The One Year Bible TLB (34 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
February 8“Consecrate Aaron your brother, and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to be priests, to minister to me.
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Make special clothes for Aaron, to indicate his separation to God—beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his work.
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Instruct those to whom I have given special skill as tailors to make the garments that will set him apart from others, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.
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This is the wardrobe they shall make: a chestpiece, an ephod,
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a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They shall also make special garments for Aaron’s sons.
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“The ephod shall be made by the most skilled of the workmen, using gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine linen.
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It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders.
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And the sash shall be made of the same material—threads of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen.
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Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel.
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Six names shall be on each stone, so that all the tribes are named in the order of their births.
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When engraving these names, use the same technique as in making a seal; and mount the stones in gold settings.
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Fasten the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, as memorial stones for the people of Israel: Aaron will carry their names before the Lord as a constant reminder.
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Two chains of pure, twisted gold shall be made and attached to gold clasps on the shoulder of the ephod.
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“Then, using the most careful workmanship, make a chestpiece to be used as God’s oracle; use the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine-twined linen as you did in the ephod.
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This chestpiece is to be of two folds of cloth, forming a pouch nine inches square.
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Attach to it four rows of stones: A ruby, a topaz, and an emerald shall be in the first row.
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The second row will be carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond.
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The third row will be an amber, an agate, and an amethyst.
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The fourth row will be an onyx, a beryl, and a jasper—all set in gold settings.
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Each stone will represent one of the tribes of Israel and the name of that tribe will be engraved upon it like a seal.
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“Attach the top of the chestpiece to the ephod by means of two twisted cords of pure gold. One end of each cord is attached to gold rings placed at the outer top edge of the chestpiece.
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The other ends of the two cords are attached to the front edges of the two settings of the onyx stones on the shoulder of the ephod.
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Then make two more gold rings and place them on the two lower, inside edges of the chestpiece;
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also make two other gold rings for the bottom front edge of the ephod at the sash.
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Now attach the bottom of the chestpiece to the bottom rings of the ephod by means of blue ribbons; this will prevent the chestpiece from coming loose from the ephod.
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In this way Aaron shall carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the chestpiece over his heart (it is God’s oracle) when he goes into the Holy Place; thus Jehovah will be reminded of them continually.
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Insert into the pocket of the chestpiece the Urim and Thummim,
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to be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before Jehovah. Thus Aaron shall always be carrying the oracle over his heart when he goes in before the Lord.
“The ephod shall be made of blue cloth,
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with an opening for Aaron’s head. It shall have a woven band around this opening, just as on the neck of a coat of mail, so that it will not fray.
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The bottom edge of the ephod shall be embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates, alternated with gold bells.
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Aaron shall wear the ephod whenever he goes in to minister to the Lord; the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the presence of the Lord in the Holy Place, so that he will not die.
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“Next, make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, just as you would upon a seal, ‘Consecrated to Jehovah.’
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This plate is to be attached by means of a blue ribbon to the front of Aaron’s turban. In this way Aaron will be wearing it upon his forehead, and thus bear the guilt connected with any errors regarding the offerings of the people of Israel. It shall always be worn when he goes into the presence of the Lord, so that the people will be accepted and forgiven.
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“Weave Aaron’s embroidered shirt from fine-twined linen, using a checkerboard pattern; make the turban, too, of this linen; and make him an embroidered sash.
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“Then, for Aaron’s sons, make robes, sashes, and turbans to give them honor and respect.
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Clothe Aaron and his sons with these garments, and then dedicate these men to their ministry by anointing their heads with olive oil, thus sanctifying them as the priests, my ministers.
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Also make linen undershorts for them, to be worn beneath their robes next to their bodies, reaching from hips to knees.
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These are to be worn whenever Aaron and his sons go into the Tabernacle or to the altar in the Holy Place, lest they be guilty and die. This is a permanent ordinance for Aaron and his sons.”
“But when I, the Messiah,
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shall come in my glory, and all the angels with me, then I shall sit upon my throne of glory.
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And all the nations shall be gathered before me. And I will separate the people
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as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
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and place the sheep at my right hand, and the goats at my left.
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“Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
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For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes;
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naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.’
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“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink?
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Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you?
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When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’
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“And I, the King, will tell them, ‘When you did it to these my brothers, you were doing it to me!’
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Then I will turn to those on my left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
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For I was hungry and you wouldn’t feed me; thirsty, and you wouldn’t give me anything to drink;
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a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, and you wouldn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
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“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
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“And I will answer, ‘When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing help to me.’
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“And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into everlasting life.”
