon Gorge from the middle of the valley, and half of Gilead down to the Jabbok River on the border of the Ammonites.

³ Sihon also ruled over the Arabah to the Sea of Kinnereth, to the east, to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) eastward, all the way to Beth Jeshimoth and southward, toward the foot of the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

⁴ Og, king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

⁵ He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salekah, and all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites, and half of Gilead, to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon.

⁶ Moses the servant of Yahweh, and the people of Israel had defeated them, and Moses the servant of Yahweh, gave the land as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

⁷ 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 near Lebanon to Mount Halak near Edom. Joshua gave land to the tribes of Israel for them to possess. ⁸ He gave them the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the sides of the mountains, the wilderness, and the Negev—the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁹ The kings included the king of Jericho, the king of Ai which is beside Bethel, ¹⁰ the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, ¹¹ the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, ¹² the king of Eglon, the king of Gezer, ¹³ the king of Debir, the king of Geder, ¹⁴ the king of Hormah, the king of Arad, ¹⁵ the king of Libnah, the king of Adullam, ¹⁶ the king of Makkedah, the king of Bethel, ¹⁷ the king of Tappuah, the king of Hepher, ¹⁸ the king of Aphek, the king of Lasharon, ¹⁹ the king of Madon, the king of Hazor, ²⁰ the king of Shimron Meron, the king of Akshaph, ²¹ the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo, ²² the king of Kedesh, the king of Jokneam in Carmel, ²³ the king of Dor in Naphoth Dor, the king of Goyim in Gilgal, ²⁴ and the king of Tirzah. The number of kings was thirty-one in all.

¹ Now Joshua was very old when Yahweh said to him, "You are very old, but there is still very much land to capture.

² This is the land that still remains: All the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites, ³ from Shihor, which is east of Egypt, and northward to the border of Ekron, which is considered property of the Canaanites; the five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites ⁴ in the south; all the lands of the Canaanites, from Arah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek which is on the border of the Amorites; ⁵ the land of Byblos, ¹ all of Lebanon toward the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

⁶ Also, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim, including all the people of Sidon—I will drive them out before the army of Israel. Be sure to assign the land to Israel as an inheritance, as I commanded you. ⁷ Divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Manasseh."

⁸ With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites had received their inheritance that Moses, the servant of Yahweh, gave them on the east side of the Jordan,

⁹ from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon River gorge (including the city that is in the middle of the gorge), to all the plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon; ¹⁰ all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; ¹¹ Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maakathites, all of Mount Hermon, all Bashan to Salekah; ¹² all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei—these are what was left of the remnant of the Rephaim—Moses struck them and drove them out. ¹³ But the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maakathites, and so Geshur and Maakah live in the midst of Israel to this day.

¹⁴ To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings of Yahweh, the God of Israel, made by fire, are their inheritance, as God said to Moses.

¹⁵ Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of Reuben, clan by clan.

¹⁶ Their territory was from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River gorge, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the plateau by Medeba. ¹⁷ Reuben also received Heshbon and all its cities that are in the plateau, Dibon, and Bamoth Baal, and Beth Baal Meon, ¹⁸ and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, ¹⁹ and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth Shahar on the hill of the valley. ²⁰ Reuben also received Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, Beth Jeshimoth, ²¹ all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses had defeated together with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who had lived in the land. ²² The people of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination, among the rest of those they had killed. ²³ The border of the tribe of Reuben is the Jordan River; this is their boundary. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben, given to each of their clans, with their cities and villages.

²⁴ This is what Moses gave to the tribe of Gad, clan by clan:

²⁵ Their territory was Jazer, all the cities of Gilead and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, ²⁶ from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir. ²⁷ In the valley, Moses gave them Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, with the Jordan as a border, to the lower end of the Sea of Kinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. ²⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of Gad, clan by clan, with their cities and villages.

²⁹ Moses gave an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh. It was assigned to the half tribe of the descendants of Manasseh, clan by clan.

³⁰ Their territory was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities; ³¹ half of Gilead, and Ashtaroth and Edrei (the royal cities of Og in Bashan). These were assigned to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh—half of the people of Makir, clan by clan.

³² This is the inheritance that Moses assigned to them on the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. ³³ Moses did not give an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

¹Some modern English translations read, land of Gebalites .

¹ These are the areas of land that the people of Israel received as their inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. ² Their inheritance was selected by lot for the nine and one-half tribes, just as Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses. ³ For Moses had given the inheritance of the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan, but to the Levites he gave no inheritance. ⁴ The tribe of Joseph was actually two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. The Levites were given no portion of the inheritance in the land, but only certain cities to live in, with their pasturelands for livestock and for their own material resources. ⁵ The people of Israel did as Yahweh commanded Moses, so they assigned the land.

⁶ Then the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, said to him, "You know what Yahweh said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me at Kadesh Barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of Yahweh sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land. I brought him a report again as it was in my heart to make. ⁸ But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear. But I completely followed Yahweh my God. ⁹ Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has walked will be an inheritance for you and for your children forever, because you have completely followed Yahweh my God.' ¹⁰ Now, look! Yahweh has kept me alive these forty-five years, just as he said—from the time when Yahweh spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, look! I am this day eighty-five years old. ¹¹ I am still as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me out. My strength is now as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. ¹² Now therefore give me this hill country, which Yahweh promised me on that day. For you heard on that day that the Anakim were there with great fortified cities. It may be that Yahweh will be with me and that I will drive them out, just as Yahweh said."

¹³ Then Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron as an inheritance to Caleb son of Jephunneh. ¹⁴ Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he completely followed Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath Arba. (Arba had been the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.

¹ The assignment of land for the tribe of the people of Judah, clan by clan, extended south to the border of Edom, with the wilderness of Zin being the farthest point to the south. ² Their border on the south ran from the end of the Salt Sea, from the bay that faces to the south. ³ Their boundary next went out to the south of the hill of Akrabbim and passed along to Zin, and went up south of Kadesh Barnea, along by Hezron, and up to Addar, where it turned about to Karka. ⁴ It passed along to Azmon, went by the brook of Egypt, and came to its end at the sea. This was their south boundary. ⁵ The eastern boundary was the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north ran from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. ⁶ It went up to Beth Hoglah and passed along north of Beth Arabah. Then it went up to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. ⁷ Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, and so northward, turning toward Gilgal, which is opposite the hill of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley. Then the border passed along to the springs of En Shemesh and went to En Rogel. ⁸ Then the border went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem). Then it went up to the top of the hill that lies over the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, which is at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. ⁹ Then the border extended from the top of the hills to the spring of Nephtoah, and went out from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the border bends around to Baalah (the same as Kiriath Jearim). ¹⁰ Then the border circled around west of Baalah to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim on the north (the same as Kesalon), went down to Beth Shemesh, and crossed over to Timnah. ¹¹ The border went out beside the northern hill of Ekron, and then it bent around to Shikkeron and passed along to Mount Baalah, and from there it went to Jabneel. The border ended at the sea. ¹² The western boundary was the Great Sea and its coastline. This is the border around the tribe of Judah, clan by clan.

¹³ In keeping with the commandment of Yahweh to Joshua, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh an assignment of land among the tribe of Judah, Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). ¹⁴ Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, descendants of Anak. ¹⁵ He went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was formerly Kiriath Sepher). ¹⁶ Caleb said, "The man who attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it, to him I will give Aksah my daughter as a wife." ¹⁷ When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured it, Caleb gave him Aksah his daughter as a wife. ¹⁸ Soon after that, Aksah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What do you want?" ¹⁹ Aksah replied, "Do me a special favor, since you have given me the land of the Negev: Also give me some springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper springs and lower springs.

²⁰ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, clan by clan.

²¹ The cities belonging to the tribe of Judah in the extreme south, toward the border of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, ²³ Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, ²⁴ Ziph, Telem, Bealoth. ²⁵ Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (this was also known as Hazor), ²⁶ Amam, Shema, Moladah, ²⁷ Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet, ²⁸ Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah. ²⁹ Baalah, Iyim, Ezem, ³⁰ Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, ³² Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. These were twenty-nine cities in all, including their villages.

³³ In the lowlands there were Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, ³⁵ Jarmuth, Adullam, Sokoh, Azekah, ³⁶ Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (that is, Gederothaim). These were fourteen cities in number, including their villages.

³⁷ Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, ³⁸ Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, ³⁹ Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon. ⁴⁰ Kabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, ⁴¹ Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, Makkedah. These were sixteen cities in number, including their villages.

⁴² Libnah, Ether, Ashan, ⁴³ Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, ⁴⁴ Keilah, Akzib, Mareshah. These were nine cities, including their villages.

⁴⁵ Ekron, with its surrounding towns and villages; ⁴⁶ from Ekron to the Great Sea, all the settlements that were near Ashdod, including their villages.

⁴⁷ Ashdod, its surrounding towns, including their villages; Gaza, its surrounding towns including their villages; to the brook of Egypt, and to the Great Sea with its coastline.

⁴⁸ In the hill country, Shamir, Jattir, Sokoh, ⁴⁹ Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), ⁵⁰ Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon, and Giloh. These were eleven cities, including their villages.

⁵² Arab, Dumah, Eshan, ⁵³ Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior. These were nine cities, including their villages.

⁵⁵ Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, ⁵⁶ Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, ⁵⁷ Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah. These were ten cities, including their villages.

⁵⁸ Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, ⁵⁹ Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon. These were six cities, including their villages.

⁶⁰ Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), and Rabbah. These were two cities, including their villages.

⁶¹ In the wilderness, there were Beth Arabah, Middin, Sekakah, ⁶² Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi. These were six cities, including their villages.

⁶³ But as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the tribe of Judah could not drive them out, so the Jebusites live there with the tribe of Judah to this day.

¹ The assignment of land for the tribe of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho, east of the springs of Jericho, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country of Bethel. ² Then it went from Bethel to Luz and passed along to Ataroth, the territory of the Arkites. ³ Then it went down westward to the territory of the Japhletites, as far as the territory of Lower Beth Horon, and then on to Gezer; it ended at the sea.

⁴ It was in this way that the tribes of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim received their inheritance.

⁵ The territory of the tribe of Ephraim, clan by clan: The border of their inheritance on the east went from Ataroth Addar as far as Upper Beth Horon, ⁶ and from there it continued to the sea. From Mikmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath Shiloh and passed beyond it on the east to Janoah. ⁷ Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah, and then reached Jericho, ending at the Jordan. ⁸ From Tappuah the border went westward to the brook of Kanah and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Ephraim, clan by clan, ⁹ together with the cities that were chosen for the tribe of Ephraim within the inheritance of the tribe of Manasseh—all the cities, including their villages.

¹⁰ They did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so that the Canaanites live within Ephraim to this day, but these people were made to do forced labor.

¹ This was the assignment of land for the tribe of Manasseh (who was the firstborn of Joseph)—that is, for Makir, who was Manasseh's firstborn and who himself was the father of Gilead. Makir's descendants were assigned the land of Gilead and Bashan, because Makir had been a man of war. ² Land was assigned to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh, given to their clans—Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, presented by their clans. ³ Now Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Makir son of Manasseh had no sons, but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. ⁴ They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and they said, "Yahweh commanded Moses to give to us an inheritance along with our brothers." So, following the commandment of Yahweh, he gave those women an inheritance among the brothers of their father. ⁵ Ten parcels of land were assigned to Manasseh in 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 assigned to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.

⁷ The territory of Manasseh reached from Asher to Mikmethath, which is east of Shechem. Then the border went southward to those living near the spring of Tappuah. ⁸ (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the town of Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the people of Ephraim.) ⁹ The border went down to the brook of Kanah. These cities south of the brook among the towns of Manasseh belonged to Ephraim. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and it ended at the sea. ¹⁰ The land to the south belonged to Ephraim, and the land to the north was Manasseh's; the sea was the border. On the north side Asher can be reached, and to the east, Issachar. ¹¹ Also in Issachar and in Asher, Manasseh possessed Beth Shan and its villages, Ibleam and its villages, the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, the inhabitants of Endor and its villages, the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages (and the third city is Napheth).

¹² Yet the tribe of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, for the Canaanites continued to live in this land. ¹³ When the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not completely drive them out.

¹⁴ Then the descendants of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one assignment of land and one portion for an inheritance, since we are a people great in number, and all along Yahweh has blessed us?" ¹⁵ Joshua said to them, "If you are a people great in number, go up by yourselves to the forest and there clear the ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim. Do this, since the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you." ¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us. But all the Canaanites who live in the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shan and its villages, and those who are in the Valley of Jezreel." ¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh, "You are a people great in number, and you have great power. You must not have only one piece of land assigned to you. ¹⁸ The hill country will also be yours. Though it is a forest, you will clear it and take possession of it to its farthest borders. You will drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron, and even though they are strong."

¹ Then the whole assembly of the people of Israel met together at Shiloh. They set up the tent of meeting there and they conquered the land before them. ² There were still seven tribes among the people of Israel whose inheritance had not been assigned. ³ Joshua said to the people of Israel, "How long will you put off going into the land that Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has given you? ⁴ Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will set out and survey the land up and down. They will write out a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then they will come back to me. ⁵ They will divide it into seven sections. Judah will remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph will continue in their territory in the north. ⁶ You will describe the land in seven sections and bring the description here to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh our God. ⁷ The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance, beyond the Jordan. This is the inheritance that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them."

⁸ So the men got up and went. Joshua commanded those who went to write the description of the land, saying, "Go up and down in the land and write a description of it and return to me. I will cast lots for you here before Yahweh at Shiloh." ⁹ The men left and walked up and down in the land and wrote a description of it in a scroll by its cities in seven sections, listing the cities in each section. Then they returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. ¹⁰ Then Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before Yahweh. It was there that Joshua assigned the land to the people of Israel, and to each was given his portion of the land.

¹¹ The assignment of land for the tribe of Benjamin came up clan by clan. The territory of their assigned land was located between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. ¹² On the north side, their border began at the Jordan. The border went up to the ridge north of Jericho, and then up through the hill country westward. There it reached the wilderness of Beth Aven. ¹³ From there the border passed along south in the direction of Luz (the same place as Bethel). Then the border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies south of Beth Horon. ¹⁴ The boundary then went in another direction: On the western side it turned toward the south, heading toward the mountain across from Beth Horon. This boundary ended at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city that belonged to the tribe of Judah. This formed the border on the western side. ¹⁵ The south side began just outside of Kiriath Jearim. The border went from there to Ephron, to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. ¹⁶ The boundary then went down to the border of the mountain which was opposite the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which was at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It then went down to the Valley of Hinnom, south of the slope of the Jebusites, and continued down to En Rogel. ¹⁷ It turned northward, going in the direction of En Shemesh, and from there it went out to Geliloth, which was opposite the ascent of Adummim. Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan the son of Reuben. ¹⁸ It passed on to the north of the shoulder of Beth Arabah and down to the Arabah. ¹⁹ The border passed on to the north shoulder of Beth Hoglah. The border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the boundary on the south. ²⁰ The Jordan formed its border on the eastern side. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, and it was given clan by clan, border after border, all around.

²¹ Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, ²² Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, ²³ Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, ²⁴ Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba. There were twelve cities, including their villages. ²⁵ There were also the cities of Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, ²⁶ Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, ²⁷ Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, ²⁸ Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (the same as Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath. There were fourteen cities, including their villages. This was the inheritance of Benjamin for their clans.

¹ The second casting of lots fell to Simeon, clan by clan. Their inheritance was in the middle of the inheritance that belonged to the tribe of Judah. ² They had for their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, ³ Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, and Hormah. ⁵ Simeon also had Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, ⁶ Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen. These were thirteen cities, including their villages. ⁷ Simeon also had Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan. These were four cities, including their villages. ⁸ These were together, including the villages around these cities as far as Baalath Beer (the same as Ramah in the Negev). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan. ⁹ The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon formed part of the territory of the tribe of Judah. Because the portion of land assigned to the tribe of Judah was too large for them, the tribe of Simeon received their inheritance out of the middle of their portion.

¹⁰ The third casting of lots fell to the tribe of Zebulun, clan by clan. The border of their inheritance began at Sarid. ¹¹ Their border went up westward toward Maralah and touched Dabbesheth; then it extended to the brook that was opposite Jokneam. ¹² From Sarid the border turned eastward toward the sunrise and went to the border of Kisloth Tabor. From there it went to Daberath and then up to Japhia. ¹³ From there it passed on eastward to Gath Hepher, and then to Eth Kazin; next it went to Rimmon and turned toward Neah. ¹⁴ The border made a turn to the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. ¹⁵ This region included the cities of Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, including their villages.

¹⁶ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun, clan by clan, including these cities, including their villages.

¹⁷ The fourth casting of lots fell to Issachar, clan by clan. ¹⁸ Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, and Anaharath. ²⁰ It also included Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez. ²² Their border also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities, including their villages.

²³ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to their clans—the cities, including their villages.

²⁴ The fifth casting of lots fell to the tribe of Asher, clan by clan. ²⁵ Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, ²⁶ Allammelek, Amad, and Mishall. On the west the boundary extended to Carmel and Shihor Libnath. ²⁷ Then it turned eastward to Beth Dagon and went as far as Zebulun, and then to the Valley of Iphtah El, northward to Beth Emek and Neiel. Then it continued on to Kabul toward the north. ²⁸ It then went on to Abdon, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. ²⁹ The border turned back to Ramah, and then to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the border turned to Hosah and ended at the sea, in the region of Akzib, ³⁰ Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities, including their villages.

³¹ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

³² The sixth casting of lots fell to the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan. ³³ Their border ran from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim, on to Adami Nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; it ended at the Jordan. ³⁴ The border turned westward to Aznoth Tabor and went on to Hukkok; it touched Zebulun on the south, and reached to Asher on the west and Judah on the east at the Jordan River. ³⁵ The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, and En Hazor. ³⁸ There were also Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen cities, including their villages.

³⁹ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

⁴⁰ The seventh casting of lots fell to the tribe of Dan, clan by clan. ⁴¹ The territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, and Ithlah. ⁴³ It also included Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me Jarkon, and Rakkon along with the territory across from Joppa. ⁴⁷ When the territory of the tribe of Dan was lost to them, Dan attacked Leshem and took it. They struck it with the sword, took possession of it, and settled in it. They called Leshem Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan.

⁴⁸ This was the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, clan by clan—the cities, including their villages.

⁴⁹ When they finished the allocation of the land as an inheritance, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among themselves to Joshua son of Nun. ⁵⁰ By the command of Yahweh they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and lived there.

⁵¹ These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh, before Yahweh, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished assigning the land.

¹ Then Yahweh said to Joshua, ² "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'Appoint the cities of refuge of which I spoke to you by the hand of Moses. ³ Do this so that one who kills a person by accident or unknowingly can go there. These cities will be a place of refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴ He will run to one of those cities and will stand at the entrance of the city gate, and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they will take him into the city and give him a place for him to live among them. ⁵ If the avenger of blood pursues him there, then the people of the city must not hand the one who killed him over to the authorities. They must not do this because he killed his neighbor by accident, and he had no hatred toward him in the past. ⁶ He must stay in that city until he has stood before the assembly for judgment, until the death of the one who was serving as high priest in those days. Then the one who had accidentally killed the person may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.'"

⁷ So the Israelites selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (the same as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities selected for all the people of Israel and for the foreigners sojourning among them, so that anyone who killed a person unintentionally could run to them for safety. This person would not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly.

¹ Then the tribal leaders of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the leaders of the families of their ancestors within the people of Israel. ² They said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, "Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses to give to us cities to live in, with the pasturelands for our livestock." ³ So by the command of Yahweh, the people of Israel gave out of their inheritance the following cities, including their pasturelands, to the Levites.

⁴ The casting of lots for the clans of the Kohathites gave this result: The priests—the descendants of Aaron who were from the Levites—received thirteen cities given from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin.

⁵ The rest of Kohath’s descendants received by lot ten cities from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and from the half tribe of Manasseh.

⁶ Then the people descended from Gershon were given, by the casting of lots, thirteen cities from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

⁷ The people who were descendants of Merari, clan by clan, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

⁸ So the people of Israel gave, by casting lots, these cities (including their pasturelands) to the Levites, just as Yahweh had commanded by the hand of Moses.

⁹ From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they assigned land to the following cities, here listed by name. ¹⁰ These cities were given to the descendants of Aaron, who were among the clans of the Kohathites, who in turn were from the tribe of Levi. For the first casting of lots had fallen to them. ¹¹ The Israelites gave them Kiriath Arba (Arba had been the father of Anak), the same place as Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the pasturelands around it. ¹² But the fields of the city, including their villages, were already given to Caleb son of Jephunneh, as his possession.

¹³ To the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its pasturelands—which was a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally—and Libnah with its pasturelands, ¹⁴ Jattir with its pasturelands, and Eshtemoa with its pasturelands. ¹⁵ They also gave Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, ¹⁶ Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh with its pasturelands. There were nine cities that were given from these two tribes. ¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin were given Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands, ¹⁸ Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four cities.

¹⁹ The cities given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were thirteen cities in all, including their pasturelands.

²⁰ As for the rest of the Kohathites who belong to the Kohathite clans of the Levites—they had cities given to them from the tribe of Ephraim by the casting of lots. ²¹ To them were given Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim—a city of refuge for anyone who killed a person unintentionally—Gezer with its pasturelands, ²² Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth Horon with its pasturelands—four cities in all. ²³ From the tribe of Dan, the clan of Kohath was given Eltekeh with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands, ²⁴ Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands—four cities in all. ²⁵ From the half tribe of Manasseh, the clan of Kohath was given Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities.

²⁶ There were ten cities in all for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites, including their pasturelands.

²⁷ From the half tribe of Manasseh, to clans of Gershon, these were other Levite clans, and they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally, along with Be Eshterah with its pasturelands—two cities in all.

²⁸ To the clans of Gershon they also gave Kishion from the tribe of Issachar, along with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, ²⁹ Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En Gannim with its pasturelands—four cities.

³⁰ From the tribe of Asher, they gave Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, ³¹ Helkath with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands—four cities in all.

³² From the tribe of Naphtali, they gave the clans of Gershon Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally; Hammoth Dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands—three cities in all.

³³ There were thirteen cities in all, out of the clans of Gershon, including their pasturelands.

³⁴ To the rest of the Levites—the clans of Merari—were given out of the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands, ³⁵ Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands—four cities in all.

³⁶ To the clans of Merari were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahaz with its pasturelands, ³⁷ Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands—four cities.

³⁸ Out of the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands—a city of refuge for anyone who killed another unintentionally—and Mahanaim with its pasturelands. ³⁹ The clans of Merari were also given Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands. These were four cities in all.

⁴⁰ All these were the cities of the several clans of Merari, who were from the tribe of Levi—twelve cities in all were given to them by the casting of lots.

⁴¹ The cities of the Levites taken from the middle of the land possessed by the people of Israel were forty-eight cities, including their pasturelands. ⁴² These cities each had its surrounding pasturelands. It was this way with all these cities.

⁴³ So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors. The Israelites took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ Then Yahweh gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies could defeat them. Yahweh gave all their enemies into their hand. ⁴⁵ Not one thing among all the good promises that Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel failed to come true. All of them came to be.

¹ At that time Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. ² He said to them, "You have done everything that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you. You have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. ³ You have not deserted your brothers these many days, down to this present day, and you have fulfilled the duties required by the commandments of Yahweh your God. ⁴ Now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, just as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land you possess, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ Just be very careful to observe the commandments and the law that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to cling to him and worship him with all your heart and with all your soul." ⁶ So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went back to their tents.

⁷ Now to one-half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given an inheritance in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave an inheritance beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan. Joshua sent them away to their tents; he blessed them ⁸ and said to them, "Return to your tents with much money, and with very much livestock, and with silver and gold, and with bronze and iron, and with very many garments. Divide the plunder from your enemies with your brothers." ⁹ So the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh returned home, leaving the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. They left to go to the region of Gilead, to their own land, which they themselves possessed, in obedience to the commandment of Yahweh, by the hand of Moses.

¹⁰ When they came to the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar beside the Jordan, a very large and prominent altar. ¹¹ The people of Israel heard about this and said, "Look! The people of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the front of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth, in the region near the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel." ¹² When the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go up to make war against them.

¹³ Then the people of Israel sent messengers to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead. They also sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, ¹⁴ and with him ten leaders, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, and every one of them was the head of a family among the clan of Israel. ¹⁵ They came to the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they spoke to them: ¹⁶ "The whole assembly of Yahweh says this, 'What is this unfaithfulness that you have committed against the God of Israel, by turning this day from following Yahweh by building yourself an altar this day in rebellion against Yahweh? ¹⁷ Was the iniquity of Peor not enough for us? Yet we have not even now cleansed ourselves from it. There was a plague on the assembly of Yahweh for that sin. ¹⁸ Must you also turn away from following Yahweh at this present day? If you also rebel against Yahweh today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole assembly of Israel. ¹⁹ If the land that you possess is defiled, then you should pass over into the land where Yahweh's tabernacle stands and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves other than the altar of Yahweh our God. ²⁰ Did not Achan son of Zerah, act faithlessly in the matter of those things that had been reserved for God? Did not wrath fall on the entire community of Israel? That man did not perish alone for his iniquity.'"

²¹ Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh replied in answer to the heads of the clans of Israel: ²² "The Mighty One, God, Yahweh! The Mighty One, God, Yahweh!—He knows, and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in unfaithfulness against Yahweh, do not deliver us on this day ²³ for having built an altar to turn ourselves away from following Yahweh. If we built that altar in order to offer on it burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices of peace offerings, then let Yahweh make us pay for it. ²⁴ No! We did it for fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel? ²⁵ For Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you. You people of Reuben and people of Gad, you have nothing to do with Yahweh.' So your children might make our children cease to worship Yahweh. ²⁶ So we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offerings nor for any sacrifices, ²⁷ but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we will perform the service of Yahweh before him, with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your children will never say to our children in time to come, "You have no share in Yahweh."' ²⁸ So we said, 'If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we would say, "Look! This is a copy of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you." ²⁹ May it be far from us that we should rebel against Yahweh, and today turn away from following him by building an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, other than the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.'"

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the people, that is, the heads of the clans of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, that it was good in their eyes. ³¹ Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this act of faithlessness against him. Now you have rescued the people of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh." ³² Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and the Gadites, out of the land of Gilead, back to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. ³³ Their report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. The people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more about making war against the Reubenites and the Gadites, in order to destroy the land where they had settled. ³⁴ The Reubenites and the Gadites named the altar "Witness," for they said, "It is a witness between us that Yahweh is God."

¹ After many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from all their enemies that were around them, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, ² Joshua called for all Israel—for their elders, for their leaders, for their judges, and for their officials—and he said to them, "I am old and well advanced in years. ³ You have seen everything that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is Yahweh your God who has fought for you. ⁴ Look! I have assigned to you the nations that remain to be conquered as an inheritance for your tribes, along with all the nations I have already destroyed, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ Yahweh your God will drive them out. He will push them out from you. He will seize their land, and you will take possession of their land, just as Yahweh your God promised to you. ⁶ So be very strong, so that you keep and 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 so you may not mix with these nations that remain among you or mention the names of their gods, swear by them, worship them, or bow down to them. ⁸ Instead, you must cling to Yahweh your God just as you have done to this day. ⁹ For Yahweh has driven out before you large, strong nations. As for you, no one has been able to stand before you to this present day. ¹⁰ Any single man of your number will make a thousand run away, for Yahweh your God, is the one who fights for you, just as he promised you. ¹¹ Pay particular attention, so that you love Yahweh your God. ¹² But if you turn back and cling to the survivors of these nations who remain among you, or if you intermarry with them, or if you come together with them and they with you, ¹³ then know for certain that Yahweh your God will no longer drive these nations out from among you. Instead, they will become a snare and a trap for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that Yahweh your God has given you.

¹⁴ Now I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your hearts and souls that not one word has failed to come true of all the good things that Yahweh your God promised about you. All these things have come about for you. Not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ But just as every word Yahweh your God promised you has been fulfilled, so Yahweh will bring on you all the evil things until he has destroyed you from this good land that Yahweh your God has given you. ¹⁶ He will do this if you break the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you to keep. If you go and worship other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of Yahweh will be kindled against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land that he has given you."

¹ Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their leaders, for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God. ² Joshua said to all the people, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Your ancestors long ago lived beyond the Euphrates River—Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—and they worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. ⁴ Then to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ⁵ I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians with plagues. After that, I brought you out. ⁶ I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. The Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Sea of Reeds. ⁷ When your ancestors called out to Yahweh, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea to come over them and cover them. You saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. ⁸ 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. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. ⁹ Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, got up and attacked Israel. He sent and called for Balaam son of Beor, to curse you. ¹⁰ But I did not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I rescued you out of his hand. ¹¹ You went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho fought against you, along with the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I gave you victory over them and put them under your control. ¹² I sent the hornet before you, which drove them and the two kings of the Amorites out before you. It did not happen by your sword or by your bow. ¹³ I gave you land on which you had not worked and cities that you had not built, and now you live in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.'

¹⁴ Now fear Yahweh and worship him with all integrity and faithfulness; get rid of the gods that your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. ¹⁵ If it seems wrong in your eyes for you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. But as for me and my house, we will worship Yahweh."

¹⁶ The people answered and said, "We would never abandon Yahweh to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is Yahweh our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight, and who preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the nations through whom we passed. ¹⁸ Then Yahweh drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship Yahweh, for he is our God."

¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions and sins. ²⁰ If you abandon Yahweh and worship foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm. He will consume you, after he has done good to you." ²¹ But the people said to Joshua, "No, we will worship Yahweh." ²² Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves Yahweh, to worship him." They said, "We are witnesses." ²³ "Now put away the foreign gods that are with you, and turn your heart to Yahweh, the God of Israel." ²⁴ The people said to Joshua, "We will worship Yahweh our God. We will listen to his voice." ²⁵ Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. He put in place decrees and laws at Shechem. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the law of God. He took a large stone and set it up there beneath the oak tree that was beside Yahweh's sanctuary. ²⁷ Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a testimony against us. It has heard all the words Yahweh said to us. So it will be a witness against you, should you ever deny your God." ²⁸ So Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.

²⁹ After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Yahweh, died, being 110 years old. ³⁰ They buried him within the border of his own inheritance, at Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ³¹ Israel worshiped Yahweh all of Joshua's days, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, those who had experienced the deeds that Yahweh had done for Israel.

³² The bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up out of Egypt—they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. He bought it for one hundred pieces of silver, and it became an inheritance for the descendants of Joseph. ³³ Eleazar son of Aaron also died. They buried him at Gibeah, the city of Phinehas his son, which had been given to him. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.

¹ After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel asked Yahweh, saying, "Who first will attack the Canaanites for us, to fight against them?" ² Yahweh said, "Judah will attack. See, I have given them control of this land." ³ The men of Judah said to men of Simeon, their brothers, "Come up with us into our territory that was assigned to us that together we may fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you to the territory that was assigned to you." So the tribe of Simeon went with them. ⁴ The men of Judah attacked, and Yahweh gave them victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They killed ten thousand of them at Bezek. ⁵ They found Adoni-Bezek at Bezek, and they fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. ⁶ But Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him, and they cut off his thumbs and his big toes. ⁷ Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings, who had their thumbs and their big toes cut off, picked up food from under my table. As I have done, even so God has done to me." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸ The men of Judah fought against the city of Jerusalem and took it. They attacked it with the edge of the sword and they set the city on fire. ⁹ After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negev, and the lowlands. ¹⁰ Judah advanced against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath Arba), and they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

¹¹ From there the men of Judah advanced against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath Sepher). ¹² Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I will give him Aksah, my daughter, to be his wife." ¹³ Othniel, son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother) captured Debir, so Caleb gave him Aksah, his daughter, to be his wife. ¹⁴ Soon Aksah came to Othniel, and she urged him to ask her father to give her a field. As she was getting off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" ¹⁵ She said to him, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, also give me springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

¹⁶ The descendants of Moses' father-in-law the Kenite went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah, into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the Negev, to live with the people of Judah near Arad. ¹⁷ The men of Judah went with the men of Simeon their brothers and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and they completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸ The people of Judah also captured Gaza and the land around it, Ashkelon and the land around it, and Ekron and the land around it. ¹⁹ Yahweh was with the people of Judah and they took possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had iron chariots. ²⁰ Hebron was given to Caleb (like Moses had said), and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. ²¹ But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem. So the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The house of Joseph prepared to attack Bethel, and Yahweh was with them. ²³ They sent out men to spy on Bethel (the city that was formerly named Luz). ²⁴ The spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, "Show us, please, how to get into the city, and we will be kind to you." ²⁵ He showed them a way into the city, and so they attacked the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family get away. ²⁶ Then the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

²⁷ The people of Manasseh did not drive out the people living in the cities of Beth Shan and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or those who lived in Dor and its villages, or those who lived in Ibleam and its villages, or those who lived in Megiddo and its villages, because the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor, but they never drove them out completely.

²⁹ Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer among them.

³⁰ Zebulun did not drive out the people living in Kitron, or the people living in Nahalol, and so the Canaanites continued to live among them, but Zebulun forced the Canaanites to serve them with hard labor.

³¹ Asher did not drive out the people living in Akko, or the people living in Sidon, or those living in Ahlab, Akzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. ³² So the tribe of Asher lived among the Canaanites (those who lived in the land), because they did not drive them out.

³³ The tribe of Naphtali did not drive out those who were living in Beth Shemesh, or those living in Beth Anath. So the tribe of Naphtali lived among the Canaanites (the people who were living in that land). However, the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced into hard labor for Naphthali.

³⁴ The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan out into the hill country, not allowing them to come down to the plain. ³⁵ So the Amorites lived at Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the military might of the house of Joseph conquered them, and they were forced to serve them with hard labor. ³⁶ The border of the Amorites ran from the hill of Akrabbim at Sela up into the hill country.

¹ The angel of Yahweh went up from Gilgal to Bokim, and said, "I brought you up from Egypt, and have brought you to the land I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you. ² You must make no covenant with those who live in this land. You must break down their altars.' But you have not listened to my voice. What is this that you have done? ³ So now I say, 'I will not drive the Canaanites out before you, but they will become thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a trap for you.'" ⁴ When the angel of Yahweh spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people shouted and wept. ⁵ They called the name of that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to Yahweh.

⁶ Now when Joshua had sent the people on their way, the people of Israel went, each to his own property, to take ownership of the land. ⁷ The people served Yahweh during the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, those who had seen all of Yahweh's great deeds he had done for Israel. ⁸ Joshua son of Nun the servant of Yahweh, died at the age of 110 years old. ⁹ They buried him within the border of his property in Timnath Heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ All that generation was also gathered to their fathers. Another generation grew up after them who did not know Yahweh or the deeds he had done for Israel.

¹¹ The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and they served the Baals. ¹² They broke away from Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, the very gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them. They provoked Yahweh to anger because ¹³ they broke away from Yahweh and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. ¹⁴ The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he gave them to the raiders who stole their possessions from them. He sold them as slaves who were held by the strength of their enemies around them, so they could no longer defend themselves against their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever Israel went out to fight, Yahweh's hand was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them and they were in terrible distress.

¹⁶ Then Yahweh raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who were stealing their possessions. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges. They were unfaithful to Yahweh and gave themselves like prostitutes to other gods and worshiped them. They soon turned aside from the way their fathers had lived—those who had obeyed the commandments of Yahweh—but they themselves did not do so. ¹⁸ When Yahweh raised up judges for them, Yahweh helped the judges and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days the judge lived. Yahweh had pity on them as they groaned because of those who oppressed them and afflicted them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, they would turn away and do things that were even more corrupt than their fathers had done. They would go after other gods to serve them and worship them. They refused to give up any of their evil deeds or their stubborn ways. ²⁰ The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel; he said, "Because this nation has broken the terms of my covenant that I had set in place for their fathers—because they have not listened to my voice— ²¹ I will not, from now on, drive out from before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died. ²² I will do this so that I may test Israel, whether or not they will keep the way of Yahweh and walk in it, as their fathers kept it." ²³ That is why Yahweh left those nations and did not drive them out quickly and give them into the hand of Joshua.

¹ Now Yahweh left these nations to test Israel, namely everyone in Israel who had not experienced any of the wars fought in Canaan. ² (He did this to teach warfare to the new generation of the people of Israel who had not known it before.) ³ These are the nations: the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon mountains, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. ¹ ⁴ These nations were left as a means by which Yahweh would test Israel, to confirm whether they would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. ⁵ So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁶ Their daughters they took to be their wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

⁷ The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and forgot Yahweh their God. They worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ⁸ Therefore, the anger of Yahweh was set on fire against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. The people of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years. ⁹ When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up someone who would come to help the people of Israel, and who would rescue them: Othniel son of Kenaz (Caleb's younger brother). ¹⁰ Yahweh's Spirit empowered him, and he judged Israel and he went out to war. Yahweh gave him victory over Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram. The hand of Othniel defeated Cushan-Rishathaim. ¹¹ The land had peace for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

¹² After that, the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave strength to Eglon king of Moab to overpower Israel. ¹³ Eglon joined with the Ammonites and the Amalekites and they went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. ¹⁴ The people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent him, with their tribute payment, to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Ehud made himself a sword that had two edges, one cubit in length; he bound it to his right thigh under his clothing. ¹⁷ He gave the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) ¹⁸ After Ehud had presented the tribute payment, he left with those who had carried it in. ¹⁹ As for Ehud himself, however, when he reached the place where the carved images were made near Gilgal, he turned and went back, and he said, "I have a secret message for you, my king." Eglon said, "Silence!" So all those serving him left the room. ²⁰ Ehud came to him. The king was sitting by himself, alone in the coolness of the upper room. Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." The king got up out of his seat. ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and he stabbed it into the king's body. ²² The hilt of the sword also went into him following the blade. The tip of the sword came out of his back and the fat closed over it, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. ²³ Then Ehud went out on the porch and closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

²⁴ After Ehud had gone, the king's servants came; they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, so they thought, "Surely he is relieving himself in the coolness of the upper room." ²⁵ They were growing more concerned until they felt they were neglecting their duty when the king still did not open the doors to the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there lay their master, fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ While the servants were waiting, wondering what they should do, Ehud escaped and passed beyond the place where there were carved images of idols, and so he escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived, he blew a ram's horn in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hills, and he was leading them. ²⁸ He said to them, "Follow me, for Yahweh is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites." They followed him and they captured the fords of the Jordan across from the Moabites, and they did not allow anyone to cross the river. ²⁹ At that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, and all were strong and capable men. Not one escaped. ³⁰ So that day Moab was subdued by the strength of Israel, and the land had rest for eighty years.

³¹ After Ehud the next judge was Shamgar son of Anath who killed 600 men of the Philistines with a stick used to goad oxen. He also delivered Israel from danger.

¹Some modern English translations read, Hamath Pass

¹ After Ehud died, the people of Israel once again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. ² Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was named Sisera, and he lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ The people of Israel called out to Yahweh for help, because Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and he oppressed the people of Israel with force for twenty years.

⁴ Now Deborah, a prophetess (the wife of Lappidoth), was a leading judge in Israel at that time. ⁵ 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 to her to settle their disputes. ⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun. ⁷ I will draw out Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Kishon River, with his chariots and his army, and I will give you victory over him.'" ⁸ Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go, but if you do not go with me, I will not go." ⁹ She said, "I will certainly go with you. However, the road on which you are going will not lead to your honor, for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak called for the men of Zebulun and Naphtali to come together at Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah went along with him.

¹¹ Now Heber (the Kenite) had separated himself from the Kenites—they were the descendants of Hobab (Moses' father-in-law)—and he pitched his tent by the oak in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

¹² When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, ¹³ Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the soldiers who were with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. ¹⁴ Deborah said to Barak, "Go! For this is the day in which Yahweh has given you victory over Sisera. Is not Yahweh leading you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵ Yahweh confused Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and ran away on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth Haggoyim, and the whole army of Sisera was killed by the edge of the sword, and not a man survived.

¹⁷ But Sisera ran 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 clan of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Turn aside, my master; turn aside to me and do not be afraid." So he turned aside to her and came into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. ¹⁹ He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." She opened a leather bag of milk and gave him drink, and then she covered him up again. ²⁰ He said to her, "Stand at the opening of the tent. If someone comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?', say 'No'." ²¹ Then Jael (the wife of Heber) took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand and went in secretly to him, for he was in a deep sleep, and she hammered the tent peg into the side of his head until it went down into the ground, and he died. ²² As Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael want out to meet him and said to him, "Come, I will show you the man you are looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in the side of his head.

²³ So on that day God subdued Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the people of Israel. ²⁴ The might of the people of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed him.

¹ On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

² "When the leaders take the lead in Israel,

when the people volunteer—

praise Yahweh!

³ Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you rulers!

I, I will sing to Yahweh;

I will sing praises to Yahweh,

the God of Israel.

⁴ Yahweh, when you went out from Seir,

when you marched from Edom,

the earth shook, and the skies also trembled;

also the clouds poured down water.

⁵ The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh;

even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh,

the God of Israel.

⁶ In the days of Shamgar (son of Anath),

in the days of Jael,

the main roads were abandoned,

and those who walked only used the winding paths.

⁷ There were few rural people in Israel,

until I, Deborah, arose—

arose as a mother in Israel!

⁸ When they chose new gods,

there was fighting at the city gates

and yet there were no shields or spears seen

among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,

along with the people who gladly volunteered—

we bless Yahweh for them!

¹⁰ Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys

sitting on rugs for saddles,

and you who walk along the road.

¹¹ Hear the voices of those who sing

at the watering places.

There they tell again of Yahweh's righteous deeds,

and the righteous actions of his warriors in Israel.

Then the people of Yahweh went down to the city gates.

¹² Awake, awake, Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Get up, Barak,

and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.

¹³ Then the survivors came down to the nobles;

the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.

¹⁴ They came from Ephraim, whose root is in Amalek;

the people of Benjamin followed you.

From Makir commanders came down,

and from Zebulun those who carry an officer's staff.

¹⁵ My princes in Issachar were with Deborah;

and Issachar was with Barak

rushing after him into the valley under his command.

Among the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

¹⁶ Why did you sit between the fireplaces,

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes for their flocks?

As for the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

¹⁷ Gilead stayed on the other side of the Jordan;

and Dan, why did he wander about on ships?

Asher remained on the coast

and lived close to his harbors.

¹⁸ Zebulun was a people who despised their lives to the point of death,

and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.

¹⁹ The kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo.

But they took away no silver as plunder.

²⁰ From heaven the stars fought,

from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.

²¹ The Kishon River swept them away,

that old river, the Kishon River.

March on my soul, be strong!

²² Then came the sound of horses' hooves—

galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.

²³ 'Curse Meroz!' says the angel of Yahweh.

'Surely curse its inhabitants!—

because they did not come to help Yahweh—

to help Yahweh in the battle against the mighty warriors.'

²⁴ Jael is blessed more than all other women,

Jael (the wife of Heber the Kenite),

she is more blessed than all the women who live in tents.

²⁵ The man asked for water, and she gave him milk;

she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.

²⁶ She put her hand to the tent peg,

and her right hand to the laborer's hammer;

with the hammer she struck Sisera, she crushed his head.

She smashed his skull into pieces when she pierced him through the side of his head.

²⁷ He collapsed between her feet, he fell and he lay there.

Between her feet he fell limp.

The place he collapsed is where he was violently killed.

²⁸ Out of a window she looked—

the mother of Sisera looked through the lattice and she called out in sadness,

'Why has it taken his chariot so long to come?

Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?'

²⁹ Her wisest princesses replied,

and she gave herself the same answer:

³⁰ 'Have they not found and divided up the plunder—

a womb, two wombs for every man;

the plunder of dyed fabric for Sisera,

the plunder of dyed fabric embroidered,

two pieces of dyed fabric embroidered for the necks of those who plunder?'

³¹ So may all your enemies perish, Yahweh!

But your friends be like the sun when it rises in its might."

Then the land had peace for forty years.

¹ The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. ² The power of Midian oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the people of Israel made shelters for themselves from the dens in the hills, the caves, and the strongholds. ³ It happened that any time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people from the east would attack the Israelites. ⁴ They would set up their camp on the land and destroy the crops, all the way to Gaza. They would leave no food in Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. ⁵ Whenever they and their livestock and tents came up, they would come as a swarm of locusts, and it was impossible to count either the people or their camels. They invaded the land in order to destroy it. ⁶ Midian weakened the people of Israel so severely that the people of Israel called out to Yahweh.

⁷ When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh because of Midian, ⁸ Yahweh sent a prophet to the people of Israel. The prophet said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought you up from Egypt; I brought you out of the house of slavery. ⁹ I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who were oppressing you. I drove them out before you, and I gave you their land. ¹⁰ I said to you, "I am Yahweh your God; I commanded you not to worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living." But you have not obeyed my voice.'"

¹¹ Now the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (the Abiezrite), while Gideon, Joash's son, was threshing wheat in the winepress—to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² The angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, "Yahweh is with you, you strong warrior!" ¹³ Gideon said to him, "Oh, my master, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers told us about, when they said, 'Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?' But now Yahweh has abandoned us and gave us into the hand of Midian." ¹⁴ Yahweh looked at him and said, "Go in the strength you already have. Deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" ¹⁵ Gideon said to him, "Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? See, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least important in my father's house." ¹⁶ Yahweh said to him, "I will be with you, and you will defeat the entire Midianite army as one man." ¹⁷ Gideon said to him, "If you are pleased with me, then give me a sign that it is you who is speaking to me. ¹⁸ Please, do not leave here, until I come to you and bring out my gift and set it before you." Yahweh said, "I will wait until you return."

¹⁹ Gideon went and prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour he made unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot and brought them to him under the oak tree, and presented them. ²⁰ The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth over them." That is what Gideon did. ²¹ Then the angel of Yahweh reached out with the end of the staff in his hand. With it he touched the flesh and the unleavened bread; a fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away and Gideon could no longer see him. ²² Gideon understood that this was the angel of Yahweh. Gideon said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! For I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face!" ²³ Yahweh said to him, "Peace to you! Do not be afraid, you will not die." ²⁴ So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh. He called it, "Yahweh is Peace." To this day it still stands at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.

²⁵ That night Yahweh said to him, "Take your father's bull, and a second bull that is seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it. ²⁶ Build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this place of refuge, and construct it the correct way. Offer the second bull as a burnt offering, using the wood from the Asherah that you cut down." ²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as Yahweh had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the town to do it during the day, he did it at night.

²⁸ In the morning when the men of the town got up, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been built. ²⁹ The men of the city said to one another, "Who has done this?" When they talked with others and searched for answers, they said, "Gideon son of Joash has done this thing." ³⁰ Then the men of the town said to Joash, "Bring out your son so that he may be put to death, because he broke down the altar of Baal, and because he cut down the Asherah beside it." ³¹ Joash said to all who opposed him, "Will you plead the case for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever pleads the case for him, let him be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself when someone breaks his altar down." ³² Therefore on that day they called Gideon "Jerub-Baal," because he said, "Let Baal defend himself against him," because Gideon broke down Baal's altar.

³³ Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east gathered together. They crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon. Gideon blew a trumpet, calling out the clan of Abiezer, so they might follow him. ³⁵ He sent messengers all throughout Manasseh, and they too, were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet him.

³⁶ Gideon said to God, "If you intend to use me to save Israel, as you have said— ³⁷ Look, I am putting a woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said." ³⁸ This is what happened—Gideon rose early the next morning, he pressed the fleece together, and wrung out the dew from the fleece, enough to fill a bowl with water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, I will speak one more time. Please allow me one more test using the fleece. This time make the fleece dry, and let there be dew on all the ground around it." ⁴⁰ God did what he asked for that night. The fleece was dry, and there was dew on all the ground around it.

¹ Then Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) rose up early, and all the people who were with him, and they encamped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was to their north in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

² Yahweh said to Gideon, "There are too many soldiers for me to give you victory over the Midianites, so that Israel may not boast over me, saying, 'Our own power has saved us.' ³ Now therefore, proclaim in the ears of the people and say, 'Whoever is afraid, whoever trembles, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand people went away, and ten thousand remained.

⁴ Yahweh said to Gideon, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will make their number smaller for you there. If I say to you, 'This one will go with you,' he will go with you; but if I say, 'This one will not go with you,' he will not go." ⁵ So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to him, "Separate everyone who laps up the water, as a dog laps, from those who kneel down to drink." ⁶ Three hundred men lapped. The rest of the men kneeled down to drink water. ⁷ Yahweh said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men who lapped, I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Let every other man go back to his own place." ⁸ So those who were chosen took their supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent away all the men of Israel, every man to his tent, but he kept the three hundred men. Now the Midian camp was down below him in the valley.

⁹ That same night Yahweh said to him, "Get up! Attack the camp, for I am going to give you victory over it. ¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying, and your courage will be strengthened to attack the camp." So Gideon went with Purah his servant, down to the guard posts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the people of the east settled along in the valley, as thick as a cloud of locusts. Their camels were more than could be counted; they were more in number than the grains of the sand on the seashore. ¹³ When Gideon arrived there, a man was telling a dream to his companion. The man said, "Look! I had a dream, and I saw a round loaf of barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian. It came to the tent, and hit it so hard that it fell down and turned it upside down, so that it lay flat." ¹⁴ The other man said, "This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given him victory over Midian and all their army."

¹⁵ When Gideon heard the retelling of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship. He went back to the camp of Israel and said, "Get up! Yahweh has given you victory over the Midian army." ¹⁶ He divided the three hundred men into three groups, and he gave them all rams' horns and empty jars, with torches inside each jar. ¹⁷ He said to them, "Look at me and do what I do. Watch! When I come to the edge of the camp, you must do what I do. ¹⁸ When I blow the ram's horn, I and all who are with me, then blow your ram's horns also on every side of the entire camp and shout, 'For Yahweh and for Gideon!'"

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp, right at the beginning of the middle watch. Just as the Midianites were changing guard, they blew the rams' horns and broke the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the rams' horns and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the rams' horns in their right hands to blow them. They shouted out, "The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon." ²¹ Every man stood in his place around the camp and all the Midianite army ran. They shouted and ran away. ²² When they blew the three hundred rams' horns, Yahweh set every Midianite man's sword against his comrades and against all their army. The army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, near Tabbath. ²³ The men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh were called out, and they went after Midian.

²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Go down against Midian and take control of the Jordan River, as far as Beth Barah, to stop them." So all the men of Ephraim were summoned and took control of the waters, as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River. ²⁵ They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They went after the Midianites, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was on the other side of the Jordan.

¹ The men of Ephraim said to Gideon, "What is this you have done to us? You did not call us when you went to fight against Midian." Then they had a violent argument with him. ² He said to them, "What have I done now compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God has given you victory over the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb! What have I accomplished compared to you?" Their anger toward him died down when he said this.

⁴ Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over it, he and the three hundred men who were with him. They were exhausted, yet they still kept up the pursuit. ⁵ He said to the men of Sukkoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." ⁶ Then the officials of Sukkoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand? Why should we give bread to your army?" ⁷ Gideon said, "When Yahweh has given us victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers." ⁸ He went up from there to Peniel and spoke to the people there in the same way, but the men of Peniel answered him just as the men of Sukkoth had answered. ⁹ He spoke also to the men of Peniel and said, "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 remained out of the entire army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. ¹¹ Gideon went up the road taken by tent dwellers, past Nobah and Jogbehah. He defeated the enemy army, because they were not expecting an attack. ¹² Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and as Gideon pursued them, he captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna—and set their whole army into a panic.

¹³ Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle going through the pass of Heres. ¹⁴ He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down the names of seventy-seven officials and elders of Sukkoth. ¹⁵ Gideon came to the men of Sukkoth and said, "Look at Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me and said, 'Have you already conquered Zebah and Zalmunna? We do not know that we should give bread to your army.'" ¹⁶ Gideon took the elders of the city, and he punished the men of Sukkoth with the desert thorns and briers. ¹⁷ Then he broke down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of that city.

¹⁸ Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were they. Every one of them looked like the son of a king." ¹⁹ Gideon said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you." ²⁰ He said to Jether (his firstborn), "Get up and kill them!" But the young man did not draw his sword for he was afraid, because he was still a young boy. ²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up yourself and kill us! For as the man is, so is his strength." Gideon rose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. He also took off the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." ²³ Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, neither will my son rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you." ²⁴ Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you, that every one of you give me the earrings from his plunder."(The Midianites had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ They answered, "We are glad to give them to you." They spread out a cloak and every man threw on it the earrings from his plunder. ²⁶ The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold. This plunder was in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple clothing that was worn by the kings of Midian, and in addition to the chains that had been around their camels' necks. ²⁷ Gideon made an ephod out of the earrings and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there. It became a trap for Gideon and for those in his house. ²⁸ So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel and they did not raise their heads up again. So the land had peace for forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹ Jerub-Baal, son of Joash, went and lived in his own house. ³⁰ Gideon had seventy sons who were his descendants, for he had many wives. ³¹ His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, and Gideon gave him the name Abimelek. ³² Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.

³³ It came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, the people of Israel turned again and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. ³⁴ The people of Israel did not remember to honor Yahweh, their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side. ³⁵ They did not keep their promises to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon), in return for all the good he had done in Israel.

¹ Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's relatives at Shechem and he said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, ² "Please say this, so that all the leaders in Shechem may hear, 'Which is better for you, that all seventy sons of Jerub-Baal rule over you, or that just one rule over you?' Remember that I am your bone and your flesh." ³ His mother's relatives spoke for him to the leaders of Shechem, and they agreed to follow Abimelek, for they said, "He is our brother." ⁴ They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used the silver to hire worthless and reckless men, who traveled with him. ⁵ Abimelek went to his father's house at Ophrah, and upon one stone he murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. Only Jotham was left, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, for he hid himself. ⁶ All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo came together and they went and made Abimelek king, beside the oak near the pillar which is in Shechem.

⁷ When Jotham was told about this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted and said to them, "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. ⁸ The trees once went out to anoint a king over them. For they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I give up my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, to sway over the other trees?' ¹⁰ The trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.' ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, just so I could return and sway over the other trees?' ¹² The trees said to the vine, 'Come and reign over us.' ¹³ The vine said to them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which makes gods and mankind glad, and return and sway over the other trees?' ¹⁴ Then said all the trees to the thornbush, 'Come and reign over us.' ¹⁵ The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you truly want to anoint me as king over you, then come and find refuge under my shade. If not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and let it burn up the cedars of Lebanon.' ¹⁶ Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and honesty, when you made Abimelek king, and if you have done well concerning Jerub-Baal and his house, and if you have punished him as he deserves— ¹⁷ and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you out of the hand of Midian— ¹⁸ but today you have risen up against my father's house and have killed his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone. Then you have made Abimelek, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative. ¹⁹ If you acted with faithfulness and integrity with Jerub-Baal and his house, then you should rejoice in Abimelek, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelek and burn up the men of Shechem and Beth Millo. Let fire come out from the men of Shechem and Beth Millo, to burn up Abimelek." ²¹ Jotham fled and ran away, and he went to Beer. He lived there because it was far away from Abimelek, his brother.

²² Abimelek ruled over Israel for three years. ²³ God sent an evil spirit between Abimelek and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem betrayed the trust they had with Abimelek. ²⁴ God did this so the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might be avenged and their blood be laid on Abimelek their brother, and the men of Shechem would be held responsible because they helped him murder his brothers. ²⁵ So the leaders of Shechem positioned men to lie in wait on the hilltops that they might ambush him, and they robbed all who passed by them along that road. This was reported to Abimelek.

²⁶ Gaal son of Ebed came with his relatives and they went over to Shechem. The leaders of Shechem had confidence in him. ²⁷ They went out into the field and gathered grapes from the vineyards, and they trampled on them. They held a festival in the house of their god, where they ate and drank, and they cursed Abimelek. ²⁸ Gaal son of Ebed, said, "Who is Abimelek, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal? Is Zebul not his overseer? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelek? ²⁹ I wish that this people were under my command! Then would I remove Abimelek. I would say to Abimelek, 'Call out all your army.'"

³⁰ When Zebul, the official of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed his anger was kindled. ³¹ He sent messengers to Abimelek in order to deceive, saying, "See, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives are coming to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. ³² Now, get up during the night, you and the soldiers with you, and prepare an ambush in the fields. ³³ Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and make a raid on the city. When he and the people with him come out against you, do whatever you can to them."

³⁴ So Abimelek got up during the night, he and all the men who were with him, and they set an ambush against Shechem—dividing into four units. ³⁵ Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate. Abimelek and the men who were with him came out of their hiding place. ³⁶ When Gaal saw the men, he said to Zebul, "See, men are coming down from the hilltops!" Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadows on the hills like they are men." ³⁷ Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, men are coming down in the middle of the land, and one unit is coming by way of the oak of the diviners." ³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, "Where are your proud words now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelek that we should serve him?' Are these not the men you despised? Go out now and fight against them." ³⁹ Gaal went out and he was leading the men of Shechem, and he fought Abimelek. ⁴⁰ Abimelek chased him, and Gaal fled before him. Many fell with deadly wounds before the entrance to the city gate.

⁴¹ Abimelek stayed in Arumah. Zebul forced Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem. ⁴² On the next day the people of Shechem went out into the field, and this was reported to Abimelek. ⁴³ He took his people, divided them into three units, and they set an ambush in the fields. He looked and saw the people coming out from the city and he attacked and killed them. ⁴⁴ Abimelek and the units that were with him attacked and blocked the entrance to the city gate. The other two units attacked all who were in the field and killed them. ⁴⁵ Abimelek fought against the city all that day. He captured the city, and killed the people who were in it. He broke down the city walls 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 Abimelek was told that all the leaders had gathered together at the tower of Shechem. ⁴⁸ Abimelek went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the men who were with him. Abimelek took an ax and cut off branches. He put it on his shoulder and ordered the men with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done." ⁴⁹ So every one cut off branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the wall of the tower, and they set the stronghold on fire, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰ Then Abimelek went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and captured it. ⁵¹ But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. ⁵² Abimelek came to the tower and fought against it, and he came up near to the door of the tower to burn it. ⁵³ But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelek's head and it crushed his skull. ⁵⁴ Then he called urgently to the young man who was his armor-bearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so no one will say about me, 'A woman killed him.'" So his young man pierced him through, and he died. ⁵⁵ When the men of Israel saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home. ⁵⁶ So God avenged the evil of Abimelek that he did to his father by killing his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ God made all the evil of the men of Shechem turn back on their own heads and on them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal.

¹ After Abimelek, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man from Issachar who lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim, arose to deliver Israel. ² He judged Israel twenty-three years. He died and was buried in Shamir.

³ He was followed by Jair the Gileadite. He judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. ⁵ Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

⁶ The people of Israel added to the evil they had done in the sight of Yahweh and worshiped the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh and no longer worshiped him. ⁷ Yahweh burned with anger toward Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. ⁸ They crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year, and for eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹ Then the Ammonites crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

¹⁰ Then the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals." ¹¹ Yahweh said to the people of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, ¹² and also from the Sidonians? The Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you; you called out to me, and I delivered you from their power. ¹³ Yet you abandoned me again and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not keep adding to the times I deliver you. ¹⁴ Go and call out to the gods that you have worshiped. Let them rescue you when you have trouble." ¹⁵ The people of Israel said to Yahweh, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please, rescue us this day." ¹⁶ They got rid of the foreign gods among them and they worshiped Yahweh. Then Yahweh could bear Israel's misery no longer.

¹⁷ Then the Ammonites were summoned and set up camp in Gilead. The people of Israel came together and set up their camp at Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of the people of Gilead said one to another, "Who is the man who will begin to fight the Ammonites? He will become the leader over all those who are living in Gilead."

¹ Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. ² Gilead's wife also gave birth to his other sons. When his wife's sons grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave the house and said to him, "You are not going to inherit anything from our father's household. You are the son of another woman." ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless men gathered around Jephthah and they traveled with him.

⁴ Some days later, the people of Ammon made war against Israel. ⁵ When the people of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob. ⁶ They said to Jephthah, "Come and be our leader that we may fight with the people of Ammon." ⁷ Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "You hated me and forced me to leave my father's house. Why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?" ⁸ The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "That is why we are turning to you now; come with us and fight with the people of Ammon, and you will become the leader over all who live in Gilead." ⁹ Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me home again to fight against the people of Ammon, and if Yahweh gives us victory over them, I will be your leader." ¹⁰ The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "May Yahweh be witness between us if we do not do as we say!" ¹¹ So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him leader and commander over them. When he was before Yahweh in Mizpah, Jephthah repeated all the promises he made.

¹² Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, "What is this conflict between us? Why have you come with force to take our land?" ¹³ The king of the people of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, "Because when Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, over to the Jordan. Now give back those lands in peace." ¹⁴ Again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, ¹⁵ and he said, "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab and the land of the people of Ammon, ¹⁶ but they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds and on to Kadesh. ¹⁷ When Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. ¹⁸ Then they went through the wilderness and turned away from the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and they went along the east side of the land of Moab and they camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not go into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was Moab's border. ¹⁹ Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon; Israel said to him, 'Please, let us pass through your land to the place that is ours.' ²⁰ But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his army together and camped at Jahaz, and there he fought against Israel. ²¹ Then Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel and they defeated them. So Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country. ²² They took over everything within the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness to the Jordan. ²³ So then Yahweh, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites before his people Israel, and should you now take possession of their land? ²⁴ Will you not take over the land that Chemosh, your god, gives you? So whatever land Yahweh our God has given us, we will take over. ²⁵ Now are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to have an argument with Israel? Did he ever wage war against them? ²⁶ While Israel lived for three hundred years in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are along the banks of the Arnon—why then did you not take them back during that time? ²⁷ I have not done you wrong, but you are doing me wrong by attacking me. Yahweh, the judge, will decide today between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon."

²⁸ But the king of the people of Ammon rejected the warning Jephthah sent him.

²⁹ Then the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed through to the people of Ammon. ³⁰ Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh and said, "If you give me victory over the people of Ammon, ³¹ then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon will belong to Yahweh, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." ³² So Jephthah passed through to the people of Ammon to fight against them, and Yahweh gave him victory. ³³ He attacked them and caused a great slaughter from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim. So the people of Ammon were subdued before the people of Israel.

³⁴ Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah, and there his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. She was his only child, and besides her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵ As soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Oh! My daughter! You have crushed me with sorrow, and you have become one who troubles me! For I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I cannot turn back on my promise." ³⁶ She said to him, "My father, you have made a vow to Yahweh, do to me everything you promised, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you against your enemies, the Ammonites." ³⁷ She said to her father, "Let this promise be kept for me. Leave me alone for two months, that I may leave and go down to the hills and grieve over my virginity, I and my companions." ³⁸ He said, "Go." He sent her away for two months. She left him, she and her companions, and they grieved her virginity in the hills. ³⁹ At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did with her according to the promise of the vow he had made. Now she had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel ⁴⁰ that the daughters of Israel every year, for four days, would retell the story of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

¹ A call went out to the men of Ephraim; they passed through Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you pass through to fight against the people of Ammon and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down over you." ² Jephthah said to them, "I and my people were in a great conflict with the people of Ammon. When I called you, you did not rescue me from them. ³ When I saw that you did not rescue me, I put my life in my own hand and passed through against the people of Ammon, and Yahweh gave me victory. Why have you come to fight against me today?" ⁴ Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and he fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead attacked the men of Ephraim because they said, "You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim—in Ephraim and Manasseh." ⁵ The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. When any of the survivors of Ephraim said, "Let me go over the river," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No," ⁶ then they would say to him, "Say: Shibboleth," and if he said "Sibboleth" (for he could not pronounce the word correctly), the Gileadites would seize him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

⁷ Jephthah served as a judge over Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

⁸ After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem served as a judge over Israel. ⁹ He had thirty sons. He gave away thirty daughters in marriage and he brought from the outside thirty daughters of other men for his sons. He judged Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem. ¹¹ After him Elon the Zebulunite served as judge over Israel. He judged Israel for ten years. ¹² Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ After him, Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite served as a judge over Israel. ¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons. They rode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim in the hill country of the Amalekites.

¹ The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

² There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and so she had not given birth. ³ The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, "See now, you have been barren, and you have not given birth, but you will conceive and you will give birth to a son. ⁴ Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

⁵ Look, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son. No razor will be used upon his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin to deliver 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 that of an angel of God, very terrible. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. ⁷ He said to me, 'Look! You will become pregnant, and you will give birth to a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat any food that the law declares to be unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the time he is in your womb until the day of his death.'"

⁸ Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, "Oh, Lord, please let the man of God you sent come again to us so that he may teach us what we are to do for the child who soon will be born." ⁹ God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came to the woman again when she was sitting in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰ So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, "Look! The man has appeared to me—the one who came to me the other day!" ¹¹ Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the man who spoke with my wife?" The man said, "I am." ¹² So Manoah said, "Now may your words come true. What will be the rules for the child, and what will be his work?" ¹³ The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "She must carefully do everything that I said to her. ¹⁴ She may not eat anything that comes from the vines, and do not let her drink wine or strong drink or eat anything unclean. She must obey everything I have commanded her to do."

¹⁵ Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, "Please stay for a while, to give us time to prepare a young goat for you." ¹⁶ The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, "Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to Yahweh." (Manoah did not know that he was the angel of Yahweh.) ¹⁷ Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, "What is your name, so we may honor you when your words come true?" ¹⁸ The angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful!" ¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered them on the rock to Yahweh. He did something marvelous while Manoah and his wife were watching. ²⁰ When the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife saw this and lay facedown on the ground.

²¹ The angel of Yahweh did not appear again to Manoah or his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. ²² Manoah said to his wife, "We are sure to die, because we have seen God!" ²³ But his wife said to him, "If Yahweh wanted to kill us, he would not have received the burnt offering and the grain offering we gave him. He would not have shown us all these things, nor at this time would he have let us hear such things." ²⁴ Later the woman gave birth to a son, and called his name Samson. The boy grew up and Yahweh blessed him. ²⁵ Yahweh's Spirit began to stir him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

¹ Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines. ² When he returned, he told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now get her for me to be my wife." ³ His father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people? Are you going to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for when I look at her, she pleases me." ⁴ But his father and his mother did not know that this matter came from Yahweh, for he desired to create a conflict with the Philistines (for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).

⁵ Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and his mother, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And, look, there one of the young lions came up and was roaring at him. ⁶ Yahweh's Spirit suddenly came on him, and he tore the lion apart as easily as he would have torn apart a small goat, and he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. ⁷ He went and spoke with the woman, and when he looked at her, she pleased Samson. ⁸ A few days later when he returned to marry her, he turned aside to look for the carcass of the lion. And, look, there was a swarm of bees and honey in what was left of the lion's body. ⁹ He scraped up the honey in his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and his mother, he gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them he had taken the honey out of what was left of the lion's body.

¹⁰ Samson's father went down to where the woman was, and Samson gave a feast there, for this was the custom of the young men. ¹¹ As soon as her relatives saw him, they brought him thirty of their friends to be with him. ¹² Samson said to them, "Let me now tell you a riddle. If one of you can find it out and tell me the answer during the seven days of the feast, I will give out thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes. ¹³ But if you cannot tell me the answer, then you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes." They said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we may hear it." ¹⁴ He said to them,

"Out of the eater was something to eat;

out of the strong was something sweet."

But his guests could not find the answer in three days.

¹⁵ On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Trick your husband so that he may tell us the answer to the riddle, or we will burn up you and your father's house. Did you invite us here in order to make us poor?" ¹⁶ Samson's wife started to weep in front of him; she said, "All you do is hate me! You do not love me. You have told a riddle to some of my people, but you have not told me the answer." Samson said to her, "Look here, if I have not told my father or my mother, should I tell you?" ¹⁷ She cried during the seven days that their feast lasted. On the seventh day he told her the answer because she pressured him very much. She told the answer to the relatives of her people. ¹⁸ Before the sun went down on the seventh day the men of the city said to him,

"What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?"

Samson said to them,

"If you had not plowed with my heifer,

you would not have found the answer to my riddle."

¹⁹ Then Yahweh's Spirit suddenly came on Samson with power. Samson went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He took their plunder, and he gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. ²⁰ Samson's wife was given to his best friend.

¹ After some days, during the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said to himself, "I will go to my wife's room." But her father would not allow him to go in. ² Her father said, "I really thought you hated her, so I gave her to your friend. Her younger sister is more beautiful than she is, is she not? Take her instead." ³ Samson said to them, "This time I will be innocent in regard to the Philistines when I hurt them." ⁴ Samson went and caught three hundred foxes and he tied together each pair, tail to tail. Then he took torches and tied them in the middle of each pair of tails. ⁵ When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and they set fire to both the stacked grain and the grain standing in the field, along with the vineyards and the olive orchards. ⁶ The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, did this because the Timnite took Samson's wife and gave her to his friend." Then the Philistines went and burned up her and her father. ⁷ Samson said to them, "If this is what you do, I will get my revenge against you, and after that is done, I will stop." ⁸ Then he cut them to pieces, hip and thigh, with a great slaughter. Then he went down and lived in a cave in the cliff of Etam.

⁹ Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and spread out in Lehi. ¹⁰ The men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" They said, "We have come up so we may capture Samson, and do to him as he has done to us." ¹¹ Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam, and they said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this you have done to us?" Samson said to them, "They did to me, and so I have done to them." ¹² They said to Samson, "We have come down to tie you up and give you into the hands of the Philistines." Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves." ¹³ They said to him, "No, we will only tie you with ropes and hand you over to them. We promise we will not kill you." Then they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting as they met him. Then Yahweh's Spirit came on him with power. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and they fell off his hands. ¹⁵ Samson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and he picked it up and killed a thousand men with it. ¹⁶ Samson said,

"With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps,

with the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men."

¹⁷ When Samson finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone, and he called the place Ramath Lehi. ¹⁸ Samson was very thirsty and called on Yahweh and said, "You have given this great victory to your servant. But now will I die of thirst and fall into the hands of those who are uncircumcised?" ¹⁹ God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi and water came out. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. So he called the name of that place En Hakkore, and it is at Lehi to this day. ²⁰ Samson judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.

¹ Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went to her. ² The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." The Gazites surrounded the place and in secret, they waited for him all night at the city gate. They kept silent all night. They had said, "Let us wait until daylight, and then let us kill him." ³ Samson lay in bed until midnight. At midnight he got up and he took hold of the city gate and its two posts. He pulled them up out of the ground, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill, in front of Hebron.

⁴ After this, Samson came to love a woman who lived in the Valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah. ⁵ The rulers of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, "Trick Samson to see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him in order to humiliate him. Do this, and each one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver." ⁶ Then Delilah said to Samson, "Please, tell me how is it that you are so strong, and how could anyone bind you, so you might be controlled?" ⁷ Samson said to her, "If they tie me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man." ⁸ Then the rulers of the Philistines brought up to Delilah seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson up with them. ⁹ Now she had men hiding in secret, staying in her inner room. She said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he broke the bowstrings like a thread of yarn when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, "This is how you have deceived me and told me lies. Please, tell me how you can be overpowered." ¹¹ He said to her, "If they tie me up with new ropes which have never been used for work, I will become weak and like any other man." ¹² So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" The men lying in wait were in the inner room. But Samson tore off the ropes from his arms like they were a piece of thread.

¹³ Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be overpowered." Samson said to her, "If you weave seven locks of my hair into a fabric on a loom, and then nail that to the loom, I will be like any other man." ¹⁴ While he slept, Delilah wove seven locks of his hair into the fabric on the loom and nailed it to the loom, and she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" He woke from his sleep and he pulled out the fabric and the pin from the loom.

¹⁵ She said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you do not share your secrets with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me how you have such great strength." ¹⁶ Every day she pressed him hard with her words, and she pressured him so much that he wished he would die. ¹⁷ So Samson told her everything and said to her, "I have never had a razor cut the hair on my head, for I have been a Nazirite for God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like every other man."

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her the truth about everything, she sent and called for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, "Come up again, for he has told me everything." Then the rulers of the Philistines went up to her, bringing the silver in their hands. ¹⁹ She had him fall asleep in her lap. She called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his head, and she began to subdue him, for his strength had left him. ²⁰ She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" He woke up out of his sleep and said, "I will get out like the other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that Yahweh had left him. ²¹ The Philistines captured him and put out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. He turned the millstone at the prison house. ²² But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

²³ The rulers of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. They said, "Our god has conquered Samson, our enemy, and put him in our hands." ²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, "Our god has conquered our enemy and given him to us—the destroyer of our country, who killed many of us."

²⁵ When they were celebrating, they said, "Call for Samson, that he may make us laugh." They called for Samson out of the prison and he made them laugh. They made him stand between the pillars. ²⁶ Samson said to the boy who held his hand, "Permit me to touch the pillars on which the building rests, so that I can lean against them." ²⁷ Now the house was full of men and women. All the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who were looking on while Samson was entertaining them.

²⁸ Samson called to Yahweh and said, "Lord Yahweh, call me to mind! Please strengthen me only this once, God, so that I may have revenge in one blow on the Philistines for taking my two eyes." ²⁹ Samson held on to the two middle pillars on which the building rested, and he leaned against them, one pillar with his right hand, and the other with his left. ³⁰ Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He stretched out with his strength and the building fell on the rulers and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed when he died were more than those he killed during his life. ³¹ Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down. They took him, brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial place of Manoah, his father. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

¹ There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Micah. ² He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you spoke a curse, and which I heard—look here! I have the silver with me. I stole it." His mother said, "May Yahweh bless you, my son!" ³ He restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother and his mother said, "I set apart this silver to Yahweh, for my son to make a carved image and a cast metal figure. So now, I restore it to you." ⁴ When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to a metal worker who made them into a carved image and a cast metal figure, and they were placed in the house of Micah. ⁵ The man Micah had a house of idols and he made an ephod and household gods, and he hired one of his sons to become his priest. ⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷ Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the clan of Judah, who was a Levite. He stayed there to fulfill his duties. ⁸ The man left Bethlehem in Judah to go and find a place to live. As he journeyed, he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" The man said to him, "I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am traveling to find a place where I might live." ¹⁰ Micah said to him, "Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your food." So the Levite went into his house. ¹¹ The Levite was content to live with the man, and the young man became to Micah like one of his sons. ¹² Micah set apart the Levite for sacred duties, and the young man became his priest, and was in Micah's house. ¹³ Then Micah said, "Now I know that Yahweh will do good for me, because this Levite has become my priest."

¹ In those days there was no king in Israel. The tribe of the descendants of Dan was looking for a territory to live in, for up to that day they had not received any inheritance from among the tribes of Israel. ² The people of Dan sent five men from the whole number of their tribe, men who were experienced warriors from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to scout the land on foot, and to look it over. They said to them, "Go and look over the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they spent the night there. ³ When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they stopped and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" ⁴ He said to them, "This is what Micah has done for me: He has hired me to become his priest." ⁵ They said to him, "Please seek the advice of God, so we may know whether the journey we are going on will be successful." ⁶ The priest said to them, "Go in peace. Yahweh will lead you in the way you should go."

⁷ Then the five men left and came to Laish, and they saw that the people were living in safety, in the same way the Sidonians lived, undisturbed and secure. There was no one who conquered them or who oppressed them in any way in the land. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. ⁸ They returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, "What is your report?" ⁹ They said, "Come! Let us attack them! We have seen the land and it is very good. Are you doing nothing? Do not be slow to attack and conquer the land. ¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a secure people, and the land is wide! God has given it to you—a place that does not lack anything in the land."

¹¹ Six hundred men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹² They went up and camped at Kiriath Jearim, in Judah. This is why people called that place Mahaneh Dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath Jearim. ¹³ They went away 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 the country of Laish said to their relatives, "Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a cast metal figure? Decide now what you will do." ¹⁵ So they turned in there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, at the house of Micah, and they greeted him. ¹⁶ Now the six hundred Danites, armed with weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ The five men who had gone to scout out the land went there and they took the carved figure, the ephod, the household gods, and the cast metal figure, while the priest stood by the opening of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. ¹⁸ When these went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the cast metal figure, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" ¹⁹ They said to him, "Be 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 for the house of one man, or to be priest for a tribe and a clan in Israel?" ²⁰ The priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod, the household gods, and the carved figure, and went along with the people.

²¹ So they turned and went away, putting the little children, their livestock and their valuable possessions in front of them. ²² When they were a good distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called together, and they caught up with the Danites. ²³ They shouted to the Danites, and they turned and said to Micah, "Why have you been called together?" ²⁴ He said, "You stole the gods that I made, you have taken my priest, and you are leaving. What else do I have left? How can you ask me, 'What is bothering you?'" ²⁵ The people of Dan said to him, "You should not let us hear you say anything, or some very angry men will attack you, and you and your family will be killed." ²⁶ Then the people of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

²⁷ The people of Dan took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and they came to Laish, to a people who were undisturbed and secure and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city. ²⁸ There was no one to rescue them because it was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that is near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. ²⁹ They named the city Dan, the name of Dan their ancestor, who was one of Israel's sons. But the name of the city used to be Laish. ³⁰ The people of Dan set up the carved figure for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the day of the land's captivity. ³¹ So they worshiped Micah's carved figure that he made as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

¹ In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a man, a Levite, living for a while in the most remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. ² But his concubine acted like a prostitute against him; she left him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem of Judah. She stayed there for four months. ³ Then her husband got up and went after her in order to persuade her to come back. His servant was with him, and a yoke of donkeys. She brought him into her father's house. When the girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him. ⁴ His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded him to stay for three days. They ate and drank, and they spent the night there. ⁵ On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a bit of bread, then you may go." ⁶ So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Then the girl's father said, "Please be willing to spend the night and have a good time." ⁷ When the Levite got up to leave, the father of the young woman urged him to stay, so he changed his plan and spent the night there again. ⁸ On the fifth day he woke up early to leave, but the girl's father said, "Strengthen yourself, and wait until the afternoon." So the two of them had a meal. ⁹ When the Levite and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl's father said to him, "See now, the day is advancing toward evening. Please stay another night, and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and go back home."

¹⁰ But the Levite was not willing to spend the night. He got up and left. He went toward Jebus (that is Jerusalem). He had a pair of saddled donkeys—and his concubine was with him. ¹¹ When they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, "Come, let us turn aside to the city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it." ¹² His master said to him, "We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who do not belong to the people of Israel. We will go on to Gibeah." ¹³ The Levite said to his young man, "Come, let us go to one of those other places, and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah." ¹⁴ So they went on, and the sun set as they came near to Gibeah, in the territory of Benjamin. ¹⁵ They turned aside there to spend the night in Gibeah. They went and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into his house for the night.

¹⁶ But then an old man was coming from his work in the field that evening. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying for a while in Gibeah. But the men living in that place were Benjamites. ¹⁷ He raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the city square. The old man said, "Where are you going? Where are you coming from?" ¹⁸ The Levite said to him, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to the most remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, which is where I come from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of Yahweh, but there is no one who will take me into his house. ¹⁹ We have straw and feed for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine for me and your female servant here, and for this young man with your servants. We lack nothing." ²⁰ The old man greeted them, "Peace be with you! I will take care of all your needs. Only do not spend the night in the square." ²¹ So the man brought the Levite into his house and gave feed to the donkeys. They washed their feet and ate and drank.

²² While they were making their hearts glad, some men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house, beating on the door. They spoke to the old man, the master of the house, saying, "Bring out the man who came into your house, so we can know him." ²³ The man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brothers, please do not do this evil thing! Since this man is a guest in my house, do not do this act of disgraceful folly! ²⁴ See, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them whatever you like. But do not do such an act of disgraceful folly to this man!" ²⁵ But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. They raped her and abused her all throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. ²⁶ At dawn the woman came and she fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, and she lay there until it was light.

²⁷ Her master rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. He could see his concubine lying there at the door, with her hands on the threshold. ²⁸ The Levite said to her, "Get up. Let us go." But there was no answer. He put her on the donkey, and the man set out for home. ²⁹ When the Levite came to his house, he took a knife, and he took hold of his concubine, and cut her up, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent the pieces everywhere throughout Israel. ³⁰ All who saw this said, "Such a thing has never been done or seen from the day the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this present day. Think about it! Give us advice! Tell us what to do!"

¹ Then all the people of Israel—from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead also—came out, and the congregation assembled together as one man before Yahweh at Mizpah. ² The leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God—400,000 footmen ready to fight with the sword. ³ Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, "Tell us how this wicked thing happened." ⁴ The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered, "I came to Gibeah in the territory that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. ⁵ During the night, the leaders of Gibeah attacked me, surrounding the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. ⁶ I took my concubine and cut her body into pieces, and sent them into each region of Israel's inheritance, because they have committed wickedness and an act of disgraceful folly in Israel. ⁷ Now, all you people of Israel, give your advice and counsel here."

⁸ All the people arose together as one man, and they said, "None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house! ⁹ But now this is what we must do to Gibeah: We will attack it as the lot directs us. ¹⁰ We will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of a thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to get provisions for these people, so that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may punish them for the act of disgraceful folly they committed in Israel." ¹¹ So all the men of Israel assembled against the city, united as one man.

¹² The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that was done among you? ¹³ Therefore, give us those wicked men of Gibeah, so we may put them to death, and so we will completely remove this evil from Israel." But the Benjamites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel. ¹⁴ Then the sons of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to get ready to fight against the sons of Israel. ¹⁵ The people of Benjamin brought together from their cities to fight on that day twenty-six thousand soldiers who were trained to fight with the sword. In addition, there were seven hundred of their chosen men from the inhabitants of Gibeah. ¹⁶ Among all these soldiers were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The people of Israel, not counting the number from Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men, who were trained to fight with the sword. All of these were men of war. ¹⁸ The people of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked for advice from God. They asked, "Who first will attack the people of Benjamin for us?" Yahweh said, "Judah will attack first."

¹⁹ The sons of Israel got up in the morning and they moved their camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin. They set up their battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and they killed twenty-two thousand men from among Israel on that day. ²² But the men of Israel strengthened themselves and they formed the battle line in the same place where they had taken positions on the first day. ²³ Then the people of Israel went up and they wept before Yahweh until evening, and they sought direction from Yahweh. They said, "Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?" Yahweh said, "Attack them!"

²⁴ So the people of Israel went against the soldiers of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ On the second day, Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah and they killed eighteen thousand men from the people of Israel. All were men who trained to fight with the sword. ²⁶ Then all the people of Israel, all the people, went up to Bethel and wept, and there they sat before Yahweh and they fasted that day until the evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. ²⁷ The people of Israel asked Yahweh—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸ and Phinehas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron, was serving before the ark in those days—"Should we go out to battle once more against the people of Benjamin, our brothers, or stop?" Yahweh said, "Attack, for tomorrow I will help you defeat them."

²⁹ So Israel set men in secret places around Gibeah. ³⁰ The people of Israel fought against the people of Benjamin for the third day, and they formed their battle lines against Gibeah as they had done before. ³¹ The people of Benjamin went and fought against the people, and they were drawn away from the city. They began to kill some of the people. There were about thirty men of Israel who died in the fields and on the roads. One of the roads went up to Bethel, and the other went to Gibeah. ³² Then the people of Benjamin said, "They are defeated and they are running away from us, just as at first." But the people Israel said, "Let us run back and draw them away from the city to the roads." ³³ All the men of Israel rose up out of their places and formed themselves into lines for battle at Baal Tamar. Then the people of Israel who had been hiding in secret places ran out from their places from Maareh Gibeah. ³⁴ Ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the fighting was fierce, but the Benjamites did not know that disaster was close to them. ³⁵ Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel. On that day, the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin. All these who died were those who had been trained to fight with the sword.

³⁶ So the people of Benjamin saw they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to Benjamin, because they were trusting in the men they had placed in hidden positions outside Gibeah. ³⁷ Then the men who were hiding got up and hurried, and they rushed into Gibeah, and they struck all the city with the edge of the sword. ³⁸ The arranged signal between the men of Israel and the men hiding in secret would be that a great cloud of smoke would rise up out of the city. ³⁹ When the signal was sent the men of Israel would turn from the battle. Now Benjamin began to attack and they killed about thirty men of Israel, and they said, "It is sure that they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." ⁴⁰ But when a pillar of smoke began to rise up out of the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke rising to the sky from the whole city. ⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned against them. The men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that disaster had come on them. ⁴² So they ran away from the men of Israel, escaping on the way to the wilderness. But the fighting overtook them. The men of Israel came out of the cities and destroyed them where they stood. ⁴³ They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and trampled them down at Nohah, all the way to the east side of Gibeah. ⁴⁴ From the tribe of Benjamin, eighteen thousand people died, all of them men who were distinguished in battle. ⁴⁵ They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. The Israelites killed five thousand more of them along the roads. They kept going after them, following them closely all the way to Gidom, and there they killed two thousand more. ⁴⁶ All the soldiers of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand—men who were trained to fight with the sword; all of them were distinguished in battle. ⁴⁷ But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, toward the rock of Rimmon. For four months they stayed at the rock of Rimmon. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel turned back against the descendants of Benjamin and struck down with the edge of the sword the entire city, the animals and everything that they found. They also burned down every town in their path.

¹ Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, "None of us will give his daughter to marry a Benjamite." ² Then the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, and with loud voices they wept bitterly. ³ They called out, "Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has this happened to Israel, that one of our tribes should be missing today?" ⁴ The next day the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. ⁵ The people of Israel said, "Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?" For they had made an important oath concerning anyone who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah. They said, "He would certainly be put to death." ⁶ The people of Israel had compassion for their brother Benjamin. They said, "Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. ⁷ Who will provide wives for those who are left, since we have made an oath to Yahweh that we will not let any of them marry our daughters?"

⁸ They said, "Which of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?" It was found that no one had come to the assembly from Jabesh Gilead. ⁹ For when the people were set out in an orderly manner, behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. ¹⁰ The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with instructions to go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. ¹¹ "Do this: Every male and every woman who has known a man by lying with him you will devote to destruction." ¹² The men found among those living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.

¹³ The entire assembly sent a message and told the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon that they were offering them peace. ¹⁴ The Benjamites returned at that time and they were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been kept alive, but there were not enough women for all of them. ¹⁵ The people had compassion on Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a division between the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ Then the elders of the assembly said, "How will we arrange wives for the Benjamites who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been killed?" ¹⁷ They said, "There must be an inheritance for the escaped remnant of Benjamin, so that a tribe is not destroyed from Israel. ¹⁸ We cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the people of Israel had sworn, saying, 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.'" ¹⁹ So they said, "You know there is a feast for Yahweh every year at Shiloh (which is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah)." ²⁰ They instructed the men of Benjamin, saying, "Go and hide in secret and wait in the vineyards. ²¹ Watch for the time when the girls from Shiloh come out to dance, then rush out of the vineyards and each one of you should grab a wife from the girls of Shiloh, then go back to the land of Benjamin. ²² When their fathers or their brothers come to protest to us, we will say to them, 'Show us favor! Let them remain because we did not get wives for each man during the war. You are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'" ²³ The people of Benjamin did so. They took the number of wives that they needed from the girls who were dancing and they carried them off to be their wives. They went and returned to the place of their inheritance. They rebuilt the towns and lived in them. ²⁴ Then the people of Israel left that place and went home, each one to his own tribe and clan, and each one to his own inheritance.

²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

¹ It happened in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem of Judah went to live as a foreigner in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelek, and the name of his wife was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion, who were Ephrathites of Bethlehem of Judah. They arrived at the country of Moab and lived there. ³ Then Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left alone with her two sons. ⁴ These sons took wives from the women of Moab; the name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there for about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Kilion died, and the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband. ⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law and returned from the country of Moab because she had heard in the country of Moab that Yahweh had provided for his people's needs by giving them food. ⁷ So she left the place where she had been with her two daughters-in-law, and they walked down the road to return to the land of Judah. ⁸ Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return, each of you, to your mother's house. May Yahweh show kindness toward you, as you have shown kindness toward the dead and toward me. ⁹ May Yahweh grant you that you find rest, each of you in the house of another husband." Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and cried. ¹⁰ They said to her, "No! We will return with you to your people." ¹¹ But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters! Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb for you, so that they may become your husbands? ¹² Turn back, my daughters, go your own way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said, 'I hope I get a husband tonight,' and then give birth to sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you choose not to marry a husband? No, my daughters! It is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me." ¹⁴ Then her daughters-in-law lifted up their voices and cried again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell, but Ruth held on to her.

¹⁵ Naomi said, "Listen, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return with your sister-in-law." ¹⁶ But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back from following you, for where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh punish me, and even more, if anything but death ever separates us." ¹⁸ When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped arguing with her.

¹⁹ So the two traveled until they came to the town of Bethlehem. It happened that when they arrived in Bethlehem, the entire town was very excited about them. The women said, "Is this Naomi?" ²⁰ But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi. Call me Bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went out full, but Yahweh has brought me back again empty. So why do you call me Naomi, seeing that Yahweh has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?" ²² So Naomi and Ruth the Moabite woman, her daughter-in-law, returned from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

¹ Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of great wealth of the clan of Elimelek, and his name was Boaz. ² Ruth, the Moabite woman, said to Naomi, "Now let me go and glean what remains among the ears of grain in the fields. I will follow anyone in whose eyes I will find favor." So Naomi said to her, "Go, my daughter." ³ Ruth went and gleaned what remained in the fields after they had harvested it. She happened to come to the portion of the fields belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelek. ⁴ Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, "May Yahweh be with you." They answered him, "May Yahweh bless you." ⁵ Then Boaz said to his servant who was supervising the reapers, "What man does this young woman belong to?" ⁶ The servant supervising the reapers answered and said, "It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the land of Moab. ⁷ She said to me, 'Please let me glean and gather among the bundles of cut grain after the reapers.' So she came here and has continued from the morning until now, except that she rested a little in the house." ¹

⁸ Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Are you not listening to me, my daughter? Do not go and glean in another field; do not leave my field. Instead, stay here and work with my young female workers. ⁹ Keep your eyes only on the field where the men are reaping and follow behind the other women. Have I not instructed the men not to touch you? Whenever you are thirsty, you may go to the waterpots and drink the water that the young men have drawn." ¹⁰ Then she fell on her face before Boaz and bowed to the ground. She said to him, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should be concerned about me, a foreigner?" ¹¹ Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been reported to me, all that you have done since the death of your husband. You have left your father, mother, and the land of your birth to follow your mother-in-law and to come to a people you do not know. ¹² May Yahweh reward you for your deed. May you receive full payment from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have found refuge." ¹³ Then she said, "Let me find favor in your eyes, my master, for you have comforted me, and you have spoken kindly to me, though I am not one of your female servants."

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to Ruth, "Come here, and eat some of the bread, and dip your morsel in the wine vinegar." She sat beside the reapers, and he offered her some roasted grain. She ate until she was satisfied and left the rest of it. ¹⁵ As she got up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, "Let her glean even among the bundles of cut grain, and do not humiliate her. ¹⁶ Also pull out for her some ears of grain from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her."

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out the ears of grain that she had gleaned, and the grain was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ She lifted it up and went into the city. Then her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. Ruth also brought out the roasted grain left from her meal and gave it to her. ¹⁹ Her mother-in-law said to her, "Where have you gleaned today? Where did you go to work? May the man who was concerned about you be blessed." Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man who owned the field where she had worked. She said, "The name of the man who owns the field where I worked today is Boaz." ²⁰ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by Yahweh, who has not left off his loyalty to the living and to the dead." Naomi said to her, "That man is near of kin to us, one of our kinsman-redeemers." ²¹ Ruth the Moabite woman said, "Indeed, he said to me, 'You should keep close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest.'" ²² Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young female workers, so that they do not harm you in another field." ²³ So she stayed close to Boaz's female workers in order to glean to the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. She lived with her mother-in-law.

¹Some modern translations read Please let me glean and gather among the bundle of grain after the reapers .

¹ Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, should I not seek a place for you to rest, so that things may go well for you? ² Now Boaz, the man whose young female workers you have been with, is he not our kinsman? Look, he will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. ³ Therefore, wash yourself, anoint yourself, put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking. ¹ ⁴ But when he lies down, take notice of the place where he lies down so that later you can go to him, uncover his feet, and lie down there. Then he will explain to you what to do." ⁵ Ruth said to Naomi, "I will do everything you say."

⁶ So she went down to the threshing floor, and she followed the instructions her mother-in-law had given her. ⁷ When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. Then she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. ⁸ It came about at midnight that the man was startled. He turned over, and right there a woman was lying at his feet! ⁹ He said, "Who are you?" She answered, "I am Ruth, your female servant. Spread your cloak over your female servant, for you are a near kinsman." ¹⁰ Boaz said, "My daughter, may you be blessed by Yahweh. You have made your latest kindness better than the first, because you have not gone after any of the young men, whether poor or rich. ¹¹ Now, my daughter, do not be afraid! I will do for you all that you say, because all the city of my people knows that you are a worthy woman. ¹² It is true that I am a kinsman, but there is a kinsman nearer than I. ¹³ Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he will perform for you the duty of a kinsman, good, let him do the kinsman's duty. But if he will not do the duty of a kinsman for you, then I will do it, by the life of Yahweh. Lie down until the morning."

¹⁴ So she lay at his feet until the morning. But she rose up before anyone could recognize another person. For Boaz had said, "Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor." ¹⁵ Then Boaz said, "Bring your shawl and hold it out." When she did so, he measured six large measures of barley into it and put the load on her. Then he went into the city. ¹⁶ When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How did you do, my daughter?" Then Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. ¹⁷ She said, "These six measures of barley are what he gave me, for he said, 'Do not go empty to your mother-in-law.'" ¹⁸ Then Naomi said, "Stay here, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out, for the man will not rest until he has finished this thing today."

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have, Put on your best piece of clothing . However, a marginal note instructs readers to read, Put on your best clothes. Translators are free to choose for themselves.

¹ Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Soon, the near kinsman of whom Boaz had spoken came by. Boaz said to him, "My friend, come over and sit down here." The man came over and sat down. ² Then Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. ³ Boaz said to the near kinsman, "Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that was our brother Elimelek's. ⁴ I thought to uncover your ears and say to you, 'Buy it in the presence of those who are sitting here, and in the presence of the elders of my people.' If you wish to redeem it, redeem it. But if you do not wish to redeem it, then tell me, so that I may know, for there is no one to redeem it besides you, and I am after you." Then the other man said, "I will redeem it." ⁵ Then Boaz said, "On the day that you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also take Ruth the Moabite woman, the widow of a dead man, in order to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance." ⁶ Then the near kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself without destroying my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it."

⁷ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and exchange of goods. To confirm all things, a man took off his sandal and gave it to his neighbor; this was the manner of making legal agreements in Israel. ⁸ So the near kinsman said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself," and he took off his sandal. ⁹ Then Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought all that was Elimelek's and all that was Kilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Also Ruth the Moabite woman, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired to be my wife, in order that I might raise up the name of the dead man on his inheritance, so that his name will not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. Today you are witnesses!" ¹¹ All the people who were in the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built up the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem. ¹² May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring that Yahweh will give you with this young woman."

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He went to her, and Yahweh enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi, "May Yahweh be blessed, who has not left you today without a near kinsman, this baby. May his name be famous in Israel. ¹⁵ May he be for you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him." ¹⁶ Naomi took the child, laid him in her bosom, and took care of him. ¹⁷ The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David.

¹⁸ Now these were the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron,

¹⁹ Hezron became the father of Ram, Ram became the father of Amminadab,

²⁰ Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon became the father of Salmon,

²¹ Salmon became the father of Boaz, Boaz became the father of Obed,

²² Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.

¹ There was a certain man of Ramathaim of the Zuphites, of the hill country of Ephraim; his name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ¹ ² He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. ³ This man went from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there. ⁴ When the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice each year, he always gave portions of the meat to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he always gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁶ Her rival provoked her severely in order to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁷ So year after year, when she went up to the house of Yahweh with her family, her rival always provoked her. Therefore she used to weep and eat nothing. ⁸ Elkanah her husband always said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

⁹ On one of these occasions, Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the doorway to the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁰ She was deeply distressed; she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. ¹¹ She made a vow and said, "Yahweh of hosts, if you will look on the affliction of your servant and call me to mind, and do not forget your servant, but give your servant a son, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor will ever touch his head."

¹² As she continued praying before Yahweh, Eli watched her mouth. ¹³ Hannah spoke in her heart. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine." ¹⁵ Hannah answered, "No, my master, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Yahweh. ¹⁶ Do not consider your servant to be a worthless woman; I have been speaking out of the abundance of my great concern and provocation." ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; may the God of Israel grant the request that you have asked him for." ¹⁸ She said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went her way and ate; her face was no longer sad.

¹⁹ They rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh, and then they returned again to their house in Ramah. Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. ²⁰ When the time came, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from Yahweh."

²¹ Once again, Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. ²² But Hannah did not go; she had said to her husband, "I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, so that he may appear before Yahweh and live there forever." ²³ Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only, may Yahweh confirm his word." So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ When she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bull, ² one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to the house of Yahweh in Shiloh. Now the child was still young. ²⁵ They killed the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. ²⁶ She said, "Oh, my master! As you live, my master, I am the woman who stood here next to you praying to Yahweh. ²⁷ For this child I prayed and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of him. ²⁸ I have given him to Yahweh, as long as he lives he is lent to Yahweh." Then he worshiped Yahweh there. ³

¹Some modern translations have Ramathaim Zophim, but it is understood that Zophim really refers to the region in which the clan descended from Zuph resided.

²Some translations of the copies of the ancient Hebrew text have three bulls instead of a three-year-old bull .

³Some modern translations have Then they worshiped Yahweh there .

¹ Hannah prayed and said,

"My heart rejoices in Yahweh.

My horn is exalted in Yahweh.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

because I rejoice in your salvation.

² There is no one holy like Yahweh,

for there is none besides you;

there is no rock like our God.

³ Boast no more so very proudly;

let no arrogance come out of your mouth.

For Yahweh is a God of knowledge;

by him acts are weighed.

⁴ The bows of the mighty men are broken,

but those who stumble are girded with strength.

⁵ Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread;

those who were hungry have stopped being hungry.

Even the barren one gives birth to seven,

but the woman who has many children becomes weak.

⁶ Yahweh kills and brings to life.

He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

⁷ Yahweh makes some people poor and some rich.

He humbles, but he also lifts up.

⁸ He raises up the poor out of the dust.

He lifts the needy from the ash heap

to make them sit with princes

and inherit the seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's

and he has set the world upon them.

⁹ He will guard the feet of his faithful people,

but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness,

for no one will prevail by strength.

¹⁰ Those who oppose Yahweh will be broken to pieces;

he will thunder against them from heaven.

Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed."

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. The child served Yahweh in the presence of Eli the priest.

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know Yahweh. ¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand, while the meat was boiling. ¹⁴ He would stick it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. They did this in Shiloh with all of Israel that came there. ¹⁵ Worse, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." ¹⁶ If the man said to him, "They must burn the fat first, and then take as much as you want." Then he would say, "No, you will give it me now; if not, I will take it by force." ¹⁷ The sin of these young men was very great before Yahweh, for they despised Yahweh's offering.

¹⁸ But Samuel served Yahweh as a child clothed with a linen ephod. ¹⁹ His mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May Yahweh give you more children by this woman because of the request she made of Yahweh." Then they would return to their own home. ²¹ Yahweh again helped Hannah, and again she conceived. She bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Yahweh.

²² Now Eli was very old; he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were lying 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 actions from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear. You make Yahweh's people disobey. ²⁵ If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will speak for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them. ²⁶ The child Samuel grew up, and increased in favor with Yahweh and also with men.

²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Yahweh says, 'Did I not reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to the house of Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the people of Israel made with fire. ²⁹ Why, then, do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings, which I commanded in the place where I live? Why do you honor your sons above me by making yourselves fat with the best of every offering of my people Israel?' ³⁰ Therefore, Yahweh, the God of Israel, declares, 'I promised that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever.' But now Yahweh declares, 'Far be it from me to do this, for I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed. ³¹ See, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will no longer be any old man in your house. ³² You will see distress in the place where I live. Although good will be given to Israel, there will no longer be any old man in your house. ³³ Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your eyes to fail, and I will cause grief in your heart, then all the increase of your house will die while men. ³⁴ This will be the sign for you that will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do what is in my heart and in my soul. I will build him a sure house; and he will walk before my anointed king forever. ³⁶ Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him, asking for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, "Please assign me to one of the priests' positions so I can eat a piece of bread."'"

¹ The child Samuel served Yahweh under Eli. Yahweh's word was rare in those days; there was no frequent prophetic vision. ² At that time, Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see well, was lying down in his own bed. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Yahweh called to Samuel, who said, "Here I am." ⁵ Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Eli said, "I did not call you; lie down again." So Samuel went and lay down. ⁶ Yahweh called again, "Samuel." Again Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son; lie down again." ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet have any experience of Yahweh, nor had any message from Yahweh ever been revealed to him. ⁸ Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. Again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli realized that Yahweh had called the boy. ⁹ Then Eli said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again; if he calls you again, you must say, 'Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his own place once more.

¹⁰ Yahweh came and stood; he called as at the other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." ¹¹ Yahweh said to Samuel, "See, I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have said about his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ I have told him that I am about to judge his house once for all for the iniquity that he knew about, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves and he did not stop them. ¹⁴ Because of this I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of his house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering."

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. ¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel said, "Here I am." ¹⁷ He said, "What was the word he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and even more, if you hide anything from me of all the words that he spoke to you." ¹⁸ Samuel told him everything; he hid nothing from him. Eli said, "It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him."

¹⁹ Samuel grew up, and Yahweh was with him, and he let none of his prophetic words fall to the ground. ²⁰ All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was appointed to be a prophet of Yahweh. ²¹ Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh, for he revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by his word.

¹ The word of Samuel came to all of Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They set up camp at Ebenezer, and the Philistines set up camp at Aphek.

² The Philistines lined up for battle against Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. ³ When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh here from Shiloh, that it may be here with us, that it might keep us safe from the hands of our enemies." ⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh; from there they carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts, who sits above the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵ When the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the camp, all of the people of Israel gave a great shout of joy, and the earth resounded. ⁶ When the Philistines heard the noise of the joyful shouting, they said, "What does this loud joyful shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they realized that the ark of Yahweh had come into the camp. ⁷ The Philistines were afraid; they said, "A god has come into the camp." They said, "Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before! ⁸ Woe to us! Who will protect us from the strength of these mighty gods? These are the gods who attacked the Egyptians with many different kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹ Take courage, and be men, you Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you. Be men, and fight." ¹⁰ The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated. Every man fled to his tent, and the slaughter was very great; for thirty thousand footmen from Israel fell. ¹¹ The ark of God was taken, 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, arriving with his clothes torn and earth on his head. ¹³ When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching because his heart trembled with concern for the ark of God. When the man entered the city and told the news, the whole city cried out. ¹⁴ When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What is the meaning of this uproar?" The man quickly came and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; his eyes did not focus, and he could not see. ¹⁶ The man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line. I fled from the battle today." Eli said, "How did it go, my son?" ¹⁷ The man who brought the news answered and said, "Israel fled from the Philistines. Also, there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also, your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken." ¹⁸ When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate. His neck was broken, and he died, because he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.

¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she knelt down and gave birth, but her labor pains overwhelmed her. ²⁰ About the time of her death the women attending to her said, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or take what they said to heart. ²¹ She called the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has gone away from Israel!" for the ark of God had been captured, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² She said, "The glory has gone away from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured."

¹ Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon. ³ When the people of Ashdod got up early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and set him up in his place again. ⁴ But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen facedown on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. The head of Dagon and both of his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon remained. ⁵ This is why, even today, the priests of Dagon and anyone who comes into Dagon's house does not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.

⁶ Yahweh's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod. He destroyed them and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. ⁷ When the men of Ashdod realized what was happening, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us, because his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god." ⁸ So they sent for and gathered together all of the rulers of the Philistines; they said to them, "What should 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 carried the ark of the God of Israel there. ⁹ But after they brought it around, Yahweh's hand was against the city, causing a very great tumult. He afflicted the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke out on them. ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came into Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people." ¹¹ So they sent for and gathered together all of the rulers of the Philistines; they said to them, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people." For there was a deathly tumult throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. ¹² The men who did not die were afflicted with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to the heavens.

¹ Now the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. ² Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners; they said to them, "What should we do with the ark of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own country." ³ The priests and diviners said, "If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without a gift; by all means send him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted off of you until now." ⁴ Then they said, "What should the guilt offering be that we are returning to him?" They replied, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, five being the number that is the same as the number of the rulers of the Philistines. For the same plague afflicted you and your rulers. ⁵ So you must make models of your tumors, and models of your mice that are ruining the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. ⁶ Why should you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? That was when the God of Israel dealt severely with them; did not the Egyptians send away the people, and they left? ⁷ Now then, prepare a new cart with two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Tie the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ Take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart, and put the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering, in a box beside it. Send it off and let it go its way, ⁹ but watch. If it goes up the road to its own land toward Beth Shemesh, then it is Yahweh who has caused us this great harm. But if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that afflicted us; it happened to us by chance."

¹⁰ The men did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, tied them to the cart, and confined their calves at home. ¹¹ They put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, together with a box containing the golden mice and the castings of their tumors. ¹² The cows went straight in the direction of Beth Shemesh. They went along one highway, lowing as they went, and they did not turn aside either to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. ¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua from the town of Beth Shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there, and they split the wood from the cart, and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ¹⁵ The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the box that was with it, where the golden figures were, and put them on the great stone. The men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to Yahweh. ¹⁶ When the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh—one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron. ¹⁸ The golden mice were the same in number as the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five rulers, both fortified cities and country villages. The great stone, beside which they set down the ark of Yahweh, remains a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.

¹⁹ Yahweh attacked some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh. He killed 50,070 men. The people mourned, because Yahweh had given the people a great blow. ¹ ²⁰ The men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from us?" ²¹ They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down and take it back with you."

¹Instead of 50,070 men , some later copies and modern translations have, seventy men .

¹ The men of Kiriath Jearim came, took the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill. They set apart his son Eleazar to keep the ark of Yahweh. ² From the day the ark remained in Kiriath Jearim, a long time passed, twenty years. All the house of Israel lamented and wished to turn to Yahweh. ³ Samuel said to the entire house of Israel, "If you return to Yahweh with your whole heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, turn your hearts to Yahweh, and worship him only, then he will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines." ⁴ Then the people of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and worshiped Yahweh only. ⁵ Then Samuel said, "Bring together all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you." ⁶ They gathered at Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted that day and said, "We have sinned against Yahweh." It was there that Samuel decided disputes for the people of Israel and led the people. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines attacked Israel. When the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ Then the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not stop calling out to Yahweh our God for us, so he will save us from the hand of the Philistines." ⁹ Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and Yahweh answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines approached to attack Israel. But Yahweh thundered with a loud sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel. ¹¹ The men of Israel went from Mizpah, and they pursued the Philistines and killed them as far as below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far Yahweh has helped us." ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they did not enter the border of Israel. The hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; Israel brought back their territory from the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ Each year he went on a circuit to Bethel, to Gilgal, and to Mizpah. He decided disputes for Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to Ramah, because his house was there; and there also he decided disputes for Israel. He also built an altar there to Yahweh.

¹ When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. ³ His sons did not walk in his ways, but chased after dishonest gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ⁵ They said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." ⁶ But it displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to Yahweh. ⁷ Yahweh said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in everything they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. ⁸ The same deeds they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt—abandoning me and serving other gods—they are now doing also to you. ⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know by what ordinances the king will reign over them."

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who were asking for a king. ¹¹ He said, "These will be the ordinances 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 captains of thousands and captains of fifties. He will make some plow his ground, some reap his harvest, and some make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the very best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive orchards, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give to his officers and his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your male servants and your female servants and the best of your cattle ¹ and your donkeys; he will put them all to work for him. ¹⁷ He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. ¹⁸ Then on that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves; but Yahweh will not answer you on that day."

¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel; they said, "No! There must be a king over us ²⁰ so that we might be like all the other nations, and so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." ²¹ When Samuel heard all the words of the people he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. ²² Yahweh said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and cause a king to reign over them." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man must go to his own city."

¹The Hebrew text can be read as: young men instead of cattle.

¹ There was a man from Benjamin, a man of great wealth. His name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Bekorath son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite. ² He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no man among the people of Israel who was a more handsome person 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 servants with you; arise and go search for the donkeys." ⁴ So Saul passed through the hill country of Ephraim and went through the land of Shalisha, 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 the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, let us go back, or my father may stop caring for the donkeys and become anxious about us." ⁶ But the servant said to him, "See now, there is a man of God in this city. He is a man who is held in honor; everything that he says comes true. Let us go there; maybe he can tell us which way we should go on our journey." ⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, "But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sack is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?" ⁸ The servant answered Saul and said, "Here, I have with me one-fourth of a shekel of silver that I will give to the man of God, to tell us which way we should go." ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to seek the knowledge of God's will, 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 found young women coming out to draw water; Saul and his servant said to them, "Is the seer here?" ¹² They answered, and said, "He is; see, he is just ahead of you. Hurry up, for he is coming to the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at 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. The people will not eat until he comes, because he will bless the sacrifice; afterwards those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will find him immediately." ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, Yahweh had revealed to Samuel: ¹⁶ "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you will anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked on my people with pity because their cry for help has come to me." ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh told him, "Here is the man I told you about! He is the one who will rule over my people." ¹⁸ Then Saul came close to Samuel in the gate and said, "Tell me where is the house of the seer?" ¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you will eat with me. In the morning I will let you go, and I will tell you everything that is on your mind. ²⁰ As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. Then on whom are all the desires of Israel set? Is it not on you and all your father's house?" ²¹ Saul answered and said, "Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel? Is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this manner?"

²² So Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them at the head place of those who had been invited, who were about thirty people. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave to you, of which I said to you, 'Put it aside.'" ²⁴ So the cook took up the thigh and what was on it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, "See what has been kept is set before you. Eat it, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, from the time when I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop. ²⁶ Then at the break of dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the rooftop and said, "Get up, so I can send you on your way." So Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. ²⁷ As they were going to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go ahead of us"—and he went ahead—"but you must stay here awhile, that I may announce the message of God to you."

¹ Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, and kissed him. He said, "Has not Yahweh anointed you to be a ruler over his inheritance? ² When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel's tomb, in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, 'The donkeys that you were looking for have been found. Now your father has stopped caring about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What should I do about my son?"' ³ Then you will go on further from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going 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 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will take from their hands. ⁵ After that, you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; they will be prophesying. ⁶ The Spirit of Yahweh will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different man. ⁷ Now, when these signs come to you, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. ⁸ Go down before me to Gilgal. Then I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do."

⁹ When Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. Then all these signs came to pass that day. ¹⁰ When they came to the hill, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him so that he prophesied with them. ¹¹ When everyone who knew him before saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people said to each other, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets now?" ¹² A man who was from that same place answered, "Then who is their father?" Because of this, it became a saying, "Is Saul also one of the prophets?" ¹³ When he finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴ Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" He replied, "To search for the donkeys. When we saw that we could not find them, we went to Samuel." ¹⁵ Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you." ¹⁶ Saul replied to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken.

¹⁷ Now Samuel called the people together before Yahweh at Mizpah. ¹⁸ He said to the people of Israel, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel says: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' ¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all of your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and by your clans." ²⁰ So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. ²¹ Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their clans; and the clan of the Matrites was chosen; and Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they went looking for him, he could not be found. ²² Then the people wanted to ask God more questions, "Is there still another man to come?" Yahweh answered, "He has hidden himself among the baggage." ²³ Then they ran and retrieved Saul from there. When he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, "Do you see the man whom Yahweh has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!" All the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the customs and rules of kingship, wrote them down in a book, and placed it before Yahweh. Samuel then sent all the people away, each man to his own house. ²⁶ Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went some strong men, whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But some worthless men said, "How can this man save us?" These people despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts. But Saul kept silent. ¹

¹Some modern translations add to this verse the following paragraph: Nahash king of the Ammonites had severely oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites. He dug out the right eye of each man and did not allow anyone to rescue Israel. Across the Jordan River was left no Israelites whose right eye Nahash king of the Ammonites had not dug out. But seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and had gone into Jabesh Gilead .

¹ Then Nahash the Ammonite went and besieged Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." ² Nahash the Ammonite replied, "On this condition will I make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all of your right eyes, and in this way bring disgrace on all Israel." ³ Then the elders of Jabesh replied to him, "Leave us alone for seven days, so that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you." ⁴ The messengers came to Gibeah, where Saul lived, and told the people what had happened. All the people wept loudly. ⁵ Now Saul was following the oxen out of the field. Saul said, "What is wrong with the people that they are weeping?" They told Saul what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶ When Saul heard what they said, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he was very angry. ⁷ He took a yoke of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel with the messengers. He said, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, this is what will be done to his oxen." Then the terror of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out together as one man. ⁸ When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ They said to the messengers that came, "You will tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, deliverance will be yours.'" So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you." ¹¹ The next day Saul put the people in three groups. They came into the middle of the camp during the morning watch, and they attacked and defeated the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, "Who was it who said, 'Will Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, so we can put them to death." ¹³ But Saul said, "No one must be put to death this day, because today Yahweh has brought about deliverance in Israel."

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there." ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before Yahweh, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

¹ Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me, and I have set a king to reign over you. ² Now, here is the king walking before you; and I am old and gray; and, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until today. ³ Here I am; testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with? Testify against me, and I will restore it to you." ⁴ They said, "You have not defrauded us, oppressed us, or stolen anything from any man's hand." ⁵ He said to them, "Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness today, that you have found nothing in my hand." They replied, "Yahweh is witness."

⁶ Samuel said to the people, "It is Yahweh who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now then, present yourself, so that I may plead with you before Yahweh about all of the righteous deeds of Yahweh, which he did for you and your fathers. ⁸ When Jacob came to Egypt, and your ancestors cried out to Yahweh, then Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, who led your ancestors out of Egypt and they settled in this place. ⁹ But they forgot Yahweh their God; he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the armies of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; these all fought against your ancestors. ¹⁰ They cried out to Yahweh and said, 'We have sinned, because we have abandoned Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.' ¹¹ So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and gave you victory over your enemies all around you, so that you lived in security. ¹² When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No, a king must rule over us'—even though Yahweh your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for and whom Yahweh has now appointed as king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear Yahweh, serve him, obey his voice, and not rebel against the command of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be followers of Yahweh your God. ¹⁵ If you do not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the commands of Yahweh, then Yahweh's hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors. ¹⁶ Even now present yourself and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes. ¹⁷ Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking for yourselves a king." ¹⁸ So Samuel called to Yahweh; and that same day Yahweh sent thunder and rain. Then all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.

¹⁹ Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we do not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil in asking for a king for ourselves." ²⁰ Samuel replied, "Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil, but do not turn away from Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after empty things that cannot profit or rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake of his great name, Yahweh will not reject his people, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people for himself. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ Only fear Yahweh and serve him in truth with all your heart. Consider the great things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be destroyed."

¹ Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; when he had reigned forty years over Israel, ² he chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with him in Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the soldiers he sent home, each man to his tent. ³ Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the ram's horn throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." ⁴ All Israel heard that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a rotten smell to the Philistines. Then the soldiers were summoned together to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand men to drive the chariots, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They came up and encamped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble—for the people were distressed, the people hid in caves, in the underbrush, in rocks, in wells, and in pits. ⁷ Some of the Hebrews went over 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 Samuel had set. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from Saul. ⁹ Saul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings." Then he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. ¹¹ Then Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul replied, "When I saw that the people were leaving me, and that you did not come within the set time, and that the Philistines had assembled at Mikmash, ¹² I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of Yahweh.' So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering." ¹³ Then Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God that he commanded you. For then Yahweh would have established your rule over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your rule will not continue. Yahweh has sought out a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not obeyed what he commanded you." ¹⁵ Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

Then Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶ Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin. But the Philistines camped at Mikmash. ¹⁷ Raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One group turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual. ¹⁸ Another group turned toward Beth Horon, and another group turned toward the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboyim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ No blacksmith could be found throughout all of Israel, because the Philistines said, "Otherwise the Hebrews would make swords or spears for themselves." ²⁰ But all the men of Israel used to go down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plow points, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle. ²¹ The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plow points, and the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening axes and for straightening the goads. ²² So on the day of battle, there were no swords or spears found in the hands of any of the soldiers who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. ²³ The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Mikmash.

¹ One day, Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who was his armor bearer, "Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father. ² Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. About six hundred men were with him, ³ including Ahijah son of Ahitub (Ichabod's brother) son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh at Shiloh, who wore an ephod. The people did not know that Jonathan was gone. ⁴ On each side of the pass through which Jonathan wanted to go in order to get to the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky cliff on one side and another rocky cliff on the other side. One rocky cliff was named Bozez and the other rocky cliff was named Seneh. ⁵ One rocky cliff stood on the north in front of Mikmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised fellows. It may be that Yahweh will work on our behalf, for nothing can stop Yahweh from saving by many or by few people." ⁷ His armor bearer replied, "Do everything that is in your heart. Go ahead, see, I am with you, to obey all your commands." ⁸ Then Jonathan said, "We will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come over to you'—then we will stay in our place and will not cross over to them. ¹⁰ But if they reply, 'Come over to us,' then we will cross over; because Yahweh has given them into our hand. This will be the sign to us." ¹¹ So both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. The Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves." ¹² Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something." Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Follow after me, because Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel." ¹³ Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor bearer followed behind him. The Philistines were put to death before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death behind him. ¹⁴ That first attack that Jonathan and his armor bearer made, killed about twenty men within an area of half an acre. ¹⁵ There was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among the people. Even the garrison and the raiders panicked. The earth quaked, and there was a great panic.

¹⁶ Then Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; the crowd of Philistine soldiers was dispersing, and they were going here and there. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the people that were with him, "Count and see who is missing from us." When they had counted, Jonathan and his armor bearer were missing. ¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here," for at that time it was with the people of Israel. ¹⁹ While Saul was talking to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines was continuing and increasing. Then Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." ²⁰ Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into battle. Every Philistine's sword was against his fellow countrymen, and there was very great tumult. ²¹ Now those Hebrews who previously had been with the Philistines, and who had gone with them into the camp, even they joined with Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hills near Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, even they chased after them in battle. ²³ So Yahweh saved Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth Aven.

²⁴ That day the men of Israel were distressed because Saul had put the people under an oath and said, "Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening and I am avenged on my enemies." So none of the troops tasted food. ²⁵ Then all the people entered the forest and there was honey upon the ground. ²⁶ When the people entered into the forest, the honey flowed, but no one put his hand to his mouth for the people feared the curse. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with an oath. He reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. ²⁸ Then one of the people, answered, "Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, by saying, 'Cursed be the man that eats food on this day,' even though the people are weak from hunger." ²⁹ Then Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the land. See how my eyes have become brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the plunder from their enemies that they found? Because now the slaughter has not been great among the Philistines."

³¹ They attacked the Philistines that day from Mikmash to Aijalon. The people were very weary. ³² The people rushed greedily on the plunder and took sheep, cattle and calves, and killed them on the ground. The people ate them with the blood. ³³ Then they told Saul, "Look, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood." Saul said, "You have acted unfaithfully. Now, roll a big stone here to me." ³⁴ Saul said, "Go out among the people, and tell them, 'Let every man bring his cattle and his sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against Yahweh by eating meat with the blood.'" So each of the people brought his own ox with him that night and killed it there. ³⁵ Saul built an altar to Yahweh, which was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.

³⁶ Then Saul said, "Let us pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave one of them alive." They replied, "Do whatever seems good to you." But the priest said, "Let us approach God here." ³⁷ Saul asked God, "Should I pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But God did not answer him that day. ³⁸ Then Saul said, "Come here, all you leaders of the people; learn and see how this sin has happened today. ³⁹ For, as Yahweh lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will surely die." But none of the men among all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, "You must stand on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other." The people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you." ⁴¹ Saul said, "Yahweh, God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, Yahweh, God of Israel, give the Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, give the Thummim." ¹ Then Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, but the army was exonerated. ⁴² Then Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." Then Jonathan was taken by lot.

⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." Jonathan told him, "I tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die." ⁴⁴ Saul said, "God do so and more also to me, if you do not die, Jonathan." ⁴⁵ Then the people said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great salvation for Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today." So the people ransomed Jonathan so that he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

⁴⁷ When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side. He fought against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. ⁴⁸ He acted with great courage and defeated the Amalekites. He rescued Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.

⁴⁹ The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. The names of his two daughters were Merab, the firstborn, and Michal, the younger. ⁵⁰ The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam; she was the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul's uncle. ⁵¹ Kish was Saul's father; and Ner, the father of Abner, was the son of Abiel.

⁵² There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. When Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself.

¹The ULB is following the ancient Greek translation in the quotation. The Hebrew copies have: Give me the right answer .

¹ Samuel said to Saul, "Yahweh sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel. Now listen to the words of Yahweh. ² This is what Yahweh of hosts says, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and attack Amalek and completely destroy all that they have. Do not spare them, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, cattle and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

⁴ Saul summoned the people and numbered them at the city of Telaim—two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ Then Saul came to the city of Amalek and waited in the valley. ⁶ Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, come out from among the Amalekites, so I do not destroy you along with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel, when they came from Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. ⁷ Then Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸ Then he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive; he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag, as well as the best of the sheep and cattle, fattened calves and the lambs. Everything that was good, they did not destroy. But they completely destroyed anything that was despised and worthless.

¹⁰ Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ "I regret that I have set Saul to reign as king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." Samuel was angry; he cried out to Yahweh all night. ¹² Samuel got up early to meet Saul in the morning. Samuel was told, "Saul came to Carmel and he set up a monument to himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal." ¹³ Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you by Yahweh! I have fulfilled the command of Yahweh." ¹⁴ Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle that I hear?" ¹⁵ Saul replied, "They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God. The rest we have completely destroyed." ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, "Wait, and I will tell you what Yahweh has said to me tonight." Saul said to him, "Speak!"

¹⁷ Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Then Yahweh anointed you king over Israel, ¹⁸ and Yahweh sent you on your way and said, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are destroyed.' ¹⁹ Why did you not obey the voice of Yahweh? Why did you rush to the plunder and do what was evil in the sight of Yahweh?" ²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have indeed obeyed the voice of Yahweh, and have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me. I have captured Agag, the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But the people took some of the booty—sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal." ²² Samuel replied, "Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to listen is better than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and stubbornness is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has also rejected you from being king."

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have broken Yahweh's commandment and your words, because I was afraid of the people and obeyed their voice. ²⁵ Now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I may worship Yahweh." ²⁶ Samuel said to Saul, "I will not go back with you; for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel." ²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul took hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours, one who is better than you. ²⁹ Also, the Strength of Israel will not lie nor change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." ³⁰ Then Saul said, "I have sinned. But please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Turn again with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God." ³¹ So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

³² Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me." Agag came to him confined with chains and said, "Surely death is bitter." ³³ Samuel replied, "As your sword has made women childless, so must your mother be childless among women." Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.

³⁴ Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ Samuel did not see Saul until the day of his death, for he mourned for Saul. Yahweh regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

¹ Yahweh said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected for myself a king among his sons." ² Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." Yahweh said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.' ³ Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you will do. You will anoint for me the one whom I tell you." ⁴ Samuel did as Yahweh said and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the city were trembling as they came to meet him and said, "Are you coming in peace?" ⁵ He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Prepare to set yourselves apart and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he set apart Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they came, he looked at Eliab and said to himself that Yahweh's anointed was certainly standing before him. ⁷ But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his outward appearance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him. For Yahweh does not see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks on the heart." ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. Then Samuel said, "Neither has Yahweh chosen this one." ⁹ Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Neither has Yahweh chosen this one." ¹⁰ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen any of these." ¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the boys?" He replied, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." ¹² Jesse sent and brought him in. Now this son was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. Yahweh said, "Arise, anoint him; for he is the one." ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. The Spirit of Yahweh rushed on David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Yahweh left Saul, and a harmful spirit from Yahweh tormented him instead. ¹⁵ Saul's servants said to him, "See now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our master now command your servants who are before you to search for a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the harmful spirit from God is on you, he will play it and you will be well." ¹⁷ Saul said to his servants, "Find me a man that can play well and bring him to me." ¹⁸ Then one of the young men answered, and said, "I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a strong, courageous man, a man of war, one prudent in speech, a handsome man; and Yahweh is with him." ¹⁹ So Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." ²⁰ Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and sent them with his son David to Saul. ²¹ Then David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. ²² Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes." ²³ Whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the harp and played it. So Saul would be refreshed and well, and the harmful spirit would depart from him.

¹ Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. They were gathered at Sokoh, which belongs to Judah. They had encamped between Sokoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. ² Saul and the men of Israel gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side with a valley between them. ⁴ A strong man came out of the Philistines' camp, a man 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 clothed in scale armor of bronze that weighed five thousand shekels. ⁶ He had bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders. ⁷ The staff of his spear was large, with a loop of cord for throwing it like the cord on a weaver's beam. His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. 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 will we be your servants. But if I defeat him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us." ¹⁰ Again the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Give me a man so we may fight together." ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard what the Philistine said, they were discouraged and greatly afraid.

¹² Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons. Jesse was an old man in the days of Saul, very old among men. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul. ¹⁵ Now David went back and forth between Saul's army and his father's sheep at Bethlehem, in order to feed them. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine strong man came near morning and evening to present himself for battle.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take to your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp for your brothers. ¹⁸ Also bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand. Look to the well-being of your brothers, and bring back some evidence that they are doing well. ¹⁹ Your brothers are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines." ²⁰ David got up early in the morning and left the flock in the care of a shepherd. He took the supplies and left, as Jesse commanded him. He came to the camp as the army was going out to the battlefield shouting the war cry. ²¹ Then Israel and the Philistines lined up for battle, army against army. ²² David left his belongings with the keeper of supplies, ran to the army, and greeted his brothers. ²³ As he talked with them, the strong man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out of the ranks of the Philistines and said the same words as before, and David heard them. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very afraid. ²⁵ The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? He has come to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and he will give his daughter to him in marriage, and will make his father's house free from taxation in Israel." ²⁶ David said to the men who stood by him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" ²⁷ Then the people repeated what they had been saying and told him, "So it will be done for the man who kills him."

²⁸ Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the mischief in your heart; for you have come down here so that you might see the battle." ²⁹ David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?" ³⁰ He turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way. The people answered the same thing as before.

³¹ When the words that David said were heard, soldiers repeated them to Saul, and he sent for David. ³² Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of that Philistine; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." ³³ Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are only a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." ³⁴ But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to shepherd his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I chased after him and attacked him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard, struck him, and put him to death. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." ³⁷ David said, "Yahweh rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. He will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." Then Saul said to David, "Go, and may Yahweh be with you." ³⁸ Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he clothed him with a coat of chainmail. ³⁹ David strapped his sword on his armor. But he was not able to walk, because he had not trained with them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go out to fight with these, for I have not trained with them." So David put them off. ⁴⁰ He took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook; he put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand as he approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ The Philistine came and approached David, with his shield bearer in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he despised him, for he was only a boy, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. ⁴³ Then 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 heavens and to the wild animals of the field." ⁴⁵ David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ Today Yahweh will give me victory over you, and I will kill you and remove your head from your body. Today I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this gathering may know that Yahweh does not save with sword or spear. For the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand." ⁴⁸ When the Philistine rose and approached David, then David ran quickly toward the enemy army to meet him. ⁴⁹ David put his hand in his bag, took a stone from it, slung it, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into the Philistine's forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

⁵⁰ David defeated the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. He hit the Philistine and put him to death. There was no sword in David's hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword, drew it out of the sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled. ⁵² Then the men of Israel and of Judah rose with a shout, and chased after the Philistines as far as the valley and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ The people of Israel returned from hotly pursuing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴ David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?" Abner said, "As you live, king, I do not know." ⁵⁶ The king said, "Ask those who might know, whose son the boy is." ⁵⁷ When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

¹ When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ² Saul took David into his service that day; he did not let him return to his father's house. ³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant of friendship because Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David with his armor, as well as his sword, bow, and belt. ⁵ David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he succeeded. Saul set him over the men of war. This was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

⁶ As they came home from defeating the Philistines, the women came from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. ⁷ The women sang one to another as they played. They sang:

"Saul has killed his thousands,

and David his ten thousands."

⁸ Saul was very angry, and this song displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but they have ascribed only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingship?" ⁹ Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.

¹⁰ The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied within the house. So David played his instrument, as he did each day. Saul had a spear in his hand. ¹¹ Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David escaped from Saul's presence twice in this way. ¹² Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, but was no longer with Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence and appointed him a commander of a thousand. In this way David went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ David was prospering in all his ways, for Yahweh was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that he prospered, he stood in 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 oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife. Only be courageous for me and fight Yahweh's battles." For Saul thought, "Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him." ¹⁸ David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, or my father's clan 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 as a wife. ²⁰ But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. They told Saul, and this pleased him. ²¹ Then Saul thought, "I will give her to him, so that she can be a trap for him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David a second time, "You will be my son-in-law."

²² Saul commanded his servants, "Speak with David in private, and say, 'See, the king takes pleasure in you, and all his servants love you. Now then, become the king's son-in-law.'" ²³ So Saul's servants spoke these words to David. Then David said, "Is it a small matter to you to be the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?" ²⁴ The servants of Saul reported to him the words which David spoke. ²⁵ Then Saul said, "Say this to David, 'The king does not desire any price for the bride except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged from the king's enemies.'" Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to be the king's son-in-law. ²⁷ Before those days had expired, David went with his men and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife. ²⁸ When Saul saw, and he knew that Yahweh was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, ²⁹ Saul was even more afraid of David. Saul was continually David's enemy.

³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines came out for battle, and as often as they came out, David behaved more prudently than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly regarded.

¹ Saul said to Jonathan his son and to all his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, took great pleasure in David. ² So Jonathan told David, "Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning and hide yourself in a secret place. ³ I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. If I learn anything, I will tell you." ⁴ Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant David. For he has not sinned against you, and his deeds have brought you good. ⁵ For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine. Yahweh brought about great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?" ⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan. Saul swore, "As Yahweh lives, he will not be put to death." ⁷ Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

⁸ There was war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with a great slaughter. They fled before him. ⁹ A harmful spirit from Yahweh came on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and as David was playing his instrument. ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence, so that Saul drove the spear into the wall. 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. Michal, David's wife, told him, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." ¹² So Michal let David down through the window. He went and fled, and escaped. ¹³ Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed. Then she put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴ When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick." ¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers to see David; he said, "Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I may kill him." ¹⁶ When the messengers came in, behold, the household idol was in the bed along with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. ¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me 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 went to Samuel in Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. ¹⁹ It was told to Saul, saying, "See, David is at Naioth in Ramah." ²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ²¹ When Saul was told this, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ²² Then he also went to Ramah and came to the deep well that is in Seku. He asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" Someone said, "See, they are at Naioth in Ramah." ²³ Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ He stripped off his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why they ask, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹ Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks to take my life?" ² Jonathan said to David, "Far from it; you will not die. My father does nothing either great or small without telling it to me. Why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so." ³ Yet David vowed again and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes. He has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But as truly as Yahweh lives, and as you live, 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, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening. ⁶ If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.' ⁷ If he says, 'It is well,' your servant will have peace. But if he is very angry, then know that he has decided on evil. ⁸ Therefore deal kindly with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?" ⁹ Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! If I learned my father decided harm to come upon you, would I not tell you?" ¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if by chance your father should answer you roughly?" ¹¹ Jonathan said to David, "Come, let us go out into the field." So they both went out into the field.

¹² Jonathan said to David, "May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have questioned my father around this time tomorrow, or the third day, see, if there is good will toward David, will I not then send to you and make it known to you? ¹³ If it pleases my father to do you harm, may Yahweh do to Jonathan and more also if I do not make it known to you and send you away, so that you may go in peace. May Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴ If I am still alive, will you not show me the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh, that I may not die? ¹⁵ Do not cut off your covenant faithfulness from my house forever—not even when Yahweh 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 and said, "May Yahweh require an accounting from the hand of the enemies of David."

¹⁷ Jonathan made David vow again because of the love that he had for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul. ¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon. You will be missed because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹ When you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this matter began, and stay by the stone Ezel. ²⁰ I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. ²¹ Then I will send my young man and say to him, 'Go find the arrows.' If I say to the young boy, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them," then come; for there will be safety for you and not harm, as Yahweh lives. ²² "But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go your way, for Yahweh has sent you away. ²³ As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, see, Yahweh is between you and me forever.'"

²⁴ So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. ²⁵ The king sat on his seat, as usual, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side. But David's place was empty. ²⁶ Yet Saul did not say anything that day, because 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. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal either yesterday or today?" ²⁸ Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission from me to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, 'Please let me go. For our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."

³⁰ Then Saul's anger burned 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 will be established. Now then, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die." ³² Jonathan answered Saul his father, "For what reason should he be put to death? What has he done?" ³³ Then Saul threw his spear at him to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. ³⁴ Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved over David, because his father had dishonored him.

³⁵ In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and a young man was with him. ³⁶ He said to his young man, "Run and find the arrows that I shoot." As the young man ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ When the young man came to the place where the arrow that Jonathan shot had landed, Jonathan called after the young man, and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" ³⁸ Then Jonathan called after the young man, "Hurry, be quick, do not stay!" So Jonathan's young man gathered up the arrows and came to his master. ³⁹ But the young man did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. ⁴⁰ Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man and said to him, "Go, take them to the city." ⁴¹ As soon as the young man was gone, David stood up from behind the mound, lay facedown on the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another and wept together, with David weeping the more. ¹ ⁴² Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of Yahweh and said, 'May Yahweh be between you and me, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.'" Then David stood up and left, and Jonathan returned to the city.

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew text read, David came out from beside the south . Modern translations interpret this passage in different ways because the text is difficult to understand.

¹ Then David came to Nob to see Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek came to meet David trembling and said to him, "Why are you alone and have no one with you?" ² David said to Ahimelek the priest, "The king has sent me on a mission and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the business I am sending you, and what I have commanded you.' I have directed the young men to a certain place. ³ Now then what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here." ⁴ The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women." ⁵ David answered the priest, "Surely women have been kept from us for the past three days, as usual when I set out. The things belonging to the young men have been set apart even on ordinary missions. How much more today will what they have be set apart!" ⁶ So the priest gave him the bread that was set apart. For there was no bread there except the bread of the presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

⁷ Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds. ⁸ David said to Ahimelek, "Now is there not here on hand any spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent." ⁹ The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take that, take it, for there is no other weapon here." David said, "There is no other sword like that one; give it to me."

¹⁰ David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath. ¹¹ Achish's servants said to him, "Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another about him in dances,

'Saul has killed his thousands,

and David his ten thousands?'"

¹² David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath. ¹³ He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands; he made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad. Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Do I lack madmen, so that you have brought this fellow to behave like one in my presence? Will this fellow really come into my house?"

¹ So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. ² Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented—they all gathered to him. David became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.

³ Then David went from there to Mizpah in Moab. He said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother go out with you until I know what God will do for me." ¹ ⁴ He left them with the king of Moab. His father and mother stayed with him the whole time that David was in his stronghold. ⁵ Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in your stronghold. Leave and go into the land of Judah." So David left there and went into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ Saul heard that David had been discovered, along with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on a hill, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. ⁷ Saul said to his servants who stood around him, "Listen now, people of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, ⁸ in exchange for all of you plotting against me? None of you informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me. None of you informs me that my son has incited my servant David against me. Today he hides and waits for me so he may attack me." ⁹ Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, to Ahimelek son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ He prayed to Yahweh that he might help him, and he gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

¹¹ Then the king sent someone to summon the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. All of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He answered, "Here I am, my master." ¹³ Saul said to him, "Why have you plotted against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have prayed to God that he might help him, so that he might rise up against me, to hide in secret, as he does today?" ¹⁴ Then Ahimelek answered the king and said, "Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law and is over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? ¹⁵ Is today the first time I have prayed to God to help him? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father. For your servant knows nothing of this whole matter." ¹⁶ The king replied, "You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and all your father's house." ¹⁷ The king said to the guard that stood around him, "Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh. Because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, but did not reveal it to me." But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to kill the priests of Yahweh. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, "Turn and kill the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests; he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod that day. ¹⁹ He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, both men and women, children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep, he put to the sword.

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests. ²² David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for every death in your father's family! ²³ Stay with me and do not be afraid. For the one who seeks your life seeks mine as well. You will be safe with me."

¹Some ancient translations have, Please let my father and my mother stay with you, and some modern translations read this way.

¹ They told David, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors." ² So David prayed to Yahweh for help and asked him, "Should I go and attack these Philistines?" Yahweh said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah." ³ David's men said to him, "See, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" ⁴ Then David prayed to Yahweh for help yet again. Yahweh answered him, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will give you victory over the Philistines." ⁵ David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. He led away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶ When Abiathar son of Ahimelek had fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷ Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. Saul said, "God has given him into my hand. For he is shut in because he has entered a city that has gates and bars." ⁸ Saul summoned all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. ⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." ¹⁰ Then David said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, your servant has indeed heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, I beg you, please tell your servant." Yahweh said, "He will come down." ¹² Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" Yahweh said, "They will surrender you." ¹³ Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, got up and went away from Keilah, and they went from place to place. It was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, and he stopped the pursuit. ¹⁴ David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul looked for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

¹⁵ David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life; now David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. ¹⁶ Then Jonathan, Saul's son, got up and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷ He said to him, "Do not be afraid. For the hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you. Saul my father also knows this." ¹⁸ They made a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

¹⁹ Then Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now come down, king! According to your desire, come down! Our part will be to surrender him into the king's hand." ²¹ Saul said, "May you be blessed by Yahweh. For you have had compassion on me. ²² Go, make even more sure. Learn and find out where his hiding place is and who has seen him there. It is told to me that he is very crafty. ²³ So look, and learn all of the places where he hides himself. Come back to me with sure information, and then I will return with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."

²⁴ Then they rose up 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 Saul and his men went to seek him. But David was told of it, so he went down to a rocky hill and lived in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he chased David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men were going on the other side of the mountain. David hurried to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to take them, ²⁷ a messenger came to Saul and said, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land." ²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called Sela Hammahlekoth. ²⁹ David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

¹ When Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the wilderness of En Gedi." ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³ He came to sheep pens on the way, where there was a cave. Saul went inside to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting far back in the cave. ⁴ David's men said to him, "This is the day of which Yahweh spoke when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hand, for you to do with him as you wish.'" Then David arose and quietly crept forward and cut off the corner of Saul's robe. ⁵ Afterward David's heart afflicted him because he had cut a corner off Saul's robe. ⁶ He said to his men, "May Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my master, Yahweh's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is Yahweh's anointed." ⁷ So David rebuked his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. Saul stood up, left the cave, and went on his way.

⁸ Afterward, David also stood up, left the cave, and called out after Saul: "My master the king." When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and showed him respect. ⁹ David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the men who say, 'See, David is seeking your harm?' ¹⁰ Today your eyes have seen how Yahweh put you into my hand when we were in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my master; for he is Yahweh's anointed.' ¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For 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 evil or treason in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, even though you hunt my life to take it. ¹² May Yahweh judge between you and me, and may Yahweh avenge me against you, but my hand must not be against you. ¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand will 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 Yahweh be judge and give judgment between you and me, and see to it, and plead my cause and permit me to escape from your hand."

¹⁶ When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷ He said to David, "You are more righteous than I am. For you have repaid me good, where I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸ You have declared today how you have done good to me, for you did not kill me when Yahweh had put me at your mercy. ¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go safely? May Yahweh reward you with good for what you have done to me today. ²⁰ Now, I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹ Swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house." ²² So David made an oath to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

¹ Now Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

² There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel. The man was very wealthy. He had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³ The man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. He was a descendant of the house of Caleb. ⁴ David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men. David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. ⁶ You will say to him, 'Live in prosperity. Peace to you and peace to your house, and peace be to all that you have. ⁷ I hear that you have shearers. Your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing the whole time they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Now let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'"

⁹ When David's young men arrived, they said all of this to Nabal in David's name and then waited. ¹⁰ Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹ Should 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 everything that was said. ¹³ David said to his men, "Every man strap on his sword." So every man strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed after David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife; he said, "David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he screamed at them. ¹⁵ Yet the men were very good to us. We were not harmed and did not miss anything as long as we went with them when we were in the fields. ¹⁶ They were a wall to us both day and night, all the while we were with them tending the sheep. ¹⁷ Therefore know this and consider what you will do, for evil is plotted against our master, and against his whole house. He is such a worthless fellow that one cannot reason with him."

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two bottles of wine, five sheep already prepared, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. ¹⁹ She said to her young men, "Go on before me, and I will come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. ²⁰ As she rode on her donkey and came down by the cover of the mountain, 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 man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. ²² May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by the 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 her donkey and lay before David facedown and bowed herself to the ground. ²⁴ She lay at his feet and said, "On me alone, my master, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak to you, and listen to the words of your servant. ²⁵ Let not my master 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 master, whom you sent. ²⁶ Now then, my master, as Yahweh lives, and as you live, since Yahweh has restrained you from bloodshed, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those who seek to do evil to my master, be like Nabal. ²⁷ Now let this present that your servant has brought to my master be given to the young men who follow my master. ²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your servant, for Yahweh will certainly make my master a sure house, because my master is fighting the battles of Yahweh; and evil will not be found in you so long as you live. ²⁹ Though men rise up to pursue you to take your life, yet the life of my master will be bound in the bundle of the living by Yahweh your God; and he will sling away the lives of your enemies, as from the pocket of a sling. ³⁰ Yahweh will have done for my master everything he promised you, and has appointed you leader over Israel. ³¹ This will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my master—that you have poured out innocent blood, or because my master attempted to rescue himself. For when Yahweh will do good for my master, remember your servant."

³² David said to Abigail, "May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be blessed, he who sent you to meet me today. ³³ Your wisdom is blessed and you are blessed, because you have kept me today from bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand! ³⁴ For in truth, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, he who has kept me from hurting you, unless you had hurried to come meet me, there would certainly have not been left to Nabal so much as one male baby by the morning light." ³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, "Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice and have accepted you."

³⁶ Abigail went back to Nabal; 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 It came about in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things; his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. ³⁸ It came about ten days later that Yahweh attacked Nabal so that he died.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "May Yahweh be blessed, who has avenged the scorn I have received from the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from doing wrong. He has turned Nabal's evil action back on his own head." Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her to himself as wife. ⁴⁰ When David's servants had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her and said, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife." ⁴¹ She arose, bowed herself with her face to the ground, and said, "See, your female servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my master." ⁴² Abigail hurried and arose, and rode on a donkey with five servant girls of hers who followed her; and she followed David's messengers and became his wife.

⁴³ Now David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel as a wife; both of them became his wives. ⁴⁴ Also, Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

¹ The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding in the hill of Hakilah, which is before Jeshimon?" ² Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ Saul camped on the hill of Hakilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the road. But David was staying in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness. ⁴ So David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. ⁵ David arose and went to the place where Saul had camped; he saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army; Saul lay in the camp, and the people were camped around him, all asleep.

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelek the Hittite, and to Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?" Abishai said, "I! I will go down with you." ⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night. Saul was there sleeping inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and his soldiers lay around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, "Today God has put your enemy into your hand. Now please let me pin him to the ground with the spear with just one blow. I will not strike him a second time." ⁹ David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can extend his hand against Yahweh's anointed one and be guiltless?" ¹⁰ David said, "As Yahweh lives, Yahweh will kill him, or his day will come to die, or he will go into battle and perish. ¹¹ May Yahweh forbid that I should extend my hand against his anointed one; but now, I beg you, take the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go." ¹² So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they got away. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them.

¹³ Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of the mountain far off; a great distance was between them. ¹⁴ David shouted out to the people and to Abner son of Ner; he said, "Do you not answer, Abner?" Then Abner answered and said, "Who are you who is shouting to the king?" ¹⁵ David said to Abner, "Are not you a courageous man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your master the king? For someone came in to destroy the king your master. ¹⁶ This thing you have done is not good. As Yahweh lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your master, Yahweh's anointed one. Now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was near his head!"

¹⁷ Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" David said, "It is my voice, my master, king." ¹⁸ He said, "Why does my master pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand? ¹⁹ Now therefore, I beg you, let my master the king listen to the words of his servant. If it is Yahweh who has stirred you up against me, may he be pleased with an offering; but if it is human beings, may they be cursed in the sight of Yahweh, for they have today driven me out, that I should not cling to the inheritance of Yahweh; they have said to me, 'Go worship other gods.' ²⁰ Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth away from Yahweh's presence; for the king of Israel has come out to search for the one flea as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

²¹ Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, David, my son; for I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes today. See, I have played the fool and have made a very bad mistake." ²² David answered and said, "See, your spear is here, king! Let one of the young men come over and get it and bring it to you. ²³ May Yahweh pay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; because Yahweh put you into my hand today, but I would not strike his anointed. ²⁴ See, as your life was precious in my eyes today, so may my life be much valued in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he rescue me out of all trouble." ²⁵ Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, David my son! You will certainly do great things and you will succeed in them." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

¹ David said in his heart, "I will now perish one day by Saul's hand; there is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines; Saul will give up looking for me any more within all the borders of Israel; in this way I will escape out of his hand." ² David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish son of Maok, the king of Gath. ³ David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his own household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the Carmelite woman, Nabal's wife. ⁴ Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he looked for him no longer.

⁵ David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?" ⁶ So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; that is why Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this very day. ⁷ The number of days that David lived in the land of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

⁸ David and his men attacked various places, making raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, as far as the land of Egypt. They had been living there in the land from ancient times. ¹ ⁹ David attacked the land and saved neither man nor woman alive. He took away the sheep and cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and went back to Achish. ¹⁰ Achish would say, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David would answer, "Against the south of Judah," or "Against the south of the Jerahmeelites," or "Against the south of the Kenites." ¹¹ David would keep neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath, saying, "So that they cannot say about us, 'David did such and such.'" This was what he did all the while he was living in the country of the Philistines. ¹² Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; he will therefore be my servant forever."

¹Instead of the Girzites which is found in some ancient copies of the Hebrew text, some modern translations have the Gizrites which is found in the margin of some Hebrew copies.

¹ It came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for battle to fight with Israel. Achish said to David, "Know for certain that you will go out with me in the army, you and your men." ² David said to Achish, "That being the case, you will know what your servant can do." Achish said to David, "Then I will make you my bodyguard all your days."

³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. Also, Saul had banned sorcerers and spiritists from the land. ⁴ Then the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and camped at Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled very much. ⁶ Saul prayed to Yahweh for help, but Yahweh did not answer him—neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a sorceress, so that I may go to her and seek her advice." His servants said to him, "See, there is a woman in Endor who is a sorceress."

⁸ So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothing and went, he and two men with him. They went to the woman by night. He said, "Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me the one I name." ⁹ The woman said to him, "See, you know what Saul has done, how he has banned sorcerers and spiritists from the land. So why are you setting a trap for my life, to make me die?" ¹⁰ Saul swore to her by Yahweh and said, "As Yahweh lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing." ¹¹ Then the woman said, "Whom should I bring up to you?" Saul said, "Bring up Samuel for me." ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice and spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul." ¹³ The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth." ¹⁴ He said to her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man is coming up; he is clothed with a robe." Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and showed him respect.

¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me and brought me up?" Saul answered, "I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has left me and does not answer me any more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I will do." ¹⁶ Samuel said, "What then do you ask me, since Yahweh has left you, and he has become your enemy? ¹⁷ Yahweh has done to you what he said he would. Yahweh has torn the kingdom out of your hand and he has given it to someone else—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the voice of Yahweh and did not carry out his fierce wrath on Amalek, he has therefore done this today to you. ¹⁹ Yahweh will give Israel along with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Yahweh will also give the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

²⁰ Then Saul immediately fell his full length on the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all that day, neither that whole night. ²¹ The woman came to Saul and saw that he was very troubled, She said to him, "See, your woman servant has listened to your voice; I have put my life in my hand and have listened to the words that you said to me. ²² Now therefore, I beg you, listen also to the voice of your woman servant, and let me set a little food in front of you. Eat so that you may gain strength for when you go on your way." ²³ But Saul refused and said, "I will not eat." But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him, and he listened to their voice. So he rose from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ The woman had a fatted calf in the house; she hurried and killed it; she took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread with it. ²⁵ She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.

¹ Now the Philistines gathered together all their army at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring that is in Jezreel. ² The princes of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; David and his men passed on in the rear guard with Achish. ³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish said to the other princes of the Philistines, "Is not this David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault with him since he came away to me to this day?" ⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He will not go down with us into battle, for he will become our adversary during the fighting. For how else could he make himself acceptable to his master than by taking the heads of our own men? ⁵ Is this not David of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,

'Saul has killed his thousands,

and David his ten thousands'?"

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, "As Yahweh lives, you have been good, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my view; for I have found nothing wrong with you since the day of your coming to me to this very day. Nevertheless, the princes are not favorable to you. ⁷ So now return and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines." ⁸ David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant as long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my master the king?" ⁹ Achish answered and said to David, "I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He must not go up with us to the battle.' ¹⁰ So now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your master who have come with you; as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, go away." ¹¹ So David rose up early, he and his men, to leave in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

¹ It came about, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the Negev and on Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag, burned it, ² and captured the women and everyone who was in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off as they went on their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, it was burned, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people that were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. ⁵ David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ David was greatly distressed, for the people were talking about stoning him, for all the people were bitter in spirit, each man for his sons and daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh, his God.

⁷ David said to Abiathar son of Ahimelek, the priest, "I beg you, bring the ephod here for me." Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ David prayed to Yahweh for direction, saying, "If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?" Yahweh answered him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will surely recover everything." ⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him; they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. ¹⁰ But David kept pursuing, he and four hundred men; for two hundred had stayed behind, who were so weak that they could not go over the brook Besor.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David; 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. When he had eaten, he gained strength again, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three nights. ¹³ David said to him, "To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; my master left me because three days ago I fell sick. ¹⁴ We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag." ¹⁵ David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this raiding party?" The Egyptian said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or betray me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party."

¹⁶ When the Egyptian had brought David down, the raiders were spread out over all the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating because of all the booty they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ David attacked them from the twilight to the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped except for four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled. ¹⁸ David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither booty, nor anything that the raiders had taken for themselves. David brought back everything. ²⁰ David took all the flocks and the herds, which the men drove ahead of the other livestock. They said, "This is David's booty."

²¹ David came to the two hundred men who had been too weak to follow him, the ones the others had made to stay at the brook Besor. These men went ahead to meet David and the people who were with him. When David came to these people, he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows among those who had gone with David said, "Because these men did not go with us, we will not give them any of the booty that we have recovered. However, each man may lead away his wife and children and go." ²³ Then David said, "You must not act like this, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the marauding band that came against us. ²⁴ Who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share is for anyone who goes into battle, so also will the share be for anyone who waits by the baggage; they will share and share alike." ²⁵ It has been so from that day to this day, for David made it a statute and a decree for Israel.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the booty to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "See, here is a present for you from the booty from Yahweh's enemies." ²⁷ He also sent some to the elders who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were 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 He also sent some to the elders who were in Rakal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athak, ³¹ and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men habitually went.

¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons. ³ The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him. He was in severe pain because of them. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell on his sword in the same way and died with him. ⁶ So Saul died, his three sons, and his armor bearer—these men all died together that same day.

⁷ 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 It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that 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 into the land of the Philistines throughout to carry the news to their idols' temples and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the city wall of Beth Shan. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the fighting men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They went to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

¹ After the death of Saul, David returned from attacking the Amalekites and remained in Ziklag for two days. ² On the third day, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he came to David he fell to the ground and bowed down. ³ David said to him, "Where did you come from?" He answered, "I escaped from the camp of Israel." ⁴ David said to him, "Please tell me how things went." He answered, "The people fled from the battle. Many have fallen and many are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead." ⁵ David said to the young man, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?" ⁶ The young man replied, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there Saul was leaning on his spear, and chariots and riders were about to catch up with him. ⁷ Saul turned around and saw me and called out to me. I answered, 'Here I am.' ⁸ He said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' ⁹ He said to me, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for great suffering has taken hold of me, but life is still in me.' ¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that he would not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm, and brought them here to you, my master."

¹¹ Then David tore his clothes, and all the men with him did the same. ¹² They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening for Saul, for Jonathan his son, for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ David said to the young man, "Where are you from?" He answered, "I am the son of a foreigner in the land, an Amalekite." ¹⁴ David said to him, "Why were you not afraid to destroy Yahweh's anointed king with your own hand?" ¹⁵ David called one of the young men and said, "Go and kill him." So that man went and struck him down, and the Amalekite died. ¹⁶ Then David said to the dead Amalekite, "Your blood is on your head because your own mouth has testified against you and said, 'I have killed Yahweh's anointed king.'"

¹⁷ Then David sang this lament about Saul and Jonathan his son. ¹⁸ He commanded the people to teach this Song of the Bow to the sons of Judah, which has been written in the Book of Jashar.

¹⁹ "Your glory, Israel, is dead, killed on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰ Do not tell it in Gath,

do not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,

so that the daughters of the Philistines may not rejoice,

so that the daughters of the uncircumcised may not celebrate.

²¹ Mountains of Gilboa,

let there not be dew or rain on you,

nor fields giving grain for offerings,

for there the shield of the mighty was defiled.

The shield of Saul is no longer anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of those who have been killed,

from the bodies of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

²³ Saul and Jonathan were loved and gracious in life,

and in their death they were not separated.

They were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

²⁴ You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewels,

and who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.

²⁵ How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan is killed on your high places.

²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.

You were very dear to me.

Your love to me was wonderful,

exceeding the love of women.

²⁷ How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!"

¹ After this David asked Yahweh and said, "Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" Yahweh replied to him, "Go up." David said, "To which city should I go?" Yahweh replied, "To Hebron." ² So David went up with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail from Carmel, the widow of Nabal. ³ David brought the men who were with him, who each brought his family, to the cities of Hebron, where they began to live. ⁴ Then men from Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah.

They told David, "The men of Jabesh Gilead have buried Saul."

⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, "You are blessed by Yahweh, since you have shown this loyalty to your master Saul and have buried him. ⁶ Now may Yahweh show you steadfast love and faithfulness. I also will show you this goodness because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now then, let your hands be strong; be courageous for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

⁸ But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim. ⁹ He made Ish-Bosheth king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹² Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. There they sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other on the other side. ¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." Then Joab said, "Let them arise." ¹⁵ Then the young men got up and gathered together, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from servants of David. ¹⁶ Each man seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into the side of his opponent, and they fell down together. Therefore that place was called "Helkath Hazzurim," or "Field of Swords," which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ The battle was very severe that day and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was swift in his feet like a wild gazelle. ¹⁹ Asahel closely pursued Abner and followed him without turning away in any direction. ²⁰ Abner looked behind him and said, "Is that you Asahel?" He answered, "It is I." ²¹ Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his armor." But Asahel would not turn aside. ²² So Abner said again to Asahel, "Stop pursuing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I hold up my face to Joab, your brother?" ²³ But Asahel refused to turn aside, and so Abner stabbed him in the body with the blunt end of his spear, so that the spear came out the other side. Asahel fell down and died there. So it came about that anyone who arrived at the place where Asahel fell down and died, he stopped and stood still.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. When the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is near Giah by the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ The men of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and stood on the top of the hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know it will be bitter in the end? How long will it be before you tell your men to stop pursuing their brothers?" ²⁷ Joab replied, "Just as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have pursued their brothers until the morning!" ²⁸ So Joab blew the ram's horn, and all his men stopped and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. ²⁹ Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all the next morning, and then reached Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab returned from pursuing Abner. He assembled all his people, from whom were missing Asahel and nineteen of David's servants. ³¹ But the servants of David had slaughtered from Benjamin and of Abner's men 360 men who died. ³² Then they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men traveled all night, and the day dawned on them at Hebron.

¹ Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

² Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam from Jezreel.

³ His second son, Kileab, was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third, Absalom, was son of Maakah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.

⁴ David's fourth son, Adonijah, was the son of Haggith. His fifth son was Shephatiah son of Abital,

⁵ and the sixth, Ithream, was the son of David's wife Eglah. These sons were born to David in Hebron.

⁶ It came about during the war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul. ⁷ Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone to my father's concubine?" ⁸ Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-Bosheth and said, "Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I am showing faithfulness to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, by not delivering you into the hand of David. But now you accuse me of iniquity concerning this woman? ⁹ May God do so to me, Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as Yahweh 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 Ish-Bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak for him saying, "Whose land is this? Make a covenant with me, and you will see that my hand is with you, to bring all Israel to you." ¹³ David answered, "Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require from you is that you cannot see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see me." ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I betrothed to myself at the price of one hundred Philistine foreskins." ¹⁵ So Ish-Bosheth sent for Michal and took her from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. ¹⁶ Her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Return home now." So he returned.

¹⁷ Abner spoke with the elders of Israel saying, "In the past you were trying to have David be king over you. ¹⁸ Now do it. For Yahweh has spoken of 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 personally to the people of Benjamin. Then Abner went also to speak with David in Hebron to explain everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin desired to accomplish. ²⁰ When Abner and twenty of his men arrived in Hebron to see David, David had a feast prepared for them. ²¹ Abner explained to David, "I will arise and gather all Israel to you, my master the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, so that you may reign over all that you desire." So David sent Abner away, and Abner left in peace.

²² Then the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron. David had sent him away, and Abner had left in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the army with him arrived, they told Joab, "Abner son of Ner came to the king, and the king has sent him away, and Abner left in peace." ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! Why have you sent him away, and he is gone? ²⁵ Do you not know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to discover your plans and learn everything you are doing?" ²⁶ When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah, but David did not know this.

²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly. There Joab stabbed him in the stomach and so that Abner died. In this way, Joab avenged the blood of Asahel his brother. ²⁸ When David heard about this he said, "I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh forever regarding the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹ May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who is lame and must walk with a staff or who is killed by the sword or does not have enough food." ³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battle.

³¹ David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner's body." Now King David walked behind the body in the funeral procession. ³² They buried Abner in Hebron. The king wept and cried loudly at the tomb of Abner, and all the people also wept. ³³ The king lamented for Abner and sang,

"Should Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not bound.

Your feet were not shackled.

As a man falls before the sons of injustice, so you have fallen."

Once more all the people wept over him.

³⁵ All the people came to make David eat while it was still day, but David swore, "May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down." ³⁶ All the people took notice of David's grief, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased them. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king's desire to kill Abner son of Ner. ³⁸ The king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Now I am weak today, though I am an anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too severe for me. May Yahweh repay the evildoer by punishing him for his wickedness, as he deserves."

¹ When Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became weak, and all Israel was troubled. ² Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of groups of soldiers. The name of one was Baanah and the other Rekab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who was from the people of Benjamin (for Beeroth is also considered part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been living there until this very time).

⁴ Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up to flee, but in her hurry, Jonathan's son fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rekab and Baanah, traveled during the heat of the day to the house of Ish-Bosheth, as he was resting at noon. ⁶ The woman guarding the door had fallen asleep while sifting wheat, and Rekab and Baanah walked in quietly and passed her. ⁷ So after they entered the house, they attacked him and killed him as he was lying on his bed in his room. Then they cut off his head and carried it away, traveling on the road all night to the Arabah. ⁸ They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, "Look, this is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. Today Yahweh has avenged our master the king against Saul and his descendants." ⁹ David answered Rekab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite; he said to them, "As Yahweh lives, who delivered my life from every trouble, ¹⁰ when someone told me, 'Look, Saul is dead,' thinking he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed an innocent person in his own house on his bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand and completely remove you from the earth?" ¹² Then David gave orders to the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung them up beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

¹ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "Look, we are your flesh and bone. ² In the recent past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become ruler over Israel.'" ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before Yahweh. They anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. They said to David, "You will not come here except to be turned away by the blind and the lame. David cannot come here." ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which now is the city of David. ⁸ At that time David said, "Those who attack the Jebusites will have to go through the water shaft to reach the 'lame and the blind' who are David's enemies." That is why people say, "The 'blind and the lame' must not enter the palace." ⁹ So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. He fortified around it, from the terrace toward the inside. ¹⁰ David became very powerful because Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹ Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They built a house for David. ¹² David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³ After David left Hebron and came to Jerusalem, he took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. ¹⁴ These were the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over Israel, they all went out looking for him. But David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ Then David asked for help from Yahweh. He said, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you give victory over them?" Yahweh said to David, "Attack, for I will certainly give you victory over the Philistines." ²⁰ So David attacked at Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He commented, "Yahweh has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood of water." So he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. ²¹ The Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² Then the Philistines came up again and spread out once more in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So David sought help from Yahweh again, and Yahweh said to him, "You must not attack their front, but rather circle around behind them and come on them through the balsam woods. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching in the wind blowing through the balsam treetops, then attack with force. Do this because Yahweh will have gone out before you to attack the army of the Philistines." ²⁵ So David did as Yahweh had commanded him. He killed Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.

¹ Now David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² David arose and went with all his men who were with him from Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of Yahweh of hosts, who sits enthroned over the cherubim. ³ They set the ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out of Abinadab's house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, his sons, were guiding the new cart. ⁴ They brought the cart out of Abinadab's house on the hill with the ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark. ⁵ Then David and all the house of Israel began to play before Yahweh, celebrating with instruments made of fir wood, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out with his hand to grab the ark of God, and he took hold of it. ⁷ Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah. God attacked him there for his sin. Uzzah died there by the ark of God. ⁸ David was angry because Yahweh had attacked Uzzah, and he called the name of that place Perez Uzzah. That place is called Perez Uzza to this day. ⁹ David was afraid of Yahweh that day. He said, "How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?" ¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of Yahweh with him into the city of David. Instead, he put it aside in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. So Yahweh blessed him and all his household. ¹² Now King David was told, "Yahweh has blessed Obed-Edom's house and everything that belongs to him because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from Obed-Edom's house to the city of David with joy. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ David danced before Yahweh with all his might; he was wearing only a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of rams' horns.

¹⁶ Now as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked out the window. She saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh. Then she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ They brought in the ark of Yahweh and put it in its place, in the middle of the tent that David had set up for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. ¹⁸ When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁹ Then he distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people left; each one returned to his own house.

²⁰ Then David returned to bless his family. Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David and said, "How honored the king of Israel was today, who undressed himself today before the eyes of the slave girls among his servants, like one of the crude fellows who shamelessly undresses himself!" ²¹ David responded to Michal, "I did that before Yahweh, who chose me above your father and above all his family, who appointed me leader over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. Before Yahweh I will be joyful! ²² I will be even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you have spoken about, I will be honored." ²³ So Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no children to the day of her death.

¹ It happened that after the king had settled in his house, and after Yahweh had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of a tent."

³ Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do what is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you."

⁴ But that same night the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying: ⁵ "Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: Will you build me a house in which to live? ⁶ For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt until this present day. Rather, I have been moving about in a tent, a tabernacle. ⁷ In all places where I have moved among all the people of Israel, did I ever say anything to anyone from the tribes of Israel whom I appointed to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

⁸ "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what Yahweh of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, so that you would be ruler over my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went. I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and be troubled no more. No longer will wicked people oppress them, as they did before, ¹¹ as they were doing from the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Now I will give you rest from all your enemies.

"Moreover, Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will make you a house.

¹² When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up a descendant after you, one who will come out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the whipping of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But my covenant faithfulness will not leave him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and kingdom will be confirmed forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.'"

¹⁷ Nathan spoke to David and reported to him all these words, and he told him about the entire vision.

¹⁸ Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, "Who am I, Lord Yahweh, and what is my family that you have brought me to this point? ¹⁹ Now this was a small thing in your sight, Lord Yahweh. You have even spoken about your servant's family for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, Lord Yahweh!

²⁰ "What more can I, David, say to you? You have known your servant, Lord Yahweh. ²¹ For your word's sake, and to fulfill your own purpose, you have done this great thing and revealed it to your servant.

²² "Therefore you are great, Lord Yahweh, for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²³ What nation is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom you, God, went and rescued for yourself? You did this so that they would become a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself, and to do great and fearful deeds for your land. You drove out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt. ²⁴ You established Israel as your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God.

²⁵ "So now, Yahweh God, may the promise that you made concerning your servant and his family be established forever. Do as you have spoken. ²⁶ May your name be forever great, so the people will say, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel,' while the house of me, David, your servant is established before you.

²⁷ "For you, Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. That is why I, your servant, have found courage to pray to you. ²⁸ Now, Lord Yahweh, you are God, and your words are trustworthy, and you have made this good promise to your servant. ²⁹ Now then, let it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, Lord Yahweh, have said these things, and with your blessing your servant's house will be blessed forever."

¹ After this it came about that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. So David took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

² Then he defeated Moab and measured their men with a line by making them lie down on the ground. He measured off two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. So the Moabites became servants to David and began to pay him tribute.

³ David then defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, as Hadadezer was traveling to recover his rule by the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured from him 1,700 chariots and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for a hundred chariots. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Aramean men. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to him and brought him tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ David took the golden shields that were on Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tebah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

⁹ When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, and because Hadadezer had waged war against Tou. Hadoram brought with himself objects of silver, gold, and bronze. ¹¹ King David dedicated these objects to Yahweh, together with the silver and gold that he had dedicated, which came from all the nations that he had conquered— ¹² from Aram, Moab, the people of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek, along with all of the plundered goods of Hadadezer son of Rehob, the king of Zobah.

¹³ David's name was well known when he returned from conquering the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, with their eighteen thousand men. ¹⁴ He placed garrisons throughout all of Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to him. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵ David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and righteousness to all his people. ¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. ¹⁷ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was scribe. ¹⁸ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites, and David's sons were the priests. ¹

¹The ancient Greek translations and some modern translations have this as it is in 1 Chronicles 18:17, were the chief officials .

¹ David said, "Is there anyone left in Saul's family to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" ² There was in Saul's family a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He replied, "Yes. I am your servant." ³ So the king said, "Is there not anyone left of Saul's family to whom I may show the kindness of God?" Ziba replied to the king, "Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet." ⁴ The king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba replied to the king, "Look, he is in the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." ⁵ Then King David sent and had him brought out of the house of Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. ⁶ So Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, came to David and bowed down his face to the floor in honor of David. David said, "Mephibosheth." He answered, "See, I am your servant!" ⁷ David said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you will always eat at my table." ⁸ Mephibosheth bowed and said, "What is your servant, that you should look with favor on such a dead dog as I am?"

⁹ Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and his family I have given to your master's grandson. ¹⁰ You, your sons, and your servants must till the land for him and you must harvest the crops so that your master's grandson will have food to eat. For Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, must always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do all that my master the king commands his servant." The king added, "As for Mephibosheth he will eat at my table, as one of the king's sons." ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mika. All who lived in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, and he always ate at the king's table, though he was lame in both his feet.

¹ It came about later that the king of the people of Ammon died, and that Hanun his son became king in his place. ² David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent his servants to comfort Hanun concerning his father. His servants entered the land of the people of Ammon. ³ But the leaders of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their master, "Do you really think that David is honoring your father because he has sent men to comfort you? Has not David sent his servants to you to look at the city, to spy it out, in order to overthrow it?" ⁴ So Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half their beards, cut off their garments up to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ When they explained this to David, he sent to meet with them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they had become a stench to David, the people of Ammon sent messengers and hired the Arameans of Beth Rehob and Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maakah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob with twelve thousand men. ⁷ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of soldiers. ⁸ The Ammonites came out and formed a line of battle at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maakah, stood by themselves in the open fields.

⁹ When Joab saw the battle lines facing him both in front and behind, he chose some of Israel's best fighters and arranged them against the Arameans. ¹⁰ The rest of his people he put into the hand of Abishai his brother, and he set them out in position to fight against the army of Ammon. ¹¹ Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you, Abishai, must rescue me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you. ¹² Be strong, and let us show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, for Yahweh will do what is good for his purpose." ¹³ So Joab and the soldiers of his army advanced to the battle against the Arameans, who were forced to flee before the army of Israel. ¹⁴ When the army of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and went back into the city. Then Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they were being defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together again. ¹⁶ Then Hadarezer sent for Aramean troops from beyond the Euphrates River. They came to Helam, and Shobak, the commander of Hadarezer's army, went before them. ¹⁷ When David was told this, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Helam. The Arameans arranged themselves in battle lines against David and fought him. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their men in chariots and forty thousand horsemen. Shobak the commander of their army was wounded and died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings who were servants of Hadarezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. So the Arameans were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.

¹ It came about in the spring of the year, at the time when kings normally go to war, that David sent out Joab, his servants, and all the army of Israel. They destroyed the army of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

² So it came about one evening that David got up from his bed and walked on the roof of his palace. From there he happened to see a woman who was bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at. ³ So David sent and he asked people who would know about the woman. Someone said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and is she not the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" ⁴ David sent messengers and took her; she came to him, and he lay with her (for she had just purified herself from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived, and she sent and told David; she said, "I am pregnant."

⁶ Then David sent to Joab saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab was, how the army was doing, and how the war was going. ⁸ David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the king's palace, and the king sent a gift for Uriah after he left. ⁹ But Uriah lay down at the door of the king's palace with all the servants of his master, and he 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 answered David, "The ark, and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my master's servants are camped in an open field. How then can I go into my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As sure as you are alive, I will not do this." ¹² So David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you leave." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day. ¹³ When David called him, he ate and drank before him, and David made him drunk. At evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his master; he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ David wrote in the letter saying, "Set Uriah at the very front of the most severe battle, and then withdraw from him, that he may be hit and die." ¹⁶ So as Joab watched the siege upon the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew the strongest enemy soldiers would be fighting. ¹⁷ When the men of the city went out and fought against Joab's army, some of the servants of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite was also killed there. ¹⁸ When Joab sent word to David about everything concerning the war, ¹⁹ he commanded the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king, ²⁰ it may happen that the king will become angry, and he will say to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? 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 must answer, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

²² So the messenger left and went to David and told him everything that Joab had sent him to say. ²³ Then the messenger said to David, "The enemy were stronger than we were at first; they came out to us into the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then their shooters shot at your soldiers from off the wall, and some of the king's servants were killed, and your servant Uriah the Hittite was killed too." ²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, "Say this to Joab, 'Do not let this displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle even stronger against the city, and overthrow it,' and encourage him."

²⁶ So when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented deeply for her husband. ²⁷ When her sorrow passed, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But what David had done displeased Yahweh.

¹ Then Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, "There were once two men in a city. One man was rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and fed and raised. It grew up together with him and with his children. The lamb even ate with him and drank from his own cup, and it lay in his bosom and was like a daughter to him. ⁴ One day a visitor came to the rich man, but the rich man was unwilling to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for him. Instead, he took the poor man's ewe lamb and cooked it for his visitor." ⁵ David was hot with anger against the rich man, and he raged to Nathan, "As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves to be put to death. ⁶ He must pay back the lamb four times over because he did such a thing, and because he had no pity on the poor man."

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you out of the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. But if that had been too little, I would have given you many other things in addition. ⁹ So why have you despised the commands of Yahweh, so as to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your own wife. You killed him with the sword of the army of Ammon. ¹⁰ So now the sword will never leave your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your wife.' ¹¹ Yahweh says, 'Look, I will raise up disaster against you out of your own house. Before your own eyes, I will take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ¹² For you committed your sin secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, in the sunlight.'" ¹³ Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against Yahweh." Nathan replied to David, "Yahweh also has passed over your sin. You will not be killed. ¹⁴ However, because by this act you have despised Yahweh, the child who is born to you will surely die." ¹⁵ Then Nathan left and went home.

Yahweh attacked the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he was very sick.

¹⁶ David then implored God for the boy. David fasted and went inside and lay all night on the floor. ¹⁷ The elders of his house arose and stood beside him, to raise him up from the floor, but he would not get up, and he would not eat with them. ¹⁸ It came about on the seventh day that the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Look, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice. What might he do to himself if we tell him that the boy is dead?!" ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David realized that the child was dead. He said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" They answered, "He is dead." ²⁰ Then David arose from the floor and washed himself, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went to the tabernacle of Yahweh and worshiped there, and then he came back to his own palace. When he asked for it, they set food before him, and he ate. ²¹ Then his servants said to him, "Why have you done this? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate." ²² David answered, "While the child was still alive I fasted and wept. I said, 'Who knows whether or not Yahweh will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' ²³ But now he is dead, so why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

²⁴ David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went to her and lay with her. Later she gave birth to a son, and the child was named Solomon. Yahweh loved him ²⁵ and he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because Yahweh loved him.

²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and he captured the royal city. ²⁷ So Joab sent messengers to David and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water supply. ²⁸ Now therefore gather the rest of the army together and camp against the city and take it, because if I take the city, it will be named after me." ²⁹ So David gathered all the army together and went to Rabbah; he fought against the city and captured it. ³⁰ David took the crown from their king's head—it weighed a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. The crown was placed on David's own head. Then he brought out the plunder of the city in large quantities. ³¹ He brought out the people who were in the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes; he also made them work at brick kilns. David required all the cities of the people of Ammon to do this labor. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

¹ It came about after this that David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and David's son Amnon loved her. ² Amnon was so frustrated that he became sick because of his sister Tamar. 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 son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. ⁴ Jonadab said to Amnon, "Why, son of the king, are you depressed every morning? Will you not tell me?" So Amnon answered him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister." ⁵ Then Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him, 'Would you please send my sister Tamar to give me something to eat and cook it before me, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand?'" ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please send my sister Tamar to make some food for my sickness in front of me so that I may eat from her hand."

⁷ Then David sent word to Tamar at his palace, saying, "Go now 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. She took dough and kneaded it and formed bread in his sight, and then she baked it. ⁹ She took the pan and gave the bread to him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said to the others present, "Send everyone out, away from me." So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰ So Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into my room that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the bread that she had made, and brought it into the room of Amnon her brother. ¹¹ When she had brought the food to him, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister." ¹² She answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me, for nothing like this should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! ¹³ How could I be rid of my shame? What about you? You would be like one of the fools in Israel! Now, please speak to the king, for he would not keep me from you." ¹⁴ However Amnon would not listen to her, and he was stronger than she was, and he overpowered her, and he lay with her.

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated Tamar with extreme hatred. The hatred with which he hated her was even greater than the love with which he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and go." ¹⁶ But she responded to him, "No! Because this great evil of making me leave is even worse than what you did to me!" But Amnon did not listen to her. ¹⁷ Instead, he called his personal servant and said, "Take this woman away from me, and bolt the door after her." ¹⁸ Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a beautifully decorated garment because the king's daughters who were virgins dressed in such robes. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her beautifully decorated garment. She put her hands on her head and walked away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart." So Tamar remained alone in her brother Absalom's house. ²¹ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. ²² Absalom said nothing to Amnon, for Absalom hated him for what he had done to her and how he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

²³ It came about after two full years that Absalom had sheep shearers working at Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons to visit there. ²⁴ Absalom went to the king and said, "See now, your servant has sheep shearers. Please, may the king and his servants go with me, your servant." ²⁵ The king answered Absalom, "No, my son, all of us should not go because we would be a burden to you." Absalom begged the king, but he would not go, but he gave him his blessing. ²⁶ Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." So the king said to him, "Why should Amnon go with you?" ²⁷ Absalom pressed David, and so he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. ²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants saying, "Listen closely. When Amnon begins to be affected by the wine, and when I say to you, 'Attack Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and brave." ²⁹ So Absalom's servants did to Amnon as he had commanded them. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰ So it came about, while they were on the road, that the news came to David saying, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left." ³¹ Then the king arose and tore his clothes, and lay on the floor; all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. ³² Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, "Let not my master believe that they have killed all the young men who are the king's sons, for Amnon only is dead. Absalom has planned this from the day that Amnon violated his sister Tamar. ³³ So therefore let not my master the king take this report to heart, so as to believe that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon only is dead."

³⁴ Absalom fled away. A servant keeping watch raised his eyes and saw many people coming on the road on the hillside west of him. ³⁵ Then Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming. It is just as your servant said." ³⁶ So it came about when he finished speaking, the king's sons arrived and raised their voices and wept. The king and all his servants also wept bitterly.

³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. David mourned for his son every day. ³⁸ So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, where he was for three years. ³⁹ The mind of King David longed to go out to see Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon and his death.

¹ Now Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. ² So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought to him. He said to her, "Please pretend you are a mourner and put on mourning clothes. Please do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has mourned a long time for the dead. ³ Then go to the king and speak to him about what I will describe." So Joab told her the words she was to say to the king.

⁴ When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she lay facedown on the ground and said, "Help me, king." ⁵ The king said to her, "What is wrong?" She answered, "The truth is that I am a widow, and my husband is dead. ⁶ I, your servant, had two sons, and they fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. ⁷ Now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, 'Give into our hand the man who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death, to pay for the life of his brother whom he killed.' So they would also destroy the heir. Thus they will put out the burning coal that I have left, and they will leave for my husband neither name nor descendant on the surface of the earth."

⁸ So the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will command something to be done for you." ⁹ The woman of Tekoa replied to the king, "My master, king, may the guilt be on me and on my father's family. The king and his throne are guiltless." ¹⁰ The king replied, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore." ¹¹ Then she said, "Please, may the king call to mind Yahweh your God, so that the avenger of blood will not destroy anyone further, so that they will not destroy my son." The king replied, "As Yahweh lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground."

¹² Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a further word to my master the king." He said, "Speak on." ¹³ So the woman said, "Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in saying this thing, the king is like someone who is guilty, because the king has not brought back home again his banished son. ¹⁴ For we all must die, and we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life. Rather, he devises a way for those who were driven away not to remain outcast. ¹⁵ Now then, seeing that I have come to speak this thing to my master the king, it is because the people have made me afraid. So your servant said to herself, 'I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶ Perhaps the king will listen to me and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together, out of the inheritance God gave us.' ¹⁷ Then your servant prayed, 'Yahweh, please let the word of my master the king give me relief, for as an angel of God, so is my master the king in telling good from evil.' May Yahweh your God be with you."

¹⁸ Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I will ask you." The woman replied, "Let my master the king now speak." ¹⁹ The king said, "Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As you live, my master the king, no one can escape to the right hand or to the left from anything that my master the king has spoken. It was your servant Joab who commanded me and told me to say these things that your servant has spoken. ²⁰ Your servant Joab has done this to change the course of what is happening. My master is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God, and he knows everything that is happening in the land."

²¹ So the king said to Joab, "See now, I will do this thing. Go then, and bring the young man Absalom back." ²² So Joab lay facedown on the ground in honor and gratitude to the king. Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my master, king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant." ²³ So Joab arose, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. ²⁴ The king said, "He may return to his own house, but he may not see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.

²⁵ Now in all Israel there was no one praised for his handsomeness more than Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶ When he cut the hair of his head at the end of every year, because it was heavy on him, he weighed his hair; it would weigh about two hundred shekels, which is measured by the weight of the king's standard. ²⁷ To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

²⁸ Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without seeing the king's face. ²⁹ Then Absalom sent word for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. So Absalom sent word a second time, but Joab still did not come. ³⁰ So Absalom said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is near 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 came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" ³² Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent word to you saying, 'Come here so I may send you to the king to say, "Why did I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me see the king's face, and if I am guilty, let him kill me."'" ³³ So Joab went to the king and told him. When the king called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed low to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

¹ It came about after this that Absalom prepared a chariot and horses for himself, with fifty men to run before him. ² Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. When any man had a dispute to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city have you come?" Then the man would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." ³ So Absalom would say to him, "Look, your case is good and in the right, but there is no one empowered by the king to hear your case." ⁴ Absalom would add, "I wish that I were made judge in the land, so that every man who had any dispute or cause might come to me, and I would bring him justice!" ⁵ So it came about that when any man came to Absalom to honor him, Absalom would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶ Absalom acted in this way to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷ It came about at the end of four years that Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay a vow that I have made to Yahweh in Hebron. ⁸ For your servant made a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying,' If Yahweh will indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will worship Yahweh.'" ⁹ So the king said to him, "Go in peace." So Absalom arose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰ But then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the ram's horn, then you must say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'" ¹¹ With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were invited. They went in their innocence, not knowing anything that Absalom had planned. ¹² While Absalom offered sacrfices, he sent for Ahithophel from his hometown of Giloh. He was David's counselor. Absalom's conspiracy was strong, for the people following Absalom were constantly increasing.

¹³ A messenger came to David saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are following after Absalom." ¹⁴ So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Prepare to leave immediately, or he will quickly overtake us, and he will bring down disaster on us and attack the city with the edge of the sword." ¹⁵ The king's servants said to the king, "Look, your servants are ready to do whatever our master the king decides." ¹⁶ The king left and all his family after him, but the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the palace. ¹⁷ After the king went out and all the people after him, they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸ All his servants marched with him, and before him went all the Kerethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—six hundred men who had followed him from Gath marched with the king.

¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why will you come with us? Return and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and an exile. Return to your own place. ²⁰ Since you just left yesterday, why should I make you wander all over with us? I do not even know where I am going. So return and take your fellow countrymen with you, and may steadfast love and faithfulness go with you." ²¹ But Ittai answered the king and said, "As Yahweh lives, and as my master the king lives, surely in whatever place where my master the king goes, there also will your servant go, whether that means living or dying." ²² So David said to Ittai, "Go ahead and continue with us." So Ittai the Gittite marched with the king, along with all his men and all the families who were with him. ²³ All the country wept with a loud voice as all the people passed by over the Kidron Valley, and as the king also himself crossed over. All the people traveled on the road toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Even Zadok with all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God, were present. They set the ark of God down, and then Abiathar joined them. They waited until all the people had passed by out of the city. ²⁵ The king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of Yahweh, he will bring me back here and show me again the ark and the place where he lives. ²⁶ But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' look, here am I, let him do to me whatever seems good to him." ²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan 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 into Jerusalem, and they stayed there.

³⁰ But David ascended barefoot and weeping up the Mount of Olives, and he had his head covered. Every man of the people who were with him covered his head, and they went up weeping as they walked. ³¹ Someone told David saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "O Yahweh, please turn Ahithophel's advice into foolishness." ³² It came about that when David arrived at the top of the road, where God used to be worshiped, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him with his coat torn and earth on his head. ³³ David said to him, "If you travel with me, then you will be a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so will I now be your servant,' then you will confuse Ahithophel's advice for me. ³⁵ Will you not have the priests Zadok and Abiathar with you? So whatever you hear in the king's palace, you must tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶ See that they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. You must send to me by their hand everything that you hear." ³⁷ So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city as Absalom arrived and entered into Jerusalem.

¹ When David had gone a short distance over the summit of the hill, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys; on them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred bunches of figs, and a skin of wine. ² The king said to Ziba, "Why did you bring these things?" Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fig cakes are for your young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone who is faint in the wilderness to drink." ³ The king said, "Then where is your master's grandson?" Ziba replied to the king, "Look, he has stayed behind in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore my father's kingdom to me.'" ⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, "Look, all that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you." Ziba answered, "I bow in humility to you, my master, king. Let me find favor in your eyes."

⁵ When King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the clan of Saul came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. ⁶ He threw stones at David and at all of the king's servants, in spite of the people and mighty men who were on the king's right and left. ⁷ Shimei called out in cursing, "Go away, get out of here, you man of blood, you worthless man! ⁸ Yahweh has repaid all of you for the blood you shed within the family of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. Yahweh has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood."

⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my master the king? Please let me go over and take off his head." ¹⁰ But the king said, "What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? Perhaps he is cursing me because Yahweh has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then could say to him, 'Why are you cursing the king?'" ¹¹ So David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Look, my son, who was born from my body, wants to take my life. How much more may this Benjamite now desire my ruin? Leave him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has commanded him to do it. ¹² Perhaps Yahweh will look at the misery unleashed on me, and repay me with good for his cursing me today." ¹³ So David and his men traveled on the road, while Shimei went beside him up on the hillside, cursing and throwing dust and stones at him as he went. ¹⁴ Then the king and all the people who were with him became weary, and he rested when they stopped for the night.

¹⁵ As for Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel who were with him, they came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶ It came about when Hushai the Arkite, David's friend, had come to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" ¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with him?" ¹⁸ Hushai said to Absalom, "No! The one whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, that is the man to whom I will belong, and I will stay with him. ¹⁹ Also, what man should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, I will serve in your presence."

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your advice about what we should do." ²¹ Ahithophel answered Absalom, "Go to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the palace, and all Israel will hear that you have become a stench to your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong." ²² So they spread for Absalom a tent on the top of the palace, and Absalom went to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. ²³ Now the advice of Ahithophel that he gave in those days was as if a man heard from the mouth of God himself. That was how all of Ahithophel's advice was viewed by both David and Absalom.

¹ Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ² I will come on him while he is weary and weak and will surprise him with fear. The people who are with him will flee, and I will attack only the king. ³ I will bring back all the people to you, like a bride coming to her husband, and all the people will be at peace under you." ⁴ What Ahithophel said pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵ Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Arkite, too, and let us hear what he says." ⁶ When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom explained to him what Ahithophel had said and then asked Hushai, "Should we do what Ahithophel has said? If not, tell us what you advise." ⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom, "The advice that Ahithophel has given this time is not good." ⁸ Hushai added, "You know your father and his men are strong warriors, and that they are bitter, and they are like a bear robbed of her cubs in a field. Your father is a man of war; he will not sleep with the army tonight. ⁹ Look, right now he is probably hidden in some pit or in some other place. It will happen that when some of your men have been killed at the beginning of an attack, that whoever hears it will say, 'A slaughter has taken place among the soldiers who follow Absalom.' ¹⁰ Then even the bravest soldiers, whose hearts are like the heart of a lion, will be afraid because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that the men who are with him are very strong. ¹¹ So I advise you that all Israel should be gathered together to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as numerous as the sands that are by the sea, and that you go to battle in person. ¹² Then we will come on him wherever he may be found, and we will cover him as the dew falls on the ground. We will not leave even one of his men, or him himself, alive. ¹³ If he retreats into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and we will drag it into the river, until there is no longer even a small stone found there." ¹⁴ Then Absalom and the men of Israel said, "Hushai the Arkite's advice is better than Ahithophel's." Yahweh had ordained the rejection of Ahithophel's good advice in order to bring destruction on Absalom.

¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel in such and such a way, but I have advised something else. ¹⁶ Now then, go quickly and report to David; say to him, 'Do not camp tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or the king will be swallowed up along with all the people who are with him.'" ¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at the spring of Rogel. A female servant used to go and inform them what they needed to know, for they could not risk being seen going into the city. When the message came, then they were to go and tell King David. ¹⁸ But a young man saw them this time and told Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz went away quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, into which they descended. ¹⁹ The man's wife took the covering for the well and spread it over the well's opening, and tossed grain over it, so no one knew Jonathan and Ahimaaz were in the well. ²⁰ Absalom's servants came to the woman of the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman told them, "They have crossed over the river." So after they had looked around and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ It came about after they had left that Jonathan and Ahimaaz came up out of the well. They went to report to King David; they said to him, "Get up and cross quickly over the water because Ahithophel has given such and such advice about you." ²² Then David arose and all the people who were with him, and they crossed over the Jordan. By morning daylight not one of them had failed to cross over the Jordan. ²³ When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and went to his house in his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. As for Absalom, he crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether the Ishmaelite ¹ , who went to Abigail, who was the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. ²⁶ Then Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ It came about when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸ brought sleeping mats and blankets, bowls and pots, and wheat, barley flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, ²⁹ honey, butter, sheep, and milk curds from the herd, so that David and the people with him could eat. These men had said, "The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness."

¹Scholars disagree about whether the word describing Jether should be "Ishmaelite," as it is in the ancient Greek translation, or "Israelite," as it is in the ancient Hebrew text. Some scholars believe that "Israelite" is a scribal error in the Hebrew. "Ishmaelite" is the word used in a parallel passage, 1 Chronicles 2:17, in both the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts.

¹ David counted the soldiers who were with him and appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ² Then David sent out the army, one-third under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and still another third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the army, "I will certainly go out with you myself, too." ³ But the men said, "You must not go to battle, for if we flee away they will not care about us, or if half of us die they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us! Therefore it is better that you be ready to help us from the city." ⁴ So the king answered them, "I will do whatever seems best to you." The king stood by the city gate while all the army went out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Absalom." All the people heard that the king had given the captains this command about Absalom.

⁶ So the army went out into the countryside against Israel; the battle spread into the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ The army of Israel was defeated there before the servants of David; there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread throughout the whole countryside, and more men were consumed by the forest than by the sword.

⁹ Absalom happened to meet some of David's servants. Absalom was riding his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, and his head was caught up in the tree branches. He was left dangling between the ground and the sky while the mule he was riding kept going. ¹⁰ Someone saw this and told Joab, "Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!" ¹¹ Joab said to the man who told him about Absalom, "Look! You saw him! Why did you not strike him down to the ground? I would have given you ten silver shekels and a belt." ¹² The man replied to Joab, "Even if I received a thousand silver shekels, still I would not have reached out my hand against the king's son, because we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'No one must touch the young man Absalom.' ¹³ If I had risked my life by a falsehood (and there is nothing hidden from the king), you would have abandoned me." ¹⁴ Then Joab said, "I will not wait for you." So Joab took three javelins in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive and hanging from the oak. ¹⁵ Then ten young men who carried Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.

¹⁶ Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and the army returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the army. ¹⁷ They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest; they buried his body under a very large pile of stones, while all Israel fled, every man to his own tent. ¹⁸ Now Absalom, while still alive, had built for himself a large stone pillar in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to carry along the memory of my name." He named the pillar after his own name, so it is called Absalom's Monument to this very day.

¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Let me now run to the king with the good news, how Yahweh has rescued him from the hand of his enemies." ²⁰ Joab answered him, "You will not be the bearer of news today; you must do it another day. Today you will bear no news because the king's son is dead." ²¹ Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed down to Joab, and ran. ²² Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, "Regardless of what may happen, please let me also run and follow the Cushite." Joab replied, "Why do you want to run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?" ²³ "Whatever happens," said Ahimaaz, "I will run." So Joab answered him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates. The watchman had gone up to the roof of the gate to the wall and raised his eyes. As he looked, he saw a man approaching, running alone. ²⁵ The watchman shouted out and told the king. Then the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." The runner came closer and neared the city. ²⁶ Then the watchman noticed another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper; he said, "Look, there is another man running alone." The king said, "He is also bringing news." ²⁷ So the watchman said, "I think the running of the man in front is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok." The king said, "He is a good man and is coming with good news."

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "All is well." He bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be Yahweh your God! He has delivered the men who lifted up their hand against my master the king." ²⁹ So the king replied, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent me, the king's servant, to you, king, I saw a great disturbance, but I did not know what it was." ³⁰ Then the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So Ahimaaz turned aside, and stood still.

³¹ Immediately then the Cushite arrived and said, "There is good news for my master the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today from all who rose up against you." ³² Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "The enemies of my master the king, and all who rise up against you to do harm to you, should be as that young man is." ³³ Then the king was deeply unnerved, and he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he went he grieved, "My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!"

¹ Joab was told, "Look, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom." ² So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the army, for the army heard it said that day, "The king is mourning for his son." ³ The soldiers had to sneak quietly into the city that day, like people who are ashamed sneak away when they run from battle. ⁴ The king covered his face and cried in a loud voice, "My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!" ⁵ Then Joab entered into the house to the king and said to him, "You have shamed the faces of all your servants today, who have saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, ⁶ because you love those who hate you, and you hate those who love you. For today you have shown that commanders and servants are nothing to you. Today I believe that if Absalom had lived, and we all had died, then that would have pleased you. ⁷ Now therefore get up and go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go, not one man will remain with you tonight. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that have ever happened to you from your youth until now." ⁸ So the king got up and sat in the city gate, and all the people were told, "Look, the king is sitting in the gate," and all the people came before the king.

So Israel fled, every man to his tent.

⁹ All the people were arguing with each other throughout all the tribes of Israel saying, "The king rescued us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines, but now he has run out of the land because of Absalom. ¹⁰ Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?"

¹¹ King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his palace, since the talk of all Israel favors the king, to bring him back to his palace? ¹² You are my brothers, my flesh and bone. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?' ¹³ Then say to Amasa, 'Are you not my flesh and my bone? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not captain of my army from now on in the place of Joab.'" ¹⁴ So he won the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man. They sent to the king saying, "Return, you and all your servants." ¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan. Now the men of Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king and then to bring the king across the Jordan.

¹⁶ Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ There were one thousand men from Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him. They crossed through the Jordan in the presence of the king. ¹⁸ They crossed to bring over the king's family and to do whatever he thought good. Shimei son of Gera bowed down before the king just before he began to cross the Jordan. ¹⁹ Shimei said to the king, "Do not, my master, find me guilty or call to mind the wrong your servant did the day my master the king left Jerusalem. Please, may the king not take it to heart. ²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned. See, that is why I have come today as the first from all the family of Joseph to come down to meet my master the king."

²¹ But Abishai son of Zeruiah answered and said, "Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh's anointed?" ²² Then David said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should today be adversaries to me? Will any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?" ²³ So the king said to Shimei, "You will not die." So the king promised him with an oath.

²⁴ Then Mephibosheth son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had not dressed his feet, or trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came home in peace. ²⁵ So when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?" ²⁶ He answered, "My master the king, my servant deceived me, for I said, 'I will saddle a donkey so I may ride on it and go with the king, because your servant is lame.' ²⁷ My servant Ziba has slandered me, your servant, to my master the king. But my master the king is like an angel of God. Therefore, do what is good in your eyes. ²⁸ For all my father's house were dead men before my master the king, but you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I that I should still cry any more to the king?" ²⁹ Then the king said to him, "Why explain anything further? I have decided that you and Ziba will divide the fields." ³⁰ So Mephibosheth replied to the king, "Yes, let him take it all, since my master the king has come safely to his own home."

³¹ Then Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim to cross over the Jordan with the king, and he accompanied the king over the Jordan. ³² Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He had furnished the king with provisions while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. ³³ The king said to Barzillai, "Come over with me, and I will provide for you to stay with me in Jerusalem." ³⁴ Barzillai replied to the king, "How many days are left in the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a burden to my master the king? ³⁶ Your servant would like to just go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? ³⁷ Please let your servant return back home, so I may die in my own city by the grave of my father and my mother. But see, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my master the king, and do for him what seems good to you." ³⁸ The king answered, "Kimham will go over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you, and whatever you desire from me, I do that for you." ³⁹ Then all the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed over, and the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai returned to his own home.

⁴⁰ So the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed over with him. All the army of Judah brought the king over, and also half the army of Israel. ⁴¹ Soon all the men of Israel began to come to the king and say to the king, "Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his family over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?" ⁴² So the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "It is because the king is more closely related to us. Why then are you angry about this? Have we eaten anything that the king had to pay for? Has he given us any gifts?" ⁴³ The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, "We have ten tribes related to the king, so we have even more right to David than you. Why then did you despise us? Was not our proposal to bring back our king the first to be heard?" But the words of the men of Judah were even more severe than the words of the men of Israel.

¹ There also happened to be at the same place a worthless man whose name was Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite. He blew the ram's horn and said, "We have no part in David, neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Let every man go back to his tent, Israel!"

² So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah followed closely their king, from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem.

³ When David came to his palace at Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines whom he had left to keep the palace, and he put them in a house under guard. He provided for their needs, but he did not go to them any longer. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living as if they were widows.

⁴ Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together within three days; you must be here, too." ⁵ So Amasa went to call Judah, but he was delayed beyond the time that the king had appointed for him. ⁶ So David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master's servants and pursue after him, or he will find fortified cities and escape out of our sight." ⁷ Then Joab's men went out after him, along with the Kerethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty warriors. They left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri. ⁸ When they were at the great stone which is at Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing the battle armor that he had put on, which included a belt around his waist with a sheathed sword fastened to it. As he walked forward, the sword fell out. ⁹ So Joab said to Amasa, "Is it well with you, my cousin?" Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰ Amasa did not notice the dagger that was in Joab's left hand. Joab stabbed Amasa in the stomach and his bowels spilled out to the ground. Joab did not strike him again, and Amasa died.

So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

¹¹ Then one of Joab's young men stood by Amasa, and the man said, "He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab." ¹² Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road. When the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa off of the road and into a field. He threw a garment over him because he saw that everyone who came by him stood still. ¹³ After Amasa was taken off the road, all the men followed on after Joab in pursuit of Sheba son of Bikri.