26:
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When Jesus had finished this talk with his disciples, he told them,
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“As you know, the Passover celebration begins in two days, and I
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shall be betrayed and crucified.”
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At that very moment the chief priests and other Jewish officials were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas the high priest,
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to discuss ways of capturing Jesus quietly and killing him.
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“But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “for there would be a riot.”
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Jesus now proceeded to Bethany, to the home of Simon the leper.
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While he was eating, a woman came in with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it over his head.
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The disciples were indignant. “What a waste of good money,” they said. “Why, she could have sold it for a fortune and given it to the poor.”
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Jesus knew what they were thinking and said,
“Why are you criticizing her? For she has done a good thing to me.
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You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.
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She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.
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And she will always be remembered for this deed. The story of what she has done will be told throughout the whole world, wherever the Good News is preached.”
O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. My sins have sapped my strength; I stoop with sorrow and with shame.
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11
I am scorned by all my enemies and even more by my neighbors and friends. They dread meeting me and look the other way when I go by.
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I am forgotten like a dead man, like a broken and discarded pot.
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I heard the lies about me, the slanders of my enemies. Everywhere I looked I was afraid, for they were plotting against my life.
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But I am trusting you, O Lord. I said, “You alone are my God; my times are in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
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Let your favor shine again upon your servant; save me just because you are so kind!
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Don’t disgrace me, Lord, by not replying when I call to you for aid. But let the wicked be shamed by what they trust in; let them lie silently in their graves,
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their lying lips quieted at last—the lips of these arrogant men who are accusing honest men of evil deeds.”
Wisdom and good judgment live together, for wisdom knows where to discover knowledge and understanding.
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If anyone respects and fears God, he will hate evil. For wisdom hates pride, arrogance, corruption, and deceit of every kind.
February 9“This is the ceremony for the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests: get a young bull and two rams with no defects,
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and bread made without yeast, and thin sheets of sweetened bread mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil poured over them. (The various kinds of bread shall be made with finely ground wheat flour.)
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Place the bread in a basket and bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.
“Bathe Aaron and his sons there at the entrance.
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Then put Aaron’s robe on him, and the embroidered shirt, ephod, chestpiece, and sash,
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and place on his head the turban with the gold plate.
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Then take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head.
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Next, dress his sons in their robes,
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with their woven sashes, and place caps on their heads. They will then be priests forever; thus you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
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“Then bring the young bull to the Tabernacle, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head;
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and you shall kill it before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
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Place its blood upon the horns of the altar, smearing it on with your finger, and pour the rest at the base of the altar.
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Then take all the fat that covers the inner parts, also the gall bladder and two kidneys, and the fat on them, and burn them upon the altar.
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Then take the body, including the skin and the dung, outside the camp and burn it as a sin offering.
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“Next, Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of one of the rams as it is killed. Its blood shall also be collected and sprinkled upon the altar.
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Cut up the ram and wash off the entrails and the legs; place them with the head and the other pieces of the body,
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and burn it all upon the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord, and very pleasant to him.
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“Now take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head as it is killed. Collect the blood and place some of it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and his sons, and upon their right thumbs and the big toes of their right feet; sprinkle the rest of the blood over the altar.
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Then scrape off some of the blood from the altar and mix it with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and his sons and upon their clothes; and they and their clothing shall be sanctified to the Lord.
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“Then take the fat of the ram, including the fat tail and the fat that covers the insides, also the gall bladder and the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh—for this is the ram for ordination of Aaron and his sons—
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and one loaf of bread, one cake of shortening bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that was placed before the Lord:
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Place these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, to wave them in a gesture of offering to the Lord.
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Afterwards, take them from their hands and burn them on the altar as a fragrant burnt offering to him.
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Then take the breast of Aaron’s ordination ram and wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering; afterwards, keep it for yourself.
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“Give the breast and thigh of the consecration ram
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to Aaron and his sons. The people of Israel must always contribute this portion of their sacrifices—whether peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings—as their contribution to the Lord.
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“These sacred garments of Aaron shall be preserved for the consecration of his son who succeeds him, from generation to generation, for his anointing ceremony.
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Whoever is the next High Priest after Aaron shall wear these clothes for seven days before beginning to minister in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.
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“Take the ram of consecration—the ram used in the ordination ceremony—and boil its meat in a sacred area.
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Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat, also the bread in the basket, at the door of the Tabernacle.
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They alone shall eat those items used in their atonement (that is, in their consecration ceremony). The ordinary people shall not eat them, for these things are set apart and holy.
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If any of the meat or bread remains until the morning, burn it; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
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“This, then, is the way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices. This ordination shall go on for seven days.