¹⁴ Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah, and through all the land of the Bikrites, who gathered together and also pursued Sheba. ¹⁵ They caught up with him and besieged him in Abel Beth Maakah. They built up a siege ramp against the city against the wall. All the army who were with Joab were wreaking destruction to break down the wall. ¹⁶ Then a wise woman cried out of the city, "Listen, please listen, Joab! Come near me so I may speak with you." ¹⁷ So Joab came near to her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your servant." He answered, "I am listening." ¹⁸ Then she spoke, "They used to say in old times, 'Surely seek advice at Abel,' and that advice would end the matter. ¹⁹ We are a city that is one of the most peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the inheritance of Yahweh?" ²⁰ So Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. ²¹ That is not true. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, named Sheba son of Bikri, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city." The woman said to Joab, "His head will be thrown to you over the wall." ²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew the ram's horn and Joab's men left the city, every man to his tent. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

²³ Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and over the Pelethites. ²⁴ Adoniram was over the men who did forced labor, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. ²⁵ Sheva was scribe and Zadok and Abiathar were priests. ²⁶ Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

¹ There was a famine in David's time for three years in a row, and David sought the face of Yahweh. So Yahweh said, "This famine is on you because of Saul and his murderous family, because he put the Gibeonites to death." ² So the king called together the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the people of Israel; they were from what remained of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul tried to kill them all anyway in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. ³ David said to them, "What should I do for you? How can I make atonement, so that you may bless the people of Yahweh, who inherit his goodness and promises?" ⁴ The Gibeonites responded to him, "It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his family. In the same way it is not for us to put to death any man in Israel." David replied, "What are you saying that I should do for you?" ⁵ They answered the king, "The man who tried to kill us all, who schemed against us, so that we are now destroyed and have no place within the borders of Israel— ⁶ let seven men from his descendants be handed over to us, and we will hang them before Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the one chosen by Yahweh." So the king said, "I will give them to you."

⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, because of Yahweh's oath between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸ But the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, sons whom she bore to Saul—the two sons were named Armoni and Mephibosheth; and David also took the five sons of Merab ¹ daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹ He handed them over into the hands of the Gibeonites. They hanged them on the mountain before Yahweh, and they died all seven together. They were put to death during the time of harvest, during the first days at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰ Then Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the mountain beside the dead bodies, from the beginning of harvest until the rain poured down on them from the sky. She did not allow the birds of the sky to disturb the bodies by day or the wild animals by night. ¹¹ It was told to David what Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

¹² So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, after the Philistines had killed Saul in Gilboa. ¹³ David took away from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of the seven men who had been hanged, as well. ¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. They performed all that the king commanded. After that God answered their prayers for the land.

¹⁵ Then the Philistines went to war again with Israel. So David went down with his servants and fought against the Philistines. David was overcome with battle fatigue. ¹⁶ Ishbi-Benob, a descendant of the Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels, and who was armed with a new sword, intended to kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah rescued David, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You must not go to battle anymore with us, so that you do not put out the lamp of Israel."

¹⁸ It came about after this that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob, when Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the Rapha. ¹⁹ It came about again in a battle with the Philistines at Gob, that Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. ²⁰ It came about in another battle at Gath that there was a man of great height who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. He also was descended from the Rapha. ²¹ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him. ²² These were descendants of the Rapha in Gath, and they were killed by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

¹Some Hebrew copies and other ancient translations of the Hebrew copies read: Michal, but see 1 Samuel 18:19, and compare 2 Samuel 6:23, which has Michal had no children . It may be that Michal was another name for Merab.

¹ David sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. ² He prayed,

"Yahweh is my rock, my fortress,

the one who rescues me.

³ God is my rock.

I take refuge in him.

He is my shield, the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold, and my refuge,

the one who saves me from violence.

⁴ I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,

and I will be saved from my enemies.

⁵ For the waves of death surrounded me,

the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁶ The cords of Sheol surrounded me;

the snares of death trapped me.

⁷ In my distress I called to Yahweh;

I called to my God;

he heard my voice from his temple,

and my cry for help went into his ears.

⁸ Then the earth shook and trembled.

The foundations of the heavens trembled

and were shaken, because God was angry.

⁹ Smoke went up from out of his nostrils,

and blazing fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰ He opened the heavens and came down,

and thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹ He rode on a cherub and flew.

He was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹² He made darkness a tent around him,

gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.

¹³ From the lightning before him

coals of fire fell.

¹⁴ Yahweh thundered from the heavens.

The Most High shouted.

¹⁵ He shot arrows and scattered his enemies—

lightning bolts and threw them into confusion.

¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen;

the foundations of the world were laid bare

at the rebuke of Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷ He reached down from above; he took hold of me!

He pulled me out of the surging water.

¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

¹⁹ They came against me on the day of my distress,

but Yahweh was my support.

²⁰ He also brought me out to a wide open place.

He saved me because he was pleased with me.

²¹ Yahweh has rewarded me to the measure of my righteousness;

he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.

²² For I have kept the ways of Yahweh

and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.

²³ For all his righteous decrees have been before me;

as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

²⁴ I have also been innocent before him,

and I have kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵ Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness,

to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.

²⁶ To the faithful one, you show yourself to be faithful;

to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

²⁷ With the pure you show yourself pure,

but you are perverse to the twisted.

²⁸ You save afflicted people,

but your eyes are against the proud, and you humiliate them.

²⁹ For you are my lamp, Yahweh.

Yahweh lights up my darkness.

³⁰ For by you I can run over a troop;

by my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹ As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of Yahweh is pure.

He is a shield

to everyone who takes refuge in him.

³² For who is God except Yahweh,

and who is a rock except our God?

³³ God is my refuge,

and he leads the blameless person on his path.

³⁴ He makes my feet swift like a deer

and places me on the high hills.

³⁵ He trains my hands for war,

and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶ You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your favor has made me great.

³⁷ You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me,

so my feet have not slipped.

³⁸ I pursued my enemies and destroyed them.

I did not turn back until they were destroyed.

³⁹ I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise.

They have fallen under my feet.

⁴⁰ You girded me with strength for battle;

you put under me those who rise up against me.

⁴¹ You gave me the back of my enemies' necks;

I annihilated those who hated me.

⁴² They cried for help, but no one saved them;

they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

⁴³ I beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground,

I trampled them like mud in the streets.

⁴⁴ You also have rescued me from the disputes of my own people.

You have kept me as the head of nations.

A people that I have not known serves me.

⁴⁵ Foreigners were forced to bow to me.

As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

⁴⁶ The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁷ Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised.

May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.

⁴⁸ This is the God who executes vengeance for me,

the one who brings down peoples under me.

⁴⁹ He sets me free from my enemies.

Indeed, you lifted me up above those who rose up against me.

You rescue me from violent men.

⁵⁰ Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations;

I will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹ God gives great victory to his king,

and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one,

to David and to his descendants forever."

¹ Now these are the last words of David—

the declaration of David son of Jesse,

the declaration of the man who was highly honored,

the one anointed by the God of Jacob,

the sweet psalmist of Israel.

² "The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me,

and his word was on my tongue.

³ The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said to me,

'The one who rules righteously over men,

who rules in the fear of God.

⁴ He will be like the morning light when the sun rises,

a morning without clouds,

when the tender grass springs up from the earth

through bright sunshine after rain.

⁵ Indeed, is my family not like this before God?

Has he not made an everlasting covenant with me,

ordered and sure in every way?

Does he not increase my salvation and fulfill my every desire?

⁶ But the worthless will all be like thorns to be thrown away,

because they cannot be gathered by one's hands.

⁷ The man who touches them

must use an iron tool or the shaft of a spear.

They must be burned up where they lie.'"

⁸ These are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tahkemonite, was the leader of the officers. He killed eight hundred men on one occasion. ¹

⁹ After him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. He was with David when they taunted the Philistines who had gathered together to do battle, and when the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ Eleazar stood and fought the Philistines until his hand became weary and his hand stiffened to the grip of his sword. Yahweh brought about a great victory that day. The army returned after Eleazar, only to strip the bodies.

¹¹ After him was Shammah son of Agee, a Hararite. The Philistines gathered together where there was a field of lentils, and the army fled from them. ¹² But Shammah stood in the middle of the field and defended it. He killed the Philistines, and Yahweh brought about a great victory.

¹³ Three of the thirty soldiers went down to David at harvest time, to the cave of Adullam. The army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ At that time David was in his stronghold, a cave, while the Philistines had established at Bethlehem. ¹⁵ David was longing for water and said, "If only someone would give me water to drink from the well at Bethlehem, the well that is by the gate!" ¹⁶ So these three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, the well at the gate. They took the water and brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to Yahweh. ¹⁷ Then he said, "Yahweh, far be it from me, that I should do this. Should I drink the blood of men who have risked their lives?" So he refused to drink it.

These things were done by the three mighty.

¹⁸ Abishai, brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was captain over the three. He once fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them. He was renowned along with the three soldiers. ¹⁹ Was he not even more famous than the three? He was made their captain. However, his fame did not equal the fame of the three most famous soldiers.

²⁰ Benaiah from Kabzeel was the son of Jehoiada; he was a strong man who did mighty feats. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion while it was snowing. ²¹ Then he killed a very large Egyptian man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah fought against him with only a staff. He seized the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and then killed him with his own spear. ²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada did these feats, and he was named alongside the three mighty men. ²³ He was more highly regarded than the thirty soldiers in general, but he was not regarded quite as highly as the three mighty men. Yet David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁴ The thirty included the following men: Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

²⁵ Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

²⁷ Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbekai ² the Hushathite,

²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite;

²⁹ Heled ³ son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,

³⁰ Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the valleys of Gaash.

³¹ Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite, ³³ Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,

³⁴ Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

³⁵ Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

³⁶ Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani from the tribe of Gad, ⁴

³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearer to Joab son of Zeruiah,

³⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

³⁹ Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.

¹Instead of Josheb-Basshebeth , some Hebrew copies and some ancient translations have Ishbaal , or Ish-Bosheth . These all are probably forms of the same name.

²Some copies of the ancient Greek translation taken from the ancient Hebrew copies, have the name Sibbekai, see also 2 Samuel 21:18 and 1 Chronicles 11:29. Come of the copies have Mebunnai .

³Some ancient copies have the spelling of this name to read, Heleb .

⁴Some modern translations have a different name at this place in the text: Zobah the son of Hagri .

¹ Again the anger of Yahweh was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, "Go, count Israel and Judah." ² The king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, "Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count all the people, so that I may know the total number of men fit for battle." ³ Joab said to the king, "May Yahweh your God multiply the number of people a hundred times, and may the eyes of my master the king see it take place. But why does my master the king want this?" ⁴ Nevertheless, the king's word was final against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders went out from the king's presence to count the people of Israel. ⁵ They crossed over the Jordan and encamped near Aroer, south of the city in the valley. Then they traveled on through Gad to Jazer. ⁶ They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi, then on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. ⁷ They reached the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to the Negev in Judah at Beersheba. ⁸ When they had gone throughout all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹ Then Joab reported the total of the census of the fighting men to the king. There were in Israel 800,000 brave men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.

¹⁰ Then David's heart afflicted him after he had counted the men. So he said to Yahweh, "I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now, Yahweh, take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly." ¹¹ When David rose up in the morning, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, ¹² "Go say to David: 'This is what Yahweh says: "I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them."'" ¹³ So Gad went to David and said to him, "Will three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months from your enemies while they pursue you? Or will there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what answer I should return to him who sent me." ¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, "I am in deep trouble. Let us fall into Yahweh's hands rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great."

¹⁵ So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel from the morning to a fixed time, and seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba. ¹⁶ When the angel reached out with his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh changed his mind because of the harm it would cause, and he said to the angel who was destroying people, "Enough! Now draw back your hand." At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷ Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who had attacked the people, and said, "I have sinned, and I have acted perversely. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand punish me and my father's family!"

¹⁸ Then Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." ¹⁹ So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, as Yahweh had commanded. ²⁰ Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching. So Araunah went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground. ²¹ Then Araunah said, "Why has my master the king come to me, his servant?" David replied, "To buy your threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh, so that the plague may be removed from the people." ²² Araunah said to David, "Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, here are oxen for the burnt offering and threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. ²³ All this, my king, I, Araunah, will give to you." Then he said to the king, "May Yahweh your God accept you." ²⁴ The king said to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it at a price. I will not offer as a burnt offering to Yahweh anything that costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵ David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh answered the prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was confined.

¹ When King David was old and advanced in years, they covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. ² So his servants said to him, "Let us look for a young virgin for our master the king. Let her serve the king and take care of him. Let her lie in his arms so that our master the king may keep warm." ³ So they searched for a beautiful girl within all the borders of Israel. They found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. ⁴ The girl was very beautiful. She served the king and took care of him, but the king did not know her.

⁵ At that time, Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶ His father had never troubled him, saying, "Why have you done this or that?" Adonijah was also a very handsome man, born next after Absalom. ⁷ He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. They followed Adonijah and helped him. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David did not follow Adonijah. ⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. ¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

¹¹ Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and David our master does not know it? ¹² Now therefore let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go to King David; say to him, 'My master the king, did you not swear to your servant, saying, "Surely Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?" Why then is Adonijah reigning?' ¹⁴ While you are there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words."

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went into the king's room. The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king. ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed down and showed respect before the king. Then the king said, "What do you desire?" ¹⁷ She said to him, "My master, you swore to your servant by Yahweh your God, saying, 'Surely Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.' ¹⁸ Now, see, Adonijah is king, and you, my master the king, do not know it. ¹⁹ He has sacrificed many cattle, fatted calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. ²⁰ As for you, my master the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, waiting for you to tell them who will sit on the throne after you, my master. ²¹ Otherwise it will happen, when my master the king lies down with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals."

²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. ²³ The servants told the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." When he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴ Nathan said, "My master the king, have you said, 'Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne?' ²⁵ For he has gone down today and sacrificed a great number of cattle, fatted calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!' ²⁶ But as for me, your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not invited us. ²⁷ Has my master the king done this without telling us, your servants, who should sit on the throne after him?"

²⁸ Then King David answered and said, "Call Bathsheba back to me." She came into the king's presence and stood before the king. ²⁹ The king made an oath and said, "As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all trouble, ³⁰ as I vowed to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place,' I will do this today." ³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed down and put her face to the ground and she showed honor to the king and said, "May my master King David live forever!"

³² King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king. ³³ The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your master, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. ³⁴ Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel and blow the ram's horn and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' ³⁵ Then you will come up after him, and he will come and sit on my throne; for he will be king in my place. I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah." ³⁶ Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Let it be so! May Yahweh, the God of my master the king, confirm it. ³⁷ As Yahweh has been with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David."

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride upon King David's mule; they brought him to Gihon. ³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram's horn, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!" ⁴⁰ Then all the people went up after him, and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.

⁴¹ Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the ram's horn, he said, "Why is there an uproar in the city?" ⁴² While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest came. Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news." ⁴³ Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "Our master King David has made Solomon the king, ⁴⁴ and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Kerethites and the Pelethites. They have had Solomon ride on the king's mule. ⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. ⁴⁶ Also, Solomon is sitting on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our master King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed down on the bed. ⁴⁸ The king also said, 'Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has given a person to sit on my throne this day, and that my own eyes should see it.'"

⁴⁹ Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified. They stood up and each man went his way. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid of Solomon and rose up, went, and took hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ Then it was told Solomon, saying, "See, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'" ⁵² Solomon said, "If he will show himself a worthy man, not a hair of his will fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he will die." ⁵³ So King Solomon sent men, who brought Adonijah down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

¹ As the day of David's death approached, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, ² "I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. ³ Keep the commands of Yahweh your God to walk in his ways, to obey his statutes, his commandments, his decisions, and his covenant decrees, being careful to do what is written in the law of Moses, so you may prosper in all you do, wherever you go, ⁴ so that Yahweh may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your descendants carefully watch their conduct, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, you will never cease to have a man on the throne of Israel.' ⁵ You know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner, and to Amasa son of Jether, whom he killed. He shed the blood of war in peace and put the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Deal with Joab by the wisdom you have learned, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. ⁷ However, show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. ⁸ Look, there is with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. Shimei came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' ⁹ Now therefore do not let him go free from punishment. You are a wise man, and you will know what you ought to do to him. You will bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood."

¹⁰ Then David lay down with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. ¹¹ The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He had reigned for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ¹² Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

¹³ Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, "Do you come peacefully?" He replied, "Peacefully." ¹⁴ Then he said, "I have something to say to you." So she replied, "Speak." ¹⁵ Adonijah said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel expected me to be king. But things changed, and the kingdom was given to my brother, for it was his from Yahweh. ¹⁶ Now I have one request of you, and do not turn away from my face." Bathsheba said to him, "Speak." ¹⁷ He said, "Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn away from your face, so that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife." ¹⁸ Bathsheba said, "Very well, I will speak to the king."

¹⁹ Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne brought for the king's mother. She sat at his right hand. ²⁰ Then she said, "I wish to ask one small request of you, for you will not turn away from my face." The king answered her, "Ask, my mother, for I will not turn away from your face." ²¹ She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife." ²² King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also, for he is my elder brother—for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah?" ²³ Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. ²⁴ Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah will be put to death today." ²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Benaiah found Adonijah and put him to death.

²⁶ Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth, to your own fields. You are worthy of death, but I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord Yahweh before David my father and suffered in every way my father suffered." ¹ ²⁷ So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfill the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

²⁸ The news came to Joab, for Joab had supported Adonijah, though he had not supported Absalom. So Joab fled to the tent of Yahweh and took hold of the horns of the altar. ²⁹ It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was now beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, execute him." ³⁰ So Benaiah came to the tent of Yahweh and said to him, "The king says, 'Come out.'" Joab replied, "No, I will die here." So Benaiah returned to the king, saying, "Joab said he wanted to die at the altar." ³¹ The king said to him, "Do as he has said. Kill him and bury him so that you may take away from me and from my father's house the blood that Joab shed without cause. ³² May Yahweh return his blood on his own head, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men more righteous and better than himself and killed them with the sword, Abner son of Ner, the captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, the captain of the army of Judah. ³³ So may their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But to David and his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, may there be peace forever from Yahweh." ³⁴ Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and attacked Joab and killed him. He was buried in his own house in the wilderness. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and he put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.

³⁶ Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any other place. ³⁷ For on the day you go out, and pass over the Kidron Valley, know you for certain that you will surely die. Your blood will be on your own head." ³⁸ So Shimei said to the king, "What you say is good. As my master the king has said, so your servant will do." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

³⁹ But at the end of three years, two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maakah, the king of Gath. So they told Shimei, saying, "See, your servants are in Gath." ⁴⁰ Then Shimei arose, saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to seek his servants. He went and brought his servants back from Gath. ⁴¹ When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, ⁴² the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by Yahweh and testify to you, saying, 'Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any other place, you will surely die'? Then you said to me, 'What I have heard is good.' ⁴³ Why then have you not kept your oath to Yahweh and the command that I gave you?" ⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wickedness that you did to my father David. Therefore Yahweh will return your wickedness on your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever." ⁴⁶ Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. He went out and put Shimei to death.

So the kingdom was well established in Solomon's hand.

¹The ancient Greek translation simply has, the ark of Yahweh .

¹ Solomon allied himself by marriage 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, the house of Yahweh, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Yahweh. ³ Solomon showed his love for Yahweh by walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

⁴ The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place there. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ Yahweh appeared at Gibeon to Solomon in a dream by night; he said, "Ask! What should I give you?" ⁶ So Solomon said, "You have shown great covenant faithfulness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you in trustworthiness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart. You have kept for him this great covenant faithfulness and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ Now Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father, though I am only a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ Your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?"

¹⁰ This request of Solomon pleased the Lord. ¹¹ So God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ¹² see, now I will do all you asked of me when you gave me your request. I give you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, and no one like you will rise up after you. ¹³ I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. ¹⁴ If you will walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

¹⁶ Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One woman said, "Oh, my master, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child with her in the house. ¹⁸ It happened on the third day after I gave birth that this woman also gave birth. We were together. There was no one else with us in the house, but only the two of us in the house. ¹⁹ Then this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son at my breast. ²¹ When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, he was dead. But when I had looked at him carefully in the morning, he was not my son, whom I had borne." ²² Then the other woman said, "No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." The first woman said, "No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." This is how they spoke before the king.

²³ Then the king said, "One of you says, 'This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,' and the other says, 'No, your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'" ²⁴ The king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵ Then the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to this woman and half to the other." ²⁶ Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king, for her heart was full of compassion for her son, and she said, "Oh, my master, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other woman said, "He will be neither mine nor yours. Divide him." ²⁷ Then the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother." ²⁸ When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him for giving judgments.

¹ King Solomon was king over all Israel. ² These were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.

³ Elihoreph and Ahijah sons of Shisha, were secretaries. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder.

⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the army. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. ¹

⁵ Azariah son of Nathan was over the officers. Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and the king's friend.

⁶ Ahishar was over the household. Adoniram son of Abda was over the men who were subjected to 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 Ben-Deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Bethhanan;

¹⁰ Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Sokoh and all the land of Hepher);

¹¹ Ben-Abinadab, in all Naphoth Dor (he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);

¹² Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth Shan that is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

¹³ Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead (to him belonged the towns of Jair son of Manasseh, that are in Gilead, and the region of Argob belonged to him, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze gate bars);

¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

¹⁵ Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon as his wife);

¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth;

¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar;

¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;

¹⁹ and Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan, and he was the only deputy who was in the land.

²⁰ Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea. They were eating and drinking and were rejoicing. ²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River 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 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ²³ ten head of cattle fattened in the stall, twenty head of cattle taken from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. ²⁴ For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River, from Tiphsah as far as to Gaza, over all the kings on this side of the River, and he had peace on all sides around him. ²⁵ Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. ²⁶ Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷ Those officers provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, every man in his month. They let nothing be lacking. ²⁸ They also brought to the proper place barley and straw for the chariot horses and riding horses, each one bringing in what he was able.

²⁹ God gave Solomon great wisdom and understanding, and wideness of understanding like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon's wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol—and his fame reached all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were 1,005 in number. ³³ He described the plants, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He explained also about animals, birds, creeping things, and fish. ³⁴ People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon. They came from all kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

¹The ancient Greek translation supports the opinion of some modern scholars that Zadok and Abiathar were priests was a later addition to the text.

¹ Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon for he had heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father; for Hiram had always loved David. ² Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, ³ "You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of Yahweh his God because of the wars that surrounded him, for during his lifetime Yahweh was putting his enemies under the soles of his feet. ⁴ But now, Yahweh my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor disaster. ⁵ So I intend to build a temple for the name of Yahweh my God, as Yahweh spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, will build the temple for my name.' ⁶ Now therefore command that they cut cedars from Lebanon for me. My servants will join your servants, and I will pay you for your servants so that you are paid fairly for everything you agreed to do. For you know 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, "May Yahweh be blessed today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people." ⁸ Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I will provide all the wood of cedar and cypress that you desire. ⁹ My servants will bring the trees down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you direct me. I will have them broken up there, and you will take them away. You will do what I desire by giving food for my household."

¹⁰ So Hiram gave Solomon all the timber of cedar and fir that he desired. ¹¹ Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat for food to his household and twenty thousand baths of pure oil. Solomon gave this to Hiram year by year. ¹ ¹² Yahweh gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

¹³ King Solomon conscripted labor out of all Israel. The forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts. One month they were in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was over the men who were subjected to forced labor. ¹⁵ Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens and eighty thousand who were stonecutters in the mountains, ¹⁶ besides Solomon's 3,300 chief officers who were over the work and who supervised the workers. ¹⁷ At the king's command they quarried large precious stones with which to lay the foundation of the temple. ¹⁸ So Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the men from Byblos ² did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stones to build the temple.

¹Some ancient Hebrew copies have: twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand cors . Other ancient copies read: twenty thousand cors ... twenty thousand baths , which we are following here.

²Some modern English translations read, Gebalites .

¹ So Solomon began to build the temple of Yahweh. This happened in the 480th 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. ² The temple that King Solomon built for Yahweh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. ³ The portico in front of the temple's main hall was twenty cubits in length, equal to the width of the temple, and ten cubits deep in front of the temple. ⁴ For the house he made windows with frames that made them more narrow at the outside than on the inside. ⁵ Against the walls of the main chamber he built rooms around it, around both the outer room and the inner room. He built rooms all around the sides. ⁶ The lowest story was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide. For on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around so that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house. ⁷ The house was built of stones prepared at the quarry. No hammer, ax, or any iron tool was heard in the house while it was being built. ⁸ On the south side of the temple there was an entrance at the ground level, then one went up by stairs to the middle level, and from the middle to the third level. ⁹ So Solomon built the temple and finished it; he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He built the side rooms against the inner chambers of the temple, each side five cubits high; they were joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

¹¹ The word of Yahweh came to Solomon, saying, ¹² "Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in my statutes and do justice, keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will confirm my promise with you that I had made to David your father. ¹³ I will live among the people of Israel and will not abandon them."

¹⁴ So Solomon built the house and finished it. ¹⁵ Then he built the interior walls of the house with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with cypress boards. ¹⁶ He built twenty cubits onto the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built this room to be the inner room, the most holy place. ¹⁷ The main hall, that is, the holy place that was in front of the most holy place, was forty cubits long. ¹⁸ There was cedar inside the house, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar inside. No stonework was visible on the inside. ¹⁹ Solomon prepared the inner room inside the house in order to place the ark of the covenant of Yahweh there. ²⁰ The inner room was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height. Solomon overlaid the walls with pure gold and covered the altar with cedar wood. ²¹ Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he placed chains of gold across the front of the inner room, and overlaid the front with gold. ²² He overlaid the entire interior with gold until all the temple was finished. He also overlaid with gold the whole altar that belonged to the inner room.

²³ Solomon made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high, for the inner room. ²⁴ One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and its other wing was also five cubits long. So from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other there was a distance of ten cubits. ²⁵ The other cherub also had a wingspan of ten cubits. Both the cherubim were of the same dimensions and shape. ²⁶ The height of one cherub was ten cubits and the other cherub was the same. ²⁷ Solomon placed the cherubim in the innermost room. The wings of the cherubim were stretched out so that the wing of one touched one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. Their wings touched one another in the middle of the most holy place. ²⁸ Solomon overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹ He carved all the walls of the house around about with figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, in the outer and inner rooms. ³⁰ Solomon overlaid the floor of the house with gold, in both the outer and inner rooms. ³¹ Solomon made doors of olivewood for the entrance to the inner room. The lintel and doorposts had five indented sections. ³² So he made two doors of olivewood, and he made on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and he spread the gold on the cherubim and palm trees. ³³ In this way, Solomon also made for the temple entrance doorposts of olive wood having four indented sections ³⁴ and two doors 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 on them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and he evenly overlaid gold on the carved work. ³⁶ He built the inner courtyard with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.

³⁷ The foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid in the fourth year, 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 conforming to all its specifications. Solomon took seven years to build the temple.

¹ Solomon took thirteen years to build his own palace. ² He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width was fifty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits. The palace was built with four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. ³ The house was roofed with cedar that rested on beams. Those beams were supported by pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row. ⁴ There were beams in three rows, and each window was opposite another window in three sets. ⁵ All the doors and posts were made square with beams, and window was opposite window in three sets. ⁶ There was a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front and pillars and a roof. ⁷ Solomon built the hall of the throne where he was to judge, the hall of justice. It was covered with cedar from the floor to the ceiling. ¹ ⁸ Solomon's house in which he was to live, in another courtyard within the palace grounds, was designed in a similar way. He also built a house like this for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken as a wife.

⁹ These buildings were adorned with costly hewn stones, precisely measured and cut with a saw and smoothed on all sides. These stones were used from the foundation to the stones on top, and also on the outside to the great court. ¹⁰ The foundation was constructed with very large, costly stones of eight and ten cubits in length. ¹¹ Above were costly hewn stones precisely cut to size, and cedar beams. ¹² The great courtyard surrounding the palace had three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams like the courtyard of the temple of Yahweh and the temple portico.

¹³ King Solomon sent for Huram and brought him from Tyre. ¹⁴ Huram was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali; his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill to do great work with bronze. He came to King Solomon to work with bronze for the king. ¹⁵ Huram fashioned the two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference. ¹⁶ He made two capitals of polished bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of each capital was five cubits. ¹⁷ Checker latticework and wreaths of chain work for the capitals decorated the top of the pillars, seven for each capital. ¹⁸ So Huram made two rows of pomegranates around the top of each pillar to decorate their capitals. ¹⁹ The capitals on the tops of the portico pillars were decorated with lilies, four cubits high. ²⁰ The capitals on these two pillars also included, close to their very top, two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. ²¹ He raised up the pillars at the temple portico. The pillar on the right was named Jakin, and the pillar on the left was named Boaz. ²² On the top of the pillars were decorations like lilies. The fashioning of the pillars was done in this way.

²³ Huram made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and it was thirty cubits in circumference. ²⁴ Under the brim encircling the sea were gourds, ten in each cubit, cast in one piece with it when that basin was cast. ²⁵ The sea stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. It was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside. ²⁶ The sea was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. The sea held two thousand baths of water.

²⁷ Huram made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long and four cubits wide, and the height was three cubits. ²⁸ The work of the stands was like this. They had panels that stood between frames, ²⁹ and on the panels and on the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hammered work. ³⁰ Every stand had four bronze wheels and axles, and its four corners had supports beneath for the basin. The supports were cast with wreaths on the side of each one. ³¹ The opening was round like a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide, and was within a crown that rose up a cubit. On the opening were engravings, and their panels were square, not round. ³² The four wheels were underneath the panels, and the axles of the wheels and their housings were in the stand. The height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. ³³ The wheels were forged like chariot wheels. Their housings, rims, spokes, and hubs were all cast metal. ³⁴ There were four handles at the four corners of each stand, forged into the stand itself. ³⁵ In the top of the stands there was a round band half a cubit deep, and on the top of the stand its supports and panels were attached. ³⁶ On the surfaces of the supports and on the panels Huram engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees that covered the space available, and they were surrounded by wreaths. ³⁷ He made the ten stands in this manner. All of them were cast in the same molds, and they had one size, and the same shape.

³⁸ Huram made ten basins of bronze. One basin could hold forty baths of water. Each basin was four cubits across and there was one basin on each of ten stands. ³⁹ He made five stands on the south-facing side of the temple and five on the north-facing side of the temple. He set the sea on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple.

⁴⁰ Huram made the basins and the shovels and the sprinkling bowls. Then he finished all the work that he did for King Solomon in the temple of Yahweh:

⁴¹ the two pillars, and the bowl-like capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two sets of decorative latticework to cover the two bowl like capitals that were on top of the pillars.

⁴² He made the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of decorative latticework (two rows of pomegranates for each set of latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on the pillars);

⁴³ the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands.

⁴⁴ He made the large basin called the sea with its twelve oxen under it;

⁴⁵ also the pots, shovels, basins, and all the other implements. Huram made them out of polished bronze, for King Solomon, for the temple of Yahweh. ⁴⁶ The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Sukkoth and Zarethan. ⁴⁷ Solomon did not weigh all the utensils because there were too many to weigh, because the weight of the bronze could not be measured.

⁴⁸ Solomon had made all the furnishings that were in the temple of Yahweh out of gold: the golden altar and the table on which the bread of the presence was to be placed;

⁴⁹ the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner room, were of pure gold, and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs were of gold.

⁵⁰ Solomon also had made the cups, lamp trimmers, basins, spoons, and incense burners, all of which were made of pure gold; he had sockets of gold made for the doors of the inner room (which was the most holy place), and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

⁵¹ In this way, all the work that King Solomon directed for the house of Yahweh was finished. So Solomon brought in the things that were set apart by David, his father, and the silver, the gold, and the furnishings, and put them into the storerooms of the house of Yahweh.

¹There was a repetition of the word for floor in the Hebrew copies, but see 1 Kings 6:16 for a similiar expression, that reads from the floor to the rafters and which appears to have been intended here.

¹ Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of the people of Israel, before himself in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. ² All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the feast, in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. ³ All the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. ⁴ They brought up the ark of Yahweh, the tent of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought these things up. ⁵ King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel came together before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted. ⁶ The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner room of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ For the cherubim spread out their wings to the place of the ark, and they covered the ark and the poles by which it was carried. ⁸ The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner room, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day. ⁹ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ It came about that when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of Yahweh. ¹¹ The priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled his house.

¹² Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said

that he would live in thick darkness,

¹³ But I have built you a lofty residence,

a place for you to live in forever."

¹⁴ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ¹⁵ He said, "May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised, who spoke to David my father, and has fulfilled it with his own hands, 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, in order for my name to be there. However, I chose David to rule over my people Israel.' ¹⁷ Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁸ But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart. ¹⁹ Nevertheless you will not build the house; instead, your son, one who will be born from your loins, will build the house for my name.' ²⁰ Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ²¹ I have made a place for the ark there, in which is Yahweh's covenant, which he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt."

²² Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh, before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens. ²³ He said, "Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below, who keeps his covenant faithfulness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; ²⁴ you who have kept with your servant David my father, what you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. ²⁵ Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, carry out what you have promised to your servant David my father, when you said, 'You will not fail to have a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful to walk before me, as you have walked before me.' ²⁶ Now then, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

²⁷ But will God actually live on the earth? Look, the entire universe and heaven itself cannot contain you—how much less can this temple that I have built! ²⁸ Yet please respect this prayer of your servant and his humble request, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and prayer that your servant prays before you today. ²⁹ May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, to the place about which you have said, 'My name and my presence will be there'—in order to listen to the prayers that your servant will pray toward this place. ³⁰ So listen to the humble request of your servant and of your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and when you listen, forgive.

³¹ If a man sins against his neighbor and is required to swear an oath, and if he comes and swears an oath before your altar in this house, ³² listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the wicked and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.

³³ When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and seek your favor in this temple— ³⁴ then please listen in the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel; bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.

³⁵ When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because the people have sinned against you—if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you have afflicted them— ³⁶ then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk. Send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

³⁷ Suppose there is famine in the land, or suppose that there is disease, blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; or suppose that an enemy attacks the city gates in their land, or that there is any plague or sickness— ³⁸ and suppose then that prayers and humble requests are made by a person or by all your people Israel—each knowing the plague in his own heart as he spreads out his hands toward this temple. ³⁹ Then listen from heaven, the place where you live, forgive and act, and reward every person for all he does; you know his heart, because you and you only know the hearts of all human beings. ⁴⁰ Do this so that they may fear you all the days that they live on the land that you gave to our ancestors.

⁴¹ In addition, concerning the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel: When he comes from a distant country because of your name— ⁴² for they will hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your raised arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, ⁴³ then please listen from heaven, the place where you live, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you. Do this so that all the peoples on earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel. Do this so they might know that this house I have built is called by your name.

⁴⁴ Suppose that your people go out to battle against an enemy, by whatever way you may send them, and suppose that they pray to you, Yahweh, toward the city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name. ⁴⁵ Then listen in the heavens to their prayer and their request, and help their cause.

⁴⁶ Suppose that they sin against you, since there is no one who does not sin, and suppose that you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that the enemy takes them away captive to their land, whether distant or near. ⁴⁷ Then suppose that they realize they are in the land where they have been exiled, and suppose that they repent and seek favor from you from the land of their captors. Suppose that they say, 'We have acted perversely and sinned. We have behaved wickedly.' ⁴⁸ Suppose that they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who captured them, and suppose that they pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, and toward the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name. ⁴⁹ Then from heaven, the place where you live, listen to their prayer and their request for help, and you will make matters right for them. ⁵⁰ Forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, and cause their captors to have compassion on them. ⁵¹ They are your people and your inheritance, whom you rescued out of Egypt as if from the middle of a furnace where iron is forged. ⁵² May your eyes be open to the humble request of your servant and to the requests of your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they cry to you. ⁵³ For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to belong to you and receive your promises, just as you explained by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Yahweh."

⁵⁴ So it was that when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and request for favor to Yahweh, he arose from before the altar of Yahweh, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward the heavens. ⁵⁵ He stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying, ⁵⁶ "May Yahweh be praised, who has given rest to his people Israel, keeping all his promises. Not one word has failed out of all Yahweh's good promises that he made with Moses his servant. ⁵⁷ May Yahweh our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us, ⁵⁸ that he may incline our hearts to him, to live in all his ways and keep his commandments and his regulations and his statutes, which he commanded our fathers. ⁵⁹ Let these words I have spoken, by which I have sought the favor of Yahweh, be near Yahweh our God day and night, so that he may help the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as every day will require; ⁶⁰ that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh, he is God, and there is no other God! ⁶¹ Therefore let your heart be true to Yahweh our God, to walk in his statutes and keep his commandments, as on this day."

⁶² So the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices to Yahweh. ⁶³ Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand cattle and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of Yahweh. ⁶⁴ The same day the king set apart the middle of the courtyard in front of the temple of Yahweh, for there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too small to receive the burnt offering, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship 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 Yahweh our God for seven days and also for another seven days, a total of fourteen days. ⁶⁶ On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their tents with joyful and glad hearts for all the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, his servant, and to Israel, his people.

¹ After Solomon had finished building the house of Yahweh and the king's palace, and after he had accomplished all that he desired to do, ² Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ Then Yahweh said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your request for favor that you have made before me. I have set apart this house, which you have built, to myself, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. ⁴ As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, obeying all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my decrees, ⁵ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'A descendant of yours will never fail to be on the throne of Israel.' ⁶ But if you turn away, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have placed before you, and if you go and worship other gods and bow down to them, ⁷ then will I cut off Israel from off the ground that I have given them; and this house that I have set apart to my name, I will cast it out of my sight, and Israel will become an example to be mocked and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ⁸ This temple will become a heap of ruins, and everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?' ⁹ Others will answer, 'Because they abandoned Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'" ¹⁰ It came about at the end of twenty years that Solomon had finished building the two buildings, the temple of Yahweh and the king's palace. ¹¹ Now Hiram, the king of Tyre, had furnished Solomon with cedar and cypress trees, and with gold—all that Solomon desired—so King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. ¹² Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, but they did not please him. ¹³ So Hiram said, "What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?" Hiram called them the Land of Kabul, which they are still called today. ¹⁴ Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

¹⁵ This is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon imposed to build the temple of Yahweh and his own palace, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. ¹⁶ Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites in the city. Then Pharaoh gave the city to his daughter, Solomon's wife, as a wedding gift. ¹⁷ So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and Beth Horon the Lower, ¹⁸ Baalath and Tamar ¹ in the wilderness in the land of Judah, ¹⁹ and all the store cities that he possessed, and the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever he wished to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the lands under his rule. ²⁰ As for 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 not able to totally destroy—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day. ²² However, Solomon made no forced laborers of the people of Israel. They were his soldiers, his servants, his officials, his officers, and commanders of his chariot forces and his horsemen.

²³ These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who were over Solomon's works, 550 of them, who supervised the people who did the work.

²⁴ Pharaoh's daughter moved from the city of David to the house that Solomon had built for her. Later, Solomon built the Millo.

²⁵ Three times each year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built for Yahweh, burning incense with them on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he completed the temple and was now using it.

²⁶ King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. ²⁷ Hiram sent servants to Solomon's fleet, sailors who were familiar with the sea, with Solomon's own servants. ²⁸ They went to Ophir with servants of Solomon. From there they brought back 420 talents of gold for King Solomon.

¹ When the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to test him with hard questions. ² She came to Jerusalem with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she arrived, she told Solomon all that was in her heart. ³ Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing she asked that the king did not answer. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw all Solomon's wisdom, the palace that he had built, ⁵ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the work of his servants and their clothing, also his cupbearers, and the manner in which he offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh, there was no more breath in her. ⁶ She said to the king, "It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom. ⁷ I did not believe the message until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me! In wisdom and wealth you have exceeded the report that I heard. ⁸ How blessed are your wives, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom. ¹ ⁹ May Yahweh your God be praised, who has taken pleasure in you, who placed you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, he has made you king, for you to do justice and righteousness!" ¹⁰ She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. No greater amount of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was ever given to him again.

¹¹ The fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a large amount of almug wood and precious stones. ¹² The king made almug wood pillars for the temple of Yahweh and for the king's palace, and harps and lutes for the singers. No such quantity of almug wood has ever come or been seen again to this day.

¹³ King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything she wished for, whatever she asked, in addition to what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she returned 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 the gold that the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors in the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁶ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each one. ¹⁷ He also made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into each shield; the king put them into the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁸ Then the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the finest gold. ¹⁹ There were six steps to the throne, and the back of it had a rounded top. There were armrests on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. ²⁰ Twelve lions stood on the steps, one on each side of each of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. ²¹ All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the drinking cups in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were silver, because silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's days. ²² The king had at sea a fleet of ships of Tarshish, along with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet brought gold, silver, and ivory, as well as apes and baboons.

²³ So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom. ²⁴ All the earth sought the presence of Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Those who visited brought tribute, vessels of silver and of gold, and clothes, armor, and spices, as well as horses and mules, year after year.

²⁶ Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he stationed in the chariot cities and with himself in Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king had silver in Jerusalem, as much as the stones on the ground. He made cedar wood to be as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that are in the lowlands. ²⁸ The horses that belonged to Solomon were imported from Egypt, and Kue and the king's merchants purchased them from Kue. ²⁹ Chariots were brought up from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver each, and horses for 150 shekels each. Many of these were then sold to all the kings of the Hittites and Aram.

¹Some Hebrew copies have: How blessed are your men . The ancient Greek translation has How blessed are your wives . Many think it is probable that women was misread as men , because two Hebrew words are very similar.

¹ Now King Solomon loved many foreign women including the daughter of Pharaoh—women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. ² They were from the nations about which Yahweh said to the people of Israel, "You will not go among them to marry, neither will they come among you, for they will certainly turn your heart to their gods." In spite of this command, Solomon was affectionate toward these women in love. ³ Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. ⁴ For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; his heart was not fully surrendered to Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵ For Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and he followed Molech, the disgusting idol of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not fully follow Yahweh as David his father had done. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting idol of Moab, on a hill east of Jerusalem, and also for Molech, the disgusting idol of the people of Ammon. ⁸ He also built high places for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods at them.

⁹ Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from him, the God of Israel, even though he had appeared to him twice ¹⁰ and commanded him about this very thing, that he should not go after other gods. But Solomon did not obey what Yahweh commanded. ¹¹ Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because you have done this and have not kept the covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. ¹² However, for David your father's sake, I will not do it in your lifetime, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for David my servant's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

¹⁴ Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was from the royal family of Edom. ¹⁵ When David was in Edom, Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the dead, every man who had been killed in Edom. ¹⁶ Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had killed every male in Edom. ¹⁷ But Hadad fled to Egypt with other Edomites, his father's servants, when Hadad was still a little child. ¹⁸ They left Midian and came to Paran, from where they took men with them to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and land and food. ¹⁹ Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that Pharaoh gave him a wife, his own wife's sister, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰ The sister of Tahpenes gave birth to Hadad's son. They named him Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh's palace. So Genubath lived in Pharaoh's palace among the children of Pharaoh. ²¹ While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had lain down with his ancestors and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, so I may go to my own country." ²² Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that you now seek to go to your own country?" Hadad answered, "Nothing. Please let me go."

²³ God also raised up another adversary to Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴ Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a marauding band when David killed the men of Zobah. Rezon's men went to Damascus and lived there, and Rezon reigned in Damascus. ²⁵ He was an enemy of Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the trouble that Hadad caused. Rezon abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

²⁶ Then Jeroboam 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 He lifted up his hand against the king because Solomon had built up the place located at Millo and repaired the opening in the city wall of David his father. ²⁸ Jeroboam was a man of great ability. Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, so he appointed him over all the labor of the house of Joseph. ²⁹ At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed in a new garment and the two men were alone in the field. ³⁰ Then Ahijah grabbed hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. ³¹ He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Look, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and I will give ten tribes to you ³² (but Solomon will have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake—the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), ³³ because they have abandoned me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the people of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my decrees, as did David his father. ³⁴ I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand. I have made him ruler all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, the one who kept my commandments and my statutes. ³⁵ But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and I will give it to you, ten tribes. ³⁶ I will give one tribe to Solomon's son, so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I have chosen to put my name. ³⁷ I will take you, and you will rule to fulfill all that you desire, and you will be king over Israel. ³⁸ If you listen to all that I command you, and if you walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. ³⁹ I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.'" ⁴⁰ So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam got up and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

⁴¹ As for the other matters concerning Solomon, all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the events of Solomon? ⁴² Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ⁴³ He lay down with his ancestors and he was buried in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son became king in his place.

¹ Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel was coming to Shechem to make him king. ² It happened that Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of this (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), for Jeroboam had settled down in Egypt. ¹ ³ So 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 make lighter the hard work of your father and make lighter the heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you." ⁵ Rehoboam said to them, "Go away for three days, then come back to me." So the people went away.

⁶ King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer this people?" ⁷ They spoke to him and said, "If you will be a servant today to these people and serve them, and answer them by saying good words to them, then they will always be your servants." ⁸ But Rehoboam ignored the advice that the old men had given him and he consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. ⁹ He said to them, "What advice do you give me that we may answer the people who spoke to me and said, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?" ¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam spoke to him, saying, "Speak to these people who told you that your father Solomon made their yoke heavy but that you must make it lighter. You should say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. ¹¹ So now, although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.'"

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had instructed when he said, "Come back to me on the third day." ¹³ The king answered the people roughly and ignored the advice of the old men that they had given him. ¹⁴ He spoke to them following the advice of the young men; he said, "My father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions." ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events brought about by Yahweh, that he might carry out his word that he had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered him and said,

"What share do we have in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse!

Go to your tents, Israel.

Now see to your own house, David."

So Israel went back to their tents.

¹⁷ But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam became king over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the forced laborers, but all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam fled quickly in his chariot to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. ²⁰ It happened that when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to their assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the family of David, except only the tribe of Judah.

²¹ When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin; there were 180,000 chosen men who were soldiers, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. ²² But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God; it said, ²³ "Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people; say, ²⁴ 'Yahweh says this: You must not attack or fight against your brothers the people of Israel. Each man must return to his home, for this thing has been made to happen by me.'" So they listened to the word of Yahweh and turned back and went their way, and they obeyed his word.

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. He went out from there and built Peniel. ²⁶ Jeroboam thought in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of these people will turn again to their master, to Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." ²⁸ So King Jeroboam sought advice and made two calves of gold; he said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, these are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." ²⁹ He set up one in Bethel and the other in Dan. ³⁰ So this act became a sin. The people went to one or the other, all the way to Dan. ³¹ Jeroboam made houses on high places and he also made priests from among all the people, who were not among the sons of Levi. ³² Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places he had made. ³³ Jeroboam went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month he had planned in his own mind; he ordained a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

¹2 Chronicles 10:2 is very close to 1 Kings 12:2, that is, the Hebrew consonants are identical, and could support either reading, "settled down" or "returned." The alternate reading would be: then Jeroboam returned from Egypt .

¹ A man of God came out of Judah by the word of Yahweh to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. ² He cried against the altar by the word of Yahweh: "Altar, altar! This is what Yahweh says, 'See, a son named Josiah will be born to the family of David, and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now burn incense on you. On you they will burn human bones.'" ³ Then the man of God gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign that Yahweh has spoken: 'Look, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes on it will be poured out.'" ⁴ When the king heard what the man of God said, that he had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam reached out with his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him." Then the hand with which he had reached out against the man dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. ⁵ (The altar was also split apart and the ashes poured out from the altar, as described by the sign that the man of God had given by the word of Yahweh.) ⁶ King Jeroboam answered and said to the man of God, "Plead for the favor of Yahweh your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me again." So the man of God prayed to Yahweh, and the king's hand was restored to him again, and it became as it was before. ⁷ The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." ⁸ The man of God said to the king, "Even if you give me half your possessions, I will not go with you, nor will I eat food or drink water in this place, ⁹ because Yahweh commanded me by his word, 'You will eat no bread nor drink water, nor return by the way that you came.'" ¹⁰ So the man of God left another way and did not return to his home by the way that he had come to Bethel.

¹¹ Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the things that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told him the words that the man of God had spoken to the king. ¹² Their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" Now his sons had seen the way the man of God from Judah had gone. ¹³ So he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey and he rode off on it. ¹⁴ The old prophet went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree; and he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" He answered, "I am." ¹⁵ Then the old prophet said to him, "Come home with me and eat food." ¹⁶ The man of God answered, "I may not return with you nor go in with you, neither will I eat food nor drink water with you in this place, ¹⁷ because it was commanded to me by the word of Yahweh, 'You will eat no food nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.'" ¹⁸ So the old prophet said to him, "I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat food and drink water.'" But he was lying to the man of God. ¹⁹ So the man of God went back with the old prophet and ate food in his house and drank water.

²⁰ As they sat at the table, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who had brought him back, ²¹ and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Yahweh says, 'Because you have been disobedient to the word of Yahweh and have not kept the command that Yahweh your God gave you, ²² but came back and have eaten food and drunk water in the place about which Yahweh told you to eat no food and drink no water, your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.'" ²³ After he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the prophet saddled the donkey of the man of God, the man who had come back with him. ²⁴ When the man of God was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left on the road. Then the donkey stood by it, and the lion also stood by the body. ²⁵ When men passed by and saw the body left on the road, and the lion standing by the body, they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

²⁶ When the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh gave him to the lion, which tore him to pieces and killed him, just as the word of Yahweh warned him." ²⁷ So the old prophet spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle my donkey," and they saddled it. ²⁸ He went and found the body left in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor attacked the donkey. ²⁹ The prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to his own city to mourn and to bury him. ³⁰ He laid the body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, "Woe, my brother!" ³¹ Then after he had buried him, the old prophet spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. ³² For the message he declared by the word of Yahweh, against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses on the high places in the cities of Samaria, will certainly happen."

³³ After this Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but continued to appoint common priests for the high places from among all sorts of people. Any who would serve he consecrated as a priest. ³⁴ This matter became sin to the family of Jeroboam and caused his family to be destroyed and to be exterminated from the face of the earth.

¹ At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became very sick. ² Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please arise and disguise yourself, so you will not be recognized as my wife, and go to Shiloh, because Ahijah the prophet is there; he is the one who spoke about me, saying that I would become king over these people. ³ Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to Ahijah. He will tell you what will happen to the child." ⁴ Jeroboam's wife did so; she left and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; he lost his sight because of old age. ⁵ Yahweh said to Ahijah, "Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to seek advice from you regarding her son, for he is sick. Say such and such to her, because when she comes, she will act as if she were some other woman."

⁶ 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 someone you are not? I have been sent to you with severe news. ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam that Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I raised you from among the people to make you the leader over my people Israel. ⁸ I tore the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you, yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do only what was right in my eyes. ⁹ Instead, you have done evil, more than all who were before you. You have made other gods, and you have cast metal images to provoke me to anger, and you have thrust me behind your back. ¹⁰ Therefore, look, I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam; I will cut off from you every male child in Israel, whether slave or free, and will completely remove the house of Jeroboam like someone who burns up dung until it is gone. ¹¹ Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the heavens, for I, Yahweh, have said it.' ¹² So arise, wife of Jeroboam, and go back to your home; when your feet enter the city, the child Abijah will die. ¹³ All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one from Jeroboam's family who will go into a grave, because only in him, out of Jeroboam's house, was anything good found in the sight of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Also, Yahweh will raise up a king of Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam on that day. Today is that day, right now. ¹⁵ For Yahweh will attack Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and he will root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherah poles and provoked Yahweh to anger. ¹⁶ He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, the sins that he has committed, and through which he has led Israel to sin."

¹⁷ So Jeroboam's wife arose and left, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of her house, the child died. ¹⁸ All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as it was told to them by the word of Yahweh which he had spoken by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹ As for the other matters concerning Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, see, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. ²⁰ Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years and then lay down with his ancestors, and Nadab his son became king in his place.

²¹ Now Rehoboam son of Solomon was reigning in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his name. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. ²² Judah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; they provoked him to jealousy with the sins that they committed, more than everything that their fathers had done. ²³ For they also built for themselves high places, stone pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴ There were also cultic prostitutes in the land. They did the same disgusting practices as the nations that Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel.

²⁵ It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. ²⁶ He took away the treasures in the house of Yahweh, and the treasures in the king's house. He took everything away; he also took all the shields of gold that Solomon had made. ²⁷ King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and entrusted them into the hands of the commanders of the guard, who guarded the doors to the king's house. ²⁸ It happened that whenever the king entered the house of Yahweh, the guards would carry them; then they would bring them back into the guardhouse.

²⁹ As for the other matters concerning Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ³⁰ There was constant warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ³¹ So Rehoboam lay down with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. Abijah his son became king in his place.

¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maakah. She was the daughter of Abishalom. ³ He walked in all the sins that his father had committed before his time; his heart was not devoted to Yahweh his God as the heart of David, his ancestor, had been. ⁴ Nevertheless, for David's sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him in order to strengthen Jerusalem. ⁵ God did this because David had done what was right in his eyes; for all the days of his life, he had not turned away from anything that he commanded him, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶ Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijah's life.

⁷ As for the other matters of Abijah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ Abijah lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa his son became king in his place.

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. ¹⁰ He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maakah, the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, as David, his ancestor, had done. ¹² He expelled the cultic prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made. ¹³ He also removed Maakah, his grandmother, from being queen, because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. Asa cut down the disgusting figure and burned it at the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted to Yahweh all his days. ¹⁵ He brought into the house of Yahweh the things that were set apart by his father, and his own things that had been set apart that were made of silver and gold, and vessels.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, all their days. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel, acted aggressively against Judah and built up Ramah, so that he might not allow anyone to leave or enter into the land of Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the storerooms in the house of Yahweh, and the storerooms of the king's palace. He put it into the hands of his servants and sent it to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who lived in Damascus. He said, ¹⁹ "Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent to you a gift of silver and gold. Break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he may leave me alone." ²⁰ Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies, and they attacked the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah, and all Kinnereth, together with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ It came about that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building up Ramah and went back to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones and timbers of Ramah with which Baasha had been building up the city. Then King Asa used that building material to build up Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

²³ As for the other matters of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? But during his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴ Then Asa lay down with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David his father. Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place.

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the way of his father, and in his own sin, by which he led Israel to sin. ²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah, of the family of Issachar, conspired against Nadab; Baasha killed him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸ In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and became king in his place. ²⁹ As soon as he was king, Baasha killed all the family of Jeroboam. He left none of Jeroboam's descendants breathing; in this way he destroyed his royal line, just as Yahweh had spoken by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, ³⁰ for the sins of Jeroboam which he committed and by which he led Israel to sin, in his anger to which he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel.

³¹ As for the other matters concerning Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ³² There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

³³ In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah and he reigned twenty-four years. ³⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin by which he led Israel to sin.

¹ The word of Yahweh came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, ² "Although I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, so as to provoke me to anger with their sins. ³ See, I will consume Baasha and his family and I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. ⁴ The dogs will eat anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the fields."

⁵ As for the other matters concerning Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ⁶ Baasha lay down with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son became king in his place. ⁷ So by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani the word of Yahweh came against Baasha and his family, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of Yahweh, so as to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, like the family of Jeroboam, and also because he had killed all of Jeroboam's family.

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah; he reigned two years. ⁹ His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now Elah was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah. ¹⁰ Zimri went in, attacked him, and put him to death in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah and became king in his place. ¹¹ When Zimri began to reign and was seated on his throne, he killed all the family of Baasha. He did not leave alive a single male belonging to Baasha's relatives or friends. ¹² So Zimri destroyed all the family of Baasha, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, ¹³ for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son that they committed, and by which they had led Israel to sin, so that they provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger with their idols. ¹⁴ As for the other matters concerning Elah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned only for seven days in Tirzah. Now the army was camped by Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶ The army camped there heard it said, "Zimri has plotted and has killed the king." So that day in the camp, all Israel declared Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. ¹⁷ Omri went up from Gibbethon and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. ¹⁸ So when Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the fortress attached to the king's palace and set fire to the building over him; in this way he died in the flames. ¹⁹ This was for the sins that he had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, by walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin that he had committed, so as to lead Israel to sin. ²⁰ As for the other matters concerning Zimri, and the treason that he carried out, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri were stronger than the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. ²³ Omri began to reign over Israel in the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned from Tirzah for six years. ²⁴ He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He built a city on the hill and called the name of the city Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the past owner of the hill. ²⁵ Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and acted more wickedly than all who had been before him. ²⁶ For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins by which he led Israel to sin, to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to be angry with their worthless idols. ²⁷ As for the other matters concerning Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ So Omri lay down with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria and Ahab his son became king in his place.

²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, more than all those who were before him. ³¹ It was to Ahab a trivial thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, so he took as his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; he went and worshiped Baal and bowed down to him. ³² He built an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab made an Asherah pole. Ahab did even more to provoke Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who had been before him. ³⁴ During Ahab's rule, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Hiel laid the foundation of the city at the cost of the life of Abiram, his firstborn son; and Segub, his youngest son, lost his life while he was building the gates of the city, in keeping with the word of Yahweh which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.

¹ Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As Yahweh, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there will not be dew or rain these years unless I say so." ² The word of Yahweh came to Elijah, saying, ³ "Leave from here and go eastward; hide yourself by the brook Kerith, east of the Jordan. ⁴ It will happen that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." ⁵ So Elijah went and did as the word of Yahweh commanded. He went to live by the brook Kerith, east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. ⁷ But after a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

⁸ The word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ⁹ "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." ¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city a widow was there gathering sticks. So he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a jar so that I may drink." ¹¹ As she was going to get water he called to her, and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." ¹² She replied, "As Yahweh your God lives, I do not have any bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug. See, I am gathering two sticks so I may go in and cook it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die." ¹³ Elijah said to her, "Do not fear. Go and do as you have said, but make me a little bread first and bring it out to me. Then afterward make some for you and for your son. ¹⁴ For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar of meal will not empty, neither will the jug of oil stop flowing, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the earth." ¹⁵ So she did as Elijah had told her. She and Elijah, along with her household, ate for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of meal did not empty, neither did the jug of oil stop flowing, just as the word of Yahweh had said, as he had spoken by Elijah.

¹⁷ After these things the woman's son, the woman who owned the house, fell sick. His sickness was so severe that there was no more breath left in him. ¹⁸ So his mother said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Have you come to me to remind me of my iniquity and to kill my son?" ¹⁹ Then Elijah replied to her, "Give me your son." He took the boy from her arms and carried him up into the room where he was staying, and he laid the boy on his own bed. ²⁰ He cried to Yahweh and said, "Yahweh my God, have you also brought disaster on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" ²¹ Then Elijah stretched himself on the child three times; he cried out to Yahweh and said, "Yahweh my God, I beg you, please let this child's life return to him." ²² Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child returned to him, and he revived. ²³ Elijah took the child and brought him out of his room down into the house; he handed the boy to his mother and said, "See, your son is alive." ²⁴ The woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is true."

¹ So after many days the word of Yahweh came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the land." ² Elijah went to show himself to Ahab; now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab called Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Now Obadiah honored Yahweh very much, ⁴ for when Jezebel was killing the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water. ⁵ Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the water springs and brooks. Perhaps we will find grass and save the horses and mules alive, so that we will not lose all the animals." ⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass through it and look for water. Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way.

⁷ As Obadiah was on the road, Elijah unexpectedly met him. Obadiah recognized him and lay facedown on the ground. He said, "Is it you, my master Elijah?" ⁸ Elijah answered him, "It is I. Go tell your master, 'Look, Elijah is here.'" ⁹ Obadiah replied, "How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, for him to kill me? ¹⁰ As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent men to find you. Whenever a nation or kingdom says, 'Elijah is not here,' Ahab makes them take an oath swearing that they could not find you. ¹¹ Yet now you say, 'Go, tell your master that Elijah is here.' ¹² As soon as I am gone from you, the Spirit of Yahweh will carry you some place I do not know. Then when I go and tell Ahab, and when he cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have worshiped Yahweh from my youth. ¹³ Has it not been told to you, my master, what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, how I hid one hundred of Yahweh's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? ¹⁴ Now you say to me, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here,' so that he will kill me." ¹⁵ Then Elijah responded, "As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to Ahab today."

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him what Elijah said. Then the king went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it you? You are the one who brings trouble to Israel!" ¹⁸ Elijah answered, "I have not brought trouble to Israel, but you and your father's family are the ones who have caused trouble by abandoning the commandments of Yahweh and by following the Baals. ¹⁹ Now then, send word and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."

²⁰ So Ahab sent word to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you keep changing your mind? If Yahweh is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, then follow him." Yet the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, "I, I alone, am left as a prophet of Yahweh, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. ²³ So let them give us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. ²⁴ Then you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh, and the God who answers by fire, then let him be God." So all the people answered and said, "This is good."

²⁵ So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many people. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the bull." ²⁶ They took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, hear us." But there was no voice, nor anyone who answered. They danced around the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them and said, "Shout out loudly! He is a god! Perhaps he is thinking, or is relieving himself, or he is traveling on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." ²⁸ So they shouted more loudly, and they cut themselves, as they usually did, with swords and spears, until their blood flowed out over themselves. ²⁹ Midday passed, and they were still raving until the time of offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice or anyone to answer; there was no one who paid any attention to their pleadings.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me," and all the people came near to him. Then he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was lying in ruin. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, each stone representing one of the tribes of the sons of Jacob—it was Jacob to whom the word of Yahweh came, saying, "Israel will be your name." ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh and he dug a trench around the altar large enough to contain two seahs of seeds. ³³ He arranged the wood for a fire, cut the bull in pieces, and laid the pieces of the bull on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." ³⁴ Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time. Once more he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water ran around the altar and filled the trench. ³⁶ It happened at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of 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 Hear me, Yahweh, hear me, that these people may know that you, Yahweh, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again to yourself." ³⁸ Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering, as well as the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw this, they lay facedown on the ground and said, "Yahweh, he is God! Yahweh, he is God!" ⁴⁰ So Elijah said to them, "Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape." So they took them, and Elijah brought the prophets of Baal down to the Kishon River and killed them there.

⁴¹ Elijah said to Ahab, "Get up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of much rain." ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Then Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." His servant went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." So seven times Elijah said, "Go again." ⁴⁴ At the seventh time the servant said, "Look, there is a cloud going up from the sea, as small as a man's hand." Elijah replied, "Go up and say to Ahab, 'Make ready your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" ⁴⁵ It happened that in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel, ⁴⁶ but the hand of Yahweh was on Elijah. He girded his loins 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 like the life of one of those dead prophets by tomorrow about this time." ³ When Elijah heard that, he arose and fled 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. He requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough, now, Yahweh; take away my life, for I am no better than my dead ancestors." ⁵ So he lay down and slept under a broom tree. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." ⁶ Elijah looked, and near his head was bread that had been baked on coals and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and then lay down again. ⁷ The angel of Yahweh came again a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, because the journey will be too much for you." ⁸ So he arose and ate and drank, and he traveled in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

⁹ He went to a cave there and prepared to stay overnight in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him and said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁰ Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life." ¹¹ Yahweh replied, "Go out and stand on the mountain before me." Then Yahweh passed by, and a very strong wind struck the mountains and broke rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind. Then after the wind, an earthquake came, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. ¹² Then after the earthquake a fire came, but Yahweh was not in the fire. Then after the fire, a still small voice came. ¹³ When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁴ Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh, God of hosts, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I, only I, am left and they are also trying to take my life."

¹⁵ Then Yahweh said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive you will anoint Hazael to be king over Aram, ¹⁶ and you will anoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king over Israel, and you will anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It will happen that Jehu will kill whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, and that Elisha will kill whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ But I will leave for myself seven thousand people in Israel, whose knees have not bent down to Baal, and whose mouths have not kissed him."

¹⁹ So Elijah left from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he himself was plowing with the twelfth yoke. Elijah walked over to Elisha and draped his cloak on him. ²⁰ Then Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah; he said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back, but think about what I have done to you." ²¹ So Elisha returned from Elijah and took the yoke of oxen, killed the animals, and cooked the meat with the wood from the ox yoke. Then he gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose, went after Elijah and served him.

¹ Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army together. There were thirty-two lesser kings with him, and horses and chariots. He went up, besieged Samaria and fought against it. ² He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, "Ben-Hadad says this: ³ 'Your silver and your gold are mine. Also your wives and children, the best ones, are now mine.'" ⁴ The king of Israel answered and said, "It is as you say, my master, king. I and all that I have are yours." ⁵ The messengers came again and said, "Ben-Hadad says this, 'I sent word to you saying that you must give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children. ⁶ But I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they will search your house and your servants' houses. They will seize with their own hands and take away everything that delights your eyes.'"

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land together and said, "Please take note and see how this man seeks trouble. He has sent word to me in order to take my wives, children, and silver and gold, and I have not refused him." ⁸ All the elders and all the people said to Ahab, "Do not listen to him or consent to his demands." ⁹ So Ahab said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, "Tell my master the king, 'I agree to everything that you sent your servant to do the first time, but I cannot accept this second demand.'" So the messengers left and took this response to Ben-Hadad. ¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent his reply to Ahab, and said, "May the gods do so to me and more also, if even the ashes of Samaria will be enough for all the people who follow me to have a handful each." ¹¹ The king of Israel answered and said, "Tell Ben-Hadad, 'No one who is girding on his armor should boast as if he were taking it off.'" ¹² Ben-Hadad heard this message as he was drinking, he and the kings under him who were in their tents. Ben-Hadad commanded his servants, "Line yourselves up in position for battle." So they prepared themselves in position of battle to attack the city.

¹³ Then behold, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, "Yahweh says, 'Have you seen this great army? Look, I will place it into your hand today, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'" ¹⁴ Ahab replied, "By whom?" Yahweh replied and said, "By the young officers who serve the governors of the provinces." Then Ahab said, "Who will begin the battle?" Yahweh answered, "You." ¹⁵ Then Ahab mustered the young officers who served the governors of the provinces. They numbered 232. After them he mustered all the soldiers, all the army of Israel; seven thousand in number.

¹⁶ They went out at noon. Ben-Hadad had been drinking himself drunk in his tent, he and the thirty-two lesser kings who were supporting him. ¹⁷ The young officers who served the governors of the provinces went forward first. Then Ben-Hadad was informed by scouts that he had sent out, "Men are coming out from Samaria." ¹⁸ Ben-Hadad said, "Whether they have come out for peace or war, take them alive." ¹⁹ So the young officers who served the governors of the provinces went out of the city and the army followed them. ²⁰ Each man killed his opponent. The Arameans fled and Israel pursued them. Ben-Hadad the king of Aram escaped on a horse along with some horsemen. ²¹ Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

²² So the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself, and understand and plan what you are doing, because at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you again." ²³ The servants of the king of Aram said to him, "Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. But now let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are. ²⁴ So you must do this: Remove all the kings from their positions of authority and replace them with military commanders. ²⁵ Raise up an army like the army you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight them in the plain. Then surely we will be stronger than they are." So Ben-Hadad listened to their advice and did what they advised.

²⁶ After the beginning of the new year, Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ The people of Israel were mustered and supplied to fight against them. The people of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the countryside. ²⁸ Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Yahweh says: 'Because the Arameans have said that Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, I will place this great army into your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh.'" ²⁹ So the armies camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle started. The people of Israel killed 100,000 Aramean footmen in one day. ³⁰ The rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner room.

³¹ Ben-Hadad's servants said to him, "See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life." ³² So they girded sackcloth on their waists and ropes around their heads and then went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'" Ahab said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." ³³ Now the men were listening for any sign from Ahab, so they quickly answered him, "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad is alive." Then Ahab said, "Go and bring him." Then Ben-Hadad came to him, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot. ³⁴ Ben-Hadad said to Ahab, "I will restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may make markets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Ahab replied, "I will let you go with this covenant." So Ahab made a covenant with him and then let him go.

³⁵ A certain man, one of the sons of the prophets, said to one of his companions by the word of Yahweh, "Please hit me." But the man refused to hit him. ³⁶ Then the prophet said to his fellow prophet, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you." As soon as that man had left him, a lion came upon him and killed him. ³⁷ Then the prophet found another man and said, "Please hit me." So the man hit him and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet left and waited for the king by the road; he had disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king passed by, the prophet cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and a soldier stopped and brought a man to me and said, 'Watch this man. If by any means he goes missing, your life will be given for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.' ⁴⁰ But because your servant was busy going here and there, the man escaped." Then the king of Israel said to him, "This is what your punishment will be—you yourself have decided it." ⁴¹ Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. ⁴² The prophet said to the king, "Yahweh says, 'Because you have let go from your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, your life will take the place of his life, and your people for his people.'" ⁴³ So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and angry, and arrived in Samaria.

¹ Now some time later, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. ² Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, so I can have it as a vegetable garden, because it is near my house. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will pay you its value in money." ³ Naboth replied to Ahab, "May Yahweh forbid that I should give the inheritance of my ancestors to you." ⁴ So Ahab went into his palace resentful and angry because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite gave him when he said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors." He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and refused to eat any food.

⁵ Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "Why is your heart so sad, so that you eat no food?" ⁶ He replied to her, "I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money, or if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard to be yours.' Then he answered me, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'" ⁷ So Jezebel his wife replied to him, "Do you not still rule the kingdom of Israel? Get up and eat; let your heart be happy. I will obtain for you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." ⁸ So Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and to the nobles who sat with him in meetings, and who lived near Naboth. ⁹ She wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth above the people. ¹⁰ Also place two worthless men with him and let them testify against him, saying, 'You cursed God and the king.'" Then take him out and stone him to death.

¹¹ So the men of his city, the elders and the noblemen who lived in Naboth's city, did as Jezebel had described to them, as was written in the letters that she had sent to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth above the people. ¹³ The two dishonest men came in and sat before Naboth; they testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed both God and the king." Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then the elders sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned and is dead." ¹⁵ So when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, because Naboth is not alive, but dead." ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and take possession of it.

¹⁷ Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ "Get up and go meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it. ¹⁹ You must speak to him and say that Yahweh says, 'Have you killed and also taken possession?' Then you will tell him that Yahweh says, 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood, yes, your blood.'" ²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" Elijah answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh. ²¹ Yahweh says this to you: 'See, I will bring disaster on you and will completely consume and cut off from Ahab every male child and slave and free man in Israel. ²² I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have led Israel to sin.' ²³ Yahweh has also spoken concerning Jezebel, saying, 'The dogs will eat Jezebel beside the wall of Jezreel.' ²⁴ Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and the birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the field." ²⁵ There was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, whom Jezebel his wife incited to sin. ²⁶ Ahab behaved abhorrently by following idols, just as all that the Amorites had done, those whom Yahweh had removed before the people of Israel.

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and became very sad. ²⁸ Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ "Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the coming disaster in his days; it is in his son's day that I will bring disaster on his family."

¹ Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ² Then it came about that in the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to the king of Israel. ³ Now the king of Israel had said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, but that we are doing nothing to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?" ⁴ So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to war at Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am like you, my people are like your people, and my horses are like your horses."

⁵ Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please seek direction from the word of Yahweh for what you should do first." ⁶ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Should I go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?" They said, "Attack, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." ⁷ But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here yet another prophet of Yahweh from whom we might seek advice?" ⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may seek advice from Yahweh to help, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he does not prophesy anything good about me, but only hardships." But Jehoshaphat said, "May the king not say that." ⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and commanded, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah, right away." ¹⁰ Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, in a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, "Yahweh says this: 'With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed.'" ¹² Then all the prophets prophesied the same, saying, "Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king."

¹³ The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "See now, the words of the prophets declare good things to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like one of them and say good things." ¹⁴ Micaiah replied, "As Yahweh lives, it is what Yahweh says to me that I will say." ¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?" Micaiah answered him, "Attack and win. Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king." ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, "How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?" ¹⁷ So Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered to the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no master. Let every man return to his house in peace.'" ¹⁸ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?" ¹⁹ Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing by him on his right hand and on his left. ²⁰ Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One of them said this and another one said that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward, stood before Yahweh, and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²² The spirit replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.' ²³ Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you."

²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?" ²⁵ Micaiah said, "Look, you will see on that day when you will go to hide in an inner room." ²⁶ The king of Israel said to his servant, "Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son. ²⁷ Say to him, 'The king says, Put this man in prison, and feed him the bread of affliction and the water of affliction until I come safely.'" ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, "If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me." Then he added, "Listen to this, all you people."

²⁹ So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. ³¹ Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not attack unimportant or important soldiers. Attack only the king of Israel." ³² It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, "Surely that is the king of Israel." They turned to attack him, so Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³⁴ But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded." ³⁵ The battle grew worse that day and the king was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died in the evening. The blood ran out from his wound into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶ Then about the time the sun was going down, a cry went up throughout the army, saying, "Every man should go back to his city; and every man should go back to his region!"

³⁷ So King Ahab died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (this was where the prostitutes bathed), just as the word of Yahweh had declared. ³⁹ As for the other matters concerning Ahab, all that he did, the ivory house that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab lay down with his ancestors, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

⁴¹ Then Jehoshaphat 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 in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ He walked in the ways of Asa, his father; he did not turn away from them; he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. Yet the high places were not taken away. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ⁴⁴ Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ As for the other matters concerning Jehoshaphat, and the might that he showed, and how he waged war, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ He completely removed from the land the rest of the cultic prostitutes who had remained in the days of his father Asa. ⁴⁷ There was no king in Edom, but a deputy ruled there. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish; they were to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants sail with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not allow it. ⁵⁰ Jehoshaphat lay down with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David, his ancestor; Jehoram his son became king in his place.

⁵¹ Ahaziah 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 Yahweh and walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he led Israel to sin. ⁵³ He served Baal and worshiped him and so he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

¹ Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² Then Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and was injured. So he sent for messengers and said to them, "Go, ask Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury." ³ But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? ⁴ Therefore Yahweh says, "You will not come down from the bed to where you have gone up; instead, you will certainly die."'" Then Elijah left.

⁵ When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, "Why have you returned?" ⁶ They said to him, "A man came to meet us who said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, "Yahweh says this: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you sent men to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed to which you have gone up; instead, you will certainly die.'"'" ⁷ Ahaziah said to his messengers, "What sort of man was he, the one who came up to meet you and said these words to you?" ⁸ They answered him, "He wore a garment made of hair and had a leather belt wrapped around his waist." So the king replied, "That is Elijah the Tishbite."

⁹ Then the king sent a captain with fifty soldiers to Elijah. The captain went up to Elijah where he was sitting on the top of a hill. The captain spoke to him, "You, man of God, the king has said, 'Come down.'" ¹⁰ Elijah answered and said to the captain, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. ¹¹ Again King Ahaziah sent to Elijah another captain with fifty soldiers. This captain also said to Elijah, "You, man of God, the king says, 'Come down quickly.'" ¹² Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." Again the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. ¹³ Yet again the king sent a third group of fifty warriors. This captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and sought his favor and said to him, "You, man of God, I ask you, let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Indeed, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains with their men, but now let my life be precious in your sight." ¹⁵ The angel of Yahweh said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him." So Elijah arose and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Later Elijah said to Ahaziah, "This is what Yahweh says, 'You have sent messengers to consult with Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel from whom you can ask for information? So now, you will not come down from the bed where you have gone up; you will certainly die.'"

¹⁷ So King Ahaziah died according to the word of Yahweh that Elijah had spoken. Joram began to reign in his place, in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. ¹⁸ As for the other matters concerning Ahaziah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel?

¹ So it came about, when Yahweh was going to take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah left with Elisha from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, because Yahweh has sent me to Bethel." Elisha replied, "As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. ³ The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from you today?" Elisha replied, "Yes, I know it, but do not talk about it." ⁴ Elijah said to him, "Elisha, wait here, please, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho." Then Elisha replied, "As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. ⁵ Then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from you today?" Elisha answered, "Yes, I know it, but do not talk about it." ⁶ Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, please, for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan." Elisha replied, "As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two went on. ⁷ Later, fifty of the sons of the prophets stood opposite them at a distance while the two stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The river divided on both sides so that the two of them walked over on dry ground. ⁹ It came about, after they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you." Elisha replied, "Please let a double portion of your spirit come on me." ¹⁰ Elijah answered, "You have asked for a difficult thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, this will happen for you, but if not, it will not happen." ¹¹ As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, which separated the two men from each other, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!"

He saw Elijah no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.

¹³ He picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen off him, and went back to stand by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He struck the water with Elijah's cloak that had fallen and said, "Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the waters, they divided on both sides and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him across from them, they said, "The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha!" So they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁶ They said to him, "See now, among your servants there are fifty strong men. Let them go, we ask, and look for your master, in case the Spirit of Yahweh has taken him up and thrown him onto some mountain or into some valley." Elisha answered, "No, do not send them." ¹⁷ But when they urged Elisha until he was ashamed, he said, "Send them." Then they sent fifty men, and they looked for three days, but did not find him. ¹⁸ They came back to Elisha, while he stayed at Jericho, and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?"

¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, "See now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my master can see, but the water is bad and the land is not fruitful." ²⁰ Elisha replied, "Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it," so they brought it to him. ²¹ Elisha went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it; then he said, "Yahweh says this, 'I have healed these waters. From this time on, there will be no more death or unfruitful land.'" ²² So the waters were healed to this day, by the word which Elisha spoke.

²³ Then Elisha went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up the road, young boys came out of the city and mocked him; they said to him, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" ²⁴ Elisha looked behind him and saw them; he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys apart. ²⁵ Then Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

¹ Now in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Joram son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twelve years. ² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like his father and his mother; for he removed the sacred stone pillar of Baal that his father had made. ³ Nevertheless he held on to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab bred sheep. He had to give to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. ⁵ But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ So King Joram left Samaria at that time to mobilize all Israel for war. ⁷ He sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to battle?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." ⁸ Then he said, "By which way should we attack?" Jehoshaphat answered, "By way of the wilderness of Edom." ⁹ So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They wandered around for seven days, and then there was no water for the army or for the animals that went with them. ¹⁰ So the king of Israel said, "What is this? Has Yahweh called three kings to give them into the hand of Moab?" ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may consult Yahweh by him?" One of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah." ¹² Jehoshaphat said, "The word of Yahweh is with him." So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and mother." So the king of Israel said to him, "No, because Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab." ¹⁴ Elisha replied, "As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, if I did not honor the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you, or even look at you. ¹⁵ But now bring me a musician." Then it came to pass when the harpist played, the hand of Yahweh came upon Elisha. ¹⁶ He said, "Yahweh says this, 'Make this dry river valley full of trenches.' ¹⁷ For Yahweh says this, 'You will not see wind, neither will you see rain, but this river valley will be filled with water, and you will drink, you and your livestock and all your animals.' ¹⁸ This is an easy thing in the sight of Yahweh. He will also give you victory over the Moabites. ¹⁹ You will attack every fortified city and every good city, cut down every good tree, stop up all springs of water, and ruin every good piece of land with rocks." ²⁰ So in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, waters came from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹ Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come to fight against them, they summoned everyone who was old enough to gird on armor and older, and they stood at the border. ²² They awakened early in the morning and the sun reflected on the water. When the Moabites saw the water opposite them, it looked as red as blood. ²³ They exclaimed, "This is blood! The kings have certainly been destroyed, and they have killed each other! So now, Moab, let us go plunder them!" ²⁴ When they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, who fled before them. The army of Israel drove the Moabites across the land, killing them. ²⁵ They destroyed the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a rock until it was covered up. They stopped up every spring of water and chopped down all the good trees. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its rocks in place. But the soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it. ²⁶ When King Mesha of Moab saw that the battle was lost, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. ²⁷ Then he took his oldest son, who should have reigned after him, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelite army left King Mesha and returned to their own land.

¹ Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets came crying to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves." ² So Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me what do you have in the house?" She said, "Your servant has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil." ³ Then Elisha said, "Go out to borrow jars from your neighbors, empty jars. Borrow as many as possible. ⁴ Then you must go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all those jars; set aside the jars that are full." ⁵ So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her, and she filled them with oil. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another jar." But he said to her, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ Then she came and told the man of God. He said, "Go, sell the oil; pay your debt, and live with your sons on the rest."

⁸ One day Elisha walked to Shunem where an important woman lived; she urged him to eat food with her. So as often as Elisha passed by, he would stop there to eat. ⁹ The woman said to her husband, "See now, I realize that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by. ¹⁰ Let us make a little room on the roof for Elisha, and let us put in it a bed, a table, a seat, and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he will stay there." ¹¹ So when the day came again that Elisha stopped there, he stayed in the room and rested there. ¹² Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite." When he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ Elisha said to him, "Say to her, 'You have gone to all this trouble to care for us. What can be done for you? Can we speak for you to the king or to the army commander?'" She answered, "I live among my own people." ¹⁴ So Elisha said, "What can we do for her, then?" Gehazi answered, "Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old." ¹⁵ So Elisha answered, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the door. ¹⁶ Elisha said, "At this time of year, in one year's time, you will be holding a son." She said, "No, my master and man of God, do not lie to your servant."

¹⁷ But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time in the following year, as Elisha had said to her. ¹⁸ When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father, who was with harvesters. ¹⁹ He said to his father, "My head, my head." His father said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." ²⁰ When the servant had picked him up and brought the boy to his mother, the child sat on her knees until noon and then died. ²¹ So the woman got up and laid the boy on the bed of the man of God, shut the door, and went out. ²² She called to her husband, and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys so that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back." ²³ Her husband said, "Why do you want to go to him today? It is not a new moon nor a Sabbath." She replied, "It will be all right." ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, "Drive on quickly; do not slow down for me unless I say so." ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So when the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, "Look, here comes the Shunammite woman.

²⁶ Please run to meet her and say to her, 'Is everything alright with you and with your husband and child?'" She answered, "It is all right." ²⁷ When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone, for she is very upset, and Yahweh has hidden the problem from me, and has told me nothing." ²⁸ Then she said, "Did I ask you for a son, my master? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?" ²⁹ Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Gird your loins and take my staff in your hand. Go to her home. If you meet any man, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Lay my staff on the young man's face." ³⁰ But the mother of the young man said, "As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you." So Elisha arose and followed her. ³¹ Gehazi hurried on ahead of them and laid the staff on the young man's face, but the young man did not speak or hear. So then Gehazi returned to meet Elisha and told him saying, "The young man has not awakened."

³² When Elisha arrived at the house, the young man was dead and was still on the bed. ³³ So Elisha went in and shut the door on the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. ³⁴ He went up and lay on the child; he put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself out on the boy, and the boy's body grew warm. ³⁵ Then Elisha got up and walked around the room and again went up and stretched himself out on the boy. The child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes! ³⁶ So Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite!" So he called her, and when she came into the room, Elisha said, "Pick up your son." ³⁷ Then she lay facedown on the ground at his feet and bowed to the ground, and then picked up her son and went out.

³⁸ Then Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his servant, "Put the large pot on the fire and cook stew for the sons of the prophets." ³⁹ One of them went out into a field to gather vegetables. He found a wild vine and gathered enough wild gourds to fill the fold of his robe. They cut them up and put them into the stew, but did not know what kind they were. ⁴⁰ So they poured out the stew for the men to eat. Later, as they were eating, they cried out and said, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" So they could not eat it anymore. ⁴¹ But Elisha said, "Bring some flour." He threw it into the pot and said, "Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat." Then there was no longer anything hurtful in the pot.

⁴² A man came from Baal Shalishah to the man of God and brought twenty loaves of barley bread in his sack from the firstfruits and fresh ears of grain. He said, "Give this to the people so they can eat." ⁴³ His servant said, "What, should I set this before a hundred men?" But Elisha said, "Give this to the people, so they can eat, because Yahweh says, 'They will eat and will have some left.'" ⁴⁴ So his servant set it before them; they ate, and left some remaining, just as the word of Yahweh promised.

¹ Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great and honorable man in his master's view, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Aram. He was also a mighty warrior, but he was a leper. ² The Arameans had gone out in raiding parties and had captured a little girl from the land of Israel. She served Naaman's wife. ³ The girl said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal my master of his leprosy." ⁴ So Naaman went in and told the king what the little girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵ So the king of Aram said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." Naaman left and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothes. ⁶ He also took the letter to the king of Israel that said, "Now when this letter is brought to you, you will see that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy." ⁷ When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man wants me to cure a man of his leprosy? It seems he is seeking to start an argument with me."

⁸ So when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and dip yourself into the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored; you will be clean." ¹¹ But Naaman was angry and went away and said, "Look, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Can I not bathe in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ Then Naaman's servants came near and spoke to him, "My father, if the prophet had commanded you do some difficult thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he says to you, 'Dip yourself and be clean'?" ¹⁴ Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, obeying the instructions of the man of God. His flesh was restored again like the flesh of a little child, and he was healed.

¹⁵ Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him. He said, "See now, I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So therefore, please take a gift from your servant." ¹⁶ But Elisha replied, "As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." Naaman urged Elisha to take a gift, but he refused. ¹⁷ So Naaman said, "If not, then I ask you to let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to any god but Yahweh. ¹⁸ In this one thing may Yahweh pardon your servant, that is, when my king goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh pardon your servant in this matter." ¹⁹ Elisha said to him, "Go in peace." So Naaman left.

²⁰ He had traveled only a short distance, when Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said to himself, "Look, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean by not receiving from his hands gifts that he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and receive something from him." ²¹ So Gehazi followed after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he jumped down from his chariot to meet him and said, "Is everything all right?" ²² Gehazi said, "Everything is all right. My master has sent me, saying, 'See, now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'" ²³ Naaman replied, "I am very happy to give you two talents." Naaman urged Gehazi and tied two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothes, and laid them on two of his servants, who carried the bags of silver before Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the bags of silver from their hands and hid them in the house; he sent the men away, and they left. ²⁵ When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha said to him, "Where have you come from, Gehazi?" He answered, "Your servant went nowhere." ²⁶ Elisha said to Gehazi, "Was not my spirit with you when the man turned his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants? ²⁷ So the leprosy of Naaman will be on you and your descendants forever." So Gehazi went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow.

¹ The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we live with you is too small for us all. ² Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man cut down a tree there, and let us build us a place there where we may live." Elisha answered, "You may go ahead." ³ One of them said, "Please go with your servants." Elisha answered, "I will go." ⁴ So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down trees. ⁵ But as one was chopping, the ax head fell into the water; he cried out and said, "Oh no, my master, it was borrowed!" ⁶ So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" The man showed Elisha the place. He then cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the iron float. ⁷ Elisha said, "Pick it up." So the man reached out his hand and grabbed it.

⁸ Now the king of Aram was waging war against Israel. He consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." ⁹ So the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Be careful not to pass that place, for the Arameans are going down there." ¹⁰ The king of Israel sent a message to the place about which the man of God had spoken and warned him. More than once or twice, when the king went there, he was on his guard. ¹¹ The king of Aram was enraged about these warnings, and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not tell me who among us is for the king of Israel?" ¹² So one of his servants said, "No, my master, king, for Elisha the prophet in Israel tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your own bedroom!" ¹³ The king replied, "Go and see where Elisha is so I may send men and capture him." It was told him, "See, he is in Dothan."

¹⁴ So the king sent to Dothan horses, chariots, and a large army. They came by night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God had risen early and gone outside, behold, a large army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. His servant said to him, "Oh, my master! What will we do?" ¹⁶ Elisha answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷ Elisha prayed and said, "Yahweh, I beg that you will open his eyes that he may see." Then Yahweh opened the servant's eyes, and he saw. Behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha! ¹⁸ When the Arameans came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, "Strike these people blind, I ask you." So Yahweh made them blind, just as Elisha had asked. ¹⁹ Then Elisha told the Arameans, "This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you are looking for." Then he led them to Samaria.

²⁰ It came about that when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "Yahweh, open the eyes of these men that they may see." Yahweh opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the middle of the city of Samaria. ²¹ The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?" ²² Elisha answered, "You must not kill them. Would you kill those whom you had taken captive with your sword and bow? Put bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master." ²³ So the king prepared much food for them, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went back to their master. Those bands of Aramean soldiers did not return for a long time into the land of Israel.

²⁴ Later after this Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and attacked Samaria and besieged it. ²⁵ So there was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. ²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, "Help, my master, king." ²⁷ He said, "If Yahweh does not help you, how can I help you? Is there anything coming from the threshing floor or winepress?" ²⁸ The king continued, "What is troubling you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'" ²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, "Give your son that we may eat him, but she has hidden her son." ³⁰ So 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 saw that he had sackcloth underneath, against his skin. ³¹ Then he said, "May God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on him today."

³² But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a man from before him, but when the messenger came to Elisha, he said to the elders, "See how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" ³³ While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. The king had said, "Behold, this trouble comes from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?"

7 ¹ Elisha said, "Hear the word of Yahweh. This is what Yahweh says: 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'" ² Then the officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, "See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?" Elisha replied, "See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it."

³ Now there were four men with leprosy right outside the city gate. They said one to another, "Why should we sit here until we die? ⁴ If we say that we should go into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we will die there. But if we still sit here, we will still die. Now then, come, let us go to the army of the Arameans. If they keep us alive, we will live, and if they kill us, we will only die." ⁵ So they rose up at twilight to go into the Aramean camp; when they arrived at the outermost part of the camp, there was no one there. ⁶ For the Lord had made the Aramean army hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses—the noise of another large army, and they said to each other, "The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to come against us." ⁷ So the soldiers arose and fled in the twilight; they left their tents, their horses, their donkeys, and the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. ⁸ When the men with leprosy came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them. They came back and entered into another tent and carried plunder away from there also, and went and hid it.

⁹ Then they said to each other, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping quiet about it. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now then, come, let us go and tell the king's household." ¹⁰ So they went and called the gatekeepers of the city. They told them, saying, "We went to the camp of the Arameans, but there was no one there, not the sound of anyone, but there were the horses tied, and the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were." ¹¹ Then the gatekeepers shouted out the news, and then it was told inside the king's household. ¹² Then the king arose at night and said to his servants, "I will tell you now what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry, so they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the fields. They are saying, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive, and get into the city.'" ¹³ One of the king's servants answered and said, "I beg you, let some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. They are like all the rest of the population of Israel who are left—most are now dead; let us send them and see." ¹⁴ So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, "Go and see." ¹⁵ They went after them to the Jordan, and all the road was full of clothes and equipment that the Arameans had cast away in their hurry. So the messengers returned and told the king.

¹⁶ The people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, just as the word of Yahweh had said. ¹⁷ The king had ordered the officer on whose hand he had leaned to be in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him down in the gateway. He died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king had come down to him. ¹⁸ So it happened as the man of God had said to the king, saying, "About this time in the gate of Samaria, two measures of barley will be available for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel." ¹⁹ That officer had answered the man of God and said, "See, even if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, can this thing happen?" Elisha had said, "See, you will watch it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it." ²⁰ That is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

¹ Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life. He said to her, "Arise, and go with your household, and stay wherever you can in another land, because Yahweh has called for a famine which will come on this land for seven years." ² So the woman arose and she obeyed the word of the man of God. She went with her household and lived in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³ It came about at the end of seven years that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to the king to cry to him for her house and for her land. ⁴ Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done." ⁵ Then as he was telling the king how Elisha had restored to life the child who was dead, the very woman whose son he had restored to life came to cry to the king for her house and for her land. Gehazi said, "My master, king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life." ⁶ When the king asked the woman about her son, she explained it to him. So the king ordered a certain officer for her, saying, "Give back to her all that was hers and all the harvests of her fields since the day that she left the land until now."

⁷ Elisha came to Damascus where Ben-Hadad the king of Aram was sick. The king was told, "The man of God has come here." ⁸ The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand and go meet the man of God, and consult with Yahweh through him, saying, 'Will I revive from this sickness?'" ⁹ So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift with him of every kind of good thing of Damascus, carried by forty camels. So Hazael came and stood before Elisha and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, 'Will I revive from this sickness?'" ¹⁰ Elisha said to him, "Go, say to Ben-Hadad, 'You will surely revive,' but Yahweh has shown me that he will surely die." ¹¹ Then Elisha stared at Hazael until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. ¹² Hazael asked, "Why do you weep, my master?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip open their pregnant women." ¹³ Hazael replied, "Who is your servant, that he should do this great thing? He is only a dog." Elisha answered, "Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram." ¹⁴ Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" He answered, "He told me that you would certainly revive." ¹⁵ Then the next day Hazael took the blanket and dipped it in water, and spread it on Ben-Hadad's face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.

¹⁶ In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoram began to reign. He was the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He began to reign when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. ¹⁷ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab was doing; for he had Ahab's daughter as his wife, and he did what was evil in Yahweh's sight. ¹⁹ However, because of his servant David, Yahweh did not want to destroy Judah, since he had told David that he would always give him a lamp for his descendants.

²⁰ In Jehoram's days, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah, and they set a king over themselves. ²¹ Then Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded Jehoram, his chariot commanders rose up and attacked them during the night; but Jehoram's army ran away and went back to their tents. ²² So Edom has been in rebellion against the rule of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time. ²³ As for the other matters concerning Jehoram, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²⁴ Jehoram lay down with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of David. Then Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

²⁵ In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the daughter of Omri, king of Israel. ²⁷ Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab was doing, for Ahaziah was a son-in-law to the house of Ahab. ²⁸ Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

¹ Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, "Gird your loins, then take this little bottle of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. ² When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi, and go in and make him arise up from among his companions, and conduct him to an inner chamber. ³ Then take the bottle of oil and pour it on his head and say, 'Yahweh says this: "I have anointed you king over Israel."' Then open the door, and run off; do not delay." ⁴ So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. So the young prophet said, "I have come on an errand to you, captain." Jehu replied, "To which of us?" The young prophet answered, "To you, captain." ⁶ So Jehu arose and went into the house, and the prophet poured the oil on his head and said to Jehu, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: 'I have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. ⁷ You must kill the family of Ahab your master so that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of Yahweh who were murdered by the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the whole family of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male child in Israel, whether he is a slave or a free person. ⁹ I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. ¹⁰ The dogs will eat Jezebel in Jezreel, and there will be no one to bury her.'" Then the prophet opened the door and ran off.

¹¹ Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, "Is everything all right? Why did this mad fellow come to you?" Jehu answered them, "You know the man and the kinds of things he says." ¹² They said, "That is a lie. Tell us." Jehu answered, "He said this and that to me, and he also said, 'This is what Yahweh says: I have anointed you as king over Israel.'" ¹³ Then each of them quickly took off his outer garment and put it under Jehu at the top of the steps. They blew the ram's horn and said, "Jehu is king."

¹⁴ In this way Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but King Joram had gone back to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds that the Arameans had given him, when he had fought against Hazael king of Aram.

Jehu said to the servants of Joram, "If this is your opinion, then let no one escape and go out of the city, in order to go tell this news in Jezreel."

¹⁶ So Jehu rode in a chariot to Jezreel; for Joram was resting there. Now Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ The watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came at a distance; he said, "I see a group of men coming." Joram said, "Take a horseman, and send him out to meet them; tell him to say, 'Are you coming in peace?'" ¹⁸ So a man was sent on horseback to meet him; he said, "The king says this: 'Are you coming in peace?'" So Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn and ride behind me." Then the watchman told the king, "The messenger has met them, but he is not coming back." ¹⁹ Then he sent out a second man on horseback, who came to them and said, "The king says this: 'Are you coming in peace?'" Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn and ride behind me." ²⁰ Again the watchman reported, "He has met them, but he is not coming back. For the way that the chariot is being driven is the way that Jehu son of Nimshi drives; he is driving wildly."

²¹ So Joram said, "Get my chariot ready." They prepared his chariot, and Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his chariot, to meet Jehu. They found him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Are you coming in peace, Jehu?" He answered, "What peace is there, when the idolatrous acts of prostitution and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel are so many?" ²³ So Joram turned his chariot and fled and said to Ahaziah, "There is treachery, Ahaziah." ²⁴ Then Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his shoulders; the arrow went through his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, "Pick him up and throw him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. Think about how when you and I rode together after Ahab his father, Yahweh placed this prophecy against him: ²⁶ 'Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—this is Yahweh's declaration—and I will surely make you pay for it on this field—this is Yahweh's declaration. Now then, pick him up and throw him on this field, according to the word of Yahweh."

²⁷ When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. But Jehu followed him, and said, "Kill him also in the chariot," and they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Ahaziah fled to Megiddo and died there. ²⁸ His servants carried his body in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹ Now it was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah had begun to reign over Judah.

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes, arranged her hair, and looked out the window. ³¹ As Jehu was entering the gate, she said to him, "Are you coming in peace, you Zimri, your master's murderer?" ³² Jehu looked up at the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Then two or three eunuchs looked out. ³³ So Jehu said, "Throw her down." So they threw Jezebel down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and the horses, and Jehu trampled her underfoot. ³⁴ When Jehu entered the palace, he ate and drank. Then he said, "See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." ³⁵ They went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ So they came back and told Jehu. He said, "This is the word of Yahweh which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'In the land at Jezreel the dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel, ³⁷ and the body of Jezebel will be like dung on the surface of the fields in the land at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, "This is Jezebel."'"

¹ Now Ahab had seventy descendants in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, including the elders and the guardians of Ahab's descendants, saying, ² "Your master's descendants are with you, and you also have chariots and horses and a fortified city and armor. So then, as soon as this letter comes to you, ³ select the best and most deserving of your master's descendants and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's royal line." ⁴ But they were terrified and said among themselves, "See, the two kings could not stand before Jehu. So how can we stand?" ⁵ Then the man who was in charge of the palace, and the man who was over the city, and the elders also, and they who raised the children, sent word back to Jehu, saying, "We are your servants. We will do everything that you command us. We will not make any man king. Do what is good in your eyes." ⁶ Then Jehu wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, "If you are on my side, and if you will listen to my voice, you must take the heads of the men of your master's descendants, and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time." Now the king's descendants, seventy in number, were with the important men of the city, who were bringing them up. ⁷ So when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and killed them, seventy persons, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. ⁸ A messenger came to Jehu, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." So he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning." ⁹ In the morning Jehu went out and stood, and said to all the people, "You are innocent. See, I plotted against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? ¹⁰ Now you should certainly realize that no part of Yahweh's word, the word that he spoke concerning the family of Ahab, will fall to the ground, for Yahweh has done what he spoke about through his servant Elijah." ¹¹ So Jehu killed all who remained in the family of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his important men, his close friends, and his priests, until no survivor remained to him.

¹² Then Jehu arose and left; he went to Samaria. As he was arriving at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, ¹³ he met brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu said to them, "Who are you?" They answered, "We are brothers of Ahaziah, and we are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of Queen Jezebel." ¹⁴ Jehu said to his own men, "Take them alive." So they took them alive and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, all forty-two men. He did not leave any of them alive.

¹⁵ When Jehu had left there, he met Jehonadab son of Rekab coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart with me, as my heart is with yours?" Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." So he gave Jehu his hand, and Jehu took Jehonadab up with him into the chariot. ¹⁶ Jehu said, "Come with me and see my zeal for Yahweh." So he had Jehonadab ride along with him in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, Jehu killed all who remained from Ahab's descendants in Samaria, until he had destroyed Ahab's royal line, just as was told them before by the word of Yahweh, which he had spoken to Elijah.

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people together 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 no one be left out, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever does not come will not live." But Jehu did this deceitfully, with the intent to kill the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ Jehu said, "Announce that there will be an assembly for Baal." So they announced it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. They came into the temple of Baal, and it was filled from one end to another. ²² Jehu said to the man who kept the priest's wardrobe, "Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal." So the man brought out robes to them. ²³ So Jehu went with Jehonadab son of Rekab into the house of Baal, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, "Search and make sure that there is no one here with you from the servants of Yahweh, but the worshipers of Baal alone." ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had chosen eighty men who were standing outside, and he told them, "If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escapes, whoever lets that man escape, his life will be taken for the life of the one who escaped."

²⁵ So then as soon as Jehu finished offering the burnt offering, he said to his bodyguards and to the officers, "Go in and kill them. Let no one come out." So they killed them with the edge of the sword, and the bodyguards and the officers threw them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They dragged out the stone pillars that were in the house of Baal, and they burned them. ²⁷ Then they broke down the pillar of Baal, and destroyed the house of Baal and made it a latrine, which it is to this day. ²⁸ That is how Jehu destroyed Baal worship from Israel.

²⁹ But Jehu did not leave the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he made Israel sin—that is, the worship of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ So Yahweh said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in executing what was right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." ³¹ But Jehu took no care to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, by which he made Israel sin.

³² In those days Yahweh began to cut off regions from Israel, and Hazael defeated the Israelites at the borders 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, through Gilead to Bashan. ³⁴ As for the other matters concerning Jehu, and all that he did, and all his power, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ³⁵ Jehu lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ 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 killed all the royal children. ² But Jehosheba, a daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and hid him away from among the king's sons who were killed, along with his nurse; she put them into a bedroom. They hid him from Athaliah so that he was not killed. ³ He remained with her six years, hidden in the house of Yahweh, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

⁴ In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent messages and brought the commanders of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to himself, into the temple of Yahweh. He made a covenant with them, and he made them swear an oath in the house of Yahweh. Then he showed them the king's son. ⁵ He commanded them, saying, "This is what you must do. A third of you who come on the Sabbath will keep watch over the king's house, ⁶ and a third will be at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guardhouse. You shall guard the guardhouse of the temple." ⁷ The two other groups who are not serving on the Sabbath, you must keep the watch over the house of Yahweh for the king. ⁸ You must surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever enters within your ranks, let him be killed. You must stay with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in.

⁹ So the commanders of hundreds obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those who were to come in to serve on the Sabbath, and those who were to stop serving on that Sabbath; and they came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ Then Jehoiada the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields that belonged to King David and that were in the house of Yahweh. ¹¹ So the guards stood, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side, near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. ¹² Then Jehoiada brought out the king's son Joash, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant decrees. Then they made him king and anointed him. They clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!"

¹³ When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of Yahweh. ¹⁴ She looked, and, behold, the king was standing by the pillar, as the custom was, and the captains and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, "Treason! Treason!" ¹⁵ Then Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of hundreds who were over the army, saying, "Bring her out between the ranks. Anyone who follows her, kill him with the sword." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be killed in the house of Yahweh." ¹⁶ So they seized her as she reached the horses' entrance to the king's house, and there she was killed.

¹⁷ Then Jehoiada made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and people, that they should be Yahweh's people, and also between the king and the people. ¹⁸ So all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his idol figures to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars. Then Jehoida the priest appointed guards over the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁹ Jehoida took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guard, and all the people of the land, and together they brought down the king from the house of Yahweh and they went into the king's house, entering by way of the gate of the guards. Joash took his place on the royal throne. ²⁰ So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword at the king's house.

²¹ Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, the reign of Joash began; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the time, because Jehoiada the priest was instructing him. ³ But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ Joash said to the priests, "All the money that is brought in as sacred offerings into the house of Yahweh, that money for which each person is assessed—whether it is the money collected in the census, or the money received from personal vows, or the money brought in by people motivated by Yahweh in their hearts to give— ⁵ the priests should receive the money from one of their treasurers and repair whatever damage is found in the temple." ⁶ But by the twenty-third year of King Joash, the priests had not repaired anything in the temple. ⁷ Then King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and for the other priests; he said to them, "Why have you not repaired anything in the temple? Now take no more money from your taxpayers, but take what has been collected for repairs of the temple and give it to those who can make the repairs." ⁸ So the priests consented to take no more money from the people and not repair the temple themselves.

⁹ Then, Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh. The priests who were guarding the temple entrance put into it all the money that was brought to the house of Yahweh. ¹⁰ Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's scribe and the high priest would come and put the money in bags and then count it, the money found in the temple of Yahweh. ¹¹ They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of men who took care of the temple of Yahweh. They paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the temple of Yahweh, ¹² and to the masons and the stonecutters, for buying timber and cutting stone to repair the temple of Yahweh, and for all that was needed to be paid to repair it. ¹³ But the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh did not pay to make for it any silver cups, lamp trimmers, basins, trumpets, or any gold or silver furnishing. ¹⁴ They gave this money to those who did the work of repairing the house of Yahweh. ¹⁵ In addition, they did not require the money paid for repairs to be accounted for by the men who received it and paid it to the workmen, because these men practiced faithfulness. ¹⁶ But the money for the guilt offerings and the money for the sin offerings was not brought into the temple of Yahweh, because it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ Then Hazael king of Aram attacked and fought against Gath, and took it. Hazael then turned to attack Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Joash king of Judah took all the things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart, and what he had set apart, and all the gold that was found in the storerooms of the houses of Yahweh and of the king and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ As for the other matters concerning Joash, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ His servants arose and plotted together; they attacked Joash in Beth Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. ²¹ Jozabad ¹ son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad son of Shomer, his servants, attacked him, and he died. They buried Joash with his ancestors in the city of David, and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.

¹ In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned seventeen years. ² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and followed the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; and Jehoahaz did not turn away from them. ³ The anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-Hadad son of Hazael. ⁴ So Jehoahaz implored Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him because he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram was oppressing them. ⁵ So Yahweh gave Israel a rescuer, and they escaped from the hand of the Arameans, and the people of Israel began to live in their tents as they had before. ⁶ Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, and they continued in them; and the Asherah pole remained in Samaria. ⁷ The Arameans left Jehoahaz with only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the chaff at threshing time. ⁸ As for the other matters concerning Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his power, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ⁹ So Jehoahaz lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoash his son became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz began over Israel in Samaria; he reigned sixteen years. ¹¹ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not leave behind any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he had made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. ¹² As for the other matters concerning Jehoash, and all that he did, and his might by which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ¹³ Jehoash lay down with his ancestors, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¹⁴ Now Elisha became sick with an illness by which he later died, so Jehoash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him. He said, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen are taking you away!" ¹⁵ Elisha said to him, "Pick up a bow and some arrows," so Joash picked up a bow and some arrows. ¹⁶ Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow," so he put his hand on it. Then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. ¹⁷ Elisha said, "Open the window eastward," so he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!", and he shot. Elisha said, "This is Yahweh's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you will attack the Arameans in Aphek until you have consumed them." ¹⁸ Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows," so Joash took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them," and he struck the ground three times, then stopped. ¹⁹ But the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have hit the ground five or six times. Then you would have attacked Aram until you annihilated it, but now you will attack Aram only three times."

²⁰ Then Elisha died, and they buried him. Now marauding bands of Moabites invaded the land at the beginning of the year. ²¹ As they were burying a certain man, they saw a marauding band of Moabites, so they threw the body into Elisha's grave. As soon as the man touched Elisha's bones, he revived and stood up on his feet.

²² Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But Yahweh was gracious to Israel, and had compassion on them and concern for them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Yahweh did not destroy them, and he still has not driven them away from his presence. ²⁴ Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad his son became king in his place. ²⁵ Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the cities that had been taken from Jehoahaz his father by war. Jehoash attacked him three times, and he recovered those cities of Israel.

¹ In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, yet not like David his father. He did everything that Joash, his father, had done. ⁴ But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. ⁵ It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king. ⁶ Yet he did not put to death the sons of the murderers, according to what was written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, saying, "Fathers must not be put to death because of their children, neither must the children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one must die for his own sin." ⁷ He killed ten thousand soldiers of Edom in the Valley of Salt; he also took Sela in war and called it Joktheel, which is what it is called to this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us meet each other face to face in battle." ⁹ But Jehoash the king of Israel sent messengers back to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "A thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' but a wild beast in Lebanon walked by and trampled down the thistle. ¹⁰ You have indeed attacked Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Take pride in your victory, but stay at home, for why should you cause yourself trouble and fall, both you and Judah with you?"

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel attacked and he and Amaziah king of Judah met each other face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. He came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits in distance. ¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver, all the objects that were found in the house of Yahweh, and the valuable things in the king's palace, with hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ As for the other matters concerning Jehoash, all that he did, his power, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Then Jehoash lay down with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam, his son, became king in his place.

¹⁷ Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. ¹⁸ As for the other matters concerning Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹ They made a conspiracy against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. He fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ They brought him back on horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem in the city of David. ²¹ All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²² It was Azariah who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah, after King Amaziah lay down with his ancestors.

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria; he reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not depart from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. ²⁵ He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, following the commands of the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which he had spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher. ²⁶ For Yahweh saw the suffering of Israel, that it was very bitter for everyone, both slave and free, and that there was no rescuer for Israel. ²⁷ But Yahweh had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

²⁸ As for the other matters concerning Jeroboam, all that he did, his power, how he waged war and recovered Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ Jeroboam lay down with his ancestors, with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.

¹ In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. ² Azariah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekoliah, and she was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. ⁵ Yahweh afflicted the king so that he was a leper to the day of his death and lived in a separate house. Jotham, the king's son, was over the household and ruled the people of the land. ⁶ As for the other matters concerning Azariah, all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ⁷ So Azariah lay down with his ancestors; they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David. Jotham, his son, became king in his place.

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. ¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, attacked him in Ibleam, and put him to death. Then he became king in his place. ¹¹ As for the other matters concerning Zechariah, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. ¹² This was the word of Yahweh that he spoke to Jehu, saying, "Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." That is what happened.

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned only one month in Samaria. ¹⁴ Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria. There he attacked Shallum son of Jabesh, in Samaria. He put him to death and became king in his place. ¹⁵ As for the other matters concerning Shallum and the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. ¹⁶ Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were there, and the borders around Tirzah, because they did not open up the city to him. So he attacked it, and he ripped open all the pregnant women in that village. ¹ ¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi began to reign over Israel; he reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. For his whole life, he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. ¹⁹ Then Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, so that Pul's support might be with him to strengthen the kingdom of Israel in his hand. ²⁰ Menahem exacted this money from Israel by requiring each of the wealthy, powerful men to pay fifty shekels of silver to him to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. ²¹ As for the other matters concerning Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel? ²² So Menahem lay down with his ancestors, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned two years. ²⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not leave behind the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he had caused Israel to sin. ²⁵ Pekahiah had an officer named Pekah son of Remaliah, who conspired against him. Along with fifty men of Gilead, Pekah killed Pekahiah as well as Argob and Arieh in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's palace. Pekah killed Pekahiah and became king in his place. ²⁶ As for the other matters concerning Pekahiah, all that he did, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned twenty years. ²⁸ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.

²⁹ In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali. He carried away the people to Assyria. ³⁰ So Hoshea son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him and put him to death. Then he became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. ³¹ As for the other matters concerning Pekah, all that he did, they are written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel.

³² In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah began to reign. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ Jotham did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Jotham built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh. ³⁶ As for the other matters concerning Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ³⁷ In those days Yahweh began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah. ³⁸ Jotham lay down with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, his ancestor. Then Ahaz, his son, became king in his place.

¹Instead of Tiphsah , one ancient translation and some modern translations read Tappuah .

¹ In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz 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. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, as David his ancestor had done. ³ Instead, he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even made his son pass through the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. ⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every green tree.

⁵ Then Rezin, king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to attack. They besieged Ahaz, but they could not conquer him. ⁶ At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram and drove the Jews out of Elath. Then the Arameans came to Elath, where they have lived 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 save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have attacked me." ⁸ So Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh and among the treasures of the king's palace and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. ⁹ Then the king of Assyria listened to him, and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, conquered it and carried off its people as prisoners to Kir. He also killed Rezin the king of Aram.

¹⁰ King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. At Damascus he saw an altar. He sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar and its pattern and the design for all the workmanship needed. ¹¹ So Uriah the priest built an altar to be just like the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. He finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. ¹² When the king came from Damascus he saw the altar; the king approached the altar and made offerings on it. ¹³ He made his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. ¹⁴ The bronze altar that was before Yahweh—he brought it from the front of the temple, from between his altar and the temple of Yahweh and put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵ Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, "On the large 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 offerings. Sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar will be for me to consult for guidance." ¹⁶ Uriah the priest did just what King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz removed the panels and the basins from the portable stands; he also took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. ¹⁸ He removed the covered walkway for the Sabbath that they had built at the temple, along with the king's entry outside the temple of Yahweh, because of the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ As for the other matters concerning Ahaz and what he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ Ahaz lay down with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. Hezekiah his son became king in his place.

¹ In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, the reign of Hoshea son of Elah began. He ruled in Samaria over Israel for nine years. ² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. ³ Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute. ⁴ Then the king of Assyria realized that Hoshea had been plotting against him, for Hoshea had sent messengers to So king of Egypt; also, he offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. So the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison. ⁵ Then the king of Assyria attacked throughout all the land, and attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. He put them in Halah, at the Habor River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

⁷ This captivity happened because the people of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. The people had been worshiping other gods ⁸ and walking in the customs of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel that they had done. ⁹ The people of Israel did secretly—against Yahweh their God—things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. ¹⁰ They also set up stone pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ There they burned incense in all the high places, as the nations had done, those whom Yahweh had carried away before them. The Israelites performed wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger; ¹² they worshiped idols, about which Yahweh had said to them, "You will not do this thing." ¹³ Yet Yahweh had testified to Israel and to Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, and be careful to keep all the law I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets." ¹⁴ But they would not listen; instead they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not trust in Yahweh their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his statutes and the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and the covenant decrees that he had given to them. They followed useless practices and they themselves became useless. They followed the pagan nations who were around them, those that Yahweh had commanded them not to imitate. ¹⁶ They ignored all the commandments of Yahweh their God. They made cast metal figures of two calves to worship. They made an Asherah pole, and they worshiped all the host of the heavens and Baal. ¹⁷ They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, they used divination and enchantments, they sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and they provoked him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. There was no one left but the tribe of Judah alone.

¹⁹ Even Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, and they followed the customs that Israel had practiced. ²⁰ So Yahweh rejected all the descendants of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hand of those who would take the possession as spoil, until he had cast them out of his sight. ²¹ He tore Israel from the royal line of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and made them commit a great sin. ²² The people of Israel followed all the sins of Jeroboam and they did not depart from them, ²³ so Yahweh removed Israel from his sight, as he had said through all his servants the prophets that he would. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, and it is this way to this present day.

²⁴ The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon and from Kuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the people of Israel. They took over Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ It happened at the beginning of their residence there that they did not honor Yahweh. So Yahweh 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 practices required by the god of the land. So he has sent lions among them, and, see, the lions are killing people there because they do not know the practices required by the god of the land."

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take one of the priests there whom you brought from there, and let him go and live there, and let him teach them the practices required by the god of the land." ²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should honor Yahweh. ²⁹ Every ethnic group made gods of their own, and put them in the high places that the Samaritans had made—every ethnic group in the cities where they lived. ³⁰ The people of Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth; the people of Kuthah made Nergal; the people of Hamath made Ashima; ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of the Sepharvites. ³² They also honored Yahweh, and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the temples at the high places. ³³ They honored Yahweh and also worshiped their own gods, in the customs of the nations from among whom they had been taken away.

³⁴ To this day they persist in their old customs. They neither honor Yahweh, nor do they follow the statutes, the customs, the law, or the commandments that Yahweh gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. ³⁵ When Yahweh made a covenant with them, he commanded them, "You will not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor worship them, nor sacrifice to them. ³⁶ But Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, it is him you will honor, it is to him you will bow down, and it is to him that you will sacrifice. ³⁷ The statutes and the decrees, the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you will keep them forever. So you must not fear other gods, ³⁸ and the covenant that I have made with you, you will not forget; neither will you honor other gods. ³⁹ But Yahweh your God is who you will honor. He will rescue you from the might of your enemies." ⁴⁰ They would not listen, because they continued to do what they had done in the past. ⁴¹ So these nations feared Yahweh and they also worshiped their carved figures, and their children did the same—as did their children's children. They continue to do what their ancestors did, up to this day.

¹ Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as David, his ancestor, had done. ⁴ He removed the high places, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the people of Israel were burning incense to it; it was called "Nehushtan." ⁵ Hezekiah trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among the kings who were before him. ⁶ For he held on to Yahweh. He did not stop following him but kept his commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moses. ⁷ So Yahweh was with Hezekiah, and wherever he went he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. ⁸ He attacked the Philistines to Gaza and the borders around, from the tower of the watchmen to the 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 At the end of three years they took it, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel; in this way Samaria was captured. ¹¹ So the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and at the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. ¹² He did this because they did not obey the voice of Yahweh their God, but they violated the terms of his covenant, all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded. They refused to listen to it or do it.

¹³ Then in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ¹⁴ So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, saying, "I have offended you. Withdraw from me. Whatever you put on me I will bear." The king of Assyria required Hezekiah king of Judah to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. ¹⁵ So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king's palace. ¹⁶ Then Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the pillars that he had overlaid; he gave the gold to the king of Assyria. ¹⁷ But the king of Assyria mobilized his great army, sending Tartan and Rabsaris and the chief commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They traveled up the roads and arrived outside Jerusalem. They approached the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the launderers' field, and stood by it. ¹⁸ When they had called to King Hezekiah, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to meet them.

¹⁹ So the chief commander said to them to tell Hezekiah what the great king, the king of Assyria, said: "What is the source of your confidence? ²⁰ You speak only useless words, saying you have counsel and strength for war. In whom are you trusting, that you should rebel against me? ²¹ Look, you trust in Egypt, this walking stick of crushed reed; if a man leans on it, it will stick into his hand and pierce it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to anyone who trusts in him. ²² But if you say to me, 'We are trusting in Yahweh our God,' is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem'? ²³ Now therefore, I want to make you a good offer from my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to find riders for them. ²⁴ How could you resist even one captain of the least of my master's servants? You have put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen! ²⁵ Have I traveled up here without Yahweh to fight against this place and destroy it? Yahweh said to me, 'Attack this land and destroy it.'"

²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the chief commander, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak with us in the language of Judah in the ears of the people who are on the wall." ²⁷ But the chief commander said to them, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?" ²⁸ Then the chief commander stood and shouted in a loud voice in the language of Judah, saying, "Listen to the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. ²⁹ The king says, 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you from my power. ³⁰ Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, "Yahweh will surely rescue us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."' ³¹ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: 'Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and from his own fig tree, and drink from the water in his own cistern. ³² You will do this until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, so that you may live and not die.' Do not listen to Hezekiah when he tries to persuade you, saying, 'Yahweh will rescue us.' ³³ Has any of the gods of the peoples rescued them 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 rescued Samaria out of my hand? ³⁵ Among all the gods of the lands, is there any god who has rescued his land from my power? How could Yahweh save Jerusalem from my might?"

³⁶ But the people remained silent and did not respond, for the king had commanded, "Do not answer him." ³⁷ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household; Shebna the scribe; and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of the chief commander.

¹ It came about that when King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yahweh. ² He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. ³ They said to him, "Hezekiah says, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for the children have come to the time of birth, but there is no strength for them to be born. ⁴ It may be that Yahweh your God will hear all the words of the chief commander, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Now lift up your prayer for the remnant that is still here.'" ⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, ⁶ and Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master: 'Yahweh says, "Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me. ⁷ Look, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear a certain report and go back to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."'" ⁸ Then the chief commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had gone away from Lachish. ⁹ Then Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah king of Cush and Egypt had mobilized to fight against him, so he sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a message: ¹⁰ "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah, 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem will not be given over into the hand of the king of Assyria." ¹¹ See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them completely. So will you be rescued? ¹² Have the gods of the nations rescued them, the nations that my fathers destroyed: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Tel Assar? ¹³ Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?'"

¹⁴ Hezekiah received this letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it before him. ¹⁵ Then Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh and said, "Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, you who sit above the cherubim, you are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. ¹⁶ Incline your ear, Yahweh, and listen. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. ¹⁷ Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, just wood and stone. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now then, Yahweh our God, save us, I implore you, from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Yahweh, are God alone."

²⁰ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, "Yahweh, the God of Israel says, 'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you. ²¹ This is the word that Yahweh has spoken about him:

"The virgin daughter of Zion

despises you and mocks you.

The daughter of Jerusalem

shakes her head at you.

²² Whom have you defied and slandered?

Against whom have you exalted your voice

and lifted up your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

²³ By your messengers

you have defied the Lord,

and have said,

'With the multitude of my chariots

I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,

to the highest elevations of Lebanon.

I will cut down the tall cedars

and the choice cypress trees there.

I will enter into its farthest parts,

its most fruitful forest.

²⁴ I have dug wells

and have drunk foreign waters.

I dried up all the rivers of Egypt

under the soles of my feet.'

²⁵ Have you not heard how I

determined it long ago,

and worked it out in ancient times?

Now I am bringing it to pass.

You are here to reduce impregnable cities

into heaps of ruins.

²⁶ Their inhabitants, of little strength,

are shattered and ashamed.

They are plants in the field,

green grass,

the grass on the roof or in the field,

burned before it has grown up.

²⁷ But I know your sitting down,

your going out, your coming in,

and your raging against me.

²⁸ Because of your raging against me,

and because your arrogance has reached my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose,

and my bit in your mouth;

I will turn you back

the way you came."

²⁹ This will be the sign for you:

This year you will eat what grows wild,

and in the second year what grows from that.

But in the third year you must plant and harvest,

plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

³⁰ The remnant of the house of Judah that survives

will again take root and bear fruit.

³¹ For from Jerusalem a remnant will come out,

from Mount Zion an escaped remnant will come. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

³² Therefore Yahweh says this about the king of Assyria:

"He will not come into this city

nor shoot an arrow here.

Neither will he come before it with shield

or build up a siege ramp against it.

³³ The way by which he came

will be the same way he will leave;

he will not enter this city—

this is Yahweh's declaration."

³⁴ For I will defend this city and rescue it,

for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.'"

³⁵ It came about that night that the angel of Yahweh went out and attacked the camp of the Assyrians, putting to death 185,000 soldiers. When the men arose early in the morning, dead bodies lay everywhere. ³⁶ So Sennacherib king of Assyria left Israel and went home and stayed in Nineveh. ³⁷ Later, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisrok his god, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

¹ In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet came to him, and said to him, "Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.'" ² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, saying, ³ "Please, Yahweh, I beg you, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight." Then Hezekiah wept loudly. ⁴ Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle courtyard, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ⁵ "Turn back, and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: "I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. I am about to heal you on the third day, and you will go up to the house of Yahweh. ⁶ I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake."'" ⁷ So Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." They did so and put it on his boil, and he recovered.

⁸ Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I should go up to the temple of Yahweh on the third day?" ⁹ Isaiah replied, "This will be the sign for you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken. Will the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?" ¹⁰ Hezekiah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, let the shadow go backward ten steps." ¹¹ So Isaiah the prophet cried out to Yahweh, and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, from where it had moved on the stairway of Ahaz.

¹² At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. ¹³ Hezekiah listened to those letters, and then showed the messengers all the palace and his valuable things, the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil, and the storehouse of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them. ¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "They came from the distant country of Babylon." ¹⁵ Isaiah asked, "What have they seen in your house?" Hezekiah answered, "They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I have not shown them."

¹⁶ So Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the word of Yahweh: ¹⁷ 'Look, the days are about to come when everything in your palace, the things that your ancestors stored away until this present day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says Yahweh. ¹⁸ Some of your descendants whom you will father will be taken away from you, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Will there not be peace and stability in my days?" ²⁰ As for the other matters concerning Hezekiah, and all his power, and how he constructed the pool and the conduit, and how he brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²¹ Hezekiah lay down with his ancestors, and Manasseh his son became king in his place.

¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the disgusting things of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. ³ For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he built altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he bowed down to all the host of heaven and worshiped them. ⁴ Manasseh built altars in the house of Yahweh, although Yahweh had commanded, "It is in Jerusalem that my name will be forever." ⁵ He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ He caused his son to pass through the fire, he performed sorcery and divination and consulted with sorcerers and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking him to anger. ⁷ The carved figure of Asherah that he had made, he placed it in the house of Yahweh. It was about this house that Yahweh had spoken to David and Solomon his son; he had said: "It is in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, that I will put my name forever. ⁸ I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land that I gave to their ancestors, if they will only be careful to obey all that I have commanded them, and to follow all the law that my servant Moses commanded them." ⁹ But the people did not listen, and Manasseh led them to do evil even more than the nations that Yahweh had destroyed before the people of Israel.

¹⁰ So Yahweh spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, ¹¹ "Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these disgusting things, and has acted wickedly more than all that the Amorites who were before him did, and has also made Judah sin with his idols, ¹² therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: Look, I am about to bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ¹³ I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria, and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem clean, as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴ I will throw off the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hand of their enemies. They will become victims and plunder for all their enemies, ¹⁵ because they have done what is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their ancestors came out of Egypt, to this day."

¹⁶ Moreover, Manasseh shed much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another with death. This was in addition to the sin by which he made Judah to sin, when they did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. ¹⁷ As for the other matters concerning Manasseh, all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸ Manasseh lay down with his ancestors and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Amon his son became king in his place.

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth; she was the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. ²⁰ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. ²¹ Amon followed in all the way that his father had walked in and worshiped the idols that his father worshiped, and bowed down to them. ²² He abandoned Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of Yahweh. ²³ The servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house. ²⁴ But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place. ²⁵ As for the other matters concerning Amon that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²⁶ The people buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son became king in his place.

¹ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah (she was the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath). ² He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. He walked in all the way of David his ancestor, and he did not turn away either to the right or to the left.

³ It came about that in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Yahweh, saying, ⁴ "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and tell him to count the money that has been brought into the house of Yahweh, which the temple guards have gathered from the people. ⁵ Let it be given into the hand of the workmen who are in charge of the house of Yahweh, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of Yahweh, for them to make repairs to damage in the temple. ⁶ Let them give money to the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and also to buy timber and cut stone to repair the temple." ⁷ But no accounting was required for the money that was given to them, because they handled it faithfully.

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh." So Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. ⁹ Shaphan went and took the book to the king, and also reported to him, saying, "Your servants have spent the money that was found in the temple and they have given it into the hand of the workmen who supervise the care for the house of Yahweh." ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the scribe said to the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." Then Shaphan read it to the king. ¹¹ It came about that when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. ¹² The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, his own servant, saying, ¹³ "Go and consult with Yahweh for me, and for the people and for all Judah, because of the words of this book that has been found. For great is the anger of Yahweh that has been kindled against us because our ancestors have not listened to the words of this book so as to obey all that was written concerning us."

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter), and they spoke with her. ¹⁵ She said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ "This is what Yahweh says: 'See, I will bring disaster to this place and to its inhabitants, according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷ Because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke me to anger with all the deeds they have committed—therefore my anger has been kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.'" ¹⁸ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh's will, this is what you will say to him: "Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: 'About the words that you heard, ¹⁹ because your heart was tender, and because you have humbled yourself before Yahweh, when you heard what I said against this place and its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have listened to you—this is Yahweh's declaration. ²⁰ See, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.'"'" So the men took this message back to the king.

¹ So the king sent messengers who gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. ² Then the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, prophets, and all the people, from small to great. He then read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh. ³ The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book. So all the people agreed to stand by the covenant.

⁴ The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests under him, and the gatekeepers to bring out of the temple of Yahweh all the vessels that were made for Baal and Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields in the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel. ⁵ He got rid of the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had chosen to burn incense at the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon, to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. ⁶ He brought out the Asherah pole from the temple of Yahweh, outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley and burned it there. He crushed it to dust and threw that dust onto the graves of the common people. ⁷ He broke down the houses of the cultic prostitutes in the temple of Yahweh, where the women wove garments for Asherah. ⁸ Josiah brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the high places at the gates that were at the entrance to the gate of Joshua (the city governor), on the left side of the city gate. ⁹ Although the priests of those high places were not allowed to serve at the altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. ¹⁰ Josiah defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so that no one might cause his son or his daughter to pass through the fire as a sacrifice to Molech. ¹¹ He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun. They had been in an area at the entrance to the temple of Yahweh, near the room of Nathan-Melek, the chamberlain. Josiah burned the chariots of the sun. ¹² Josiah the king destroyed the altars that were 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 temple of Yahweh. Josiah smashed them into pieces and threw them into the Kidron Valley. ¹³ The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the mount of corruption that Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the detestable idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the detestable idol of Moab; and for Molech, the detestable idol of the people of Ammon. ¹⁴ He broke the stone pillars into pieces and cut down the Asherah poles and he filled those places with the bones of human beings.

¹⁵ Josiah also completely destroyed the altar that was at Bethel and the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat (the one who made Israel to sin) had constructed. He also burned that altar and the high place and crushed it to dust. He also burned the Asherah pole. ¹⁶ As Josiah looked over the area, he noticed the graves that were on the hillside. He sent men to take the bones from the graves; then he burned them on the altar, which defiled it. This was according to the word of Yahweh which the man of God had spoken, the man who spoke of these things beforehand. ¹⁷ Then he said, "What monument is that I see?" The men of the city told him, "That is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and spoke about these things that you have just done against the altar of Bethel." ¹⁸ So Josiah said, "Let it alone. No one should move his bones." So they let his bones alone, along with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria. ¹⁹ Then Josiah removed all the houses on the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made, and that provoked Yahweh to anger. He did to them exactly what had been done at Bethel. ²⁰ He slaughtered all the priests of the high places on the altars and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant." ²² Such a Passover celebration had never been held from the days of the judges who ruled Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel or Judah. ²³ But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover of Yahweh was celebrated in Jerusalem.

²⁴ Josiah also completely removed the sorcerers and spiritists. He also completely removed the fetishes, the idols, and all the disgusting things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so as to confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh. ²⁵ Before Josiah, there had been no king like him, who turned to Yahweh with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, who followed all the law of Moses. Nor did any king like Josiah arise after him.

²⁶ Nevertheless, Yahweh did not turn away from the burning of his raging anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger. ²⁷ So Yahweh said, "I will also remove Judah out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will throw away this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 'My name will be there.'"

²⁸ As for the other matters concerning Josiah, everything that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ²⁹ In his days, Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, went to fight against the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to meet Necho in battle, and Necho killed him at Megiddo. ³⁰ Josiah's servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own grave. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, 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; she was the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² Jehoahaz did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like everything that his ancestors had done. ³³ Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he might not reign in Jerusalem. Then Necho imposed a fine on Judah of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. ³⁴ Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away to Egypt, and Jehoahaz died there. ³⁵ Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh. In order to meet the demand of Pharaoh, Jehoikim taxed the land and he forced each man among the people of the land to pay him the silver and gold according to their assessments.

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; she was the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. ³⁷ Jehoiakim did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, just as his ancestors had done.

¹ In Jehoiakim's days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Judah; Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned back and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. ² Yahweh sent against Jehoiakim marauding bands of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites; he sent them against Judah to destroy it. This was in conformity with the word of Yahweh that had been spoken through his servants the prophets. ³ It was certainly at the mouth of Yahweh that this came on Judah, to remove them out of his sight, because of the sins of Manasseh, all that he did, ¹ ⁴ and also because of the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Yahweh was not willing to pardon that. ⁵ As for the other matters concerning Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah? ⁶ Jehoiakim lay down with his ancestors, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. ⁷ The king of Egypt did not attack any more out of his land, because the king of Babylon had conquered all the lands that had been controlled by the king of Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name was Nehushta; she was the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did all that his father had done.

¹⁰ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and besieged the city. ¹¹ Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, ¹² and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers. The king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his own reign. ¹³ Nebuchadnezzar took out from there all the valuable things in the house of Yahweh, and those in the king's palace. He cut into pieces all the golden objects that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Yahweh, as Yahweh had said would happen. ¹⁴ He took into exile all Jerusalem, all the leaders, and all the mighty warriors, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one was left except the poorest people in the land. ¹⁵ Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin into exile at Babylon, as well as the king's mother, wives, officers, and the nobles of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶ All the fighting men, seven thousand in number, and one thousand craftsmen and blacksmiths, all of them strong and fit for fighting—the king of Babylon brought these men into exile at Babylon. ¹⁷ The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's father's brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal; she was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. ¹⁹ He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did all that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ Through Yahweh's anger, all these events happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he drove them out of his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

¹Some ancient Hebrew copies read, It was certainly because of the wrath of Yahweh .

25 ¹ It happened that in the ninth year of the reign of King Zedekiah, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem. He camped opposite it, and they built a siege wall around it. ² So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. ³ On the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁴ Then the city was broken into, and all the fighting men fled at night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, although the Chaldeans were all around the city. The king went in the direction of the Arabah. ⁵ But the army of Chaldeans pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of the Jordan River valley near Jericho. All his army was scattered away from him. ⁶ They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they passed sentence on him. ⁷ As for Zedekiah's sons, they slaughtered them before his eyes. Then he put out his eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and brought him to Babylon.

⁸ Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, a servant of the king of Babylon and commander of his bodyguards, came to Jerusalem. ⁹ He burned the house of Yahweh, the king's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; also every important building in the city he burned. ¹⁰ As for all the walls around Jerusalem, all the army of the Chaldeans who were under the commander of the bodyguard destroyed them. ¹¹ As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the remainder of the population—Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguard, took them away into exile. ¹² But the commander of the bodyguard did leave some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

¹³ As for the bronze pillars that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans broke them into pieces and carried the bronze back to Babylon. ¹⁴ The pots, shovels, lamp trimmers, spoons, and all the utensils of bronze with which the priests had served in the temple—the Chaldeans took them all away. ¹⁵ The censers and the bowls that were made of gold and those made of silver—the captain of the king's guard took them away as well. ¹⁶ The two pillars, the sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh contained more bronze than could be weighed. ¹⁷ The height of the first pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of bronze was on top of it. The capital was three cubits high, with latticework and pomegranates all around on the capital, all made of bronze. The other pillar and its latticework were the same as the first.

¹⁸ The commander of the bodyguard took Seraiah the chief priest, together with Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three gatekeepers. ¹⁹ From the city he took prisoner an officer who was in charge of soldiers, and five men of those who advised the king, who were still in the city. He also took prisoner the king's army officer responsible for drafting men into the army, along with sixty important men from the land who were in the city. ²⁰ Then Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²¹ The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. In this way, Judah went out of its land into exile.

²² As for the people who remained in the land of Judah, those whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he put Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, in charge of them. ²³ Now when all the commanders of the soldiers, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. These men were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maakathite—they and their men. ²⁴ Gedaliah made an oath to them and to their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you." ²⁵ But it happened that in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, from the royal family, came with ten men and attacked Gedaliah. Gedaliah died, along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. ²⁶ Then all the people, from the least to the greatest, and the commanders of the soldiers, arose and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

²⁷ It happened later 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, that Awel-Marduk king of Babylon released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. This happened in the year that Awel-Marduk began to reign. ²⁸ He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat more honorable than that of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ Awel-Marduk removed Jehoiachin's prison clothes, and Jehoiachin ate regularly at the king's table for the rest of his life. ³⁰ A regular food allowance was given to him by the king every day for the rest of his life.

¹ Adam, Seth, Enosh, ² Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, ³ Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech.

⁴ The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹

⁵ The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

⁶ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ²

⁷ The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.

⁸ The sons of Ham were Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

⁹ The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

¹⁰ Cush became the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty man on the earth.

¹¹ Egypt became the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, ¹² Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.

¹³ Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and of the Hittites. ¹⁴ He also became the ancestor of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ¹⁵ Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ¹⁶ Arvadites, Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

¹⁷ The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

¹⁸ Arphaxad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber.

¹⁹ Eber had two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.

²⁰ Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²¹ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²² Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²³ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were descendants of Joktan.

²⁴ Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,

²⁵ Eber, Peleg, Reu,

²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah,

²⁷ Abram, who was Abraham.

²⁸ The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.

²⁹ These are their descendants: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, ³¹ Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were Ishmael's sons.

³² The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.

³³ Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants.

³⁴ Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.

³⁵ The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

³⁶ The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.

³⁷ The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

³⁸ The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

³⁹ The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam, and Timna was Lotan's sister.

⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah.

⁴¹ The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

⁴² The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

⁴³ These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel: Bela son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

⁴⁴ When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.

⁴⁵ When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

⁴⁶ When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the land of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.

⁴⁷ When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

⁴⁸ When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth on the river reigned in his place.

⁴⁹ When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor reigned in his place.

⁵⁰ When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-Zahab. ⁵¹ Hadad died.

The chiefs in Edom were Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

⁵² Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁵³ Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴ Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

¹The Hebrew copies do not have the expression, The sons of Noah, but the ancient Greek translation includes this expression.

²Most Hebrew copies have Diphath instead of Riphath. However Diphath was probably a misspelling and other ancient copies corrected it to read Riphath. This last name is found in Genesis 10:3.

¹ These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ² Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

³ Judah's sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah, who were born to him by Shua's daughter, a Canaanite woman. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him. ⁴ Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons.

⁵ Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.

⁶ Zerah's sons were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, and Darda, five in all.

⁷ Karmi's son was Achar, who brought trouble on Israel when he acted faithlessly in regard to what was devoted to God. ¹

⁸ Ethan's son was Azariah.

⁹ Hezron's sons were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.

¹⁰ Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, a leader among Judah's descendants. ¹¹ Nahshon became the father of Salmon, and Salmon became the father of Boaz. ¹² Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse.

¹³ Jesse became the father of his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. ¹⁶ Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three of them. ¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

¹⁸ Caleb son of Hezron became the father of children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. His sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹ Azubah died, and then Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. ²⁰ Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel.

²¹ Later Hezron (when he was sixty years old) married the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead. She bore him Segub. ²² Segub became the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. ²³ Geshur and Aram took Havvoth Jair and Kenath, as well as sixty surrounding towns. All these inhabitants were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.

²⁴ After the death of Hezron, Caleb went to Ephrathah, the wife of his father Hezron. She bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. ²

²⁵ The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶ Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah. She was the mother of Onam.

²⁷ The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

²⁸ The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

²⁹ The name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.

³⁰ The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim, but Seled died without children.

³¹ The son of Appaim was Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan. The son of Sheshan was Ahlai.

³² The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

³³ The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as his wife. She bore him Attai.

³⁶ Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan became the father of Zabad.

³⁷ Zabad became the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal became the father of Obed.

³⁸ Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu became the father of Azariah.

³⁹ Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez became the father of Eleasah.

⁴⁰ Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai became the father of Shallum.

⁴¹ Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah became the father of Elishama.

⁴² The sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph. His second son, Mareshah, was the father of Hebron.

⁴³ The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. ⁴⁴ Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem became the father of Shammai. ⁴⁵ The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

⁴⁶ Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran became the father of Gazez.

⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

⁴⁸ Maakah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Makbenah and the father of Gibea. The daughter of Caleb was Aksah.

⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim, ⁵¹ Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

⁵² Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, ⁵³ and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these.

⁵⁴ The descendants of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, and half of the Manahathites—the Zorites, ⁵⁵ and the clans of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, father of the house of Rekab.

¹Some Hebrew copies spell the name: Achan instead of Achar, a name which means trouble .

²Some translate the Hebrew to read, After Hezron's death in Caleb Ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore him a son, Ashhur the father of Tekoa .

¹ Now these are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam from Jezreel; the second was Daniel, by Abigail from Carmel;

² the third was Absalom, whose mother was Maakah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah son of Haggith;

³ the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; the sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife.

⁴ These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ⁵ These four sons, by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel, were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. ¹ ⁶ David's other nine sons were: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. ⁹ These were David's sons, not including the sons by his concubines. Tamar was their sister.

¹⁰ Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abijah. Abijah's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat.

¹¹ Jehoshaphat's son was Jehoram. Jehoram's son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah's son was Joash.

¹² Joash's son was Amaziah. Amaziah's son was Azariah. Azariah's son was Jotham.

¹³ Jotham's son was Ahaz. Ahaz's son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah's son was Manasseh.

¹⁴ Manasseh's son was Amon. Amon's son was Josiah.

¹⁵ Josiah's sons were his firstborn Johanan, his second son Jehoiakim, his third son Zedekiah, and his fourth son Shallum.

¹⁶ Jehoiakim's sons were Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.

¹⁷ The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive, were Shealtiel, ¹⁸ Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

¹⁹ Pedaiah's sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel's sons were Meshullam and Hananiah; Shelomith was their sister.

²⁰ His other five sons were Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed.

²¹ Hananiah's sons were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. His son was Rephaiah, and further descendants were Arnan, Obadiah, and Shekaniah.

²² The descendants of Shekaniah were Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.

²³ Neariah's three sons were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam.

²⁴ Elioenai's seven sons were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.

¹One ancient Hebrew copy and the ancient Latin translation have Bathseba, however, most ancient Hebrew copies have Bathshua. 1 Samuel 12:24 is clear that Bathsheba was Solomon's mother and so her name is spelled here, "Bathsheba," so as to avoid confusion.

¹ Judah's descendants were Perez, Hezron, Karmi, Hur, and Shobal.

² Reaiah, the son of Shobal, was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were of the clans of the Zorathites.

³ These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister's name was Hazzelelponi. ⁴ Penuel was the father of Gedor. Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.

⁵ Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.

⁷ Helah's sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, ⁸ and Koz, who became the father of Anub and Hazzobebah, and of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum.

⁹ Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez. She said, "Because I bore him in pain." ¹⁰ Jabez called out to the God of Israel and said, "If only you would truly bless me, expand my territory, and your hand will be with me. When you do this you will keep me from harm, so that I may be free from pain!" So God granted him his prayer.

¹¹ Kelub brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹² Eshton became the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir Nahash. ¹ These were men who lived in Rekah.

¹³ Kenaz's sons were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel's sons were Hathath and Meonothai. ² ¹⁴ Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah became the father of Joab, the originator of Ge Harashim, whose people were craftsmen.

¹⁵ The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah's son was Kenaz.

¹⁶ Jehallelel's sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

¹⁷ Ezrah's sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered's Egyptian wife ³ conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, who became the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ These were the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married. Mered's Judahite wife bore Jered, who became the father of Gedor; Heber, who became the father of Soko; and Jekuthiel, who became the father of Zanoah.

¹⁹ Of the two sons of Hodiah's wife, sister of Naham, one became the father of Keilah the Garmite. The other was Eshtemoa the Maakathite.

²⁰ The sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

²¹ The descendants of Shelah son of Judah, were Er father of Lekah, Laadah father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea, ²² Jokim, the men of Kozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (This information is from ancient records.) ²³ These were the potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.

²⁴ Simeon's descendants were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.

²⁵ Shallum was Shaul's son, Mibsam was Shallum's son, and Mishma was Mibsam's son.

²⁶ Mishma's descendants were Hammuel his son, Zakkur his grandson, and Shimei his great-grandson. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. His brothers did not have many children, so their clans did not increase greatly in numbers as the people of Judah did. ²⁸ They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, and at Hazar Shual. ²⁹ They also live at Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. ³² Their five villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, ³³ together with the outlying villages as far as Baalath. These were their settlements, and they kept the genealogical records.

³⁴ Clan leaders were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah son of Seraiah son of Asiel, ³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷ and Ziza son of Shiphi son of Allon son of Jedaiah son of Shimri son of Shemaiah.

³⁸ These mentioned by name were leaders in their clans, and their fathers' houses increased greatly. ³⁹ They went near Gedor, on the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ They found abundant and good pasture. The land was broad, quiet, and peaceable. The Hamites had formerly lived there. ⁴¹ These just listed by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and attacked the Hamite tents and the Meunites, who were there also. They completely destroyed them and lived there because they found pasture for their flocks. ⁴² From them, from the sons of Simeon, five hundred men went to Mount Seir with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, as their leader. ⁴³ They defeated the rest of the escaped remnant of Amalekites, and have lived there to this day.

¹Some modern translations read who settled in the town of Nahash .

²Most copies of the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew, and the ancient Latin translation of the Hebrew, insert: Meonothai into this verse, believing that it was omitted through a copyist's mistake.

³The Hebrew does not indicate here who the woman was. We understand from 4:18 that it was Mered's Egyptian wife.

¹ The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—now Reuben was Israel's firstborn, but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel because Reuben had defiled his father's couch. So he is not recorded in the genealogy as having the birthright. ² Judah was the strongest of his brothers, and the leader would come from him. But the birthright was Joseph's— ³ the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi.

⁴ The descendants of Joel were these: Joel's son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah's son was Gog. Gog's son was Shimei. ⁵ Shimei's son was Micah. Micah's son was Reaiah. Reaiah's son was Baal.

⁶ Baal's son was Beerah, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader in the tribe of Reuben.

⁷ His kinsmen according to their clans, enrolled in the genealogy by their generations: Jeiel the leader, Zechariah, ⁸ and Bela son of Azaz son of Shema son of Joel. They lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon, ⁹ and eastward to the start of the wilderness that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in the land of Gilead.

¹⁰ In the days of Saul, the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites and defeated them. They lived in the Hagrites' tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

¹¹ The members of the tribe of Gad lived near them, in the land of Bashan as far as Salekah.

¹² Joel was their leader; Shapham was second; and Janai and Shaphat in Bashan.

¹³ Their relatives, by their clans, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jakan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all.

¹⁴ These persons named above were the descendants of Abihail, and Abihail was the son of Huri. Huri was the son of Jaroah. Jaroah was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Michael. Michael was the son of Jeshishai. Jeshishai was the son of Jahdo. Jahdo was the son of Buz.

¹⁵ Ahi son of Abdiel son of Guni, was head of their clan.

¹⁶ They lived in Gilead, in Bashan, in its towns, and in all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as its borders. ¹⁷ All these were listed by genealogical records in the days of Jotham king of Judah and of Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸ The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers skilled in battle, who carried shield and sword and who drew the bow, who could go out to war. ¹⁹ They attacked the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰ They received divine help against them. In this way, the Hagrites and all who were with them were defeated. This was because the Israelites cried out to God in the battle, and he responded to them, because they put their trust in him. ²¹ They captured their animals, including fifty thousand camels, 250,000 sheep, two thousand donkeys, and 100,000 men. ²² Many fell because the battle was from God. They lived in their land until the captivity.

²³ The sons of the half tribe of Manasseh lived in the land of Bashan as far as Baal Hermon and Senir (that is, Mount Hermon). ²⁴ These were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses.

²⁵ But they were unfaithful to their ancestors' God. They acted like prostitutes with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. ²⁶ The God of Israel stirred up Pul king of Assyria (also called Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria). He took into exile the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.

¹ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

² The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

³ The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁴ Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua.

⁵ Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi.

⁶ Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth.

⁷ Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub.

⁸ Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz.

⁹ Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan.

¹⁰ Johanan became the father of Azariah, who served as a priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem.

¹¹ Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub.

¹² Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum.

¹³ Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah.

¹⁴ Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jozadak.

¹⁵ Jozadak went into captivity when Yahweh exiled Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁷ The sons of Gershon were named Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers.

²⁰ The descendants of Gershon: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹ Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.

²² The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³ Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

²⁴ Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

²⁵ The descendants of Elkanah were Amasai, Ahimoth,

²⁶ Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, ²⁷ Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. ¹

²⁸ The sons of Samuel were the firstborn, Joel, and Abijah, the second-born.

²⁹ The descendants of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

³⁰ Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

³¹ These are the names of the men whom David put in charge of music in the house of Yahweh, after the ark came to rest there. ³² They served by singing before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They fulfilled their duties according to the instructions given to them.

³³ These were those who served with their sons. From the clans of the Kohathites came Heman the musician. Here were his ancestors, going back in time: Heman was the son of Joel. Joel was the son of Samuel.

³⁴ Samuel was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Eliel. Eliel was the son of Toah.

³⁵ Toah was the son of Zuph. Zuph was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Mahath. Mahath was the son of Amasai. Amasai was son of Elkanah.

³⁶ Amasai was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was the son of Joel. Joel was the son of Azariah. Azariah was the son of Zephaniah.

³⁷ Zephaniah was the son of Tahath. Tahath was the son of Assir. Assir was the son of Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph was the son of Korah.

³⁸ Korah was the son of Izhar. Izhar was the son of Kohath. Kohath was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Israel.

³⁹ Heman's fellow worker was Asaph, who stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berekiah. Berekiah was the son of Shimea.

⁴⁰ Shimea was the son of Michael. Michael was the son of Baaseiah. Baaseiah was the son of Malkijah. ⁴¹ Malkijah was the son of Ethni. Ethni was the son of Zerah. Zerah was the son of Adaiah.

⁴² Adaiah was the son of Ethan. Ethan was the son of Zimmah. Zimmah was the son of Shimei. ⁴³ Shimei was the son of Jahath. Jahath was the son of Gershon. Gershon was the son of Levi.

⁴⁴ At Heman's left hand were his fellow workers the sons of Merari. They included Ethan son of Kishi. Kishi was the son of Abdi. Abdi was the son of Malluk. ⁴⁵ Malluk was the son of Hashabiah. Hashabiah was the son of Amaziah. Amaziah was the son of Hilkiah.

⁴⁶ Hilkiah was the son of Amzi. Amzi was the son of Bani. Bani was the son of Shemer. ⁴⁷ Shemer was the son of Mahli. Mahli was the son of Mushi. Mushi was the son of Merari. Merari was the son of Levi.

⁴⁸ Their associates, the Levites, were assigned to do all the labor for the tabernacle, the house of God. ⁴⁹ But Aaron and his descendants made the offerings on the altar for burnt offerings; and the offering on the incense altar for all the work on the most holy place. These offerings made atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

⁵⁰ Aaron's descendants are reckoned as follows: Aaron's son was Eleazar. Eleazar's son was Phinehas. Phinehas' son was Abishua. ⁵¹ Abishua's son was Bukki. Bukki's son was Uzzi. Uzzi's son was Zerahiah.

⁵² Zerahiah's son was Meraioth. Meraioth's son was Amariah. Amariah's son was Ahitub. ⁵³ Ahitub's son was Zadok. Zadok's son was Ahimaaz.

⁵⁴ These are the locations where Aaron's descendants were assigned to live, that is, for the descendants of Aaron who were from the clans of the Kohathites (the first lot was theirs). ⁵⁵ To them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its pasturelands, ⁵⁶ but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

⁵⁷ To the descendants of Aaron they gave: Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah with its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, ⁵⁸ Hilen with its pasturelands, and Debir with its pasturelands. ⁵⁹ They also gave to the descendants of Aaron: Ashan with its pasturelands, Juttah, ² and Beth Shemesh with its pasturelands; ⁶⁰ and from the tribe of Benjamin, Geba with its pasturelands, Alemeth with its pasturelands, and Anathoth with its pasturelands.

All their cities throughout their clans were thirteen cities.

⁶¹ To the rest of Kohath's descendants were given by lot ten cities from the half tribe of Manasseh. ⁶² To Gershon's descendants in their various clans were given thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. ⁶³ To Merari's descendants they gave by lot twelve cities, clan by clan, from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁶⁴ So the people of Israel gave these cities with their pasturelands to the Levites. ⁶⁵ They assigned by lot these towns mentioned by name from the tribes of the sons of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁶⁶ Some of the clans of the descendants of Kohath were given cities from the territory of the tribe of Ephraim. ⁶⁷ They gave them: Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, ⁶⁸ Jokmeam with its pasturelands, Beth Horon with its pasturelands, ⁶⁹ Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands. ⁷⁰ The half tribe of Manasseh gave the Kohathites Aner with its pasturelands and Bileam with its pasturelands. These became the possessions of the rest of the Kohathite clans.

⁷¹ To Gershon's descendants out of the clans of the half tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands and Ashtaroth with its pasturelands.

⁷² The tribe of Issachar gave to Gershon's descendants Kedesh with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, ⁷³ Ramoth with its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands.

⁷⁴ Issachar received from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, ⁷⁵ Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands.

⁷⁶ They received from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim with its pasturelands.

⁷⁷ The rest of Merari's descendants received from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, ³ and Rimmono with its pasturelands and Tabor with its pasturelands;

⁷⁸ and from the tribe of Reuben, across the Jordan on the east side of Jericho, they received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, ⁷⁹ Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands.

⁸⁰ The Levites received from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, ⁸¹ Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands.

¹The ancient Greek translation taken from the Hebrew copies adds to the list Samuel his son .

²The place name Juttah is not in the ancient Hebrew copies but is found in the Syriac translation of the Hebrew copies; also see Joshua 21:16.

³The names Jokneam and Kartah are not found in the Hebrew copies but are found in the ancient Greek translation taken from the Hebrew copies. Compare the list in Joshua 21:34.

¹ Issachar's four sons were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

² The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel. They were the heads of their clans, from the descendants of Tola and they were listed as mighty warriors among their generations. They numbered 22,600 in the days of David.

³ Uzzi's son was Izrahiah. His sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah; all five of them were clan leaders. ⁴ Along with them, according to the genealogical records of their clans, they had thirty-six thousand troops of the army for battle, for they had many wives and sons.

⁵ Their relatives from all the clans of Issachar numbered in all eighty-seven thousand mighty warriors, as listed in their genealogy.

⁶ Benjamin's three sons were Bela, Beker, and Jediael.

⁷ Bela's sons were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five heads of clans and mighty warriors. There were 22,034 of them recorded in their genealogy.

⁸ Beker's sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were his sons. ⁹ Recorded in their genealogy, according to their generations, were 20,200 heads of their clans, mighty warriors.

¹⁰ The son of Jediael was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹ All these were sons of Jediael. Listed in their clan lists were 17,200 heads of houses and mighty warriors fit for military service.

¹² The Shuppites and the Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.

¹³ The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem—the descendants of Bilhah.

¹⁴ The descendants of Manasseh were Asriel, who was his descendant through his Aramean concubine. (She gave birth to Makir, the father of Gilead. ¹⁵ Then Makir took a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites, and his sister's name was Maakah.) The name of the second was Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

¹⁶ Then Maakah, wife of Makir, bore a son and she called him Peresh, and his brother's name was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

¹⁷ The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the descendants of Gilead, who was the son of Makir, who was the son of Manasseh. ¹⁸ Gilead's sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.

¹⁹ The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

²⁰ The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, ²¹ Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by men of Gath, natives in the land, when they went to steal their livestock. ²² Ephraim their father mourned for them many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. ²³ He went to his wife. She conceived and bore a son. Ephraim named him Beriah, because tragedy had come to his family. ²⁴ His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.

²⁵ Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son,

²⁶ Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, ²⁷ Nun his son, and Joshua was his son.

²⁸ Their possessions and residences were Bethel and its surrounding villages. They extended eastward to Naaran and westward to Gezer and its villages, and to Shechem and its villages to Ayyah and its villages. ²⁹ On the border with Manasseh were Beth Shan and its villages, Taanach and its villages, Megiddo and its villages, and Dor and its villages. In these towns the descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived.

³⁰ Asher's sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Serah was their sister.

³¹ Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

³² Heber's sons were Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham. Shua was their sister.

³³ Japhlet's sons were Pasak, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet's children.

³⁴ Shomer, Japhlet's brother, had these sons: Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.

³⁵ Shemer's brother, Helem, had these sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.

³⁶ Zophah's sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, ³⁷ Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.

³⁸ Jether's sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.

³⁹ Ulla's sons were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. ⁴⁰ All these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of clans, distinguished men, mighty warriors, and chief among the leaders. There were twenty-six thousand men listed who were fit for military service recorded in their genealogy.

¹ Benjamin's five sons were Bela his firstborn, Ashbel, Aharah,

² Nohah, and Rapha.

³ Bela's sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, ⁴ Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, ⁵ Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

⁶ These were the descendants of Ehud who were heads of fathers' houses for the inhabitants of Geba, who were compelled to move to Manahath:

⁷ Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. The last, Gera, led them in their move. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

⁸ Shaharaim became the father of children in the land of Moab, after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. ⁹ By his wife Hodesh, Shaharaim became the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malkam, ¹⁰ Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers' houses. ¹¹ He had already become the father of Abitub and Elpaal by Hushim.

¹² Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding villages). ¹³ There were also Beriah and Shema. They were heads of the fathers' houses of those living in Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.

¹⁴ Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, ¹⁵ Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, ¹⁶ Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.

¹⁷ Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, ¹⁸ Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.

¹⁹ Jakim, Zikri, Zabdi, ²⁰ Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, ²¹ Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.

²² Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, ²³ Abdon, Zikri, Hanan, ²⁴ Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, ²⁵ Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

²⁶ Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, ²⁷ Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zikri were the sons of Jeroham. ²⁸ These were heads of clans—according to the genealogical records they were heads. These were the chief men who dwelled in Jerusalem.

²⁹ The father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maakah, lived in Gibeon. ³⁰ His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, ³¹ Gedor, Ahio, and Zeker. ³² Another of Jeiel's sons was Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. They also lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

³³ Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.

³⁴ The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Micah.

³⁵ The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melek, Tarea, and Ahaz.

³⁶ Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. ³⁷ Moza was the father of Binea. Binea was the father of Raphah. Raphah was the father of Eleasah. Eleasah was the father of Azel.

³⁸ Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were sons of Azel.

³⁹ The sons of Eshek, his brother, were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. ⁴⁰ Ulam's sons were mighty warriors and archers. They had many sons and grandsons, a total of 150. All these belonged to the descendants of Benjamin.

¹ So all Israel was recorded in genealogies. They were recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. As for Judah, they were carried away in exile to Babylon because of their faithlessness. ² The first to resettle in their possessions, in their cities, were some Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. ³ Some descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem.

⁴ The settlers included Uthai son of Ammihud son of Omri son of Imri son of Bani, one of the descendants of Perez son of Judah.

⁵ Among the Shelanites were Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

⁶ Among the descendants of Zerah was Jeuel. Their relatives numbered 690.

⁷ Among the descendants of Benjamin was Sallu son of Meshullam son of Hodaviah son of Hassenuah.

⁸ There were also Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah son of Reuel son of Ibnijah.

⁹ Their kinsmen, according to the genealogical records, numbered 956. All these men were heads of fathers' houses for their fathers' houses.

¹⁰ The priests were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jakin.

¹¹ There was also Azariah son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok son of Meraioth son of Ahitub, the one in charge of the house of God.

¹² There was Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pashhur son of Malkijah. There was also Maasai son of Adiel son of Jahzerah son of Meshullam son of Meshillemith son of Immer.

¹³ Their relatives, who were leaders of their clans, numbered 1,760. They were very capable men for the work of service in the house of God.

¹⁴ Among the Levites, there was Shemaiah son of Hasshub son of Azrikam son of Hashabiah, among the descendants of Merari. ¹⁵ There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mika son of Zikri son of Asaph. ¹⁶ There were also Obadiah son of Shemaiah son of Galal son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

¹⁷ The doorkeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their leader. ¹⁸ Previously they stood guard at the king's gate on the east side for the camp of Levi's descendants. ¹⁹ Shallum son of Kore son of Ebiasaph, ¹ son of Korah, and his relatives from his clan, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the guard service. They guarded the door to the tent, as their ancestors had guarded the camp of Yahweh, and they also had guarded the entrance. ²⁰ Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of them in the past, and Yahweh had been with him. ²¹ Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was guard of the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²² All those who were chosen as gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212. Their names were recorded in the people's genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their positions of trust. ²³ So they and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the house of Yahweh, that is called the house of the tabernacle. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were posted on all four sides, toward the east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ Their brothers, who lived in their villages, came in for seven-day rotations, in turn. ²⁶ But the four leaders of the gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and with the storerooms in the house of God. ²⁷ They would stay overnight in their posts all around the house of God, for they were responsible for guarding it. They would open it each morning.

²⁸ Some of them were in charge of the temple's equipment; they counted the articles when they were brought in and when they were taken out. ²⁹ Some of them also were assigned to take care of the holy things, the equipment, and the supplies, including the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and the spices. ³⁰ Some of the priests' sons mixed the spices. ³¹ Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of preparing bread for the offerings. ³² Some of their brothers, descendants of the Kohathites, were in charge of the bread of the presence, to prepare it every Sabbath.

³³ The singers and heads of the Levites' clans lived in rooms at the sanctuary when they were free from work, because they had to carry out their assigned tasks day and night. ³⁴ These were leaders of the clans of the Levites, according to the genealogical records, chief men. They lived in Jerusalem.

³⁵ The father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife's name was Maakah, lived in Gibeon. ³⁶ His firstborn son was Abdon, then his sons Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸ Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They also lived near their brothers in Jerusalem.

³⁹ Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.

⁴⁰ The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Micah.

⁴¹ The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melek, Tahrea, and Ahaz.

⁴² Ahaz was the father of Jadah. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. ⁴³ Moza became the father of Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

⁴⁴ Azel had six sons, and their names were Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were Azel's sons.

¹Ebiasaph is the same person referred to as Asaph in 1 Chronicles 26:1.

¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel. Every man of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his son. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons. ³ The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him, and they wounded him. ⁴ Then said Saul to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell on his sword in the same way and died. ⁶ So Saul died, and his three sons, so all his household members died together.

⁷ When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them. ⁸ It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him and took his head and his armor. They sent messengers throughout Philistia to carry the news to their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his skull to the temple of Dagon. ¹¹ When all Jabesh Gilead heard of all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the fighting men went and took away the body of Saul and those of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died for the faithless act with which he acted faithlessly against Yahweh. He did not obey Yahweh's instructions, but asked for advice from someone who talked with the dead. ¹⁴ He did not seek guidance from Yahweh, so Yahweh killed him and turned over the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

¹ Then all Israel gathered together with David at Hebron and said, "Look, we are your flesh and bone. ² In the recent past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become a ruler over my people Israel.'" ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them before Yahweh. They anointed David king over Israel. In this way, the word of Yahweh that had been declared by Samuel came true.

⁴ David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). Now the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will not come in here." But David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. ⁶ David had said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become chief and commander." So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first, so he was made the chief. ⁷ Then David began to live in the stronghold. So they called it the city of David. ⁸ He built the city all around from the Millo and back to the surrounding wall. Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹ David became greater and greater because Yahweh of hosts was with him.

¹⁰ These were the leaders David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, obeying the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. ¹¹ This is a list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hakmonite, was commander of the officers. ¹ He killed three hundred men with his spear on one occasion. ¹² After him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim, and there the Philistines assembled together for battle, where there was a barley field and the army fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ They stood in the middle of the field. They defended it and cut down the Philistines and Yahweh rescued them with a great victory.

¹⁵ Then three of the thirty leaders went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam. The army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ At that time David was in his stronghold, a cave, while the Philistines had established their camp at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David was longing for water and said, "If only someone would give me water to drink from the well at Bethlehem, the well that is by the gate!" ¹⁸ So these three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, the well at the gate. They took the water and brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to Yahweh. ¹⁹ Then he said, "Far be it for me before God that I should ever do this! Should I drink the blood of these men who have risked their lives?" Because they had put their lives at risk, David refused to drink it. These were the deeds of the three mighty men.

²⁰ Abishai brother of Joab was captain over the Three. He once used his spear against three hundred and killed them. He had a name along with the Three. ²¹ Of the Three, he was given double honor and became their captain, even though he was not one of them.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel, who did great deeds. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion on a day when the snow was falling. ²³ He even killed an Egyptian, a man five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with only a staff. He seized the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada did these feats, and he was named alongside the three mighty men. ²⁵ He was more highly regarded than the thirty soldiers in general, but he was not regarded quite as highly as the three mighty men. Yet David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶ The mighty warriors were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

²⁸ Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

²⁹ Sibbekai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

³¹ Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of Benjamin's descendants, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

³² Hurai of the valleys of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵ Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

³⁶ Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

³⁸ Joel brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah),

⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

⁴² Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him,

⁴³ Hanan son of Maakah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

⁴⁵ Jediael son of Shimri, Joha (his brother the Tizite),

⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

¹The Hebrew could also read, of the thirty, or, of the three .

¹ These were the men who came to David to Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish. They were among the soldiers, his helpers in battle. ² They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were Benjamites, Saul's kinsmen.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite. There were Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth. There were also Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a soldier among the thirty (and in command of the thirty); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ the Korahites Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, and ⁷ Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty warriors, men of war, ready for battle, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were as fierce as the faces of lions. They were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.

⁹ There were Ezer the leader, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Makbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These sons of Gad were leaders of the army. The least led a hundred, and the greatest led a thousand. ¹⁵ They crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it overflowed its banks, and caused all those living in the valleys to flee, both toward the east and toward the west.

¹⁶ Some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and addressed them: "If you have come in peace to me to help me, my heart will be joined with you. But if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, may the God of our ancestors see and rebuke you, since I have done no wrong." ¹⁸ Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, who was chief of the thirty. Amasai said, "We are yours, David. We are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace, may peace be to whoever helps you. May peace be to your helpers, for your God is helping you." Then David received them and made them commanders over his men.

¹⁹ Some from Manasseh also deserted to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle. Yet they did not help the Philistines, because the Philistine lords consulted with each other and sent David away. They said, "He will desert to his master Saul at the risk of our lives." ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains over thousands of Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David fight against the roving bands, for they were mighty warriors. Later they became commanders in the army. ²² Day after day, men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

²³ This is the record of the armed soldiers for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, which carried out Yahweh's word.

²⁴ The men of Judah who carried shield and spear were 6,800, armed for war.

²⁵ From the Simeonites there were 7,100 mighty warriors trained for war.

²⁶ From the Levites there were 4,600 fighting men. ²⁷ Jehoiada was the leader of Aaron's descendants, and with him were 3,700. ²⁸ With Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior, were twenty-two leaders from his clan.

²⁹ From Benjamin, Saul's kinsmen, were three thousand. Most of them had kept watch over the house of Saul until this time.

³⁰ From the Ephraimites there were 20,800 mighty warriors, men who were famous in their clans.

³¹ From the half tribe of Manasseh there were eighteen thousand famous men who came to make David king.

³² From Issachar, there were two hundred leaders who had understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do. All their relatives were under their command.

³³ From Zebulun there were fifty thousand fighting men, prepared for battle, with all the weapons of war, and ready to give undivided loyalty.

³⁴ From Naphtali there were one thousand officers, and with them thirty-seven thousand men with shields and spears.

³⁵ From the Danites there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.

³⁶ From Asher there were forty thousand men of war prepared for battle.

³⁷ From the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons for war.

³⁸ All these soldiers, equipped for battle, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel were in agreement to make David king also. ³⁹ They were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their relatives had sent them with provisions. ⁴⁰ In addition, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, and cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

¹ David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. ² David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if this comes from Yahweh our God, let us send messengers everywhere to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are in their cities. Let them be told to come together with us. ³ Let us bring the ark of our God back to ourselves, for we did not seek his will in the days of Saul's reign." ⁴ The whole assembly agreed to do these things, because in the eyes of all the people they seemed to be what was right. ⁵ So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. ⁶ David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, Kiriath Jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by Yahweh's name, Yahweh, who sits enthroned over the cherubim. ⁷ So they set the ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out of Abinadab's house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might. They were singing with harps and lutes, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out with his hand to grab the ark, because the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and Yahweh killed him because Uzzah had reached out with his hand to the ark. He died there before God. ¹¹ David was angry because Yahweh had attacked Uzzah. That place is called Perez Uzzah to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God that day. He said, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?" ¹³ So David did not move the ark to the city of David, but put it aside in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ The ark of God remained in Obed-Edom's household in his house for three months. So Yahweh blessed his house and all that he possessed.

¹ Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. They built a house for him. ² David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was exalted on high for the sake of his people Israel.

³ In Jerusalem, David took more wives, and he became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁴ These were the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

⁸ Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, they all went out looking for him. But David heard about it and went out against them. ⁹ Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ Then David asked for help from God. He said, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you give victory over them?" Yahweh said to him, "Attack, for I will certainly give them to you." ¹¹ So they came up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He commented, "God has burst through my enemies by my hand like a bursting flood of water." So the name of that place became Baal Perazim. ¹² The Philistines abandoned their gods there, and David gave an order that they should be burned.

¹³ Then the Philistines raided the valley yet again. ¹⁴ So David asked for help from God again. God said to him, "You must not attack their front, but rather circle around behind them and come on them through the balsam woods. ¹⁵ When you hear the sound of marching in the wind blowing through the balsam treetops, then attack with force. Do this because God will have gone out before you to attack the army of the Philistines." ¹⁶ So David did as God had commanded him. He defeated the army of the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. ¹⁷ Then David's fame went out into all lands, and Yahweh caused all nations to fear him.

¹ David built houses for himself in the city of David. He prepared a place for the ark of God and set up a tent for it. ² Then David said, "Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for they had been chosen by Yahweh to carry the ark of Yahweh, and to serve him forever." ³ Then David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Yahweh to the place he had prepared for it. ⁴ David gathered together Aaron's descendants and the Levites.

⁵ From the descendants of Kohath, there was Uriel the leader and his relatives, 120 men.

⁶ From the descendants of Merari, there was Asaiah the leader and his relatives, 220 men.

⁷ From the descendants of Gershom, there was Joel the leader and his relatives, 130 men.

⁸ From the descendants of Elizaphan, there was Shemaiah the leader and his relatives, 200 men.

⁹ From the descendants of Hebron, there was Eliel the leader and his relatives, eighty men.

¹⁰ From the descendants of Uzziel, there was Amminadab the leader and his relatives, 112 men. ¹¹ David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, "You are the leaders of the Levite families. Consecrate yourselves, both you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. ¹³ You did not carry it the first time. That is why Yahweh our God broke out against us, for we did not seek him or obey his decree." ¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ So the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded—following the rules given by the word of Yahweh.

¹⁶ David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to assign their brothers as singers who would play loudly on musical instruments, lutes and lyres and loud cymbals, to lift up sounds of joy. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel and one of his brothers, Asaph son of Berekiah. They also appointed kinsmen from Merari's descendants and Ethan son of Kushaiah. ¹⁸ With them were their kinsmen of second rank: Zechariah, ¹ Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. ¹⁹ The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play loud bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played the lutes, set to Alamoth. ²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah led the way with harps set to the Sheminith. ²² Kenaniah, leader of the Levites, was the director of the singing because he was a teacher of music. ²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were guards for the ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were guards for the ark.

²⁵ So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Obed-Edom's house with rejoicing. ²⁶ While God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah, the leader of the song with the singers. David was wearing a linen ephod. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with joyful shouting, and with the sound of horns and trumpets, with cymbals, and with lutes and harps.

²⁹ But as the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came to the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul, looked out the window. She saw King David dancing and celebrating. Then she despised him in her heart.

¹Some ancient copies add the name or prefix, "ben," assuming perhaps the name of Zechariah's father was left out.

¹ They brought in the ark of God and put it in the middle of the tent that David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. ² When David had finished offering up the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh. ³ He distributed to every man of Israel, to both men and women, a loaf of bread, and a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

⁴ David appointed certain Levites to serve before the ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate, thank and praise Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁵ These Levites were Asaph the leader, and second to him Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. These were to play with lutes and harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals, sounding loudly. ⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly, before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ Then on that day David first appointed Asaph and his brothers to sing this song of thanksgiving to Yahweh.

⁸ Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations.

⁹ Sing to him, sing praises to him;

speak of all his marvelous deeds.

¹⁰ Boast in his holy name;

let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

¹¹ Seek Yahweh and his strength;

seek his presence continually.

¹² Recall the marvelous things he has done,

his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,

¹³ you descendants of Israel his servant,

you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴ He is Yahweh, our God.

His decrees are on all the earth.

¹⁵ Keep his covenant in mind forever,

the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.

¹⁶ He calls to mind the covenant that he made with Abraham,

and his oath to Isaac.

¹⁷ This is what he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,

and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.

¹⁸ He said, "I will give you the land of Canaan

as the assigned portion of your inheritance."

¹⁹ When they were only few in number,

so very few, and they were strangers in the land,

²⁰ they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

²¹ He did not allow anyone to oppress them;

he punished kings for their sakes.

²² He said, "Do not touch my anointed ones,

and do not harm my prophets."

²³ Sing to Yahweh, all the earth;

announce his salvation day after day.

²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all the nations.

²⁵ For Yahweh is great and is to be praised greatly,

and he is to be feared above all other gods.

²⁶ For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.

²⁷ Splendor and majesty are in his presence.

Strength and joy are in his place.

²⁸ Ascribe to Yahweh, you clans of peoples,

ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

²⁹ Ascribe to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.

Bring an offering and come before him.

Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.

³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth.

The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let them say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns."

³² Let the sea roar, and that which fills it shout with joy.

Let the fields be joyful, and all that is in them.

³³ Then let the trees in the forest shout for joy before Yahweh,

for he is coming to judge the earth.

³⁴ Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

³⁵ Then say, "Save us, God of our salvation.

Gather us together and rescue us from the other nations,

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praises."

³⁶ May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

All the people said, "Amen" and praised Yahweh.

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to serve continually before the ark, as every day's work required. ³⁸ Obed-Edom with those sixty-eight relatives were included. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, along with Hosah, were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹ Zadok the priest and his fellow workers were to serve before the tabernacle of Yahweh at the high place in Gibeon. ⁴⁰ They were to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar for burnt offerings continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of Yahweh, which he gave as a command to Israel. ⁴¹ Heman and Jeduthun were with them, together with the rest who were chosen by name, to give thanks to Yahweh, because his covenant faithfulness endures forever. ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of those who played trumpets, cymbals, and the other instruments for the sacred music. The sons of Jeduthun guarded the gate. ⁴³ Then all the people returned to their homes, and David returned to bless his own household.

¹ It happened that after David had settled in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is staying under a tent." ² Then Nathan said to David, "Go, do what is in your heart, for God is with you." ³ But that same night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ "Go and tell David my servant, 'This is what Yahweh says: You will not build me a house in which to live. ⁵ For I have not lived in a house from the day that I brought up Israel to this present day. Rather, I have been living in a tent, a tabernacle, in various places. ⁶ In all places I have moved among all Israel, did I ever say anything to any of Israel's judges, whom I appointed to shepherd my people, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'" ⁷ "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what Yahweh of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, so that you would be ruler over my people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and I will make you a name, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth. ⁹ I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and be troubled no more. No longer will wicked people oppress them, as they did before, ¹⁰ as they were doing from the days that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Then I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that I, Yahweh, will build you a house. ¹¹ It will come about that when your days are fulfilled for you to go to your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, and for one of your own descendants, I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be a Father to him, and he will be my son. I will not take my covenant faithfulness away from him, as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you. ¹⁴ I will set him over my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.'"

¹⁵ Nathan spoke to David and reported to him all these words, and he told him about the entire vision.

¹⁶ Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh; he said, "Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this point? ¹⁷ For this was a small thing in your sight, God. You have spoken of your servant's family for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, Yahweh God. ¹⁸ What more can I, David, say to you? You have honored your servant. You have given your servant special recognition. ¹⁹ Yahweh, for your servant's sake, and to fulfill your own purpose, you have done this great thing to reveal all your great deeds. ²⁰ Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, just as we have always heard. ²¹ For what nation on earth is like your people Israel, whom you, God, rescued from Egypt as a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself by great and awesome deeds? You drove out nations from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt. ²² You made Israel your own people forever, and you, Yahweh, became their God. ²³ So now, Yahweh, may the promise that you made concerning your servant and his family be established forever. Do as you have spoken. ²⁴ May your name be established forever and be great, so the people will say, 'Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel,' while the house of me, David, your servant is established before you. ²⁵ For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. That is why I, your servant, have found courage to pray to you. ²⁶ Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have made this good promise to your servant: ²⁷ Now it has pleased you to bless your servant's house, that it may continue forever before you. You, Yahweh, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

¹ After this it came about that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. He took Gath and its villages out of the Philistines' control. ² Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David and paid him tribute.

³ David then defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah at Hamath, as Hadadezer was traveling to establish his rule by the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for a hundred chariots.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Aramean men. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to him and brought him tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ David took the golden shields that were on Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tebah and Kun, cities of Hadadezer, David took very much bronze. It was with this bronze that Solomon later made the bronze basin called "The Sea," the pillars, and the bronze equipment.

⁹ When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him. He did this because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, and because Tou had often been at war with Hadadezer. Tou also sent David many different sorts of articles made of gold and silver and bronze. ¹¹ King David set these objects apart to Yahweh, together with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations: Edom, Moab, the people of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁴ David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and righteousness to all his people. ¹⁵ Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. ¹⁶ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was scribe. ¹⁷ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites, and David's sons were the chief officials at the hand of the king.

¹ It came about later that Nahash, king of the people of Ammon, died, and that his son became king in his place. ² David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. David's servants entered the land of the Ammonites and went to Hanun, in order to comfort him. ³ But the Ammonite princes said to Hanun, "Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent men to comfort you? Do not his servants come to you to explore and examine the land in order to overthrow it?" ⁴ So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut off their robes in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ When they explained this to David, he sent to meet with them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire Aramean chariots and horsemen from Naharaim, Maakah, and Zobah. ⁷ They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maakah and his army, who came and encamped before Medeba. Then the Ammonites gathered themselves together from their cities and came out to battle. ⁸ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and his entire host of mighty men. ⁹ The people of Ammon came out and lined up for battle at the city gate, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab saw the battle lines facing him both in front and behind, he chose some of Israel's best fighters and arranged them against the Arameans. ¹¹ As for the rest of the army, he gave it into the command of Abishai his brother, and he put them into battle lines against the army of Ammon. ¹² Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you, Abishai, must rescue me. But if the army of Ammon is too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you. ¹³ Be strong, and let us show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, for Yahweh will do what is good in his eyes." ¹⁴ So Joab and the soldiers of his army advanced to the battle against the Arameans, who were forced to flee before the army of Israel. ¹⁵ When the army of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Joab's brother Abishai and went back into the city. Then Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When the Arameans saw that they were being defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought back Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer's army. ¹⁷ When David was told this, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and came upon them. He arranged the army for battle against the Arameans, and they fought him. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak, the commander of the army. ¹⁹ When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. So the people of Aram were no longer willing to rescue the Ammonites.

¹ It came about in the spring of the year, at the time when kings normally go to war, that Joab led the army into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah. David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and completely destroyed it. ² David took the crown of their king from off his head, and he found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones. The crown was set on David's head, and he brought out the plunder of the city in large quantities. ³ He brought out the people who were in the city and forced them to work with saws and iron picks and axes. David required all the cities of the descendants of Ammon to do this labor. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴ It came about after this that there was a battle at Gezer with the Philistines. Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued. ⁵ It came about again in a battle with the Philistines at Gob, that Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed Lahmi brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. ⁶ It came about in another battle at Gath that there was a man of great height who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He also was descended from the Rapha. ⁷ When he mocked the army of Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. ⁸ These were descendants of the Rapha of Gath, and they were killed by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

¹ An adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel. ² David said to Joab and to the commanders of the army, "Go, count the people of Israel from Beersheba to Dan and report back to me, that I may know their number." ³ Joab said, "May Yahweh make his army a hundred times greater than it is. But my master the king, do they not all serve my master? Why does my master want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?" ⁴ But the king's word was enforced against Joab. So Joab left and went throughout all Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem. ⁵ Then Joab reported the total of the census of the fighting men to David. There were in Israel 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. Judah alone had 470,000 soldiers. ⁶ But Levi and Benjamin were not counted among them, for the king's command had disgusted Joab. ⁷ God was offended by this action, so he attacked Israel. ⁸ David said to God, "I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly."

⁹ Yahweh told Gad, David's prophet, ¹⁰ "Go say to David, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.'" ¹¹ So Gad went to David and said to him, "Yahweh says this, 'Choose one of these: ¹² either three years of famine, three months being pursued by your enemies and being caught by their swords, or else three days of Yahweh's sword, that is, a plague in the land, with the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the land of Israel.' Now then, decide what answer I should take to the one who sent me." ¹³ Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress! Let me fall into the hand of Yahweh rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great." ¹⁴ So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand people died. ¹⁵ God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, Yahweh watched and changed his mind about the harm. He said to the destroying angel, "Enough! Now draw back your hand." At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand raised over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, lay facedown on the ground. ¹⁷ David said to God, "Is it not I that commanded that the army be numbered? I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God! Let your hand strike me and my clan, but do not let the plague remain on your people."

¹⁸ So the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of Yahweh. ²⁰ While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. He and his four sons with him hid themselves. ²¹ When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground. ²² Then David said to Ornan, "Sell me this threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh. I will pay the full price, so that the plague may be removed from the people." ²³ Ornan said to David, "Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, I will give you oxen for burnt offerings, threshing sledges for wood, and wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all to you." ²⁴ King David said to Ornan, "No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and offer it as a burnt offering to Yahweh if it costs me nothing." ²⁵ So David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the place. ²⁶ David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings. ²⁷ Then Yahweh gave an order to the angel, and the angel put his sword back into its sheath.

²⁸ When David saw that Yahweh had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he performed the sacrifice there at that same time. ²⁹ Now at that time, Yahweh's tabernacle, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar for burnt offerings, were at the high place at Gibeon. ³⁰ However, David could not go there to ask for God's direction, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

¹ Then David said, "This is where the house of Yahweh God will be, with the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel."

² So David ordered his servants to gather together the foreigners living in the land of Israel. He assigned them to be stonecutters, to cut stone blocks, in order to build the house of God. ³ David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails for the doors to go in the gateways, and for braces. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, ⁴ and more cedar trees than could be counted. (The Sidonians and the Tyrians brought too many cedar logs to David to count.) ⁵ David said, "My son Solomon is a young and inexperienced man, and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be especially magnificent, so that it will be famous and glorious in all other lands. So I will prepare for its building." So David made extensive preparations before his death.

⁶ Then he called for Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, "My son, it was my intention to build a house myself, for the name of Yahweh my God. ⁸ But Yahweh came to me and said, 'You have shed much blood and have fought many battles. You will not build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. ⁹ However, you will have a son who will be a peaceful man. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. For his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his Father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' ¹¹ Now, my son, may Yahweh be with you and enable you to succeed. May you build the house of Yahweh your God, as he said you would. ¹² Only may Yahweh give you insight and understanding, so that you may obey the law of Yahweh your God, when he places you in charge over Israel. ¹³ Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the statutes and the decrees that Yahweh gave to Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be discouraged. ¹⁴ Now, see, with great pains I have prepared for the house of Yahweh 100,000 talents of gold, one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron in large quantities. I have also provided timber and stone. You must add more to all this. ¹⁵ You have many workmen with you: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and skillful craftsmen without number of every kind, ¹⁶ who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and begin the work, and may Yahweh be with you."

¹⁷ David also ordered all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸ "Yahweh your God is with you and has given you peace on every side. He has given the region's inhabitants into my hand. The region is subdued before Yahweh and his people. ¹⁹ Now seek Yahweh your God with all your heart and your soul. Get up and build the holy place of Yahweh God. Then you can bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy things that belong to God into the house built for Yahweh's name."

¹ When David was old and near the end of his life, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ² He gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and Levites. ³ The Levites who were thirty years old and older were counted in a census, and they numbered thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ "Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work on the house of Yahweh, and six thousand were officers and judges. ⁵ Four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise Yahweh with the instruments that I made to give praise," David said. ⁶ David divided them into groups that corresponded to Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁷ From the clans descended from Gershon, there were Ladan and Shimei.

⁸ There were three of Ladan's sons: Jehiel the leader, Zetham, and Joel.

⁹ There were three of Shimei's sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These were the leaders of the clans of Ladan.

¹⁰ There were four of Shimei's sons: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah.

¹¹ Jahath was the oldest, and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered as one clan with the same duties.

¹² There were four of Kohath's sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹³ These were Amram's sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was chosen to set apart the most holy things, that he and his descendants would offer incense before Yahweh, to serve him and to give blessings in his name forever. ¹⁴ But as for Moses the man of God, his descendants were counted with the tribe of Levi.

¹⁵ Moses' sons were Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶ Gershom's descendant was Shubael the oldest.

¹⁷ Eliezer's descendant was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.

¹⁸ Izhar's son was Shelomith the leader.

¹⁹ Hebron's descendants were Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁰ Uzziel's sons were Micah the oldest, and Ishiah the second.

²¹ Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli's sons were Eleazar and Kish.

²² Eleazar died without having any sons. He had only daughters. So their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them.

²³ Mushi's three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

²⁴ These were Levi's descendants corresponding to their clans. They were the leaders, counted and listed by name in the census, of the clans that did the work in the service of the house of Yahweh, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵ For David said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people. He makes his home in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ The Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all the equipment used in its service." ²⁷ For by David's last words the Levites were counted, from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ Their duty was to assist Aaron's descendants in the service of the house of Yahweh. They were to care for the courtyards, the rooms, the ceremonial purification of all the things that belong to Yahweh, and other work in the service of the house of God. ²⁹ They also took care of the bread of the presence, the fine flour for grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baked offerings, the offerings mixed with oil, and all the measuring of the amounts and sizes of things. ³⁰ They also stood every morning to thank and praise Yahweh. They also did this in the evening ³¹ and whenever burnt offerings were offered to Yahweh, on the Sabbath and at the new moon festivals and feast days. A fixed number, assigned by decree, always had to be present before Yahweh. ³² They were in charge of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and helped their kinsmen the descendants of Aaron in the service of the house of Yahweh.

¹ The work groups based on Aaron's descendants were these: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² Nadab and Abihu died before their father died. They had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. ³ David, together with Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelek, a descendant of Ithamar, divided them into groups for their labor as priests. ⁴ There were more leading men among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's descendants, so they divided Eleazar's descendants into sixteen groups. They did this by heads of clans and by Ithamar's descendants. These divisions were eight in number, corresponding to their clans. ⁵ They divided them impartially by lot, for there were holy officials and officials of God, from both Eleazar's descendants and Ithamar's descendants. ⁶ Shemaiah son of Nethanel the scribe, a Levite, wrote down their names in the presence of the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelek son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the priestly and Levite families. One clan was drawn by lot from Eleazar's descendants, and then the next would be drawn from Ithamar's descendants.

⁷ The first lot went to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

⁹ the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shekaniah,

¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul,

¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

¹⁹ This was the order of their service, when they came into the house of Yahweh, following the ordinance given to them by Aaron their ancestor, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

²⁰ These were the rest of the descendants of Levi: Of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.

²¹ As for Rehabiah, the sons of Rehabiah: Ishiah the leader.

²² From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

²³ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the leader, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.

²⁴ The son of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

²⁵ The brother of Micah: Ishiah. From the sons of Ishiah: Zechariah.

²⁶ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; from the son of Jaaziah: Beno.

²⁷ The sons of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri.

²⁸ From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

²⁹ From Kish: The son of Kish: Jerahmeel.

³⁰ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, listed by their clans. ³¹ These men who were the head of each clan and each of their younger brothers, cast lots in the presence of King David, and Zadok and Ahimelek, along with the leaders of the families of the priests and Levites. They cast lots just as Aaron's descendants had done.

¹ David and the leaders of the army selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with lutes and harps, and with cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:

² From the sons of Asaph: Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, ¹ the sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision.

³ From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, ² Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, playing the harp for giving thanks and praising Yahweh.

⁴ From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, ³ Shubael, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king's prophet. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters to lift up his horn.

⁶ All these were under the direction of their fathers. They were musicians in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, lutes and lyres, as they served in the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king's supervision. ⁷ They and their brothers who were skilled and trained to make music to Yahweh numbered 288. ⁸ They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the same for the young as well as the old, the teacher as well as the student.

⁹ Now regarding Asaph's sons: The first lot fell to Joseph's family; the second fell to Gedaliah's family, twelve persons in number; ¹⁰ the third fell to Zakkur, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹¹ the fourth fell to Izri, ⁴ his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹² the fifth fell to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹³ the sixth fell to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁴ the seventh fell to Jesarelah, ⁵ his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁵ the eighth fell to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁶ the ninth fell to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁷ the tenth fell to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁸ the eleventh fell to Azarel, ⁶ his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ¹⁹ the twelfth fell to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁰ the thirteenth fell to Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²¹ the fourteenth fell to Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²² the fifteenth fell to Jerimoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²³ the sixteenth fell to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁴ the seventeenth fell to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁵ the eighteenth fell to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁶ the nineteenth fell to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁷ the twentieth fell to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁸ the twenty-first fell to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ²⁹ the twenty-second fell to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ³⁰ the twenty-third fell to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number; ³¹ the twenty-fourth fell to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve persons in number.

¹This is the same person referred to in 1 Chronicles 25:14 as Jesarelah.

²This is a variant of the name Izri , which is found in 1 Chronicles 25:11, and refers to the same person.

³Uzziel is the same person referred to in 1 Chronicles 25:18 as Azarel.

⁴This is a variant of Zeri , found in 1 Chronicles 25:3, and refers to the same person.

⁵This is the same person referred to in 1 Chronicles 25:2 as Asharelah.

⁶This is the same person referred to in 1 Chronicles 25:4 as Uzziel.

¹ Here were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites, Meshelemiah son of Kore, a descendant of Asaph ¹ .

² Meshelemiah ² had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

³ Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

⁴ Obed-Edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sakar the fourth, and Nethanel the fifth,

⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God had blessed Obed-Edom.

⁶ To Shemaiah his son were born sons who ruled over their clans; they were men of great ability. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also men with many abilities. ⁸ All these were descendants of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives were men capable of doing their duties in the tabernacle service. There were sixty-two of them related to Obed-Edom.

⁹ Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, capable men, eighteen in all.

¹⁰ Hosah, a descendant of Merari, had sons: Shimri the leader (although he was not the firstborn, his father made him leader), ¹¹ Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth. All of Hosah's sons and kinsmen were thirteen in number.

¹² These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had responsibilities, like their relatives, to serve in the house of Yahweh. ¹³ They threw lots, both young and old, corresponding to their clans, for every gate. ¹⁴ When the lot was cast for the east gate, it fell to Shelemiah ³ . They then cast lots for Zechariah his son, a prudent advisor, and his lot came out for the north gate. ¹⁵ To Obed-Edom was assigned the south gate, and his sons were assigned the storehouses. ¹⁶ Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate along with the gate of Shalleketh, on the upper road. The guards were very close to each other. ¹⁷ On the east were six Levites, on the north four a day, on the south four a day, and at the storehouses two pairs. ¹⁸ At the pillar to the west there were four stationed at the road and two at the pillar ⁴ ¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were the descendants of Korah and Merari.

²⁰ Among the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the things that belong to Yahweh. ²¹ The descendants of Ladan, who were descendants of the Gershonites through Ladan, who were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli ²² and the sons of Jehieli: Zetham and Joel his brother. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of Yahweh. ²³ From the clans of Amram, the clans of Izhar, the clans of Hebron, and the clans of Uzziel:

²⁴ Shubael, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was supervisor over the treasuries. ²⁵ His relatives from the clan of Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, Rehabiah's son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah's son Joram, Joram's son Zikri, and Zikri's son Shelomith. ²⁶ Shelomith and his relatives were over all the treasuries holding the dedicated things that David the king, the family leaders, commanders over thousands and hundreds, and the army commanders had dedicated. ²⁷ They set apart the plunder won in battles for the upkeep of the house of Yahweh. ²⁸ They were also in charge of everything that was set apart to Yahweh by Samuel the prophet, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. Everything that was set apart to Yahweh was under the guard of Shelomith and his relatives.

²⁹ Of Izhar's descendants, Kenaniah and his sons were in charge of the civil affairs of Israel. They were officers and judges.

³⁰ Of Hebron's descendants, Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 capable men, were in charge of Yahweh's work and the king's work. They were on the west side of the Jordan. ³¹ As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was the head of the clans, according to the genealogical records. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they examined the records and found among them men of great ability in Jazer of Gilead. ³² Jeriah had 2,700 relatives, who were capable family leaders. David made them overseers over the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and for the king's affairs.

¹Asaph is the same person referred to as Ebiasaph in 1 Chronicles 9:19.

²Meshelemiah is the same person referred to as Shelemiah in 1 Chronicles 26:14.

³Shelemiah is the same person referred to as Meshelemiah in 1 Chronicles 26:2.

⁴The Hebrew word translated here as pillar is uncertain. Some translations simply write the Hebrew word as parbar . This word appears only here and in 2 Kings 23:11 in the Old Testament.

¹ This is the list of the family leaders of the people of Israel, commanders of thousands and hundreds, as well as army officers who served the king in various ways. Each military division served month by month throughout the year. Each division had twenty-four thousand men.

² Over the division for the first month was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. ³ He was among the descendants of Perez and in charge of all the army officers for the first month.

⁴ Over the division for the second month was Dodai, from the clan descended from Ahoah. Mikloth was second in rank. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

⁵ The commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a priest and leader. In his division were twenty-four thousand men. ⁶ This is the Benaiah who was the leader of the thirty, and over the thirty. Ammizabad his son was in his division.

⁷ The commander for the fourth month was Asahel brother of Joab. Zebadiah his son became commander after him. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

⁸ The commander for the fifth month was Shamhuth, a descendant of Izrah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

⁹ The commander for the sixth month was Ira son of Ikkesh, from Tekoa. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹⁰ The commander for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, from the people of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹¹ The commander for the eighth month was Sibbekai the Hushathite, from the clan descended from Zerah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹² The commander for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, from the tribe of Benjamin. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹³ The commander for the tenth month was Maharai from the city of Netophah, from the clan descended from Zerah. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹⁴ The commander for the eleventh month was Benaiah from the city of Pirathon, from the tribe of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹⁵ The commander for the twelfth month was Heldai from the city of Netophah, from the clan descended from Othniel. In his division were twenty-four thousand men.

¹⁶ These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel: For the tribe of Reuben, Eliezer son of Zichri was the leader. For the tribe of Simeon, Shephatiah son of Maakah was the leader.

¹⁷ For the tribe of Levi, Hashabiah son of Kemuel was the leader, and Zadok led Aaron's descendants.

¹⁸ For the tribe of Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers, was the leader. For the tribe of Issachar, Omri son of Michael was the leader.

¹⁹ For the tribe of Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was the leader. For the tribe of Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel was the leader.

²⁰ For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Azaziah was the leader. For the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah was the leader.

²¹ For the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah was the leader. For the tribe of Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner was the leader.

²² For the tribe of Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham was the leader. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

²³ David did not count those twenty years old or younger, because Yahweh had promised to increase Israel like the stars of heaven. ²⁴ Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men, but did not finish. Wrath fell on Israel for this. This number was not written down in the Chronicles of King David.

²⁵ Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king's treasuries. Jonathan son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the fortified towers. ²⁶ Ezri son of Kelub was over the farmers, those who plowed the land. ²⁷ Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the grapes and the wine cellars. ²⁸ Over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands was Baal-Hanan from Geder, and over the storehouses of oil was Joash. ²⁹ Over the herds that were pastured in Sharon was Shitrai from Sharon, and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat son of Adlai. ³⁰ Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite, and over the female donkeys was Jehdeiah from Meronoth. Over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹ Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these officials were in charge of the property of King David.

³² Jonathan, David's uncle, was an advisor, since he was a wise man and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni cared for the king's sons. ³³ Ahithophel was the king's advisor, and Hushai from the Arkite people was the king's private advisor. ³⁴ Ahithophel's position was taken by Jehoiada son of Benaiah, and by Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army.

¹ David assembled all the officials of Israel at Jerusalem: the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king in their scheduled work, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, the managers over all the property and possessions of the king and of his sons, and the officers and fighting men, including the most skilled of them. ² Then David the king rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was my intention to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; a footstool for our God, and I have made preparations to build it. ³ But God said to me, 'You will not build a temple for my name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.' ⁴ Yet Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. He has chosen Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my father's house, and from all my father's sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. ⁵ From the many sons whom Yahweh has given me, he chose Solomon, my son, to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh, over Israel. ⁶ He said to me, 'Solomon your son will build my house and my courtyards, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his Father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever, if he remains committed to obey my commandments and decrees, as you are this day.' ⁸ Now then, in the sight of all Israel, this assembly for Yahweh, and in the presence of our God, all of you must keep and try to carry out all the commandments of Yahweh your God. Do this so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants after you forever.

⁹ As for you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father, and serve him with your whole heart and a willing spirit. Do this because Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every motivation of everyone's thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Realize that Yahweh has chosen you to build this temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it."

¹¹ Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the temple portico, the temple buildings, the storerooms, the upper rooms, the inner rooms, and the room with the atonement lid. ¹² He gave him the plans he had drawn for the courtyards of the house of Yahweh, all the surrounding rooms, the storerooms in the house of God, and the treasuries for the things that belong to Yahweh. ¹³ He gave him regulations for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for the assigned responsibilities for the service of the house of Yahweh, and for all the objects for the service in the house of Yahweh. ¹⁴ He determined the weight of all the gold vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service, ¹⁵ the weight of the gold for all the gold articles, to be lampstands and gold lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand, the weight of silver for each silver lampstand, according to the use of each lampstand in the service. ¹⁶ He gave the weight of the gold for the tables of the bread of the presence, for every table, and the weight of the silver for the silver tables. ¹⁷ He gave the weight of pure gold for the meat forks, basins, and cups. He gave the weight for each of the gold bowls, and the weight of each of the silver bowls. ¹⁸ He gave the weight of refined gold for the incense altar, and of the gold for the design of the chariot, the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. ¹⁹ David said, "I have put all this in writing as Yahweh directed me and gave me to understand regarding the design."

²⁰ David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and brave. Do the work. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you nor abandon you until all the work for the service of the house of Yahweh is finished. ²¹ See, here are the divisions of the priests and Levites for all the service in the house of God. They will be with you, together with all willing and skillful men, to assist you in the work and to perform the service. The officials and all the people are ready to follow your commands."

¹ King David said to the whole assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced, and the task is great. For the temple is not for people but for Yahweh God. ² So I have done my best to provide for the temple of my God. I am giving gold for the things to be made of gold, silver for the things to be made of silver, bronze for the things to be made of bronze, iron for the things to be made of iron, and wood for the things to be made of wood. I am also giving onyx stones, stones to be set, stones for inlaid work of various colors—all kinds of precious stones—and marble stone in abundance. ³ Now, because of my delight in the house of my God, I am giving my personal treasure of gold and silver for it. I am doing this in addition to all that I have prepared for this holy temple: ⁴ three thousand talents of gold from Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, in order to overlay the walls of the buildings. ⁵ I am donating gold for the things to be made of gold, and silver for the things to be made of silver, and things for all kinds of work to be done by craftsmen. Who else wants to make a contribution to Yahweh today and give himself to him?"

⁶ Then freewill offerings were made by the leaders of their ancestors' families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and by the officials over the king's work. ⁷ They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. ⁸ Those who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh, under the supervision of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. ⁹ The people rejoiced because of these freewill offerings, because they had contributed wholeheartedly to Yahweh. King David also rejoiced greatly.

¹⁰ David blessed Yahweh in front of all the assembly. He said, "May you be praised, Yahweh, God of Israel our ancestor, forever and ever. ¹¹ Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. For all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as ruler over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all people. In your hand is power and might. You possess the strength and might to make people great and to give strength to anyone. ¹³ Now then, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name.

¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we should have the ability to offer so willingly these things? Indeed, all things come from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours. ¹⁵ For we are sojourners and tenants before you, as all our ancestors were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of remaining on earth. ¹⁶ Yahweh our God, all this wealth that we have collected in order to build a temple to honor your holy name—it comes from you and belongs to you. ¹⁷ I know also, my God, that you examine the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things, and now I look with joy as your people who are present here willingly offer gifts to you. ¹⁸ Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—our ancestors—keep this forever in the thoughts of the minds of your people. Direct their hearts toward you. ¹⁹ Give to Solomon my son a whole heart to keep your commandments, your covenant decrees, and your statutes, and to carry out all these plans to build the palace for which I have made provision."

²⁰ David said to all the assembly, "Now bless Yahweh your God." All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed down and showed honor to Yahweh and to the king. ²¹ On the next day, they made sacrifices to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings to him. They offered a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² On that day, they ate and drank before Yahweh with great joy.

They made Solomon, David's son, king a second time, and anointed him with Yahweh's authority to be ruler. They also anointed Zadok to be priest.

²³ Then Solomon sat on Yahweh's throne as king in place of David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the leaders, soldiers, and King David's sons gave allegiance to King Solomon. ²⁵ Yahweh greatly honored Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had never been given to any king before him in Israel.

²⁶ David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷ David had been king of Israel for forty years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. ²⁸ He died at a good old age, after enjoying a long life, wealth and honor. Solomon his son reigned after him. ²⁹ King David's accomplishments are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the chronicles of Gad the seer. ³⁰ Recorded there are the deeds of his rule, his power and the events that affected him, Israel, and all the kingdoms of the other lands.

¹ Solomon son of David was strengthened in his rule, and Yahweh his God was with him and made him very powerful. ² Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses. ³ So Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Yahweh, had made in the wilderness. ⁴ But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place that he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ In addition, the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh; Solomon and the assembly went to it. ¹ ⁶ Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered one thousand burnt offerings on it.

⁷ God appeared to Solomon that night and said to him, "Ask! What should I give you?" ⁸ Solomon said to God, "You have shown great covenant faithfulness to David my father, and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, Yahweh God, let your promise to David my father be carried out, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Now give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people, for who can judge your people, who are so many in number?" ¹¹ God said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and because you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor for the life of those who hate you, nor for long life for yourself, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, so that you might rule my people, over whom I have made you king, this is what I will do. ¹² I will now give you wisdom and knowledge. I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, as none of the kings had before you, and none after you will have." ¹³ So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting; he reigned over Israel.

¹⁴ Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he placed in the chariot cities, and with himself, the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as the stones, and he made cedar wood as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowlands. ¹⁶ As for the importation of horses from Egypt and Kue for Solomon, the king's merchants bought them from Kue at a price. ¹⁷ They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150 shekels. They also exported them to the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.

¹Some of the ancient Hebrew copies have, the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, he placed there before the tabernacle of Yahweh , where he refers to David.

¹ Now Solomon commanded the building of a house for Yahweh's name and the building of a palace for his kingdom. ² Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to carry loads, and eighty thousand men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 men to supervise them. ³ Solomon sent a message to Hiram, the king of Tyre, saying, "As you did with David my father, sending him cedar logs to build a house to live in, do the same with me. ⁴ See, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to set it apart to him, to burn incense of sweet spices before him, to set out the bread of the presence, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts for Yahweh our God. This is forever, for Israel. ⁵ The house that I will build will be very large, for our God is greater than all other gods. ⁶ But who is able to build God a house, since the entire universe and even heaven itself cannot contain him? Who am I to build him a house, except to burn sacrifices before him? ⁷ So send me a man who is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue wool, a man who knows how to make all kinds of engraved wood. He will be with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. ⁸ Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum trees from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. See, my servants will be with your servants, ⁹ in order to prepare for me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build will be great and marvelous. ¹⁰ See, I will give to your servants, the men who will cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil." ¹

¹¹ Then Hiram, the king of Tyre, answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: "Because Yahweh loves his people, he has made you king over them."

¹² In addition, Hiram said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, gifted with prudence and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh and a royal palace for himself. ¹³ Now I have sent a skillful man, Huram-Abi, who is gifted with understanding. ¹⁴ He is the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan. His father was a man from Tyre. He is skilled at work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and in timber, and in purple, blue, and crimson wool, and fine linen. He is also skilled in making any kind of engraving and in making any kind of design. Let a place be made for him among your skilled workers, and with those of my master, David, your father. ¹⁵ Now then, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, of which my master has spoken, let him send these things to his servants. ¹⁶ We will cut wood from Lebanon, as much wood as you need. We will take it to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem."

¹⁷ Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, following the method that David, his father, had counted them. They were found to be 153,600. ¹⁸ He assigned seventy thousand of them to carry loads, eighty thousand to be stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 to be supervisors to put the people to work.

¹Some translations compare this section with 1 Kings 5:11 where the Hebrew reads: twenty thousand cors of wheat as food .

¹ Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to David his father. He prepared the place that David had planned for it, at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ² He began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. ³ Now these are the dimensions of the foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God. Using the old style cubit, the length was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. ⁴ The length of the portico at the front of the house was twenty cubits, matching the building's width. Its height was also twenty cubits, and Solomon overlaid its interior with pure gold. ⁵ He fashioned the ceiling of the main hall with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold, and which he carved with palm trees and chains. ⁶ He decorated the house with precious stones; the gold was gold from Parvaim. ⁷ He also overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold; he carved cherubim on its walls.

⁸ He built the most holy place. Its length matched the house's width, twenty cubits, and its width was also twenty cubits. He overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. ⁹ The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He overlaid its high surfaces with gold.

¹⁰ He made two images of cherubim for the most holy place; craftsmen overlaid them with gold. ¹ ¹¹ The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long all together; the wing of one cherub was five cubits long, reaching to the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. ¹² The wing of the other cherub was also five cubits, reaching to the wall of the room; its other wing was also five cubits, touching the wing of the first cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim spread a total of twenty cubits. The cherubim stood on their feet, with their faces toward the main hall. ¹⁴ He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson wool and fine linen, and he fashioned cherubim on it.

¹⁵ Solomon also made two pillars, each thirty-five cubits high, for in front of the house; the capitals that were on the top of them were five cubits high. ¹⁶ He made chains for the pillars and put them on top of them; he also made one hundred pomegranates and joined them to the chains. ¹⁷ He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; he named the pillar on the right Jakin, and the pillar on the left Boaz.

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew texts can be rendered in two ways. Some translate as: two forged metal images of cherubim ; and another as: two carved wooden images of cherubim.

¹ Moreover he made an altar of bronze; its length was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits. Its height was ten cubits. ² He also made the round sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim. Its height was five cubits, and the sea was thirty cubits in circumference. ³ Under the brim encircling the sea were bulls, ten to each cubit, cast in one piece with the sea when the sea itself was cast. ⁴ The large basin known as "The Sea" was set upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east. "The Sea" was set on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the inside. ⁵ "The Sea" was as thick as the width of a hand, and its brim was forged like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. "The Sea" held three thousand baths of water. ⁶ He made also ten basins for washing things; he put five on the south side, and five on the north; items used in performing the burnt offering were to be washed in them. The large basin known as "The Sea" was used by the priests for them to wash.

⁷ He made the ten lampstands of gold that were made from the instructions for their design; he placed them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. ⁸ He made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. He made one hundred basins of gold. ⁹ Furthermore he made the courtyard of the priests, and the great court and the doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. ¹⁰ He placed the basin known as "The Sea" on the east side of the temple, facing toward the south. ¹¹ Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon in the house of God:

¹² the two pillars, the bowl-like capitals that were on top of the two pillars, and the two sets of decorative latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on top of the pillars.

¹³ He had made the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of decorative latticework: two rows of pomegranates for each set of latticework to cover the two bowl-like capitals that were on the pillars.

¹⁴ He also made the stands and the basins to go on the stands;

¹⁵ one sea and the twelve bulls under it,

¹⁶ also the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other implements that Huram-Abi made of polished bronze for King Solomon, for the house of Yahweh. ¹ ¹⁷ The king had cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Sukkoth and Zarethan. ¹⁸ Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; indeed, the weight of the bronze could not be known.

¹⁹ Solomon made all the furnishings that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables on which the bread of the presence was to be placed;

²⁰ the lampstands with their lamps, that were designed to burn before the inner room—these were made of pure gold;

²¹ and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, pure gold.

²² Also the lamp trimmers, basins, spoons, and incense burners were all made of pure gold. As for the entrance into the house, its inner doors into the most holy place and the doors of the house, that is, of the temple, were made of gold.

¹Instead of meat forks , some modern translations have bowls , which follows 1 Kings 7:45.

¹ When all the work that Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was completed, Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had set apart for this purpose, including the silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—he placed them into the treasuries of the house of God.

² Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the families of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. ³ All the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. ⁴ All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. ⁵ They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tent. The priests who were of the tribe of Levi brought these things up. ⁶ King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel came together before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted. ⁷ The priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner room of the house, to the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, and they covered the ark and the poles by which it was carried. ⁹ The poles that extended from the ark were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner room, but they could not be seen from outside. They are there to this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

¹¹ It came about that the priests came out of the holy place. All the priests who were present had consecrated themselves to Yahweh, regardless of their divisions. ¹² Also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and brothers, clothed in fine linen and playing cymbals, lutes and harps, stood at the east end of the altar. With them were 120 priests blowing trumpets. ¹³ It came about that the trumpeters and singers made music together, making one sound to be heard for praising and thanking Yahweh. They raised their voices with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments, and they praised Yahweh. They sang, "For he is good, for his covenant loyalty endures forever." Then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud. ¹⁴ The priests could not stand in order to serve because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled his house.

¹ Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said that he would live in thick darkness, ² but I have built you a lofty residence, a place for you to live in forever." ³ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

⁴ He said, "May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised, who spoke to David my father, and has fulfilled it with his own hands, saying, ⁵ 'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, in order for my name to be there. Neither did I choose any man to be prince over my people Israel. ⁶ However, I have chosen Jerusalem, so that my name might be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.' ⁷ Now it was in the heart of David my father, to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ But Yahweh said to David my father, 'In that it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well for it to be in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless, you are not to build the house; instead, your son, one who will come from your loins, will build the house for my name.' ¹⁰ Yahweh has carried out the word that he had said, for I have arisen in the place of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised. I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹¹ I have placed the ark there, in which is Yahweh's covenant, which he made with the people of Israel."

¹² Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands. ¹³ For he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. He had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it and knelt down before all the assembly of Israel, and then he spread out his hands toward the heavens. ¹⁴ He said, "Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens or on the earth, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; ¹⁵ you who have kept with your servant David my father, what you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today. ¹⁶ Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, carry out what you have promised to your servant David my father, when you said, 'You will not fail to have a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful to walk in my law, as you have walked before me.' ¹⁷ Now then, Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

¹⁸ But will God actually live with mankind on the earth? Look, the entire universe and heaven itself cannot contain you—how much less can this temple that I have built! ¹⁹ Yet please respect this prayer of your servant and his plea, Yahweh my God; listen to the cry and prayer that your servant prays before you. ²⁰ May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, the place where you promised to put your name. May you listen to the prayer your servant prays toward this place. ²¹ So listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and when you listen, forgive.

²² If a man sins against his neighbor and is required to swear an oath, and if he comes and swears an oath before your altar in this house, ²³ listen from the heavens and act. Judge your servants, condemning the wicked and bringing what he has done upon his own head. Declare the innocent not guilty and give to him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ When your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you, confess your name, pray, and seek favor before you in this temple— ²⁵ then please listen from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel; bring them back to the land that you gave to them and to their ancestors.

²⁶ When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because the people have sinned against you—if they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin when you have afflicted them— ²⁷ then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and of your people Israel, when you direct them to the good way in which they should walk. Send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

²⁸ Suppose there is famine in the land, or suppose that there is disease, blight or mildew, locusts or caterpillars; or suppose that its enemies attack the city gates in their land, or that there is any plague or sickness— ²⁹ and suppose then that prayers and pleas are made by a person or by all your people Israel—each knowing the plague and sorrow in his own heart as he spreads out his hands toward this temple. ³⁰ Then listen from heaven, the place where you live; forgive, and reward every person for all his ways; you know his heart, because you and you only know the hearts of human beings. ³¹ Do this so that they may fear you, so that they may walk in your ways all the days that they live on the land that you gave to our ancestors.

³² As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel, but who—because of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—comes and prays toward this house, ³³ then please listen from heaven, the place where you live, and do all that the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and that they might know that this house I have built is called by your name.

³⁴ Suppose that your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you may send them, and suppose that they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen, and toward the house that I have built for your name. ³⁵ Then listen from the heavens to their prayer, their request, and help their cause.

³⁶ Suppose they sin against you—since there is no one who does not sin—and suppose that you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that the enemy carries them away and takes them as captives to their land, whether distant or near. ³⁷ Then suppose they realize they are in the land where they have been exiled, and suppose that they repent and seek favor from you in the land of their captivity. Suppose that they say, 'We have acted perversely and sinned. We have behaved wickedly.' ³⁸ Suppose that they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they took them as captives, and suppose that they pray toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, and toward the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name. ³⁹ Then listen from the heavens, the place where you live, to their prayer and to their pleas, and help their cause. Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

⁴⁰ Now, my God, I beg you, let your eyes be open, and let your ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

⁴¹ Now then arise, Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests, Yahweh God, be clothed with salvation, and let your faithful ones rejoice in your goodness. ⁴² Yahweh God, do not turn the face of your anointed away from you. Keep in mind your acts of covenant loyalty for David, your servant."

¹ Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ² The priests could not enter the house of Yahweh, because his glory filled his house. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh over the house, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the stone pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh. They said, "For he is good, for his covenant loyalty endures forever."

⁴ So the king and all the people offered sacrifices to Yahweh. ⁵ King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ The priests stood, each standing where they serve; the Levites also with instruments of music of Yahweh, which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh in the song, "For his covenant faithfulness endures for ever." All the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. ⁷ Solomon set apart the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of Yahweh. There he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar that he had made was not able to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

⁸ So Solomon held the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo Hamath to the brook of Egypt. ⁹ On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they kept the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the feast for seven days. ¹⁰ On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their tents with glad and joyful hearts because of the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, Solomon, and Israel, his people.

¹¹ Thus Solomon finished the house of Yahweh and the king's house. Everything that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Yahweh and in his own house, he successfully carried out. ¹² Yahweh appeared to Solomon by night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ Suppose that I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send plague among my people, ¹⁴ then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers that are made in this place. ¹⁶ For I have now chosen and set apart this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there every day. ¹⁷ As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, obeying all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my decrees, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I said in a covenant with David your father, when I said, 'A descendant of yours will never fail to be ruler in Israel.'

¹⁹ But if you turn away, and abandon my statutes and my commandments that I have placed before you, and if you go worship other gods and bow down to them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from out of my ground that I have given them. This house that I have set apart for my name, I will cast away from before me, and I will make it a proverb and a joke among all the peoples. ²¹ Even though this temple is so lofty now, everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will hiss. They will ask, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this land and to this house?' ²² Others will answer, 'Because they abandoned Yahweh, their God, who had brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and bowed down to them and worshiped them. That is why Yahweh has brought all this disaster on them.'"

¹ It came about at the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house, ² that Solomon rebuilt the towns that Hiram had given to him, and he settled the people of Israel in them.

³ Solomon attacked Hamath Zobah and defeated it. ⁴ He built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities, which he built in Hamath. ⁵ Also he built Beth Horon the Upper and Beth Horon the Lower, cities fortified with walls, gates, and bars. ⁶ Solomon built Baalath and all the storage cities that he possessed, and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever he wished to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the lands under his rule.

⁷ As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who did not belong to Israel, ⁸ their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—Solomon made them into forced laborers, which they are to this day. ⁹ However, Solomon did not makes slaves of the people of Israel for his work. Instead, they were soldiers, commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen. ¹⁰ These were also the chief officers managing the supervisors who belonged to King Solomon, 250 of them, who ruled over the people who did the work.

¹¹ Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, "My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because wherever the ark of Yahweh has come is holy."

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on his altar that he had built in front of the portico. ¹³ He offered sacrifices just as the daily schedule required; he offered them, following the directions found in the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbath days, the new moons, and on the set festivals three times every year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters.

¹⁴ In keeping with the decrees of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests to their work, and the Levites to their positions, in order to praise God and to serve before the priests, as the daily schedule required. He also appointed the gatekeepers by their divisions to every gate, for David, the man of God, had also commanded this. ¹⁵ These people did not deviate from the commands of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the storerooms.

¹⁶ All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid until it was finished. The house of Yahweh was completed.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and then to Elath on the coast, in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers, men who knew the sea, and with the servants of Solomon they went to Ophir and they took from there 450 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

¹ When the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She came with a very long caravan, with camels loaded with spices, much gold, and many precious gemstones. When she had come to Solomon, she told him all that was in her heart. ² Solomon answered her all her questions; nothing was too difficult for Solomon; there was no question that he did not answer. ³ When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom and the palace that he had built, ⁴ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the work of his servants and their clothing, also his cupbearers and their clothing, and the burnt offerings he made at ¹ the house of Yahweh, there was no more breath in her. ⁵ She said to the king, "It is true, the report that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom. ⁶ I did not believe what I heard until I came here, and now my eyes have seen it. Not half was told me about the greatness of your wisdom and wealth! You have exceeded the report that I heard. ⁷ How blessed are your men, and how blessed are your servants who constantly stand before you, because they hear your wisdom. ² ⁸ Blessed be Yahweh your God, who has taken pleasure in you, who placed you on his throne, to be king for Yahweh your God. Because your God loved Israel, in order to establish them forever, he had made you king over them, for you to do justice and righteousness!"

⁹ She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a large amount of spices and precious stones. There had never been such spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ¹⁰ The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ With the algum wood, the king made steps for the house of Yahweh and for his house, as well as harps and lutes for the musicians. No wood like this had been seen before in the land of Judah. ¹² King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba everything she desired and whatever she asked for; he gave her more than what she had brought to the king. So she left and went back to her own land, she and her servants.

¹³ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides the gold that the traders and merchants brought. All the kings of Arabia and the governors in the country also brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went into each one. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three minas of gold went into each shield; the king put them into the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷ Then the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ There were six steps to the throne, and a footstool of gold was attached to the throne. On each side of the throne there were armrests with two lions standing beside each of them. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood on the steps, one on each side of each of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the drinking cups in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were silver because silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's days. ²¹ The king had at sea a fleet of ships of Tarshish, along with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish brought gold, silver, and ivory, as well as apes and baboons.

²² So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom. ²³ All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Those who visited brought tribute, vessels of silver and of gold, clothes, weapons, and spices, as well as horses and mules, year after year. ²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with himself in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ The king had silver in Jerusalem, as much as the stones on the ground. He made cedar wood to be as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that are in the lowlands. ²⁸ They brought horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all the lands.

²⁹ As for the other matters concerning Solomon, first and last, are they not written in The History of Nathan the Prophet, in The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in The Visions of Iddo the Seer (which also had information about Jeroboam son of Nebat)? ³⁰ Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ³¹ He lay down with his ancestors and the people buried him in the city of David his father. Rehoboam, his son, became king in his place.

¹Some scholars suggest an alternative reading of the phrase the burnt offerings he made at to say, the ascent by which he went up to .

²Some translations have: How blessed are your wives , following 1 Kings 10:8. The spelling of "men" and "wives" is very close in Hebrew.

¹ Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel was coming to Shechem to make him king. ² When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. ³ So they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all Israel came; they spoke to Rehoboam and said, ⁴ "Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore, make your father's hard work easier, and lighten the heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you." ⁵ Rehoboam said to them, "Come again to me after three days." So the people left.

⁶ King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive; he said, "How would you advise me to bring an answer to these people?" ⁷ They spoke to him and said, "If you are good to this people and please them, and say good words to them, then they will always be your servants." ⁸ But Rehoboam ignored the advice of the old men that they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. ⁹ He said to them, "What advice do you give me, so that we may answer the people who spoke to me and said, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?" ¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with Rehoboam spoke to him, saying, "This is how you should speak to the people who told you that your father Solomon made their yoke heavy, but that you must make it lighter. This is what you should say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. ¹¹ So now, although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.'"

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king said, "Come back to me on the third day." ¹³ King Rehoboam spoke to them harshly, ignoring the advice of the old men. ¹⁴ He spoke to them following the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions."

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn in events brought about by God, that Yahweh might carry out his word that Ahijah the Shilonite had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered him and said, "What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! Each of you should go back to his tent, Israel. Now see to your own house, David." So all Israel returned to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was over the forced laborers, but the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam fled quickly in his chariot to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

¹ When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were soldiers, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ⁴ 'Yahweh says this, "You must not attack or make war against your brothers. Everyone must return to his own house, for I have caused this to happen."'" So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

⁵ Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities in Judah for defense. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹ He fortified the fortresses and put commanders in them, with stores of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

¹³ The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel went over to him from within their borders. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasturelands and property in order to come to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had driven them away, so that they could no longer act as the priests of Yahweh. ¹⁵ Jeroboam appointed for himself priests for the high places and the goat and calf idols he had made. ¹⁶ People from all the tribes of Israel came after them, those who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel; they came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam son of Solomon strong during three years, and they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

¹⁸ Rehoboam took a wife for himself: Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, David's son, and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, Jesse's son. ¹⁹ She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After Mahalath, Rehoboam took Maakah, Absalom's daughter; she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maakah, Absalom's daughter, more than all his other wives and his concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). ²² Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maakah to be chief, a leader among his brothers; he had the thought of making him king. ²³ Rehoboam ruled wisely; he scattered all his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin to every fortified city. He also gave them food in abundance and looked for many wives for them.

¹ It came about, when Rehoboam's reign was established and he was strong, that he abandoned the law of Yahweh—and all Israel with him. ² It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because the people had been unfaithful to Yahweh. ³ He came with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. Soldiers without number came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. ⁴ He captured the fortified cities that belonged to Judah and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, "This is what Yahweh says: You have abandoned me, so I have also given you over into Shishak's hand." ⁶ Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "Yahweh is righteous." ⁷ When Yahweh saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves. I will not ruin them; I will deliver them to some extent, and my anger will not pour out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak's hand. ⁸ Nevertheless, they will be his servants, so that they may understand what it is to serve me and to serve the rulers of the other countries."

⁹ So Shishak, king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures in the house of Yahweh, and the treasures in the king's house. He took everything away; he also took the shields of gold that Solomon had made. ¹⁰ King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and entrusted them into the hands of the commanders of the guard, who guarded the doors to the king's house. ¹¹ It happened that whenever the king entered the house of Yahweh, the guards would carry them; then they would bring them back into the guards' room. ¹² When Rehoboam humbled himself, Yahweh's anger turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; besides, there was still some good to be found in Judah.

¹³ So King Rehoboam made his kingship strong in Jerusalem, and thus he reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel so that he might put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite woman. ¹⁴ He did what was evil, because he did not fix his heart to seek Yahweh.

¹⁵ As for the other matters concerning Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the writings of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, which also have records of genealogies and the constant wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam? ¹⁶ Rehoboam lay down with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David; Abijah his son became king in his place.

¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Macaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah went into battle with an army of strong, courageous warriors, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam placed battle lines against him with 800,000 chosen men, mighty warriors. ⁴ Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Do you not know that Yahweh the God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. ⁷ Worthless men, base fellows, gathered to him. They came against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and timid at heart, and they were too strong for him. ⁸ So now you plan to resist the kingdom of Yahweh that is held within the hand of the descendants of David, because you are a large army, and you have the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. ⁹ But did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own in the same way as the people of other lands do? Whoever comes to serve as a priest, sacrificing a young bull and seven rams, he becomes a priest of what are not gods. ¹⁰ But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not abandoned him. We have priests, descendants of Aaron, serving Yahweh, and the Levites, who are at their work. ¹¹ Every morning and evening they burn for Yahweh burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also arrange the bread of the presence on the pure table; they also tend the lampstand of gold with its lamps, for them to burn every evening. We keep the commandments of Yahweh, our God, but you have abandoned him. ¹² See, God is with us at our head, and his priests are here with the trumpets to sound an alarm against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."

¹³ But Jeroboam prepared an ambush behind them; his army was in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah looked back, behold, the fighting was both in front of them and behind them. They cried out to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah gave a shout; as they shouted, it came about that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ The people of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into the hand of Judah. ¹⁷ Abijah and his army killed them with great slaughter; 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell dead. ¹⁸ In this way, the people of Israel were subdued at that time; the people of Judah won because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam; he took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam never recovered power again during the days of Abijah; Yahweh struck him, and he died. ²¹ But Abijah became powerful; he took fourteen wives for himself and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² The rest of Abijah's deeds, his behavior, and words are written in the history of the prophet Iddo.

¹ Abijah lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa, his son, became king in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years. ² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, ³ for he took away the foreign altars and the high places. He broke down the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. ⁴ He commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to carry out the law and the commandments. ⁵ Also he took away the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under him. ⁶ He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Yahweh had given him peace. ⁷ For Asa said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is still ours because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and succeeded. ⁸ Asa had an army that carried shields and spears; from Judah he had 300,000 men, and from Benjamin, 280,000 men who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million soldiers and three hundred chariots; he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle lines in order in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ Asa cried to Yahweh, his God, and said, "Yahweh, there is no one but you to help one who has no strength when he is facing many. Help us, Yahweh our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast number. Yahweh, you are our God; do not let man defeat you." ¹² So Yahweh struck the Cushites before Asa and Judah; the Cushites fled. ¹³ Asa and the soldiers with him pursued them to Gerar. So many Cushites fell that they could not recover, for they were completely destroyed before Yahweh and his army. The army carried away very much plunder. ¹⁴ The army destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for terror of Yahweh had come on the inhabitants. The army plundered all the villages, and there was much booty in them. ¹⁵ The army also destroyed the tents of those who owned livestock; they carried away sheep in abundance, as well as camels, and then they returned to Jerusalem.

¹ The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. ³ Now for a long period, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law. ⁴ But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. ⁵ In those times there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, for there were great disturbances on all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city, for God troubled them with all kinds of suffering. ⁷ But be strong, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work will be rewarded."

⁸ When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and drove away the disgusting figures from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had captured from the hill country of Ephraim, and he rebuilt Yahweh's altar, which was in front of the portico of the house of Yahweh. ⁹ He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who stayed with them—people from Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon. For they came from Israel to him in great numbers, when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. ¹¹ They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day some of the plunder that they had brought: seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats. ¹² They entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul. ¹³ They agreed that whoever refused to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether the person was small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴ They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, and with trumpets and rams' horns. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and they sought God with their whole desire, and he was found by them. Yahweh gave them peace all around them.

¹⁶ King Asa also removed Maakah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. He cut down the disgusting figure, crushed it to dust, and burned it at the Kidron Brook. ¹⁷ But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted all his days. ¹⁸ He brought into the house of God his father's sacred gifts and his own sacred gifts, silver and gold and utensils. ¹⁹ There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

¹ In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha, king of Israel, acted aggressively against Judah and built up Ramah, so that he might not allow anyone to leave or enter into the land of Asa, king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought the silver and gold out of the storerooms in the house of Yahweh and of the king's house, and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus. He said, ³ "Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent to you silver and gold. Break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he may leave me alone." ⁴ Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim ¹ , and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ It came about that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building up Ramah and let his work cease. ⁶ Then Asa the king took all Judah with him. They carried away the stones and timbers of Ramah with which Baasha had been building up the city. Then King Asa used that building material to build up Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer went to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram, and have not relied on Yahweh your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a huge army, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on Yahweh, he gave you victory over them. ⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh run everywhere throughout the whole earth, so that he might show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward him. But you have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, you will have war." ¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer; he put him into prison, for he was enraged with him over this matter. At the same time, Asa oppressed some of the people.

¹¹ Behold, the deeds of Asa, from first to last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was very severe, he did not seek help from Yahweh, but only from the healers. ¹³ So Asa lay down with his ancestors, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ They buried him in his own tomb, which he had dug out for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that was filled with sweet odors and various kinds of spices prepared by skilled perfumers. Then they made a very great fire in his honor.

¹The place named Abel Maim is the same as Abel Beth Maakah. See 2 Samuel 20:14-15.

¹ Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king in his place. Jehoshaphat strengthened himself against Israel. ² He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had captured. ³ Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David, and did not seek the Baals. ¹ ⁴ Instead, he relied on the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, not according to the practices of Israel. ⁵ So Yahweh established the rule in his hand; all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat. He had riches and honor in abundance. ⁶ His heart was committed to Yahweh's ways. He also removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸ With them were Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Yahweh with them. They went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰ Terror of Yahweh fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver as tribute. Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams, and 7,700 goats. ¹² Jehoshaphat became very powerful. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He had many supplies in the cities of Judah, and soldiers—mighty warriors—in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ These were their divisions listed by the name of their fathers' houses: From Judah, the commanders of thousands; Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty warriors;

¹⁵ next to him Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000 men;

¹⁶ next to him Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve Yahweh; and with him 200,000 mighty warriors.

¹⁷ From Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields;

¹⁸ next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 ready prepared for war.

¹⁹ These were those who served the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

¹Some ancient copies do not have David , therefore, some modern translations leave it out.

¹ Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; he allied himself with Ahab by having one of his family marry his daughter. ² After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed many sheep and cattle for him and the people who were with him. Ahab also persuaded him to attack Ramoth Gilead with him. ³ Ahab, king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered him, "I am like you, and my people are like your people. We will be with you in the war."

⁴ Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please first seek the word of Yahweh for your answer." ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Should we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I not?" They said, "Attack, for God will give it into the hand of the king." ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here still another prophet of Yahweh with whom we might seek advice?" ⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may seek the advice of Yahweh, Micaiah son of Imlah, but I hate him because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil." But Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say that." ⁸ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah." ⁹ Now Ahab the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on a throne, clothed in their robes, on a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made himself horns of iron and said, "Yahweh says this: With these you will push the Arameans until they are consumed." ¹¹ All the prophets prophesied the same, saying, "Attack Ramoth Gilead and win, for Yahweh has given it into the hand of the king."

¹² The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, the words of the prophets with one mouth are favorable to the king. Let your words agree with theirs, and speak favorably." ¹³ Micaiah replied, "As Yahweh lives, it is what God says that I will say." ¹⁴ When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth Gilead for battle, or not?" Micaiah answered him, "Attack and be victorious! For it will be a great victory." ¹⁵ Then the king said to him, "How many times must I require you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?" ¹⁶ So Micaiah said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep who have no shepherd, and Yahweh said, 'These have no shepherd. Let every man return to his house in peace.'" ¹⁷ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?" ¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, "Therefore all of you should hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven were standing on his right hand and on his left. ¹⁹ Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?' One said this and another that. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forward and it stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²¹ The spirit replied, 'I will go out and I will become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Yahweh replied, 'You will entice him, and you will also be successful. Go now and do so.' ²² Now see, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and Yahweh has decreed disaster for you."

²³ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, came up, slapped Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of Yahweh take to go from me to speak to you?" ²⁴ Micaiah said, "Look, you will know that on that day, when you run into some inner room to hide." ²⁵ The king of Israel said to some servants, "You people seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, my son. ²⁶ You people will say to him, 'The king says: Put this man in prison and feed him with only a little bread and only a little water, until I return safely.'" ²⁷ Then Micaiah said, "If you return safely, then Yahweh has not spoken by me." Then he added, "Listen to this, all you people."

²⁸ So Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up against Ramoth Gilead. ²⁹ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel." ³¹ It came about that when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat they said, "That is the king of Israel." They turned around to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him. God turned them away from him. ³² It came about that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ But a certain man drew his bow at random and shot the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded." ³⁴ The battle grew worse that day, and the king of Israel was held up in his chariot facing the Arameans until the evening. About the time that the sun was going down, he died.

¹ Jehoshaphat the king of Judah safely returned to his house in Jerusalem. ² Then Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you be helping the wicked? Should you be loving those who hate Yahweh? For this deed, anger from Yahweh is on you. ³ However, there is some good to be found in you, in that you have taken the Asherah poles out of the land, and you have fixed your heart to seek God."

⁴ Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ⁵ He placed judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ He said to the judges, "Consider what you should do, because you are not judging for man, but for Yahweh; he is with you in the act of judging. ⁷ Now then, let the fear of Yahweh be upon you. Be careful when you judge, for there is no iniquity with Yahweh our God, nor is there any favoritism or bribe taking."

⁸ Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and the priests, and some of the heads of the families of Israel, for carrying out judgment for Yahweh, and for the sake of disputes. They lived in Jerusalem. ⁹ He instructed them, saying, "You must serve in reverence for Yahweh, faithfully, and with your whole heart. ¹⁰ Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, whether concerning bloodshed, whether about laws and commands, statutes or decrees, you must warn them, so they do not become guilty before Yahweh, or anger will come toward you and toward your brothers. If you do this, you will not be guilty. ¹¹ See, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all the matters of Yahweh. Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, is in charge of all the matters of the king. Also, the Levites will be officers serving you. Be strong and obey your instructions, and may Yahweh be with those who are good."

¹ It came about after this, that the people of Moab and Ammon, and with them some Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to do battle. ¹ ² Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A large multitude is coming against you from beyond the Dead Sea, from Edom. See, they are in Hazezon Tamar," that is, En Gedi. ² ³ Jehoshaphat became afraid and set himself to seek Yahweh. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ Judah gathered together to seek Yahweh; they came to seek Yahweh from all the cities of Judah.

⁵ Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, at the house of Yahweh, in front of the new courtyard. ⁶ He said, "Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven? Are you not the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so no one is able to resist you. ⁷ Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham? ⁸ They lived in it and built you a holy place in it for your name, saying, ⁹ 'If disaster comes on us—the sword, judgment, or plague, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and we will cry to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.' ³ ¹⁰ See now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; so, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them. ¹¹ See how they are rewarding us; they are coming to drive us out of your land that you have given us to inherit. ¹² Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this great army that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

¹³ All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, wives, and children.

¹⁴ Then in the middle of the assembly the Spirit of Yahweh came on Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and a descendant of Asaph. ¹⁵ Jahaziel said, "Listen, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what Yahweh says to you, 'Do not fear; do not be discouraged because of this great army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God. ¹⁶ You must go down against them tomorrow. See, they are coming up by way of the pass of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand in your positions, stand still, and see the rescue of Yahweh with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear nor be discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for Yahweh is with you.'" ¹⁸ Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping him. ¹⁹ The Levites, those of the descendants of the Kohathites and Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ Early in the morning they arose and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Trust in Yahweh your God, and you will be supported. Trust in his prophets, and you will succeed." ²¹ After he consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to Yahweh and who praised him for his majestic splendor as they went out before the army, saying, "Give thanks to Yahweh, for his covenant faithfulness endures forever."

²² When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set men in ambush against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming against Judah. They were defeated. ²³ For the people of Ammon and Moab rose to fight the inhabitants of Mount Seir, in order to completely kill them and destroy them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they all helped to destroy each other.

²⁴ When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked out on the army. Behold, they were dead, fallen to the ground; none had escaped. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take plunder from them, they found among them abundant goods, clothing, and valuable articles, which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away. It took them three days to carry off the plunder, there was so much of it. ⁴ ²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah. There they praised Yahweh, so the name of that place is the "Valley of Berakah" to this day. ²⁷ Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in their lead, to go again to Jerusalem with joy, for Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ They came to Jerusalem and to the house of Yahweh with lutes and harps and trumpets. ²⁹ The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the nations when they heard that Yahweh had fought against Israel's enemies. ³⁰ So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him peace all around him.

³¹ Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ³² He walked in the ways of Asa, his father; he did not turn away from them; he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. ³³ However, the high places were not taken away. The people still had not directed their hearts to the God of their ancestors. ³⁴ As for the other matters concerning Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu son of Hanani, which is recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

³⁵ After this Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, allied himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who committed much wickedness. ³⁶ He allied himself with him to build ships to go to Tarshish. They built the ships at Ezion Geber. ³⁷ Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat; he said, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works." The ships were wrecked so that they could not go to Tarshish.

¹The reading Meunites represents a correction to the Hebrew text, as was suggested by the ancient Greek translation. The ancient Hebrew copies read: Ammonites . Most modern translations agree that Meunites was original.

²Instead of Edom , the ancient Greek and Latin translations and some modern translations read Aram .

³Instead of judgment , some ancient and modern translations read flood .

⁴Instead of among them , some ancient and modern translations read cattle . Instead of clothing , some ancient and modern translations read dead bodies .

¹ Jehoshaphat lay down with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of David; Jehoram, his son, became king in his place. ² Jehoram had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. ³ Their father had given them large gifts of silver, gold, and other precious things, and also fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram. ⁴ Now when Jehoram had risen up over his father's kingdom and had firmly established himself as king, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also various other leaders of Israel. ⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ⁶ He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab was doing, for he had Ahab's daughter as his wife, and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. ⁷ However, Yahweh did not wish to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David; he had promised that he would always give a lamp to him and his descendants.

⁸ In Jehoram's days, Edom rebelled against the control of Judah, and they set a king to reign over themselves. ⁹ Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots. It was night when he rose up and fought against the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. ¹⁰ So Edom has been in rebellion from the control of Judah to this present day. Libnah also revolted at the same time from his control, because Jehoram had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.

¹¹ In addition, Jehoram had also built high places in the mountains of Judah and he made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to live like prostitutes, and he led Judah astray. ¹² A letter from the prophet Elijah came to Jehoram. It said, "This is what Yahweh, the God of David, your ancestor, says: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, your father, nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah, ¹³ but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to act like a prostitute, as the house of Ahab did—and because you have also killed your brothers in your father's house, men who were better than yourself— ¹⁴ see, Yahweh will strike your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions with a heavy blow. ¹⁵ You yourself will have much sickness with a disease in your intestines, until the disease causes your intestines to come out, and this will continue day after day."

¹⁶ Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians who were near the Cushites. ¹⁷ They attacked Judah, invaded it, and carried away all the wealth that was found in the king's house. They also carried away his sons and his wives. No son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.

¹⁸ After all this, Yahweh struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. ¹⁹ It came about in due time, at the end of two years, that his intestines fell out because of his sickness, and that he died of severe disease. His people made no fire in his honor as they had done for his ancestors. ²⁰ He had begun to reign when he was thirty-two years old; he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years, and when he departed no one mourned him. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the royal tombs.

¹ The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king in his place, for the marauding band that came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all his older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, became king. ² Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the daughter of Omri. ³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab for his mother was his advisor in doing wicked things. ⁴ Ahaziah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab was doing, for they were his advisors after the death of his father, to his destruction. ⁵ He also followed their advice; he went with Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. ⁶ Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael, king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

⁷ Now the destruction of Ahaziah was brought about by God through Ahaziah's visit to Joram. When he had arrived, he went with Jehoram to attack Jehu son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. ⁸ It came about, when Jehu was carrying out God's judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers serving Ahaziah. Jehu killed them. ⁹ Jehu looked for Ahaziah; they caught him hiding in Samaria, brought him to Jehu, and killed him. Then they buried him, for they said, "He is a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no more power to rule the kingdom.

¹⁰ Now when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and killed all the royal children in the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehosheba, ¹ a daughter of the king, secretly took Joash son of Ahaziah away from the king's sons who were about to be killed. She put him and his nurse into a bedroom. So Jehosheba, a daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that Athaliah did not kill him. ¹² He was with them, hidden in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

¹Jehosheba may be spelled differently in other translations, as: Jehoshaba .

¹ In the seventh year, Jehoiada showed his strength and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. ² They went about in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. ³ All the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, "See, the king's son will reign, as Yahweh has said concerning the descendants of David. ⁴ This is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites who come to serve on the Sabbath will be guards at the doors. ⁵ Another third will be at the king's house, and the other third will be at the Foundation Gate. All the people will be in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ Allow no one to come into the house of Yahweh, except for the priests and the Levites who are serving. They may enter because they are consecrated. But all the other people must obey the commands of Yahweh. ⁷ The Levites must surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand. Whoever comes into the house, let him be killed. Stay with the king when he comes in and when he goes out."

⁸ So the Levites and all Judah served in every way in the manner in which Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those who were to come in to serve on the Sabbath, and those who were to leave off serving on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed any of their divisions. ⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest brought to the commanders spears and small and large shields that had been King David's that were in the house of God. ¹⁰ Jehoiada placed all the soldiers, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. ¹¹ Then they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant decrees. Then they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. Then they said, "Long live the king."

¹² When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of Yahweh, ¹³ and she looked, and, behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the commanders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers were playing musical instruments and leading the singing of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and shouted, "Treason! Treason!" ¹⁴ Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks; anyone who follows her, let him be killed with the sword." For the priest had said, "Do not kill her in the house of Yahweh." ¹⁵ So they seized her as she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and there they killed her.

¹⁶ Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they should be Yahweh's people. ¹⁷ So all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his images to pieces, and they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of those altars. ¹⁸ Jehoiada appointed officers for the house of Yahweh under the hand of the priests, who were Levites, whom David had assigned to the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings to Yahweh, as it was written in the law of Moses, together with rejoicing and singing, as David had given direction. ¹⁹ Jehoiada set guards at the gates of the house of Yahweh, so that no one that was unclean in any way should enter. ²⁰ Jehoiada took with him the commanders of hundreds, the noblemen, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land. He brought down the king from the house of Yahweh; the people came through the Upper Gate to the king's house and sat the king on the throne of the kingdom. ¹ ²¹ So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. As for Athaliah, they had killed her with the sword.

¹Some modern translations have, they brought down the king .

¹ Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada, the priest. ³ Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

⁴ It came about after this, that Joash decided to restore the house of Yahweh. ⁵ He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, "Go out every year to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God. Make sure that you start right away." The Levites did nothing at first. ⁶ So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses the servant of Yahweh and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant decrees?" ⁷ For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God and had given all the holy things of the house of Yahweh to the Baals.

⁸ So the king commanded, and they made a chest and placed it outside at the entrance to the house of Yahweh. ⁹ Then they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, for the people to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God levied on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ All the leaders and all the people rejoiced and brought money in and put it into the chest until they finished filling it. ¹¹ It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officials by the hand of the Levites, and whenever they saw that there was much money in it, the king's scribe and the high priest's official would come, empty the chest, and take it and carry it back to its place. They did this day after day, gathering large amounts of money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those who did the work of serving in the house of Yahweh. These men hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also those who worked in iron and bronze. ¹³ So the workmen labored, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands; they set up the house of God in its original design and strengthened it. ¹⁴ When they finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. This money was used to make furnishings for the house of Yahweh, utensils with which to serve and make offerings—spoons and utensils of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually for all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and then he died; he was 130 years old when he died. ¹⁶ They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, toward God, and to the house of God. ¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and did honor to the king. Then the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah gods and the idols. God's anger came on Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. ¹⁹ Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to himself, Yahweh; the prophets testified against the people, but they refused to listen.

²⁰ The Spirit of God clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the priest; Zechariah stood above the people and said to them, "God says this: Why do you transgress the commandments of Yahweh, so that you cannot prosper? Since you have abandoned Yahweh, he has also abandoned you." ²¹ But they plotted against him; at the king's command, they stoned him with stones in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. ²² Joash the king, did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had done to him, and so he killed Jehoiada's son. As Zechariah was dying, he said, "May Yahweh see this and call you to account."

²³ It came about at the end of the year, that the army of Aram came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem; they destroyed all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder from them to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Although the army of the Arameans had come with only a few soldiers, Yahweh gave them victory over a very great army, because Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. In this way the Arameans brought judgment on Joash.

²⁵ By the time that the Arameans had gone, Joash had been severely wounded. His own servants plotted against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest. They killed him in his bed, and he died; they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ These were the persons who plotted against him: Zabad son of Shimeath, an Ammonite woman; and Jehozabad son of Shimrith, a Moabite woman. ²⁷ Now the accounts about his sons, the important prophecies that were spoken about him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, see, they are written in the commentary on the book of the kings. Amaziah his son became king in his place.

¹ Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. ² He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, but not with a whole heart. ³ It came about that as soon as his rule was well established, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king. ⁴ But he did not put their children to death, according to what was written in the law, in the book of Moses, as Yahweh had commanded, "The fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers. But, each one must die for his own sin."

⁵ Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together, and registered them by their ancestors' houses, under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—all of Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them to be 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. ⁶ He hired also 100,000 mighty warriors from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. ⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, "King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel—none of the people of Ephraim. ⁸ But even if you do go and are courageous and strong in battle, God will throw you down before the enemy, for God has power to help, and power to throw down." ⁹ Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what will we do about the one hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?" The man of God answered, "Yahweh is able to give you much more than that." ¹⁰ So Amaziah separated the army that had come to him from Ephraim; he sent them home again. So their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. ¹¹ Amaziah took courage and led his people to go out to the Valley of Salt; there he defeated ten thousand men of Seir. ¹² The army of Judah carried away alive another ten thousand. They took them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from there, so that they were all broken in pieces. ¹³ But the men of the army which Amaziah sent back, so that they should not go with him to battle, attacked the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They struck down three thousand of the people and took much plunder.

¹⁴ Now it came about, after that Amaziah had returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, and set them up to be his own gods. He bowed down before them and burned incense to them. ¹⁵ So Yahweh's anger was kindled against Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why have you sought after the gods of a people who did not even save their own people from your hand?" ¹⁶ It came about that as the prophet was speaking with him, the king said to him, "Have we made you an advisor to the king? Stop! Why should you be killed?" Then the prophet stopped and said, "I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this deed and have not listened to my advice."

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah consulted with advisors and sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us meet each other face to face in battle." ¹⁸ But Jehoash the king of Israel sent messengers back to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "A thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' but a wild beast in Lebanon walked by and trampled down the thistle. ¹⁹ You have said, 'See, I have struck down Edom,' and your heart has lifted you up. Take pride in your victory, but stay at home, for why should you cause yourself trouble and fall, both you and Judah with you?"

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, because this event was from God, so he might put the people of Judah into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought advice from the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Jehoash, king of Israel, attacked; he and Amaziah, king of Judah, met each other face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ²² Judah was struck down before Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ²³ Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, at Beth Shemesh. He brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits in distance. ²⁴ He took all the gold and silver, all the objects that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, and the valuable things in the king's house, with hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

²⁵ Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. ²⁶ As for the other matters concerning Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh, they began to make a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁸ They brought him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Judah.

¹ All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ² It was he who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. After that the king lay down with his ancestors. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign. He reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to honor God. ¹ As long as he sought Yahweh, God made him prosper.

⁶ Uzziah went out and fought against the Philistines. He broke down the city walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod; he built cities in the country of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal, and against the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread, even to the entrance of Egypt, because he was becoming more powerful. ⁹ In addition, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. ¹⁰ He built watchtowers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had many herds in the lowlands and in the plains. He had farmers and vine growers in the hill country and in the fruitful fields, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ In addition, Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war in groups which were organized by their number that were counted by Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the officer, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders. ¹² The whole number of the leaders of the families who led the mighty warriors was 2,600. ¹³ Under their hand was an army of 307,500 men that made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ Uzziah prepared for them—for all the army—shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and stones for slinging. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he built machines that were designed by skillful men to be on the towers and on the battlements to shoot arrows and large stones. His fame spread to distant lands, for he was greatly helped and so he became very powerful.

¹⁶ But when Uzziah had become powerful, his heart was lifted up so that he acted corruptly; he acted faithlessly against Yahweh, his God, for he went into the temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, who were brave men. ¹⁸ They confronted Uzziah the king, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the holy place, for you have been unfaithful and you will not be honored by Yahweh God." ¹⁹ Then Uzziah became angry. He was holding a censer in his hand to burn incense. While he was enraged against the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of Yahweh, beside the altar of incense. ²⁰ Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and, behold, he had become leprous on his forehead. They quickly drove him out of there. Indeed, he hurried to go out, because Yahweh had struck him. ²¹ Uzziah, the king, was a leper to the day of his death and lived in a separate house since he was a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. Jotham, his son, was over the king's house and ruled the people of the land. ²² The other matters concerning Uzziah, from first to last, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ²³ So Uzziah lay down with his ancestors; they buried him with his ancestors in a burial ground that belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." Jotham, his son, became king in his place.

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew text can be read either, to honor God , or in the fear of God or in seeing God . Scholars are divided.

¹ Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah; she was the daughter of Zadok. ² He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Uzziah had done. He also refrained from going into the temple of Yahweh. But the people were still behaving corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and on the hill of Ophel he built much. ⁴ Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. ⁵ He fought also with the king of the people of Ammon and defeated them. In that same year, the people of Ammon gave him one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand measures of barley. The people of Ammon gave him the same in the second and third years. ⁶ So Jotham became powerful because he walked firmly before Yahweh his God. ⁷ As for the other matters concerning Jotham, all his wars, and his ways, see, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ Jotham lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Ahaz, his son, became king in his place.

¹ Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, as David his ancestor had done. ² Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also made cast metal figures for the Baals. ³ In addition, he burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and he caused his children to pass through the fire, according to the idolatrous practices of the people that Yahweh forced out of their land before the people of Israel. ⁴ He sacrificed and burned incense at the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

⁵ Therefore Yahweh the God of Ahaz gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and carried away from him a great crowd of captives, bringing them to Damascus. Ahaz was also given into the hand of the king of Israel who defeated him in a great slaughter. ⁶ For Pekah son of Remaliah in one day killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah and all of them were powerful men, because they had abandoned Yahweh the God of their ancestors. ⁷ Zikri, a powerful man from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam, the official over the palace, and Elkanah, who was next to the king. ⁸ The army of Israel took captive from their relatives 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also took much plunder, which they carried back to Samaria. ⁹ But a prophet of Yahweh was there, his name was Oded. He went out to meet the army coming into Samaria. He said to them, "Because Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reached up to heaven. ¹⁰ And now you, people of Judah and Jerusalem, intend to make them your male slaves and female slaves. But are you not guilty of sins of your own against Yahweh your God? ¹¹ Now then, listen to me: Send the captives back, those whom you have captured of your own brothers, for Yahweh's burning anger is on you." ¹² Then certain leaders of the people of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came back from the war. ¹³ They said to them, "You must not bring the captives here, for you intend something that will bring on us sin against Yahweh, to add to our sins and trespasses, for our trespass is great, and there is burning anger against Israel." ¹⁴ So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly. ¹⁵ The men who were assigned by name got up and took the captives, and clothed all who were naked among them with the plunder. They clothed them and gave them sandals. They gave them food to eat and drink. They anointed them and put the weak ones on donkeys. They took them back to their families in Jericho, (called the City of Palms). Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent messengers to the kings of Assyria to ask them to help him. ¹⁷ For once again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah, carrying captives away. ¹⁸ The Philistines also invaded the cities of the lowlands and of the Negev of Judah. They took Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soko with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and also Gimzo with its villages. They went to live in those places. ¹⁹ For Yahweh humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel; for he had acted wickedly in Judah and had been very faithless against Yahweh. ²⁰ Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, came to him and troubled him instead of strengthening him. ²¹ For Ahaz plundered the house of Yahweh and the houses of the king and the leaders, to give the valuable things to the kings of Assyria. But doing this did not benefit him.

²² This same King Ahaz became even more faithless against Yahweh in his time of suffering. ²³ For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, gods that had defeated him. He said, "Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them, so that they might help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. ²⁴ Ahaz gathered together the furnishings of the house of God and cut them to pieces. He shut the doors of the house of Yahweh and he made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city of Judah he made high places to burn sacrifices to other gods. He provoked Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, to anger. ²⁶ Now the rest of his deeds, and all his ways, first and last, see, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Hezekiah, his son, became king in his place.

¹ Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah; she was the daughter of Zechariah. ² He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, just as David his father had done. ³ In the first year of his reign, in the first month, Hezekiah opened the doors of the house of Yahweh and repaired them. ⁴ He brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the courtyard on the east side. ⁵ He said to them, "Listen to me, you Levites! Consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, and carry away the filthiness from the holy place. ⁶ For our ancestors were faithless and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh our God; they abandoned him, turned away their faces from the place where Yahweh lives, and turned their backs on it. ⁷ Also they shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps; they did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. ⁸ Therefore the wrath of Yahweh had fallen on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them to be an object of terror, of horror, and of scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. ⁹ This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity for this. ¹⁰ Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his burning anger may turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, do not be lazy now, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to worship him, and that you should be his servants and burn incense."

¹² Then the Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai, and Joel son of Azariah, of the people of the Kohathites; and of the people of Merari, Kish son of Abdi, and Azariah son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah son of Zimmah, and Eden son of Joah;

¹³ of the descendants of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the descendants of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

¹⁴ of the descendants of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the descendants of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵ They gathered their brothers, they consecrated themselves, and they went in, as the king commanded, following the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh. ¹⁶ The priests went in to the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought out everything unclean that they found in the temple of Yahweh into the courtyard of the house. The Levites took it to carry it out to the Kidron Brook. ¹⁷ Now they began the consecration on the first day of the first month. By the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of Yahweh. Then for eight more days they consecrated the house of Yahweh. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. ¹⁸ Then they went to Hezekiah, the king, inside the palace and said, "We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the altar for burnt offerings with all its implements, and the table of the bread of the presence, with all its implements. ¹⁹ So we have prepared and we have consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed when he acted unfaithfully during his reign. See, they are in front of the altar of Yahweh."

²⁰ Then Hezekiah the king rose early in the morning and gathered the leaders of the city; he went up to the house of Yahweh. ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. He commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Yahweh. ²² So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Then they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar; and they also killed the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar. ²³ They brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; they laid their hands on them. ²⁴ The priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had commanded that a burnt offering and a sin offering should be made for all Israel.

²⁵ Hezekiah placed the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, lutes and harps, arranging them by the command of David, Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan, the prophet, for the command was from Yahweh by means of his prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began also, with the trumpets, together with the instruments of David, king of Israel. ²⁸ All the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters played; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

²⁹ When they had finished the offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. ³⁰ Moreover, Hezekiah, the king, and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praises to Yahweh with the words of David and of Asaph, the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

³¹ Then Hezekiah said, "Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh. Come here and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of Yahweh." The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who had a willing heart brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred male lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to Yahweh. ³³ The consecrated offerings were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. ³⁴ But the priests were too few to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was done, and until the priests could consecrate themselves, for the Levites had been more careful to consecrate themselves than the priests. ³⁵ In addition, there were very many burnt offerings; they were performed with the fat of the fellowship offerings, and there were drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of Yahweh was set in order. ³⁶ Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people also, because of what God had prepared for the people, for the work had been done quickly.

¹ Hezekiah sent messengers to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ² For the king, his leaders, and all the assembly in Jerusalem had consulted together, deciding to celebrate the Passover in the second month. ³ They could not celebrate at the regular time, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves for the celebration and the people had not gathered together in Jerusalem. ⁴ This proposal seemed right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. ⁵ So they agreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to celebrate the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it with large numbers of people according to what was written. ⁶ So couriers went with the letters from the king and his leaders throughout all Israel and Judah, by the command of the king. They said, "You people of Israel, turn back to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may turn back to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your ancestors or your brothers, who were faithless against Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. ⁸ Now do not stiffen your necks, as your ancestors did; instead, give yourselves to Yahweh and come into his holy place, which he has consecrated forever, and worship Yahweh your God, so that his burning anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For if you turn back to Yahweh, your brothers and children will find compassion before those who led them away as prisoners, and they will come back into this land. For Yahweh your God, is gracious and merciful, and will not turn his face away from you, if you return to him."

¹⁰ So the couriers passed from city to city throughout the regions of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the way to Zebulun, but the people laughed at them and mocked them. ¹¹ However, certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The hand of God also came on Judah, to give them one heart, to carry out the command of the king and leaders by the word of Yahweh.

¹³ Many people, a very great assembly, gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. ¹⁴ They rose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense; they threw them into the Kidron Brook. ¹⁵ Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of Yahweh. ¹⁶ They stood in their place by their divisions, following the directions given in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites slaughtered the Passover lambs for everyone who was not purified and could not consecrate their sacrifice to Yahweh. ¹⁸ For a great many of the people, many of them from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover meal, against the written instructions. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, "May the good Yahweh pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his ancestors, even though he is not purified by the purification standards of the holy place." ²⁰ So Yahweh listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. ²¹ The people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and the priests praised Yahweh day after day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh. ²² Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who understood the service of Yahweh. So they ate throughout the festival for the seven days, offering sacrifices of fellowship offerings, and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

²³ The whole assembly then decided to celebrate for another seven days, and they did so with joy. ²⁴ For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep as an offering; and the leaders gave to the assembly one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A large number of priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the people who came together from Israel, as well as the foreigners who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah—they all rejoiced. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there had not been anything like it in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests, the Levites, rose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer went up to heaven, the holy place where God lives.

¹ Now when all this was finished, all the people of Israel who were there went out to the cities of Judah and broke to pieces the stone pillars and they cut down the Asherah poles, and they broke down the high places and the altars in all of Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned, every one to his own possession and his own city.

² Hezekiah assigned the divisions of the priests and the Levites organized by their divisions, each man assigned to his work, both the priests and the Levites. He assigned them to make the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise at the gates of the house of Yahweh. ³ He also assigned the king's portion for the burnt offerings from his own possessions, that is, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbath days, the new moons, and the fixed festivals, as it was written in the law of Yahweh. ⁴ Moreover, he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion for the priests and the Levites, so that they might concentrate on obeying the law of Yahweh. ⁵ As soon as the command was sent out, the people of Israel generously gave the firstfruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and from all their harvest of the field. They brought in a tithe of everything, which was a great quantity. ⁶ The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the holy things that were set apart to Yahweh their God, and they piled them up in heaps. ⁷ It was in the third month when they began piling up their contribution in heaps, and they finished in the seventh month. ⁸ When Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed Yahweh and his people Israel. ⁹ Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. ¹⁰ Azariah, the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, "Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of Yahweh, we have eaten and had enough, and have plenty left over, for Yahweh has blessed his people. What was left over is this large amount here."

¹¹ Then Hezekiah commanded storerooms to be prepared in the house of Yahweh, and they prepared them. ¹² Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes and the things that belonged to Yahweh. Konaniah the Levite was the manager in charge of them, and his brother Shimei was second to him. ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were managers under the hand of Konaniah and Shimei his brother, by appointment of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah, the official over the house of God. ¹⁴ Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, in charge of distributing the offerings to Yahweh and the most holy offerings. ¹⁵ Under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shekaniah, in the cities of the priests. They filled offices of trust, in order to give these offerings to their brothers division by division, to both the important and the unimportant. ¹⁶ They also gave to those males three years old and up, who were recorded in the genealogies of their ancestors who entered the house of Yahweh, as required by the daily schedule, to do the work in their offices and their divisions. ¹ ¹⁷ They distributed to the priests who were recorded in the genealogies of their ancestors, and the same to the Levites twenty years old and more, according to their offices and their divisions. ¹⁸ They recorded in the genealogy all their little ones, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, through the whole community, for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy. ¹⁹ For the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were in the fields of the villages belonging to their cities, or in every city, there were men assigned by name to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of their ancestors as being among the Levites.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He accomplished what was good, right, and faithful before Yahweh, his God. ²¹ In every work that he began in the service of the house of God, the law, and the commandments, to seek his God, he performed it with all his heart, and he succeeded.

¹Instead of males three years old and up , some modern translations have males thirty years old and up .

¹ After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came and entered Judah. He camped to attack the fortified cities, which he intended to capture for himself. ² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to fight against Jerusalem, ³ he consulted with his leaders and his powerful men to stop up the waters of the springs that were outside the city; they helped him do so. ⁴ So many people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that was flowing through the middle of the land. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find a lot of water?" ⁵ Hezekiah took courage and built up all the wall that was broken down. He built the towers higher, and also the other wall outside. He also strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and he made large amounts of weapons and shields. ¹ ⁶ He placed military commanders over the people. He gathered them together to him in the broad place at the city gate and spoke to their hearts. He said, ⁷ "Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria and all the army that is with him, for someone is with us who is greater than those with him. ⁸ With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh, our God, to help us, and to fight our battles." Then the people comforted themselves with the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

⁹ After this, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his servants to Jerusalem (now he was in front of Lachish, and all his army was with him), to Hezekiah, king of Judah, and to all of Judah who were in Jerusalem. He said, ¹⁰ "This is what Sennacherib, king of Assyria, says: What are you trusting in so you can endure a siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, 'Yahweh our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria'? ¹² Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, 'On one altar you must worship, and on it you must burn your sacrifices'? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of the peoples of the surrounding lands able in any way to rescue their land from my power? ¹⁴ Among all the gods of those nations that my ancestors completely destroyed, was there any god who could rescue his people out of my hand? Why should your God be able to rescue you from my power? ¹⁵ Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you in this way. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people out of my hand, or out of the hand of my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my hand?"

¹⁶ Sennacherib's servants spoke even more against Yahweh God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ Sennacherib also wrote letters in order to mock Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him. He said, "As the gods of the nations of the lands have not rescued their people out of my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people out of my hand." ¹⁸ They cried out in the language of the Jews to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, in order that they might capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken of the gods of the other peoples of the earth, which are merely the work of men's hands.

²⁰ Hezekiah, the king, and Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, prayed because of this matter and he cried out to heaven. ²¹ Yahweh sent an angel, who killed the mighty warriors, the commanders, and the officers of the king of Assyria in the camp. So Sennacherib returned to his own land with shame on his face. When he had gone into the house of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. ²² In this way, Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and gave them rest on every side. ² ²³ Many were bringing offerings to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and precious gifts to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was lifted up in the eyes of all nations from that time forward.

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. He prayed to Yahweh, who spoke to him and gave him a sign that he would be healed. ²⁵ But Hezekiah did not pay back Yahweh for the help given to him, for his heart was lifted up. So anger came on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Nevertheless, Hezekiah later humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that Yahweh's anger did not come on them during Hezekiah's days.

²⁷ Hezekiah had very many riches and much honor. He provided himself with storerooms for silver, gold, precious stones, and for spices, as well as for shields and for all kinds of valuable objects. ²⁸ He also had storehouses for the harvest of grain, new wine, and oil, and stalls for various kinds of livestock. He also had flocks in their pens. ²⁹ In addition, he provided himself with cities and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very much wealth. ³ ³⁰ It was this same Hezekiah who also stopped up the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and who brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all his works. ³¹ However, in the matter of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to ask questions of those who knew, about the miraculous sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him, and to know all that was in his heart.

³² As for the other matters concerning Hezekiah, including his actions of covenant loyalty, you can see that they are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him on the hill of the tombs of the descendants of David. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Manasseh his son became king in his place.

¹Instead of He built the towers higher , some ancient and modern translations have, he built towers on it , that is, on the wall.

²Instead of gave them rest on every side , some ancient and modern translations have guided them on every side . The original reading is uncertain.

³Instead of cities , some modern translations have donkeys , and some other modern translations leave out the word entirely.

¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the disgusting things of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out before the people of Israel. ³ For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he built altars for the Baals, he made Asherah poles, and he bowed down to all the host of heaven and worshiped them. ⁴ Manasseh built altars in the house of Yahweh, although Yahweh had commanded, "It is in Jerusalem that my name will be forever." ⁵ He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ In the Valley of Ben Hinnom he caused his sons to pass through the fire. He practiced sorcery, divination and he read omens, and he consulted with sorcerers and spiritists. Manasseh did much evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he provoked him to anger. ⁷ The carved figure he had made, he placed it in the house of God. It was about this house that God had spoken to David and Solomon his son; he had said, "It is in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, that I will put my name forever. ⁸ I will not move the people of Israel any more out of the land that I assigned to their ancestors, if they will only be careful to keep all that I have commanded them, following all the law, statutes, and decrees which I gave them through Moses." ⁹ Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do evil even more than the nations that Yahweh had destroyed before the people of Israel.

¹⁰ Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people, but they paid no attention. ¹¹ So Yahweh brought on them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and took him off to Babylon. ¹² When Manasseh was in distress, he implored Yahweh, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ He prayed to him; and God was moved by his plea, and God heard his humble request and brought him back to Jerusalem, into his kingship. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

¹⁴ After this, Manasseh built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, to the entrance at the Fish Gate. He surrounded the hill of Ophel with it and raised the wall up to a very great height. He put courageous commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. ¹⁵ He took away the foreign gods, the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and threw them out of the city. ¹⁶ He rebuilt the altar of Yahweh and offered on it sacrifices of fellowship offerings and thank offerings; he commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ However, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to Yahweh, their God.

¹⁸ As to the other matters concerning Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the deeds of the kings of Israel. ¹⁹ In that account there is history of his prayer, and how God was moved by his plea. There is also an account of all his sin and his trespasses, and the places where he had built high places and set up the Asherah poles and the carved figures, before he humbled himself—they are written about in the Chronicles of the Seers. ¹ ²⁰ So Manasseh lay down with his ancestors, and they buried him in his own house. Amon, his son, became king in his place.

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh, his father, had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved figures that Manasseh his father had made, and he worshiped them. ²³ He did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had done. Instead, Amon trespassed more and more. ²⁴ His servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. ²⁵ But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made Josiah, his son, king in his place.

¹Some modern translations have the Chronicles of Hozai , which is the reading of the original text. But many modern translations correct it to read the Chronicles of the Seers . Also, a few modern translations have the Chronicles of his seers .

¹ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and walked in the ways of David his ancestor, and did not turn away either to the right or to the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek after the God of David, his ancestor. In the twelfth year, he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the Asherah poles, and the carved figures and the cast metal figures. ⁴ The people broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; he cut apart the incense altars that were above them. He broke the Asherah poles and the carved figures. He crushed the cast metal figures to dust and scattered the dust on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of their priests on their altars. In this way, he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, all the way to Naphtali, and in the ruins that surrounded them. ⁷ He broke down the altars, crushed the Asherah poles and the carved images into powder, and cut apart all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, after Josiah had cleansed the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of Yahweh his God. ⁹ They went to Hilkiah, the high priest, and entrusted to him the money that had been brought into the house of God, that the Levites, the guards of the doors, had gathered from Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They entrusted the money to the men who supervised the work on the temple of Yahweh. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. ¹¹ They paid it to the carpenters and builders to buy cut stone and timber for braces, and to make beams for the structures that some kings of Judah had allowed to become ruined. ¹² The men did the work faithfully. Their supervisors Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, from the sons of the Kohathites. Other Levites, all of whom were very good musicians, closely directed the workmen. ¹³ These Levites supervised those who carried building material and all other men who worked in any way. There were also Levites who were secretaries, administrators, and gate guards.

¹⁴ When they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Yahweh that had been given through Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh." Hilkiah brought the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported to him, saying, "Your servants are doing everything that has been entrusted to them. ¹⁷ They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, and they gave it into the hand of the supervisors and to the workmen." ¹⁸ Shaphan the scribe told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." Then Shaphan read in it to the king. ¹⁹ It came about that when the king had heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. ²⁰ The king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, his own servant, saying, ²¹ "Go and ask Yahweh's will for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, because of the words of the book that has been found. For it is great, the anger of Yahweh that has been poured out on us. ¹ It is great, because our ancestors have not listened to the words of this book so as to obey all that was written in it."

²² So Hilkiah, and those whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second District), and they spoke with her in this way. ²³ She said to them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ²⁴ 'This is what Yahweh says: See, I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that have been written in the book that they have read before the king of Judah. ²⁵ This will happen because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, and they have provoked me to anger by all the works of their hands. Therefore, my anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.' ²⁶ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Yahweh what he should do, this is what you will say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: About the words that you heard, ²⁷ because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have listened to you—this is Yahweh's declaration— ²⁸ see, I will gather you to your ancestors. You will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see any of the disaster I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.'" The men took this message back to the king.

²⁹ Then the king sent messengers and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ Then the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, Levites, and all the people, from great to small. He then read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh. ³¹ The king stood in his place and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, his regulations, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to obey the words of the covenant that were written in this book. ³² He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand by the covenant. The inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in obedience to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. ³³ Josiah took away all the disgusting things from the lands that belonged to the people of Israel. He made everyone in Israel worship Yahweh, their God. For all of his days, they did not turn away from following Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

¹Instead of that has been poured out on us , which is followed by most modern translations, some translations follow another rendering of the Hebrew, to read: that has been kindled against us .

¹ Josiah kept a Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He placed the priests in their positions and encouraged them in the service of the house of Yahweh. ³ He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were set apart to Yahweh, "Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel built. It will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now worship Yahweh your God, and serve his people Israel. ⁴ Organize yourselves by your clans and your divisions, following the written instructions of David, king of Israel, and those of Solomon, his son. ⁵ Stand in the holy place, taking your position with your divisions within the clans of your brothers, the descendants of the people, and taking your places with your divisions within the clans of the Levites. ⁶ Kill the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, prepare the lambs for your brothers, to do according to the word of Yahweh that was given by the hand of Moses."

⁷ Josiah gave thirty thousand lambs and kids from flocks for the Passover offerings to all the people who were present, and he also gave three thousand head of cattle—all of these were from the king's own possessions. ⁸ His leaders gave a freewill offering to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials in charge of the house of God, gave to the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and three hundred head of cattle. ⁹ Also Konaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave five thousand Passover offerings to the Levites and five hundred head of cattle.

¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, with the Levites by their divisions, in response to the king's command. ¹¹ They killed the Passover lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood that they received from the Levites' hand, and the Levites skinned the lambs. ¹² They removed the burnt offerings, in order to distribute them to the divisions of the clans of the people, to offer them to Yahweh, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. ¹³ They roasted the Passover lambs with fire following the instructions. As for the consecrated offerings, they boiled them in pots, cauldrons, and pans, and they quickly carried them to all the people. ¹⁴ They later prepared offerings for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were occupied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat until nightfall, so the Levites prepared the offerings for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. ¹⁵ The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were in their place, according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer, and the guards were at every gate. They did not have to leave their labors because their brothers the Levites made preparations for them.

¹⁶ So, at that time the entire service of Yahweh was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh, as King Josiah commanded. ¹⁷ The people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and then the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. ¹⁸ Such a Passover celebration had never been held in Israel from the days of the prophet Samuel, nor had any of the other kings of Israel ever celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did, along with the priests, Levites, and all the people of Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.

²⁰ After all this, after Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho, king of Egypt, went up to fight against Carchemish at the Euphrates River, and Josiah went to fight against him. ²¹ But Necho sent ambassadors to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am making war. God has commanded me to hurry, so refrain from interfering with God, who is with me, or he might destroy you." ²² However, Josiah refused to turn away from him. He disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Necho that had come from the mouth of God; so he went to fight in the Valley of Megiddo. ²³ Archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." ²⁴ So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in his extra chariot. They took him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. ²⁵ Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; all the male and female singers lament about Josiah to this day. These songs became customary in Israel; behold, they are written in the songs of lament. ²⁶ As for the other matters concerning Josiah, and his good deeds done in obedience to what is written in the law of Yahweh— ²⁷ his deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

¹ Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. ² Jehoahaz ¹ was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³ The king of Egypt removed him at Jerusalem, and forced him to pay a fine on the land of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. ⁴ The king of Egypt made Eliakim, who was the brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem (and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim). Then Necho took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt.

⁵ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God. ⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked him and bound him in chains to lead him away to Babylon. ⁷ Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the objects in the house of Yahweh to Babylon, and put them in his palace at Babylon. ⁸ As for the other matters concerning Jehoiakim, the disgusting things that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Then Jehoiachin, his son, became king in his place.

⁹ Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. ¹⁰ In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable things from the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah, his relative, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

¹¹ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of Yahweh. ¹³ Zedekiah also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear loyalty to him by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Moreover, all the leaders of the priests and the people were extremely unfaithful, and they followed the disgusting practices of the nations. They polluted the house of Yahweh which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them by his messengers again and again, because he had compassion on his people and on the place where he lives. ¹⁶ But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against his people, until there was no help for it.

¹⁷ So God brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and had no compassion on young men or virgins, old men or the gray-haired. God gave them all into his hand. ¹⁸ All the furnishings of the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and his officials—all these he took to Babylon. ¹⁹ They burned down the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all the valuable things in it. ²⁰ The king carried away to Babylon those who had escaped the sword. They became servants for him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia. ²¹ This happened to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land should have enjoyed its Sabbath rests. It observed its Sabbath for all the time of its desolation so that it might pass seventy years in this way.

²² Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be carried out, Yahweh motivated the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing. He said,

²³ "This is what Cyrus, king of Persia, says: Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has commanded me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you from all his people, may Yahweh your God, be with you. Let him go up to the land."

¹Jehoahaz is written in Hebrew as Joahaz, but refers to the same person.

¹ In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, Yahweh fulfilled his word that came from the mouth of Jeremiah. He stirred Cyrus' spirit, and Cyrus' voice went out over his entire kingdom. This is what was written and spoken:

² "Cyrus, king of Persia, says: Yahweh, God of Heaven, gave me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he appointed me to build for him a house in Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Whoever is from his people (may his God be with him) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴ People of any part of the kingdom where survivors of that land are living as foreigners should provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, as well as a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem."

⁵ Then the heads of the ancestors' clans of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone whose spirit God stirred to go and build the house of Yahweh, which is in Jerusalem, arose. ⁶ Those around them supported their work with silver and gold objects, goods, animals, valuables, and freewill offerings. ⁷ Cyrus king of Persia also released the objects belonging to the house of Yahweh that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and put in his own gods' houses. ⁸ Cyrus, king of Persia, put them into the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out for Sheshbazzar, prince of Judah. ⁹ This was their number: thirty gold basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine other basins, ¹⁰ thirty gold bowls, 410 small silver bowls, and one thousand additional objects.

¹¹ There were 5,400 gold and silver items in all. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.

¹ These are the people in the province who went up from the captivity of King Nebuchadnezzar, who had exiled them in Babylon, the people who returned to each of their cities of Jerusalem and in Judah. ² They came with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.

This is the record of the men of the people of Israel.

³ The descendants of Parosh: 2,172. ⁴ The descendants of Shephatiah: 372. ⁵ The descendants of Arah: 775. ⁶ The descendants of Pahath-Moab, through Jeshua and Joab: 2,812. ⁷ The descendants of Elam: 1,254. ⁸ The descendants of Zattu: 945. ⁹ The descendants of Zakkai: 760. ¹⁰ The descendants of Bani: 642. ¹¹ The descendants of Bebai: 623. ¹² The descendants of Azgad: 1,222. ¹³ The descendants of Adonikam: 666. ¹⁴ The descendants of Bigvai: 2,056. ¹⁵ The descendants of Adin: 454. ¹⁶ The men of Ater, through Hezekiah: ninety-eight. ¹⁷ The descendants of Bezai: 323. ¹⁸ The descendants of Jorah: 112. ¹⁹ The men of Hashum: 223. ²⁰ The men of Gibbar: ninety-five. ²¹ The men of Bethlehem: 123. ²² The men of Netophah: fifty-six. ²³ The men of Anathoth: 128. ²⁴ The men of Azmaveth: forty-two. ²⁵ The men of Kiriath Arim, Kephirah, and Beeroth: 743. ²⁶ The men of Ramah and Geba: 621. ²⁷ The men of Mikmash: 122. ²⁸ The men of Bethel and Ai: 223. ²⁹ The men of Nebo: fifty-two. ³⁰ The men of Magbish: 156. ³¹ The men of the other Elam: 1,254. ³² The men of Harim: 320. ³³ The men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 725. ³⁴ The men of Jericho: 345. ³⁵ The men of Senaah: 3,630.

³⁶ The priests: descendants of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua: 973. ³⁷ Immer's descendants: 1,052. ³⁸ Pashhur's descendants: 1,247. ³⁹ Harim's descendants: 1,017.

⁴⁰ The Levites: descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel, descendants of Hodaviah: seventy-four.

⁴¹ The temple singers, descendants of Asaph: 128.

⁴² The descendants of the gatekeepers: descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai: 139 total.

⁴³ Those who were assigned to serve in the temple: descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴ Keros, Siaha, Padon, ⁴⁵ Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, ⁴⁶ Hagab, Shalmai, and Hanan. ⁴⁷ The descendants of Giddel: Gahar, Reaiah, ⁴⁸ Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, ⁴⁹ Uzza, Paseah, Besai, ⁵⁰ Asnah, Meunim, and Nephusim. ⁵¹ The descendants of Bakbuk: Hakupha, Harhur, ⁵² Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, ⁵³ Barkos, Sisera, Temah, ⁵⁴ Neziah, and Hatipha.

⁵⁵ The descendants of Solomon's servants: descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, ⁵⁶ Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, ⁵⁷ Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and Ami. ⁵⁸ There were 392 total descendants of those assigned to serve in the temple and descendants of Solomon's servants.

⁵⁹ Those who left Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer—but were not able to prove their ancestry from Israel— ⁶⁰ included 652 descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda.

⁶¹ Also, from the priest's descendants: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who took his wife from the daughters of Barzillai of Gilead and was called by their name). ⁶² They searched for their genealogical records, but could not find them, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶³ So the governor told them they must not eat any of the holy sacrifices until a priest with Urim and Thummim approved.

⁶⁴ The whole group totaled 42,360, ⁶⁵ not including their servants and their maidservants (these were 7,337) and their male and female temple singers (two hundred). ⁶⁶ Their horses: 736. Their mules: 245. ⁶⁷ Their camels: 435. Their donkeys: 6,720.

⁶⁸ When they went to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, the chief patriarchs offered freewill gifts to build the house of God, to put it back on its foundation. ⁶⁹ They gave according to their ability to the work fund: sixty-one thousand gold darics, five thousand silver minas, and one hundred priestly tunics.

⁷⁰ So the priests and Levites, the people, the temple singers and gatekeepers, and those assigned to serve in the temple inhabited their cities. All the people in Israel were in their cities.

¹ It was the seventh month after the descendants of Israel came back to their cities, when the people gathered together as one man in Jerusalem. ² Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brothers rose up and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. ³ Then they established the altar on its stand, for terror was on them because of the people of the land. They offered burnt offerings to Yahweh at dawn and evening. ⁴ They also observed the Festival of Shelters as it is written and offered burnt offerings day by day according to the decree, each day's duty on its day. ⁵ Accordingly, there were daily burnt offerings, offerings for the new moons, and offerings for all the fixed feasts of Yahweh that had been consecrated, as well as freewill offerings from all those who offered them to Yahweh. ⁶ They began to offer up burnt offerings to Yahweh on the first day of the seventh month, although the temple had not been founded. ⁷ So they gave silver to the stoneworkers and craftsmen, and they gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they would bring cedar trees by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized for them by Cyrus, king of Persia.

⁸ Then in the second month of the second year after they came to the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and those who came from captivity back to Jerusalem began the work. They assigned the Levites twenty years old and older to oversee the work of the house of Yahweh. ⁹ Jeshua and his sons and brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons (who were descendants of Hodaviah), and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers-all of them were Levites-joined together in overseeing those working on the house of God. ¹ ¹⁰ The builders laid a foundation for the temple of Yahweh. This enabled the priests to stand in their garments with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, to praise Yahweh with cymbals, just as the hand of David, king of Israel had commanded. ¹¹ They sang with praise and thankfulness to Yahweh, "He is good! His covenant faithfulness to Israel endures forever." All the people cried out with a great shout of joy in praise of Yahweh because the temple's foundations had been laid. ¹² But many of the priests, Levites, and chief patriarchs, those who were old and had seen the first house, when this house's foundations were laid before their eyes, wept loudly. But many people had shouts of joy with gladness and an excited sound. ¹³ As a result, people were not able to distinguish the joyful and glad sounds from the sound of people weeping, for the people were crying out with great joy, and the sound was heard from far away.

¹There are some textual issues here regarding the phrase the sons of Judah or the descendants of Hodaviah and other matters.

¹ Now some enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had been exiled were now building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel. ² So they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of their ancestors' clans. They said to them, "Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and have sacrificed to him since the days when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us to this place." ³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of their ancestors' clans said, "It is not you, but we who must build the house of our God, for it is we who will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded." ⁴ So the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah; they made the Judeans afraid to build. ⁵ They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of the days of Cyrus and into the reign of Darius king of Persia. ⁶ Then at the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, ¹ they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷ It was during the days of Artaxerxes that Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. ⁸ Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote this way to King Artaxerxes about Jerusalem.

⁹ Then Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and their other associates, who were judges and other officers in the government, the Persians, men from Uruk ² and Babylon, and the men from Susa (that is, the Elamites)—they wrote a letter— ¹⁰ and they were joined by the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal exiled and forced to settle in Samaria, along with the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River.

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him: "To King Artaxerxes, your servants, men of the Province Beyond the River, write this:

¹² Let the king know that the Jews who went from you have come against us in Jerusalem to build a rebellious city. They have completed the walls and repaired the foundations. ¹³ Now let the king know that if this city is built and the wall is completed, they will not give any tribute, taxes, or tolls, and that will harm the treasury of the kings. ¹⁴ Surely because we have eaten the palace salt, it is not fitting for us to see any dishonor happen to the king. It is because of this that we are sending this to inform to the king ¹⁵ to search your father's record books and to learn that this is a rebellious city that will harm kings and provinces. It has caused many problems to the kings and provinces. It has been a center for rebellion from long ago. It was for this reason that the city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We are informing the king that if this city and wall are built, then there will be nothing remaining for you in the Province Beyond the River."

¹⁷ So the king sent out a reply to Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and their associates in Samaria and the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River: "May peace be yours.

¹⁸ The letter that you sent me has been translated and read to me. ¹⁹ So a decree was issued by me, and they searched and found that for a long time that city has risen up against kings, and rebellion and revolt have been made in it. ²⁰ Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and had power over everything in the Province Beyond the River. Tribute, taxes, and tolls were paid to them. ²¹ Now, make a decree for these men to stop and not build this city until I make a decree. ²² Be careful not to neglect this. Why allow this threat to grow and cause more loss for the royal interests?

²³ When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.

²⁴ So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

²Some modern English translations read, Erech .

¹ Then Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. ² Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem with the prophets who supported them. ³ Then Tattenai the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and his associates came and said to them, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and complete these walls?" ⁴ They also said, "What are the names of the men building this building?" ⁵ But God's eye was on the Jewish elders and their enemies did not stop them. They were waiting for a letter to be sent to Darius and for a decree to be returned to them concerning this.

⁶ This is a copy of the letter of Tattenai, governor of the Province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates in the Province Beyond the River, which they sent to Darius the king. ⁷ They sent a report, writing this to King Darius, "May all peace be yours.

⁸ Let the king know that we went to the province of Judah to the house of the great God. It is being built with large stones and timbers set in the walls. This work is being done thoroughly and is prospering in their hands. ⁹ We asked the elders, 'Who issued you a decree to build this house and these walls?' ¹⁰ We also asked them their names to make them known to you; so the names of the men who were at their head are written down. ¹¹ This is how they answered us; they said, 'We are servants of the one who is the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding this house that had been built many years ago when the great king of Israel built it and completed it. ¹² However, when our ancestors enraged the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and took the people into exile in Babylon. ¹³ Nevertheless, in the first year when Cyrus was king of Babylon, Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the house of God. ¹⁴ King Cyrus also returned the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the temple in Jerusalem to the temple in Babylon. He restored them to someone named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor. ¹⁵ He said to him, "Take these objects. Go and put them in the temple in Jerusalem. Let the house of God be rebuilt there." ¹⁶ Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation for the house of God in Jerusalem; and it is being constructed, but is not yet complete.'

¹⁷ Now if it pleases the king, may it be investigated in the house of archives in Babylon if a decree from King Cyrus was issued to build this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send his decision to us.

¹ So King Darius issued a decree, and they searched in the house of archives, where the treasuries were stored, there in Babylon. ² In the fortified city of Ecbatana in the province of Media a scroll was found; this was its record:

³ "In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus issued a decree about the house of God in Jerusalem: 'Let the house be rebuilt as a place for sacrifice, let its foundations be laid, let its height be sixty cubits, and its width sixty cubits, ⁴ with three rows of large stones and a row of new timber, and let the cost be paid by the king's house. ⁵ Now bring back the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the temple in Jerusalem and send them back to the temple in Jerusalem. You are to put them in the house of God.'

⁶ Now Tattenai, governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and your associates who are in the Province Beyond the River, keep away! ⁷ Leave the work of this house of God alone. The governor and Jewish elders will build this house of God at that place. ⁸ I am issuing a decree that you must do this for these Jewish elders who build this house of God: Funds from the king's tribute beyond the River will be used to pay these men so they do not have to stop their work. ⁹ Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, or lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of Heaven, grain, salt, wine, or oil according to the command of the priests in Jerusalem—give these things to them every day without fail. ¹⁰ Do this so they will bring in sacrifices pleasing to the God of Heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. ¹¹ I have issued a decree that if anyone violates this decree, a beam must be pulled from his house and he must be impaled on it. His house must then be turned into a rubbish heap because of this. ¹² May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to violate this decree, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, hereby issue this decree. Let it be done with diligence!" ¹³ Then because of the decree sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates, did everything that King Darius had ordered. ¹⁴ So the Jewish elders built and prospered under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, the descendant of Iddo. They completed their buildings according to the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes the king of Persia. ¹⁵ The house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius' reign.

¹⁶ The Israelite people, priests, Levites, and the rest of the captives celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. ¹⁷ They offered one hundred bulls, one hundred rams, and four hundred lambs for the dedication of the house of God. Twelve male goats were also offered as a sin offering for all Israel, one for each tribe in Israel. ¹⁸ They also assigned the priests and Levites to work divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it was written in the book of Moses.

¹⁹ So those who had been in exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ²⁰ The priests and Levites all purified themselves; all of them were clean. Then they slaughtered the Passover sacrifices for all those who had been in exile, including themselves. ²¹ The people of Israel who ate some of the Passover meat were those who had returned from exile and had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land and sought Yahweh, the God of Israel. ²² They joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days, for Yahweh had brought them joy and turned the heart of Assyria's king to strengthen their hands in the work of his house, the house of the God of Israel.

¹ Now after this, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra's ancestors were Seraiah, Azariah, Hilkiah, ² Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, ³ Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, ⁴ Zerahiah, Uzzi, Bukki, ⁵ Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, who was son of Aaron the high priest. ⁶ Ezra came up from Babylon and he was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king gave him anything he asked since the hand of Yahweh was with him. ⁷ Some of the descendants of Israel and the priests, Levites, temple singers, gatekeepers, and those assigned to serve in the temple also went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. ⁸ He arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was the seventh year of the king. ⁹ He left Babylon on the first day of the first month. It was on the first day of the fifth month that he arrived in Jerusalem, since the good hand of God was with him. ¹⁰ Ezra had established his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to carry out and teach its statutes and decrees in Israel.

¹¹ This was the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, an expert in the words of the commandments of Yahweh, and in his statutes for Israel.

¹² "The King of kings Artaxerxes, to the priest Ezra, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven:

¹³ I hereby issue a decree that anyone from the people of Israel in my kingdom—along with their priests and Levites—who desires to go to Jerusalem may go with you. ¹⁴ I, the king, and my seven counselors, send you all out to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand. ¹⁵ You are to bring the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Freely give all the silver and gold that you find in the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offerings that the people and the priests have willingly offered for the house of God in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ So use this money to buy in full the oxen, rams and lambs, and grain offerings and drink offerings. Offer them on the altar that is in the house of your God in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Do with the rest of the silver and gold whatever seems good to you and your brothers, to please your God. ¹⁹ Place the objects that were freely given to you before him for the service of the house of your God in Jerusalem. ²⁰ Anything else that is needed for the house of your God that you require, take its cost from the royal treasury. ²¹ I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue a decree to all the treasurers in the Province Beyond the River, that anything that Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, asks from you should be given in full, ²² up to one hundred silver talents, one hundred cors of grain, one hundred baths of wine, and one hundred baths of oil, also salt without limit. ²³ Anything that comes from the decree of the God of Heaven, do it with devotion for his house. For why should his wrath come upon the kingdom of the king and his sons? ²⁴ We are informing them that there is no authority to impose any tribute or taxes or tolls on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, or on the people assigned to the service of the temple and servants of the house of this God. ²⁵ Ezra, with the wisdom that God has given you, you must appoint judges and magistrates to judge all the people in the Province Beyond the River, and to serve all who know the laws of your God. You must also teach those who do not know the law. ²⁶ As for whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king—let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether death or banishment or confiscation of his goods or imprisonment.

²⁷ Blessed be Yahweh, our ancestors' God, who placed all this into the king's heart to glorify the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem, ²⁸ and who extended covenant faithfulness to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. I have been strengthened by the hand of Yahweh my God, and I gathered prominent men from Israel to go with me.

¹ These are the leaders of their ancestors' families, and this is the genealogy of those who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes.

² Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the descendants of David, Hattush. ³ Of the descendants of Shekaniah, who was from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him there were 150 males listed in his genealogy.

⁴ Of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah and with him were two hundred males.

⁵ Of the descendants of Zattu, Ben Jahaziel and with him were three hundred males.

⁶ Of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan and with him were listed fifty males.

⁷ Of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah and with him were listed seventy males.

⁸ Of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael and with him were listed eighty males.

⁹ Of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel and with him were listed 218 males.

¹⁰ Of the descendants of Bani, ¹ Shelomith son of Josiphiah and with him were listed 160 males.

¹¹ Of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai and with him were listed twenty-eight males.

¹² Of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan and with him were listed 110 males.

¹³ Those of the descendants of Adonikam came later. These were their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah and with them came sixty males.

¹⁴ Of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur and with him were listed seventy males.

¹⁵ I gathered the travelers at the canal that goes to Ahava, and we camped there three days. I examined the people and priests, but could not find any descendants of Levi there. ¹⁶ So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, and Elnathan and Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam—who were leaders—and for Joiarib and Elnathan—who were teachers. ¹⁷ Next I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, the temple servants living in Kasiphia, that is, to send to us servants for the house of God. ¹⁸ So they sent us by our God's good hand a man named Sherebiah, a prudent man. He was a descendant of Mahli son of Levi son of Israel. He came with eighteen sons and brothers. ¹⁹ With him came Hashabiah. There also were Jeshaiah, one of the descendants of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, twenty men in all. ²⁰ Of those assigned to serve in the temple, whom David and his officials gave to serve the Levites: 220, each of them assigned by name.

²¹ Then I proclaimed a fast at the Ahava Canal to humble ourselves before God, to seek a straight path from him for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. ²² I was ashamed to ask the king for an army or horsemen to protect us against enemies along the way, since we had said to the king, 'The hand of our God is on all who seek him for good, but his might and wrath are on all who forget him.' ²³ So we fasted and sought God about this, and he heard our prayer.

²⁴ Next I selected twelve men from the priestly officials: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. ²⁵ I weighed out for them silver, gold, and the objects and offerings for the house of God that the king, his counselors and officials, and all Israel had freely offered. ²⁶ So I weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver objects, one hundred talents of gold, ²⁷ twenty gold bowls that were together valued at one thousand darics, and two well-polished bronze vessels as precious as gold. ²⁸ Then I said to them, "You are consecrated to Yahweh, and these objects also, and the silver and gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. ²⁹ Watch over them and keep them until you weigh them out before the priestly officials, Levites, and leaders of the ancestors' clans of Israel in Jerusalem in the rooms of the house of God." ³⁰ The priests and the Levites accepted the weighed silver, gold, and the objects in order to take them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

³¹ We went out from the Ahava Canal on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us; he protected us from the hand of the enemy and the ones who wished to ambush us along the road. ³² So we entered Jerusalem and stayed there for three days. ³³ Then on the fourth day the silver, gold, and objects were weighed out in the house of our God, into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah the priest. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas, Jozabad son of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui the Levite. ³⁴ The number and weight of everything was determined. All the weight was written down at that time.

³⁵ The ones who came back from the captivity, the people of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering. All were a burnt offering for Yahweh. ³⁶ Then they gave the king's decrees to the king's high officials and the governors in the Province Beyond the River, and they helped the people and the house of God.

¹The name Bani was missing in the ancient Hebrew copies, but was restored from the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew copies.

¹ When these things were done, the officials approached me and said, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands and their abominations: Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. ² For they have taken some of their daughters and sons, and have mixed the holy people with the peoples of the lands, and the leaders and officials have been first in this faithlessness." ³ When I heard this, I tore apart my clothing and robe and pulled out hair from my head and beard, and I sat down, devastated. ⁴ All those who trembled at the words of the God of Israel about the faithlessness of the exiles gathered to me while I was sitting devastated until the evening offering.

⁵ But at the evening offering I arose from my position of humiliation in my torn clothes and robe, and knelt down and spread my hands to Yahweh my God. ⁶ I said, "My God, I am ashamed and disgraced to raise my face to you, for our iniquities increase over our head, and our guilt grows to the heavens. ⁷ From the days of our ancestors until now we have been in great guilt. In our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests were given into the hand of kings of this world, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and ashamed faces, as we are today. ⁸ Yet now for a short time, mercy from Yahweh our God has come to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a foothold in his holy place. This was for our God to enlighten our eyes and to give us a little relief in our slavery. ⁹ For we are slaves, but our God has not forgotten us in our slavery. Rather, he has extended covenant faithfulness to us before the king of Persia. He has given us new strength to rebuild the house of our God and raise its ruins, and he has given us a wall of safety in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ But now, our God, what can we say after this? We have forgotten your commands, ¹¹ the commands that you gave to your servants the prophets, when you said, "This land that you are entering to possess is an unclean land. It is contaminated by the people of the lands with their abominations. They have filled it from one end to the other with their uncleanness. ¹² So now, do not give your daughters to their sons; do not take their daughters for your sons, and do not seek their ongoing peace and welfare, so that you will be strong and eat the good of the land, so you will cause your children to possess it for all time." ¹³ Yet after everything that came on us for our evil practices and our great guilt—since you, our God, have held back what our iniquities deserve and left us an escaped remnant— ¹⁴ should we again break your commandments and make mixed marriages with these abominable people? Will you not be angry and annihilate us so there will be no remnant, no one to escape? ¹⁵ Yahweh, God of Israel, you are righteous, for we have remained as an escaped remnant to this day. Look! We are here before you in our guilt, for there is no one who can stand before you because of this.

¹ As Ezra prayed and confessed, he wept and threw himself down before the house of God. A very great assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered to him, for the people were weeping very greatly. ² Shekaniah son of Jehiel of the descendants of Elam said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. ³ So now let us make a covenant with our God to send out all the women and their children according to the Lord's instructions and the instructions of those who tremble at the commandments of our God, and let it be done according to the law. ⁴ Arise, for this thing is for you to carry out, and we are with you. Be strong and do this."

⁵ So Ezra rose and made the priestly officials, the Levites, and all of Israel promise to act in this way. So they all took a solemn oath. ⁶ Then Ezra rose from before the house of God and went to the rooms of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. He did not eat any bread or drink any water, since he was mourning concerning the faithlessness of those who had been in captivity. ⁷ So they sent word in Judah and Jerusalem to all the people back from exile to assemble in Jerusalem. ⁸ Anyone who did not come in three days according to the instructions from the officials and elders—all of his possessions would be forfeited, and he himself would be excluded from the great assembly of the people who had come back from exile.

⁹ So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem in three days. It was the ninth month and the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the rains. ¹⁰ Ezra the priest arose and said, "You yourselves have committed treason. You lived with foreign women so as to increase Israel's guilt. ¹¹ But now give confession to Yahweh, your ancestors' God, and do his will. Separate from the people of the land and from the foreign women." ¹² All the assembly answered in a loud voice, "We will do as you have said. ¹³ However, there are many people, and it is the rainy season. We have no strength to stand outside, and this is not only one or two days of work, since we have greatly transgressed in this matter. ¹⁴ So let our officials represent all the assembly. Let all in our cities who have married foreign women come at an appointed time that will be appointed by the city elders and the city judges until the raging wrath of our God goes away from us." ¹⁵ Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

¹⁶ So the people who returned from exile did this. Ezra the priest selected men, the leaders in their ancestors' clans and houses—all of them by name, and they investigated the matter on the first day of the tenth month. ¹⁷ By the first day of the first month they had finished discovering which men had lived with foreign women.

¹⁸ Among the descendants of the priests there were those who had lived with foreign women. Among the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers there were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. ¹⁹ So they determined to send their wives away. Since they were guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt.

²⁰ Among the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

²¹ Among the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.

²² Among the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.

²³ Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah—that is, Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

²⁴ Among the singers: Eliashib. Among the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

²⁵ Among the rest of the Israelites—among the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah. ¹

²⁶ Among the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.

²⁷ Among the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.

²⁸ Among the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.

²⁹ Among the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. ²

³⁰ Among the descendants of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.

³¹ Among the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, ³² Benjamin, Malluk, and Shemariah.

³³ Among the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.

³⁴ Among the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, ³⁵ Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, ³⁶ Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, ³⁷ Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.

³⁸ Among the descendants of Binnui: Shimei, ³ ³⁹ Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, ⁴⁰ Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai, ⁴ ⁴¹ Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, ⁴² Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.

⁴³ Among the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.

⁴⁴ All of these had taken foreign wives and had children with some of them. ⁵

¹Instead of the second occurrence of Malkijah , some modern translations substitute Hashabiah .

²Instead of Bani , some modern translations have Bigvai .

³Instead of Among the descendants of Binnui: Shimei , some modern translations have Bani, Binnui, Shimei .

⁴Instead of Maknadebai , some modern translations have Among the descendants of Zaccai .

⁵Instead of and had children with some of them , some modern translations have but sent them away with their children .

¹ The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

Now it happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in the fortress of Susa,

² that one of my brothers, Hanani, and some men from Judah came, and I asked them about the Jews, the escaped remnant, those who had escaped from the captivity, and about Jerusalem. ³ They said to me, "Those in the province who survived the captivity are in great trouble and disgrace because the wall of Jerusalem has been broken open, and its gates have been set on fire."

⁴ As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and for days I continued grieving and fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said, "Please, I beg you, Yahweh, God of heaven, the God who is great and awesome, who keeps the covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ may your eyes be open and may your ear be attentive so you may hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants. I am confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my father's house have sinned. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly against you, and we have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules you commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Please call to mind the word you commanded your servant Moses, 'If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹ but if you return to me and follow my commandments and do them, though your people were scattered under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to that place where I have chosen to make my name remain.' ¹⁰ Now they are your servants and your people, whom you have rescued by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹ Please, I beg you, Lord, may your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to honor your name. Now give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

I served as cupbearer to the king.

¹ In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before been sad in his presence. ² But the king said to me, "Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart." Then I became very much afraid. ³ I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire." ⁴ Then the king said to me, "What do you want me to do?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ I replied to the king, "If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." ⁶ The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), "How long will you be gone and when will you return?" The king was glad to send me when I gave him an appointed time. ⁷ Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to Judah. ⁸ May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live."

So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.

⁹ I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me commanders of the army and horsemen. ¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel. ¹¹ So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. ¹² I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding. ¹³ I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through. ¹⁵ So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. ¹⁶ The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did the work.

¹⁷ I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace." ¹⁸ I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work. ¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and showed us contempt, and they said, "What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" ²⁰ Then I answered them, "The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem."

¹ Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brother priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors in place. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel. ² Next to him the men of Jericho worked, and next to them Zakkur son of Imri worked.

³ The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They made beams for it, and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁴ Meremoth repaired the next section. He is the son of Uriah son of Hakkoz. Next to them Meshullam repaired. He is the son of Berekiah son of Meshezabel. Next to them Zadok repaired. He is the son of Baana. ⁵ Next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles refused to do the labor ordered by their supervisors.

⁶ Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They made beams for it, and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁷ Next to them were men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite—the throne of the governor of the Province Beyond the River. ⁸ Next to him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired, and next to him was Hananiah, a maker of perfumes. They rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹ Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur repaired. He was the official over half the district of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired next to his house. Next to him Hattush son of Hashabneiah repaired. ¹¹ Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section along with the Tower of the Furnaces. ¹² Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, the official over half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, along with his daughters.

¹³ Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. They repaired a thousand cubits as far as the Dung Gate.

¹⁴ Malkijah son of Rekab, the official over the district of Beth Hakkerem, repaired the Dung Gate. He built it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

¹⁵ Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, the official over the district of Mizpah, rebuilt the Fountain Gate. He built it, and put a cover on it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. He also rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam by the king's garden, as far as the stairs leading down from the city of David. ¹⁶ Nehemiah son of Azbuk, the official over half the district of Beth Zur, repaired to the place across from the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and to the house of the mighty men. ¹⁷ After him the Levites repaired, including Rehum son of Bani and next to him, Hashabiah, the official over half the district of Keilah, for his district. ¹⁸ After him their brothers repaired, including Binnui son of Henadad, the official over half the district of Keilah. ¹⁹ Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, the official over Mizpah, repaired another section that faced the ascent to the armory at the corner of the wall. ²⁰ After him Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the corner of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ²¹ After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. ²² Next to him the priests, the men from the area around Jerusalem, repaired. ²³ After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their own house. After them Azariah son of Maaseiah son of Ananiah repaired next to his own house. ²⁴ After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the corner of the wall. ²⁵ Palal son of Uzai repaired over against the corner of the wall and the tower that extends upward from the upper house of the king at the courtyard of the guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh repaired. ²⁶ Now the temple servants living in Ophel repaired to the point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. ²⁷ After him the Tekoites repaired another section that was opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ The priests repaired above the Horse Gate, each opposite his own house. ²⁹ After them Zadok son of Immer repaired the section opposite his own house. Then after him Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the keeper of the east gate, repaired. ³⁰ After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Berekiah repaired opposite his living chambers. ³¹ After him Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired to the house of the temple servants and the merchants that was opposite the Appointment Gate and the upper living chambers on the corner. ³² The goldsmiths and the merchants repaired between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate.

¹ Now when Sanballat heard we were building the wall, anger burned within him, and he was furiously angry, and he mocked the Jews. ² In the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the city for themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish the work in a day? Will they bring to life the stones from the piles of rubble after they were burned? ³ Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, "If only a fox went up on what they are building, it would break down their stone wall!"

⁴ Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunts on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land of captivity. ⁵ Do not cover over their iniquity and let their sin not be blotted out from before you, for they have provoked the builders to anger.

⁶ So we built the wall and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a desire to work.

⁷ But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the work of repairing the walls of Jerusalem was going forward, and that the broken places in the wall were being closed up, a great anger burned within them. ⁸ They all conspired together, and they came to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night because of their threat. ¹⁰ Then the people of Judah said, "The strength of those who carry the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble, and we are not able to rebuild the wall."

¹¹ Our enemies said, "They will not know or see until we come among them and kill them, and stop the work." ¹² At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and spoke to us ten times, warning us about the schemes they were making against us. ¹³ So I positioned people in the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I positioned each family with their swords, spears, and bows. ¹⁴ Then I looked, and stood up, and I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Call to mind the Lord, who is great and awesome. Fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

¹⁵ It came about when our enemies heard that their plans were known to us, and God had frustrated their plans, all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. ¹⁶ So from that time half of my servants worked only on rebuilding the wall, and half of them held spears, shields, bows, and wore armor, while the leaders stood behind all the people of Judah ¹⁷ and those who were building the wall. Those who carried burdens carried their loads such that each did his work with one hand, and with the other hand he held his weapon. ¹⁸ Every builder wore his sword girded at his side, and that is how he worked. The one who sounded the ram's horn stayed beside me. ¹⁹ I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. ²⁰ You must rush to the place where you hear the ram's horn sound and assemble there. Our God will fight for us."

²¹ So we were doing the work. Half of them were holding spears from the rising of the dawn until the coming out of the stars. ²² I also said to the people at that time, "Let every man and his servant spend the night in the middle of Jerusalem, so they may be for us a guard during the night and a worker in the day." ²³ So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us changed our clothes, and each of us carried his weapon, even if he went for water.

¹ Then the people and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. ² For there were some who said, "With our sons and daughters we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and stay alive." ³ There were also some who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine." ⁴ Some also said, "We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. ⁵ Yet now our flesh and blood is the same as our brothers, and our children are the same as their children. We are forced to sell our sons and our daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it because other men now own our fields and our vineyards."

⁶ I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. ⁷ Then I thought about this, and earnestly appealed to the nobles and officials. I said to them, "You are exacting interest, each from his own brother." I held a great assembly against them ⁸ and said to them, "As for us, we have, according to our ability, bought back from slavery our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold back to us!" They were silent and never found a word to say. ⁹ Also I said, "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies? ¹⁰ I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. But we must stop charging interest on these loans. ¹¹ Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the percentage of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you exacted from them." ¹² Then they said, "We will return what we took from them, and will require nothing from them. We will do as you say." Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do as they had promised. ¹³ I shook out the fold of my robe and said, "So may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep his promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied."

All the assembly said, "Amen," and they praised Yahweh and the people did as they had promised.

¹⁴ So from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor. ¹⁵ But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine. Even their servants were lords over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. ¹⁶ I also continued to work on the wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ At my table were the Jews and the officials, 150 men, besides those who came to us from among the nations who were around us. ¹⁸ Now what was prepared each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and also birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance, yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the labor was heavy on this people.

¹⁹ Call me to mind, my God, for good, because of all that I have done for this people.

¹ Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no longer any sections left broken open, although I had not yet set up the doors in the gates, ² Sanballat and Geshem sent to me saying, "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to do harm to me. ³ I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" ⁴ They sent me the same message four times, and I answered them the same way each time. ⁵ Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written,

"It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, for that is why you are rebuilding the wall. From what these reports say, you are about to become their king.

⁷ You have also appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' You can be sure the king will hear these reports. Therefore come, let us discuss the matter with one another."

⁸ Then I sent word to him saying, "No such things have occurred as you say, for within your heart you invented them." ⁹ For they all wanted to make us afraid, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and the work will not be done." But now, God, please strengthen my hands. ¹⁰ I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined in his home. He said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. At night they are coming to kill you." ¹¹ I replied, "Would a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple just so he could save his own life? I will not go in!" ¹² I realized that it was not God who sent him, but that he had prophesied against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ They hired him to make me afraid, so that I might do what he said and sin, so they could give me a bad name in order to humiliate me.

¹⁴ Call to mind Tobiah and Sanballat, my God according to their deeds. Also call to mind the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who tried to make me be afraid.

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, after fifty-two days. ¹⁶ When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us, they became afraid and they fell greatly in their own eyes. For they knew the work was done with the help of our God. ¹⁷ At this time the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. ¹⁸ For there were many in Judah who were bound by an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shekaniah son of Arah. His son Jehohanan had taken as his wife the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. ¹⁹ They also spoke to me about his good deeds and reported my words back to him.

Letters were sent to me from Tobiah to frighten me.

¹ When the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in place, and the gatekeepers and singers and Levites had been appointed, ² I put my brother Hanani in charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, the overseer of the fortress, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. ³ I said to them, "Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are on guard, you may shut the doors and bar them. Appoint guards from those who live in Jerusalem, some at the place of their guard station, and some in front of their own homes." ⁴ Now the city was wide and large, but there were few people within it, and no houses had yet been rebuilt.

⁵ My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, the officials, and the people to enroll them by families. I found the book of the genealogy of those who returned at the first and found the following written in it. ⁶ "These are the people of the province who went up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his city. ⁷ They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of the people of Israel included the following.

⁸ The descendants of Parosh, 2,172. ⁹ The descendants of Shephatiah, 372. ¹⁰ The descendants of Arah, 652. ¹¹ The descendants of Pahath-Moab, through the descendants of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. ¹² The descendants of Elam, 1,254. ¹³ The descendants of Zattu, 845. ¹⁴ The descendants of Zakkai, 760. ¹⁵ The descendants of Binnui, 648. ¹⁶ The descendants of Bebai, 628. ¹⁷ The descendants of Azgad, 2,322. ¹⁸ The descendants of Adonikam, 667. ¹⁹ The descendants of Bigvai, 2,067. ²⁰ The descendants of Adin, 655. ²¹ The descendants of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98. ²² The descendants of Hashum, 328. ²³ The descendants of Bezai, 324. ²⁴ The descendants of Hariph, 112. ²⁵ The descendants of Gibeon, 95. ²⁶ The men from Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. ²⁷ The men from Anathoth, 128. ²⁸ The men of Beth Azmaveth, 42. ²⁹ The men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743. ³⁰ The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. ³¹ The men of Mikmash, 122. ³² The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. ³³ The men of the other Nebo, 52. ³⁴ The people of the other Elam, 1,254. ³⁵ The men of Harim, 320. ³⁶ The men of Jericho, 345. ³⁷ The men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. ³⁸ The men of Senaah, 3,930.

³⁹ The priests: The descendants of Jedaiah (of the house of Jeshua), 973. ⁴⁰ The descendants of Immer, 1,052. ⁴¹ The descendants of Pashhur, 1,247. ⁴² The descendants of Harim, 1,017.

⁴³ The Levites: The descendants of Jeshua, through the descendants of Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah, 74.

⁴⁴ The singers: The descendants of Asaph, 148.

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers of the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, the descendants of Shobai, 138.

⁴⁶ The temple servants: The descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, ⁴⁸ the descendants of Lebana, the descendants of Hagaba, the descendants of Shalmai, ⁴⁹ the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar. ⁵⁰ The descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, ⁵¹ the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah, ⁵² the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephusim. ⁵³ The descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, ⁵⁴ the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, ⁵⁵ the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, ⁵⁶ the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The descendants of Solomon's servants: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, ⁵⁸ the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, ⁵⁹ the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth-Hazzebaim, the descendants of Amon. ⁶⁰ All the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants, were 392.

⁶¹ These were the people who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But they could not prove that they or their ancestors' families were descendants from Israel: ⁶² the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642.

⁶³ Those who were from the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai (who took his wife from the daughters of Barzillai of Gilead and was called by their name). ⁶⁴ These sought their records among those enrolled by their families, but they could not be found, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. ⁶⁵ Then the governor said to them that they should not be allowed to eat the priests' share of food from the sacrifices until there rose up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole assembly together was 42,360, ⁶⁷ besides their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were 7,337. They had 245 singing men and women. ⁶⁸ Their horses were 736 in number, their mules, 245, ⁶⁹ their camels, 435, and their donkeys, 6,720.

⁷⁰ Some from among the heads of ancestors' families gave gifts for the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, 50 basins, and 530 priestly garments. ¹ ⁷¹ Some of the heads of ancestors' families gave into the treasury for the work twenty thousand darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. ⁷² The rest of the people gave twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments.

⁷³ So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.

By the seventh month the people of Israel were settled in their cities."

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew text has thirty priestly garments , but it is difficult to understand. Most modern translations have 530 priestly garments . However, some recommend reading thirty priestly garments and five hundred minas of silver .

¹ All the people gathered as one man in the open area in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded Israel. ² On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could hear and understand. ³ He faced the open area in front of the Water Gate, and he read from it from early morning until midday, before men and women, and any who could understand, and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. ⁴ Then Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform which the people had made for the purpose. Standing beside him were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right side; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam were standing on his left side. ⁵ Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above the people, and when he opened it all the people stood up. ⁶ Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God, and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah—the Levites—helped the people understand the law, while the people remained in their place. ¹ ⁸ They read in the book, The Law of God, making it clear with interpretation and giving the meaning so the people understood the reading.

⁹ Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting to the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then Nehemiah said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and have something sweet to drink, and send some of it to one who has nothing prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength." ¹¹ So the Levites made the people be quiet, saying, "Hush! for this day is holy. Do not be grieved." ¹² Then all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to share food and to celebrate with great joy because they had understood the words that were made known to them.

¹³ On the second day the leaders of the ancestors' families from all the people, the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe to gain insight from the words of the law. ¹⁴ They found written in the law how Yahweh had commanded through Moses that the people of Israel should live in shelters during the festival of the seventh month. ¹⁵ They should make a proclamation in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out into the hill country, and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtle, palms and shade trees, to make shelters, as it is written." ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought the branches back and made themselves shelters, each on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, in the open area in front of the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ All the assembly of those who had returned from captivity made shelters and lived in them. For since the days of Joshua son of Nun to that day, the people of Israel had not celebrated this festival, and so their joy was very great. ¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival for seven days and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, in obedience to the decree.

¹Most modern translations identify as Levites all the persons named in this verse. However, some modern translations put the Levites in the same list as the individuals first named.

¹ Now on the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel were assembled and they were fasting, and they were wearing sackcloth, and they put dust on their heads. ² The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all the foreigners. They stood and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ³ They stood up in their places, and for one-fourth of the day they read from the book of the law of Yahweh their God. For another fourth of the day they were confessing and bowing down before Yahweh their God. ⁴ The Levites, Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani, stood on the stairs and they called out with a loud voice to Yahweh their God.

⁵ Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Stand up and give praise to Yahweh your God forever and ever."

"May they bless your glorious name, and may it be exalted above every blessing and praise.

⁶ You are Yahweh. You alone. You have made heaven, the highest heavens, with all their host, and the earth and everything on it, and the seas and all that is in them. You give life to them all, and the host of heaven worship you. ⁷ You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham. ⁸ You found his heart was faithful before you, and you made with him the covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

⁹ You saw the affliction of our forefathers in Egypt and you heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds. ¹⁰ You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and on all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians acted with arrogance against them. But you made a name for yourself which stands to this day. ¹¹ Then you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on the dry land; and threw those who pursued them into the depths, as a stone into deep waters. ¹² You led them by a pillar of cloud during the day, and by a pillar of fire during the night to light the way for them to go. ¹³ On Mount Sinai you came down and you spoke with them from heaven and gave to them righteous decrees and true laws, good statutes and commandments. ¹⁴ You made your holy Sabbath known to them, and you gave them commandments and statutes and a law through Moses your servant. ¹⁵ You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and water from a rock for their thirst, and you said to them to go in to possess the land you swore on oath to give them.

¹⁶ But they and our ancestors acted arrogantly, and they stiffened their necks and did not listen to your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to listen, and they did not think about the wonders that you had done among them, but they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their slavery. But you are a God who is full of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. You did not abandon them. ¹⁸ Even when they had cast a calf out of molten metal and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies, ¹⁹ you, in your compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them on the way did not leave them during day, neither did the pillar of fire by night to light the way for them to go. ²⁰ Your good Spirit you gave them to instruct them, and your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and water you gave them for their thirst. ²¹ For forty years you provided for them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. ²² You gave them kingdoms and peoples, assigning to them every corner of the land. Then they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³ You made their children as numerous as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you told their ancestors to go in and possess. ²⁴ So the people went in and possessed the land and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites. You gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that Israel might do with them as they pleased. ²⁵ They captured the fortified cities and a productive land, and they took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already cut out, vineyards and olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat and enjoyed themselves in your great goodness.

²⁶ Then they became disobedient and they rebelled against you. They threw your law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had warned them to turn back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. ²⁷ So you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. In the time of their suffering, they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven, and because of your great mercies you sent them rescuers who rescued them out of the hand of their enemies. ²⁸ But after they had rest, they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so their enemies ruled over them. Yet when they returned and cried out to you, you heard from heaven, and many times because of your compassion you rescued them. ²⁹ You warned them so they might turn back to your law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commands. They sinned against your decrees which give life to anyone who obeys them. They gave the stubborn shoulder-blade and stiffened their neck and refused to listen. ³⁰ For many years you put up with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. ³¹ But in your great mercies you did not destroy them completely or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

³² Now therefore, our God—you great, mighty, and awesome God who keep your covenant and steadfast love—do not let all this hardship seem little to you that has come on us, on our kings, on our leaders, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our ancestors, and on all your people from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. ³³ You are just in everything that has come on us, for you have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly. ³⁴ Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law, nor paid attention to your commandments or your laws by which you warned them. ³⁵ Even in their own kingdom, while they enjoyed your great goodness to them, in the large and productive land you set before them, they did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds. ³⁶ Now we are slaves in the land you gave our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, and behold, we are slaves in it! ³⁷ The rich produce of our land goes to the kings you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please. We are in great distress. ³⁸ Because of all this, we make a firm covenant in writing. On the sealed document are the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests."

¹ On the sealed documents were Nehemiah, the governor, son of Hakaliah and Zedekiah, ² Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

³ Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,

⁴ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluk,

⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

⁹ The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the family of Henadad, Kadmiel,

¹⁰ and their fellow Levites, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹¹ Mika, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹² Zakkur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹³ Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

¹⁴ The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁷ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁸ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²¹ Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁴ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁶ Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁷ Malluk, Harim, and Baanah.

²⁸ As for the rest of the people, who were priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands and pledged themselves to the law of God, including their wives, their sons and their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, ²⁹ they joined together with their brothers, their nobles, and bound themselves with both a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and obey all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord and his decrees and his statutes. ³⁰ We promised that we would not give our daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for our sons. ³¹ We also promised that if the people of the land bring goods or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will let our fields rest, and we will cancel all debts.

³² We accepted the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God, ³³ to provide for the bread of the presence, and for the regular grain offering, the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals and appointed feasts, and for the holy offerings, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, as well as for all the work of the house of our God. ³⁴ We—the priests, the Levites, and the people—cast lots for the wood offering. The lots would select which of our families would bring wood into the house of our God at the appointed times each year, to be burned on the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law. ³⁵ We promised to bring to the house of Yahweh the firstfruits grown from our soil, and each year the firstfruits from each tree. ³⁶ The firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle—according to what is written in the law—and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks we will bring to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God. ³⁷ We will bring the first of our dough and our grain offerings, and the fruit of every tree and new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God. We will bring to the Levites the tithes from our soil because the Levites collect the tithes in all the towns where we labor. ³⁸ A priest, a descendant of Aaron, must be with the Levites when they receive the tithes. The Levites must bring a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God to the rooms of the storehouse. ³⁹ For the people of Israel and the descendants of Levi are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests who are serving, and the gatekeepers, and the singers stay.

We will not neglect the house of our God.

¹ The leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, and the other nine remained in other towns. ² Then the people blessed all those who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

³ These are the provincial officials who lived in Jerusalem. However, in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his own property, including some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants. ⁴ In Jerusalem lived some of the descendants of Judah and some of the descendants of Benjamin.

The people from Judah included: Athaiah son of Uzziah son of Zechariah son of Amariah son of Shephatiah son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez.

⁵ There was Maaseiah son of Baruch son of Kol-Hozeh son of Hazaiah son of Adaiah son of Joiarib son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. ⁶ All the descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468. They were outstanding men.

⁷ These are the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam son of Joed son of Pedaiah son of Kolaiah son of Maaseiah son of Ithiel son of Jeshaiah, ⁸ and those following him, Gabbai and Sallai, 928 men. ¹ ⁹ Joel son of Zikri was their overseer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city.

¹⁰ From the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin, ¹¹ Seraiah son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok son of Meraioth son of Ahitub, the chief official of the house of God, ¹² and their associates who did the work for the house, 822 men, along with Adaiah son of Jeroham son of Pelaliah son of Amzi son of Zechariah son of Pashhur son of Malkijah. ¹³ His brothers were heads of clans, 242 men; and Amashsai son of Azarel son of Ahzai son of Meshillemoth son of Immer, ¹⁴ and their brothers, 128 valiant warriors; their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

¹⁵ From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub son of Azrikam son of Hashabiah son of Bunni, ¹⁶ and Shabbethai and Jozabad, who were from the leaders of the Levites and were in charge of the outside work of the house of God. ¹⁷ There was Mattaniah son of Mika son of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph, who was the director who began the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers, and Abda son of Shammua son of Galal son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸ All the Levites in the holy city numbered 284.

¹⁹ The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, 172 men.

²⁰ The remainder of Israel and of the priests and the Levites were in all the towns of Judah. Everyone lived on his own inherited property. ²¹ The temple workers lived in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

²² The chief officer over the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani son of Hashabiah son of Mattaniah son of Mika, of the descendants of Asaph, singers over the work in the house of God. ²³ They were under orders from the king, and firm orders were given for the singers as every day required. ²⁴ Then Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king's side in all matters concerning the people.

²⁵ As for the villages and their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages, ²⁶ and in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet, ²⁷ Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages. ²⁸ Some of the people of Judah lived in Ziklag, Mekonah and its villages, ²⁹ En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, ³⁰ Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, and in Lachish its fields and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. ³¹ The descendants of the Benjamites settled in Geba, Mikmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages, ³² Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, ³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, ³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, ³⁵ Lod, Ono, and Ge Harashim. ² ³⁶ Some of the Levites who lived in Judah were assigned to the people of Benjamin.

¹Instead of those following him , some scholars suggest his brothers because that construction appears in Nehemiah 11:13, 14, 17, and 19 .

²Some modern English translations read, Lod, Ono, and the Valley of the Craftsmen . Others read, Lod and Ono, the valley of the craftsmen .

¹ These were the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

² Amariah, Malluk, Hattush,

³ Shekaniah, Rehum, and Meremoth.

⁴ There were Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,

⁵ Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,

⁶ Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was in charge of the thanksgiving songs, along with his associates. ⁹ Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them during the service. ¹⁰ Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, ¹¹ Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

¹² In the days of Joiakim these were the priests, the leaders of the families: Meraiah was the leader of Seraiah, Hananiah was the leader of Jeremiah,

¹³ Meshullam was the leader of Ezra, Jehohanan was the leader of Amariah,

¹⁴ Jonathan was the leader of Malluk, and Joseph was the leader of Shebaniah. ¹

¹⁵ Adna was the leader of Harim, Helkai the leader of Meremoth,

¹⁶ Zechariah was the leader of Iddo, Meshullam was the leader of Ginnethon, and

¹⁷ Zikri was the leader of Abijah; Piltai was the leader of Miniamin and Moadiah.

¹⁸ Shammua was the leader of Bilgah, Jehonathan was the leader of Shemaiah,

¹⁹ Mattenai was the leader of Joiarib, Uzzi was the leader of Jedaiah,

²⁰ Kallai was the leader of Sallu, Eber was the leader of Amok,

²¹ Hashabiah was the leader of Hilkiah, and Nethanel was the leader of Jedaiah.

²² In the days of Eliashib, the Levites Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded as the heads of families, and the priests were recorded during the reign of Darius the Persian. ²³ The descendants of Levi, their leaders of families were recorded in the book of the annals up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. ²⁴ The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and to give thanks, responding section by section, in obedience to the command of David, the man of God. ²⁵ Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storerooms by the gates. ²⁶ They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

²⁷ At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the people sought out the Levites wherever they lived, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with joy, with thanksgivings and singing with cymbals, lutes, and harps. ²⁸ The fellowship of singers gathered together from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites. ²⁹ They also came from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. ³⁰ The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

³¹ Then I had the leaders of Judah go up to the top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs who gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall toward the Dung Gate. ³² Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, ³³ and after them went Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, ³⁴ Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, ³⁵ and some of the priests' sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan son of Shemaiah son of Mattaniah son of Micaiah son of Zakkur son of Asaph. ³⁶ There also were Zechariah's relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe was in front of them. ³⁷ By the Fountain Gate they went straight up on the stairs of the city of David, by the stairway to the wall above David's palace, to the Water Gate on the east.

³⁸ The other choir of those who gave thanks went in the other direction. I followed them on the wall with half the people, above the Tower of Ovens, to the Broad Wall, ³⁹ and above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate, and by the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate, and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard. ⁴⁰ So both choirs of those who gave thanks took their place in the house of God, and I also took my place with half of the officials with me. ⁴¹ Then the priests took their place: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with the trumpets, ⁴² and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer, and the singers made themselves heard and Jezrahiah was their leader. ⁴³ They offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. Also the women and the children rejoiced. So the joy of Jerusalem could be heard far away.

⁴⁴ On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites. Each was assigned to work the fields near the towns. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who were standing before them. ⁴⁵ They performed the service of their God, and the service of purification, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers, in keeping with the command of David and of Solomon his son. ⁴⁶ For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors of singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷ In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers. They set aside the consecrated portion that was for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the consecrated portion for the descendants of Aaron.

¹Many modern translations have Malluk as a correction for Malluki in the Hebrew text. The correct form of this name appears in Neh. 12:2.

¹ On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should come into the assembly of God, forever. ² This was because they had not come to the people of Israel with bread and with water, but they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ As soon as they heard the law, they separated out from Israel every foreign person.

⁴ Now before this Eliashib the priest was appointed over the storerooms of the house of our God. He was related to Tobiah. ⁵ Eliashib prepared for Tobiah a large storeroom, where previously they kept the grain offering, the incense, the articles, and the tithes of the grain, new wine, and the oil, which were commanded to be for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. ⁶ But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem. For in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked the king for permission to leave, ⁷ and I returned to Jerusalem. I understood the evil that Eliashib had done by giving Tobiah a storeroom in the courts of the house of God. ⁸ This was very displeasing to me and I threw all Tobiah's household articles out of the storeroom. ⁹ I ordered that they purify the storerooms, and I put back in them the articles of the house of God, the grain offerings, and the incense.

¹⁰ I learned that the Levites' portions had not been given to them, and they had run away, each to his own field, the Levites and the singers who did the work. ¹¹ So I confronted the officials and said, "Why is the house of God neglected?" I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts. ¹² Then all Judah brought in the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the storehouses. ¹³ I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and from the Levites, Pedaiah. Next to them was Hanan son of Zakkur son of Mattaniah, for they were counted as trustworthy. Their duties were to distribute the supplies to their associates.

¹⁴ Call me to mind, my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out the good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and its services.

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of heavy loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I warned them against selling food on that day. ¹⁶ Men from Tyre living in Jerusalem brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and they sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in the city! ¹⁷ Then I confronted the nobles of Judah, "What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? ¹⁸ Did not your fathers do this? Did not our God bring all this evil on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath."

¹⁹ As soon as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors be shut and that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I stationed some of my servants at the gates so no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ The merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice. ²¹ But I warned them, "Why do you camp outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!" From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. ²² Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves, and come and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Call me to mind for this also, my God, and have mercy on me because of the covenant loyalty you have toward me.

²³ In those days I also saw Jews that had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. ²⁴ Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. None of them knew how to speak the language of Judah, but only the language of one of the other peoples. ²⁵ I confronted them, and I cursed them, and I hit some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God, saying, "You will not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. ²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of these women? Among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, his foreign wives caused him to sin. ²⁷ Should we then listen to you and do all this great evil, and act unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?"

²⁸ One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I caused him to flee from my presence.

²⁹ Call them to mind, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

³⁰ Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and established the duties of the priests and the Levites, each to his own task. ³¹ I provided for the wood offering at the appointed times and for the firstfruits.

Call me to mind, my God, for good.

¹ In the days of Xerxes ¹ (this is Xerxes who reigned from India as far as Cush, over 127 provinces), ² in those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the fortress of Susa. ³ In the third year of his reign, he gave a feast to all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media, the noblemen, and governors of the provinces were in his presence. ⁴ He displayed the wealth of the splendor of his kingdom and the honor of the glory of his greatness for many days, for 180 days. ⁵ When these days were completed, the king gave a feast lasting seven days. It was for all the people in the fortress of Susa, from the greatest to the least significant. It was held in the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace. ⁶ The courtyard of the garden was decorated with curtains of white cotton and violet, with cords of fine linen and purple, hung on silver rings from pillars of marble. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored paving stones. ⁷ Drinks were served in golden cups. Each cup was unique and there was much royal wine that came because of the king's generosity. ⁸ The drinking was carried out in keeping with the decree, "There must be no compulsion," for in this way the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do according to the desire of each man.

⁹ Also, Queen Vashti gave a feast for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. ¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the king's heart was feeling happy because of the wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Karkas (the seven officials who served before him), ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for her features were stunning. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that had been brought to her by the officials. Then the king became very angry; his rage burned within him.

¹³ So the king conferred with the men who were known to be wise, who understood the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were expert in law and judgment). ¹⁴ Now the ones close to him were Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memukan, seven princes of Persia and Media. They had access to the king, and they held the highest offices within the kingdom. ¹⁵ "In compliance with the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she did not obey the command of King Xerxes, which was brought to her by the officials?" ¹⁶ Memukan said in the presence of the king and the officials, "Not only against the king has Vashti the queen done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Xerxes. ¹⁷ For the matter of the queen will become known to all women. It will cause them to treat their husbands with contempt. They will say, 'King Xerxes commanded Vashti the queen to be brought before him, but she refused.' ¹⁸ Before the end of this very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the matter of the queen will say the same thing to all the king's officials. There will be much contempt and anger. ¹⁹ If it pleases the king, let a royal decree be sent out from him, and let it be written in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come before him. Let the king give her position as queen to another who is better than she. ²⁰ When the king's decree is proclaimed throughout all his vast kingdom, all the wives will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least significant." ²¹ The king and his princes were pleased with this advice, and the king did as Memukan proposed. ²² He sent out letters to all the royal provinces, to each province in its own writing, and to each people in their own language. He ordered that every man should be master of his own household. This decree was given in the language of each people in the empire.

¹ After these things, when the anger of King Xerxes subsided, he thought about Vashti and what she had done. He also thought about the decree that he had made against her. ² Then the king's young men who served him said, "Let a search be made on the king's behalf for beautiful young virgins. ³ Let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, to gather together all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the fortress in Susa. Let them be put under the care of Hegai, the king's official, who is in charge of the women, and let him give them their cosmetics. ⁴ Let the young girl who pleases the king become queen in the place of Vashti." This advice pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵ There was a certain Jew in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, who was a Benjamite. ⁶ He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the exiles along with those who had been taken into exile with Jehoiachin, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia took into exile. ⁷ He was caring for Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, because she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely in appearance. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

⁸ When the king's order and decree were proclaimed, many young women were brought to the fortress of Susa. They were put under Hegai's care. Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put under the care of Hegai, the overseer of the women. ⁹ The young girl pleased him, and she found favor with him. Immediately he provided her with cosmetics and her portion of food. He assigned to her seven servant girls from the king's palace, and he moved her and the servant girls to the best place in the house of the women. ¹⁰ Esther had not told anyone who her people or relatives were, for Mordecai had instructed her not to tell. ¹¹ Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard outside the house of the women, to learn about Esther's welfare, and about what would be done with her.

¹² When the turn came for each girl to go to King Xerxes—after she had obeyed the regulations for the women for twelve months, for this was how the time of their beauty treatments was completed: six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics— ¹³ when a young woman went to the king, whatever she desired was given to her from the house of the women, for her to take to the palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second house of the women, and to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's official, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king again unless he had taken great pleasure in her and called for her by name. ¹⁵ Now when the time came for Esther (daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter) to go in to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai the king's official, who was in charge of the women, suggested. Now Esther received the favor of all who saw her.

¹⁶ Esther was taken to King Xerxes into the royal residence on the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the other women and she received favor and kindness before him, more than all the other virgins. So he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ The king gave a great feast for all his officials and his servants, "Esther's feast," and he granted relief from taxation to the provinces. He also gave gifts with royal generosity.

¹⁹ Now when the virgins had been gathered together a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. ²⁰ Esther had not yet told anyone about her relatives or her people, as Mordecai had instructed her. She continued to follow Mordecai's advice, as she had done when she was raised by him. ²¹ In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, two of the king's officials, Bigthana and Teresh, who guarded the doorway, became angry and sought to do harm to King Xerxes. ²² When the matter was made known to Mordecai, he told Queen Esther, and Esther spoke to the king in the name of Mordecai. ²³ The report was investigated and confirmed, and both the men were hanged from a gallows. This account was written, in the presence of the king, in the book of the events of his reign.

¹ After these things, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and placed his seat of authority above all the officials who were with him. ² All the king's servants who were at the king's gate knelt down and bowed down to Haman, as the king had ordered them to do. But Mordecai did not kneel or bow down. ³ Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?" ⁴ They spoke with him day after day, but he refused to comply with their demands. So they spoke with Haman to see if the matter about Mordecai would remain like that, for he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai did not kneel and show him respect, Haman was filled with rage. ⁶ He had contempt for the idea of killing only Mordecai, for the king's servants had told him who Mordecai's people were. Haman sought to exterminate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the entire kingdom of Xerxes.

⁷ In the first month (which is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, the Pur—that is the lot—was thrown before Haman, to select a day and month. They cast the lot over and over until the lot fell on the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar). ⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people scattered and distributed among all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not suitable for the king to let them stay. ⁹ If it is pleasing to the king, give a command to kill them, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king's business, for them to put it into the king's treasury." ¹⁰ Then the king took the signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ The king said to Haman, "I will see that the money is given back to you and your people. You will do with it whatever you wish."

¹² Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree containing all that Haman had commanded was written to the king's provincial governors, those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various peoples, and to the officials of all the people, to every province in their own writing, and to every people in their own language. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and was sealed with his ring. ¹³ Letters were delivered by the hand of couriers to all the king's provinces, to annihilate, kill, and destroy all Jews, from young to old, children and women, in one day—on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar)—and to plunder their possessions. ¹⁴ A copy of the letter was made law in every province. In every province it was made known to all the people that they should prepare for this day. ¹⁵ The couriers went out and hurried to distribute the king's order. The decree was also distributed within the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.

¹ When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the middle of the city, and cried out with a loud and a bitter cry. ² He went up only as far as the king's gate, because no one was allowed to go through it clothed in sackcloth. ³ In every province, wherever the king's command and decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther's young women and her servants came and told her, the queen was in great distress. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai (so he could take off his sackcloth), but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther called for Hathak, one of the king's officials who had been assigned to serve her. She ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what had happened and what it meant. ⁶ So Hathak went to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king's gate. ⁷ Mordecai reported to him all that had happened to him, and the total amount of the silver that Haman had promised to weigh out and put into the king's treasuries in order to put the Jews to death. ⁸ He also gave him a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa for the Jews' destruction. He did this so that Hathak could show it to Esther, and that he should make it known to her and give her a solemn command to go to the king to beg for his favor, and to plead with him on behalf of her people.

⁹ So Hathak went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathak and ordered him to go back to Mordecai. ¹¹ She said, "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner courtyard without being summoned, there is only one law: That he must be put to death—except for anyone to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. I have not been called to come to the king these thirty days." ¹² So Hathak reported Esther's words to Mordecai.

¹³ Mordecai sent back this message to Esther: "You must not think that in the king's palace, you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ If you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will rise up for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows whether you have come to this royal position for such a time as this?" ¹⁵ Then Esther sent this message to Mordecai, ¹⁶ "Go, gather together all the Jews who live in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My young girls and I will fast in the same way. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." ¹⁷ Mordecai went and did all that Esther had ordered him to do.

¹ After three days, Esther put on her royal clothes and went to stand in the courtyard of the king's palace, in front of the king's house. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance to the house. ² When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she received favor in his eyes. He held out to her the golden scepter in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. ³ Then the king said to her, "What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? Up to half of my kingdom, it will be given to you." ⁴ Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for him."

⁵ Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, to do what Esther has said." So the king and Haman went to the feast that Esther had prepared. ⁶ When the wine was being served at the feast, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, it will be granted." ⁷ Esther answered, "My petition and my request is this, ⁸ if I have found favor in the eyes of the king and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to honor my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them tomorrow and I will answer the king's question."

⁹ Haman went out that day joyful and glad at heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, that Mordecai neither rose up nor trembled before him with any fear, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went to his own house. He sent for his friends and gathered them together, with Zeresh his wife. ¹¹ Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his many sons, all the promotions by which the king honored him, and how he had advanced above all the officials and the servants of the king. ¹² Haman said, "Queen Esther invited no one else but me to come with the king to the feast she prepared. Even tomorrow I am again invited by her along with the king. ¹³ But all this is worth nothing to me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." ¹⁴ Then Zeresh his wife said to Haman and all his friends, "Let them make a gallows fifty cubits high. In the morning speak to the king for them to hang Mordecai on it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast." This pleased Haman and he had the gallows constructed.

¹ That night the king could not sleep. He commanded servants to bring the book of the records of the events of his reign, and they were being read aloud to the king. ² It was found recorded there that Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officials who guarded the entrance, who had tried to harm King Xerxes. ³ The king asked, "What great honor has been given to Mordecai for doing this?" Then the king's young men who served him said, "Nothing was done for him." ⁴ The king said, "Who is in the courtyard?" Now Haman had entered the outer courtyard of the king's house to speak to him about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he set up for him. ⁵ The king's servants said to him, "Haman is standing in the courtyard." The king said, "Let him come in." ⁶ When Haman entered, the king said to him, "What should be done for the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring?" Now Haman said in his heart, "Whom would the king take pleasure in honoring more than me?" ⁷ Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, ⁸ let royal robes be brought, robes that the king has worn, and a horse that the king has ridden and on whose head is the royal crest. ⁹ Then let the robes and the horse be given to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them clothe the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, and let them lead him on the horse through the city streets. Let them proclaim before him, 'This is what is done to the one whom the king takes pleasure in honoring!'"

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, "Hurry, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do this for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Do not fail in a single matter of what you have said." ¹¹ Then Haman took the robe and the horse. He dressed Mordecai and led him on the horse through the city streets. He proclaimed before him, "This is what is done for a man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring!" ¹² Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning, with his head covered. ¹³ Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that happened to him. Then his men who were known for their wisdom, and Zeresh his wife, said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is Jewish, you will not overcome him, but you will certainly fall before him." ¹⁴ While they were talking with him, the king's officials arrived. They hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

¹ So the king and Haman went to feast with Queen Esther. ² On this second day, during the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It will be granted to you. What is your request? Up to half of the kingdom, and it will be granted." ³ Then Queen Esther replied, "If I have found favor in your eyes, king, and if it pleases you, let my life be given to me—this is my petition, and I request this also for my people. ⁴ For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. If we had only been sold into slavery, as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, for no such distress as this would justify disturbing the king." ⁵ Then King Xerxes said to Esther the queen, "Who is he? Where is this person to be found who has filled his heart to do such a thing?" ⁶ Esther said, "The adversary, that enemy, is this evil Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. ⁷ The king got up in a rage from the wine-drinking at the feast and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther. He saw that disaster was being decided against him by the king. ⁸ Then the king returned from the palace garden into the room where the banquet of wine had been. Haman had just fallen on the couch where Esther was. The king said, "Will he assault the queen in my presence in my own house?" As soon as this sentence came out of the king's mouth, the servants covered Haman's face. ⁹ Then Harbona, one of the officials who served the king, said, "A gallows fifty cubits tall stands beside Haman's house. He set it up for Mordecai, the one who spoke up to protect the king." The king said, "Hang him on it." ¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's rage died down.

¹ On that day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai began to serve before the king, for Esther told the king how Mordecai was related to her. ² The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's estate.

³ Then Esther spoke again to the king. She lay facedown on the ground and wept as she pleaded with him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, to the scheme that he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ Then the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, she arose and stood before the king. ⁵ She said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his eyes, if the thing seems proper before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let a decree be written to revoke the letters written by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the letters that he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. ⁶ For how could I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How could I endure watching the destruction of my relatives?" ⁷ King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Look, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he was going to attack the Jews. ⁸ Write another decree for the Jews in the name of the king and seal it with the king's ring. For the decree that has already been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."

⁹ Then the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month. A decree was written containing all that Mordecai was commanding concerning the Jews. It was written to the provincial governors, the governors and officials of the provinces that were located from India to Cush, 127 provinces, to every province written in their own writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing and language. ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the letters by couriers riding on horses, warhorses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud. ¹¹ The king gave to the Jews who were in every city permission to gather together and to make a stand to protect their lives: To annihiliate, to kill, and to destroy any armed force from any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, or to plunder their possessions. ¹² This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Xerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. ¹³ A copy of the decree was to be issued as a law in every province and publicly displayed to all the peoples. The Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. ¹⁴ So the couriers rode on the royal horses that were used in the king's service. They went without delay. The king's decree was also issued from the palace in Susa.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal clothes of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. ¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. ¹⁷ In every province and in every city, wherever the king's word and his decree reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. Many from among the variety of peoples of the land became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

¹ Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king's law and decree were about to be carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was reversed. The Jews gained power over those who hated them. ² The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes, to lay hands on those who tried to bring disaster on them. No one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all the peoples. ³ All the officials of the provinces, the provincial governors, the governors, and the king's administrators, helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai was becoming great. ⁵ The Jews attacked their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In the fortress of Susa itself the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. ⁷ They killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, Vaizatha; ¹⁰ they killed the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not take any plunder.

¹¹ That day the number of those killed in the fortress of Susa, was reported to the king. ¹² The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed five hundred men in the fortress of Susa, including the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be granted you. What is your request? It will be granted to you." ¹³ Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to carry out this day's decree tomorrow also, and let the bodies of Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows." ¹⁴ So the king commanded that this be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. ¹⁵ The Jews who were in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and killed three hundred more men in Susa, but laid no hands on the plunder. ¹⁶ The rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces came together to defend their lives, and they got relief from their enemies and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not lay their hands on the valuables of those they killed.

¹⁷ This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁸ But the Jews who were in Susa assembled together on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days. On the fifteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹ That is why the Jews of the villages, who make their homes in the rural towns, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of gladness and feasting, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.

²⁰ Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far, ²¹ obligating them to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month Adar every year. ²² These were the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and the month when their sorrow turned to joy, and mourning into a day of celebration. They were to make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending gifts of food to one another, and gifts to the poor. ²³ So the Jews continued what they had begun to do, what Mordecai had written to them. ²⁴ At that time Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he threw Pur (that is, he threw lots), to trouble and destroy them. ²⁵ But when the matter came before the king, he gave orders by letters that the wicked plan Haman developed against the Jews should come back on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

²⁶ Therefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Because of everything that was written in this letter, and everything that they had seen and that had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews accepted a new custom and duty. This custom would be for themselves, their descendants, and everyone who joined them. It would be that they would celebrate these two days every year. They would celebrate them in a certain way and at the same time each year. ²⁸ These days were to be remembered and celebrated in every generation, every family, every province, and every city. These days of Purim should never fail from among the Jews, and their memory should never come to an end for their descendants.

²⁹ Queen Esther daughter of Abihail and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority and confirmed this second letter about Purim. ³⁰ Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes, wishing the Jews safety and truth. ³¹ These letters confirmed the days of Purim at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated the Jews. The Jews accepted this obligation for themselves and their descendants, just as also they accepted times of fasting and lamenting. ³² The command of Esther confirmed these regulations regarding Purim, and it was written in the book.

¹ Then King Xerxes imposed a tax on the land and on the coastlands along the sea. ² All the achievements of his power and might, together with the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, they are written in the book of the events of the reigns of the kings of Media and Persia. ³ Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes. He was great among the Jews and shown favor by his many Jewish brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and he spoke for the peace of all his people.

¹ There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned from evil. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He possessed seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred donkeys and a great many servants. He was the man who was the greatest of all the people of the East. ⁴ On each son's assigned day, he would give a feast in his house. They would send and call for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When the days of the feast were over, Job would send for them and he would consecrate them. He would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings for each of his children, for he would say, "It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Job always did this.

⁶ Then it was the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh. Satan also came with them. ⁷ Yahweh said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, "From wandering on the earth, from going back and forth on it." ⁸ Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil." ⁹ Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, "Is it for no reason that Job fears God? ¹⁰ Have you not put a barrier around him, around his house, and around all that is his from every side? You have blessed the deeds of his hands, and his livestock have spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and see if he does not curse you to your face." ¹² Yahweh said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him himself do not stretch out your hand." Then Satan went away from the presence of Yahweh.

¹³ It came about that on a certain day, his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. ¹⁴ A messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them. ¹⁵ Then the Sabeans fell on them and took them away. As for the servants, they have struck them with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to make it known to you." ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants. I alone have escaped to make it known to you." ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups, made a raid on the camels, and have taken them away. As for the servants, they have struck them with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to make it known to you." ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. ¹⁹ A strong wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. It fell on the young people, and they died. I alone have escaped to make it known to you."

²⁰ Then Job rose, tore his robe, shaved his head, lay facedown on the ground, and worshiped God. ²¹ He said, "I was naked when I came out of my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I will return there. It is Yahweh who gave, and it is Yahweh who has taken away. May the name of Yahweh be blessed."

²² In all this matter, Job did not sin, nor did he accuse God of wrongdoing.

¹ Then it was the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh. Satan also came with them to present himself before Yahweh. ² Yahweh said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, "From wandering on the earth, from going back and forth on it." ³ Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. He still holds fast to his integrity, although you misled me against him, to destroy him without cause."

⁴ Satan answered Yahweh and said, "Skin for skin, indeed; a man will give all he has for his life. ⁵ But stretch out your hand now and touch his bones and his flesh, and see if he does not curse you to your face."

⁶ Yahweh said to Satan, "See, he is in your hand; it is only his life that you must spare."

⁷ Then Satan went away from the presence of Yahweh. He struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his feet to his head. ⁸ Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with, and he sat down in the middle of ashes. ⁹ Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die." ¹⁰ But he said to her, "You talk as a foolish woman talks. Should we receive the good from God and not receive the bad?" In all this matter, Job did not sin with his lips.

¹¹ Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, each of them came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They set a time to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. ¹² When they lifted up their eyes at a distance, they did not recognize him. They raised their voices and wept; each tore his robe and threw dust into the air and upon his own head. ¹³ Then they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights. No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

¹ After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born. ² He said,

³ "May the day on which I was born perish,

the night that said, 'A boy has been conceived.'

⁴ May that day be dark!

May God not care about it,

nor light shine on it.

⁵ May darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own.

May a cloud live over it;

may everything that makes the day black truly terrify it.

⁶ As for that night, may thick darkness seize it.

May it not rejoice among the days of the year;

may it not come into the number of the months.

⁷ See, may that night be barren;

may no joyful voice come into it.

⁸ Those who curse the day–may they curse it,

those who know how to wake up Leviathan.

⁹ May the stars of that day's dawn be dark.

May that day look for light, but find none;

neither may it see the eyelids of the dawn,

¹⁰ because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb,

and because it did not hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹ Why did I not die when I came out from the womb?

Why did I not perish when my mother bore me?

¹² Why did her knees welcome me?

Why did her breasts receive me so that I should suck?

¹³ For now I would have been lying down quietly.

I would have slept and been at rest

¹⁴ with kings and counselors of the earth,

who built up tombs for themselves that are now in ruins.

¹⁵ Or I would have been lying down with princes who once had gold,

who had filled their houses with silver.

¹⁶ Or perhaps I would have been stillborn,

like infants that never see the light.

¹⁷ There the wicked cease from trouble;

there the weary are at rest.

¹⁸ There the prisoners are at ease together;

they do not hear the voice of the slave driver.

¹⁹ Both small and great people are there;

the servant is free from his master there.

²⁰ Why is light given to him who suffers?

Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul,

²¹ to one who longs for death without it coming;

to one who digs for it more than for hidden treasure?

²² Why is light given to one who rejoices very much

and is glad when he finds the grave?

²³ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,

a man whom God has hedged in?

²⁴ For my sighing happens instead of eating;

my groaning is poured out like water.

²⁵ For the thing that I feared has come upon me;

what I was afraid of has come to me.

²⁶ I am not at ease, I am not quiet, and I have no rest;

trouble comes instead."

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² If anyone tries to speak with you, will you be impatient?

But who can stop himself from speaking?

³ See, you have instructed many;

you have strengthened weak hands.

⁴ Your words have supported him who was falling;

you have made feeble knees strong.

⁵ But now trouble has come to you, and you are weary;

it touches you, and you are troubled.

⁶ Is not your fear your confidence,

and the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ Think about this, please: Who has ever perished when innocent?

Or when were the upright people ever cut off?

⁸ According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity

and sow trouble reap it.

⁹ By the breath of God they perish;

by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

¹⁰ The roaring of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,

the teeth of the young lions—they are broken.

¹¹ The old lion perishes for lack of victims;

the cubs of the lioness are scattered everywhere.

¹² Now a certain matter was secretly brought to me,

and my ear received a whisper about it.

¹³ Then came thoughts from visions in the night,

when deep sleep falls on people.

¹⁴ It was at night when fear and trembling came upon me,

and all my bones shook.

¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face,

and the hair of my flesh stood up.

¹⁶ The spirit stood still,

but I could not discern its appearance.

A form was before my eyes;

there was silence, and I heard a voice that said,

¹⁷ "Can a mortal man be more righteous than God?

Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

¹⁸ See, if God puts no trust in his servants;

if he accuses his angels of folly,

¹⁹ how much more is this true of those who live in houses of clay,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed sooner than a moth?

²⁰ Between morning and evening they are destroyed;

they perish forever without anyone noticing them.

²¹ Are not their tent cords plucked up among them?

They die; they die without wisdom.

¹ Call out now; is there anyone who will answer you?

To which of the holy ones will you turn?

² For anger kills the foolish;

jealousy causes the death of the silly.

³ I have seen a foolish person taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his home.

⁴ His children are far from safety;

they are crushed in the city gate.

There is no one to rescue them.

⁵ The hungry eat up their harvest;

they even take it from among the thorns.

The thirsty pant for their wealth.

⁶ For difficulties do not come out from the soil;

neither does trouble sprout from the ground.

⁷ Yet, mankind is born for trouble,

just as sparks fly upward.

⁸ But as for me, I would turn to God himself;

to him I would commit my cause—

⁹ he who does great and unsearchable things,

marvelous things without number.

¹⁰ He gives rain on the earth,

and sends water on the fields.

¹¹ He does this in order to set up on high those who are low;

to raise to safety those who mourn.

¹² He breaks the plans of crafty people,

so that their hands cannot achieve success.

¹³ He traps wise people in their own crafty actions;

the plans of twisted people are hurried to their end.

¹⁴ They encounter darkness in the daytime,

and grope at noonday as if it were night.

¹⁵ But he saves the poor person from the sword in their mouths

and the needy person from the hand of mighty people.

¹⁶ So the poor person has hope,

and injustice shuts her own mouth.

¹⁷ See, blessed is the man whom God corrects;

therefore, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

¹⁸ For he inflicts pain and then binds up;

he wounds and then his hands heal.

¹⁹ He will rescue you out of six troubles;

indeed, in seven troubles, no evil will touch you.

²⁰ In famine he will ransom you from death,

and in war from the hands of the sword.

²¹ You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue;

and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

²² You will laugh at destruction and famine,

and you will not be afraid of beasts of the earth.

²³ For you will have a covenant with the stones in your field,

and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

²⁴ You will know that your tent is in safety;

you will visit your sheepfold and you will not miss anything.

²⁵ You will also know that your seed will be great,

that your descendants will be like the grass on the ground.

²⁶ You will come to your grave at a full age,

like a stack of grain bundles that goes up at its time.

²⁷ See, we have examined this matter; it is like this;

listen to it, and know it for yourself."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "Oh, if only my anguish were weighed;

if only all my calamity were laid in the balance!

³ For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas.

That is why my words were reckless.

⁴ For the arrows of the Almighty are in me,

my spirit drinks up the poison;

the terrors of God have arranged themselves in array against me.

⁵ Does the wild donkey bray in despair when he has grass?

Or does the ox low in hunger when it has fodder?

⁶ Can that which has no taste be eaten without salt?

Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

⁷ I refuse to touch them;

they are like disgusting food to me.

⁸ Oh, that I might have my request;

oh, that God would grant me the thing I long for:

⁹ that it would please God to crush me once,

that he would set his hand free and cut me off from this life!

¹⁰ May this still be my consolation—

even if I rejoice in pain that does not lessen:

that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

¹¹ What is my strength, that I should continue to hope?

What is my end, that I should prolong my life?

¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?

Or is my flesh made of bronze?

¹³ Is it not true that I have no help in myself,

and that wisdom has been driven out of me?

¹⁴ To the person who is about to faint, faithfulness should be shown by his friend;

even to him who abandons the fear of the Almighty.

¹⁵ But my brothers have acted as deceitfully to me as a desert streambed,

as channels of water that pass away to nothing,

¹⁶ which are darkened because of ice over them,

and because of the snow that hides itself in them.

¹⁷ When they thaw out, they vanish;

when it is hot, they melt out of their place.

¹⁸ The caravans that travel by their way turn aside for water;

they wander into wasteland and then perish.

¹⁹ Caravans from Tema looked there,

while companies of Sheba hoped in them.

²⁰ They were disappointed because they had been confident of finding water.

They went there, but they were put to shame.

²¹ For now you friends are nothing to me;

you see my dreadful situation and are afraid.

²² Did I say to you, 'Give something to me'

or, 'Offer me a bribe from your wealth'

²³ or, 'Save me from my adversary's hand'

or, 'Ransom me from the hand of oppressors'?

²⁴ Teach me, and I will hold my peace;

make me understand where I have been wrong.

²⁵ How painful are upright words!

But your arguments, how do they actually rebuke me?

²⁶ Do you plan to ignore my words,

treating the words of a desperate man like the wind?

²⁷ Indeed, you cast lots for a fatherless child,

and haggle over your friend like merchandise.

²⁸ Now, therefore, please look at me,

for surely I would not lie to your face.

²⁹ Relent, I beg you; let there be no injustice with you;

Indeed, relent, for my cause is just.

³⁰ Is there evil on my tongue?

Cannot my mouth detect destructive things?

¹ Does not man have hard labor on earth?

Are not his days like the days of a hired man?

² Like a slave earnestly desires the shadows of evening,

like a hired man looks for his wages—

³ so I have been assigned months of emptiness;

I have been given trouble-filled nights.

⁴ When I lie down, I say to myself,

'When will I get up and when will the night be gone?'

I am full of tossing to and fro until the day's dawning.

⁵ My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust;

the sores in my skin harden up and then dissolve and run afresh.

⁶ My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;

they pass without hope.

⁷ God, call to mind that my life is only a breath;

my eye will no more see good.

⁸ The eye of God, who sees me, will see me no more;

God's eyes will be on me, but I will not exist.

⁹ As a cloud is consumed and vanishes away,

so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more.

¹⁰ He will return no more to his house;

neither will his place know him again.

¹¹ Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

¹² Am I the sea or a sea monster

that you place a guard over me?

¹³ When I say, 'My bed will comfort me,

and my couch will ease my complaint,'

¹⁴ then you frighten me with dreams

and terrify me through visions,

¹⁵ so that my soul would choose strangling

and death rather than preserving these bones of mine.

¹⁶ I despise my life; I would not wish to always be alive;

let me alone, for my days are useless.

¹⁷ What is man that you should pay attention to him,

that you should set your mind on him,

¹⁸ that you should observe him every morning

and test him every moment?

¹⁹ How long will it be before you look away from me,

before you let me alone long enough for me to swallow down my own saliva?

²⁰ Even if I have sinned, what would that do to you,

you who watch men?

Why have you made a target of me,

so that I am a burden for you?

²¹ Why do you not pardon my transgression

and take away my iniquity?

For now will I lie down in the dust;

you will seek me carefully, but I will not exist."

¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

² "How long will you say these things?

How long will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

³ Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

⁴ Your children have sinned against him;

we know this, for he gave them into the hand of their sins.

⁵ But suppose you diligently sought God

and sought the favor of the Almighty.

⁶ If you are pure and upright,

then he would surely stir himself on your behalf

and restore you to your rightful place.

⁷ Even though your beginning was small,

still your final condition would be much greater.

⁸ Please ask the former generations,

and give your attention to what our ancestors learned.

⁹ (We were only born yesterday and know nothing

because our days on earth are a shadow.)

¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you?

Will they not speak words from their hearts?

¹¹ Can papyrus grow without a marsh?

Can reeds grow without water?

¹² While they are still green and not cut down,

they wither before any other plant.

¹³ So also are the paths of all who forget God;

the hope of the godless will perish.

¹⁴ His confidence will break apart,

and his trust is as weak as a spider's web.

¹⁵ He leans on his house, but it will not support him;

he takes hold of it, but it does not stand.

¹⁶ Under the sun he is green,

and his shoots go out over his entire garden.

¹⁷ His roots are wrapped about the heaps of stone;

they look for good places among the rocks.

¹⁸ But if this person is destroyed out of his place,

then that place will deny him and say, 'I never saw you.'

¹⁹ See, this is the "joy" of such a person's behavior;

other plants will sprout out of the same soil in his place.

²⁰ See, God will not reject an innocent man;

neither will he take the hand of evildoers.

²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,

your lips with shouting.

²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame;

the tent of the wicked will be no more."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "I truly know that this is so.

But how can a person be in the right with God?

³ If he wants to argue with God,

he cannot answer him once in a thousand times.

⁴ God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;

who has ever hardened himself against him and succeeded?—

⁵ he who removes the mountains without warning anyone

when he overturns them in his anger—

⁶ he who shakes the earth out of its place

and sets its pillars trembling.

⁷ It is the same God who tells the sun not to rise, and it does not,

and who covers up the stars,

⁸ who by himself stretches out the heavens

and tramples down the waves of the sea,

⁹ who makes the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades,

and the constellations of the south.

¹⁰ He does great and unsearchable things,

and wonderful things that cannot be counted.

¹¹ See, he goes by me, and I do not see him;

he passes on, but I do not understand him.

¹² If he takes something away, who can stop him?

Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'

¹³ God will not withdraw his anger;

the helpers of Rahab bow beneath him.

¹⁴ How much less could I answer him,

could I choose words to reason with him?

¹⁵ Even if I were righteous, I could not answer him;

I could only plead for mercy with my judge.

¹⁶ Even if I called and he answered me,

I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.

¹⁷ For he breaks me with a tempest

and multiplies my wounds without cause.

¹⁸ He does not allow me to regain my breath;

but he fills me with bitterness.

¹⁹ If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty!

If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him?

²⁰ Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me;

and though I am blameless, my words would prove me to be guilty.

²¹ I am blameless, but I do not care any more about myself;

I despise my own life.

²² It makes no difference, which is why I say

that he destroys blameless people and wicked people together.

²³ When a whip suddenly kills,

he mocks the despair of the innocent.

²⁴ The earth is given into the hand of wicked people;

God covers the faces of its judges.

If it is not he who does it, then who is it?

²⁵ My days are swifter than a running messenger;

my days flee away; they see no good anywhere.

²⁶ They are as fast as papyrus reed boats,

and as fast as the eagle that swoops down on its victim.

²⁷ If I said that I would forget about my complaints,

that I would take off my sad face and be happy,

²⁸ I would be afraid of all my sorrows

because I know that you will not consider me innocent.

²⁹ I will be condemned;

why, then, should I try in vain?

³⁰ If I washed myself with snow water

and made my hands ever so clean,

³¹ God would plunge me in a ditch,

and my own clothes would be disgusted with me.

³² For God is not a man, as I am, that I could answer him,

that we could come together in court.

³³ There is no judge between us

who might lay his hand upon us both.

³⁴ There is no other judge who could take God's rod off me,

who could keep his terror from frightening me.

³⁵ Then would I speak up and not fear him.

But as things are now, I cannot do that.

¹ I am weary of my life;

I will give free expression to my complaint;

I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

² I will say to God, 'Do not merely condemn me;

show me why you accuse me.

³ Is it good to you that you should oppress me,

to despise the labor of your hands

while you smile on the plans of the wicked?

⁴ Do you have eyes of flesh?

Do you see like a man sees?

⁵ Are your days like the days of mankind

or your years like the years of people,

⁶ that you inquire after my iniquity

and search after my sin,

⁷ although you know I am not guilty

and there is no one who can rescue me from your hand?

⁸ Your hands have framed and fashioned me

together round about, yet you are destroying me.

⁹ Call to mind, I beg you, that you have fashioned me like clay;

will you bring me into dust again?

¹⁰ Have you not poured me out like milk

and curdled me like cheese?

¹¹ You have clothed me with skin and flesh

and knit me together with bones and sinews.

¹² You have granted me life and covenant faithfulness;

your care has guarded my spirit.

¹³ Yet these things you hid in your heart—

I know that this is what you were thinking:

¹⁴ that if I sinned, you would notice it;

you would not acquit me of my iniquity.

¹⁵ If I have acted wickedly, woe to me;

and even if I acted righteously,

I could not lift up my head,

since I am filled with disgrace—

see my affliction!

¹⁶ If my head were lifted up,

you would stalk me like a lion;

and again you would show yourself with marvellous acts of power against me.

¹⁷ You bring new witnesses against me

and increase your anger against me;

you attack me with fresh armies.

¹⁸ Why, then, have you brought me out of the womb?

I wish I had died and that no eye had ever seen me.

¹⁹ I would have been as though I had never existed;

I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.

²⁰ Are not my days only a few? Stop then,

let me alone, so that I may have a little rest

²¹ before I go from where I will not return,

to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death,

²² the land that is as dark as darkness,

the land of the shadow of death, without any order,

where the light is like darkness.'"

¹ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

² "Should not such a multitude of words be answered?

Should this man, so full of talk, be acquitted?

³ Should your boasting make others remain silent?

When you mock, will no one make you feel ashamed?

⁴ For you say to God, 'My beliefs are pure,

I am clean in your eyes.'

⁵ But, oh, that God would speak

and open his lips against you;

⁶ that he would show you the secrets of wisdom!

For sound wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God demands from you less than your iniquity deserves.

⁷ Can you understand God by searching for him?

Can you comprehend the Almighty perfectly?

⁸ The matter is as high as heaven; what can you do?

It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know?

⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth,

and wider than the sea.

¹⁰ If he passes through and shuts anyone up,

if he calls an assembly, then who can stop him?

¹¹ For he knows deceitful people;

when he sees iniquity, does he not notice it?

¹² But foolish people will gain understanding

when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

¹³ But suppose that you set your heart right

and reach out with your hands toward God;

¹⁴ suppose that iniquity is in your hand,

but that you put it far away from you,

and do not let unrighteousness live in your tents.

¹⁵ Then you will certainly lift up your face without a sign of shame;

indeed, you will be steadfast and will not fear.

¹⁶ You will forget your trouble;

you will remember it only like waters that have flowed away.

¹⁷ Your life will be brighter than the noonday;

though there be darkness, it will become like the morning.

¹⁸ You will be secure because there is hope;

indeed, you will find safety about you and will take your rest in safety.

¹⁹ Also you will lie down in rest, and none will make you afraid;

indeed, many will seek your favor.

²⁰ But the eyes of wicked people will fail;

they will have no refuge;

their only hope will be a last gasp of life."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "No doubt you are the people;

wisdom will die with you.

³ But I have understanding as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

⁴ I am something for my neighbor to laugh at—

I, one who called on God and who was answered by him!

I, a just and blameless man—I am now something to laugh at.

⁵ In the thought of someone who is at ease, there is contempt for misfortune;

he thinks in a way that brings more misfortune to those whose foot is slipping.

⁶ The tents of robbers prosper,

and those who provoke God feel secure;

their own hands are their gods.

⁷ But now ask the animals, and they will teach you;

ask the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you.

⁸ Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;

the fish of the sea will declare to you.

⁹ Which animal among all these does not know

that the hand of Yahweh has done this?

¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every living thing

and the breath of all mankind.

¹¹ Does not the ear test words

just as the palate tastes its food?

¹² With aged men is wisdom;

in length of days is understanding.

¹³ With God are wisdom and might;

he has counsel and understanding.

¹⁴ See, he breaks things down, and they cannot be built again;

if he imprisons someone, there can be no release.

¹⁵ See, if he withholds the waters, they dry up;

and if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.

¹⁶ With him are strength and wisdom;

people who are deceived and the deceiver are both in his power.

¹⁷ He leads counselors away barefoot in sorrow;

he turns judges into fools.

¹⁸ He removes the bond of kings;

he wraps a cloth about their waists.

¹⁹ He leads priests away barefoot in sorrow

and overthrows mighty people.

²⁰ He removes the speech of those who had been trusted

and takes away the understanding of the elders.

²¹ He pours contempt upon princes

and unfastens the belt of the strong.

²² He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings utter darkness into the light.

²³ He makes nations strong, and he also destroys them;

He enlarges nations, and he also leads them along as prisoners.

²⁴ He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth;

he causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.

²⁵ They grope in the dark without light;

he makes them stagger like a drunk man.

¹ See, my eye has seen all this;

my ear has heard and understood it.

² What you know, the same I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

³ However, I would rather speak with the Almighty;

I wish to reason with God.

⁴ But you whitewash the truth with lies;

you are all worthless healers.

⁵ Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace!

That would be your wisdom.

⁶ Hear now my own reasoning;

listen to the pleading of my own lips.

⁷ Will you speak unrighteousness for God,

and will you talk deceitfully for him?

⁸ Will you show him partiality?

Will you argue the case for God?

⁹ Will it be good for you when he examines you?

Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

¹⁰ He would surely reprove you

if in secret you showed partiality.

¹¹ Will not his majesty terrify you,

and the dread of him fall upon you?

¹² Your memorable sayings are proverbs made of ashes;

your defenses are defenses made of clay.

¹³ Hold your peace, let me alone, so that I may speak,

let come what may on me.

¹⁴ I will take my own flesh in my teeth;

I will take my life in my hands.

¹⁵ See, if he kills me, I will have no hope left;

nevertheless, I will defend my ways before him.

¹⁶ This will be the reason for my deliverance,

for no godless person would come before him.

¹⁷ God, listen carefully to my speech;

let my declaration come to your ears.

¹⁸ See now, I have set my defense in order;

I know that I will be vindicated.

¹⁹ Who is the one who would argue against me in court?

If you came to do so, and if I were proved wrong, then I would be silent and die.

²⁰ God, do only two things for me,

and then I will not hide myself from your face:

²¹ withdraw your oppressive hand from me,

and do not let your terrors make me afraid.

²² Then call me, and I will answer;

or let me speak to you, and you answer me.

²³ How many are my iniquities and sins?

Let me know my transgression and my sin.

²⁴ Why do you hide your face from me

and treat me like your enemy?

²⁵ Will you cause a driven leaf to tremble?

Will you pursue dry stubble?

²⁶ For you write down bitter things against me;

you make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.

²⁷ You also put my feet in the stocks;

you closely watch all my paths;

you examine the ground where the soles of my feet have walked

²⁸ although I am like a rotten thing that wastes away,

like a garment that moths have eaten.

¹ Man, who is born of woman,

lives only a few days and is full of trouble.

² He sprouts from the ground like a flower and is cut down;

he flees like a shadow and does not last.

³ Do you look at any of these?

Do you bring me into judgment with you?

⁴ Who can bring something clean out of something unclean?

No one.

⁵ Man's days are determined.

The number of his months is with you;

you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.

⁶ Look away from him that he may rest,

so that he may enjoy his day like a hired man if he can do so.

⁷ There can be hope for a tree;

if it is cut down, it might sprout again,

so that its tender stalk does not disappear.

⁸ Though its root grows old in the earth,

and its stump dies in the ground,

⁹ yet even if it only smells water, it will bud

and send out branches like a plant.

¹⁰ But man dies; he becomes weak;

indeed, man stops breathing, and then where is he?

¹¹ As water disappears from a lake,

and as a river becomes dry and dries up,

¹² so people lie down and do not rise again.

Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake

nor be roused out of their sleep.

¹³ Oh, that you would hide me away in Sheol away from troubles,

and that you would keep me in private until your wrath is over,

that you would set me a fixed time to stay there and then call me to mind!

¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again?

All my time of service there I will wait

until my release should come.

¹⁵ You would call, and I would answer you.

You would have a desire for the work of your hands.

¹⁶ You would number and care for my footsteps;

you would not keep track of my sin.

¹⁷ My transgression would be sealed up in a bag;

you would cover up my iniquity.

¹⁸ But even mountains fall and crumble to nothing;

even rocks are moved out of their place;

¹⁹ the waters wear down the stones;

their flooding washes away the dust of the earth.

Like this, you destroy the hope of man.

²⁰ You forever defeat him, and he passes away;

you change his face and send him away to die.

²¹ If his sons are honored, he does not know it;

and if they are brought low, he does not see it.

²² He feels only the pain of his own body,

and he mourns for himself.

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² "Should a wise man answer with useless knowledge

and fill himself with the east wind?

³ Should he reason with unprofitable talk

or with speeches with which he can do no good?

⁴ Indeed, you diminish respect for God;

you obstruct meditation before him,

⁵ for your iniquity teaches your mouth;

you choose to have the tongue of the crafty.

⁶ Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

indeed, your own lips testify against you.

⁷ Are you the first man that was born?

Were you brought into existence before the hills?

⁸ Have you heard the secret knowledge of God?

Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

⁹ What do you know that we do not know?

What do you understand that is not also in us?

¹⁰ With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men

who are much older than your father.

¹¹ Are the consolations of God too small for you,

the words that are gentle toward you?

¹² Why does your heart carry you away?

Why do your eyes flash,

¹³ so that you turn your spirit against God

and bring out such words from your mouth?

¹⁴ What is man that he should be clean?

What is he who is born of a woman that he should be righteous?

¹⁵ See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones;

indeed, the heavens are not clean in his sight;

¹⁶ how much less clean is one who is abhorrent and corrupt,

a man who drinks iniquity like water!

¹⁷ I will show you; listen to me;

I will announce to you the things I have seen,

¹⁸ the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers,

the things that their ancestors did not hide.

¹⁹ These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given,

and among whom no stranger ever passed.

²⁰ The wicked man twists in pain all his days,

the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.

²¹ A sound of terrors is in his ears;

while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.

²² He does not think that he will return out of darkness;

he has been marked out for the sword.

²³ He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?'

He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.

²⁴ Distress and anguish make him afraid;

they prevail against him, as a king ready for battle.

²⁵ Because he has reached out with his hand against God

and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,

²⁶ this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck,

with a thick shield.

²⁷ This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat

and gathered fat on his loins,

²⁸ and has lived in desolate cities;

in houses which no man inhabits now

and which were ready to become heaps.

²⁹ He will not be rich; his wealth will not last

and his possessions will not spread over the land.

³⁰ He will not depart out of darkness; ¹

a flame will dry up his stalks;

at the breath of God's mouth he will go away. ²

³¹ Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself;

for uselessness will be his reward.

³² It will happen before his time should come to die;

his palm branch will not be green.

³³ He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine;

he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.

³⁴ For the company of godless people will be barren;

fire will consume their tents of bribery.

³⁵ They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity;

their womb conceives deceit."

¹Many modern translations leave out He will not depart out of darkness , because they believe that this expression was mistakenly copied from 15:22.

²The copies of the ancient Hebrew text have He will go away by the breath of his mouth , which some modern translations interpret as meaning the breath of God's mouth . However, other modern translations follow the ancient Greek translation of the ancient Hebrew copies, which reads, his flower will fall with the wind .

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "I have heard many such things;

you are all troublesome comforters.

³ Will useless words ever have an end?

What is wrong with you that you answer like this?

⁴ I also could speak as you do,

if you were in my place;

I could collect and join words together against you

and shake my head at you in mockery.

⁵ I would strengthen you with my mouth,

and the quivering of my lips will bring you relief!

⁶ If I speak, my grief is not lessened;

if I keep from speaking, how am I helped?

⁷ But now, God, you have made me weary;

you have made all my family desolate.

⁸ You have made me dry up,

which itself is a witness against me;

the leanness of my body rises up against me,

and it testifies against my face.

⁹ God has torn me in his wrath and persecuted me;

He grinds his teeth in rage;

my enemy fastens his eyes on me as he tears me apart.

¹⁰ People have gaped with open mouth at me;

they have hit me on the cheek with contempt;

they have gathered together against me.

¹¹ God hands me over to ungodly people,

and throws me into the hands of wicked people.

¹² I was at ease, and he broke me apart.

Indeed, he has taken me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;

he has also set me up as his target.

¹³ His archers surround me all around;

God pierces my kidneys and does not spare me;

he pours out my bile on the ground.

¹⁴ He smashes through my wall again and again;

he runs upon me like a warrior.

¹⁵ I have sewn sackcloth on my skin;

I have thrust my horn into the ground.

¹⁶ My face is red with weeping;

on my eyelids is utter darkness,

¹⁷ although there is no violence in my hands,

and my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ Earth, do not cover up my blood;

let my cry have no resting place.

¹⁹ Even now, see, my witness is in heaven;

he who vouches for me is on high.

²⁰ My friends scoff at me,

but my eye pours out tears to God.

²¹ I ask for that witness in heaven to argue for this man with God

as a man does with his neighbor!

²² For when a few years have passed,

I will go to a place from where I will not return.

¹ My spirit is broken, and my days are over;

the grave is ready for me.

² Surely there are mockers with me;

my eye must always see their provocation.

³ Give now a pledge, be a guarantee for me with yourself;

who else is there who will help me?

⁴ For you, God, have kept their hearts from understanding;

therefore, you will not exalt them over me.

⁵ He who denounces his friends for a reward,

the eyes of his children will fail.

⁶ But he has made me a byword of the people;

they spit in my face.

⁷ My eye is also dim because of sorrow;

all my members are as thin as shadows.

⁸ Upright men will be appalled by this;

the innocent man will stir himself up against godless men.

⁹ The righteous man will keep to his way;

he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.

¹⁰ But as for you all, come on now;

I will not find a wise man among you.

¹¹ My days are past; my plans are shattered,

and so are the desires of my heart. ¹

¹² These people, these mockers, change the night into day;

light is near to darkness.

¹³ If the only home I hope for is Sheol;

and if I have spread my couch in the darkness;

¹⁴ and if I have said to the pit, 'You are my father,'

and to the worm, 'You are my mother or my sister,'

¹⁵ where then is my hope?

As for my hope, who can see any?

¹⁶ Will hope go down with me to the gates of Sheol

when we descend to the dust?"

¹Some modern translations have My days are past, as are my plans. The wishes of my heart are finished or ... the strings of my heart have been broken . Some translations have My days are past; my plans are over, as are the wishes of my heart.

¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

² "When will you stop your talk?

Consider, and afterwards we will speak.

³ Why are we regarded as cattle,

stupid in your sight?

⁴ You who tear at yourself in your anger,

should the earth be abandoned for you

or should the rocks be removed out of their places?

⁵ Indeed, the light of the wicked person will be put out;

the spark of his fire will not shine.

⁶ The light will be dark in his tent;

his lamp above him will be put out.

⁷ The steps of his strength will be made short;

his own plans will cast him down.

⁸ For he will be thrown into a net by his own feet;

he will walk into a pitfall.

⁹ A trap will take him by the heel;

a snare will lay hold on him.

¹⁰ A noose is hidden for him on the ground;

and a trap for him in the way.

¹¹ Terrors will make him afraid on every side;

they will chase him at every step.

¹² His wealth will turn into hunger,

and calamity will be ready at his side.

¹³ The parts of his body will be devoured;

indeed, the firstborn of death will devour his parts.

¹⁴ He is torn from the safety of his tent

and marched off to the king of terrors.

¹⁵ People not his own will live in his tent

after they see that sulfur is scattered within his home.

¹⁶ His roots will be dried up beneath;

above will his branch be cut off.

¹⁷ His memory will perish from the earth;

he will have no name in the street.

¹⁸ He will be driven from light into darkness

and be chased out of this world.

¹⁹ He has no offspring or descendants among his people,

no survivor where he once lived.

²⁰ Those who live in the west are appalled at what happens to him one day,

and horror seizes those who live in the east.

²¹ Surely such are the homes of unrighteous people,

the places of those who do not know God."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "How long will you torment me

and crush me with words?

³ These ten times you have insulted me;

you are not ashamed that you have treated me harshly.

⁴ If it is indeed true that I have erred,

my error remains my own concern.

⁵ If indeed you will exalt yourselves above me

and use my humiliation against me,

⁶ then you should know that God has done wrong to me

and has caught me in his net.

⁷ See, I cry out, "Violence!" but I get no answer.

I call out for help, but there is no justice.

⁸ He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,

and he has set darkness in my path.

⁹ He has stripped me of my glory,

and he has taken the crown from my head.

¹⁰ He has broken me down on every side, and I am gone;

he has pulled up my hope like a tree.

¹¹ He has also kindled his wrath against me;

he regards me as one of his adversaries.

¹² His troops come on together;

they cast up siege mounds against me

and encamp around my tent.

¹³ He has put my brothers far from me;

my acquaintances are wholly alienated from me.

¹⁴ My kinsfolk have failed me;

my close friends have forgotten me.

¹⁵ Those who once stayed as guests in my house and my female servants regard me as a stranger;

I am an alien in their sight.

¹⁶ I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer

although I seek his favor with my mouth.

¹⁷ My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am even detestable to those who were born from my mother's womb.

¹⁸ Even young children despise me;

if I rise to speak, they speak against me.

¹⁹ All my familiar friends abhor me;

those whom I love have turned against me.

²⁰ My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh;

I survive only by the skin of my teeth.

²¹ Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, my friends,

for the hand of God has touched me.

²² Why do you pursue me like God does?

Will you ever be satisfied with my flesh?

²³ Oh, that my words were now written down!

Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!

²⁴ Oh, that with an iron pen and lead

they were engraved in the rock forever!

²⁵ But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that at last he will stand on the earth;

²⁶ after my skin, that is, this body, is destroyed,

then in my flesh I will see God.

²⁷ I will see him with my own eyes—I, and not someone else.

My heart fails within me.

²⁸ If you say, 'How we will persecute him!

The root of his troubles lies in him,'

²⁹ then be afraid of the sword,

because wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

so that you may know there is a judgment."

¹ Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

² "My thoughts make me answer quickly

because of the worry that is in me.

³ I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,

but a spirit from my understanding answers me.

⁴ Do you not know this fact from ancient times,

when God placed man on earth:

⁵ the triumph of a wicked man is short,

and the joy of a godless man lasts only for a moment?

⁶ Though his height reaches up to the heavens,

and his head reaches to the clouds,

⁷ yet such a person will perish forever like his own dung;

those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'

⁸ He will fly away like a dream and will not be found;

indeed, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

⁹ The eye that saw him will see him no more;

his place will see him no longer.

¹⁰ His children will apologize to poor people;

his hands will have to give back his wealth.

¹¹ His bones are full of youthful strength,

but it will lie down with him in the dust.

¹² Although wickedness is sweet in his mouth,

although he hides it under his tongue,

¹³ although he holds it there and does not let it go

but keeps it still in his mouth—

¹⁴ the food in his intestines turns bitter;

it becomes the poison of asps inside him.

¹⁵ He swallows down riches, but he will vomit them up again;

God will cast them out of his stomach.

¹⁶ He will suck the poison of asps;

the viper's tongue will kill him.

¹⁷ He will not enjoy the streams,

the torrents of honey and butter.

¹⁸ He will give back the fruit of his labor and will not be able to swallow it;

he will not enjoy the wealth earned by his commerce.

¹⁹ For he has oppressed and neglected poor people;

he has violently taken away houses that he did not build.

²⁰ Because he has known no satisfaction in his belly,

he will not be able to save anything in which he takes pleasure.

²¹ There is nothing left that he did not devour;

therefore his prosperity will not be permanent.

²² In the fullness of his abundance he will fall into trouble;

the hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

²³ When he is about to fill his stomach,

God will throw the fierceness of his wrath on him;

God will rain it down on him while he is eating.

²⁴ Although that man will flee from the iron weapon,

a bow of bronze will shoot him.

²⁵ He pulls it out of his back

and the gleaming point comes out of his liver.

Terrors come over him.

²⁶ Complete darkness is reserved for his treasures;

a fire not fanned will devour him;

it will consume what is left in his tent.

²⁷ The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

and the earth will rise up against him as a witness.

²⁸ The wealth of his house will vanish;

his goods will flow away on the day of God's wrath.

²⁹ This is the wicked man's portion from God,

the heritage decreed for him by God."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "Listen carefully to my words,

and let this be the comfort you offer to me.

³ Put up with me, and I also will speak;

after I have spoken, mock on.

⁴ As for me, is my complaint to a person?

Why should I not be impatient?

⁵ Look at me and be appalled,

and lay your hand upon your mouth.

⁶ When I think about my sufferings, I am terrified,

and trembling seizes my body.

⁷ Why do wicked people continue to live,

become old, and grow mighty in power?

⁸ Their descendants are established with them in their sight,

and their offspring are established before their eyes.

⁹ Their houses are safe from fear;

neither is the rod of God on them.

¹⁰ Their bull breeds; it does not fail to do so;

their cow gives birth and does not lose her calf prematurely.

¹¹ They send out their little ones like a flock,

and their children dance.

¹² They sing to the tambourine and harp

and rejoice with the music of the flute.

¹³ They spend their days in prosperity,

and they go down quietly to Sheol.

¹⁴ They say to God, 'Depart from us

for we do not wish any knowledge of your ways.

¹⁵ What is the Almighty, that we should worship him?

What profit would we get if we prayed to him?'

¹⁶ See, is not their prosperity in their own hands?

I have nothing to do with the advice of wicked people.

¹⁷ How often is it that the lamp of wicked people is put out,

or that their calamity comes upon them?

How often does it happen that God distributes sorrows to them in his anger?

¹⁸ How often is it that they become like stubble before the wind

or like chaff that the storm carries away?

¹⁹ You say, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children.'

Let him pay it himself, so that he might know it.

²⁰ Let his eyes see his own destruction,

and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

²¹ For what does he care about his family after him

when the number of his months is cut off?

²² Can anyone teach God knowledge,

since he judges even those who are high?

²³ One man dies in his full strength,

being completely quiet and at ease.

²⁴ His body is full of milk,

and the marrow of his bones is moist.

²⁵ Another man dies in bitterness of soul,

one who has never experienced anything good.

²⁶ They lie down alike in the dust;

the worms cover them both.

²⁷ See, I know your thoughts,

and your schemes to do violence to me.

²⁸ For you say, 'Where now is the house of the prince?

Where is the tent in which the wicked man once lived?'

²⁹ Have you never asked traveling people?

Do you not know the evidence they can tell,

³⁰ that the wicked man is kept from the day of calamity,

and that he is led away from the day of wrath?

³¹ Who will condemn the wicked man's way to his face?

Who will repay him for what he has done?

³² Yet he will be borne to the grave;

men will keep watch over his tomb.

³³ The clods of the valley will be sweet to him;

all people will follow after him,

as there were innumerable people before him.

³⁴ How then do you comfort me with nonsense,

since in your answers there is nothing but falsehood?"

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² "Can a man be useful to God?

Can a wise man be useful to him?

³ Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous?

Is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?

⁴ Is it because of your reverence for him that he rebukes you

and takes you to judgment?

⁵ Is not your wickedness great?

Is there no end to your iniquities?

⁶ For you have demanded guarantee of a loan from your brother for no reason,

and you have stripped away clothing from the naked.

⁷ You have not given water to weary people to drink;

you have withheld bread from hungry people

⁸ although you, a mighty man, possessed the earth,

although you, an honored man, lived in it.

⁹ You have sent widows away empty;

the arms of the fatherless have been crushed.

¹⁰ Therefore, snares are all around you,

and sudden fear troubles you.

¹¹ There is darkness, so that you cannot see;

an abundance of waters covers you.

¹² Is not God in the heights of heaven?

Look at the height of the stars, how high they are!

¹³ You say, 'What does God know?

Can he judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴ Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see us;

he walks on the vault of heaven.'

¹⁵ Will you keep the old way

that wicked men have walked—

¹⁶ those who were snatched away before their time,

those whose foundations have washed away like a river,

¹⁷ those who said to God, 'Depart from us';

those who said, 'What can the Almighty do to us?'

¹⁸ Yet he filled their houses with good things;

the plans of wicked people are far from me.

¹⁹ Righteous people see their fate and are glad;

innocent people mock them.

²⁰ They say, 'Surely those who rose up against us are cut off;

fire has consumed their possessions.'

²¹ Now agree with God and be at peace with him;

in that way, good will come to you.

²² Receive, I beg you, instruction from his mouth;

store up his words in your heart.

²³ If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up,

if you put unrighteousness far away from your tents.

²⁴ Lay your treasure down in the dust,

the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

²⁵ and the Almighty will be your treasure,

precious silver to you.

²⁶ For then you will take pleasure in the Almighty;

you will lift up your face to God.

²⁷ You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you;

you will pay your vows to him.

²⁸ You will also decree anything, and it will be confirmed for you;

light will shine on your paths.

²⁹ God humbles a proud man,

and he saves the one with humble eyes.

³⁰ He will rescue even the man who is not innocent;

who will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands."

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "Even today my complaint is rebellion; ¹

my hand ² is heavy because of my groaning.

³ Oh, that I knew where I might find him!

Oh, that I might come to his place!

⁴ I would lay my case in order before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

⁵ I would learn the words with which he would answer me

and would understand what he would say to me.

⁶ Would he argue against me in the greatness of his power?

No, he would pay attention to me.

⁷ There the upright person might argue with him.

In this way I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

⁸ See, I go eastward, but he is not there,

and westward, but I cannot find him.

⁹ To the north, where he is at work, but I cannot see him,

and to the south, where he hides himself so that I cannot see him.

¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come out like gold.

¹¹ My foot has held fast to his steps;

I have kept to his way and turned not aside.

¹² I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

¹³ But he is one of a kind, who can turn him back?

What he desires, he does.

¹⁴ For he carries out his decree against me;

there are many like them.

¹⁵ Therefore, I am terrified in his presence;

when I think about him, I am afraid of him.

¹⁶ For God has made my heart weak;

the Almighty has terrified me.

¹⁷ I have not been brought to an end by darkness,

because of the thick darkness that covers the gloom of my face.

¹Some ancient translations and many English translations have: bitter .

¹ Why are times for judging wicked people not set by the Almighty?

Why do not those who are faithful to God see his days of judgment come?

² There are wicked people who remove boundary markers;

there are wicked people who take away flocks by force

and put them in their own pastures.

³ They drive away the donkey of those without fathers;

they take the widow's ox as a pledge.

⁴ They force needy people out of their path;

poor people of the earth all hide themselves from them.

⁵ See, these poor people go out to their work

like wild donkeys in the wilderness, looking carefully for food;

perhaps the Arabah will provide them food for their children.

⁶ They reap fodder in the field;

they glean the vineyard of the wicked.

⁷ They lie naked all night without clothing;

they have no covering in the cold.

⁸ They are wet with the showers of the mountains;

they lie next to large rocks because they have no shelter.

⁹ The fatherless is seized from the breast,

and they take a pledge against the poor.

¹⁰ But the poor people go about naked without clothing;

although they go hungry,

they carry bundles of grain belonging to other people.

¹¹ The poor people make oil within the walls of those wicked men;

they tread the wicked men's winepresses,

but they themselves suffer thirst.

¹² From out of the city the dying groan,

and the throat of the wounded cries out for help.

But God does not charge anyone with wrongdoing.

¹³ Some of these wicked people rebel against the light;

they know not its ways,

nor do they stay in its paths.

¹⁴ Before daylight the murderer rises

and he kills the poor and the needy;

in the night he is like a thief.

¹⁵ Also, the eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight;

he says, 'No eye will see me.'

He disguises his face.

¹⁶ In the darkness they dig into houses;

but they shut themselves up in the daytime;

they do not care for the light.

¹⁷ For all of them, thick darkness is like the morning;

for they are friends with the terrors of thick darkness.

¹⁸ Swiftly they pass away, however, like foam on the surface of the waters;

their portion of the land is cursed;

no one goes to work in their vineyards.

¹⁹ As drought and heat melt away the snow into waters,

so Sheol takes away those who have sinned.

²⁰ The womb that bore him will forget him;

the worm will feed sweetly on him;

he will be remembered no more;

in this way, wickedness will be broken like a tree.

²¹ The wicked one devours the barren women who have not borne children;

he does no good to the widow.

²² Yet God drags away the mighty by his power;

he rises up and does not strengthen him in life.

²³ God gives him what he needs for security, and he is supported,

but his eyes are on his ways.

²⁴ These people are exalted; still, in only a little while, they will be gone;

indeed, they will be brought low; they will be gathered up like all the others;

they will be cut off like the tops of ears of grain.

²⁵ If it is not so, who can prove me to be a liar;

who can make my speech worth nothing?"

¹ Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

² "Dominion and fear are with him;

he makes order in his high places of heaven.

³ Is there any end to the number of his armies?

Upon whom does his light not shine?

⁴ How then can man be righteous with God?

How can he who is born of a woman be clean, acceptable to him?

⁵ See, even the moon has no brightness to him;

the stars are not pure in his sight.

⁶ How much less man, who is a worm—

a son of man, who is a worm!"

¹ Then Job answered and said,

² "How you have helped one who has no power!

How you have saved the arm that has no strength!

³ How you have advised one who has no wisdom

and announced to him sound wisdom!

⁴ With whose help have you spoken these words?

Whose spirit was it that came out from you?

⁵ The dead are made to tremble,

those who are beneath the waters

and all who dwell in them.

⁶ Sheol is naked before God;

destruction itself has no covering against him.

⁷ He stretches out the northern skies

over the empty space,

and he hangs the earth over nothing.

⁸ He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,

but the clouds are not torn under them.

⁹ He covers the surface of the moon

and spreads his clouds on it.

¹⁰ He has engraved a circular boundary on the surface of the waters

as the line between light and darkness.

¹¹ The pillars of heaven tremble

and are astonished at his rebuke.

¹² He calmed the sea with his power;

by his understanding he shattered Rahab.

¹³ By his breath he made the skies clear;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

¹⁴ See, these are but the fringes of his ways;

how small a whisper do we hear of him!

Who can understand the thunder of his power?"

¹ Job continued his discourse, and he said,

² "As surely as God lives, who has taken away my justice,

the Almighty, who made my life bitter,

³ while my life is yet in me,

and the breath from God is in my nostrils,

this is what I will do.

⁴ My lips will not speak wickedness,

neither will my tongue speak deceit;

⁵ I will never admit that you are right;

until I die I will never deny my integrity.

⁶ I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go;

my conscience will not accuse me so long as I live.

⁷ Let my enemy be like a wicked man;

let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man.

⁸ For what is the hope of a godless man when God cuts him off,

when God takes away his life?

⁹ Will God hear his cry

when trouble comes upon him?

¹⁰ Will he delight himself in the Almighty

and call upon God at all times?

¹¹ I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.

¹² See, all of you have seen this yourselves;

why then have you become completely useless?

¹³ This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

the inheritance of the oppressor that he receives from the Almighty:

¹⁴ If his children multiply, it is for the sword;

his offspring will never have enough food.

¹⁵ Those who survive him will be buried by plague,

and their widows will make no lament for them.

¹⁶ Though the wicked man heaps up silver like the dust,

and heaps up clothing like clay,

¹⁷ he may heap up clothing, but righteous people will put it on,

and innocent people will divide up the silver among themselves.

¹⁸ He builds his house like a spider,

like a hut that a guard makes.

¹⁹ He lies down in bed rich, but he will not keep doing so;

he opens his eyes, and everything is gone.

²⁰ Terrors overtake him like waters;

a storm takes him away in the night.

²¹ The east wind carries him away, and he leaves;

it sweeps him out of his place.

²² It throws itself at him and does not stop;

he tries to flee out of its hand.

²³ It claps its hands at him

and hisses him from his place.

¹ Surely there is a mine for silver,

a place where they refine gold.

² Iron is taken out of the earth;

copper is smelted out of the stone.

³ A man sets an end to darkness

and searches out to the farthest limit

the stones in the blackest darkness.

⁴ He breaks open a shaft away from where people live,

places that are forgotten by anyone's foot.

He hangs far away from people; he swings to and fro.

⁵ As for the earth, out of which comes bread,

it is turned up below as if by fire.

⁶ Its stones are the place where sapphires are found,

and its dust contains gold.

⁷ No bird of prey knows the path to it,

nor has the falcon's eye seen it.

⁸ The proud animals have not walked such a path,

nor has the fierce lion passed there.

⁹ A man lays his hand on the flinty rock;

he overturns mountains by their roots.

¹⁰ He cuts out channels among the rocks;

his eye sees every valuable thing there.

¹¹ He ties up the streams so they do not run;

what is hidden there he brings out to the light.

¹² Where will wisdom be found?

Where is the place of understanding?

¹³ Man does not know its price;

neither is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴ The deep waters under the earth say, 'It is not in me';

the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

¹⁵ It cannot be gotten for gold;

neither can silver be weighed as its price.

¹⁶ It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

with precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷ Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth;

neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

¹⁸ No mention is worth making of coral or jasper;

indeed, the price of wisdom is more than rubies.

¹⁹ The topaz of Cush does not equal it;

neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold.

²⁰ From where, then, comes wisdom?

Where is the place of understanding?

²¹ Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things

and is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens.

²² Destruction and Death say,

'We have heard just a rumor about it with our ears.'

²³ God understands the way to it;

he knows its place.

²⁴ For he looks to the very ends of the earth

and sees under all the heavens.

²⁵ He made the force of the wind

and parceled out the waters by measure.

²⁶ He made a decree for the rain

and a path for the thunder.

²⁷ Then he saw wisdom and announced it;

he established it, indeed, and he examined it.

²⁸ To people he said,

'See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;

to depart from evil is understanding.'"

¹ Job resumed speaking and said,

² "Oh, that I were as I was in the past months

when God cared for me,

³ when his lamp shined on my head,

and when I walked through darkness by his light.

⁴ Oh, that I were as I was in the ripeness of my days

when the friendship of God was on my tent,

⁵ when the Almighty was yet with me,

and my children were around me,

⁶ when my way was covered with cream,

and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

⁷ When I went out to the city gate,

when I sat in my place in the city square,

⁸ the young men saw me and kept their distance from me in respect,

and the aged people rose and stood for me.

⁹ The princes used to refrain from talking when I came;

they would lay their hand on their mouths.

¹⁰ The voices of the noblemen were hushed,

and their tongue clung to the roof of their mouths.

¹¹ For after their ears heard me, they would then bless me;

after their eyes saw me, they would then give witness to me and approve of me

¹² because I rescued the one who was poor when he cried out,

and the one who had no father when he had no one to help him.

¹³ The blessing of him who was about to perish came on me;

I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and a turban.

¹⁵ I was eyes to blind people;

I was feet to lame people.

¹⁶ I was a father to needy people;

I would investigate the case even of one whom I did not know.

¹⁷ I broke the jaws of the unrighteous man;

I plucked the victim out from between his teeth.

¹⁸ Then I said, 'I will die in my nest;

I will multiply my days like the grains of sand.

¹⁹ My roots are spread out to the waters,

and dew lies all night on my branches.

²⁰ The honor in me is always fresh,

and the bow of my strength is always new in my hand.'

²¹ To me men listened; they waited for me;

they stayed silent to hear my advice.

²² After my words were done, they did not speak again;

my speech dropped like water on them.

²³ They always waited for me as they waited for rain;

they opened their mouth wide to drink in my words,

as they would do for the latter rain.

²⁴ I smiled on them when they did not expect it;

they did not reject the light of my face.

²⁵ I selected their way and sat as their chief;

I lived like a king in his army,

like one who comforts mourners.

¹ Now those who are younger than I have nothing but mockery for me—

these young men whose fathers I would have refused to allow to work beside the dogs of my flock.

² Indeed, the strength of their fathers' hands, how could it have helped me—

men in whom the strength of their mature age had perished?

³ They were thin from poverty and hunger;

they gnawed at the dry ground in the darkness of wilderness and desolation.

⁴ They plucked saltwort and bushes' leaves;

the roots of the broom tree were their food.

⁵ They were driven out from among people

who shouted after them as one would shout after a thief.

⁶ So they had to live in river valleys,

in holes of the earth and of the rocks.

⁷ Among the bushes they brayed like donkeys

and they gathered together under the nettles.

⁸ They were the sons of fools, indeed, sons of nameless people!

They were driven out of the land with whips.

⁹ But now I have become the subject of their taunting song;

I have become a byword for them.

¹⁰ They abhor me and stand far off from me;

they do not refrain from spitting in my face.

¹¹ For God has unstrung the string to my bow and afflicted me,

and those who taunt me cast off restraint before my face.

¹² Upon my right hand rise the rabble;

they drive me away and

pile up against me their siege mounds.

¹³ They destroy my path;

they push forward disaster for me,

men who have no one to hold them back.

¹⁴ They come against me like an army through a wide hole in a city wall;

in the midst of the destruction they roll themselves in on me.

¹⁵ Terrors are turned upon me;

my honor is driven away as if by the wind;

my prosperity passes away as a cloud.

¹⁶ Now my life is pouring out from within me;

many days of suffering have laid hold on me.

¹⁷ In the night my bones in me are pierced;

the pains that gnaw at me take no rest.

¹⁸ God's great force has seized my clothing;

it wraps around me like the collar of my tunic.

¹⁹ He has thrown me into the mud;

I have become like dust and ashes.

²⁰ I cry to you, God, but you do not answer me;

I stand up, and you merely look at me.

²¹ You have changed and become cruel to me;

with the might of your hand you persecute me.

²² You lift me up to the wind and cause it to drive me along;

you throw me back and forth in a storm. ¹

²³ For I know that you will bring me to death,

to the house appointed for all the living.

²⁴ However, does no one reach out with his hand to beg for help when he falls?

Does no one in trouble call out for help?

²⁵ Did not I weep for him whose day is hard?

Did I not grieve for the needy man?

²⁶ When I hoped for good, then evil came;

when I waited for light, darkness came instead.

²⁷ My heart is troubled and does not rest;

days of affliction have come on me.

²⁸ I have gone about like one who was living in the dark,

but not because of the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

²⁹ I am a brother to jackals,

a companion of ostriches.

³⁰ My skin is black and falls away from me;

my bones are burned with heat.

³¹ Therefore my harp is tuned for songs of mourning,

my flute for the singing of those who wail.

¹Some modern translations have you dissolve me in a storm .

¹ I have made a covenant with my eyes;

how then should I look with desire on a virgin?

² For what is the portion from God above,

the inheritance from the Almighty on high?

³ I used to think that calamity is for unrighteous people,

and that disaster is for those who behave wickedly.

⁴ Does not God see my ways

and count all my steps?

⁵ If I have walked with falsehood,

if my foot has hurried to deceit,

⁶ let me be weighed in an even balance

so that God will know my integrity.

⁷ If my step has turned aside from the way,

if my heart has gone after my eyes,

if any spot has stuck to my hands,

⁸ then let me sow, and let another eat,

and let my crops be uprooted.

⁹ If my heart has been deceived by a woman,

if I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,

¹⁰ then let my wife grind grain for another,

and let others bow down on her.

¹¹ For that would be a terrible crime;

indeed, it would be a crime to be punished by judges.

¹² For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,

and it would burn all my harvest to the root.

¹³ If I rejected the plea for justice from my male servant or my female servant

when they argued with me,

¹⁴ what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me?

When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him?

¹⁵ Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also?

Did not the same one mold us all in the womb?

¹⁶ If I have withheld poor people from their desire,

or if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying,

¹⁷ or if I have eaten my morsel alone

and not allowed those without fathers to eat it also—

¹⁸ because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,

and I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own mother's womb.

¹⁹ If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

or if I have seen that a needy man had no clothing;

²⁰ if his heart has not blessed me

because he has not been warmed with the wool of my sheep,

²¹ if I have lifted up my hand against the orphan

because I saw my support in the city gate,

then bring charges against me!

²² If I have done these things, then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade,

and let my arm be broken from its joint.

²³ For I dreaded destruction from God;

because of his majesty, I was not able to do those things.

²⁴ If I have made gold my hope,

and if I have said to fine gold, 'You are what I am confident in';

²⁵ if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,

because my hand had gotten many possessions,

then bring charges against me!

²⁶ If I have seen the sun when it shone,

or the moon walking in its splendor,

²⁷ and if my heart has been secretly attracted,

so that my mouth has kissed my hand in worship of them—

²⁸ this also would be a crime to be punished by judges,

for I would have denied the God who is above.

²⁹ If I have rejoiced at the destruction of anyone who hated me

or congratulated myself when disaster overtook him,

then bring charges against me!

³⁰ Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin

by asking for his life with a curse.

³¹ If the men of my tent have never said,

'Who can find one who has not been filled with Job's food?'

³² (even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square,

because I have always opened my doors to the traveler),

and if that is not so, then bring charges against me!

³³ If, like mankind, I have hidden my sins

by hiding my guilt inside my bosom

³⁴ (because I feared the great multitude,

because the contempt of the families terrified me,

so that I kept silent and would not go outside)—

³⁵ Oh, if only I had someone to hear me!

See, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me!

If only I had the indictment that my opponent has written!

³⁶ Surely I would carry it openly on my shoulder;

I would bind it on myself like a crown.

³⁷ I would declare to him an accounting for my steps;

as a confident prince I would go up to him.

³⁸ If my land ever cries out against me,

and its furrows weep together,

³⁹ if I have eaten its harvest without paying for it

or have caused its owners to lose their lives,

⁴⁰ then let thorns grow instead of wheat

and weeds instead of barley."

The words of Job are finished.

¹ So these three men stopped answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. ² Then the anger of Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled; it was kindled against Job because he justified himself rather than God. ³ Elihu's anger was also kindled against his three friends because they had found no answer to Job, and yet they had condemned Job. ⁴ Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the other men were older than he. ⁵ However, when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, his anger was kindled.

⁶ Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up and said,

"I am young, and you are very old.

That is why I held back and was afraid to tell you my own thoughts.

⁷ I said, "Length of days should speak;

a multitude of years should teach wisdom.

⁸ But there is a spirit in a man;

the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

⁹ It is not only the great people who are wise,

nor the aged people alone who understand justice.

¹⁰ Therefore I say to you, 'Listen to me;

I will also tell you my knowledge.'

¹¹ See, I waited for your words;

I listened to your arguments

while you were searching for a word.

¹² Indeed, I paid attention to you,

but, see, there was not one of you who could convince Job

or who could respond to his words.

¹³ Be careful not to say, 'We have found wisdom!'

God will have to defeat Job; mere man cannot do it.

¹⁴ For Job has not directed his words against me,

so I will not answer him with your words.

¹⁵ These three men are dismayed; they can answer Job no longer;

they have not a word more to say.

¹⁶ Should I wait because they are not speaking,

because they stand there silent and answer no more?

¹⁷ No, I also will answer on my part;

I will also tell them my knowledge.

¹⁸ For I am full of words;

the spirit in me compels me.

¹⁹ See, my breast is like fermenting wine that has no vent;

like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.

²⁰ I will speak so that I may be refreshed;

I will open my lips and answer.

²¹ I will not show favoritism;

neither will I give honorific titles to any man.

²² For I do not know how to give such titles;

if I did so, my Maker would soon take me away.

¹ So now, Job, I beg you, hear my speech;

listen to all my words.

² See now, I have opened my mouth;

my tongue has spoken in my mouth.

³ My words come from the uprightness of my heart;

my lips speak pure knowledge.

⁴ The Spirit of God has made me;

the breath of the Almighty has given me life.

⁵ If you can, answer me;

set your words in order before me and stand up.

⁶ See, I am just as you are in God's sight;

I also have been formed out of the clay.

⁷ See, terror of me will not make you afraid;

neither will my pressure be heavy upon you.

⁸ You have certainly spoken in my hearing;

I have heard the sound of your words saying,

⁹ 'I am clean and without transgression;

I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰ See, God finds opportunities to attack me;

he regards me as his enemy.

¹¹ He puts my feet in stocks;

he watches all my paths.'

¹² See, in this you are not in the right—I will answer you,

for God is greater than man.

¹³ Why do you struggle against him?

He does not account for any of his doings.

¹⁴ For God speaks once—

yes, twice, though man does not notice it.

¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls upon men,

in slumber on the bed—

¹⁶ then God opens the ears of men,

and frightens them with threats,

¹⁷ to cause man to turn away from his deed,

and keep pride from a man.

¹⁸ God keeps man's life back from the pit,

his life from crossing over to death.

¹⁹ Man is punished also with pain on his bed,

with constant strife in his bones,

²⁰ so that his life abhors food,

and his soul abhors delicacies.

²¹ His flesh is consumed away so that it cannot be seen;

his bones, once not seen, now stick out.

²² Indeed, his soul draws close to the pit,

his life to those who wish to destroy it.

²³ But if there is an angel who can be a mediator for him,

one out of a thousand,

to tell a man what is right for him,

²⁴ to be gracious to him and say,

'Save this person from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for him,'

²⁵ then his flesh will become fresher than a youth's;

it is restored to the days of his youthful vigor.

²⁶ He will pray to God, and God will be kind to him,

so that he sees God's face with joy.

God will restore to the person his righteousness.

²⁷ Then that person will sing in front of other people and say,

'I sinned and perverted that which was right,

but my sin was not punished.

²⁸ God has rescued my soul from going down into the pit;

my life will continue to see light.'

²⁹ See, God does all these things with a person,

twice, yes, even three times,

³⁰ to bring his soul back from the pit,

so that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹ Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent and I will speak.

³² If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak, for I wish to justify you.

³³ If not, then listen to me;

remain silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

¹ Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:

² "Listen to my words, you wise men;

hear me, you who have knowledge.

³ For the ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

⁴ Let us choose for ourselves what is just:

let us discover among ourselves what is good.

⁵ For Job has said, 'I am righteous,

but God has taken away my rights.

⁶ Regardless of my rights

I am considered to be a liar.

My wound is incurable,

although I am without sin.'

⁷ What man is like Job,

who drinks up mockery like water,

⁸ who goes around in the company of those who behave wickedly,

and who walks with wicked men?

⁹ For he has said, 'It is no use to a person

to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'

¹⁰ So listen to me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should do wickedness;

far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.

¹¹ For he pays back a person's work;

he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.

¹² Indeed, God does nothing wicked,

nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.

¹³ Who put him in charge over the earth?

Who put the whole world under him?

¹⁴ If he ever set his intentions only on himself,

and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,

¹⁵ then all flesh would perish together;

mankind would return to dust again.

¹⁶ If now you have understanding, listen to this;

listen to the sound of my words.

¹⁷ Can one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?

¹⁸ God, who says to a king, 'You are worthless,'

or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?

¹⁹ God, who does not show favoritism to leaders

and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor,

for they all are the work of his hands.

²⁰ In a moment they will die;

at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away;

mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.

²¹ For God's eyes are upon a person's ways;

he sees all his steps.

²² There is no darkness and there is no deep shadow

where those who behave wickedly may hide themselves.

²³ For God does not need to examine a person further;

there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.

²⁴ He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation;

he puts others in their places.

²⁵ In this way he has knowledge of their deeds;

he overthrows these people in the night; they are crushed.

²⁶ In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals

²⁷ because they turned away from following him

and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.

²⁸ In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him;

he heard the cry of afflicted people.

²⁹ When he stays silent, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, who can see him?

He rules over nation and individual alike,

³⁰ so that a godless man may not reign,

so that there may be no one to entrap people.

³¹ Suppose someone says to God,

'I am certainly guilty, but I will not act corruptly any longer;

³² teach me what I cannot see;

I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'

³³ Is it according to your desires that God must punish that person?

For you reject this!

You must choose, not I.

So say what it is that you know.

³⁴ Men of understanding will say to me—

indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,

³⁵ 'Job speaks without knowledge;

his words are without wisdom.'

³⁶ If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case

because of his talking like wicked men.

³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he claps his hands in mockery in our midst;

he piles up words against God."

¹ Moreover Elihu continued, saying,

² "Do you think this is just

when you say, 'I am in the right before God'?

³ For you ask, 'What use is it to me?'

and, 'Would I be better off if I had sinned?'

⁴ I will answer you,

both you and your friends.

⁵ Look up at the sky, and see it;

see the sky, which is higher than you.

⁶ If you have sinned, what harm do you do to God?

If your transgressions are many, what do you do to him?

⁷ If you are righteous, what can you give to him?

What will he receive from your hand?

⁸ Your wickedness may hurt a man, as you are a man,

and your righteousness might benefit another son of man.

⁹ Because of many acts of oppression, people cry out;

they call for help from the arms of mighty men.

¹⁰ But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

¹¹ who teaches us more than he teaches the wild animals of the earth,

and who makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?'

¹² There they cry out, but God gives no answer

because of the pride of evil men.

¹³ God will certainly not hear a foolish cry;

the Almighty will pay no attention to it.

¹⁴ How much less will he answer you if you say that you do not see him,

that your case is before him, and that you are waiting for him!

¹⁵ Now you say that his anger does not punish,

and he does not take even a litte notice of transgression.

¹⁶ So Job opens his mouth only to speak foolishness;

he multiplies words without knowledge."

¹ Elihu continued on and said,

² "Be patient with me a little longer, and I will show you some things

because I have a little more to say in defense of God.

³ I will obtain my knowledge from far off;

I will acknowledge that righteousness belongs to my Maker.

⁴ For indeed, my words will not be false;

someone who is mature in knowledge is with you.

⁵ See, God is mighty, and despises no one;

he is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶ He does not preserve the life of wicked people

but gives justice those who suffer.

⁷ He does not withdraw his eyes from righteous people

but sets them on thrones with kings forever,

and they are lifted up.

⁸ If they are bound in chains

and trapped in cords of suffering,

⁹ then he reveals to them what they have done,

and their transgressions and their pride.

¹⁰ He also opens their ears to his instruction,

and commands them to turn back from iniquity.

¹¹ If they listen to him and worship him,

they will spend their days in prosperity,

their years in contentment.

¹² However, if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword;

they will die because they have no knowledge.

¹³ Those who are godless in heart store up their anger;

they do not cry out for help even when God ties them up.

¹⁴ They die in their youth;

their lives end among the cultic prostitutes.

¹⁵ God rescues afflicted people by means of their afflictions;

he opens their ears by means of their oppression.

¹⁶ Indeed, he would like to draw you out of distress

into a broad place where there is no hardship

and where your table would be set with food full of fatness.

¹⁷ But you are full of judgment on wicked people;

judgment and justice have laid hold of you.

¹⁸ Do not let your anger entice you to mockery,

or the greatness of a ransom to turn you aside.

¹⁹ Can your wealth benefit you, so that you will not be in distress,

or can all the force of your strength help you?

²⁰ Do not desire the night, to commit sin against others,

when peoples are cut off in their place.

²¹ Be careful that you do not turn to wickedness

because you are being tested by suffering so that you will stay away from sinning.

²² See, God is exalted in his power;

who is a teacher like him?

²³ Who has ever instructed him about his way?

Who can ever say to him, 'You have committed unrighteousness?'

²⁴ Remember to praise his deeds,

of which people have sung.

²⁵ All people have looked on those deeds,

but they see those deeds only from far away.

²⁶ See, God is great, but we do not understand him well;

the number of his years is incalculable.

²⁷ For he draws up the drops of water

that he distills as rain from his vapor, ¹

²⁸ which the clouds pour down

and drop in abundance on mankind.

²⁹ Indeed, can anyone understand the extensive spread of the clouds

and the thunder from his hut?

³⁰ See, he spreads his lightning around him

and covers the roots of the sea.

³¹ In this way he judges the peoples

and gives food in abundance.

³² He fills his hands with the lightning

until he commands it to strike its mark.

³³ Its thunder warns of the storm,

the cattle can also hear it is coming.

¹Some modern translations have that distill as rain from his vapor .

¹ Indeed, my heart trembles at this;

it is moved out of its place.

² Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice,

the sound that goes out from his mouth.

³ He sends it out under the whole sky,

and he sends out his lightning to the edges of the earth.

⁴ A voice roars after it;

he thunders with the voice of his majesty;

he does not restrain the lightning bolts

when his voice is heard.

⁵ God thunders marvelously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

⁶ For he says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth';

and to the rain shower, 'Be strong.'

⁷ He stops the hand of every man from working,

so that all people whom he has made may see his deeds.

⁸ Then the beasts go into hiding

and stay in their dens.

⁹ The storm comes from its chamber in the south

and the cold from the scattering winds in the north.

¹⁰ By the breath of God ice is given;

the expanse of the waters is frozen like metal.

¹¹ Indeed, he weighs down the thick cloud with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through the clouds.

¹² He swirls the clouds around by his guidance,

so that they may do whatever he commands them

above the surface of the earthly world.

¹³ He makes all of this happen; sometimes it happens for correction, sometimes for his land,

and sometimes as acts of covenant faithfulness.

¹⁴ Listen to this, Job;

stop and think about God's marvelous deeds.

¹⁵ Do you know how God establishes the clouds

and makes the lightning bolts to flash in them?

¹⁶ Do you understand the floating of the clouds,

the marvelous deeds of God, who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷ Do you understand how your garments become hot

when the land is still because the wind comes from the south?

¹⁸ Can you spread out the sky as he can—

the sky, which is as strong as a mirror of cast metal?

¹⁹ Teach us what we should say to him,

for we cannot lay out our arguments in order because of the darkness of our minds.

²⁰ Should he be told that I wish to speak with him?

Would a person wish to be swallowed up?

²¹ Now, people cannot look at the sun when it is bright in the sky

after the wind has passed through and has cleared it of its clouds.

²² Out of the north comes golden splendor—

over God is fearsome majesty.

²³ As for the Almighty, we cannot find him!

He is great in power;

he does not oppress justice and abundant righteousness.

²⁴ Therefore, people fear him.

He does not pay any attention to those who are wise in their own minds."

¹ Then Yahweh called to Job out of a fierce storm and said,

² "Who is this who brings darkness to plans

by means of words without knowledge?

³ Now gird up your loins like a man

for I will ask you questions,

and you must answer me.

⁴ Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations?

Tell me, if you have so much understanding.

⁵ Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know.

Who stretched the measuring line over it?

⁶ On what were its foundations laid?

Who laid its cornerstone

⁷ when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸ Who shut up the sea with doors

when it burst out, as if it had come out of the womb—

⁹ when I made clouds its clothing,

and thick darkness its swaddling bands?

¹⁰ That was when I marked out for the sea my boundary,

and when I placed its bars and doors,

¹¹ and when I said to it, 'You may come this far, but no farther;

here is where I will put a boundary to the pride of your waves.'

¹² Have you given orders to the morning,

or caused the dawn to know its place,

¹³ so that it might take hold of the edges of the earth

and shake the wicked out of it?

¹⁴ The earth is changed in appearance like clay changes under a seal;

all things on it stand out clearly like the folds of a piece of clothing.

¹⁵ From wicked people their light is taken away;

their uplifted arm is broken.

¹⁶ Have you gone to the springs of the sea?

Have you walked in the lowest parts of the deep?

¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you?

Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

¹⁸ Have you understood the earth in its expanse?

Tell me, if you know it all.

¹⁹ Where is the way to the resting place of light—

as for darkness, where is its place?

²⁰ Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work?

Can you find the way back to their houses for them?

²¹ Undoubtedly you know, for you were born then;

the number of your days is so large!

²² Have you entered the storehouses for the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses for the hail,

²³ these things that I have kept for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war?

²⁴ What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed

or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth?

²⁵ Who has created the channels for the floods of rain,

or who has made a path for the thunder,

²⁶ to cause it to rain on lands where no person exists,

and on the wilderness, in which there is no one,

²⁷ to satisfy the devastated and desolate places,

and to make the ground sprout with grass?

²⁸ Does the rain have a father,

or, who fathers the drops of dew?

²⁹ Out of whose womb did the ice come?

Who bore the white frost out of the sky?

³⁰ The waters hide themselves and become like stone;

the surface of the deep becomes frozen.

³¹ Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades,

or undo the cords of Orion?

³² Can you lead the constellations to appear at their proper times?

Can you guide the Bear with its children?

³³ Do you know the regulations of the sky?

Could you set in place the sky's rule over the earth?

³⁴ Can you raise your voice up to the clouds,

so that an abundance of rainwater may cover you?

³⁵ Can you send out bolts of lightning that they may go out,

that they say to you, 'Here we are'?

³⁶ Who has put wisdom in the clouds

or has given understanding to the mists?

³⁷ Who can number the clouds by his skill?

Who can pour out the water skins of the sky

³⁸ when the dust runs into a hard mass

and the clods of earth clump tightly together?

³⁹ Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness

or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs

⁴⁰ when they are crouching in their dens

and sheltering in hiding to lie in wait?

⁴¹ Who provides victims for the ravens

when their young ones cry out to God

and stagger about for lack of food?

¹ Do you know at what time the wild goats in the rocks bear their young?

Can you watch when the deer are having their fawns?

² Can you count the months that they gestate?

Do you know the time when they bear their young?

³ They crouch down and give birth to their young,

and then they finish their labor pains.

⁴ Their young ones become strong and grow up in the open fields;

they go out and do not return to them.

⁵ Who sent the wild donkey out free?

Who has untied the bonds of the swift donkey,

⁶ whose home I have made in the Arabah,

his house in the salt land?

⁷ He laughs in scorn at the noises in the city;

he does not hear the driver's shouts.

⁸ He roams over the mountains as his pastures;

there he looks for every green plant to eat.

⁹ Will the wild ox be happy to serve you?

Will he consent to stay by your manger?

¹⁰ Can you use ropes to hold the wild ox in the furrows?

Will he harrow the valleys as he follows after you?

¹¹ Will you trust him because his strength is great?

Will you leave your labor to him to do?

¹² Will you depend on him to bring your grain home,

to gather the grain for your threshing floor?

¹³ The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,

but are they the pinions and plumage of love?

¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs on the earth,

and she lets them keep warm in the dust;

¹⁵ she forgets that a foot might crush them

or that a wild beast might trample them.

¹⁶ She deals roughly with her young ones as if they were not hers;

she does not fear that her labor might have been in vain,

¹⁷ because God has deprived her of wisdom

and has not given her any understanding.

¹⁸ When she runs swiftly,

she laughs in scorn at the horse and its rider.

¹⁹ Have you given the horse his strength?

Did you clothe his neck with his flowing mane?

²⁰ Have you ever made him jump like a locust?

The majesty of his snorting is fearsome.

²¹ He paws in might and rejoices in his strength;

he rushes out to meet the weapons.

²² He mocks fear and is not dismayed;

he does not turn back from the sword.

²³ The quiver rattles against his flank,

along with the flashing spear and the javelin.

²⁴ He swallows up ground with fierceness and rage;

at the sound of the ram's horn, he cannot stand in one place.

²⁵ Whenever the ram's horn sounds, he says, 'Aha!'

He smells the battle from far away—

the thunderous shouts of the commanders and the outcries.

²⁶ Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,

that he stretches out his wings for the south?

²⁷ Is it at your orders that the eagle mounts up

and makes his nest in high places?

²⁸ He lives on cliffs and makes his home

on the peaks of cliffs, a stronghold.

²⁹ From there he searches for victims;

his eyes see them from very far away.

³⁰ His young also drink up blood;

where killed people are, there he is."

¹ Yahweh continued to speak to Job; he said,

² "Should anyone who wishes to criticize try to correct the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer."

³ Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

⁴ "See, I am insignificant; how can I answer you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

⁵ I spoke once, and I will not answer;

indeed, twice, but I will proceed no further."

⁶ Then Yahweh answered Job out of a fierce storm and said,

⁷ "Now gird up your loins like a man,

for I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.

⁸ Will you actually say that I am unjust?

Will you condemn me so you may claim that you are in the right?

⁹ Do you have an arm like God's,

and can you thunder with a voice like his?

¹⁰ Now clothe yourself in glory and dignity;

array yourself in honor and majesty.

¹¹ Scatter around the excess of your anger;

look at everyone who is proud and bring him low.

¹² Look at everyone who is proud and bring him low;

trample down wicked people where they stand.

¹³ Bury them in the earth together;

imprison their faces in the hidden place.

¹⁴ Then will I also acknowledge about you

that your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵ See now, the behemoth,

which I made when I made you—

he eats grass like an ox.

¹⁶ See now, his strength is in his loins,

and his power is in his belly's muscles.

¹⁷ He makes his tail like a cedar;

the sinews of his thighs are joined together.

¹⁸ His bones are like tubes of bronze;

his legs are like bars of iron.

¹⁹ He is the chief of the creatures of God.

Only God, who made him, can defeat him.

²⁰ For the hills provide him with food;

the beasts of the field play nearby.

²¹ He lies under the lotus plants

in the shelter of the reeds, in the marshes.

²² The lotus plants cover him with their shade;

the willows of the brook are all around him.

²³ See, if a river floods its banks, he does not tremble;

he is confident, though the Jordan should surge up to his mouth.

²⁴ Can anyone capture him with a hook,

or pierce his nose through with a snare?

¹ Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?

Or tie up his jaws with a cord?

² Can you put a rope into his nose,

or pierce his jaw through with a hook?

³ Will he make many pleas to you?

Will he speak soft words to you?

⁴ Will he make a covenant with you,

that you should take him for a servant forever?

⁵ Will you play with him as you would with a bird?

Will you tie him up for your servant girls?

⁶ Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him?

Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants?

⁷ Can you fill his hide with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears?

⁸ Put your hand on him just once,

and you will remember the battle and do it no more.

⁹ See, the hope of anyone who does that is a lie;

will not anyone be thrown down to the ground just by the sight of him?

¹⁰ None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up;

who, then, is he who can stand before me?

¹¹ Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the whole sky is mine.

¹² I will not keep silent concerning Leviathan's legs,

nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form.

¹³ Who can strip off his outer garment?

Who can penetrate his double armor?

¹⁴ Who can open the doors of his face—

ringed with his teeth, which are a terror?

¹⁵ his back is made up of rows of shields,

tight together as with a close seal.

¹⁶ One is so near to another

that no air can come between them.

¹⁷ They are joined to each other;

they stick together, so that they cannot be pulled apart.

¹⁸ Light flashes out from his snorting;

his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn.

¹⁹ Out of his mouth go burning torches,

sparks of fire leap out.

²⁰ Out of his nostrils goes smoke

like a boiling pot on a fire that has been fanned to be very hot.

²¹ His breath kindles coals into flame;

fires go out from his mouth.

²² In his neck is strength,

and terror dances in front of him.

²³ The folds of his flesh are joined together;

they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.

²⁴ His heart is as hard as a stone—

indeed, as hard as a lower millstone.

²⁵ When he raises himself up, even the gods become afraid;

because of its thrashing they draw back.

²⁶ If a sword strikes him, it does nothing—

and neither does a spear, an arrow, or any other pointed weapon.

²⁷ He thinks of iron as if it were straw,

and of bronze as if it were rotten wood.

²⁸ An arrow cannot make him flee;

to him sling stones become chaff.

²⁹ Clubs are regarded as straw;

he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear.

³⁰ His lower parts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery;

he leaves a spreading trail in the mud as if he were a threshing sledge.

³¹ He makes the deep to foam up like a pot of boiling water;

he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

³² He makes a shining wake behind him;

one would think the deep had gray hair.

³³ On earth there is no equal to him,

who has been made to live without fear.

³⁴ He sees everything that is proud;

he is king over all the sons of pride."

¹ Then Job answered Yahweh and said,

² "I know that you can do all things,

that no purpose of yours can be stopped.

³ 'Who is this who without knowledge conceals plans?'

Indeed, I have spoken things that I did not understand,

things too difficult for me to understand, which I did not know about.

⁴ You said to me, 'Listen, now, and I will speak;

I will ask you things,

and you will tell me.'

⁵ I had heard about you by my ear's hearing,

but now my eye sees you.

⁶ So I despise myself;

I repent in dust and ashes."

⁷ It came about that after he had said these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done. ⁸ Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer, so that I may not deal with you after your folly. You have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has done." ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Yahweh had commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.

¹⁰ When Job prayed for his friends, Yahweh reversed his captivity. Yahweh gave him twice as much as he had possessed before. ¹¹ Then all Job's brothers, and all his sisters, and all who knew him before, came to him and ate food with him in his house. They showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the disasters that Yahweh had brought upon him, and each of them gave Job a piece of silver and a ring of gold. ¹² Yahweh blessed the final end of Job's life more than the first; he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. ¹³ He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ He called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵ In all the land no women were found as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. ¹⁶ After this, Job lived 140 years; he saw his sons and his sons' sons, up to four generations. ¹⁷ Then Job died, being old and full of days.

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the advice of the wicked,

or stand in the pathway with sinners,

or sit in the assembly of mockers.

² But his delight is in the law of Yahweh,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water

that produces its fruit in its season,

whose leaves do not wither;

whatever he does will prosper.

⁴ The wicked are not so,

but are like the chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ So the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For Yahweh approves of the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 2

¹ Why are the nations in turmoil,

and why do the peoples devise vain plans?

² The kings of the earth take their stand together

and the rulers take counsel together

against Yahweh and against his Messiah, saying,

³ "Let us tear off the shackles they put on us

and throw off their chains."

⁴ He who sits in the heavens will sneer at them;

the Lord mocks them.

⁵ Then he will speak to them in his anger

and terrify them in his rage, saying,

⁶ "I myself have set my king in place

on Zion, my holy mountain."

⁷ I will announce a decree of Yahweh.

He said to me, "You are my son!

This day I have become your Father.

⁸ Ask me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance

and the ends of the earth for your possession.

⁹ You will break them with an iron rod;

like a jar of a potter, you will smash them to pieces."

¹⁰ So now, you kings, be prudent;

be corrected, you judges of the earth.

¹¹ Worship Yahweh in fear

and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the son or he will be angry with you,

and you will die in the way when his anger burns for just a moment.

How blessed are all those who seek refuge in him.

Psalm 3

A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

¹ Yahweh, how many are my enemies!

Many have risen against me.

² Many say about me,

"There is no deliverance for him from God."

Selah

³ But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

⁴ I lift up my voice to Yahweh,

and he answers me from his holy hill.

Selah

⁵ I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for Yahweh protected me.

⁶ I will not be afraid of the multitudes of people

who have set themselves against me on every side.

⁷ Rise up, Yahweh! Save me, my God!

For you will hit all my enemies on the jaw;

you will break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ Salvation comes from Yahweh.

May your blessings be on your people.

Selah

Psalm 4

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

¹ Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness;

give me room when I am hemmed in.

Have mercy on me and listen to my prayer.

² You people, how long will you turn my honor into shame?

How long will you love what is worthless and seek after lies?

Selah

³ But know that Yahweh has set apart the faithful ones for himself.

Yahweh will hear when I call to him.

⁴ Tremble in fear, but do not sin!

Meditate in your heart on your bed and be silent.

Selah

⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness

and put your trust in Yahweh.

⁶ Many say, "Who will show us anything good?"

Yahweh, lift up the light of your face on us.

⁷ You have given my heart more gladness

than others have when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸ It is in peace that I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Yahweh, make me safe and secure.

Psalm 5

For the chief musician; with wind instruments. A psalm of David.

¹ Give ear to my words, Yahweh;

think about my groanings.

² Listen to the sound of my call, my King and my God,

for it is to you that I pray.

³ Yahweh, in the morning you hear my cry;

in the morning I will bring my petition to you and wait expectantly.

⁴ Certainly you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;

evil people will not be your guests.

⁵ The arrogant will not stand in your presence;

you hate all who behave wickedly.

⁶ You will destroy liars;

Yahweh abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

⁷ But as for me, because of your great covenant faithfulness,

I will come into your house;

in reverence I will bow down toward your holy temple.

⁸ Oh Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies;

make your path straight before me.

⁹ For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inward being is wicked;

their throat is an open tomb;

they flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰ Declare them guilty, God;

may their schemes be their downfall!

Drive them out for their many transgressions,

for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹ But may all those who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them always shout for joy because you defend them;

let them be joyful in you, those who love your name.

¹² For you will bless the righteous, Yahweh;

you will surround them with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 6

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments, set to the Sheminith style. A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

² Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am frail;

heal me, Yahweh, for my bones are shaking.

³ My soul also is very troubled.

But you, Yahweh—how long will this continue?

⁴ Return, Yahweh! rescue me.

Save me because of your covenant faithfulness!

⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of you.

In Sheol who will give you thanks?

⁶ I am weary with my groaning.

All night I drench my bed with tears;

I dissolve my couch with my tears.

⁷ My eyes grow dim from grief;

they grow weak because of all my adversaries.

⁸ Get away from me, all you who behave wickedly;

for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.

⁹ Yahweh has heard my appeal for mercy;

Yahweh has accepted my prayer.

¹⁰ All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled.

They will turn back and be suddenly humiliated.

Psalm 7

A musical composition of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.

¹ Yahweh my God, I take refuge in you!

Save me from all who chase me, and rescue me.

² Otherwise, they will rip me apart like a lion,

tearing me in pieces with no one else able to bring me to safety.

³ Yahweh my God, if I have done this,

and there is injustice on my hands—

⁴ if I have done evil to him who was at peace with me,

or harmed my enemy for no reason—

⁵ then let my enemy pursue my life and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and lay my honor in the dust.

Selah

⁶ Arise, Yahweh, in your anger;

stand up against the rage of my enemies;

wake up for my sake and carry out the righteous decrees that you have commanded for them.

⁷ The peoples are assembled all around you;

take once more your rightful place over them.

⁸ Yahweh, judge the nations;

vindicate me, Yahweh, because I am righteous and innocent, Most High.

⁹ May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous people,

righteous God, you who examine hearts and minds.

¹⁰ My shield comes from God,

the one who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹ God is a righteous judge,

a God who is indignant each day.

¹² If a person does not repent,

God will sharpen his sword

and will prepare his bow for battle.

¹³ He prepares to use deadly weapons against him;

he makes his arrows flaming shafts.

¹⁴ Think about the one who is pregnant with wickedness,

who conceives destructive plans, who gives birth to harmful lies.

¹⁵ He digs a pit and hollows it out

and then falls into the pit he has made.

¹⁶ His own destructive plans return to his own head,

for his violence comes down on his own head.

¹⁷ I will give thanks to Yahweh for his justice;

I will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.

Psalm 8

For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh our Lord, how magnificent is your name in all the earth,

you who reveal your glory in the heavens above.

² Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have established praise ¹

because of your enemies,

so that you might silence both the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look up at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

⁴ Of what importance is the human race that you notice them,

or mankind that you pay attention to them?

⁵ Yet you have made them only a little lower than the heavenly beings

and have crowned them with glory and honor.

⁶ You make him to rule over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet:

⁷ all sheep and oxen,

and even the wild animals of the field,

⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

everything that passes through the currents of the seas.

⁹ Yahweh our Lord,

how magnificent is your name in all the earth!

¹The copies of the ancient Hebrew text can be read either as established praise or established strength .

Psalm 9

For the chief musician; set to Muth Labben style. A psalm of David.

¹ I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart;

I will tell about all your marvelous deeds.

² I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing praise to your name, Most High!

³ When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before you.

⁴ For you have defended my just cause;

you sit on your throne, a righteous judge!

⁵ You rebuked the nations;

you have destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

⁶ The enemy crumbled like ruins

when you overthrew their cities.

All remembrance of them has perished.

⁷ But Yahweh remains forever;

he has established his throne for justice.

⁸ He will judge the world with righteousness,

and he will execute judgment for the nations with fairness.

⁹ Yahweh also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, Yahweh, do not abandon those who seek you.

¹¹ Sing praises to Yahweh, who rules in Zion;

tell the nations of his deeds.

¹² For the God who avenges bloodshed remembers;

he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.

¹³ Have mercy on me, Yahweh; see my affliction by those who hate me,

you who can snatch me from the gates of death.

¹⁴ Oh, that I might proclaim all your praise.

In the gates of the daughter of Zion

I will rejoice in your salvation!

¹⁵ The nations have sunk down into the pit that they made;

their feet are caught in the net that they hid.

¹⁶ Yahweh has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked is ensnared by his own actions.

Selah

¹⁷ The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸ For the needy will not always be forgotten,

nor will the hope of the oppressed be forever dashed.

¹⁹ Arise, Yahweh; do not let man win against you;

may the nations be judged in your sight.

²⁰ Terrify them, Yahweh;

may the nations know that they are mere men.

Selah

Psalm 10

¹ Why, Yahweh, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² Because of their arrogance, wicked people chase the oppressed;

but please let the wicked be trapped by their own schemes that they have devised.

³ For the wicked person boasts of his deepest desires;

he blesses the greedy and insults Yahweh.

⁴ The wicked in the haughtiness of his face does not seek God.

All his thoughts are that there is no God.

⁵ He is secure at all times,

but your righteous decrees are too high for him;

he snorts at all his enemies.

⁶ He says in his heart," I will never fail;

throughout all generations I will not meet adversity."

⁷ His mouth is full of curses and lies and oppression;

under his tongue are mischief and evil.

⁸ He waits in ambush near the villages;

in the secret places he murders the innocent;

his eyes look for some helpless victim.

⁹ He lurks in secret like a lion in the thicket;

he lies in wait to catch the oppressed.

He catches the oppressed when he pulls in his net.

¹⁰ His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they fall into his strong nets.

¹¹ He says in his heart, "God has forgotten;

he covers his face; he will never see it."

¹² Arise, Yahweh! Lift up your hand, God!

Do not forget the oppressed.

¹³ Why does the wicked man reject God

and say in his heart, "You will not hold me accountable"?

¹⁴ You have taken notice, for you always see the one who inflicts the misery and sorrow.

The helpless entrusts himself to you;

you rescue the fatherless.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evil man.

Make him account for his evil deeds,

which he thought you would not discover.

¹⁶ Yahweh is King forever and ever;

the nations are driven out of his land.

¹⁷ Yahweh, you have heard the needs of the oppressed;

you strengthen their heart, you listen to their prayer;

¹⁸ You defend the fatherless and the oppressed

so that no man on the earth will cause terror again.

Psalm 11

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ I take refuge in Yahweh;

how will you say to me,

"Flee like a bird to the mountain"?

² For see! The wicked prepare their bows.

They make ready their arrows on the strings

to shoot in the darkness at the upright in heart.

³ For if the foundations are ruined,

what can the righteous do?

⁴ Yahweh is in his holy temple;

his eyes watch, his eyes examine the children of mankind.

⁵ Yahweh examines both the righteous and the wicked,

but he hates those who love to do violence.

⁶ He rains burning coals and sulfur upon the wicked;

a scorching wind will be their portion from his cup!

⁷ For Yahweh is righteous, and he loves righteousness;

the upright will see his face.

Psalm 12

For the chief musician; set to the Sheminith. A psalm of David.

¹ Help, Yahweh, for the faithful ones have disappeared;

those who have integrity have vanished from the children of men.

² Everyone says empty words to his neighbor;

everyone speaks with flattering lips and a double heart.

³ Yahweh, cut off all flattering lips,

every tongue declaring great things.

⁴ These are those who have said, "With our tongues we will prevail.

When our lips speak, who can be master over us?"

⁵ "Because of violence against the poor, because of the groans of the needy,

I will arise," says Yahweh.

"I will provide the safety for which they long."

⁶ The words of Yahweh are pure words,

like silver purified in a furnace on the earth,

refined seven times.

⁷ You are Yahweh! You keep them.

You preserve the godly people from this wicked generation and forever.

⁸ The wicked walk on every side

when evil is exalted among the children of mankind.

Psalm 13

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ How long, Yahweh, will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

² How long must I worry

and have grief in my heart all day?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look at me and answer me, Yahweh my God!

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

⁴ Do not let my enemy say, "I have defeated him,"

so that my enemy may not say, "I have prevailed over my adversary";

otherwise, my enemies will rejoice when I am brought down.

⁵ But I have trusted in your covenant faithfulness;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

⁶ I will sing to Yahweh

because he has treated me very generously.

Psalm 14

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ A fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity;

there is no one who does good.

² Yahweh looks down from heaven on the children of mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after him.

³ They have all turned away. Together they have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good, no, not one.

⁴ Do they not know anything, those who behave wickedly,

those who eat up my people as they eat bread,

but who do not call on Yahweh?

⁵ They tremble with dread,

for God is with the righteous generation!

⁶ You want to humiliate the poor person

even though Yahweh is his refuge.

⁷ Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When Yahweh brings back his people from the captivity,

then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh, who may stay in your tabernacle?

Who may live on your holy hill?

² Whoever walks blamelessly, does what is right

and speaks truth from his heart.

³ He does not slander with his tongue,

he does not harm others,

and he does not insult his neighbor.

⁴ The abhorrent is despised in his eyes,

but he honors those who fear Yahweh.

He swears to his own disadvantage

and does not take back his promises.

⁵ He does not charge interest when he lends money.

He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

Psalm 16

A michtam of David.

¹ Protect me, God,

for I take refuge in you.

² I say to Yahweh, "You are my Lord;

my goodness is nothing apart from you.

³ As for the holy people who are on the earth,

they are noble people; all my delight is in them.

⁴ Their troubles will be increased, those who seek out other gods.

I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods

or lift up their names with my lips.

⁵ Yahweh, you are my chosen portion and my cup.

You hold onto my lot.

⁶ Measuring lines have been laid for me in pleasant places;

surely a beautiful inheritance is mine.

⁷ I will bless Yahweh, who counsels me;

even at night my mind instructs me.

⁸ I set Yahweh before me at all times,

so I will not be shaken from his right hand!

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad; my glory is rejoicing.

Surely I will live in security.

¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol.

You will not let your faithful one see the pit.

¹¹ You teach me the path of life;

abundant joy resides in your presence;

delights abide in your right hand forever!"

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹ Listen to my plea for justice, Yahweh;

pay attention to my cry for help!

Give ear to my prayer from lips without deceit.

² Let my vindication come from your presence;

let your eyes see what is right!

³ If you test my heart, if you come to me in the night,

you will purify me and will not find any evil plans;

my mouth will not transgress.

⁴ As for the deeds of mankind,

it is at the word of your lips

that I have kept myself from the ways of the lawless.

⁵ My steps have held firmly to your tracks;

my feet have not slipped.

⁶ I call to you, for you answer me, God;

turn your ear to me and listen when I speak.

⁷ Show your covenant faithfulness in a wonderful way,

you who save by your right hand

those who take refuge in you from their enemies!

⁸ Protect me like the apple of your eye;

hide me under the shadow of your wings

⁹ from the presence of the wicked ones who deal violently with me,

my enemies who surround me.

¹⁰ They have no mercy on anyone;

their mouths speak with pride.

¹¹ They have surrounded my steps.

They set their eyes to strike me to the ground.

¹² They are like a lion eager for a victim,

like a young lion crouching in hidden places.

¹³ Arise, Yahweh! Attack them! Throw them down on their faces!

Rescue my life from the wicked by your sword!

¹⁴ Rescue me from men by your hand, Yahweh,

from men of this world whose prosperity is in this life alone!

You will fill the bellies of your treasured ones with riches;

they will have many children

and will leave their wealth to their children.

¹⁵ As for me, I will see your face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied, when I awake, with a sight of you.

Psalm 18

For the chief musician. A psalm of David, the servant of Yahweh, when he sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He sang:

¹ I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

² Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety;

he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him.

He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.

³ I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised,

and I will be saved from my enemies.

⁴ The cords of death surrounded me,

and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.

⁵ The cords of Sheol surrounded me;

the snares of death trapped me.

⁶ In my distress I called to Yahweh;

I called for help to my God.

He heard my voice from his temple;

my cry for help went into his presence;

it went into his ears.

⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled;

the foundations of the mountains also trembled

and were shaken because God was angry.

⁸ Smoke went up from out of his nostrils,

and blazing fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were kindled by it.

⁹ He opened the heavens and came down,

and thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew;

he glided on the wings of the wind.

¹¹ He made darkness a tent around him,

heavy rainclouds in the skies.

¹² Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.

¹³ Yahweh thundered in the heavens!

The voice of the Most High shouted. ¹

¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;

many lightning bolts dispersed them.

¹⁵ Then the water channels appeared;

the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from above; he took hold of me!

He pulled me out of the surging water.

¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

¹⁸ They came against me on the day of my distress

but Yahweh was my support!

¹⁹ He set me free in a wide open place;

he saved me because he was pleased with me.

²⁰ Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness;

he has restored me because my hands were clean.

²¹ For I have kept the ways of Yahweh

and have not wickedly turned away from my God.

²² For all his righteous decrees have been before me;

as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

²³ I have also been innocent before him,

and I have kept myself from iniquity.

²⁴ Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness,

because my hands were clean before his eyes.

²⁵ To one who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful;

to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

²⁶ To one who is pure, you show yourself to be pure;

but to one who is perverse, you show yourself to be shrewd.

²⁷ For you save afflicted people,

but you abase those with proud, uplifted eyes!

²⁸ For you give light to my lamp;

Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.

²⁹ For by you I can run over a barricade;

by my God I can leap over a wall.

³⁰ As for God—his way is perfect!

The word of Yahweh is pure!

He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.

³¹ For who is God except Yahweh?

Who is a rock except our God?

³² It is God who puts strength on me like a belt,

who places the blameless person on his path.

³³ He makes my feet swift like a deer

and places me on the heights!

³⁴ He trains my hands for war

and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You have given me the shield of your salvation.

Your right hand has supported me,

and your favor has made me great.

³⁶ You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me

so that my feet have not slipped.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and caught them;

I did not turn back until they were destroyed.

³⁸ I smashed them so that they were unable to rise;

they have fallen under my feet.

³⁹ For you have girded me with strength for battle;

you put under me those who rise up against me.

⁴⁰ You gave me the back of my enemies' necks;

I annihilated those who hated me.

⁴¹ They called for help, but no one saved them;

they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

⁴² I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind;

I threw them out like mud in the streets.

⁴³ You rescued me from the disputes of people;

you have made me head over nations;

people whom I have not known serve me.

⁴⁴ As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me;

foreigners were forced to bow to me.

⁴⁵ The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁶ Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised.

May the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷ He is the God who executes vengeance for me,

who subdues the nations under me.

⁴⁸ I am set free from my enemies!

Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me!

You rescued me from violent men.

⁴⁹ Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations;

I will sing praises to your name!

⁵⁰ God gives great victory to his king,

and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one,

to David and to his descendants forever.

¹This verse follows some Hebrew copies and the Septuagint, ending after shouted . Most Hebrew copies have the additional phrase hailstones and coals of fire .

Psalm 19

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the skies make known the work of his hands!

² Day after day speech pours out;

night after night it reveals knowledge.

³ There is no speech or spoken words;

their voice is not heard.

⁴ Yet their words go out over all the earth,

and their speech to the end of the world.

He has pitched a tent for the sun among them.

⁵ The sun is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber

and like a strong man who rejoices when he runs his race.

⁶ The sun rises from the one horizon

and crosses the sky to the other;

nothing escapes its heat.

⁷ The law of Yahweh is perfect,

restoring the soul;

the testimony of Yahweh is reliable,

making the simple wise.

⁸ The instructions of Yahweh are right,

making the heart glad;

the commandment of Yahweh is pure,

bringing light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of Yahweh is pure,

enduring forever;

the righteous decrees of Yahweh are true

and altogether right!

¹⁰ They are of greater value than gold,

even more than much fine gold;

they are sweeter than honey

and the dripping honey from the honeycomb.

¹¹ Yes, by them your servant is warned;

in obeying them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern all his own errors?

Cleanse me from hidden faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from arrogant sins;

let them not rule over me.

Then I will be perfect,

and I will be innocent from many transgressions.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 20

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ May Yahweh help you in the day of trouble;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you

² and send help from the holy place

to support you from Zion.

³ May he call to mind all your offerings

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

⁴ May he grant you your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans.

⁵ Then we will rejoice in your victory,

and, in the name of our God, we will raise banners.

May Yahweh grant all your petitions.

⁶ Now I know that Yahweh will rescue his anointed one;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the saving strength of his right hand.

⁷ Some trust in chariots and others in horses,

but we trust in the name of Yahweh our God.

⁸ They will be brought down and fall,

but we will rise and stand upright!

⁹ Yahweh, rescue the king;

help us when we call.

Psalm 21

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh!

How greatly he rejoices in the salvation you provide!

² You have given him his heart's desire

and have not held back the request of his lips.

Selah

³ For you bring him rich blessings;

you placed on his head a crown of purest gold.

⁴ He asked you for life; you gave it to him;

you gave him the length of his days forever and ever.

⁵ His glory is great because of your victory;

you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

⁶ For you grant him lasting blessings;

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

⁷ For the king trusts in Yahweh;

through the covenant faithfulness of the Most High

he will not be moved.

⁸ Your hand will seize all your enemies;

your right hand will seize those who hate you.

⁹ At the time of your anger,

you will burn them up as in a fiery furnace.

Yahweh will consume them in his wrath,

and the fire will devour them.

¹⁰ You will destroy their offspring from the earth

and their descendants from among the human race.

¹¹ For they intended evil against you;

they conceived a plot with which they will not succeed!

¹² For you will turn them back;

you will draw your bow before them.

¹³ Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength;

we will sing and praise your power.

Psalm 22

For the chief musician; set to "The rhythm of the deer." A psalm of David.

¹ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far from saving me

and far from the words of my anguish?

² My God, I cry out in the daytime, but you do not answer,

and at night I am not silent!

³ Yet you are holy;

you sit as king with the praises of Israel.

⁴ Our ancestors trusted in you;

they trusted in you, and you rescued them.

⁵ They cried to you and they were rescued.

They trusted in you and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,

a disgrace to humanity and despised by the people.

⁷ All those who see me taunt me;

they mock me; they shake their heads at me.

⁸ They say, "He trusts in Yahweh;

let Yahweh rescue him.

Let him rescue him, for he delights in him."

⁹ For you brought me from the womb;

you made me trust you when I was on my mother's breasts.

¹⁰ I have been thrown on you from the womb;

you are my God since I was in my mother's womb!

¹¹ Do not be far away from me, for trouble is near;

there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

¹³ They open their mouths wide against me

like a roaring lion ripping its victim.

¹⁴ I am being poured out like water,

and all my bones are dislocated.

My heart is like wax;

it melts away within my inner parts.

¹⁵ My strength has dried up like a piece of pottery;

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust of death.

¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me;

a company of evildoers has encircled me;

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones.

They look and stare at me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among themselves,

they cast lots for my clothes.

¹⁹ Do not be far away, Yahweh;

please hurry to help me, my strength!

²⁰ Rescue my soul from the sword,

my only life from the claws of wild dogs.

²¹ Save me from the lion's mouth;

rescue me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

²³ You who fear Yahweh, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or abhorred

the suffering of the afflicted one;

Yahweh has not hidden his face from him;

when the afflicted one cried to him, he heard.

²⁵ My praise will be because of you in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.

²⁶ The oppressed will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek Yahweh will praise him.

May your hearts live forever.

²⁷ All the peoples of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh;

all the families of the nations will bow down before you.

²⁸ For the kingdom is Yahweh's;

he is the ruler over the nations.

²⁹ All the prosperous people of the earth will feast and will worship;

all those who are descending into the dust will bow before him,

those who cannot preserve their own souls alive.

³⁰ A generation to come will serve him;

they will tell the next generation of the Lord.

³¹ They will come and tell of his righteousness;

they will tell to a people not yet born what he has done!

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh is my shepherd; I will lack nothing.

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside tranquil water.

³ He brings back my life;

he guides me along paths that are right

for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no harm, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you have anointed my head with oil;

my cup runs over.

⁶ Surely goodness and covenant faithfulness will pursue me

all the days of my life;

and I will live in the house of Yahweh

for the length of my days!

Psalm 24

A psalm of David.

¹ The earth is Yahweh's, and its fullness,

the world, and all who live in it.

² For he has founded it upon the seas

and established it on the rivers.

³ Who will ascend the mountain of Yahweh?

Who will stand in his holy place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart;

who has not lifted up a falsehood,

and has not sworn an oath in order to deceive.

⁵ He will receive a blessing from Yahweh

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,

those who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah

⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, everlasting doors,

so that the King of glory may come in!

⁸ Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh, strong and mighty;

Yahweh, mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, everlasting doors,

so that the King of glory may come in!

¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh of hosts,

he is the King of glory.

Selah

Psalm 25

A psalm of David.

¹ To you, Yahweh,

I lift up my life!

² My God, I trust in you.

Do not let me be humiliated;

do not let my enemies rejoice triumphantly over me.

³ May no one who hopes in you be disgraced;

may those who act treacherously without cause be ashamed!

⁴ Make known to me your ways, Yahweh;

teach me your paths.

⁵ Guide me into your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

I hope in you all day long.

⁶ Call to mind, Yahweh, your acts of compassion and of covenant faithfulness;

for they have always existed.

⁷ Do not think about the sins of my youth

or my rebelliousness;

Call me to mind with covenant faithfulness

because of your goodness, Yahweh!

⁸ Yahweh is good and upright;

therefore he teaches sinners the way.

⁹ He guides the humble in what is right

and he teaches them his way.

¹⁰ All the paths of Yahweh are steadfast love and faithfulness

to those who keep his covenant and his solemn commands.

¹¹ For your name's sake, Yahweh,

pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹² Who is the man who fears Yahweh?

The Lord will instruct him in the way that he should choose.

¹³ His life will go along in goodness;

and his descendants will inherit the land.

¹⁴ The friendship of Yahweh is for those who honor him,

and he makes his covenant known to them.

¹⁵ My eyes are always on Yahweh,

for he will free my feet from the net.

¹⁶ Turn toward me and have mercy on me;

for I am alone and afflicted.

¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

draw me out from my distress!

¹⁸ See my affliction and my toils;

forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ See my enemies, for they are many;

they hate me with violent hatred.

²⁰ Protect my life and rescue me;

do not let me be humiliated,

for I take refuge in you!

²¹ May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I hope in you.

²² Rescue Israel, God,

from all of his troubles!

Psalm 26

A psalm of David.

¹ Judge me, Yahweh,

for I have walked with integrity;

I have trusted in Yahweh without wavering.

² Examine me, Yahweh, and test me;

test the purity of my inner parts and my heart!

³ For your covenant faithfulness is before my eyes,

and I walk about in your faithfulness.

⁴ I do not associate with deceitful people,

nor do I mingle with dishonest people.

⁵ I hate the assembly of evildoers,

and I do not live with the wicked.

⁶ I wash my hands in innocence,

and I go around your altar, Yahweh,

⁷ to sing a loud song of praise

and report all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ Yahweh, I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory lives!

⁹ Do not sweep me away with sinners,

or my life with men of bloodshed,

¹⁰ in whose hands there is a plot,

and whose right hand is full of bribes.

¹¹ But as for me, I will walk in integrity;

redeem me and have mercy on me.

¹² My foot stands on level ground;

in the assemblies will I bless Yahweh!

Psalm 27

A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

Yahweh is my life's refuge;

whom should I dread?

² When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh,

my adversaries and my enemies stumbled and fell.

³ Though an army encamps against me,

my heart will not fear;

though war rises up against me,

even then I will remain confident.

⁴ One thing have I asked of Yahweh,

and I will seek that:

that I may live in the house of Yahweh

all the days of my life,

to see the beauty of Yahweh

and to meditate in his temple.

⁵ For in the day of trouble

he will hide me in his shelter;

in the cover of his tent he will conceal me.

He will lift me high on a rock!

⁶ Then my head will be lifted up above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent!

I will sing and make songs to Yahweh!

⁷ Hear, Yahweh, my voice when I cry out!

Have mercy on me, and answer me!

⁸ My heart says about you,

"Seek his face!" I seek your face, Yahweh!

⁹ Do not hide your face from me;

do not turn your servant away in anger!

You have been my helper;

do not abandon me or reject me,

God of my salvation!

¹⁰ Even if my father and my mother abandon me,

Yahweh will take me in.

¹¹ Teach me your way, Yahweh!

Lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

¹² Do not give me up to the desires of my enemies,

for false witnesses have risen up against me,

and they breathe out violence!

¹³ What would have happened to me

if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of Yahweh

in the land of the living?

¹⁴ Wait for Yahweh;

be strong, and let your heart be courageous!

Wait for Yahweh!

Psalm 28

A psalm of David.

¹ To you, Yahweh, I cry out;

my rock, do not ignore me.

If you do not respond to me,

I will join those who go down to the pit.

² Hear the sound of my pleading

when I call for help from you,

when I lift up my hands

toward your most holy place!

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,

those who behave wickedly,

who speak peace with their neighbors

but have evil in their hearts.

⁴ Give them what their deeds deserve

and repay them what their wickedness demands;

repay them for the work of their hands

and render to them their due.

⁵ Because they do not understand the deeds of Yahweh

or the work of his hands,

he will break them down

and never rebuild them.

⁶ Blessed be Yahweh

because he has heard the sound of my pleading!

⁷ Yahweh is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

and I will praise him with singing.

⁸ Yahweh is the strength of his people,

and he is the saving refuge of his anointed one.

⁹ Save your people and bless your inheritance.

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

¹ Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of God,

ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

² Ascribe to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.

Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness!

³ The voice of Yahweh is heard over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

Yahweh thunders over many waters.

⁴ The voice of Yahweh is powerful;

the voice of Yahweh is majestic.

⁵ The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars;

Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf

and Sirion like a young ox.

⁷ The voice of Yahweh sends out flames of fire.

⁸ The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness;

Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹ The voice of Yahweh causes the oaks to twist

and strips the forests bare.

Everyone in his temple says, "Glory!"

¹⁰ Yahweh sits as king over the flood;

Yahweh sits as king forever.

¹¹ Yahweh gives strength to his people;

Yahweh blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 30

A psalm; a song at the dedication of the temple. A psalm of David.

¹ I will exalt you, Yahweh,

for you have raised me up

and have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me.

² Yahweh my God, I cried to you for help,

and you healed me.

³ Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you have kept me alive from going down to the pit.

⁴ Sing praises to Yahweh, you his faithful ones!

Give thanks when you remember his holiness.

⁵ For his anger is only for a moment;

but his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping comes for a night,

but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ In confidence I said, "I will never be shaken."

⁷ Yahweh, by your favor

you established me as a strong mountain;

but when you hid your face,

I was troubled.

⁸ I cried to you, Yahweh,

and sought favor from my Lord!

⁹ What advantage is there in my blood,

if I go down to the grave?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it declare your trustworthiness?

¹⁰ Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me!

Yahweh, be my helper.

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into dancing;

you have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

¹² So now my glory will sing praise to you and not be silent;

Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalm 31

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ In you, Yahweh, I take refuge;

never let me be humiliated.

Rescue me in your righteousness.

² Listen to me; rescue me quickly;

be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to save me.

³ For you are my rock and my fortress;

therefore for your name's sake, lead and guide me.

⁴ Pluck me out of the net that they have hidden for me,

for you are my refuge.

⁵ Into your hands I entrust my spirit;

you will redeem me, Yahweh, God of trustworthiness.

⁶ I hate those who serve worthless idols,

but I trust in Yahweh.

⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your covenant faithfulness,

for you saw my affliction;

you knew the distress of my soul.

⁸ You have not given me into the hand of my enemy.

You have set my feet in a wide open place.

⁹ Have mercy upon me, Yahweh, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weary with grief

with my soul and my body.

¹⁰ For my life is weary with sorrow

and my years with groaning.

My strength fails because of my iniquity,

and my bones are wasting away.

¹¹ Because of all my enemies, I have become contemptible;

my neighbors are appalled at my situation,

and those who know me are horrified.

Those who see me in the street run from me.

¹² I am forgotten as a dead man whom no one thinks about.

I am like a broken pot.

¹³ For I have heard the whispering of many,

terrifying news from every side

as they plot together against me.

They plot to take away my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Yahweh;

I say, "You are my God."

¹⁵ My times are in your hand.

Rescue me from the hands of my enemies

and from those who pursue me.

¹⁶ Make your face shine on your servant;

save me in your covenant faithfulness.

¹⁷ Do not let me be humiliated, Yahweh;

for I call out to you!

May the wicked be humiliated!

May they be silent in Sheol.

¹⁸ May lying lips be silenced

that speak against the righteous defiantly

with arrogance and contempt.

¹⁹ How great is your goodness

that you have stored up for those who revere you,

that you perform for those who take refuge in you

before all the children of mankind!

²⁰ In the shelter of your presence, you hide them from the plots of men.

You hide them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be Yahweh,

for he showed me his marvelous covenant faithfulness when I was in a besieged city.

²² Though I said in my alarm,

"I am cut off from your eyes,"

yet you heard my plea for help

when I cried to you.

²³ Love Yahweh, all you faithful ones.

Yahweh protects the faithful,

but he pays back the arrogant in full.

²⁴ Be strong and let your heart take courage,

all you who trust in Yahweh for help.

Psalm 32

A psalm of David. A maschil.

¹ Blessed is the person

whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

² Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh reckons no guilt

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I remained silent,

my bones were wasting away

while I groaned all day long.

⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.

My strength withered as in summer drought.

Selah

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I no longer hid my iniquity.

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh,"

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

⁶ For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you

at a time of great distress.

When the surging waters overflow,

the waters will not reach them.

⁷ You are my hiding place;

you will guard me from trouble.

You will surround me with the songs of victory.

Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

⁹ Do not be like a horse or like a mule,

which have no understanding;

it is only with bridle and bit to control them

that they will go where you want them to.

¹⁰ The wicked have many sorrows,

but Yahweh's covenant faithfulness will surround the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous;

shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Psalm 33

¹ Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous;

praise is appropriate for the upright.

² Give thanks to Yahweh with the harp;

sing praises to him with the lute having ten strings.

³ Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully and shout for joy.

⁴ For Yahweh's word is upright,

and all his deeds are done in faithfulness.

⁵ He loves righteousness and justice.

The earth is full of Yahweh's covenant faithfulness.

⁶ By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made,

and all the stars were made by the breath of his mouth.

⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together like a heap;

he puts the oceans in storehouses.

⁸ Let the whole earth fear Yahweh;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹ For he spoke, and it was done;

he commanded, and it stood in place.

¹⁰ Yahweh frustrates the alliances of nations;

he overrules the plans of the peoples.

¹¹ The plans of Yahweh stand forever,

the plans of his heart for all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,

the people whom he has chosen as his own inheritance.

¹³ Yahweh looks from heaven;

he sees all the people.

¹⁴ From the place where he lives,

he looks down on all who live on the earth.

¹⁵ He who shapes the hearts of them all

observes all their deeds.

¹⁶ No king is saved by a vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great strength.

¹⁷ A horse is a false hope for victory;

in spite of his great strength, he cannot rescue.

¹⁸ See, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his covenant faithfulness

¹⁹ to deliver their lives from death

and to keep them alive in times of famine.

²⁰ We wait for Yahweh;

he is our help and our shield.

²¹ Our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

²² Let your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, be with us

as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 34

A psalm of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him out.

¹ I will praise Yahweh at all times,

his praise will always be in my mouth.

² I will praise Yahweh!

May the oppressed hear and rejoice.

³ Praise Yahweh with me,

let us lift up his name together.

⁴ I sought Yahweh and he answered me,

and he gave me victory over all my fears.

⁵ Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces are not ashamed.

⁶ This oppressed man cried and Yahweh heard him

and saved him from all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of Yahweh camps around those who fear him

and rescues them.

⁸ Taste and see that Yahweh is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

⁹ Fear Yahweh, you his holy people.

There is no lack for those who fear him.

¹⁰ The young lions sometimes lack food and suffer hunger,

but those who seek Yahweh will not lack anything good.

¹¹ Come, sons, listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

¹² What man is there who delights in life

and loves many days,

that he may see good?

¹³ Then keep your tongue from evil

and keep your lips from speaking lies.

¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good.

Seek peace and go after it.

¹⁵ The eyes of Yahweh are on the righteous

and his ears are directed toward their cry.

¹⁶ The face of Yahweh is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out and Yahweh hears

and he rescues them from all their troubles.

¹⁸ Yahweh is close to the brokenhearted,

and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the troubles of the righteous,

but Yahweh delivers them out of them all.

²⁰ He keeps all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will kill the wicked.

Those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

²² Yahweh rescues the lives of his servants.

None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 35

A psalm of David.

¹ Yahweh, work against those who work against me;

fight against those who fight against me.

² Grab your small shield and large shield;

rise up and help me.

³ Use your spear and battle ax

against those who chase me;

say to my soul,

"I am your salvation."

⁴ May those who seek my life

be shamed and dishonored.

May those who plan to harm me

be turned back and ashamed.

⁵ May they be as chaff before the wind,

as the angel of Yahweh drives them away.

⁶ May their way be dark and slippery,

as the angel of Yahweh chases them.

⁷ Without cause they set their net for me;

without cause they dug a pit for my life.

⁸ Let destruction overtake them by surprise.

Let the net that they have set catch them.

Let them fall into it, to their destruction.

⁹ But I will be joyful in Yahweh

and rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰ All my bones will say,

"Yahweh, who is like you,

who rescues the oppressed from those who are too strong for them

and the poor and needy from those who try to rob them?"

¹¹ Unrighteous witnesses rise up;

they accuse me falsely.

¹² They repay me evil for good.

I am sorrowful.

¹³ As for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;

I fasted for them,

and my prayer returned to my bosom.

¹⁴ I went about in grief as for my brother;

I bent down in mourning as for my mother.

¹⁵ But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;

they gathered together against me, and I was surprised by them.

They tore at me without stopping.

¹⁶ With no respect at all they mocked me;

they grind their teeth at me in rage.

¹⁷ Lord, how long will you look on?

Rescue my soul from their destructive attacks,

my only life from the lions.

¹⁸ Then I will thank you in the great assembly;

I will praise you among many people.

¹⁹ Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me;

do not let them carry out their wicked schemes.

²⁰ For they do not speak peace,

but they devise deceitful words

against those in our land who live in peace.

²¹ They open their mouths wide against me;

they said, "Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it."

²² You have seen it, Yahweh, do not be silent;

Lord, do not be far from me.

²³ Arouse yourself and awake to my defense;

My God and my Lord, defend my cause.

²⁴ Defend me, Yahweh my God, because of your righteousness;

do not let them rejoice over me.

²⁵ Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha, we have what we wanted."

Do not let them say, "We have devoured him."

²⁶ May they be put to shame and may they be humiliated who rejoice at my distress.

May those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and dishonor.

²⁷ Let those who desire my vindication

shout for joy and be glad;

may they say continually, "Yahweh be praised,

he who delights in the welfare of his servant."

²⁸ Then I will tell of your justice

and praise you all day long.

Psalm 36

For the chief musician. A psalm of David the servant of Yahweh.

¹ An evil man speaks of his transgression from deep in his heart,

there is no fear of God in his eyes.

² For he comforts himself,

thinking that his iniquity will not be discovered and be hated.

³ The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;

he does not want to be wise and do good.

⁴ While he lies in bed, he plans ways to sin;

he sets out on an evil way;

he does not reject evil.

⁵ Your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, reaches to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep.

Yahweh, you preserve both mankind and the animals.

⁷ How precious is your covenant faithfulness, God!

Humanity takes refuge under the shadow of your wings.

⁸ They feast upon the abundance of your house;

you let them drink from the river of your delights.

⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we will see light.

¹⁰ Extend your covenant faithfulness fully to those who know you,

your defense to the upright of heart.

¹¹ Do not let the foot of the arrogant man come near to me.

Do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹² Over there those who behave wickedly have fallen;

they have been pushed down and are not able to get up.

Psalm 37

A psalm of David.

¹ Do not be irritated because of evildoers;

do not be envious of those who act unrighteously.

² For they will soon dry up as the grass

and wither as the green plants.

³ Trust in Yahweh and do what is good;

settle in the land and graze in faithfulness.

⁴ Then delight yourself in Yahweh,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Give your ways to Yahweh;

trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.

⁶ He will display your justice like the daylight

and your innocence like the day at noon.

⁷ Be still before Yahweh

and wait patiently for him.

Do not be angry if someone succeeds in what he does,

or when he makes evil plots.

⁸ Do not be angry and frustrated.

Do not worry. This only makes trouble.

⁹ Evildoers will be cut off,

but those who wait for Yahweh will inherit the land.

¹⁰ In a little while the evil man will disappear;

you will look at his place, but he will be gone.

¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land

and will delight in great prosperity.

¹² The wicked man plots against the righteous

and he grinds his teeth in rage against him.

¹³ The Lord laughs at him,

for he sees that his day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked have drawn out their swords

and have bent their bows

to cast down the oppressed and needy,

to kill those who are upright.

¹⁵ Their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous has

than the abundance of many wicked people.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked people will be broken,

but Yahweh supports the righteous people.

¹⁸ Yahweh watches over the blameless day by day,

and their heritage will be forever.

¹⁹ They will not be ashamed when times are bad.

When famine comes, they will have enough to eat.

²⁰ But evil men will perish.

Yahweh's enemies will be like the splendor of the pastures;

they will be consumed and disappear in the smoke.

²¹ The wicked person borrows but does not repay,

but the righteous person is generous and gives.

²² Those who are blessed by God will inherit the land;

those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

²³ It is by Yahweh that a man's steps are established,

the man whose way is commendable in God's sight.

²⁴ Though he stumbles, he will not fall down,

for Yahweh is holding him with his hand.

²⁵ I was young and now am old;

I have never seen the righteous person abandoned

or his children begging for bread.

²⁶ All the day long he is gracious and lends,

and his children become a blessing.

²⁷ Turn away from evil and do what is right;

then you will be safe forever.

²⁸ For Yahweh loves justice

and does not abandon his faithful ones.

They are preserved forever,

but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

²⁹ The righteous will inherit the land

and live there forever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous person speaks wisdom

and increases justice.

³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;

his feet will not slip.

³² The wicked person spies on the righteous person

and seeks to kill him.

³³ Yahweh will not abandon him into the evil person's hand

or condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴ Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,

and he will raise you up to possess the land.

You will see when the wicked are cut off.

³⁵ I have seen the wicked and terrifying person

spread out like a green tree in its native soil.

³⁶ But when I passed by again, he was not there.

I looked for him, but he could not be found.

³⁷ Observe the man of integrity, and mark the upright;

there is a good future for a man of peace.

³⁸ Rebels will be totally destroyed;

the future for the wicked man is cut off.

³⁹ Salvation of the righteous comes from Yahweh;

he is their place of safety in the times of trouble.

⁴⁰ Yahweh helps them and rescues them.

He rescues them from evil men and saves them

because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalm 38

A psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.

¹ Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger;

do not punish me in your wrath.

² For your arrows pierce me,

and your hand presses me down.

³ There is no soundness in my body because of your anger;

there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

⁴ For my iniquities overwhelm me;

they are a burden too heavy for me.

⁵ My wounds are infected and smell

because of my foolish sins.

⁶ I am stooped over and humiliated every day;

I go about mourning all day long.

⁷ For within me, I am filled with burning;

there is no health in my flesh.

⁸ I am numb and utterly crushed;

I groan because of the anguish of my heart.

⁹ Lord, you understand my heart's deepest yearnings,

and my groanings are not hidden from you.

¹⁰ My heart pounds, my strength fades,

and the light of my eyes, even that is not with me.

¹¹ My friends and companions shun me because of my condition;

my neighbors stand far off.

¹² Those who seek my life lay snares for me.

They who seek my harm speak destructive words

and say deceitful words all day long.

¹³ But I, I am like a deaf man and hear nothing;

I am like a mute man who says nothing.

¹⁴ I am like a man who does not hear

and who has no reply.

¹⁵ Surely I wait for you, Yahweh;

you will answer, Lord my God.

¹⁶ I say this so that my enemies will not rejoice over me.

If my foot slips, they will do terrible things to me.

¹⁷ For I am about to stumble,

and I am in constant pain.

¹⁸ I confess my guilt;

I am anxious about my sin.

¹⁹ But my enemies are numerous;

those who hate me wrongfully are many.

²⁰ They repay me evil for good;

they hurl accusations at me

although I have pursued what is good.

²¹ Do not abandon me, Yahweh;

my God, do not stay far away from me.

²² Come quickly to help me,

Lord, my salvation.

Psalm 39

For the chief musician, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

¹ I decided, "I will watch what I say

so that I do not sin with my tongue.

I will muzzle my mouth

while in the presence of an evil man."

² I kept silent;

I kept back my words even from saying anything good,

and my pain grew worse.

³ My heart became hot;

when I thought about these things,

it burned like a fire.

Then finally I spoke.

⁴ "Yahweh, make me know when will be the end of my life

and the extent of my days.

Show me how transient I am.

⁵ See, you have made my days only the width of my hand,

and my lifetime is like nothing before you.

Surely every man is a single breath.

Selah

⁶ Surely every man walks about like a shadow.

Surely everyone hurries about

to accumulate riches although they do not know who will receive them.

⁷ Now, Lord, for what am I waiting?

You are my only hope.

⁸ Rescue me from my sins;

do not make me the scorn of fools.

⁹ I am silent and cannot open my mouth,

because it is you who has done it.

¹⁰ Stop wounding me;

I am overwhelmed by the blow of your hand.

¹¹ When you discipline people for iniquity,

you consume the things they desire like a moth;

surely all people are nothing but vapor.

Selah

¹² Hear my prayer, Yahweh,

and give ear to my cry for help;

do not be deaf to my tears!

for I am like a foreigner with you,

a sojourner like all my ancestors were.

¹³ Turn your gaze from me so that I may smile again

before I die."

Psalm 40

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for Yahweh;

he listened to me and heard my cry.

² He brought me up out of a horrible pit,

out of the miry clay,

and he set my feet on a rock

and made my steps secure.

³ He has put a new song in my mouth,

praise to our God.

Many will see it and honor him

and will trust in Yahweh.

⁴ Blessed is the man

who makes Yahweh his trust

and does not honor the proud

or those who turn away from him to lies.

⁵ Many, Yahweh my God,

are the wonderful deeds that you have done,

and your thoughts which are about us cannot be numbered;

if I declared and spoke of them,

they would be more than could be counted.

⁶ You have no delight in sacrifice or offering,

but you have opened my ears;

you have not required burnt offerings or sin offerings.

⁷ Then said I, "See, I have come;

it is written about me in the scroll of the document.

⁸ I delight to do your will, my God;

your laws are in my heart."

⁹ I have proclaimed good news of your righteousness in the great assembly;

Yahweh, you know that my lips have not kept back from doing this.

¹⁰ I have not concealed your righteousness in my heart;

I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your covenant faithfulness

or your trustworthiness from the great assembly.

¹¹ Do not keep back your acts of mercy from me, Yahweh;

let your covenant faithfulness and your trustworthiness always preserve me.

¹² Troubles that cannot be numbered surround me;

my iniquities have caught up with me so that I am no longer able to see anything;

they are more than the hairs on my head,

and my heart has failed me.

¹³ Be pleased, Yahweh, to rescue me;

hurry to help me, Yahweh.

¹⁴ Let them be ashamed and completely disappointed

who pursue my life to sweep it away.

Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor,

those who delight in hurting me.

¹⁵ Let them be appalled because of their shame,

those who say to me, "Aha, aha!"

¹⁶ But may all those who seek you rejoice

and be glad in you;

let everyone who loves your salvation say continually,

"May Yahweh be praised."

¹⁷ I am poor and needy;

yet the Lord thinks about me.

You are my help and you come to my rescue;

do not delay, my God.

Psalm 41

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ Blessed is he who is concerned for the weak;

in the day of trouble, Yahweh will rescue him.

² Yahweh will preserve him and keep him alive,

and he will be blessed on the earth;

Yahweh will not turn him over to the will of his enemies.

³ Yahweh will support him on the bed of suffering;

you will make his bed of sickness into a bed of healing.

⁴ I said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you."

⁵ My enemies speak evil against me, saying,

'When will he die and his name perish?'

⁶ If my enemy comes to see me,

he says worthless things;

his heart gathers up wickedness for itself;

when he goes away from me, he tells others about it.

⁷ All who hate me whisper together against me;

against me they hope for my hurt.

⁸ They say, "An evil disease holds on tightly to him;

now that he is lying down, he will rise up no more."

⁹ Indeed, even my own close friend, in whom I trusted,

who ate my bread,

has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰ But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me and raise me up

so that I may pay them back.

¹¹ By this I know that you delight in me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

¹² As for me, you support me in my integrity

and will keep me before your face forever.

¹³ May Yahweh, the God of Israel be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

Book Two

(Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42

For the chief musician. A maschil of the sons of Korah.

¹ As the deer pants after streams of water,

so I thirst for you, God.

² I thirst for God, for the living God,

when will I come and appear before God?

³ My tears have been my food

day and night,

while my enemies are always saying to me,

"Where is your God?"

⁴ These things I call to mind

as I pour out my soul:

how I went with the throng

and led them to the house of God

with the voice of joy and praise,

a multitude celebrating a festival.

⁵ Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God,

for again I will praise him who is my salvation.

⁶ My God, my soul is bowed down within me,

therefore I call you to mind from the land of the Jordan,

from the three peaks of Mount Hermon, and from the hill of Mizar.

⁷ Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls;

all your waves and your billows have gone over me.

⁸ Yet Yahweh will command his covenant faithfulness in the daytime;

in the night his song will be with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I will say to God, my rock,

"Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?"

¹⁰ As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries rebuke me,

while they always say to me, "Where is your God?"

¹¹ Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God,

for again I will praise him who is my salvation and my God.

Psalm 43

¹ Bring me justice, God,

and plead my case against a nation that is not faithful.

Deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

² For you are the God of my strength.

Why have you rejected me?

Why do I go about in mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ Oh, send out your light and your truth,

let them lead me.

Let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling.

⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy.

I will praise you with the harp,

God, my God.

⁵ Why are you bowed down, my soul?

Why are you upset within me?

Hope in God,

for again I will praise him who is my salvation and my God.

Psalm 44

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah. A maschil.

¹ We have heard with our ears, God,

our fathers have told us

what work you did in their days,

in the days of old.

² You drove out the nations with your hand,

but you planted our people;

you afflicted the peoples,

but you spread our people out in the land.

³ For they did not obtain the land for their possession by their own sword,

neither did their own arm save them;

but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face,

because you were favorable to them.

⁴ God, You are my King;

command victory for Jacob.

⁵ Through you we will push down our adversaries;

through your name we will tread them under,

those who rise up against us.

⁶ For I will not trust in my bow,

neither will my sword save me.

⁷ But you have saved us from our adversaries,

and have put to shame those who hate us.

⁸ In God we have made our boast all the day long,

and we will give thanks to your name forever.

Selah

⁹ But now you have rejected us and brought us dishonor,

and you do not go out with our armies.

¹⁰ You make us turn back from the adversary;

and those who hate us take spoil for themselves.

¹¹ You have made us like sheep to be slaughtered

and have scattered us among the nations.

¹² You sell your people for nothing;

you have not increased your wealth by doing so.

¹³ You make us a rebuke to our neighbors,

scoffed and mocked by those around us.

¹⁴ You make us an insult among the nations,

a shaking of the head among the peoples.

¹⁵ All the day long my dishonor is before me,

and the shame of my face has covered me

¹⁶ because of the voice of him who rebukes and insults,

because of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷ All this has come on us; yet we have not forgotten you

or dealt falsely with your covenant.

¹⁸ Our heart has not turned back;

our steps have not gone from your way.

¹⁹ Yet you have severely broken us in the place of jackals

and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰ If we have forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a strange god,

²¹ would not God search this out?

For he knows the secrets of the heart.

²² Indeed, for your sake we are being killed all day long;

we are considered to be sheep for the slaughter.

²³ Awake, why do you sleep, Lord?

Arise, do not reject us forever.

²⁴ Why do you hide your face

and forget our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵ For we have sunk down into the dust;

our bodies cling to the earth.

²⁶ Rise up for our help

and redeem us for the sake of your covenant faithfulness.

Psalm 45

For the chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of the sons of Korah. A maschil. A song of loves.

¹ My heart overflows on a good subject;

I will read aloud the words I have composed about the king;

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

² You are fairer than the children of mankind;

grace is poured onto your lips;

therefore we know that God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword to your side, mighty one,

in your glory and your majesty.

⁴ In your majesty ride on triumphantly

because of trustworthiness, meekness, and righteousness;

your right hand will teach you fearful things.

⁵ Your arrows are sharp;

the peoples fall under you;

your arrows are in the hearts of the king's enemies.

⁶ Your throne, God, is forever and ever;

a scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.

⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness more than your companions.

⁸ All your garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia;

out of ivory palaces

stringed instruments have made you glad.

⁹ Kings' daughters are among your honorable women;

at your right hand stands the queen clothed in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰ Listen, daughter, consider and incline your ear;

forget your own people and your father's house.

¹¹ In this way the king will desire your beauty;

he is your master; revere him.

¹² The daughter of Tyre will be there with a gift;

the rich among the people will beg for your favor.

¹³ The royal daughter in the palace is all glorious;

her clothing is worked with gold.

¹⁴ She will be led to the king in embroidered dress;

the virgins, her companions who follow her,

will be brought to you.

¹⁵ They will be led by gladness and rejoicing;

they will enter into the king's palace.

¹⁶ In the place of your fathers will be your children,

whom you will make princes in all the earth.

¹⁷ I will make your name to be remembered in all generations;

therefore the peoples will give you thanks forever and ever.

Psalm 46

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah; set to Alamoth. A song.

¹ God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains should be shaken into the heart of the seas,

³ though its waters roar and rage, and

though the mountains tremble with their swelling.

Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make the city of God happy,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is in the middle of her; she will not be moved;

God will help her, and he will do so at the dawn of morning.

⁶ The nations raged and the kingdoms were shaken;

he lifted up his voice, and the earth melted.

⁷ Yahweh of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

⁸ Come, behold the deeds of Yahweh,

who has set up objects of horror on earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and cuts the spear into pieces;

he burns up the shields.

¹⁰ Be quiet and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations;

I will be exalted on the earth.

¹¹ Yahweh of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Psalm 47

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout to God with the sound of celebration.

² For Yahweh Most High is terrifying;

he is a great King over all the earth.

³ He subdues peoples under us

and nations under our feet.

⁴ He chooses our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loved.

Selah

⁵ God has gone up with a shout,

Yahweh with the sound of a ram's horn.

⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

⁷ For God is the King over all the earth;

sing praises with understanding.

⁸ God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

⁹ The princes of the peoples have gathered together

to the people of the God of Abraham;

for the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 48

A song; a psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised,

in the city of our God on his holy mountain.

² Beautiful in elevation,

the joy of the whole earth,

is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,

the city of the great King.

³ God has made himself known in her palaces as a refuge.

⁴ For, see, the kings assembled themselves;

they passed by together.

⁵ They saw it, then they were amazed;

they were dismayed, and they hurried away.

⁶ Trembling took hold of them there,

pain as when a woman is in labor.

⁷ With the east wind

you break the ships of Tarshish.

⁸ As we have heard,

so have we seen

in the city of Yahweh of hosts,

in the city of our God;

God will establish it

forever.

Selah

⁹ We have thought about your covenant faithfulness, God,

in the middle of your temple.

¹⁰ As your name is, God,

so is your praise to the ends of the earth;

your right hand is full of righteousness.

¹¹ Let Mount Zion be glad,

let the daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your righteous decrees.

¹² Walk around Mount Zion, go round about her;

count her towers,

¹³ notice well her walls,

and look at her palaces

so that you may tell it to the next generation.

¹⁴ For this God is our God forever and ever;

he will be our guide to death.

Psalm 49

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples;

give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,

² both low and high,

rich and poor together.

³ My mouth will speak wisdom

and the meditation of my heart will be of understanding.

⁴ I will incline my ear to a parable;

I will begin my parable with the harp.

⁵ Why should I fear the days of evil,

when iniquity surrounds me at my heels?

⁶ Why should I fear those who trust in their wealth

and boast about the amount of their riches?

⁷ It is certain that no one can redeem his brother

or give God a ransom for him,

⁸ For the redemption of one's life is costly,

and no one can pay what we owe.

⁹ No one can live forever

so that he would not see the pit.

¹⁰ For he will see decay. Wise men die;

the fool and the brute alike perish

and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹ Their inner thought is that their families will continue forever,

and the places where they live, to all generations;

they call their lands after their own names.

¹² But man, having wealth, does not remain alive;

he is like the wild animals that perish.

¹³ This, their way, is their folly;

yet after them, men approve of their sayings.

Selah

¹⁴ Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol,

and death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule over them in the morning,

and their bodies will be consumed in Sheol,

with no place for them to live.

¹⁵ But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol;

he will receive me.

Selah

¹⁶ Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,

and the glory of his house increases.

¹⁷ For when he dies he will take nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

¹⁸ He blessed his soul while he lived—

and men praise you when you live for yourself—

¹⁹ he will go to the generation of his fathers

and they will never see the light again.

²⁰ One who has wealth but no understanding

is like the animals that perish.

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ The Mighty One, God, Yahweh,

has spoken and called the earth

from the rising of the sun to its setting.

² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God has shone.

³ Our God comes

and does not stay silent;

a fire devours before him,

and it is very stormy around him.

⁴ He calls to the heavens above

and to the earth so that he may judge his people:

⁵ "Gather my faithful ones together to me,

those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

⁶ The heavens will declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Selah

⁷ "Hear, my people, and I will speak, Israel,

and I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

⁸ I will not reprove you for your sacrifices;

your burnt offerings are always before me.

⁹ I will take no bull out of your house,

or male goats out of your folds.

¹⁰ For every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹ I know all the birds of the mountains,

and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you;

for the world is mine, and everything in it.

¹³ Will I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴ Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and pay your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵ Call on me in the day of trouble;

I will rescue you, and you will glorify me."

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says,

"What have you to do with declaring my statutes,

that you have taken my covenant in your mouth,

¹⁷ since you hate instruction

and throw my words away?

¹⁸ When you see a thief, you agree with him;

you participate with those who commit adultery.

¹⁹ You give your mouth to evil,

and your tongue expresses deceit.

²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother's son.

²¹ You have done these things, but I have kept silent,

so you thought that I was someone just like yourself.

But I will reprove you

and bring up, right before your eyes, all the things you have done.

²² Give this careful consideration, you who forget God,

otherwise I will tear you to pieces,

and there will be no one to come to help you!

²³ The one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving praises me,

and to anyone who plans his path in the right way

I will show God's salvation."

Psalm 51

For the chief musician. A psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone into Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, God,

because of your covenant faithfulness;

for the sake of the multitude of your merciful actions,

blot out my transgressions.

² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

⁴ Against you, you only, I have sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

you are justified when you speak;

you are blameless when you judge.

⁵ See, I was born in iniquity;

as soon as my mother conceived me, I was in sin.

⁶ See, you desire trustworthiness in my inner self;

and you teach me wisdom in the secret place within.

⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness

so that the bones that you have broken may rejoice.

⁹ Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹ Do not drive me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then will I teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will be converted to you.

¹⁴ Forgive me for shedding blood,

God of my salvation,

and I will shout for the joy of your righteousness.

¹⁵ Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will express your praise.

¹⁶ For you do not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you have no pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.

You, God, will not despise a broken and a contrite heart.

¹⁸ Do good in your good pleasure to Zion;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then will you delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then our people will offer bulls on your altar.

Psalm 52

For the chief musician. A maschil of David; when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, "David has come to the house of Ahimelek."

¹ Why are you proud of making trouble, you mighty man?

The covenant faithfulness of God comes every day.

² Your tongue plans destruction

like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³ You love evil more than good

and lying rather than speaking righteousness.

Selah

⁴ You love all words that devour others,

you deceitful tongue.

⁵ God will surely destroy you forever;

he will take you up and pluck you out of your tent

and root you out of the land of the living.

Selah

⁶ The righteous will also see it and fear;

they will laugh at him and say,

⁷ "See, this is a man who did not make God his refuge,

but he trusted in the abundance of his wealth,

and he was strong when he destroyed others."

⁸ But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

I will trust in the covenant faithfulness of God forever and ever.

⁹ I will give you thanks forever for what you have done.

I will wait for your name, because it is good,

in the presence of your faithful ones.

Psalm 53

For the chief musician; set to Mahalath. A maschil of David.

¹ A fool says in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt and have done abominable iniquity;

there is no one who does good.

² God looks down from heaven

on the children of mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after him.

³ They have all turned away. Together they have become corrupt.

There is not one who does good,

not even one.

⁴ Do those who behave wickedly have no understanding—

those who devour my people as if they were eating bread

and they do not call on God?

⁵ There they are, in great fear,

where there was nothing to cause them to be afraid;

for God will scatter the bones of those who encamp against you;

you put them to shame,

for God has rejected them.

⁶ Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When God brings back his people from the captivity,

then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad!

Psalm 54

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "Does David not hide himself with us?"

¹ Save me, God, by your name,

and judge me in your might.

² Hear my prayer, God;

give ear to the words of my mouth.

³ For strangers have risen up against me,

and ruthless men have sought after my life;

they have not set God before them.

Selah

⁴ See, God is my helper;

the Lord is the one who upholds me.

⁵ He will repay my enemies with evil;

in your faithfulness, destroy them!

⁶ I will sacrifice to you with a freewill offering;

I will give thanks to your name, Yahweh, for it is good.

⁷ For he has rescued me from every trouble;

my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

Psalm 55

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David.

¹ Give ear to my prayer, God;

and do not hide yourself from my plea.

² Pay attention to me and answer me;

I am restless in my troubles

³ because of the voice of my enemies,

because of the oppression of the wicked;

for they bring trouble on me,

they are hostile to me with wickedness and anger.

⁴ My heart trembles within me,

and the terrors of death have fallen on me.

⁵ Fear and trembling have come on me,

and horror has overwhelmed me.

⁶ I said, "Oh, if only I had wings like a dove!

Then would I fly away and be at rest.

⁷ See, then I would wander far away;

I would stay in the wilderness.

Selah

⁸ I would hurry to a shelter

from the stormy wind and tempest."

⁹ Destroy, Lord, and divide their tongue;

for I see violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ Day and night they go about on its walls;

wickedness and trouble are in the middle of it.

¹¹ Wickedness is in the middle of it;

oppression and deceit do not leave its streets.

¹² For it was not an enemy who rebuked me,

then I could have borne it;

neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me,

then I would have hidden myself from him.

¹³ But it was you, a man equal to myself,

my companion and my close friend.

¹⁴ We had sweet fellowship together;

we walked in the house of God with the throng.

¹⁵ Let death come deceitfully on them;

let them go down alive to Sheol,

for wickedness is where they live, right among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I will call on God,

and Yahweh will save me.

¹⁷ In the evening, morning, and at noonday I complain and moan;

he will hear my voice.

¹⁸ He will safely rescue my life from the battle that was against me,

for those who fought against me were many.

¹⁹ God, the one who rules from eternity,

will hear them and humiliate them.

Selah

They never change,

and they do not fear God.

²⁰ My friend has raised his hands against those who were at peace with him;

he has not respected the covenant that he had.

²¹ His mouth was smooth as butter,

but his heart was hostile;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were actually drawn swords.

²² Place your burdens on Yahweh,

and he will sustain you;

he will never allow a righteous person to totter.

²³ But you, God, will bring the wicked down into the pit of destruction;

men of bloodshed and deceit will not live even half as long as others,

but I will trust in you.

Psalm 56

For the chief musician; set to Jonath elem rehokim. A psalm of David. A michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.

¹ Be merciful to me, God,

for men are attacking me!

All the day long those who fight me oppress me.

² My enemies trample me all day long;

for there are many who arrogantly fight against me.

³ When I am afraid,

I will put my trust in you.

⁴ In God, whose word I praise—

in God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid;

what can mere man do to me?

⁵ All the day long they twist my words;

all their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,

and they mark my steps,

just as they have waited for my life.

⁷ Do not let them escape doing iniquity.

Bring down the peoples in your anger, God.

⁸ You number my wanderings

and put my tears into your bottle;

are they not in your book?

⁹ Then my enemies will turn back on the day that I call to you;

this I know, that God is for me.

¹⁰ In God—whose word I praise,

in Yahweh—whose word I praise,

¹¹ in God I trust,

I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?

¹² The duty to fulfill my vows to you is on me, God;

I will give thank offerings to you.

¹³ For you have rescued my life from death;

you have kept my feet from stumbling,

so that I may walk before God

in the light of the living.

Psalm 57

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

¹ Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,

for I take refuge in you until these troubles are over.

I stay under your wings for protection

until this destruction is over.

² I will cry to God Most High,

to God, who does all things for me.

³ He will send help from heaven and save me,

he rebukes those who hotly pursue me.

Selah

God will send me his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

⁴ My life is among lions;

I am among those who are ready to devour me.

I am among people whose teeth are spears and arrows,

and whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, God, above the heavens;

let your glory be above all the earth.

⁶ They spread out a net for my feet;

I was bowed down.

They dug a pit in front of me.

They themselves have fallen into the middle of it!

Selah

⁷ My heart is fixed, God, my heart is fixed;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.

⁸ Wake up, my glory!

Wake up, lute and harp!

I will wake up the dawn!

⁹ I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

¹⁰ For great is your unfailing love, reaching to the heavens;

and your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, God, above the heavens;

may your glory be exalted over all the earth.

Psalm 58

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam.

¹ Do you rulers speak righteousness?

Do you judge uprightly, you people?

² No, you commit wickedness in your heart;

you distribute violence throughout the land with your hands.

³ The wicked go astray even when they are in the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

⁴ Their poison is like a snake's poison;

they are like a deaf asp that stops up its ears,

⁵ that pays no attention to the voice of charmers,

no matter how skillful they are.

⁶ Shatter their teeth in their mouths, God;

break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.

⁷ Let them melt away as water that runs off;

when they shoot their arrows, let them be as though they had no points.

⁸ Let them be like a snail that melts and passes away,

like the untimely born child of a woman that never sees the sunlight.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the thorn's burning heat,

he will take them away with a whirlwind,

the green thorns and the burning thorns alike.

¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice when he sees God's vengeance;

he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

¹¹ so that men will say,

"Truly, there is a reward for the righteous person;

truly there is a God who judges the earth."

Psalm 59

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of David. A michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

¹ Rescue me from my enemies, my God;

set me on high away from those who rise up against me.

² Keep me safe from those who behave wickedly,

and save me from men of bloodshed.

³ For, see, they wait in ambush to take my life.

The powerful men gather themselves together against me,

but not because of my transgression or my sin, Yahweh.

⁴ For no guilt of mine they prepare to run at me;

awake and help me and see.

⁵ You, Yahweh God of hosts,

the God of Israel,

arise and punish all the nations;

do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah

⁶ They return at evening, they howl like dogs

and go around the city.

⁷ See, they belch out with their mouths;

swords are in their lips,

for they say, "Who hears us?"

⁸ But you, Yahweh, laugh at them;

you mock at all the nations.

⁹ God, my strength, I will pay attention to you;

you are my high tower.

¹⁰ My God will meet me with his covenant faithfulness;

God will let me see my desire on my enemies.

¹¹ Do not kill them,

or my people will forget.

Scatter them by your power and make them fall,

Lord our shield.

¹² For the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips,

let them be captured in their pride,

and for the curses and lies that they express.

¹³ Consume them in wrath,

consume them so that they will be no more;

let them know that God rules in Jacob

and to the ends of the earth.

Selah

¹⁴ At evening they return,

howling like dogs going around the city.

¹⁵ They wander about looking for food

and they growl like a dog if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing about your strength,

and in the morning I will praise your steadfast love!

For you have been my high tower

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

¹⁷ To you, my strength, I will sing praises;

for God is my high tower, the God of covenant faithfulness.

Psalm 60

For the chief musician; set to Shushan Eduth. A michtam of David, for teaching; when he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹ God, you have rejected us; you have broken through our defenses;

you have been angry; restore us again.

² You have made the land tremble; you have torn it apart;

heal its cracks, for it is shaking.

³ You have made your people see difficult things;

you have made us drink the wine of staggering.

⁴ For those who honor you,

you have set up a banner

to be displayed against those who carry the bow.

Selah

⁵ So that those you love may be rescued,

rescue us with your right hand and answer me.

⁶ God has spoken in his holiness, "I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem

and apportion out the Valley of Sukkoth.

⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

⁸ Moab is my washbasin;

over Edom I will throw my sandal;

I will shout in triumph because of Philistia."

⁹ Who will bring me into the strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰ But you, God, have you not rejected us?

You do not go into battle with our army.

¹¹ Give us help against the enemy,

for man's help is futile.

¹² We will triumph with God's help;

he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 61

For the chief musician; on a stringed instrument. A psalm of David.

¹ Hear my cry, God;

attend to my prayer.

² From the ends of the earth will I call to you when my heart is faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

³ For you have been a refuge for me,

a strong tower from the enemy.

⁴ Let me live in your tabernacle forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.

Selah

⁵ For you, God, have heard my vows,

you have given me the inheritance of those who honor your name.

⁶ You will prolong the king's life;

his years will be like many generations.

⁷ He will reign before God forever;

appoint your steadfast love and faithfulness to protect him.

⁸ I will sing praise to your name forever

so that I may perform my vows every day. 2

Psalm 62

For the chief musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

¹ I wait in silence for God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

² He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my high tower;

I will not be greatly moved.

³ How long, all of you, will you attack a man,

that you may murder him,

like a leaning wall or a shaky fence?

⁴ They consult with him

only to bring him down from his honorable position;

they love to tell lies;

they bless him with their mouths,

but in their hearts they curse him.

Selah

⁵ I wait in silence for God alone;

for my hope is set on him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my high tower; I will not be moved.

⁷ With God is my salvation and my glory;

the rock of my strength and my refuge are in God.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

⁹ Surely men of low standing are vanity,

and men of high standing are a lie;

they will weigh lightly in the scales;

weighed together, they are lighter than nothing.

¹⁰ Do not trust in oppression or robbery;

and do not hope uselessly in riches,

for they will bear no fruit;

do not fix your heart on them.

¹¹ God has spoken once,

twice have I heard this:

power belongs to God.

¹² Also to you, Lord, belongs covenant faithfulness,

for you pay back every person for what he has done.

Psalm 63

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

¹ God, you are my God!

I earnestly search for you,

my soul thirsts for you,

and my flesh longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

² So I have looked on you in the sanctuary,

to see your power and your glory.

³ Because your covenant faithfulness is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

⁴ So I will bless you while I live;

I will lift up my hands in your name.

⁵ It will be as if I ate a meal of marrow and fatness;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise you,

⁶ when I think about you on my bed

and meditate on you in the night watches.

⁷ For you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

⁸ I cling to you;

your right hand supports me.

⁹ But those who seek to destroy my life

will go down into the lowest parts of the earth;

¹⁰ they will be given over to those whose hands use the sword,

and they will become food for the jackals.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;

everyone who swears by him will be proud of him,

but the mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped up.

Psalm 64

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ Hear my voice, God, listen to my complaint;

preserve my life from fear of my enemies.

² Hide me from the secret plotting of evildoers,

from the commotion of those who behave wickedly.

³ They have sharpened their tongues like swords;

they have aimed their arrows, bitter words,

⁴ so that they may shoot from secret places at someone who is innocent;

suddenly they shoot at him and fear nothing.

⁵ They encourage themselves in an evil plan;

they consult privately together in order to set traps;

they say, "Who will see us?"

⁶ They invent injustices;

"We have finished," they say, "a careful plan."

The inner thoughts and hearts of man are deep.

⁷ But God will shoot them;

suddenly they will be wounded with his arrows.

⁸ They will be made to stumble, since their own tongues are against them;

all who see them will wag their heads.

⁹ All people will fear

and will declare God's deeds.

They will wisely think about what he has done.

¹⁰ The righteous will be glad about Yahweh and will take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will take pride in him.

Psalm 65

For the chief musician. A psalm. A song of David.

¹ For you, God in Zion, our praise waits;

our vows will be carried out to you.

² You who hear prayer,

to you all flesh will come.

³ Iniquities prevail against us;

as for our transgressions, you will forgive them.

⁴ Blessed is the man whom you choose to bring near to you

so that he may live in your courts.

We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

your holy temple.

⁵ In righteousness you will answer us by doing awesome deeds,

God of our salvation;

you who are hope of all the ends of the earth

and of those who are far across the sea.

⁶ For it is you who made the mountains firm,

you who are girded with strength.

⁷ It is you who quiet the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

and the commotion of the peoples.

⁸ Those who live in the uttermost parts of the earth

are afraid of the evidence of your deeds;

you make the east and the west rejoice.

⁹ You come to help the earth; you water it;

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide mankind grain when you have prepared the earth.

¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly;

you settle down the furrows' ridges;

you make them soft with rain showers;

you bless the sprouts between them.

¹¹ You crown the year with your goodness,

and your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

¹² The pastures in the wilderness drip with dew,

and the hills are girded with joy.

¹³ The pastures are clothed with flocks;

the valleys also are covered over with grain;

they shout for joy, and they sing.

Psalm 66

For the chief musician. A song, a psalm.

¹ Shout out loud to God, all the earth;

² Sing out the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious.

³ Say to God, "How terrifying are your deeds!

By the greatness of your power

your enemies will submit to you.

⁴ All the earth will worship you

and will sing to you;

they will sing praises to your name."

Selah

⁵ Come and see the works of God;

he is fearsome in his deeds toward the sons of mankind.

⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;

they went through the river on foot;

there we rejoiced in him.

⁷ He rules forever by his might;

his eyes observe the nations;

let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

⁸ Give blessing to God, you people,

let the sound of his praise be heard.

⁹ He keeps us among the living,

and he does not permit our feet to slip.

¹⁰ For you, God, have tested us;

you have tested us as silver is tested.

¹¹ You brought us into a net;

you laid a heavy burden on our backs.

¹² You made people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us out into a spacious place.

¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pay you my vows

¹⁴ which my lips promised

and my mouth spoke when I was in distress.

¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fat animals

with the sweet aroma of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will declare what he has done for my soul.

¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,

and he was praised with my tongue.

¹⁸ If I had seen wickedness within my heart,

the Lord would not have listened to me.

¹⁹ But God has truly heard;

he has paid attention to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰ Blessed be God,

who has not turned away my prayer

or his covenant faithfulness from me.

Psalm 67

For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A psalm, a song.

¹ May God be merciful to us and bless us

and cause his face to shine on us

Selah

² so that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

³ Let the peoples praise you, God;

let all the peoples praise you.

⁴ Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you will judge the peoples with justice

and govern the nations on earth.

Selah

⁵ Let the peoples praise you, God;

let all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The earth has yielded its produce

and God, our God, has blessed us.

⁷ God has blessed us,

and all the ends of the earth honor him.

Psalm 68

For the chief musician; A psalm of David, a song.

¹ Let God arise; let his enemies be scattered;

let those also who hate him flee before him.

² As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

as wax melts before the fire,

so let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

³ But let the righteous be glad;

let them rejoice before God;

may they rejoice with gladness.

⁴ Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!

Praise the one who rides through the plains of the Jordan River valley!

Yah is his name! Rejoice before him! ¹

⁵ A Father of the fatherless, a judge of the widows,

is God in the holy place where he lives.

⁶ God puts the lonely into families;

he brings out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a parched land.

⁷ God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

Selah

⁸ the earth trembled;

the heavens also dropped rain in God's presence,

in the presence of God when he came to Sinai, in the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁹ You, God, sent a plentiful rain;

you strengthened your inheritance when it was weary.

¹⁰ Your people lived in it;

You, God, gave from your goodness to the poor.

¹¹ The Lord gave the word,

and those who announced them were a great army.

¹² Kings of armies flee, they flee,

and the women waiting at home divide the plunder:

¹³ the wings of a dove are covered with silver,

its feathers with shining gold.

Yet some of you people lie down among the sheepfolds.

¹⁴ The Almighty scattered kings there,

it was as when it snowed on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵ A mighty mountain is the hill country of Bashan;

a high mountain is the hill country of Bashan.

¹⁶ Why do you look in envy, you high hill country,

at the mountain which God desires for the place he will live?

Indeed, Yahweh will live in it forever.

¹⁷ The chariots of God are twenty thousand,

thousands upon thousands;

the Lord is among them in the holy place, as at Sinai.

¹⁸ You have ascended on high;

you have led away captives;

you have received gifts from among men,

even from the rebellious,

so that Yah, God, might live there. ²

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens,

the God who is our salvation.

Selah

²⁰ Our God is a God who saves;

Yahweh the Lord is the one who is able to rescue us from death.

²¹ But God will strike through the heads of his enemies,

through the hairy scalps of those who walk in offenses against him.

²² The Lord said, "I will bring my enemies back from Bashan;

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea

²³ so that you may crush your enemies, dipping your foot in blood,

and so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from your enemies."

²⁴ They have seen your processions, God,

the processions of my God, my King, into the holy place.

²⁵ The singers went first, the minstrels followed after,

and in the middle were the unmarried girls playing tambourines.

²⁶ Bless God in the assemblies;

praise Yahweh, you who are from the fountain ³ of Israel.

²⁷ There is Benjamin, the smallest tribe, ruling them,

then the leaders of Judah and their multitudes,

the leaders of Zebulun and the leaders of Naphtali.

²⁸ Your God, Israel, has decreed your strength;

reveal to us your power, God, as you have revealed it in times past.

²⁹ Reveal your power to us from your temple at Jerusalem,

where kings bring tribute to you.

³⁰ Rebuke the wild beasts in the reeds,

against the peoples, that multitude of bulls and calves.

Humiliate them and make them bring you silver;

scatter the peoples who love to wage war.

³¹ Princes will come out of Egypt;

Cush will hurry to reach out with her hands to God.

³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth.

Selah

Sing praises to the Lord,

³³ to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which exist from ancient times;

see, he lifts up his voice with power.

³⁴ Ascribe strength to God;

his majesty is over Israel,

and his strength is in the skies.

³⁵ God, you are fearsome in your holy place;

the God of Israel—he gives strength and power to his people.

Blessed be God.

³The copies of the ancient Hebrew text can be read either as from the fountain or from the assembly .

Psalm 69

For the chief musician; set to Shoshannim. A psalm of David.

¹ Save me, God;

for the waters have put my life in danger.

² I sink in deep mire, where there is no place to stand;

I have come into deep waters, where the floods flow over me.

³ I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry;

my eyes fail while I wait for my God.

⁴ Those who hate me without a cause

are more than the hairs on my head;

those who would cut me off,

being my enemies for wrong reasons, are mighty;

what I did not steal,

I have to give back.

⁵ God, you know my foolishness,

and my sins are not hidden from you.

⁶ Let not those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,

Lord Yahweh of hosts;

let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor because of me,

God of Israel.

⁷ For your sake I have borne rebuke;

shame has covered my face.

⁸ I have become a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my mother's children.

⁹ For the zeal of your house has eaten me up,

and the rebukes of those who rebuke you have fallen on me.

¹⁰ When I weep and fast,

I must endure scorn.

¹¹ When I put on sackcloth,

I became a byword to them.

¹² Those who sit in the city gate talk about me;

I am a song of drunkards.

¹³ But as for me, my prayer is to you, Yahweh,

at a time that you will accept;

answer me in the trustworthiness of your salvation.

¹⁴ Pull me out of the mire,

and do not let me sink;

let me be taken away from those who hate me

and rescued out of the deep waters.

¹⁵ Do not let the floods of water overwhelm me,

neither let the deep swallow me up.

Do not let the pit shut its mouth on me.

¹⁶ Answer me, Yahweh, for your covenant faithfulness is good;

because your mercies for me are many, turn to me.

¹⁷ Do not hide your face from your servant,

for I am in distress; answer me quickly.

¹⁸ Come to me and redeem me.

Because of my enemies, ransom me.

¹⁹ You know my rebuke, my shame, and my dishonor;

my adversaries are all before you.

²⁰ Rebuke has broken my heart;

I am full of heaviness;

I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;

I looked for comforters, but I found none.

²¹ They gave me poison for my food;

in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²² Let their table before them become a snare;

when they think they are in safety, let it become a trap.

²³ Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see;

and always make their loins shake.

²⁴ Pour out your indignation on them,

and let your raging anger overtake them.

²⁵ Let their encampment be a desolation;

let no one live in their tents.

²⁶ For they persecuted the one you struck down.

They repeated the account of the pain of those you have wounded.

²⁷ Accuse them of having committed iniquity after iniquity;

do not let them come into your righteous victory.

²⁸ Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life

and not be written down along with the righteous.

²⁹ But I am poor and in pain;

let your salvation, God, set me up on high.

³⁰ I will praise the name of God with a song

and will exalt him with thanksgiving.

³¹ That will please Yahweh better than an ox

or a bull that has horns and hooves.

³² The meek have seen it and are glad;

you who seek after God, let your hearts live.

³³ For Yahweh hears the needy

and does not despise his prisoners.

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

³⁵ For God will save Zion and will rebuild the cities of Judah;

the people will live there and have it as a possession.

³⁶ His servants' descendants will inherit it;

and those who love his name will live there.

Psalm 70

For the chief musician. A psalm of David; to bring to remembrance.

¹ Save me, God!

Yahweh, come quickly and help me.

² Let those who try to take my life

be ashamed and humiliated;

let them be turned back and brought to dishonor,

those who take pleasure in my pain.

³ Let them be turned back because of their shame,

those who say, "Aha, aha."

⁴ Let all those who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

let those who love your salvation always say,

"May God be praised."

⁵ But I am poor and needy;

hurry to me, God;

you are my help and you rescue me.

Yahweh, do not delay.

Psalm 71

¹ In you, Yahweh, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

² Rescue me and make me safe in your righteousness;

turn your ear to me and save me.

³ Be to me a rock for refuge

where I may always go;

you have given a command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Rescue me, my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

out of the hand of the unrighteous and ruthless.

⁵ For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh.

I have trusted in you ever since I was a child.

⁶ By you I have been supported from the womb;

you are he who took me out of my mother's belly;

my praise will be always about you.

⁷ I am a marvel to many people;

you are my strong refuge.

⁸ My mouth will be filled with your praise,

all the day with your honor.

⁹ Do not throw me away in my time of old age;

do not abandon me when my strength fails.

¹⁰ For my enemies are talking about me;

those who watch for my life are plotting together.

¹¹ They say, "God has abandoned him;

pursue and take him,

for there is no one to save him."

¹² God, do not be far from me;

my God, hurry to help me.

¹³ Let them be put to shame and destroyed,

those who are hostile to my life;

let them be covered with rebuke and dishonor,

those who seek my hurt.

¹⁴ But I will always hope in you

and will praise you more and more.

¹⁵ My mouth will tell about your righteousness

and your salvation all the day,

although I cannot understand it.

¹⁶ I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh;

I will make mention of your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ God, you have taught me from my youth;

even now I declare your wonderful deeds.

¹⁸ Indeed, even when I am old and gray-headed, God,

do not abandon me,

as I have been declaring your strength to the next generation,

your power to everyone who is to come.

¹⁹ Your righteousness also, God, is very high;

you who have done great things,

God, who is like you?

²⁰ You who made me see many troubles

will revive us again

and will bring us up again

from the depths of the earth.

²¹ May you increase my honor;

turn again and comfort me.

²² I will also give thanks to you with the harp

for your trustworthiness, my God;

to you I will sing praises with the harp,

Holy One of Israel.

²³ My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you—

even my soul, which you have redeemed.

²⁴ My tongue will also talk about your righteousness

all day long;

for they have been put to shame and are confused,

those who sought my hurt.

Psalm 72

A psalm of Solomon.

¹ Give the king your righteous decrees, God,

your righteousness to the king's son.

² May he judge your people with righteousness

and your poor with justice.

³ May the mountains produce peace for the people;

may the hills produce righteousness.

⁴ May he judge the poor of the people;

may he save the children of the needy

and break in pieces the oppressor.

⁵ May they honor you while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon lasts throughout all generations.

⁶ May he come down like rain on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth.

⁷ May the righteous flourish in his days,

and may there be an abundance of peace till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

⁹ May those who live in the wilderness bow down before him;

may his enemies lick the dust.

¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of the islands render tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

¹¹ Indeed, may all kings fall down before him;

may all nations serve him.

¹² For he helps the needy person who cries out

and the poor person who has no other helper.

¹³ He has pity on the poor and needy,

and he saves the lives of needy people.

¹⁴ He redeems their lives from oppression and violence,

and their blood is precious in his sight.

¹⁵ May he live!

May the gold of Sheba be given to him.

May people always pray for him;

may God bless him all day long.

¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land;

on the mountaintops may their crops wave.

May the fruit of it be like Lebanon;

may the people flourish in the cities like the grass of the field.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;

may his name continue as long as the sun;

may people be blessed in him;

may all nations call him blessed.

¹⁸ May Yahweh God, the God of Israel, be blessed,

who alone does wonderful things.

¹⁹ May his glorious name be blessed forever,

and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and Amen.

²⁰ The prayers of David son of Jesse are finished.

Book Three

(Psalms 73-89)

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ Surely God is good to Israel,

to those with a pure heart.

² But as for me, my feet almost slipped;

my feet almost slipped out from under me

³ because I was envious of the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For they have no pain until their death,

but they are strong and well fed.

⁵ They are not in trouble like other men;

they are not afflicted like other men.

⁶ Pride adorns them like a necklace around their neck;

violence clothes them like a robe.

⁷ Out of such blindness comes sin;

evil thoughts pass through their hearts.

⁸ They mock and speak wickedly;

in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens,

and their tongues march through the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore his people turn to them

and abundant waters are drained out.

¹¹ They say, "How does God know?

Is there knowledge with the Most High?"

¹² Take notice: these people are wicked;

they are always at ease, becoming richer and richer.

¹³ Surely it is in vain that I have guarded my heart

and washed my hands in innocence.

¹⁴ For all the day long I have been afflicted

and disciplined every morning.

¹⁵ If I had said, "I will say these things,"

then I would have betrayed this generation of your children.

¹⁶ Though I tried to understand these things,

it was too difficult for me.

¹⁷ Then I went into God's sanctuary

and came to understand their fate.

¹⁸ Surely you put them in slippery places;

you bring them down to ruin.

¹⁹ How they become a wilderness in a moment!

They come to an end and are finished in awful terrors.

²⁰ They are like a dream after one wakes up;

Lord, when you arise,

you will despise their image.

²¹ For my heart was embittered,

and I was deeply wounded.

²² I was ignorant and lacked insight;

I was like a senseless animal before you.

²³ Yet I am always with you;

you hold my right hand.

²⁴ You will guide me with your advice

and afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?

There is no one on earth that I desire but you.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart grow weak,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;

you will destroy all those who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But as for me, all I need to do is to approach God.

I have made the Lord Yahweh my refuge.

I will declare all your deeds.

Psalm 74

A maschil of Asaph.

¹ God, why have you rejected us forever?

Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

² Call to mind your people, whom you purchased in ancient times,

the tribe whom you have redeemed to be your own heritage,

and Mount Zion, where you live.

³ Come look at the everlasting ruins,

all the damage that the enemy has done in the holy place.

⁴ Your adversaries roared in the middle of your appointed place;

they set up their battle flags.

⁵ They hacked away with axes

as in a thick forest.

⁶ They smashed and broke down all the engravings;

they broke them with axes and hammers.

⁷ They set your sanctuary on fire, knocking it to the ground;

they desecrated the dwelling place of your name.

⁸ They said in their hearts, "We will destroy them all."

They burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

⁹ We do not see any more signs;

there is no prophet any more,

and no one among us knows how long this will last.

¹⁰ How long, God, will the enemy throw insults at you?

Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever?

¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take your right hand from your garment and destroy them.

¹² Yet God has been my king from ancient times,

bringing salvation on the earth.

¹³ You divided the sea by your strength;

you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

¹⁴ You crushed the heads of leviathan;

you fed him to those living in the wilderness.

¹⁵ You broke open springs and streams;

you dried up flowing rivers.

¹⁶ The day is yours, and the night is yours also;

you set the light and the sun in place.

¹⁷ You have set all the borders of the earth;

you have made summer and winter.

¹⁸ Call to mind how the enemy hurled insults at you, Yahweh,

and that a foolish people has blasphemed your name.

¹⁹ Do not give the life of your dove to a wild animal.

Do not forget forever the life of your oppressed people.

²⁰ Remember your covenant,

for the dark regions of the land are full of places of violence.

²¹ Do not let the oppressed be turned back in shame;

let the poor and oppressed praise your name.

²² Arise, God; plead your own cause;

call to mind how fools mock you all day long.

²³ Do not forget the voice of your adversaries

or the uproar of those who continually defy you.

Psalm 75

For the chief musician; set to Al Tashheth. A psalm of Asaph, a song.

¹ We give thanks to you, God;

we give thanks, for your name is near;

people tell of your wondrous works.

² At the appointed time

I will judge fairly.

³ Though the earth and all the inhabitants shake in fear,

I make steady the earth's pillars.

Selah

⁴ I said to the arrogant, "Do not be arrogant,"

and to the wicked, "Do not lift up the horn.

⁵ Do not lift up your horn to the heights;

do not speak with an arrogant neck."

⁶ It is not from the east or from the west,

and it is not from the wilderness that lifting up comes.

⁷ But God is the judge;

he brings down and he lifts up.

⁸ For Yahweh holds in his hand a cup of foaming wine,

which is mixed with spices, and pours it out.

Surely all the wicked of the earth

will drink it to the last drop.

⁹ But I will continually tell what you have done;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰ He says, "I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,

but the horns of the righteous will be raised up."

Psalm 76

For the chief musician, on stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph, a song.

¹ God has made himself known in Judah;

his name is great in Israel.

² His tent is in Salem;

his dwelling place is in Zion.

³ There he broke the arrows of the bow,

the shield, the sword, and the other weapons of war.

Selah

⁴ You shine brightly and are majestic

as you descend from the mountains, where you killed your victims.

⁵ The brave of heart were plundered;

they fell asleep.

All the warriors were helpless.

⁶ At your rebuke, God of Jacob,

both charioteer and horse fell asleep.

⁷ You, yes you, are to be feared;

who can stand in your sight when you are angry?

⁸ From heaven you made your judgment heard;

the earth was afraid and silent

⁹ when you, God, arose to execute judgment

and to save all the oppressed of the earth.

Selah

¹⁰ Surely your angry judgment against humanity will bring you praise;

you gird yourself with the remnant of your anger.

¹¹ Make vows to Yahweh your God and keep them.

May all who surround him bring tribute to him who is to be feared.

¹² He cuts off the spirit of the princes;

he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77

For the chief musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.

¹ I will call with my voice to God;

I will call out with my voice to God,

and my God will give ear to me.

² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched my hands out, and they would not become tired.

My soul refused to be comforted.

³ I thought of God as I groaned;

I thought about him as I grew faint.

Selah

⁴ You held my eyes open;

I was too troubled to speak.

⁵ I thought about the days of old,

about years long past.

⁶ During the night I called to mind the song I once sang.

I thought carefully

and tried to understand what had happened.

⁷ Will the Lord reject me forever?

Will he never again show me favor?

⁸ Was his covenant faithfulness gone forever?

Had his promise failed forever?

⁹ Had God forgotten to be gracious?

Had his anger shut off his compassion?

Selah

¹⁰ I said, "This is my sorrow:

the changing of the right hand of the Most High toward us."

¹¹ But I will remember the deeds of Yah; ¹

I will remember your miracles of long ago.

¹² I will ponder all your deeds

and will reflect on them.

¹³ Your way, God, is holy;

what god compares to our great God?

¹⁴ You are the God who does wonders;

you have revealed your strength among the peoples.

¹⁵ You gave your people victory by your great power—

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

¹⁶ The waters saw you, God;

the waters saw you, and they were afraid;

the depths trembled.

¹⁷ The clouds poured down water;

the cloudy skies gave voice;

your arrows flew about.

¹⁸ Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind;

the lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹ Your path went through the sea

and your way through the surging waters,

but your footprints were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78

A maschil of Asaph.

¹ Hear my teaching, my people,

listen to the words of my mouth.

² I will open my mouth in parables;

I will sing about hidden things about the past.

³ These are things that we have heard and learned,

things that our ancestors have told us.

⁴ We will not keep them from their descendants.

We will tell the next generation

about the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh,

his strength, and the wonders that he has done.

⁵ For he established covenant decrees in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

that they were to teach them to their children.

⁶ He commanded this so that the generation to come might know his decrees,

the children not yet born,

who should tell them in turn to their own children.

⁷ Then they would place their hope in God

and not forget his deeds

but keep his commandments.

⁸ Then they would not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose hearts were not right,

and whose spirits were not committed and faithful to God.

⁹ The Ephraimites were armed with bows,

but they turned back on the day of battle.

¹⁰ They did not keep the covenant with God,

and they refused to obey his law.

¹¹ They forgot his deeds,

the wonderful things that he had shown them.

¹² They forgot the marvelous things he did in the sight of their ancestors

in the land of Egypt, in the land of Zoan.

¹³ He divided the sea and led them across it;

he made the waters to stand like walls.

¹⁴ In the daytime he led them with a cloud

and all the night with the light of fire.

¹⁵ He split the rocks in the wilderness,

and he gave them water abundantly,

enough to fill the depths of the sea.

¹⁶ He made streams flow out of the rock

and made the water flow like rivers.

¹⁷ Yet they continued to sin against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

¹⁸ They challenged God in their hearts

by asking for food to satisfy their appetites.

¹⁹ They spoke against God;

they said, "Can God really lay out a table for us in the wilderness?

²⁰ See, when he struck the rock,

waters gushed out

and streams overflowed.

But can he give bread also?

Will he provide meat for his people?"

²¹ When Yahweh heard this, he was angry;

so his fire burned against Jacob,

and his anger attacked Israel,

²² because they did not believe in God

and did not trust in his salvation.

²³ Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of the sky.

²⁴ He rained down manna for them to eat,

and gave them the grain from heaven.

²⁵ People ate the bread of angels.

He sent them food in abundance.

²⁶ He caused the east wind to blow in the sky,

and by his power he guided the south wind.

²⁷ He rained down meat on them like dust,

birds as numerous as the sands of the sea.

²⁸ They fell in the middle of their camp,

all around their tents.

²⁹ So they ate and were full.

He gave them what they craved.

³⁰ But they had not yet filled up;

their food was still in their mouths.

³¹ Then God's anger attacked them

and killed the strongest of them.

He brought down the young men of Israel.

³² Despite this, they continued to sin

and did not believe his wonderful deeds.

³³ Therefore God cut short their days;

their years were filled with terror.

³⁴ Whenever God killed them, they would start to seek him,

and they would return and look earnestly for him.

³⁵ They would call to mind that God was their rock

and that the Most High God was their rescuer.

³⁶ But they would flatter him with their mouth

and lie to him with their words.

³⁷ For their hearts were not firmly fixed on him,

and they were not faithful to his covenant.

³⁸ Yet he, being merciful,

forgave their iniquity

and did not destroy them.

Yes, many times he held back his anger

and did not stir up all his wrath.

³⁹ He called to mind that they were made of flesh,

a wind that passes away and does not return.

⁴⁰ How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the barren regions!

⁴¹ Again and again they challenged God

and offended the Holy One of Israel.

⁴² They did not think about his power,

how he had rescued them from the enemy

⁴³ when he performed his terrifying signs in Egypt

and his wonders in the region of Zoan.

⁴⁴ He turned the Egyptians' rivers to blood

so that they could not drink from their streams.

⁴⁵ He sent swarms of flies that devoured them

and frogs that destroyed them.

⁴⁶ He gave their crops to the grasshopper

and their labor to the locust.

⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail

and their sycamore trees with more hail.

⁴⁸ He rained hail on their cattle

and hurled lightning bolts at their livestock.

⁴⁹ The fierceness of his anger lashed out against them.

He sent wrath, fury, and trouble

like angels who bring disaster.

⁵⁰ He leveled a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death

but gave them over to the plague.

⁵¹ He killed all the firstborn in Egypt,

the firstborn of their strength in the tents of Ham.

⁵² He led his own people out like sheep

and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³ He led them secure and unafraid,

but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴ Then he brought them to the border of his holy land,

to this mountain that his right hand acquired.

⁵⁵ He drove out the nations from before them

and assigned them their inheritance.

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

⁵⁶ Yet they challenged and rebelled

against the Most High God

and did not keep his solemn commands.

⁵⁷ They were unfaithful

and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they were as undependable as a faulty bow.

⁵⁸ For they made him angry with their high places

and provoked him to jealous anger with their idols.

⁵⁹ When God heard this, he was angry

and completely rejected Israel.

⁶⁰ He abandoned the sanctuary of Shiloh,

the tent where he had lived among people.

⁶¹ He allowed his strength to be captured

and gave his glory into the enemy's hand.

⁶² He handed his people over to the sword,

and he was angry with his heritage.

⁶³ Fire devoured their young men,

and their virgins had no wedding songs.

⁶⁴ Their priests fell by the sword,

and their widows could not weep.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord awakened as one from sleep,

like a warrior who shouts because of wine.

⁶⁶ He drove his adversaries back;

he put them to everlasting shame.

⁶⁷ He rejected the tent of Joseph,

and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

⁶⁸ He chose the tribe of Judah

and Mount Zion that he loved.

⁶⁹ He built his sanctuary like the heavens,

like the earth that he has established forever.

⁷⁰ He chose David, his servant,

and took him from the sheepfolds.

⁷¹ He took him from following the ewes with their young,

and he brought him to be shepherd of Jacob,

his people, and of Israel, his heritage.

⁷² David shepherded them with the integrity of his heart,

and he guided them with the skill of his hands.

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ God, foreign nations have come into your inheritance;

they have defiled your holy temple;

they have turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.

² They have given the dead bodies of your servants

as food to the birds of the skies,

the bodies of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.

³ They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem,

and there was none to bury them.

⁴ We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,

mocking and derision to those who are around us.

⁵ How long, Yahweh? Will you stay angry forever?

How long will your jealous anger burn like fire?

⁶ Pour out your wrath on the nations

that do not know you

and on the kingdoms

that do not call upon your name.

⁷ For they have devoured Jacob

and laid waste his villages.

⁸ Do not hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us;

may your merciful actions come to us,

for we are very low.

⁹ Help us, God of our salvation,

for the sake of the glory of your name;

save us and forgive our sins

for your name's sake.

¹⁰ Why should the nations say,

"Where is their God?"

May the blood of your servants that was shed

be avenged on the nations before our eyes.

¹¹ May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

with the greatness of your power keep the children of death alive.

¹² Pay back into the laps of our neighboring countries seven times as much

as the contempt with which they have taunted you, Lord.

¹³ So we your people and sheep of your pasture

will give you thanks forever.

We will tell your praises

to all generations.

Psalm 80

For the chief musician, set to the Shoshannim Eduth style. A psalm of Asaph.

¹ Give ear, Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock;

you who sit above the cherubim,

shine on us!

² In the sight of Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,

stir up your power;

come and save us.

³ God, restore us;

make your face shine on us,

and we will be saved.

⁴ Yahweh God of hosts,

how long will you be angry at your people when they pray?

⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears

and given them tears to drink in great quantities.

⁶ You make us an object of strife for our neighbors,

and our enemies laugh in mockery about us among themselves.

⁷ God of hosts, restore us;

make your face shine on us,

and we will be saved.

⁸ You brought a vine out of Egypt;

you drove out nations and transplanted it.

⁹ You cleared the land for it;

it took root and filled the land.

¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade,

the cedars of God by its branches.

¹¹ It sent out its branches as far as the sea

and its shoots to the Euphrates River.

¹² Why have you broken down its walls

so that all who pass by along the road pluck its fruit?

¹³ The boars out of the forest ruin it,

and the beasts of the field feed on it.

¹⁴ Turn back, God of hosts;

look down from heaven and take notice

and take care of this vine.

¹⁵ This is the root that your right hand planted,

the son that you have strengthened for yourself.

¹⁶ It has been burned and cut down;

they perish because of your rebuke.

¹⁷ May your hand be on the man of your right hand,

on the son of man whom you strengthened for yourself.

¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you;

revive us, and we will call on your name.

¹⁹ Yahweh God of hosts, restore us;

make your face shine on us, and we will be saved.

Psalm 81

For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of Asaph.

¹ Shout joyfullly to God our strength;

shout out for joy to the God of Jacob.

² Sing a song and play the tambourine,

the pleasant harp with the lute.

³ Blow the ram's horn on the day of the new moon,

on the day of the full moon, when our feast day begins.

⁴ For it is a statute for Israel,

a decree given by the God of Jacob.

⁵ He issued it as a regulation in Joseph

when he went against the land of Egypt,

where I heard a voice that I did not recognize:

⁶ "I removed the burden from his shoulder;

his hands were freed from holding the basket.

⁷ In your distress you called out, and I helped you;

I answered you from a dark thundercloud.

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

⁸ Listen, my people, for I will warn you,

Israel, if you would only listen to me!

⁹ There must be no foreign god among you;

you must not worship any foreign god.

¹⁰ I am Yahweh your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹ But my people did not listen to my words;

Israel did not obey me.

¹² So I gave them over to their own stubborn way

so that they might follow their own devices.

¹³ Oh, that my people would listen to me;

oh, that my people would walk in my paths.

¹⁴ Then I would quickly subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their oppressors.

¹⁵ May those who hate Yahweh cringe in fear before him!

May they be humiliated forever.

¹⁶ I would feed Israel with the finest wheat;

I would satisfy you with honey out of the rock."

Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ God stands in the divine assembly;

in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.

² How long will you judge unjustly

and show favoritism to the wicked?

Selah

³ Give justice to the poor and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.

⁴ Rescue the poor and needy;

take them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵ They neither know nor understand;

they wander around in the darkness;

all the foundations of the earth crumble.

⁶ I said, "You are gods,

and all of you are sons of the Most High.

⁷ Nevertheless you will die like men

and fall like one of the princes."

⁸ Arise, God, judge the earth,

for you have an inheritance in all the nations.

Psalm 83

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹ God, do not be silent!

Do not ignore us and remain unmoved, God.

² Look, your enemies are making a commotion,

and those who hate you have raised their heads.

³ They make shrewd plans against your people

and plan together against your protected ones.

⁴ They have said, "Come, and let us destroy them as a nation.

Then the name of Israel will no longer be remembered."

⁵ They schemed together with one strategy;

they made an alliance against you—

⁶ the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

of Moab and the Hagrites,

⁷ Byblos, ¹ Ammon, Amalek;

and also Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.

⁸ Assyria also has joined with them;

they have become an arm for the descendants of Lot.

Selah

⁹ Do to them as you did to Midian,

as you did to Sisera and to Jabin at the Kishon River.

¹⁰ They perished at Endor

and became like manure for the earth.

¹¹ Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna.

¹² They said, "Let us take for ourselves

the pastures of God."

¹³ My God, make them like the whirling dust,

like chaff before the wind,

¹⁴ like the fire that burns the forest,

and like the flame that sets the mountains on fire.

¹⁵ Chase them with your strong wind,

and terrify them with your windstorm.

¹⁶ Fill their faces with shame

so that they might seek your name, Yahweh.

¹⁷ May they be put to shame and be terrified forever;

may they perish in disgrace.

¹⁸ Then they will know that you alone,

whose name is Yahweh,

are the Most High over all the earth.

¹Some modern English translations read, Gebal .

Psalm 84

For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ How lovely is the place where you live,

Yahweh of hosts!

² I long for the courts of Yahweh;

my desire for it has made me exhausted.

My heart and all of my being

shout for joy to the living God.

³ Even the sparrow has found herself a house

and the swallow a nest for herself

where she may lay her young

near your altars, Yahweh of hosts,

my King, and my God.

⁴ Blessed are they who live in your house;

they praise you continually.

Selah

⁵ Blessed is the man whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways up to Zion.

⁶ As they go through the Valley of Tears

they make it a place of springs.

The early rains cover it with blessings. ¹

⁷ They go from strength to strength;

every one of them appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Yahweh God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, God of Jacob!

Selah

⁹ God, watch over our shield;

show concern for your anointed.

¹⁰ For one day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,

than to live within the tents of the wicked.

¹¹ For Yahweh God is our sun and shield;

Yahweh will give grace and glory;

he does not withhold any good thing

from those who walk in integrity.

¹² Yahweh of hosts,

blessed is the man who trusts in you.

¹Some scholars translate the Hebrew as cover it with pools of water .

Psalm 85

For the chief musician. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ Yahweh, you have shown favor to your land;

you have restored the well-being of Jacob.

² You have forgiven the iniquity of your people;

you have covered all their sin.

Selah

³ You have withdrawn all your wrath;

you have turned back from your hot anger.

⁴ Restore us, God of our salvation,

and let go of your displeasure with us.

⁵ Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you remain angry throughout future generations?

⁶ Will you not revive us again?

Then your people will rejoice in you.

⁷ Show us your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh;

grant us your salvation.

⁸ I will listen to what Yahweh God says,

for he will make peace with his people, his faithful ones.

Yet they must not turn again to foolish ways.

⁹ Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him;

then glory will remain in our land.

¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness have met together;

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

¹¹ Trustworthiness springs up from the ground,

and righteousness looks down from the sky.

¹² Yes, Yahweh will give his good blessings,

and our land will yield its crops.

¹³ Righteousness will go before him

and make a way for his footsteps.

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

¹ Listen, Yahweh, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

² Protect me, for I am faithful;

my God, save your servant who trusts in you.

³ Be merciful to me, Lord,

for I cry out to you all day long.

⁴ Make your servant glad,

for to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.

⁵ You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

abounding in steadfast love to all those who cry out to you.

⁶ Give ear, Yahweh, to my prayer;

hear the sound of my pleas.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I call on you,

for you will answer me.

⁸ There is no one who compares to you among the gods, Lord.

There are no deeds like your deeds.

⁹ All the nations that you have made

will come and bow before you, Lord.

They will honor your name.

¹⁰ For you are great and do wonderful things;

you only are God.

¹¹ Teach me your ways, Yahweh.

Then I will walk in your truth.

Unite my heart

to reverence your name.

¹² Lord my God, I will praise you with my whole heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

¹³ For great is your covenant faithfulness toward me;

you have rescued my life from the depths of Sheol.

¹⁴ God, the arrogant have risen up against me.

A company of violent men seek my life.

They have no regard for you.

¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

¹⁶ Turn toward me and have mercy on me;

give your strength to your servant;

save the son of your servant woman.

¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will see it and be put to shame

because you, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 87

A psalm of the sons of Korah; a song.

¹ On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

² Yahweh loves the gates of Zion

more than all the tents of Jacob.

³ Glorious things are said of you,

city of God.

Selah

⁴ "I mention Rahab and Babylon to my followers.

See, there are Philistia, and Tyre, along with Cush—

and will say, 'This one was born there.'"

⁵ Of Zion it will be said,

"Each of these was born in her;

and the Most High himself will establish her."

⁶ Yahweh writes in the census book of the nations,

"This one was born there."

Selah

⁷ So also the singers and the dancers say together,

"All my fountains are in you."

Psalm 88

A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah; for the chief musician; set to the Mahalath Leannoth style. A maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.

¹ Yahweh, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you.

² Listen to my prayer;

pay attention to my cry.

³ For I am filled with troubles,

and my life has reached Sheol.

⁴ People treat me like those who go down into the pit;

I am a man with no strength.

⁵ I am free among the dead;

I am like the dead who lie in the grave,

about whom you care no more

because they are cut off from your power.

⁶ You place me in the lowest part of the pit,

in the dark and deep places.

⁷ Your wrath lies heavy on me,

and all your waves crash over me.

Selah

⁸ Because of you, my acquaintances avoid me.

You have made me an abomination to them.

I am hemmed in and I cannot escape.

⁹ My eyes grow weary from trouble;

All day long I call out to you, Yahweh;

I spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰ Will you do wonders for the dead?

Will those who have died rise and praise you?

Selah

¹¹ Will your covenant faithfulness be proclaimed in the grave,

your faithfulness in the place of the dead?

¹² Will your wonderful deeds be known in the darkness,

or your righteousness in the place of forgetfulness?

¹³ But I cry to you, Yahweh;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴ Yahweh, why do you reject me?

Why do you hide your face from me?

¹⁵ I have always been afflicted and on the verge of death since my youth.

I have suffered from your terrors;

I am in despair.

¹⁶ Your burning anger has passed over me,

and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.

¹⁷ They surround me like water all the day long;

they have all encircled me.

¹⁸ You have removed every friend and acquaintance from me.

My only acquaintance is the darkness.

Psalm 89

A maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹ I will sing of Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness forever.

I will proclaim your truthfulness to future generations.

² For I have said, “Covenant faithfulness has been established forever;

your truthfulness you have established in the heavens.”

³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have made an oath to David my servant:

⁴ ‘I will establish your descendants forever,

and I will establish your throne through all generations.‘”

Selah

⁵ The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh;

your truthfulness is praised in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶ For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh?

Who among the sons of the gods is like Yahweh?

⁷ He is a God who is greatly honored in the council of the holy ones

and is awesome among all who surround him.

⁸ Yahweh God of hosts,

who is strong like Yah? ¹

Your truthfulness surrounds you.

⁹ You rule the raging sea;

when the waves surge, you calm them.

¹⁰ You crushed Rahab as one who is killed.

You scattered your enemies with your strong arm.

¹¹ The heavens belong to you, and the earth also.

You established the world and all it contains.

¹² You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

¹³ You have a mighty arm

and a strong hand, and your right hand is high.

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Steadfast love and faithfulness come before you.

¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

Yahweh, they walk in the light of your face.

¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long,

and in your righteousness they exalt you.

¹⁷ You are their glorious strength,

and by your favor our horn is exalted.

¹⁸ For our shield belongs to Yahweh;

our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹ Long ago you spoke in a vision

to your faithful ones; ²

you said, "I have set a crown on a mighty one." ³

I have raised up one chosen from among the people.

²⁰ I have chosen David my servant;

with my holy oil have I anointed him.

²¹ My hand will support him;

my arm will strengthen him.

²² No enemy will deceive him;

no son of wickedness will oppress him.

²³ I will crush his enemies before him;

I will kill those who hate him.

²⁴ My truth and my covenant faithfulness will be with him;

by my name his horn will be exalted.

²⁵ I will place his hand over the sea

and his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶ He will call out to me, 'You are my Father,

my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

²⁷ I also will place him as my firstborn son,

the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

²⁸ I will extend my covenant faithfulness to him forever;

and my covenant with him will be secure.

²⁹ I will make his descendants endure forever

and his throne as enduring as the skies above.

³⁰ If his children abandon my law

and do not walk in my regulations,

³¹ if they break my rules

and do not keep my commands,

³² then will I punish their rebellion with a rod

and their iniquity with blows.

³³ But I will not remove my steadfast love from him

or be unfaithful to my promise.

³⁴ I will not break my covenant

or change the words of my lips.

³⁵ Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness—

I will not lie to David:

³⁶ his descendants will continue forever

and his throne as long as the sun before me.

³⁷ It will be established forever like the moon,

the faithful witness in the sky."

Selah

³⁸ But you have refused and rejected;

you have been angry with your anointed king.

³⁹ You have renounced the covenant of your servant.

You have desecrated his crown on the ground.

⁴⁰ You have broken down all his walls.

You have ruined his strongholds.

⁴¹ All who pass by have robbed him.

He has become the scorn of his neighbors.

⁴² You have raised the right hand of his enemies;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³ You turn back the edge of his sword

and have not made him stand when in battle.

⁴⁴ You have brought his splendor to an end;

you have brought down his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵ You have shortened the days of his youth.

You have covered him with shame.

Selah

⁴⁶ How long, Yahweh? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your anger burn like fire?

⁴⁷ Oh, think about how short my time is,

and for what vanity you have created all the children of mankind!

⁴⁸ Who can live and not die,

or rescue his own life from the hand of Sheol?

Selah

⁴⁹ Lord, where are your former acts of covenant faithfulness

that you swore to David in your truthfulness?

⁵⁰ Call to mind, Lord, the mocking directed against your servants

and how I bear in my heart so many insults from the nations.

⁵¹ Your enemies hurl insults, Yahweh;

they mock the footsteps of your anointed one.

⁵² Blessed be Yahweh forever.

Amen and Amen.

Book Four

(Psalms 90-106)

²Many ancient copies of the Hebrew text have the singular faithful one instead of faithful ones .

³The ancient copies of the Hebrew text have I will place help upon a warrior . Some scholars translate the word for help as crown and that is how the ULB editors have translated the word here.

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

¹ Lord, you have been our refuge

throughout all generations.

² Before the mountains were formed,

or you formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

³ You return man to dust,

and you say, "Return, you descendants of mankind."

⁴ For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday when it is past,

and as a watch in the night.

⁵ You sweep them away as with a flood and they sleep;

in the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up.

⁶ In the morning it blooms and grows up;

in the evening it withers and dries up.

⁷ Truly, we are consumed in your anger,

and in your wrath we are terrified.

⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,

our hidden sins in the light of your presence.

⁹ Our life passes away under your wrath;

our years quickly pass like a sigh.

¹⁰ Our years are seventy,

or even eighty if we are healthy;

but even our best years are marked by trouble and sorrow.

Yes, they pass quickly, and we fly away.

¹¹ Who knows the power of your anger,

and your wrath that is equal to the fear of you?

¹² So teach us to consider our life

so that we might gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Turn back, Yahweh! How long will it be?

Have pity on your servants.

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your covenant faithfulness

so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

¹⁵ Make us glad in proportion to the days you afflicted us

and to the years we have experienced trouble.

¹⁶ Let your servants see your work,

and let our children see your majesty.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God be ours;

prosper the work of our hands;

indeed, prosper the work of our hands.

Psalm 91

¹ He who lives in the shelter of the Most High

will stay in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

³ For he will rescue you

from the snare of the hunter

and from the destructive plague.

⁴ He will cover you with his wings,

and under his wings you will find refuge.

His faithfulness is a shield and protection.

⁵ You will not be afraid of terror in the night,

or of the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ or of the plague that stalks in the darkness,

or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side

and ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not reach you.

⁸ You will only observe

and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ For Yahweh is my refuge!

Make the Most High your refuge also.

¹⁰ No evil will overtake you;

no affliction will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will put his angels in charge over you,

to guard you in all your ways.

¹² They will lift you up with their hand

so that you will not hit your foot on a stone.

¹³ You will crush lions and asps under your feet;

you will trample on young lions and serpents.

¹⁴ Because he delights in me, I will rescue him.

I will protect him because he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ When he calls to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him in trouble;

I will give him victory and will honor him.

¹⁶ I will satisfy him with the length of his days,

and show him my salvation.

Psalm 92

A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day.

¹ It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh

and to sing praises to your name, Most High,

² to proclaim your covenant faithfulness in the morning

and your truthfulness every night,

³ with a lute of ten strings

and the resounding music of the harp.

⁴ For you, Yahweh, have made me glad through your deeds.

I will sing for joy because of the deeds of your hands.

⁵ How great are your deeds, Yahweh!

Your thoughts are very deep.

⁶ A brutish person does not know,

nor does a fool understand this:

⁷ When the wicked sprout like the grass,

and even when all those who behave wickedly thrive,

still they are doomed to eternal destruction.

⁸ But you, Yahweh, will reign forever.

⁹ Indeed, look at your enemies, Yahweh!

Indeed, look at your enemies. They will perish!

All those who behave wickedly will be scattered.

¹⁰ You have lifted up my horn like the horn of the wild ox;

I am anointed with fresh oil.

¹¹ My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard of the doom of my evil foes.

¹² The righteous will flourish like the palm tree;

they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹³ They are planted in the house of Yahweh;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They bear fruit even when they are old;

they stay fresh and green,

¹⁵ to proclaim that Yahweh is just.

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Psalm 93

¹ Yahweh reigns; he is robed in majesty;

Yahweh has clothed and girded himself with strength.

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

² Your throne is established from ancient times;

you are from everlasting.

³ The oceans rise, Yahweh;

they have lifted up their voice;

the oceans' waves crash and roar.

⁴ Above the crashing of many waves,

the mighty breakers of the sea,

Yahweh on high is mighty.

⁵ Your solemn commands are very trustworthy;

holiness adorns your house,

Yahweh, for the length of your days.

Psalm 94

¹ Yahweh, God who avenges,

God who avenges, shine over us.

² Rise up, judge of the earth,

give recompense to the proud.

³ How long will the wicked, Yahweh,

how long will the wicked rejoice?

⁴ They pour out their arrogant words;

all those who behave wickedly boast.

⁵ They crush your people, Yahweh;

they afflict your heritage.

⁶ They kill the widow and foreigner who lives in their country,

and they murder the fatherless.

⁷ They say, "Yah does not see;

the God of Jacob does not take notice of it." ¹

⁸ Pay attention, you stupid people!

You fools, when will you gain understanding?

⁹ He who made the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

¹⁰ He who disciplines the nations, does he not correct?

He is the one who gives knowledge to man.

¹¹ Yahweh knows the thoughts of men,

that they are vapor.

¹² Blessed is the one whom Yah instructs,

the one whom you teach from your law. ²

¹³ You give him rest in times of trouble

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

¹⁴ For Yahweh will not abandon his people

or abandon his inheritance.

¹⁵ For judgment will again be righteous;

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶ Who will rise up to defend me against the evildoers?

Who will stand up for me against those who behave wickedly?

¹⁷ Unless Yahweh had been my help,

I would soon be lying down in the place of silence.

¹⁸ When I said, "My foot is slipping,"

Your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, held me up.

¹⁹ When cares within me are many,

your consolations delight my soul.

²⁰ Can a throne of destruction be allied with you,

one that creates trouble by statute?

²¹ They conspire together to take the life of the righteous

and they declare guilty the blood of the innocent.

²² But Yahweh has been my high tower,

and my God has been the rock of my refuge.

²³ He will bring on them their own iniquity

and will cut them off in their own wickedness.

Yahweh our God will cut them off.

Psalm 95

¹ Oh come, let us sing to Yahweh;

let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

² Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving;

let us shout joyfully to him with psalms of praise.

³ For Yahweh is a great God

and a great King superior to all gods.

⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his.

⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before Yahweh, our Creator:

⁷ For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

Today—oh, that you would hear his voice!

⁸ "Do not harden your heart, as at Meribah,

or as on the day of Massah in the wilderness,

⁹ where your forefathers tested me;

they put me to the test, though they had seen my deeds.

¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with that generation

and said, 'This is a people whose hearts wander astray;

they have not known my ways.'

¹¹ Therefore I swore in my anger

that they would never enter into my resting place."

Psalm 96

¹ Oh, sing to Yahweh a new song;

sing to Yahweh, all the earth.

² Sing to Yahweh, bless his name;

announce his salvation day after day.

³ Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all the nations.

⁴ For Yahweh is great and is to be praised greatly.

He is to be feared above all other gods.

⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but it is Yahweh who made the heavens.

⁶ Splendor and majesty are in his presence.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe to Yahweh, you clans of peoples,

ascribe praise to Yahweh for his glory and strength.

⁸ Give to Yahweh the glory that his name deserves.

Bring an offering and come into his courts.

⁹ Bow down to Yahweh in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

¹⁰ Say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns."

The world also is established; it cannot be shaken.

He judges the peoples fairly.

¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar and that which fills it shout with joy.

¹² Let the fields rejoice and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees in the forest shout for joy

¹³ before Yahweh, for he is coming.

He is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with his faithfulness.

Psalm 97

¹ Yahweh reigns; let the earth rejoice;

let the many coastlands be glad.

² Clouds and darkness surround him.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³ Fire goes before him

and consumes his adversaries on every side.

⁴ His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

⁵ The mountains melt like wax before Yahweh,

the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶ The skies declare his justice,

and all the nations see his glory.

⁷ All those who worship carved figures will be shamed,

those who boast in worthless idols—

bow down to him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion heard and was glad,

and the towns of Judah rejoiced

because of your righteous decrees, Yahweh.

⁹ For you, Yahweh, are most high above all the earth.

You are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ You who love Yahweh, hate evil!

He protects the lives of his faithful ones,

and he takes them out of the hand of the wicked.

¹¹ Light is sown for the righteous

and gladness for those with honest hearts.

¹² Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous;

and give thanks when you remember his holiness.

Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹ Oh, sing to Yahweh a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have given him victory.

² Yahweh has made known his salvation;

he has openly showed his justice to all the nations.

³ He calls to mind his steadfast love

and faithfulness for the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth will see

the victory of our God.

⁴ Shout for joy to Yahweh, all the earth;

burst into song, sing for joy, and sing praises.

⁵ Sing praises to Yahweh with the harp,

with the harp and melodious song.

⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn,

shout joyfully before the King, Yahweh.

⁷ Let the sea shout and everything in it,

the world and those who live in it!

⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,

and let the mountains shout for joy.

⁹ Yahweh is coming to judge the earth;

he will judge the world with righteousness

and the nations with fairness.

Psalm 99

¹ Yahweh reigns;

let the nations tremble.

He sits enthroned above the cherubim;

the earth quakes.

² Yahweh is great in Zion;

he is exalted above all the nations.

³ Let them praise your great and awesome name;

he is holy.

⁴ The king is strong, and he loves justice.

You have established fairness;

you have done righteousness

and justice in Jacob.

⁵ Praise Yahweh our God

and worship at his footstool.

He is holy.

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

and Samuel was among those who called on his name.

They called to Yahweh,

and he answered them.

⁷ He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.

They kept his solemn commands

and the statutes that he gave them.

⁸ You answered them,

Yahweh our God.

A forgiving God you were to them,

but also an avenger of their sinful deeds.

⁹ Praise Yahweh our God,

and worship at his holy hill,

for Yahweh our God is holy.

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

¹ Shout joyfully to Yahweh, all the earth.

² Serve Yahweh with gladness;

come before his presence with joyful singing.

³ Know that Yahweh is God;

he made us, and we are his.

We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving

and into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.

⁵ For Yahweh is good; his covenant faithfulness endures forever

and his truthfulness through all generations.

Psalm 101

A psalm of David.

¹ I will sing of covenant faithfulness and justice;

to you, Yahweh, I will sing praises.

² I will pay attention to the way of integrity.

Oh, when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.

³ I will not put wrongdoing before my eyes;

I hate worthless evil;

it will not cling to me.

⁴ A perverse heart will leave me;

I am not loyal to evil.

⁵ I will destroy whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.

I will not tolerate the haughty of eye and arrogant of heart.

⁶ I will look to the faithful of the land to sit at my side.

Those who walk in the way of integrity may serve me.

⁷ Deceitful people will not remain within my house;

liars will not be welcome before my eyes.

⁸ Morning by morning

I will destroy all the wicked from the land;

I will remove all who behave wickedly

from the city of Yahweh.

Psalm 102

A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his lament before Yahweh.

¹ Hear my prayer, Yahweh;

hear my cry to you.

² Do not hide your face from me in my time of trouble.

Listen to me.

When I call out to you,

answer me quickly.

³ For my days pass away like smoke,

and my bones burn like fire.

⁴ My heart is crushed, and I am like grass that has withered.

I forget to eat any food.

⁵ With my continual groaning,

I have become very thin.

⁶ I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I have become like an owl in the ruins.

⁷ I lie awake like a solitary bird,

alone on the housetop.

⁸ My enemies taunt me all day long;

those who mock me use my name in curses.

⁹ I eat ashes like bread

and mix my drink with tears.

¹⁰ Because of your raging anger,

you have lifted me up to throw me down.

¹¹ My days are like a shadow that fades,

and I have withered like grass.

¹² But you, Yahweh, live forever,

and your fame is for all generations.

¹³ You will rise up and have mercy on Zion.

Now is the time to have mercy upon her;

the appointed time has come.

¹⁴ For your servants hold her stones dear

and feel compassion for the dust of her ruins.

¹⁵ The nations will respect your name, Yahweh,

and all the kings of the earth will honor your glory.

¹⁶ Yahweh will rebuild Zion

and will appear in his glory.

¹⁷ At that time, he will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not reject their prayer.

¹⁸ This will be written for future generations,

and a people not yet created will praise Yah. ¹

¹⁹ For he has looked down from the holy heights;

from heaven Yahweh has viewed the earth,

²⁰ to hear the groaning of the prisoners,

to release those who were condemned to death.

²¹ Then men will proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

²² when the peoples and kingdoms gather together

to serve Yahweh.

²³ He has taken away my strength in the middle of life.

He has shortened my days.

²⁴ I said, "My God, do not take me away in the middle of life;

you are here throughout all generations.

²⁵ In ancient times you established the earth;

the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶ They will perish, but you will remain;

they will all grow old like a garment;

like clothing, you will remove them,

and they will disappear.

²⁷ But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.

²⁸ The children of your servants will live on,

and their descendants will live in your presence."

Psalm 103

A psalm of David.

¹ I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

and with all that is within me,

I give praise to his holy name.

² I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

and I remember all of his good deeds.

³ He forgives all your iniquities;

he heals all your diseases.

⁴ He redeems your life from the pit;

he crowns you with covenant faithfulness and acts of tender mercy.

⁵ He satisfies your life with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

⁶ Yahweh does what is fair

and does acts of justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the descendants of Israel.

⁸ Yahweh is merciful and gracious;

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

⁹ He will not discipline forever;

he will not be angry to eternity.

¹⁰ He does not deal with us as our sins deserve

or repay us for what our iniquities demand.

¹¹ For as the skies are high above the earth,

so great is his covenant faithfulness toward those who honor him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west,

this is how far he has removed the guilt of our sins from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,

so Yahweh has compassion on those who honor him.

¹⁴ For he knows how we are formed;

he knows that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower in a field.

¹⁶ The wind blows over it, and it disappears,

and no one can even tell where it once grew.

¹⁷ But the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting

on those who honor him.

His righteousness extends to their descendants.

¹⁸ They keep his covenant

and remember to obey his instructions.

¹⁹ Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over everyone.

²⁰ Give praise to Yahweh, you his angels,

you mighty ones who are strong and do his word,

and obey the sound of his word.

²¹ Give praise to Yahweh, all his hosts,

his servants who do his will.

²² Give praise to Yahweh, all his creatures,

in all the places where he reigns.

I will give praise to Yahweh with all my life.

Psalm 104

¹ I give praise to Yahweh with all my life,

Yahweh my God, you are very magnificent;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² You cover yourself with light as with a garment;

you spread out the heavens like a tent curtain.

³ You lay the beams of your chambers on the clouds;

you make the clouds your chariot;

you walk on the wings of the wind.

⁴ He makes the winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

⁵ He laid the foundations of the earth,

so that it will not totter forever and ever.

⁶ You covered the earth with water like a garment;

the water covered the mountains.

⁷ At your rebuke the waters retreated;

at the sound of your thunder they hurried away.

⁸ The mountains rose and the valleys went down

to the places that you had appointed for them.

⁹ You have set a boundary for them that they will not cross;

they will not cover the earth again.

¹⁰ He made springs flow into the valleys;

the streams flow between the mountains.

¹¹ They supply water for all the animals of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹² By the riverbanks the birds build their nests;

they sing among the branches.

¹³ He waters the mountains from his water chambers in the sky.

The earth is filled with the fruit of his labor.

¹⁴ He makes the grass grow for the cattle

and plants for man to cultivate,

so that man may produce food from the earth.

¹⁵ He makes wine to make man happy,

oil to make his face shine,

and food to sustain his life.

¹⁶ The trees of Yahweh get plenty of rain;

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted.

¹⁷ There the birds make their nests.

The stork makes the cypress tree her home.

¹⁸ The wild goats live on the high mountains;

the mountain heights are a refuge for the hyraxes.

¹⁹ He appointed the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows its time for setting.

²⁰ You make the darkness of the night

when all the beasts of the forest come out.

²¹ The young lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

²² When the sun rises, they retreat

and sleep in their dens.

²³ Meanwhile, people go out to their work

and labor away until the evening.

²⁴ Yahweh, how many and varied are your works!

With wisdom you made them all;

the earth overflows with your works.

²⁵ Over there is the sea, deep and wide,

teeming with innumerable creatures,

both small and great.

²⁶ The ships travel there,

and Leviathan is also there, which you formed to play in the sea.

²⁷ All these look to you in hope

that you will give them their food on time.

²⁸ When you give to them, they gather;

when you open your hand, they are satisfied.

²⁹ When you hide your face, they are troubled;

if you take away their breath, they die

and return to dust.

³⁰ When you send out your Spirit,

they are created,

and you renew the surface of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of Yahweh last forever;

may Yahweh enjoy his creation.

³² He looks down on the earth, and it shakes;

he touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to Yahweh all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³⁴ May my thoughts be sweet to him;

I will rejoice in Yahweh.

³⁵ May sinners vanish from the earth,

and let the wicked be no more.

I give praise to Yahweh with all my life.

Give praise to Yah. ¹

Psalm 105

¹ Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations.

² Sing to him, sing praises to him;

speak of all his marvelous deeds.

³ Boast in his holy name;

let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

⁴ Seek Yahweh and his strength;

seek his presence continually.

⁵ Recall the marvelous things he has done,

his miracles and the decrees from his mouth,

⁶ you descendants of Abraham his servant,

you people of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷ He is Yahweh, our God.

His decrees are on all the earth.

⁸ He keeps in mind his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded for a thousand generations.

⁹ He calls to mind the covenant that he made with Abraham

and his oath to Isaac.

¹⁰ This is what he confirmed to Jacob as a statute

and to Israel as an everlasting covenant.

¹¹ He said, "I will give you the land of Canaan

as your share of your inheritance."

¹² He said this when they were only few in number,

so very few, and were strangers in the land.

¹³ They went from nation to nation

and from one kingdom to another.

¹⁴ He did not allow anyone to oppress them;

he rebuked kings for their sakes.

¹⁵ He said, "Do not touch my anointed ones,

and do not harm my prophets."

¹⁶ He called for a famine on the land;

he cut off the whole staff of bread.

¹⁷ He sent a man ahead of them;

Joseph was sold as a servant.

¹⁸ His feet were bound by shackles;

on his neck was put an iron collar,

¹⁹ until what he had said came to pass.

The word of Yahweh tested him.

²⁰ The king sent servants to release him;

the ruler of the people set him free.

²¹ He put him in charge of his house

as ruler of all his possessions

²² to instruct his princes as he wished

and to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then Israel came into Egypt,

and Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham.

²⁴ Yahweh made his people fruitful,

and made them stronger than their enemies.

²⁵ He caused their enemies to hate his people,

to mistreat his servants.

²⁶ He sent Moses, his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷ They performed his signs among the Egyptians,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸ He sent darkness and made that land dark,

and they did not rebel against his commands.

²⁹ He turned their water into blood

and killed their fish.

³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,

even in the rooms of their rulers.

³¹ He spoke, and swarms of flies and gnats came

throughout their country.

³² He turned their rain into hail,

with fire flaming on their land.

³³ He destroyed their vines and fig trees;

he broke the trees of their country.

³⁴ He spoke, and the locusts came,

so many locusts.

³⁵ The locusts ate up all of the vegetation in their land;

They ate up all the crops of the ground.

³⁶ He killed every firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ He brought the Israelites out with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled on the way.

³⁸ Egypt was glad when they went away,

for the Egyptians were afraid of them.

³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering

and made a fire to light up the night.

⁴⁰ The Israelites asked for food, and he brought quail

and satisfied them with bread from heaven.

⁴¹ He split the rock, and waters gushed from it;

they flowed in the wilderness like a river.

⁴² For he called to mind his holy promise

that he made to Abraham his servant.

⁴³ He led his people out with joy,

his chosen with shouts of triumph.

⁴⁴ He gave them the lands of the nations;

they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' labors

⁴⁵ so that they might keep his statutes

and obey his laws.

Give praise to Yah. ¹

Psalm 106

¹ Give praise to Yah. ¹

Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

² Who can recount the mighty acts of Yahweh

or proclaim in full all his praiseworthy deeds?

³ Blessed are those who do what is right,

and whose deeds are always just.

⁴ Call me to mind, Yahweh, when you show favor to your people;

help me when you save them.

⁵ Then I will see the prosperity of your chosen,

rejoice in the gladness of your nation,

and glory with your inheritance.

⁶ We have sinned like our ancestors;

we have done wrong, and we have done evil.

⁷ Our fathers did not pay attention to your marvelous deeds in Egypt;

they ignored your many acts of covenant faithfulness;

they were rebellious at the sea, the Sea of Reeds.

⁸ Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake

so that he might reveal his power.

⁹ He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up.

Then he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.

¹⁰ He saved them from the hand of those who hated them,

and he rescued them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹ But the waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them survived.

¹² Then they believed his words,

and they sang his praise.

¹³ But they quickly forgot his deeds;

they did not wait for his instructions.

¹⁴ They had insatiable cravings in the wilderness,

and they challenged God in the desert.

¹⁵ So he gave them what they requested,

but he sent a horrible disease upon them.

¹⁶ In the camp they became jealous of Moses

and Aaron, the holy priest of Yahweh.

¹⁷ The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan

and covered the company of Abiram.

¹⁸ Fire broke out in their company;

the fire consumed the wicked.

¹⁹ They made a calf at Horeb

and worshiped a cast metal figure.

²⁰ They traded the glory of God

for the image of a bull that eats grass.

²¹ They forgot God their Savior,

who had done great deeds in Egypt.

²² He had done wonderful things in the land of Ham

and awesome deeds at the Sea of Reeds.

²³ So he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him,

to turn away his anger from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they despised the delightful land;

they did not believe his promise,

²⁵ but grumbled in their tents,

and did not obey Yahweh.

²⁶ Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them

that he would let them die in the desert,

²⁷ scatter their descendants among the nations,

and scatter them in foreign lands.

²⁸ They worshiped the Baal of Peor

and ate the sacrifices offered to the dead.

²⁹ They provoked him to anger with their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

³⁰ Then Phinehas stood up and mediated,

and the plague subsided.

³¹ It was counted to him as a righteous deed

to all generations forever.

³² They also angered Yahweh at the waters of Meribah,

and Moses suffered because of them.

³³ They made his spirit bitter,

and he spoke thoughtlessly with his lips.

³⁴ They did not destroy the nations

as Yahweh had commanded them,

³⁵ but they mingled with the nations,

learned their practices,

³⁶ and worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

³⁷ They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

³⁸ They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and of their daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

desecrating the land with blood.

³⁹ They were defiled by their deeds;

in their actions they were like prostitutes.

⁴⁰ So Yahweh was angry with his people,

and he abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹ He gave them into the hand of the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

⁴² Their enemies oppressed them,

and they were brought into subjection to their authority.

⁴³ Many times he came to help them,

but they were rebellious in their purposes

and were brought low by their own iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, he paid attention to their distress

when he heard their cry for help.

⁴⁵ He called to mind his covenant with them

and relented because of his steadfast love.

⁴⁶ He caused all their captors

to have pity on them.

⁴⁷ Save us, Yahweh, our God.

Gather us from among the nations

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praises.

⁴⁸ May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised

from everlasting to everlasting.

All the people said, "Amen."

Give praise to Yah. ²

Book Five

(Psalms 107-150)

Psalm 107

¹ Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

and his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

² Let the redeemed of Yahweh speak out,

those he has rescued from the hand of the enemy.

³ He has gathered them out of foreign lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

⁴ They wandered in the wilderness on a desert road

and found no city in which to live.

⁵ Because they were hungry and thirsty,

they fainted from exhaustion.

⁶ Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he rescued them out of their distress.

⁷ He led them by a direct path

so that they would go to a city to live in.

⁸ Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

⁹ For he satisfies the longings of those who are thirsty,

and the desires of those who are hungry he fills up with good things.

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

prisoners in affliction and chains.

¹¹ This was because they had rebelled against God's word

and rejected the instruction of the Most High.

¹² He humbled their hearts through hardship;

they stumbled and there was no one to help them up.

¹³ Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he saved them out of their distress.

¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and gloom

and broke their bonds.

¹⁵ Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

¹⁶ For he has broken the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

¹⁷ They were foolish in their rebellious ways

and afflicted because of their iniquities.

¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all food,

and they came close to the gates of death.

¹⁹ Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he saved them out of their distress.

²⁰ He sent his word and healed them,

and he rescued them from the pits in which they were trapped.

²¹ Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

²² Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving

and proclaim his deeds with shouts of joy.

²³ Some travel on the sea in ships

and do business overseas.

²⁴ These saw the deeds of Yahweh

and his wonders on the seas.

²⁵ For he commanded and aroused the windstorm

that stirs up the seas.

²⁶ They reached up to the sky; they went down to the depths.

Their lives melted away in distress.

²⁷ They swayed and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits' end.

²⁸ Then they called out to Yahweh in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

²⁹ He calmed the storm,

and the waves were stilled.

³⁰ Then they rejoiced because the sea was calm,

and he brought them to their desired harbor.

³¹ Oh that people would praise Yahweh for his covenant faithfulness

and for the amazing things he has done for humanity!

³² Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

³³ He turns rivers into a wilderness,

springs of water into dry land,

³⁴ and a fruitful land into a barren place

because of the wickedness of its people.

³⁵ He turns the wilderness into a pool of water

and dry land into springs of water.

³⁶ He settles the hungry there,

and they build a city to live in.

³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards

that yielded a fruitful harvest.

³⁸ He blesses them so they are very numerous.

He does not let their livestock decrease in number.

³⁹ They were diminished and brought low

by oppression, distress, and suffering.

⁴⁰ He pours contempt on the leaders

and causes them to wander in the wilderness, where there are no roads.

⁴¹ But he protects the needy from affliction

and cares for his families like a flock.

⁴² The upright will see this and rejoice,

and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

⁴³ Whoever is wise should take note of these things

and meditate on Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness.

Psalm 108

A song, a psalm of David.

¹ My heart is fixed, God!

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises with all my glory.

² Wake up, lute and harp;

I will wake up the dawn.

³ I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

⁴ For your covenant faithfulness is great above the heavens;

and your trustworthiness reaches to the skies.

⁵ Be exalted, God, above the heavens,

and may your glory be exalted over all the earth.

⁶ So that those you love may be rescued,

rescue us with your right hand and answer me.

⁷ God has spoken in his holiness; "I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem

and apportion out the Valley of Sukkoth.

⁸ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim also is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

⁹ Moab is my washbasin;

over Edom I will throw my sandal;

I will shout in triumph because of Philistia.

¹⁰ Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?"

¹¹ God, have you not rejected us?

You do not go into battle with our army.

¹² Give us help against the enemy,

for man's help is futile.

¹³ We will triumph with God's help;

he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the chief musician. A psalm of David.

¹ God whom I praise,

do not be silent.

² For the wicked and deceitful attack me;

they speak lies against me.

³ They surround me and say hateful things,

and they attack me without cause.

⁴ In return for my love they accuse me,

but I pray for them.

⁵ They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

⁶ Appoint a wicked man over such an enemy as these people;

appoint an accuser to stand at his right hand.

⁷ When he is judged, may he be found guilty;

may his prayer be considered sinful.

⁸ May his days be few;

may another take his office.

⁹ May his children be fatherless,

and may his wife be a widow.

¹⁰ May his children wander about and beg,

seeking food far from their ruined home.

¹¹ May the creditor seize all he owns;

may strangers plunder the product of his labor.

¹² May no one extend any kindness to him;

may no one have pity on his fatherless children.

¹³ May his descendants be cut off;

may their name be blotted out in the next generation.

¹⁴ May his ancestors' iniquity be remembered before Yahweh;

and may the sin of his mother not be forgotten.

¹⁵ May their sins always be before Yahweh;

may he cut off their memory from the earth.

¹⁶ May Yahweh do this, for that man never bothered to show any covenant faithfulness,

but harassed the oppressed, the needy,

and the brokenhearted to death.

¹⁷ He loved cursing;

may it come back upon him.

He hated blessing;

may it be far from him.

¹⁸ He clothed himself with cursing as his garment,

and his curse came into his body like water,

like oil into his bones.

¹⁹ May his curses be to him like the clothes he wears to cover himself,

like the belt he always wears.

²⁰ May this be the reward of my accusers from Yahweh,

of those who say evil things about me.

²¹ Yahweh my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake.

Because your covenant faithfulness is good, save me.

²² For I am oppressed and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

²³ I am fading away like the shadow of the evening;

I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴ My knees are weak from fasting;

my body has become thin and has no fat.

²⁵ I have become an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

²⁶ Help me, Yahweh my God;

save me by your covenant faithfulness.

²⁷ Let them know that this is your hand,

that you, Yahweh, have done this.

²⁸ They curse, but you bless;

when they attack, may they be put to shame,

but may your servant rejoice.

²⁹ May my adversaries be clothed with shame;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

³⁰ With my mouth I give great thanks to Yahweh;

I will praise him in the midst of a crowd.

³¹ For he will stand at the right hand of the one who is needy,

to save him from those who condemn him.

Psalm 110

A psalm of David.

¹ The declaration of Yahweh to my lord:

"Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies your footstool."

² Yahweh will hold out the scepter of your strength from Zion;

rule among your enemies.

³ Your people will follow you in holy garments

of their own free will on the day of your power;

from the womb of the dawn your youth will be to you like the dew.

⁴ Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind:

"You are a priest forever,

after the manner of Melchizedek."

⁵ The Lord is at your right hand.

He will kill kings on the day of his anger.

⁶ He will judge the nations;

he will fill the battlegrounds with dead bodies;

he will kill the leaders in many countries.

⁷ He will drink of the brook along the road,

and then he will lift his head up high after victory.

Psalm 111

¹ Give praise to Yah. ¹

I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart

in the assembly of the upright, in their gathering.

² The works of Yahweh are great,

eagerly awaited by all those who desire them.

³ His work is majestic and glorious,

and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴ He does wonderful things that will be remembered;

Yahweh is gracious and merciful.

⁵ He gives food to his faithful followers.

He will always call to mind his covenant.

⁶ He showed his powerful works to his people

in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

⁷ The works of his hands are trustworthy and just;

all his instructions are reliable.

⁸ They are established forever,

to be observed faithfully and properly.

⁹ He sent redemption to his people;

he ordained his covenant forever;

holy and awesome is his name.

¹⁰ To honor Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom;

those who carry out his instructions have good understanding.

His praise endures forever.

Psalm 112

¹ Give praise to Yah. ¹

Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh,

who greatly delights in his commandments.

² His descendants will be powerful on earth;

the descendants of the godly man will be blessed.

³ Wealth and riches are in his house;

his righteousness will endure forever.

⁴ Light shines in the darkness for the godly person;

he is gracious, merciful, and just.

⁵ It goes well for the man who deals graciously and lends money,

who conducts his affairs with honesty.

⁶ For he will never be moved;

the righteous person will be remembered forever.

⁷ He does not fear bad news;

he is confident, trusting in Yahweh.

⁸ His heart is tranquil, without fear,

until he looks in triumph over his adversaries.

⁹ He gives freely to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn will be exalted with honor.

¹⁰ The wicked person will see this and be angry;

he will grind his teeth in rage and he will melt away;

the desire of the wicked people will perish.

Psalm 113

¹ Give praise to Yah. ¹

Praise him, you servants of Yahweh;

praise the name of Yahweh.

² Blessed be the name of Yahweh,

both now and forevermore.

³ From the rising of the sun to its setting,

Yahweh's name should be praised.

⁴ Yahweh is exalted above all nations,

and his glory reaches above the skies.

⁵ Who is like Yahweh our God,

who has his seat on high,

⁶ who humbles himself to look down

at the sky and at the earth?

⁷ He raises up the poor out of the dirt

and lifts up the needy from the ash heap,

⁸ so that he may seat him with princes,

with the princes of his people.

⁹ He gives a home to the barren woman of the house;

he makes her a joyful mother of children.

Give praise to Yah! ²

Psalm 114

¹ When Israel left Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people who spoke a foreign language,

² Judah became his holy place,

Israel his kingdom.

³ The sea looked and fled;

the Jordan turned back.

⁴ The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills skipped like lambs.

⁵ Why did you flee, sea?

Jordan, why did you turn back?

⁶ Mountains, why did you skip like rams?

You little hills, why did you skip like lambs?

⁷ Tremble, earth, before the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob.

⁸ He turned the rock into a pool of water,

the hard rock into a spring of water.

Psalm 115

¹ Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,

but to your name bring honor,

for your covenant faithfulness

and for your trustworthiness.

² Why should the nations say,

"Where is their God?"

³ Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever he pleases.

⁴ The nations' idols are silver and gold,

the work of men's hands.

⁵ Those idols have mouths, but they do not speak;

they have eyes, but they do not see;

⁶ they have ears, but they do not hear;

they have noses, but they do not smell.

⁷ Those idols have hands, but do not feel;

they have feet, but they cannot walk;

nor do they speak from their mouths.

⁸ Those who make them are like them,

as is everyone who trusts in them.

⁹ Israel, trust in Yahweh;

he is your help and shield.

¹⁰ House of Aaron, trust in Yahweh;

he is your help and shield.

¹¹ You who honor Yahweh, trust in him;

he is your help and shield.

¹² Yahweh takes notice of us and will bless us;

he will bless the family of Israel;

he will bless the family of Aaron.

¹³ He will bless those who honor him,

both young and old.

¹⁴ May Yahweh increase your numbers more and more,

yours and your descendants'.

¹⁵ May you be blessed by Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶ The heavens belong to Yahweh;

but the earth he has given to mankind.

¹⁷ The dead do not give praise to Yah, ¹

nor do any who go down into silence;

¹⁸ But we will give praise to Yah,

now and forevermore.

Give praise to Yah! ²

Psalm 116

¹ I love Yahweh because he hears

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

² Because he listened to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

³ The cords of death surrounded me,

and the snares of Sheol confronted me;

I felt anguish and sorrow.

⁴ Then I called on the name of Yahweh:

"I beg you, Yahweh, rescue my life."

⁵ Yahweh is gracious and just;

our God is compassionate.

⁶ Yahweh protects the naive;

I was brought low, and he saved me.

⁷ My soul can return to its resting place,

for Yahweh has been good to me.

⁸ For you rescued my life from death,

my eyes from tears,

and my feet from stumbling.

⁹ I will serve Yahweh

in the land of the living.

¹⁰ I believed in him, even when I said,

"I am greatly afflicted."

¹¹ In my alarm I said,

"All men are liars."

¹² How can I repay Yahweh

for all his kindnesses to me?

¹³ I will raise the cup of salvation,

and call on the name of Yahweh.

¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to Yahweh

in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of Yahweh

is the death of his faithful ones.

¹⁶ Yahweh, indeed, I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your servant woman;

you have taken away my bonds.

¹⁷ I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

and will call on the name of Yahweh.

¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to Yahweh

in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹ in the courts of the house of Yahweh,

in your midst, Jerusalem.

Give praise to Yah! ¹

Psalm 117

¹ Praise Yahweh, all you nations;

exalt him, all you peoples.

² For his covenant faithfulness is great toward us,

and the trustworthiness of Yahweh endures forever.

Give praise to Yah! ¹

Psalm 118

¹ Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

² Let Israel say,

"His covenant faithfulness endures forever."

³ Let the house of Aaron say,

"His covenant faithfulness endures forever."

⁴ Let the loyal followers of Yahweh say,

"His covenant faithfulness endures forever."

⁵ In my distress I called out to Yah;

Yah answered me and set me in a spacious place. ¹

⁶ Yahweh is with me; I will not be afraid;

what can man do to me?

⁷ Yahweh is on my side as my helper;

I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

⁸ It is better to take shelter in Yahweh

than to put confidence in man.

⁹ It is better to take refuge in Yahweh

than to put one's trust in princes.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

¹¹ They surrounded me; yes, they surrounded me;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

¹² They surrounded me like bees;

they disappeared as quickly as fire among thorns;

in Yahweh's name I cut them off.

¹³ "You attacked me to knock me down,

but Yahweh helped me.

¹⁴ Yah is my strength and joy,

and he is the one who rescues me." ²

¹⁵ The joyful shout of victory is heard in the tents of the righteous;

the right hand of Yahweh conquers.

¹⁶ The right hand of Yahweh is exalted;

the right hand of Yahweh conquers.

¹⁷ I will not die, but live

and declare what Yah has done. ³

¹⁸ Yah has punished me harshly,

but he has not handed me over to death. ⁴

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter them and I will give thanks to Yah. ⁵

²⁰ This is the gate of Yahweh;

the righteous enter through it.

²¹ I will give thanks to you, for you answered me,

and you have become my salvation.

²² The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

²³ This is Yahweh's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴ This is the day on which Yahweh has acted;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵ We beg you, Yahweh, please give us victory!

We beg you, Yahweh, please give us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh;

we bless you from the house of Yahweh.

²⁷ Yahweh is God, and he has given us light;

bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will exalt you.

²⁹ Oh, give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his covenant faithfulness endures forever.

Psalm 119

ALEPH

¹ Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

who walk in the law of Yahweh.

² Blessed are they who keep his solemn commands,

who seek him with all their heart.

³ They do no wrong;

they walk in his ways.

⁴ You have commanded us to keep your instructions

so that we should carefully observe them.

⁵ Oh, that I would be firmly established

in the observance of your statutes!

⁶ Then I would not be put to shame

when I think of all your commandments.

⁷ I will give thanks to you with an upright heart

when I learn your righteous decrees.

⁸ I will observe your statutes;

do not leave me alone.

BETH

⁹ How can a young person keep his path pure?

By obeying your word.

¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you;

Do not let me stray from your commandments.

¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart

so that I might not sin against you.

¹² Blessed you are, Yahweh;

teach me your statutes.

¹³ With my mouth I have declared

all the righteous decrees that you have revealed.

¹⁴ I rejoice in the way of your covenant decrees

more than in all riches.

¹⁵ I will meditate on your instructions

and pay attention to your ways.

¹⁶ I delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

GIMEL

¹⁷ Be kind to your servant so that I may live

and keep your word.

¹⁸ Open my eyes so that I may see

marvelous things in your law.

¹⁹ I am a foreigner in the land;

do not hide your commandments from me.

²⁰ My desires are crushed by the longing to know

your righteous decrees at all times.

²¹ You rebuke the proud, who are cursed,

who wander from your commandments.

²² Spare me from disgrace and contempt,

for I have obeyed your solemn commands.

²³ Though rulers plot and slander me,

your servant meditates on your statutes.

²⁴ Your solemn commands are my delight,

and they are my counselors.

DALETH

²⁵ My life clings to the dust!

Give me life by your word.

²⁶ I told you my ways, and you answered me;

teach me your statutes.

²⁷ Make me understand the ways of your instructions,

so that I can meditate on your wondrous teachings.

²⁸ I am overwhelmed with grief!

Strengthen me by your word.

²⁹ Turn from me the path of deceit;

graciously teach me your law.

³⁰ I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I have always kept your righteous decrees before me.

³¹ I cling to your covenant decrees;

Yahweh, do not let me be shamed.

³² I will run in the path of your commandments,

for you enlarge my heart to do so.

³³ Teach me, Yahweh, the way of your statutes,

and I will keep them to the end.

³⁴ Give me understanding, and I will keep your law;

I will observe it with all my heart.

³⁵ Guide me in the path of your commandments,

for I delight to walk in it.

³⁶ Direct my heart toward your covenant decrees

and away from unrighteous gain.

³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

revive me in your ways.

³⁸ Carry out for your servant the word

that you gave to those who revere you.

³⁹ Take away the disgrace I dread,

for your judgments are good.

⁴⁰ See, I have longed for your instructions;

revive me in your righteousness.

VAV

⁴¹ Yahweh, give me your unfailing love—

your salvation, according to your word;

⁴² then I will have a reply for the one who mocks me,

for I trust in your word.

⁴³ Do not take the word of truth from my mouth,

for my hope is in your righteous decrees.

⁴⁴ I will observe your law continually,

forever and ever.

⁴⁵ I will walk securely,

for I seek your instructions.

⁴⁶ I will speak of your solemn commands before kings

and will not be ashamed.

⁴⁷ I delight in your commandments,

which I love dearly.

⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands to your commandments, which I love;

I will meditate on your statutes.

ZAYIN

⁴⁹ Call to mind your word to your servant

because you have given me hope.

⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my affliction:

that your word has kept me alive.

⁵¹ The proud have scoffed at me,

yet I have not turned away from your law.

⁵² I have thought about your righteous decrees from ancient times, Yahweh,

and I comfort myself.

⁵³ Hot anger has taken hold of me

because of the wicked who reject your law.

⁵⁴ Your statutes have been my songs

in the house of my sojourn.

⁵⁵ I think about your name during the night, Yahweh,

and I keep your law.

⁵⁶ This has been my practice

because I have observed your instructions.

HETH

⁵⁷ Yahweh is my portion;

I have determined to observe your words.

⁵⁸ I earnestly request your favor with my whole heart;

be merciful to me according to your word.

⁵⁹ I examined my ways

and turned my feet to your solemn commands.

⁶⁰ I hurry and do not delay

to keep your commandments.

⁶¹ The cords of the wicked have ensnared me;

I have not forgotten your law.

⁶² At midnight I rise to give thanks to you

because of your righteous decrees.

⁶³ I am a companion of all who honor you,

to all who observe your instructions.

⁶⁴ The earth, Yahweh, is full of your covenant faithfulness;

teach me your statutes.

TETH

⁶⁵ You have done good to your servant,

Yahweh, by means of your word.

⁶⁶ Teach me proper discernment and understanding,

for I have believed in your commandments.

⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I observe your word.

⁶⁸ You are good, and you are one who does good;

teach me your statutes.

⁶⁹ The arrogant have smeared me with lies,

but I keep your instructions with my whole heart.

⁷⁰ Their hearts are hardened,

but I delight in your law.

⁷¹ It is good for me that I have suffered

so that I would learn your statutes.

⁷² Instruction from your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

YOD

⁷³ Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding so that I may learn your commandments.

⁷⁴ Those who honor you will be glad when they see me

because I find hope in your word.

⁷⁵ I know, Yahweh, that your decrees are just,

and that in faithfulness you afflicted me.

⁷⁶ Let your covenant faithfulness comfort me,

according to your word to your servant.

⁷⁷ Show me compassion so that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

⁷⁸ Let the proud be put to shame,

for they have slandered me;

but I will meditate on your instructions.

⁷⁹ May those who honor you turn to me,

those who know your solemn commands.

⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless with respect to your statutes

so that I may not be put to shame.

KAPH

⁸¹ I faint with longing that you might rescue me!

I hope in your word.

⁸² My eyes long for your word;

when will you comfort me?

⁸³ For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke;

I do not forget your statutes.

⁸⁴ How long must your servant endure this;

when will you judge those who persecute me?

⁸⁵ The proud have dug pits for me,

defying your law.

⁸⁶ All your commandments are reliable;

those people persecute me wrongfully; help me.

⁸⁷ They have almost made an end to me on earth,

but I do not reject your instructions.

⁸⁸ By your steadfast love, keep me alive,

so that I may obey the solemn commands that come from your mouth.

LAMEDH

⁸⁹ Yahweh, your word stands forever;

your word is established firmly in heaven.

⁹⁰ Your faithfulness lasts for all generations;

you have established the earth, and it remains.

⁹¹ All things continue to this day, just as you said in your righteous decrees,

for all things are your servants.

⁹² If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³ I will never forget your instructions,

for through them you have kept me alive.

⁹⁴ I am yours; save me,

for I seek your instructions.

⁹⁵ The wicked prepare to destroy me,

but I will seek to understand your solemn commands.

⁹⁶ All perfection I have seen has an end;

but your command is exceedingly broad.

MEM

⁹⁷ Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all day long.

⁹⁸ Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

for your commandments are always with me.

⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your covenant decrees.

¹⁰⁰ I understand more than those older than I am;

this is because I have kept your instructions.

¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet back from every evil path

so that I might observe your word.

¹⁰² I have not turned aside from your righteous decrees,

for you have instructed me.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,

yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴ Through your instructions I gain discernment;

therefore I hate every false way.

NUN

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

¹⁰⁶ I have sworn and have confirmed it,

that I will observe your righteous decrees.

¹⁰⁷ I am very afflicted;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised in your word.

¹⁰⁸ Yahweh, please accept the freewill offerings of my mouth,

and teach me your righteous decrees.

¹⁰⁹ My life is always in my hand,

yet I do not forget your law.

¹¹⁰ The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from your instructions.

¹¹¹ I claim your covenant decrees as my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹² My heart is set on obeying your statutes

forever to the very end.

SAMEKH

¹¹³ I hate those who have a double mind,

but I love your law.

¹¹⁴ You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word.

¹¹⁵ Get away from me, you evildoers,

so that I may observe the commandments of my God.

¹¹⁶ Sustain me by your word so that I may live

and not be ashamed of my hope.

¹¹⁷ Support me, and I will be safe;

I will always meditate on your statutes.

¹¹⁸ You reject all those who stray from your statutes,

for their deceit is vain.

¹¹⁹ You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag;

therefore I love your solemn commands.

¹²⁰ My body trembles in fear of you,

and I am afraid of your righteous decrees.

AYIN

¹²¹ I do what is just and right;

do not abandon me to my oppressors.

¹²² Guarantee the welfare of your servant;

do not let the proud oppress me.

¹²³ My eyes grow tired as I wait for your salvation

and for your righteous word.

¹²⁴ Show your servant your covenant faithfulness,

and teach me your statutes.

¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me understanding

so that I may know your solemn commands.

¹²⁶ It is time for Yahweh to act,

for people have broken your law.

¹²⁷ Truly I love your commandments

more than gold, more than fine gold.

¹²⁸ Therefore I carefully follow all your instructions,

and I hate every path of falsehood.

¹²⁹ Your rules are wonderful,

that is why I obey them.

¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the untrained.

¹³¹ I open my mouth and pant,

for I long for your commandments.

¹³² Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as you always do for those who love your name.

¹³³ Direct my footsteps by your word;

do not let any wickedness rule me.

¹³⁴ Redeem me from human oppression

so that I may observe your instructions.

¹³⁵ Let your face shine on your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

¹³⁶ Streams of tears run down from my eyes

because people do not observe your law.

TSADHE

¹³⁷ You are righteous, Yahweh,

and your decrees are fair.

¹³⁸ You have given your solemn commands righteously

and faithfully.

¹³⁹ Zeal has destroyed me

because my adversaries forget your words.

¹⁴⁰ Your word has been tested very much,

and your servant loves it.

¹⁴¹ I am insignificant and despised,

yet I do not forget your instructions.

¹⁴² Your justice is forever justice,

and your law is trustworthy.

¹⁴³ Though distress and anguish have found me,

your commandments are still my delight.

¹⁴⁴ Your covenant decrees are righteous forever;

give me understanding that I may live.

QOPH

¹⁴⁵ I cried out with my whole heart, "Answer me, Yahweh,

I will keep your statutes.

¹⁴⁶ I call to you; save me,

and I will observe your solemn commands."

¹⁴⁷ I rise before the dawn of the morning and cry for help.

I hope in your words.

¹⁴⁸ My eyes are open before the night watches change

so that I might meditate on your word.

¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in your covenant faithfulness;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised in your righteous decrees.

¹⁵⁰ Those who are persecuting me are coming closer to me,

but they are far from your law.

¹⁵¹ You are near, Yahweh,

and all your commandments are trustworthy.

¹⁵² Long ago I learned from your solemn commands

that you had set them in place forever.

RESH

¹⁵³ Look on my affliction and help me,

for I do not forget your law.

¹⁵⁴ Plead my cause and redeem me;

keep me alive according to your word.

¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked,

for they do not love your statutes.

¹⁵⁶ Great are your merciful actions, Yahweh;

keep me alive, as you always do.

¹⁵⁷ My persecutors and my foes are many,

yet I have not turned from your covenant decrees.

¹⁵⁸ I view the treacherous with disgust

because they do not keep your word.

¹⁵⁹ See how I love your instructions;

keep me alive, Yahweh, as you have promised by your covenant faithfulness.

¹⁶⁰ The essence of your word is truth;

every one of your righteous decrees lasts forever.

SHIN

¹⁶¹ Princes persecute me without cause,

but my heart stands in awe of your word.

¹⁶² I rejoice at your word

like one who finds great plunder.

¹⁶³ I hate and abhor falsehood,

but I love your law.

¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you

because of your righteous decrees.

¹⁶⁵ Great peace they have, those who love your law;

nothing makes them stumble.

¹⁶⁶ I hope for your salvation, Yahweh,

and I obey your commandments.

¹⁶⁷ I observe your solemn commands,

and I love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸ I keep your instructions and your solemn commands,

for you are aware of everything I do.

TAV

¹⁶⁹ Listen to my cry for help, Yahweh;

give me understanding into your word.

¹⁷⁰ May my plea come before you;

help me according to your word.

¹⁷¹ May my lips pour out praise,

for you teach me your statutes.

¹⁷² Let my tongue sing about your word,

for all your commandments are right.

¹⁷³ May your hand help me,

for I have chosen your instructions.

¹⁷⁴ I long for your rescue, Yahweh,

and your law is my delight.

¹⁷⁵ May I live and praise you,

and may your righteous decrees help me.

¹⁷⁶ I have wandered off like a lost sheep;

seek your servant,

for I have not forgotten your commandments.

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

¹ In my distress I called out to Yahweh,

and he answered me.

² Rescue my life, Yahweh,

from those who lie with their lips

and deceive with their tongues.

³ How will he punish you,

and what more will he do to you,

you who have a lying tongue?

⁴ He will punish you with the arrows of a warrior

sharpened over burning coals of the broom tree.

⁵ Woe is me because I temporarily live in Meshech;

I lived previously among the tents of Kedar.

⁶ For too long I have lived

with those who hate peace.

⁷ I am for peace,

but when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains.

From where will my help come?

² My help comes from Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to slip;

he who protects you will not slumber.

⁴ See, the guardian of Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

⁵ Yahweh is your guardian;

Yahweh is the shade at your right hand.

⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷ Yahweh will protect you from all harm,

and he will protect your life.

⁸ Yahweh will protect you in all you do

now and forevermore.

Psalm 122

A song of ascents, of David.

¹ I was glad when they said to me,

"Let us go to the house of Yahweh."

² Jerusalem, our feet are standing

within your gates!

³ Jerusalem, built

as a city carefully planned!

⁴ The tribes go up to Jerusalem—the tribes of Yah— ¹

as a testimony for Israel,

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

⁵ There thrones of judgment were set,

thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

"May those who love you be at ease.

⁷ May there be peace within the walls that defend you,

and may they have peace within your fortresses."

⁸ For the sake of my brothers and my friends

I will say, "May there be peace within you."

⁹ For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God,

I will seek good for you.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹ To you I lift up my eyes,

you who are enthroned in the heavens.

² See, as the eyes of servants look to their master's hand,

as the eyes of a servant girl look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to Yahweh our God

until he has mercy on us.

³ Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us,

for we are filled with humiliation.

⁴ We are more than full

of the scoffing of the insolent

and with the contempt of the proud.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ "If Yahweh had not been on our side,"

let Israel say now,

² "if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side

when men rose up against us,

³ then they would have swallowed us up alive

when their anger raged against us.

⁴ The water would have swept us away;

the torrent would have overwhelmed us.

⁵ Then the raging waters would have drowned us."

⁶ Blessed be Yahweh,

who has not allowed us to be torn by their teeth.

⁷ We have escaped like a bird

out of the snare of the fowlers;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped.

⁸ Our help is in the name of Yahweh,

who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.

¹ Those who trust in Yahweh

are like Mount Zion, unshakable, forever enduring.

² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so Yahweh surrounds his people

now and forever.

³ The scepter of wickedness must not rule

in the assigned portion of the righteous.

Otherwise the righteous might do what is wrong.

⁴ Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good

and to those who are upright in their hearts.

⁵ But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,

Yahweh will lead them away with the those who behave wickedly.

May peace be on Israel.

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

¹ When Yahweh reversed the captivity of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

² Then our mouths were filled with laughter

and our tongues with joyful shouting.

Then they said among the nations,

"Yahweh has done great things for them."

³ Yahweh did great things for us;

how glad we were!

⁴ Reverse our captivity, Yahweh,

like the streams in the Negev.

⁵ Those who sow in tears

will reap with shouts of joy.

⁶ He who goes out weeping,

carrying seed for sowing,

will return again with shouts of joy,

bringing his bundles of grain with him.

Psalm 127

A song of ascents, of Solomon.

¹ Unless Yahweh builds the house,

they work uselessly, those who build it.

Unless Yahweh guards the city,

the watchman stands guard uselessly.

² It is useless for you to rise up early,

to come home late,

or to eat the bread of hard work,

for Yahweh provides for his beloved as they sleep.

³ See, children are a heritage from Yahweh,

and the fruit of the womb is a reward from him.

⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

so are the children of one's youth.

⁵ How blessed is the man

that has his quiver full of them.

He will not be put to shame

when he confronts his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

¹ Blessed is everyone who honors Yahweh,

who walks in his ways.

² The labor of your hands you will enjoy;

you will be blessed and prosper.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

in your house;

your children will be like olive plants

as they sit around your table.

⁴ Yes, indeed, the man will be blessed

who honors Yahweh.

⁵ May Yahweh bless you from Zion;

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life.

⁶ May you live to see your children's children.

May peace be on Israel.

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

¹ "Often since my youth they have attacked me,"

let Israel say.

² "Often since my youth they have attacked me,

yet they have not defeated me.

³ The plowers plowed on my back;

they made their furrows long.

⁴ Yahweh is righteous;

he has cut off the ropes of the wicked."

⁵ May they all be put to shame and turned back,

those who hate Zion.

⁶ May they be like the grass on the housetops

that withers before it grows up,

⁷ that cannot fill the reaper's hand

or the chest of the one who binds bundles of grain together.

⁸ May those who pass by not say,

"May the blessing of Yahweh be on you;

we bless you in the name of Yahweh."

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, Yahweh.

² Lord, hear my voice;

let your ears be attentive

to my pleas for mercy.

³ If you, Yah, would mark iniquities,

Lord, who could stand? ¹

⁴ But there is forgiveness with you,

that you may be revered.

⁵ I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope.

⁶ My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ Israel, hope in Yahweh.

Yahweh is merciful,

and with him is great redemption.

⁸ It is he who will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

Psalm 131

A song of ascents; of David.

¹ Yahweh, my heart is not proud

or my eyes haughty.

I do not have great hopes for myself

or concern myself with things that are beyond me.

² Indeed I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with his mother,

my soul within me is like a weaned child.

³ Israel, hope in Yahweh

now and forever.

Psalm 132

A song of ascents.

¹ Yahweh, for David's sake call to mind

all his afflictions.

² Call to mind how he swore to Yahweh,

how he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.

³ He said, "I will not enter the tent of my house

or get on the couch of my bed,

⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes

or rest to my eyelids

⁵ until I find a place for Yahweh,

a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob."

⁶ See, we heard about it in Ephrathah;

we found it in the fields of Jaar.

⁷ We will go into God's tabernacle;

we will worship at his footstool.

⁸ Arise, Yahweh, to your resting place,

you and the ark of your strength!

⁹ May your priests be clothed with integrity;

may your faithful ones shout for joy.

¹⁰ For your servant David's sake,

do not turn away from your anointed king.

¹¹ Yahweh swore a sure oath to David,

a sure oath that he will not revoke:

"I will place one of your descendants on your throne.

¹² If your sons keep my covenant

and the solemn commands that I will teach them,

their children also will sit on your throne forevermore."

¹³ Certainly Yahweh has chosen Zion,

he has desired her for his seat.

¹⁴ "This is my resting place forever.

I will live here, for I desire her.

¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her with provisions.

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶ I will clothe her priests with salvation,

her faithful ones will shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷ There I will make a horn to sprout for David

and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame,

but on him his crown will shine."

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

for brothers to live together!

² It is like fine oil on the head

pouring down on the beard—

Aaron's beard,

and then it pours down on the collar of his robes.

³ It is like the dew of Hermon

which falls on the mountains of Zion.

For there Yahweh commanded the blessing—

life forevermore.

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

¹ Come, bless Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh,

you who serve during the night in the house of Yahweh.

² Lift up your hands to the holy place

and bless Yahweh.

³ May Yahweh bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 135

¹ Give praise to Yah! ¹

Praise the name of Yahweh.

Praise him, you servants of Yahweh,

² you who stand in the house of Yahweh,

in the courtyards of the house of our God.

³ Give praise to Yah, for he is good; ²

sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant to do so.

⁴ For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself, ³

Israel as his own possession.

⁵ I know that Yahweh is great,

that our Lord is above all gods.

⁶ Whatever Yahweh desires, he does

in heaven, on earth,

in the seas and all the ocean depths.

⁷ He brings the clouds from far away,

making lightning bolts accompany the rain

and bringing the wind out of his storehouse.

⁸ He killed the firstborn of Egypt,

both of man and animals.

⁹ He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

¹⁰ He attacked many nations

and killed mighty kings,

¹¹ Sihon king of the Amorites

and Og king of Bashan

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

¹² He gave us their land as an inheritance,

an inheritance to Israel his people.

¹³ Your name, Yahweh, endures forever;

your renown, Yahweh, endures throughout all generations.

¹⁴ For Yahweh defends his people

and has compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The nations' idols are silver and gold,

the work of men's hands.

¹⁶ Those idols have mouths, but they do not speak;

they have eyes, but they do not see;

¹⁷ they have ears, but they do not give ear,

nor is there breath in their mouths.

¹⁸ Those who make them are like them,

as is everyone who trusts in them.

¹⁹ Descendants of Israel, bless Yahweh;

descendants of Aaron, bless Yahweh.

²⁰ Descendants of Levi, bless Yahweh;

you who honor Yahweh, bless Yahweh.

²¹ Blessed be Yahweh in Zion,

he who lives in Jerusalem.

Give praise to Yah. ⁴

Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good.