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Every day you shall sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering for atonement; afterwards,
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purge the altar by making atonement for it; pour olive oil upon it to sanctify it.
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Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it to God every day for seven days. After this the altar shall be exceedingly holy, so that whatever touches it shall be set apart for God.
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“Each day offer two yearling lambs upon the altar,
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one in the morning and the other in the evening.
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With one of them offer 3 quarts of finely ground flour mixed with 2
1
/
2
pints of oil, pressed from olives; also 2
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/
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pints of wine, as an offering.
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Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the flour and the wine as in the morning, for a fragrant offering to the Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire.
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“This shall be a perpetual daily offering at the door of the Tabernacle before the Lord, where I will meet with you and speak with you.
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And I will meet with the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
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Yes, I will sanctify the Tabernacle and the altar and Aaron and his sons who are my ministers, the priests.
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And I will live among the people of Israel and be their God,
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and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God.
30:
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“Then make a small altar for burning incense. It shall be made from acacia wood.
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It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high, with horns carved from the wood of the altar—they are not to be merely separate parts that are attached.
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Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.
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Beneath the molding, on each of two sides, construct two gold rings to hold the carrying poles.
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The poles are to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold.
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Place the altar just outside the veil, near the place of mercy that is above the Ark containing the Ten Commandments. I will meet with you there.
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“Every morning when Aaron trims the lamps, he shall burn sweet spices on the altar,
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and each evening when he lights the lamps he shall burn the incense before the Lord, and this shall go on from generation to generation.
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Offer no unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, meal offerings, or wine offerings.
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“Once a year Aaron must sanctify the altar,
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placing upon its horns the blood of the sin offering for atonement. This shall be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s supremely holy altar.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to the chief priests
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and asked, “How much will you pay me to get Jesus into your hands?” And they gave him thirty silver coins.
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From that time on, Judas watched for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them.
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On the first day of the Passover ceremonies, when bread made with yeast was purged from every Jewish home, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where shall we plan to eat the Passover?”
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He replied,
“Go into the city and see Mr. So-and-So, and tell him, ‘Our Master says, my time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’”
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So the disciples did as he told them and prepared the supper there.
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That evening as he sat eating with the Twelve, he said,
“One of you will betray me.”
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Sorrow chilled their hearts, and each one asked, “Am I the one?”
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He replied,
“It is the one I served first.
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For I must die
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just as was prophesied, but woe to the man by whom I am betrayed. Far better for that one if he had never been born.”
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Judas, too, had asked him, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus had told him,
“Yes.”
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As they were eating, Jesus took a small loaf of bread and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and said,
“Take it and eat it, for this is my body.”
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And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it and gave it to them and said,
“Each one drink from it,
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for this is my blood, sealing the new covenant. It is poured out to forgive the sins of multitudes.
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Mark my words—I will not drink this wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
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And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Then Jesus said to them,
“Tonight you will all desert me. For it is written in the Scriptures
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that God will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.
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But after I have been brought back to life again, I will go to Galilee and meet you there.”
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Peter declared, “If everyone else deserts you, I won’t.”
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Jesus told him,
“The truth is that this very night, before the cock crows at dawn, you will deny me three times!”
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“I would die first!” Peter insisted. And all the other disciples said the same thing.
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Then Jesus brought them to a garden grove, Gethsemane, and told them to sit down and wait while he went on ahead to pray.
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He took Peter with him and Zebedee’s two sons James and John, and began to be filled with anguish and despair.
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Then he told them,
“My soul is crushed with horror and sadness to the point of death . . . stay here . . . stay awake with me.”
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He went forward a little, and fell face downward on the ground, and prayed,
“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me. But I want your will, not mine.”
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Then he returned to the three disciples and found them asleep.
“Peter,”
he called,
“couldn’t you even stay awake with me one hour?
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Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!”
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Again he left them and prayed,
“My Father! If this cup cannot go away until I drink it all, your will be done.”
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He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy,
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so he went back to prayer the third time, saying the same things again.
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Then he came to the disciples and said,
“Sleep on now and take your rest . . . but no! The time has come! I am
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betrayed into the hands of evil men!
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Up! Let’s be going! Look! Here comes the man who is betraying me!”
Oh, how great is your goodness to those who publicly declare that you will rescue them. For you have stored up great blessings for those who trust and reverence you.
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Hide your loved ones in the shelter of your presence, safe beneath your hand, safe from all conspiring men.
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Blessed is the Lord, for he has shown me that his never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort!
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I spoke too hastily when I said, “The Lord has deserted me,” for you listened to my plea and answered me.
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Oh, love the Lord, all of you who are his people; for the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but harshly punishes all who haughtily reject him.
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So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord.