# metadata

key: Permissions
value:
Scripure is a fact. A fact translated is still a fact. No fact can be copyrighted in any country. Hence, all Scriptures are on Public Domain.


# verse

text:
And the earth was waste, and void; and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God brooded over the face of the waters.


text:
And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was dusk and there was dawn, time one.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.&amp;quot;


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And God brought forth the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse: and it was so.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear:&amp;quot; and it was so.


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And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas: and God saw that it was good.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let the earth sprout tender sprouts, the plants bearing seed, and the trees bearing fruit after its kind, with its seed within, on the land:&amp;quot; and it was so.


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And the land brought forth tender sprouts, and plants bearing seed after its kind, and the trees bearing fruit, whose seed was within, after its kind: and God saw that it was good.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:


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And let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth:&amp;quot; and it was so.


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And God brought forth two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: and also the stars.


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And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let the waters breed abundantly masses of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.&amp;quot;


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And God created great living creatures, and every living creature that moves which the waters brought forth multiplied after its kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.


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And God blessed them, saying, &amp;quot;Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.&amp;quot;


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let the earth bring forth the living creature after their kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth after its kind:&amp;quot; and it was so.


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And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that moves on the earth after its kind: and God saw that it was good.


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And God said, &amp;quot;Let us bring forth man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.&amp;quot;


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So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created.


text:
And God blessed them, and God said to them, &amp;quot;Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.&amp;quot;


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And God said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have provided every plant bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree bearing seed; to you it will be for food.


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And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every thing that moves upon the earth, that has life, I have given every green plant for food:&amp;quot; and it was so.


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And God saw every thing that he had accomplished, and, behold, it was very good. And there was dusk and there was dawn, a sixth time. 


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And on the seventh time God ended His work which He had accomplished; and He rested on the seventh time from all His work which he had provided.


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And God blessed the seventh time, and sanctified it: because on it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.


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These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were accomplished, in the time that the LORD God was making the earth and the heavens,


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And every plant of the field was not yet on the land, and every herb of the field before it sprouted: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was not a man to till the ground.


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And the LORD God fashioned man of the clay of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.


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And out of the ground the LORD God made to sprout every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.


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And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there was spread out and existed four headwaters.


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The name of the first is Pison: that is it which flows through all the land of Havilah, where there is gold;


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And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.


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And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to work in it and to preserve it.


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And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, &amp;quot;Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat:


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But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not eat: for from the time that you eat of it you will be doomed to die.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD God said, &amp;quot;It is not good that the man should be alone; I will provide a mate for him.&amp;quot;


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And out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the air; and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.


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And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but no mate was found for the man.


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And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept: and He took one part from his side, and repaired the flesh beneath;


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And the side part which the LORD God had taken from the man, He fashioned into a woman, and brought her to the man.


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And the man said, This at last is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.


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Therefore will a man leave his father and his mother, and will join together with his wife: and they will be one flesh.


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Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had fashioned. And he said to the woman, &amp;quot;Did God rightly say, You will not eat from every tree of the garden?&amp;quot;


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Except the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God did say, You will not eat it, or will ye touch it, otherwise you will die.&amp;quot;


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For God knows that in the time you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.&amp;quot;


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And when the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and was beautiful to look at, and a tree to be coveted to increase knowledge, she took of the fruit and ate, and gave also to her husband with her; and he ate.


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And the eyes of both were opened, and they realized that they were naked; and they joined fig leaves together, and made themselves coverings.


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And they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden in the breeze of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the face of the LORD God in the middle of the trees of the garden.


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And he said, &amp;quot;I heard your voice in the garden, and I was fearful, because I was naked; and I hid.&amp;quot;


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And He said, &amp;quot;Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded that you will not eat?&amp;quot;


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And the man said, &amp;quot;The woman who you provided to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD God said to the woman, &amp;quot;What have you done?&amp;quot; And the woman said, &amp;quot;The serpent charmed me, and I ate.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD God said to the serpent, &amp;quot;Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and rubbish will you eat all the days of thy life:


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And I will bring hatred between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.&amp;quot;


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To the woman He said, &amp;quot;I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you will bring forth children; and your longing will be to your husband, and he will rule over you.&amp;quot;


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And to the man He said, &amp;quot;Because you have heard the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, which I commanded you, saying, You will not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow you will eat of it all the time of your life;


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In the sweat of your face will you eat food, until you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust will you return.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD God said, &amp;quot;Behold, the man is now as one of Us, knowing good and evil: and now, before he stretch out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever:&amp;quot;


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Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was taken.


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So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a blazing sword which turned every way, to preserve the way of the tree of life.


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And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, &amp;quot;I have gotten a man from the LORD.&amp;quot;


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And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the soil.


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And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the soil for an offering to the LORD.


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And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and among the best. And the LORD looked to Abel and to his offering:


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But toward Cain and to his offering He did not look with favor. And Cain was very angry, and his face turned down.


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If you do well, will you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lurks at the door. And to you will be its longing, but you should overcome it.&amp;quot;


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And Cain spoke with his brother Abel: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.


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And the LORD said to Cain, &amp;quot;Where is your brother Abel?&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;I do not know: Am I my brother&amp;apos;s keeper?&amp;quot;


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And He said, &amp;quot;What have you done? the voice of your brother&amp;apos;s blood cries to Me from the soil.


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And now you are cursed more than the land, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother&amp;apos;s blood from your hand;


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When you till the soil, it will not again yield to you its best; a fugitive and a vagabond will you be in the land.&amp;quot;


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Behold, you have driven me out this time from the face of the land; and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the land; and it will come to pass, that whoever finds me will kill me.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD said to him, &amp;quot;Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be on him sevenfold.&amp;quot; And the LORD put a sign on Cain, so that anyone finding him would not beat him.


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And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch: and he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.


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And to Enoch was born Irad: and Irad fathered Mehujael: and Mehujael fathered Methusael: and Methusael fathered Lamech.


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And Zillah, also bore Tubalcain, a forger of all tools of brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.


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And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, &amp;quot;Hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: for I have slain a man due to my wound, and a young man for my bruise.


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And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth, for she said, &amp;quot;God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel whom Cain killed.&amp;quot;


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And also to Seth there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.


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This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the time that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God;


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He created them Male and female; and blessed them, and in the time when they were created named them Man, 


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And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and fathered a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and named him Seth:


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And the time of Adam after he had fathered Seth was eight hundred years: and he fathered sons and daughters:


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And Seth lived after he fathered Enos eight hundred and seven years, and fathered  sons and daughters:


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And Enos lived after he fathered Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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And Cainan lived after he fathered Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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And Mahalaleel lived after he fathered Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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And Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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And Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech seven hundred and eighty two years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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And he called his name Noah, saying, This one will comfort us from the work and toil of our hands because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.


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And Lamech lived after he fathered Noah five hundred and ninety five years, and fathered sons and daughters:


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The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good; and they took for wives those which they selected.


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And the LORD said, My Spirit will not always plead with mankind, for they are lustful: their time will be a hundred and twenty years.


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There were fallen men on the land at that time, and also after that, when the sons of God came to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, they became mighty men which were of old, men of authority.


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And God saw that the wickedness of mankind was abundant on the land, and that any purpose of the imagination of their mind was continually evil.


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And the LORD said, &amp;quot;I will wipe away man who I have created from the face of the land; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the birds of the heavens; for I sigh that I have brought them forth.&amp;quot;


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These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man and undefiled in his generations, and Noah walked with God.


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And God gazed upon the land, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all mankind had corrupted their manner on the land.


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And God said to Noah, &amp;quot;The end of all mankind has come before me; for the land is filled with violence among them; and, behold, I will wipe them out with the land.


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Build it by this plan: The length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the width fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits.


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Provide a window to the ark and enclose it to within a cubit of the top; and the door to the ark set in the side; build it with lower, second, and third levels.


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And, behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters upon the land, to wipe out all mankind, in which is the breath of life, among those under heaven. All that is on the land will perish.


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But with you will I establish my covenant; and you will come into the ark, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons&amp;apos; wives with you.


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And among all living things of all flesh, two of every kind will you bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they will be male and female.


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Among birds after their kind, and among cattle after their kind, among every creeping thing of the land after their kind, two of every kind will come to you, to keep them alive.


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And keep for yourself every kind of food that is eaten, and you will gather it in; and it will be for food for you and for them.&amp;quot;


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And the LORD said to Noah, &amp;quot;Enter you and all your family into the ark; for you I have seen in this generation as righteous before Me.


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Among every clean beast you will receive by sevens, the male and his female: and among beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.


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Among birds of the heaven by sevens, the male and the female; to preserve them on the face of all the land.


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For in seven days, I will cause it to rain upon the land forty days and forty nights; and all living things that I have brought forth I will wipe from off the face of the land.&amp;quot;


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And Noah entered, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons&amp;apos; wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.


text:
Among clean beasts, and among beasts that are not clean, and among birds, and among all that creeps on the land,


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In the six hundredth year of Noah&amp;apos;s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, at that time were all the wells of the great deep cleaved, and the windows of heaven were opened.


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On that very time entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah&amp;apos;s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;


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They, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the land after its kind, and every bird after his kind, all sort of little birds.


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And those going in, entered in male and female among all flesh, as God had commanded: and the LORD shut them in.


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And the flood was forty days upon the land; and the waters increased, and raised up the ark, and it was lift up above the land.


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And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly on the land; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.


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And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under all the heaven, were covered.


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And all flesh died that moved upon the land, birds, cattle, and beasts, and of all creeping thing that creeps upon the land, and all men:


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And every living substance was wiped away which was on the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the birds of the heaven; and they were wiped off from the land: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.


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And God was mindful of Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to blow over the land, and the waters subsided;


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And the waters were retreating from off the land: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were down.


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And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the hills of Ararat.


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And the waters retreated until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the hills seen.


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And he sent out a raven, which went back and forth until the waters were dried up from off the land.


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But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were on the face of all the land: then he put out his hand, and took her, and pulled her into him in the ark.


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And the dove came in to him at dusk; and, behold, in its mouth was an olive leaf torn off: so Noah knew that the waters had retreated from the land.


text:
In the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried on the land: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.


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&amp;quot;Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and the sons&amp;apos; wives with you.


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Bring every living thing that is with you, of all flesh, birds, cattle, and of every creeping thing that creeps upon the land; that they may breed abundantly on the land, and be fruitful, and increase on the land.&amp;quot;


text:
Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, and that which creeps on the land, after their kinds, went out of the ark.


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And Noah built an altar to the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.


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And the LORD smelled a sweet fragrance; and the LORD said in his heart, &amp;quot;I will not again curse the ground for man&amp;apos;s sake; for the imagination of man&amp;apos;s mind is evil from his youth; neither will I again punish every living thing, as I have done.


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While the earth remains, planting and harvesting, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not fail.&amp;quot;


text:
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, &amp;quot;Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the land.


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And the fear and dread of you will be on every beast of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on all that moves on the land, and on all the fish of the sea; to your hand are they given.


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Every moving thing that lives will be food for you; I have given you all things, even as the green plants.


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And surely I will punish any creature that takes a human life. Should an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And should a person take the life of another, that person must be put to death. 


text:
Whoever sheds man&amp;apos;s blood, by man will his blood be shed: for man was made in the image of God.


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And with every living creature that is with you, among the bird, among the cattle, and among every beast of the land with you; all that came out of the ark, to every beast of the land.


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And I will establish My covenant with you, never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.&amp;quot;


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And God said, &amp;quot;This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for everlasting generations:


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And it will be that when I bring the clouds over the land, that the rainbow will be seen in the clouds:


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And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.


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And the rainbow will be in the clouds; and I will see it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the land.&amp;quot;


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And God said to Noah, &amp;quot;This is the sign of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the land.&amp;quot;


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And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.


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And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and did not see their father&amp;apos;s nakedness.


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And he said, &amp;quot;Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants will he be to his brothers.&amp;quot;


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God will increase Japheth, and he will lodge in the dwellings of Shem; and Canaan will be his servant.&amp;quot;


text:
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and to them sons were born after the flood.


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By these were the coastland nations divided in their lands; every one after his language, after their families, in their nations.


text:
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.


text:
He was a mighty hunter to the face of the LORD: thus it is said, &amp;quot;Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter to the face of the LORD.&amp;quot;


text:
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.


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And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed.


text:
And the border of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza; in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, as far as Lasha.


text:
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, and in their nations.


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To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, were children born.


text:
And to Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his time the people were divided; and his brother&amp;apos;s name was Joktan. 


text:
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.


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These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and from these were the nations scattered abroad on the land after the flood.


text:
As they migrated from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they settled there.


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And they said one to another, &amp;quot;Let us make brick, and bake them thoroughly.&amp;quot; And they had brick for stone, and pitch for mortar.


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And they said, &amp;quot;Come, let us build a city and a tower, with its top in the heaven; and we will make a name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered over the face of the whole land.&amp;quot;


text:
And the LORD said, &amp;quot;Behold, the people are united and they all have one language; and this is the beginning of what they can do: and now nothing they imagine will be too difficult for them to do.


text:
Come, let us go down, and confuse their language, so that they cannot understand one another&amp;apos;s speech.&amp;quot;


text:
Therefore its name was called Babel; because the LORD confounded the language of all the land: and from there the LORD scatter them over the face of all the land.


text:
These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood:


text:
And Arphaxad lived after he fathered Salah four hundred and three years, and fathered sons and daughters.


text:
And Salah lived after he fathered Eber four hundred and three years, and fathered sons and daughters.


text:
And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and fathered sons and daughters.


text:
And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and fathered sons and daughters.


text:
Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.


text:
And Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram&amp;apos;s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor&amp;apos;s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.


text:
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son&amp;apos;s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram&amp;apos;s wife; and they went with them from Ur of the Kasdites, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and settled there.


text:
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, &amp;quot;Get out of this country, and from your kindred, and from you father&amp;apos;s house, to a land that I will show you:


text:
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shalt be a blessing:


text:
And I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you: and in you will all families of the land be blessed.&amp;quot;


text:
So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot with him: and Abram was seventy five years old when he departed Haran.


text:
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother&amp;apos;s son, and all their belongings that they had gathered, and the people that were with them in Haran; and they left to go to the land of Canaan; and to the land of Canaan they came.


text:
And Abram passed through the land into Shechem, to the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.


text:
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, &amp;quot;To your seed will I give this land:&amp;quot; and there he built an altar to the LORD who had appeared to him.


text:
And he went from there to a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he built an altar to the LORD, and called on the name of the LORD.


text:
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there; for the famine was terrible in the land.


text:
And it came to pass, when he was coming to enter into Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, &amp;quot;Behold, I know that you are a fair woman to look at:


text:
Therefore it will come to pass, when the Egyptians will see you, that they will say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will let you live.


text:
Say, I pray you, you are my sister: then it will be for me for your sake; and my life will be saved because of you.&amp;quot;


text:
And it came to pass, that, when Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.


text:
The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh&amp;apos;s house.


text:
And he treated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and male asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and female asses, and camels.


text:
Then the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram&amp;apos;s wife.


text:
And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, &amp;quot;What have you done to me? Why didn&amp;apos;t you tell me that she was your wife?


text:
Why did you say, She is my sister? I might have taken her as my wife: now therefore behold you wife, take her, and leave.&amp;quot;


text:
And Pharaoh commanded his men about him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he possessed.


text:
So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he possessed, and Lot with him, into the south. 


text:
And he journeyed on from the south as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 


text:
so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 


text:
and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram&amp;apos;s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot&amp;apos;s cattle. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 


text:
Then Abram said to Lot, &amp;quot;Let there not be strife between us, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are brethren. 


text:
Is not the whole land before you? Let us separate. If you take the left, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right, then I will go to the left.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Lot looked up and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 


text:
Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 


text:
The LORD said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, &amp;quot;Look up and see from where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 


text:
I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 


text:
So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. 


text:
In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 


text:
the kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 


text:
In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 


text:
Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar. 


text:
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 


text:
with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 


text:
Now the Valley of Siddim was full of slime pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. 


text:
So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 


text:
They also took Lot, the son of Abram&amp;apos;s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions. 


text:
Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. They were allies of Abram. 


text:
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 


text:
And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 


text:
Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. 


text:
After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King&amp;apos;s Valley). 


text:
And he blessed him and said, &amp;quot;Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 


text:
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!&amp;quot; And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 


text:
And the king of Sodom said to Abram, &amp;quot;Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, &amp;quot;I have lifted my hand to the LORD God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 


text:
that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, or you would say, I have made Abram rich. 


text:
I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.&amp;quot; 


text:
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: &amp;quot;Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will increase greatly.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Abram said, &amp;quot;O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Abram said, &amp;quot;Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.&amp;quot; 


text:
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: &amp;quot;This man will not be your heir; your very own son will be your heir.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he brought him outside and said, &amp;quot;Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.&amp;quot; Then he said to him, &amp;quot;So will be your offspring.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said to him, &amp;quot;I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Kasdites to give you this land to possess.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said to him, &amp;quot;Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 


text:
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell on him. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Abram, &amp;quot;Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 


text:
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 


text:
And they will come back here after the fourth century, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet finished.&amp;quot; 


text:
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 


text:
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, &amp;quot;To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 


text:
Now Sarai, Abram&amp;apos;s wife, had given him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 


text:
And Sarai said to Abram, &amp;quot;Behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; that I will obtain children by her.&amp;quot; And Abram heeded to the voice of Sarai. 


text:
After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram&amp;apos;s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram, her husband, as a wife. 


text:
And he went in to Hagar, and she gave birth. And when she knew that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 


text:
And Sarai said to Abram, &amp;quot;May the injustice toward me be against you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she knew that she had given birth, she looked at me with contempt. The LORD will judge between you and me!&amp;quot; 


text:
But Abram said to Sarai, &amp;quot;Behold, your servant is in your control; do with her as you please.&amp;quot; Then Sarai was harsh with her, and she fled. 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you fled and where are you going?&amp;quot; She said, &amp;quot;I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.&amp;quot; 


text:
The angel of the LORD also said to her, &amp;quot;I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be counted because of their abundance.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the angel of the LORD said to her, &amp;quot;Behold, you are pregnant and will bear a son. You will call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has understood your misery. 


text:
He will be a wild beast of a man, his strength against everyone and everyone&amp;apos;s strength against him, and he will dwell in the face of all his brethren.&amp;quot; 


text:
So she called on the name of the LORD who spoke to her, &amp;quot;You are a God of seeing,&amp;quot; and she said, &amp;quot;Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, &amp;quot;I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be undefiled, 


text:
No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of many nations. 


text:
I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you. 


text:
And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 


text:
And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your pilgrimage, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.&amp;quot; 


text:
And God said to Abraham, &amp;quot;As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 


text:
This is My covenant, which you will keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you will be circumcised. 


text:
You will be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 


text:
He who is eight days old among you will be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or purchased with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 


text:
both he who is born in your house and he who is purchased with your money, will surely be circumcised. So will My covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 


text:
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.&amp;quot; 


text:
And God said to Abraham, &amp;quot;As for Sarai your wife, you will not call her name Sarai, but Sarah will be her name. 


text:
I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will come from her.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, &amp;quot;Will a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?&amp;quot; 


text:
God said, &amp;quot;No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 


text:
As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 


text:
But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or purchased with his money, every male among the men of Abraham&amp;apos;s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 


text:
And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those purchased with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. 


text:
And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 


text:
He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the ground 


text:
while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on; since you have honored your servant.&amp;quot; So they said, &amp;quot;Do as you have said.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, &amp;quot;Quick! Three measures of fine meal! Prepare it, and make cakes.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 


text:
Then he took butter and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and gave it to them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 


text:
They said to him, &amp;quot;Where is Sarah your wife?&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;She is in the tent.&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said, &amp;quot;I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.&amp;quot; And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 


text:
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, &amp;quot;After I being so aged, and my lord is aged, will I have pleasure?&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said to Abraham, &amp;quot;Why did Sarah laugh and say, &amp;apos;Will I indeed bear a child, now that I am aged?&amp;apos; 


text:
Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Sarah denied it, saying, &amp;quot;I did not laugh,&amp;quot; for she was afraid. He said, &amp;quot;No, but you did laugh.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the men left from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 


text:
seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? 


text:
For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may give to Abraham what he has promised him.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the LORD said, &amp;quot;Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is burdensome, 


text:
I will go down to see whether they have done according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.&amp;quot; 


text:
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 


text:
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said, &amp;quot;If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.&amp;quot; 


text:
Abraham answered and said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 


text:
Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.&amp;quot; 


text:
Again he spoke to him and said, &amp;quot;Suppose forty are found there.&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;For the sake of forty I will not do it.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;I will not do it, if I find thirty there.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD went His way, when He had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. 


text:
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the ground 


text:
and said, &amp;quot;My lords, please turn aside to your servant&amp;apos;s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.&amp;quot; They said, &amp;quot;No; we will spend the night in the town square.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his home. And he prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 


text:
But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people within the city, surrounded the house. 


text:
And they called to Lot, &amp;quot;Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.&amp;quot; 


text:
Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you will. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.&amp;quot; 


text:
But they said, &amp;quot;Stand back!&amp;quot; And they said, &amp;quot;This fellow is a stranger, and he becomes the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.&amp;quot; Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break down the door. 


text:
And they struck  the men blind who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they struggled to find the door. 


text:
Then the men said to Lot, &amp;quot;Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, get them out of the place. 


text:
For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to ruin it.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, &amp;quot;Rise up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.&amp;quot; But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking. 


text:
As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, &amp;quot;Rise up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you perish in the punishment of this city.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he was reluctant. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they took him out and set him outside the city. 


text:
And as they took them out, one said, &amp;quot;Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you perish.&amp;quot; 


text:
Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, or some evil may overtake me and I will die. 


text:
Behold, a city is near enough to flee to, and it is a small one. Let me escape there, it only a small place, and my life will be saved!&amp;quot; 


text:
He said to him, &amp;quot;Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 


text:
Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.&amp;quot; Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 


text:
And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 


text:
And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. 


text:
So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. 


text:
Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 


text:
And the firstborn said to the younger, &amp;quot;Our father is old, and there is no man on the land to come in to us as is the way of the world. 


text:
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they got their father to drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she left. 


text:
The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, &amp;quot;Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger went and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she left. 


text:
The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the sons of the Ammon to this day. 


text:
From there Abraham journeyed to the southern territory and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he stayed in Gerar. 


text:
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, &amp;quot;She is my sister.&amp;quot; And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 


text:
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, &amp;quot;Behold, you are going to die because of the woman who you have taken, for she is a man&amp;apos;s wife.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, &amp;quot;Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 


text:
Did he not say to me, &amp;apos;She is my sister&amp;apos;? And she herself said, &amp;apos;He is my brother.&amp;apos; In the integrity of heart and cleanness of hands I did this.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then God said to him in the dream, &amp;quot;Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 


text:
Now then, return the man&amp;apos;s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you qill surely die, you and all that are yours.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were frightened. 


text:
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, &amp;quot;What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that should not be done.&amp;quot; 


text:
Abraham said, &amp;quot;I did it because I believed, There was no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. 


text:
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 


text:
And when God caused me to wander from my father&amp;apos;s house, I said to her, &amp;apos;This is the best thing you can do for me: at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 


text:
To Sarah he said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are justified.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 


text:
For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham&amp;apos;s wife. 


text:
And Sarah said, &amp;quot;God has given me pleasure; everyone who hears will be merry for me.&amp;quot; 


text:
And she said, &amp;quot;Who would say to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 


text:
So she said to Abraham, &amp;quot;Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be a heir with my son Isaac.&amp;quot; 


text:
But God said to Abraham, &amp;quot;Be not troubled because of the boy and the slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac will your seed be named. 


text:
So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 


text:
Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, &amp;quot;Let me not look on the death of the child.&amp;quot; And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 


text:
And God heard the crying of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, &amp;quot;What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the crying of the boy there where he is. 


text:
Rise up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 


text:
And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 


text:
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, &amp;quot;God is with you in all that you do. 


text:
Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech&amp;apos;s servants had seized, 


text:
Abimelech said, &amp;quot;I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Abimelech said to Abraham, &amp;quot;What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 


text:
Abraham planted a tamarisk grove in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 


text:
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, &amp;quot;Abraham!&amp;quot; And He said, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.&amp;quot; 


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So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place where God told him. 


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Then Abraham said to his young men, &amp;quot;Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.&amp;quot; 


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And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they both went together. 


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And Isaac said to his father Abraham, &amp;quot;My father!&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Here I am, my son.&amp;quot; He said, &amp;quot;Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?&amp;quot; 


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Abraham said, &amp;quot;God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.&amp;quot; So they both went both together. 


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When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and put him on the altar, on top of the wood. 


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But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, &amp;quot;Abraham, Abraham!&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


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He said, &amp;quot;Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.&amp;quot; 


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And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram, caught by his horns in a thicket. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 


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So Abraham called the name of that place, &amp;quot;The LORD will provide&amp;quot;; as it is said to this day, &amp;quot;On the mount of the LORD it will be provided.&amp;quot; 


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and said, &amp;quot;I have sworn by Myself, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 


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I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your seed will possess the gate of his enemies, 


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and in your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.&amp;quot; 


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So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. 


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Now after these things it was told to Abraham, &amp;quot;Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 


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And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 


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&amp;quot;I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.&amp;quot; 


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&amp;quot;Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.&amp;quot; 


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And he said to them, &amp;quot;If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and ask for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 


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that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as place for burying.&amp;quot; 


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Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 


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&amp;quot;No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.&amp;quot; 


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And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, &amp;quot;But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.&amp;quot; 


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&amp;quot;My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.&amp;quot; 


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Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants. 


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So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was given over 


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to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 


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After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre, which is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 


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The field and the cave that is in it were given over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites. 


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And Abraham said to his servant, the eldest of his household who had charge of all that he had, &amp;quot;Put your hand under my thigh, 


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that I may have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not find a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 


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The servant said to him, &amp;quot;Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?&amp;quot; 


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The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father&amp;apos;s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, &amp;apos;To your seed I will give this land,&amp;apos; he will send his angel before you, and you will find a wife for my son from there. 


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But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; you must not take my son back there.&amp;quot; 


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So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him according to these words. 


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Then the servant took ten of his master&amp;apos;s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Aram Naharaim to the city of Nahor. 


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And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of dusk, the time when women go out to draw water. 


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And he said, &amp;quot;O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 


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Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 


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Let the young woman to whom I will say, &amp;apos;Please let down your jar that I may drink,&amp;apos; and who will say, &amp;apos;Drink, and I will water your camels&amp;apos;; let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.&amp;quot; 


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Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham&amp;apos;s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 


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The young woman was very pleasant in appearance, a maiden who no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 


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Then the servant came to meet her and said, &amp;quot;Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.&amp;quot; 


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She said, &amp;quot;Drink, my lord.&amp;quot; And she quickly let down her jar on her hand and gave him a drink. 


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When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, &amp;quot;I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.&amp;quot; 


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So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and again rushed to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 


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When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms, ten weights of gold, 


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and said, &amp;quot;Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father&amp;apos;s house for us to spend the night?&amp;quot; 


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She said to him, &amp;quot;I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.&amp;quot; 


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She added, &amp;quot;We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.&amp;quot; 


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and said, &amp;quot;Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master&amp;apos;s kinsmen.&amp;quot; 


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As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister&amp;apos;s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, &amp;quot;Thus the man spoke to me,&amp;quot; he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 


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He said, &amp;quot;Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.&amp;quot; 


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So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 


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Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, &amp;quot;I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.&amp;quot; He said, &amp;quot;Speak on.&amp;quot; 


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The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 


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And Sarah my master&amp;apos;s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has. 


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My master made me swear, saying, &amp;apos;You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, 


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but you will go to my father&amp;apos;s house and to my tribe and take a wife for my son.&amp;apos; 


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But he said to me, &amp;apos;The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You will take a wife for my son from my tribe and from my father&amp;apos;s house. 


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Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my tribe. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.&amp;apos; 


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&amp;quot;I came today to the spring and said, &amp;apos;O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go, 


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behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I will say, &amp;quot;Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,&amp;quot; 


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and who will say to me, &amp;quot;Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,&amp;quot; let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master&amp;apos;s son.&amp;apos; 


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&amp;quot;Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, &amp;apos;Please let me drink.&amp;apos; 


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She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, &amp;apos;Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.&amp;apos; So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 


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Then I asked her, &amp;apos;Whose daughter are you?&amp;apos; She said, &amp;apos;The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor&amp;apos;s son, whom Milcah bore to him.&amp;apos; So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 


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Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master&amp;apos;s kinsman for his son. 


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Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.&amp;quot; 


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Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, &amp;quot;The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 


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Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master&amp;apos;s son, as the LORD has spoken.&amp;quot; 


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And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 


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And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, &amp;quot;Send me away to my master.&amp;quot; 


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Her brother and her mother said, &amp;quot;Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.&amp;quot; 


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But he said to them, &amp;quot;Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.&amp;quot; 


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And they called Rebekah and said to her, &amp;quot;Will you go with this man?&amp;quot; She said, &amp;quot;I will go.&amp;quot; 


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And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, &amp;quot;Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate him!&amp;quot; 


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Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way. 


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Now Isaac had returned from The Well of the Living One, my Beholder, and was dwelling in the south country. 


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And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 


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and said to the servant, &amp;quot;Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?&amp;quot; The servant said, &amp;quot;It is my master.&amp;quot; So she took her veil and covered herself. 


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Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was consoled after his mother. 


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The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all the children of Keturah. 


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But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the land of the east. 


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Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was taken up to his people. 


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Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 


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After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at The Well of the Living One, My Beholder. 


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These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham&amp;apos;s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah&amp;apos;s servant, bore to Abraham. 


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These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 


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These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve chiefs according to their nations. 


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These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He expired and died, and was taken up to his people. 


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They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled in the face of all of his brothers. 


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and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 


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And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 


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The sons struggled together within her, and she said, &amp;quot;If it is thus, why is this happening to me?&amp;quot; So she went to inquire of the LORD. 


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And the LORD said to her, &amp;quot;Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from inside you will be separated; the one will be stronger than the other, the older will serve the younger.&amp;quot; 


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Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau&amp;apos;s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 


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When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a gentle man, dwelling in tents. 


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And Esau said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am faint!&amp;quot; Therefore his name was called Edom. 


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Jacob said, &amp;quot;Swear to me now.&amp;quot; So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 


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Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau had no regard for his birthright. 


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Now there was a famine in the land besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 


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And the LORD appeared to him and said, &amp;quot;Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I will tell you. 


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Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your seed I will give all of these lands, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 


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I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, 


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because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.&amp;quot; 


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When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, &amp;quot;She is my sister,&amp;quot; for he feared to say, &amp;quot;My wife,&amp;quot; thinking, &amp;quot;otherwise the men of the place would kill me because of Rebekah,&amp;quot; because she was fair in appearance. 


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When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife. 


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So Abimelech called Isaac and said, &amp;quot;Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, &amp;apos;She is my sister&amp;apos;?&amp;quot; Isaac said to him, &amp;quot;Because I thought, &amp;apos;Otherwise I die because of her.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


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Abimelech said, &amp;quot;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.&amp;quot; 


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So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, &amp;quot;Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.&amp;quot; 


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Now the Philistines had closed up and filled with earth all the wells that his father&amp;apos;s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father. 


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And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had closed up after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 


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the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac&amp;apos;s herdsmen, saying, &amp;quot;The water is ours.&amp;quot; So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. 


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And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not contend over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, &amp;quot;For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.&amp;quot; 


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And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, &amp;quot;I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham&amp;apos;s sake.&amp;quot; 


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So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac&amp;apos;s servants dug a well. 


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When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, 


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Isaac said to them, &amp;quot;Why have you come to me, seeing that you despise me and have sent me away from you?&amp;quot; 


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They said, &amp;quot;We see plainly that the LORD has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 


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that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.&amp;quot; 


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In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 


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That same day Isaac&amp;apos;s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, &amp;quot;We have found water.&amp;quot; 


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When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 


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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, &amp;quot;My son&amp;quot;; and he answered, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


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Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 


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and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt game and bring it in, 


text:
&amp;apos;Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.&amp;apos; 


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Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 


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But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, &amp;quot;Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 


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Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.&amp;quot; 


text:
His mother said to him, &amp;quot;Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey me, and go, bring them to me.&amp;quot; 


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So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 


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Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 


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And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 


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So he went in to his father and said, &amp;quot;My father.&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Here I am. Who are you, my son?&amp;quot; 


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Jacob said to his father, &amp;quot;I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.&amp;quot; 


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But Isaac said to his son, &amp;quot;How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;Because the LORD your God granted me success.&amp;quot; 


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Then Isaac said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.&amp;quot; 


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So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, &amp;quot;The voice is Jacob&amp;apos;s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.&amp;quot; 


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And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau&amp;apos;s hands. So he blessed him. 


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Then he said, &amp;quot;Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son&amp;apos;s game and bless you.&amp;quot; So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 


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So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, &amp;quot;See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! 


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May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the richness of the land and plenty of grain and wine. 


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Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother&amp;apos;s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!&amp;quot; 


text:
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 


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He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, &amp;quot;Let my father arise and eat of his son&amp;apos;s game, that you may bless me.&amp;quot; 


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His father Isaac said to him, &amp;quot;Who are you?&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.&amp;quot; 


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Then Isaac trembled with great anxiety and said, &amp;quot;Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he will be blessed.&amp;quot; 


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As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and angry shriek and said to his father, &amp;quot;Bless me, even me also, O my father!&amp;quot; 


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But he said, &amp;quot;Your brother came in treachery and he has taken away your blessing.&amp;quot; 


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Esau said, &amp;quot;Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.&amp;quot; Then he said, &amp;quot;Have you not reserved a blessing for me?&amp;quot; 


text:
Isaac answered and said to Esau, &amp;quot;Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?&amp;quot; 


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Esau said to his father, &amp;quot;Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.&amp;quot; And Esau lifted up his voice and mourned. 


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Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: &amp;quot;Behold, from the richness of the land will your dwelling be, and from the dew of heaven on high. 


text:
By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; but when you grow restless you will break his yoke from your neck.&amp;quot; 


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Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, &amp;quot;The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.&amp;quot; 


text:
But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, &amp;quot;Behold, your brother Esau console himself about you by planning to kill you. 


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until your brother&amp;apos;s anger withdraws from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be deprived of you both in one day?&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, &amp;quot;I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be?&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, &amp;quot;You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 


text:
Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother&amp;apos;s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother&amp;apos;s brother. 


text:
God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a multitude of people. 


text:
May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojourning that God gave to Abraham!&amp;quot; 


text:
Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob&amp;apos;s and Esau&amp;apos;s mother. 


text:
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he commanded him, &amp;quot;You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,&amp;quot; 


text:
Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham&amp;apos;s son, the sister of Nebaioth. 


text:
And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 


text:
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the land, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 


text:
And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, &amp;quot;I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed. 


text:
Your seed will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your seed will all the families of the land be blessed. 


text:
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, &amp;quot;Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he was fearful and said, &amp;quot;How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.&amp;quot; 


text:
So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 


text:
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, &amp;quot;If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 


text:
and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God&amp;apos;s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well&amp;apos;s mouth was large, 


text:
and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well. 


text:
Jacob said to them, &amp;quot;My brothers, where do you come from?&amp;quot; They said, &amp;quot;We are from Haran.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said to them, &amp;quot;Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?&amp;quot; They said, &amp;quot;We know him.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said to them, &amp;quot;Is it well with him?&amp;quot; They said, &amp;quot;It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, graze them.&amp;quot; 


text:
But they said, &amp;quot;We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.&amp;quot; 


text:
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father&amp;apos;s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 


text:
Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother&amp;apos;s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother&amp;apos;s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well&amp;apos;s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother&amp;apos;s brother. 


text:
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father&amp;apos;s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah&amp;apos;s son, and she ran and told her father. 


text:
As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister&amp;apos;s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 


text:
and Laban said to him, &amp;quot;Surely you are my bone and my flesh!&amp;quot; And he stayed with him a month. 


text:
Then Laban said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Because you are my kinsman, you should not serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?&amp;quot; 


text:
Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 


text:
Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, &amp;quot;I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.&amp;quot; 


text:
Laban said, &amp;quot;It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him as just a few days because of the love he had for her. 


text:
Then Jacob said to Laban, &amp;quot;Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is fulfilled.&amp;quot; 


text:
And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, &amp;quot;What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?&amp;quot; 


text:
Complete the week for this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. 


text:
And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, &amp;quot;Because the LORD has looked upon my misery; for now my husband will love me.&amp;quot; 


text:
She conceived again and bore a son, and said, &amp;quot;Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.&amp;quot; And she called his name Simeon. 


text:
Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, &amp;quot;Now this time my husband will be united with me, because I have borne him three sons.&amp;quot; Therefore his name was called Levi. 


text:
And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, &amp;quot;This time I will praise the LORD.&amp;quot; Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased having children. 


text:
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Give me children, or I will die!&amp;quot; 


text:
Jacob&amp;apos;s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, &amp;quot;Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?&amp;quot; 


text:
Then she said, &amp;quot;Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Rachel said, &amp;quot;God has ministered judgement to me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.&amp;quot; Therefore she called his name Dan. 


text:
Then Rachel said, &amp;quot;With great struggle I have wrestled with my sister and have overcome.&amp;quot; So she called his name Naphtali. 


text:
When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 


text:
And Leah said, &amp;quot;Happy am I! For daughters have called me blessed.&amp;quot; So she called his name Asher. 


text:
In the days of grain harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, &amp;quot;Please give me some of your son&amp;apos;s mandrakes.&amp;quot; 


text:
But she said to her, &amp;quot;Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son&amp;apos;s mandrakes also?&amp;quot; Rachel said, &amp;quot;Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son&amp;apos;s mandrakes.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, &amp;quot;You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son&amp;apos;s mandrakes.&amp;quot; So he lay with her that night. 


text:
Leah said, &amp;quot;God has given me my reward because I gave my servant to my husband.&amp;quot; So she called his name Issachar. 


text:
Then Leah said, &amp;quot;God has provided me with a good endowment; now my husband will reside with me, because I have borne him six sons.&amp;quot; So she called his name Zebulun. 


text:
As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, &amp;quot;Release me, that I may go to my own home and country. 


text:
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have provided you.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Laban said to him, &amp;quot;If I have found favor in your sight, I have observed that the LORD has blessed me because of you. 


text:
Jacob said to him, &amp;quot;You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has become with me. 


text:
For you had little before I came, and it has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when will I work for my own household also?&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;What will I give you?&amp;quot; Jacob said, &amp;quot;You will not give me anything. If you will just do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 


text:
let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they will be my wages. 


text:
So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be counted stolen.&amp;quot; 


text:
But 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 on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 


text:
And he set a distance of three days&amp;apos; journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban&amp;apos;s flock. 


text:
Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 


text:
He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 


text:
And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own flockes apart and did not put them with Laban&amp;apos;s flock. 


text:
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 


text:
but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban&amp;apos;s, and the stronger Jacob&amp;apos;s. 


text:
Thus the man greatly increased and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. 


text:
And he heard that the sons of Laban were saying, &amp;quot;Jacob has taken all that was our father&amp;apos;s, and from what was our father&amp;apos;s he has gained all this wealth.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the LORD said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.&amp;quot; 


text:
and said to them, &amp;quot;I see the face of your father and it does not regard favor me as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 


text:
yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. 


text:
If he said, &amp;apos;The spotted will be your wages,&amp;apos; then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, &amp;apos;The striped will be your wages,&amp;apos; then all the flock bore striped. 


text:
In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. 


text:
Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, &amp;apos;Jacob,&amp;apos; and I said, &amp;apos;Here I am!&amp;apos; 


text:
And he said, &amp;apos;Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 


text:
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now rise up, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, &amp;quot;Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father&amp;apos;s house? 


text:
All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has told you, do.&amp;quot; 


text:
He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 


text:
He fled with all that he had and rose up and crossed the river, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. 


text:
he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 


text:
But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, &amp;quot;Be careful not to speak anything to Jacob, either good or bad.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 


text:
And Laban said to Jacob, &amp;quot;What have you done, that you have tricked me and stolen away my daughters like captives of the sword? 


text:
Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 


text:
It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, &amp;apos;Be careful not to speak anything to Jacob, either good or bad.&amp;apos; 


text:
And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father&amp;apos;s house, but why did you steal my gods?&amp;quot; 


text:
Jacob answered and said to Laban, &amp;quot;Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 


text:
With whoever you find your idols, they will not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.&amp;quot; Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 


text:
So Laban went into Jacob&amp;apos;s tent and into Leah&amp;apos;s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah&amp;apos;s tent and entered Rachel&amp;apos;s. 


text:
Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel&amp;apos;s saddle and sat on them. Laban searched all about the tent, but did not find them. 


text:
And she said to her father, &amp;quot;Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.&amp;quot; So he searched but did not find the household idols. 


text:
Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, &amp;quot;What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 


text:
For you have searched through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Settle it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 


text:
These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 


text:
What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether carried away by day or by night. 


text:
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 


text:
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, &amp;quot;The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? 


text:
And Jacob said to his kinsmen, &amp;quot;Gather stones.&amp;quot; And they took stones and made a pile, and they ate there by the pile. 


text:
Laban said, &amp;quot;This pile  is a witness between you and me today.&amp;quot; Therefore he named it Galeed, 


text:
and Mizpah, for he said, &amp;quot;The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another&amp;apos;s sight. 


text:
If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Laban said to Jacob, &amp;quot;See this pile and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 


text:
This pile is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this pile to you, and you will not pass over this pile and this pillar to me, to do harm. 


text:
The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.&amp;quot; So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, 


text:
and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. 


text:
Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. 


text:
And when Jacob saw them he said, &amp;quot;This is God&amp;apos;s camp!&amp;quot; So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 


text:
And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 


text:
instructing them, &amp;quot;Thus you will say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, &amp;apos;I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. 


text:
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, &amp;quot;We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Jacob was greatly frightened and worried. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 


text:
thinking, &amp;quot;If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Jacob said, &amp;quot;O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who told me, &amp;apos;Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may deal well with you,&amp;apos; 


text:
I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of kindness and the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 


text:
Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, even the mothers with sons. 


text:
But you said, &amp;apos;I will deal well with you, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for its abundance.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 


text:
These he handed over to his servants, each flock by itself, and said to his servants, &amp;quot;Pass on ahead of me and put a space between each flock.&amp;quot; 


text:
He instructed the first, &amp;quot;When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, &amp;apos;To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?&amp;apos; 


text:
then you will say, &amp;apos;They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the flocks, &amp;quot;You will say the same thing to Esau when you find him, 


text:
and you will say, &amp;apos;Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; For he thought, &amp;quot;I may appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.&amp;quot; 


text:
The same night he rose up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 


text:
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob&amp;apos;s hip was put out of joint as he struggled with him. 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;Let me go, for the day has broken.&amp;quot; But Jacob said, &amp;quot;I will not let you go unless you bless me.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have overcome.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Jacob asked him, &amp;quot;Please tell me your name.&amp;quot; But he said, &amp;quot;Why is it that you ask my name?&amp;quot; And there he blessed him. 


text:
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, &amp;quot;For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been spared.&amp;quot; 


text:
Therefore to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob&amp;apos;s hip on the sinew of the thigh. 


text:
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 


text:
And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last. 


text:
He went on in front of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 


text:
And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, &amp;quot;Who are these with you?&amp;quot; Jacob said, &amp;quot;The children whom God has graciously given your servant.&amp;quot; 


text:
Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 


text:
Esau said, &amp;quot;What are all this company that I met?&amp;quot; Jacob answered, &amp;quot;To attain favor in the sight of my lord.&amp;quot; 


text:
Jacob said, &amp;quot;No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. 


text:
Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.&amp;quot; Thus he urged him, and he accepted it. 


text:
But Jacob said to him, &amp;quot;My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. 


text:
Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Esau said, &amp;quot;Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.&amp;quot; But he said, &amp;quot;What is the need for this? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Jacob went to Succoth, and built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 


text:
And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. 


text:
And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem&amp;apos;s father, he purchased for a hundred pieces of money the field on which he had pitched his tent. 


text:
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and defiled her. 


text:
And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke kindly to her. 


text:
Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his flocks in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came in. 


text:
The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done such a wicled thing in Israel by lying with Jacob&amp;apos;s daughter, for such things must not be committed. 


text:
But Hamor spoke with them, saying, &amp;quot;The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. 


text:
You will dwell with us, and the land will be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire property in it.&amp;quot; 


text:
Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, &amp;quot;Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you tell me I will give. 


text:
Ask me for as good a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you tell me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.&amp;quot; 


text:
The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor,  speaking deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 


text:
They said to them, &amp;quot;We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 


text:
Only on this condition will we agree with you, that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. 


text:
Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become as one people. 


text:
But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will leave.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the young man did not delay accomplish the matter, because he delighted in Jacob&amp;apos;s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father&amp;apos;s house. 


text:
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 


text:
&amp;quot;These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. 


text:
Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become as  one people when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. 


text:
Will not their flocks, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.&amp;quot; 


text:
And all who went out to the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out to the gate of the city. 


text:
On the third day, when they were afflicted, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah&amp;apos;s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. 


text:
They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem&amp;apos;s house and left. 


text:
The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. 


text:
They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 


text:
All their wealth, all their children and their wives, they captured and plundered all that was in the houses. 


text:
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, &amp;quot;You have brought trouble on me by making me to be loathsome to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are small, and if they gather themselves against me and strike me, I will be desolated, I and my family.&amp;quot; 


text:
God said to Jacob, &amp;quot;Rise up, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, &amp;quot;Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 


text:
Then let us rise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they gave to Jacob all the foreign idols that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the oak tree that was near Shechem. 


text:
And as they journeyed a fear from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 


text:
And Jacob came to Luz, that is, Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 


text:
and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from the face of his brother. 


text:
And Deborah, Rebekah&amp;apos;s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth. 


text:
And God said to him, &amp;quot;Your name is Jacob; no longer will your name be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name.&amp;quot; So he called his name Israel. 


text:
And God said to him, &amp;quot;I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your own body. 


text:
The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your seed after you.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 


text:
Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had a hard labor. 


text:
And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, &amp;quot;Do not fear, for you have another son.&amp;quot; 


text:
And as her soul was departing, for she was dying, she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 


text:
and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel&amp;apos;s tomb, which is there to this time. 


text:
While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father&amp;apos;s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 


text:
The sons of Zilpah, Leah&amp;apos;s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. 


text:
And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 


text:
And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. 


text:
Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 


text:
and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 


text:
Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his flocks, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 


text:
For their possessions were too abundant for them to dwell together. The land of their sojourning could not support them because of their flocks. 


text:
These are the names of Esau&amp;apos;s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 


text:
Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau&amp;apos;s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau&amp;apos;s wife. 


text:
These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau&amp;apos;s wife. 


text:
These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau&amp;apos;s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 


text:
These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 


text:
Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 


text:
These are the sons of Reuel, Esau&amp;apos;s son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau&amp;apos;s wife. 


text:
These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau&amp;apos;s wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau&amp;apos;s wife. 


text:
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 


text:
These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. 


text:
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir. 


text:
Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. 


text:
Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife&amp;apos;s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab. 


text:
These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 


text:
Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. He is Esau the father of Edom, 


text:
These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father&amp;apos;s wives. And Joseph brought a troubling report of them to their father. 


text:
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of long lengths. 


text:
But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they despised him and could not speak well to him. 


text:
Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.&amp;quot; 


text:
His brothers said to him, &amp;quot;Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you to indeed have dominion over us?&amp;quot; So they despised him even more for his dreams and for his words. 


text:
Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.&amp;quot; 


text:
But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father scolded him and said to him, &amp;quot;What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Israel said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.&amp;quot; And he said to him, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


text:
So he said to him, &amp;quot;Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.&amp;quot; So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 


text:
And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, &amp;quot;What are you seeking?&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;I am seeking my brothers,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the man said, &amp;quot;They have gone away, for I heard them say, &amp;apos;Let us go to Dothan.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 


text:
Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has eaten him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.&amp;quot; 


text:
But when Reuben heard it, he preserved him out of their hands, saying, &amp;quot;Let us not take his life.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Reuben said to them, &amp;quot;Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him&amp;quot; So that he might rescue him out of their hand to return him to his father. 


text:
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of long lengths that he wore. 


text:
Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 


text:
Then Judah said to his brothers, &amp;quot;What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his bloodshed? 


text:
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.&amp;quot; And his brothers listened to him. 


text:
Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. 


text:
and returned to his brothers and said, &amp;quot;The boy is gone, and I, where will I go?&amp;quot; 


text:
And they sent the robe of long lengths and brought it to their father and said, &amp;quot;This we have found; please identify whether it is your son&amp;apos;s robe or not.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he identified it and said, &amp;quot;It is my son&amp;apos;s robe. A fierce animal has eaten him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.&amp;quot; 


text:
All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, &amp;quot;No, I will go down into the grave to my son, lamenting.&amp;quot; Thus his father wept for him. 


text:
Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. 


text:
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 


text:
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, 


text:
But Er, Judah&amp;apos;s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death. 


text:
Then Judah said to Onan, &amp;quot;Go in to your brother&amp;apos;s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up seed for your brother.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Onan knew that the seed would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother&amp;apos;s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give seed to his brother. 


text:
Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, &amp;quot;Remain a widow in your father&amp;apos;s house, till Shelah my son grows up&amp;quot; For he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and dwell in her father&amp;apos;s house. 


text:
In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua&amp;apos;s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 


text:
And when Tamar was told, &amp;quot;Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,&amp;quot; 


text:
she took off her widow&amp;apos;s clothes and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. 


text:
He turned to her at the roadside and said, &amp;quot;Come, let me come in to you,&amp;quot; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, &amp;quot;What will you give me, that you may come in to me?&amp;quot; 


text:
He answered, &amp;quot;I will send you a young goat from the flock.&amp;quot; And she said, &amp;quot;Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;What pledge will I give you?&amp;quot; She replied, &amp;quot;Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.&amp;quot; So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 


text:
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman&amp;apos;s hand, he did not find her. 


text:
And he asked the men of the place, &amp;quot;Where is the harlot who was at Enaim at the roadside?&amp;quot; And they said, &amp;quot;No harlot has been here.&amp;quot; 


text:
So he returned to Judah and said, &amp;quot;I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, &amp;apos;No harlot has been here.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And Judah replied, &amp;quot;Let her keep the things as her own, or we will be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.&amp;quot; 


text:
About three months later Judah was told, &amp;quot;Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.&amp;quot; And Judah said, &amp;quot;Bring her out, and let her be burned.&amp;quot; 


text:
As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, &amp;quot;By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.&amp;quot; And she said, &amp;quot;Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Judah identified them and said, &amp;quot;She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.&amp;quot; And he did not know her again. 


text:
And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, &amp;quot;This one came out first.&amp;quot; 


text:
But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, &amp;quot;What an opening you have made for yourself!&amp;quot; Therefore his name was called Perez. 


text:
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had transported him down there. 


text:
The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 


text:
His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 


text:
So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him, and he made him overseer of his house and put into his hand all that he had. 


text:
From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the LORD blessed the Egyptian&amp;apos;s house for Joseph&amp;apos;s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. 


text:
So he left all that he had in Joseph&amp;apos;s hand, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was of good form and handsome. 


text:
And after a time his master&amp;apos;s wife had a desire for Joseph and said, &amp;quot;Lie with me.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he refused and said to his master&amp;apos;s wife, &amp;quot;Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. 


text:
No one is greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil and sin against God?&amp;quot; 


text:
And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 


text:
But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the home, 


text:
she caught him by his clothes, saying, &amp;quot;Lie with me.&amp;quot; But he left his clothes in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 


text:
she called to the men of her household and said to them, &amp;quot;See, he has put among us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 


text:
And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his clothes beside me and fled and got out of the house.&amp;quot; 


text:
and she told him the same story, saying, &amp;quot;The Hebrew servant, whom you have put among us, came in to me to mock me. 


text:
But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his clothes beside me and fled out of the house.&amp;quot; 


text:
As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, &amp;quot;This is the way your servant treated me,&amp;quot; his anger was kindled. 


text:
And Joseph&amp;apos;s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king&amp;apos;s prisoners were kept, and he continued there in prison. 


text:
But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and caused him to have favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 


text:
And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all those who were bound in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was in charge. 


text:
The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph&amp;apos;s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it to prosper. 


text:
Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 


text:
and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 


text:
The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be over them, and he watched them. They continued for some time in custody. 


text:
And one night they both dreamed, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, each had his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 


text:
So he asked Pharaoh&amp;apos;s eunuchs who were with him in custody in his master&amp;apos;s house, &amp;quot;Why are your so distressed today?&amp;quot; 


text:
They said to him, &amp;quot;We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.&amp;quot; And Joseph said to them, &amp;quot;Are not interpretations God&amp;apos;s? Please tell them to me.&amp;quot; 


text:
So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, &amp;quot;In my dream there was a vine before me, 


text:
and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 


text:
Pharaoh&amp;apos;s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh&amp;apos;s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh&amp;apos;s hand.&amp;quot; 


text:
In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you will place Pharaoh&amp;apos;s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 


text:
Only remember me when you prosper, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 


text:
For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.&amp;quot; 


text:
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, &amp;quot;I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 


text:
and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Joseph answered and said, &amp;quot;Here is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 


text:
In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you, and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat your flesh.&amp;quot; 


text:
On the third day, which was Pharaoh&amp;apos;s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 


text:
and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 


text:
And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 


text:
And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain  plump and good  were growing on one stalk. 


text:
And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 


text:
So in the morning his spirit was distressed, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them for Pharaoh. 


text:
When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 


text:
A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 


text:
And as he interpreted to us, so it came to pass. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they rushed him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 


text:
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, &amp;quot;I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.&amp;quot; 


text:
Joseph answered Pharaoh, &amp;quot;It is not of me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 


text:
Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 


text:
but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I woke. 


text:
and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to provide. 


text:
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are the same. 


text:
The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 


text:
but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 


text:
and the prosperity will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 


text:
And the doubling of Pharaoh&amp;apos;s dream means that the thing is set by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 


text:
Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 


text:
And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 


text:
That food will be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish during the famine.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Pharaoh said to his servants, &amp;quot;Can we find such a man, in whom is the Spirit of God?&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you. 


text:
You will be over my house, and all my people will do according to your command. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph&amp;apos;s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 


text:
And he put him to ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, &amp;quot;Bow the knee!&amp;quot; Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 


text:
Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, &amp;quot;I am Pharaoh, and except your consent no one will lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Pharaoh called Joseph&amp;apos;s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 


text:
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 


text:
and he gathered up of all the food in these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 


text:
And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it was without number. 


text:
Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 


text:
Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. &amp;quot;For,&amp;quot; he said, &amp;quot;God has made me forget all my hardship and all about my father&amp;apos;s house.&amp;quot; 


text:
The name of the second he called Ephraim, &amp;quot;For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misery.&amp;quot; 


text:
and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 


text:
When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, &amp;quot;Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.&amp;quot; 


text:
So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 


text:
Moreover, all the lands came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the lands. 


text:
When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, &amp;quot;Why do you look at one another?&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph&amp;apos;s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come upon him. 


text:
Thus the sons of Israel came to buy with the others who came, for famine was in the land of Canaan. 


text:
Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph&amp;apos;s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 


text:
Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. &amp;quot;Where do you come from?&amp;quot; he said. They said, &amp;quot;From the land of Canaan, to buy food.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, &amp;quot;You are spies; you have come to see the shame of the land.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they said, &amp;quot;We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is gone.&amp;quot; 


text:
By this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 


text:
Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain in bonds, that your words may be tested, if there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.&amp;quot; 


text:
if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain bound where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 


text:
and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you will not die.&amp;quot; And this they did. 


text:
Then they said to one another, &amp;quot;In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Reuben answered them, &amp;quot;Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his bloodshed.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 


text:
And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man&amp;apos;s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. 


text:
And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food at the lodging place, he saw his money in the opening of his sack. 


text:
He said to his brothers, &amp;quot;My money has been put back; here it is in the opening of my sack!&amp;quot; At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, &amp;quot;What is this that God has done to us?&amp;quot; 


text:
When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 


text:
We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is gone, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.&amp;apos; 


text:
Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, &amp;apos;By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 


text:
Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you will trade in the land.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man&amp;apos;s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 


text:
And Jacob their father said to them, &amp;quot;You have deprived me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Reuben said to his father, &amp;quot;Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he said, &amp;quot;My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should come to him on the way as you travel, you will bring down my gray hairs with grief to the grave.&amp;quot; 


text:
And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, &amp;quot;Go again, and buy us some food.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Judah said to him, &amp;quot;The man solemnly warned us, saying, &amp;apos;You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.&amp;apos; 


text:
But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, &amp;apos;You will not see my face, unless your brother is with you.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Israel said, &amp;quot;Why did you do such harm to tell the man that you had another brother?&amp;quot; 


text:
They replied, &amp;quot;The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, &amp;apos;Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?&amp;apos; What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, &amp;apos;Bring your brother down&amp;apos;?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Judah said to Israel his father, &amp;quot;Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both us and you and also the children. 


text:
I will be security for him. From my hand you will require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the condemnation forever. 


text:
Then their father Israel said to them, &amp;quot;If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a gift down to the man, some balm and some honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 


text:
Take double the money with you. Take back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 


text:
May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am deprived, I will be destroyed.&amp;quot; 


text:
So the men took the gifts, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They rose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 


text:
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, &amp;quot;Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph&amp;apos;s house, and they said, &amp;quot;It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they went up to the steward of Joseph&amp;apos;s house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 


text:
And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man&amp;apos;s money in the opening of his sack, our money in full weight. So we bring it again with us, 


text:
and we have more money with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.&amp;quot; 


text:
He replied, &amp;quot;Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.&amp;quot; Then he brought Simeon out to them. 


text:
And when the man had taken the men into Joseph&amp;apos;s house and given them water, and had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 


text:
they prepared the gift for Joseph&amp;apos;s coming at noon, for they heard that they were to eat bread there. 


text:
When Joseph came home, they came into the house to him the gift that they had with them and bowed down to him, to the ground. 


text:
And he inquired about their welfare and said, &amp;quot;Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?&amp;quot; 


text:
They said, &amp;quot;Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.&amp;quot; And they bowed their heads and lay flat. 


text:
And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother&amp;apos;s son, and said, &amp;quot;Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Joseph hurried out, for his emotions were deep for his brother, and he desired a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 


text:
Then he washed his face and came out. And containing himself he said, &amp;quot;Serve the food.&amp;quot; 


text:
They served him by himself, and they by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 


text:
And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 


text:
Portions were taken to them from Joseph&amp;apos;s table, but Benjamin&amp;apos;s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry beside him. 


text:
Then he commanded the steward of his house, &amp;quot;Fill the men&amp;apos;s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man&amp;apos;s money in the opening of his sack, 


text:
and put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.&amp;quot; And he did as Joseph told him. 


text:
They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, &amp;quot;Rise up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, &amp;apos;Why have you rewarded evil for good? 


text:
Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and by this that he often forecasts? You have done evil by this act.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
They said to him, &amp;quot;Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 


text:
Behold, the money that we found in the openings of our sacks we returned to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord&amp;apos;s house? 


text:
Whichever of your servants is found with it will die, and we also will be my lord&amp;apos;s servants.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;Let it be as you say: he who is found with it will be my servant, and the rest of you will be innocent.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin&amp;apos;s sack. 


text:
When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph&amp;apos;s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 


text:
Joseph said to them, &amp;quot;What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed forecast?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Judah said, &amp;quot;What will we say to my lord? What will we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord&amp;apos;s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he said, &amp;quot;Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found will be my servant. But as for you, go out in peace to your father.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Judah went up to him and said, &amp;quot;Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord&amp;apos;s ears, and let not your anger flare against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 


text:
And we said to my lord, &amp;apos;We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother&amp;apos;s children, and his father loves him.&amp;apos; 


text:
Then you said to your servants, &amp;apos;Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.&amp;apos; 


text:
We said to my lord, &amp;apos;The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.&amp;apos; 


text:
Then you said to your servants, &amp;apos;Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.&amp;apos; 


text:
we said, &amp;apos;We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we can go down. For we cannot see the man&amp;apos;s face unless our youngest brother is with us.&amp;apos; 


text:
If you take this one from me also, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to the grave.&amp;apos; 


text:
&amp;quot;Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy&amp;apos;s life, 


text:
as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 


text:
For your servant became a security for the boy to my father, saying, &amp;apos;If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear condemnation before my father all my life.&amp;apos; 


text:
Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 


text:
For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the calamity that would come to my father.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, &amp;quot;Have everyone depart from me.&amp;quot; So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 


text:
And Joseph said to his brothers, &amp;quot;I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?&amp;quot; But his brothers could not answer him, for they trembled at his presence. 


text:
So Joseph said to his brothers, &amp;quot;Come near to me, please.&amp;quot; And they came near. And he said, &amp;quot;I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 


text:
And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve your life. 


text:
For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 


text:
And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the land, and to preserve for you many survivors. 


text:
So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a chief to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and a ruler over all the land of Egypt. 


text:
Hurry and go back my father and say to him, &amp;apos;Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay. 


text:
You will dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children&amp;apos;s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 


text:
There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.&amp;apos; 


text:
And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 


text:
You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.&amp;quot; 


text:
When the report was heard in Pharaoh&amp;apos;s house, &amp;quot;Joseph&amp;apos;s brothers have come,&amp;quot; it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 


text:
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Say to your brothers, &amp;apos;Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, 


text:
and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the of the richness of the land.&amp;apos; 


text:
And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, &amp;apos;Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 


text:
Have no concern for your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
The sons of Israel fulfilled it: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 


text:
To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 


text:
To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 


text:
Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, &amp;quot;Do not argue on the way.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they told him, &amp;quot;Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.&amp;quot; And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them. 


text:
But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent bring him, the spirit of their father Jacob restored. 


text:
And Israel said, &amp;quot;It is sufficient; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 


text:
And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, &amp;quot;Jacob, Jacob.&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 


text:
I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph&amp;apos;s hand will close your eyes.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel took Jacob their father, their children, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to bring him. 


text:
They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him, 


text:
his sons, and his sons&amp;apos; sons with him, his daughters, and his sons&amp;apos; daughters. All his seed he brought with him into Egypt. 


text:
Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob&amp;apos;s firstborn, 


text:
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 


text:
These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. 


text:
The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, with Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 


text:
These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob, sixteen persons. 


text:
And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, bore to him. 


text:
These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, seven persons in all. 


text:
All the people belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob&amp;apos;s sons&amp;apos; wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 


text:
And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the people of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy. 


text:
He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.


text:
Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 


text:
Israel said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.&amp;quot; 


text:
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father&amp;apos;s household, &amp;quot;I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, &amp;apos;My brothers and my father&amp;apos;s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 


text:
And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of flocks, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.&amp;apos; 


text:
you will say, &amp;apos;Your servants have been keepers of flocks from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,&amp;apos; in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, &amp;quot;My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.&amp;quot; 


text:
Pharaoh said to his brothers, &amp;quot;What is your occupation?&amp;quot; And they said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.&amp;quot; 


text:
They said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants&amp;apos; flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.&amp;quot; 


text:
The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my flocks.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Jacob said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;The time of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and miserable has been the time of my life, and they have not attained to the time of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 


text:
And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father&amp;apos;s household with food, according to the number of their families. 


text:
Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted due the famine. 


text:
And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they purchased. And Joseph took the money into Pharaoh&amp;apos;s house. 


text:
And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, &amp;quot;Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Joseph answered, &amp;quot;Give your flocks, and I will give you food in exchange for your flocks, if your money is gone.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they brought their flocks to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their flocks that year. 


text:
And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, &amp;quot;We will not hide from my lord that our money is all gone. The herds of flocks are my lord&amp;apos;s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 


text:
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be waste.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Joseph purchased all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine prevailed over them. The land became Pharaoh&amp;apos;s. 


text:
Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. 


text:
Then Joseph said to the people, &amp;quot;Behold, I have this day purchased you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will plant the land. 


text:
And at the harvest you will give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths will be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your children.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they said, &amp;quot;You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh&amp;apos;s. 


text:
Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied abundantly. 


text:
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the time of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years. 


text:
And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, &amp;quot;If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 


text:
but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in this grave.&amp;quot; He answered, &amp;quot;I will do as you commanded.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;Swear to me&amp;quot;; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed. 


text:
After this, Joseph was told, &amp;quot;Behold, your father is ill.&amp;quot; So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 


text:
And it was told to Jacob, &amp;quot;Your son Joseph has come to you.&amp;quot; Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 


text:
And Jacob said to Joseph, &amp;quot;God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 


text:
and said to me, &amp;apos;Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.&amp;apos; 


text:
And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 


text:
And the children that you fathered after them will be yours. They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 


text:
As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.&amp;quot; 


text:
Joseph said to his father, &amp;quot;They are my sons, whom God has given me here.&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 


text:
And Israel said to Joseph, &amp;quot;I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your seed also.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel&amp;apos;s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel&amp;apos;s right hand, and brought them near him. 


text:
And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 


text:
And he blessed Joseph and said, &amp;quot;The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 


text:
the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the land.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father&amp;apos;s hand to move it from Ephraim&amp;apos;s head to Manasseh&amp;apos;s head. 


text:
And Joseph said to his father, &amp;quot;Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.&amp;quot; 


text:
But his father refused and said, &amp;quot;I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations.&amp;quot; 


text:
So he blessed them that day, saying, &amp;quot;By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, &amp;apos;God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 


text:
Then Israel said to Joseph, &amp;quot;Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 


text:
Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one portion that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Jacob called his sons and said, &amp;quot;Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 


text:
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, excellent in dignity and excellent in power. 


text:
Unstable as water, you will not excel, because you went up to your father&amp;apos;s bed; and you defiled it, he went up to my chamber! 


text:
Let my soul come not into their assembly; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed a man, and in their delight they hamstrung oxen. 


text:
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. 


text:
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father&amp;apos;s sons will bow down before you. 


text:
Judah is a lion&amp;apos;s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 


text:
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler&amp;apos;s staff from between his feet, until Shiloah come; and to him the obedience of the peoples. 


text:
Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey&amp;apos;s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his clothing in the blood of grapes. 


text:
Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the sea; he will become a haven for ships, and his border will be at Sidon. 


text:
He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant at forced labor. 


text:
Dan will be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse&amp;apos;s heels so that his rider falls backward. 


text:
yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, 


text:
by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches below, blessings of the breasts and womb. 


text:
The blessings of your father will prevail beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. 


text:
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, at the dawn devouring the prey and at dusk dividing the spoil.&amp;quot; 


text:
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing appropriate for each. 


text:
Then he commanded them and said to them, &amp;quot;I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 


text:
in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 


text:
There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah; 


text:
When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people. 


text:
And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 


text:
Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. 


text:
And when the time of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, &amp;quot;If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 


text:
My father made me swear, saying, &amp;apos;I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there will you bury me.&amp;apos; Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 


text:
as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father&amp;apos;s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 


text:
When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they mourned there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he was mourning for his father seven days. 


text:
When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, &amp;quot;This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.&amp;quot; Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. 


text:
for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 


text:
After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. 


text:
When Joseph&amp;apos;s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, &amp;quot;It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the grief that we caused him.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;apos;Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did mischief to you.&amp;apos; And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.&amp;quot; Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 


text:
His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, &amp;quot;Behold, we are your servants.&amp;quot; 


text:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 


text:
So do not fear; I will provide for you and your children.&amp;quot; Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 


text:
And Joseph saw Ephraim&amp;apos;s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph&amp;apos;s own. 


text:
And Joseph said to his brothers, &amp;quot;I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, &amp;quot;God will surely visit you, and you will carry up my bones from here.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew very strong, so that the area was filled with them. 


text:
And he said to his people, &amp;quot;Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too strong for us. 


text:
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if conflict breaks out, they join with our enemies and fight against us and depart from the land.&amp;quot; 


text:
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to humble them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh storehouse cities, Pithom and Raamses. 


text:
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. And the Egyptians were in fear of the sons of Israel. 


text:
and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they with cruelness made them work as slaves. 


text:
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 


text:
&amp;quot;When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you will kill him, but if it is a daughter, she will live.&amp;quot; 


text:
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 


text:
So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, &amp;quot;Why have you done this, and let the male children live?&amp;quot; 


text:
The midwives said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, &amp;quot;Every son that is born to the Hebrews you will cast into the Nile, but you will let every daughter live.&amp;quot;


text:
The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 


text:
When she could no longer hide him , she took for him a basket of bulrushes and covered it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 


text:
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her young women walked beside the river. And she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she retrieved it. 


text:
When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She was concerned for him and said, &amp;quot;This is one of the Hebrews&amp;apos; children.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then his sister said to Pharaoh&amp;apos;s daughter, &amp;quot;will I go and call for you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Pharaoh&amp;apos;s daughter said to her, &amp;quot;Go.&amp;quot; So the girl went and called the child&amp;apos;s mother. 


text:
And Pharaoh&amp;apos;s daughter said to her, &amp;quot;Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.&amp;quot; So the woman took the child and nursed him. 


text:
When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh&amp;apos;s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, &amp;quot;Because,&amp;quot; she said, &amp;quot;I drew him out of the water.&amp;quot; 


text:
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 


text:
He looked this way and that, and saw no one, then he slaughtered the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 


text:
When he went out a second day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, &amp;quot;Why do you strike your companion?&amp;quot; 


text:
He answered, &amp;quot;Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?&amp;quot; Then Moses was fearful, and thought, &amp;quot;Surely my deed is known.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Pharaoh heard of it, he determined to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. 


text:
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew up water and filled the troughs to water their father&amp;apos;s flock. 


text:
And some shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. 


text:
When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, &amp;quot;How is it that you have come home so early today?&amp;quot; 


text:
They said, &amp;quot;An Egyptian rescued us out of the hand of some shepherds and even drew up water for us and watered the flock.&amp;quot; 


text:
He said to his daughters, &amp;quot;Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.&amp;quot; 


text:
She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, &amp;quot;I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.&amp;quot; 


text:
After many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 


text:
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 


text:
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to  the mountain of God, to Horeb. 


text:
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 


text:
And Moses said, &amp;quot;I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.&amp;quot; 


text:
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, &amp;quot;Moses, Moses!&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Here I am.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then he said, &amp;quot;Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.&amp;quot; And Moses hid his face, for he was fearful of looking at God. 


text:
Then the LORD said, &amp;quot;I have surely seen the misery of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their grief, 


text:
and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and wide land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the location of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 


text:
And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians distress them. 


text:
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said to God, &amp;quot;Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?&amp;quot; 


text:
He said, &amp;quot;But I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses said to God, &amp;quot;If I come to the sons of Israel and say to them, &amp;apos;The God of your fathers has sent me to you,&amp;apos; and they ask me, &amp;apos;What is his name?&amp;apos; what will I say to them?&amp;quot; 


text:
God said to Moses, &amp;quot;I AM WHO I AM.&amp;quot; And he said, &amp;quot;Say this to the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;I AM has sent me to you.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
God also said to Moses, &amp;quot;Say this to the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.&amp;apos; This is My name forever, and by this I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 


text:
Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, &amp;apos;The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, &amp;quot;I have seen you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 


text:
and I promise that I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.&amp;quot;&amp;apos; 


text:
And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him, &amp;apos;The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has come to us; and now, please let us go three days&amp;apos; journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.&amp;apos; 


text:
So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do within it; after that he will let you go. 


text:
And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you will not depart empty, 


text:
but each woman will ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You will put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.&amp;quot;


text:
Then Moses answered, &amp;quot;But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, &amp;apos;The LORD did not appear to you.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said to him, &amp;quot;What is that in your hand?&amp;quot; He said, &amp;quot;A staff.&amp;quot; 


text:
And He said, &amp;quot;Throw it on the ground.&amp;quot; So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 


text:
But the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Put out your hand and catch it by the tail&amp;quot;, so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand,


text:
&amp;quot;that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD again said to him, &amp;quot;Put your hand inside your cloak.&amp;quot; And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 


text:
Then God said, &amp;quot;Put your hand back inside your cloak.&amp;quot; So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 


text:
&amp;quot;If they will not believe you,&amp;quot; God said, &amp;quot;or listen to the first sign, then they may believe the latter sign. 


text:
If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you will take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said to the LORD, &amp;quot;Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am hesitant at talking and poor at language.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the LORD said to him, &amp;quot;Who has made man&amp;apos;s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 


text:
Then the anger of the LORD was displeased with Moses and he said, &amp;quot;Is there not  Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. 


text:
You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 


text:
Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, &amp;quot;Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.&amp;quot; And Jethro said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go in peace.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, &amp;quot;Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses took his wife and his sons and put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 


text:
and I say to you, &amp;quot;Let my son go that he may serve Me.&amp;quot; If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son&amp;apos;s foreskin and touched Moses&amp;apos; feet with it and said, &amp;quot;Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!&amp;quot; 


text:
So He let him alone. It was then that she said, &amp;quot;A bridegroom of blood,&amp;quot; because of the circumcision. 


text:
The LORD said to Aaron, &amp;quot;Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.&amp;quot; So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 


text:
And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him to speak, and all the miracles He had commanded him to do. 


text:
Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the miracles before the people. 


text:
And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the sons of Israel and that He had seen their misery, they bowed their heads and worshiped. 


text:
Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, &amp;apos;Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
But Pharaoh said, &amp;quot;Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then they said, &amp;quot;The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days&amp;apos; journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may come on us with plague or with the sword.&amp;quot; 


text:
But the king of Egypt said to them, &amp;quot;Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Pharaoh said, &amp;quot;Behold, the people of the area are now many, and you want them to rest from their burdens!&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;You will no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 


text:
But the number of bricks that they made in the past you will require of them, you will by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, &amp;apos;Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.&amp;apos; 


text:
Let heavier work be required of the men that they may labor at it and pay no attention to lying words.&amp;quot; 


text:
So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, &amp;quot;Thus says Pharaoh, &amp;apos;I will not give you straw. 


text:
Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
The taskmasters hurried them, saying, &amp;quot;Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh&amp;apos;s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, &amp;quot;Why have you not completed all your tasks of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;Why do you treat your servants like this? 


text:
No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, &amp;apos;Make bricks!&amp;apos; And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is that of your own people.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he said, &amp;quot;You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, &amp;apos;Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.&amp;apos; 


text:
Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still produce the same number of bricks.&amp;quot; 


text:
The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, &amp;quot;You will by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily duty each day.&amp;quot; 


text:
and they said to them, &amp;quot;The LORD look on you and condemn you, because you have made us offensive before Pharaoh and his servants, and have given them reason to kill us.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, &amp;quot;O Lord, why have You done evil to these people? Why did You ever send me? 


text:
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to these people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.&amp;quot; 


text:
But the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a forceful hand he will drive them out of his land.&amp;quot; 


text:
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them. 


text:
I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 


text:
Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant. 


text:
Say therefore to the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 


text:
I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 


text:
I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. 


text:
&amp;quot;Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said to the LORD, &amp;quot;Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?&amp;quot; 


text:
But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a command about the sons of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 


text:
These are the heads of their fathers&amp;apos; houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; they are the families of Reuben. 


text:
The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; they are the families of Simeon. 


text:
These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. 


text:
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. 


text:
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 


text:
 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father&amp;apos;s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. 


text:
Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 


text:
Eleazar, Aaron&amp;apos;s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. They are the heads of the fathers&amp;apos; houses of the Levites by their families. 


text:
These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said: &amp;quot;Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by their families.&amp;quot; 


text:
It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron. 


text:
the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said to the LORD, &amp;quot;Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 


text:
You will speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 


text:
But I will harden Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart, and though I multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 


text:
Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring My families, My people the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 


text:
The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from among them.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;When Pharaoh says to you, &amp;apos;Prove yourselves by working a miracle,&amp;apos; then you will say to Aaron, &amp;apos;Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 


text:
Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 


text:
For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron&amp;apos;s staff swallowed up their staffs. 


text:
Still Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 


text:
Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 


text:
And you will say to him, &amp;apos;The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, &amp;quot;Let My people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. But so far, you have not obeyed.&amp;quot; 


text:
Thus says the LORD, &amp;quot;By this you will know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in My hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn into blood. 


text:
The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be disgusted by drinking water from the Nile.&amp;quot;&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Say to Aaron, &amp;apos;Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 


text:
And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 


text:
But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 


text:
And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, &amp;apos;Thus says the LORD, &amp;quot;Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 


text:
The Nile will swarm with frogs that will come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 


text:
The frogs will come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.&amp;quot;&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Say to Aaron, &amp;apos;Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 


text:
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, &amp;quot;Plead with the LORD to remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;You command me when I will plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;Tomorrow.&amp;quot; Moses said, &amp;quot;It will be as you say, so that you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 


text:
The frogs will withdraw from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They will be left only in the Nile.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses and Aaron went away from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 


text:
And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 


text:
But when Pharaoh saw that there was a relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Say to Aaron, &amp;apos;Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 


text:
The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. And there were gnats on man and beast. 


text:
Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, &amp;quot;This is the finger of God.&amp;quot; But Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, &amp;apos;Thus says the LORD, &amp;quot;Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 


text:
Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 


text:
But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people dwell, so that no swarms of flies will be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. 


text:
Thus I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will happen.&amp;quot;&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants&amp;apos; houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was spoiled by the swarms of flies. 


text:
Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, &amp;quot;Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said, &amp;quot;It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we will sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 


text:
We must go three days&amp;apos; journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Pharaoh said, &amp;quot;I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for Me.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses said, &amp;quot;Behold, I am going away from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let Pharaoh not cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, &amp;apos;This says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, &amp;quot;Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 


text:
behold, the hand of the LORD will strike with a very severe plague on your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 


text:
But the LORD will separate between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing that belongs to the people of Israel will die.&amp;quot;&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD set a time, saying, &amp;quot;Tomorrow the LORD will cause it to happen in the land.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the next day the LORD did the damage.  All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. 


text:
And Pharaoh sent out, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. 


text:
Exo 9:8  And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, &amp;quot;Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them into the air before of Pharaoh. 


text:
It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it into the air, and it became boils breaking out as sores on man and beast. 


text:
And the magicians could not appear before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 


text:
But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him, &amp;apos;Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, &amp;quot;Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 


text:
For this time I will send all My plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the land. 


text:
For by now I could have put out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 


text:
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you My power, so that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 


text:
Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 


text:
Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.&amp;quot;&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire came down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 


text:
There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 


text:
The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 


text:
Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, &amp;quot;This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people do wrong. 


text:
Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God&amp;apos;s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you will stay no longer.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses said to him, &amp;quot;As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD&amp;apos;s. 


text:
So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. 


text:
But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 


text:
So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine among them, 


text:
and that you may tell to the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, &amp;quot;Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, &amp;apos;How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 


text:
and they will cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they will eat what is left to you after the hail, and they will eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, 


text:
and they will fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 


text:
Then Pharaoh&amp;apos;s servants said to him, &amp;quot;How long will this man cause trouble for us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is destroyed?&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, &amp;quot;Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones will go?&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses said, &amp;quot;We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he said to them, &amp;quot;The LORD be with you, I will let you and your families go! Be aware that trouble is ahead of you. 


text:
No! Go, the men with you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking.&amp;quot; And they were driven from Pharaoh&amp;apos;s presence. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they will come on the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 


text:
The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. 


text:
They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 


text:
Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, &amp;quot;I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 


text:
Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, this one time, and plead with the LORD your God to take this death from me.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness they can feel.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 


text:
They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light where they lived. 


text:
Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, &amp;quot;Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses said, &amp;quot;You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 


text:
Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Pharaoh said to him, &amp;quot;Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you will die.&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Yet one more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 


text:
Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh&amp;apos;s servants and in the sight of the people. 


text:
and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 


text:
There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 


text:
But not a dog will growl against any of the sons of Israel, either man or beast, that you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 


text:
And all these your servants will come down to me and bow down to me, saying, &amp;apos;Get out, you and all the people who follow you.&amp;apos; And after that I will go out.&amp;quot; And he went out from Pharaoh with great wrath. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses and Aaron did all the wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 


text:
&amp;quot;This month will be to you the beginning of months. It will be the first month of the year for you. 


text:
Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man will take a lamb according to their fathers&amp;apos; houses, a lamb per family. 


text:
And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor will take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you will count for each lamb. 


text:
Your lamb will be without blemish, a male a year old. You can take it from the sheep or from the goats, 


text:
and you will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will kill their lambs at twilight. 


text:
Then they will take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 


text:
They will eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire;  they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 


text:
Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 


text:
And you will let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you will burn. 


text:
In this manner you will eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you will eat it in haste. It is the LORD&amp;apos;s Passover. 


text:
For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 


text:
The blood will be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will happen to you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 


text:
This day will be for you a memorial day, and you will keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you will keep it as a feast. 


text:
Seven days you will eat unleavened bread. On the first day you will remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person will be cut off from Israel. 


text:
On the first day you will hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work will be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 


text:
And you will observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your families out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you will observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 


text:
In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you will eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 


text:
For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 


text:
You will eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you will eat unleavened bread.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, &amp;quot;Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 


text:
Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you will go out of the door of his house until the morning. 


text:
For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 


text:
And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you will keep this service. 


text:
you will say, &amp;apos;It is the sacrifice of the LORD&amp;apos;s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 


text:
At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 


text:
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 


text:
Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, &amp;quot;Up, go out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have spoken. 


text:
The Egyptians hastened the people to get them out of the land quickly. For they said, &amp;quot;We will all be destroyed.&amp;quot; 


text:
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 


text:
The sons of Israel had also did as Moses told them, for they asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 


text:
And the LORD had given the people good status in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 


text:
And the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred families of men on foot, besides women and children. 


text:
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 


text:
At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 


text:
It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations. 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, &amp;quot;This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner will eat of it, 


text:
It will be eaten in one house; you will not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you will not break any of its bones. 


text:
If a stranger will sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he will be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person will eat of it. 


text:
And on that very day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their families. 


text:
&amp;quot;Dedicate to Me all the firstborn. Whichever is the first to open the womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and of beast, is Mine.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses said to the people, &amp;quot;Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a mighty hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread will be eaten. 


text:
And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you will keep this service in this month. 


text:
Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there will be a feast to the LORD. 


text:
Unleavened bread will be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread will be seen with you, and no leaven will be seen with you in all your territory. 


text:
You will tell your son on that day, &amp;apos;It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.&amp;apos; 


text:
And it will be to you as a sign in your hand and as a memorial within your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be spoken. For with a mighty hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 


text:
When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and will give it to you, 


text:
you will set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males will be the LORD&amp;apos;s. 


text:
Every firstborn of a donkey you will redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you will break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you will redeem. 


text:
And when in time to come your son asks you, &amp;apos;What does this mean?&amp;apos; you will say to him, &amp;apos;By a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 


text:
For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.&amp;apos; 


text:
It will be as a mark in your hand or markers within your eyes, for by a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, &amp;quot;Otherwise the people might change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.&amp;quot; 


text:
But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.  And the sons of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.  


text:
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear solemnly, saying, &amp;quot;God will surely visit you, and you will carry up my bones with you from here.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD went before them by day in a plume of clouds to lead them along the way, and by night in a plume of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 


text:
&amp;quot;Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you will encamp facing it, by the sea. 


text:
For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has enclosed them.&amp;apos; 


text:
And I will harden Pharaoh&amp;apos;s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will be glorified over Pharaoh and all his armies, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.&amp;quot; And this they did. 


text:
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said, &amp;quot;Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?&amp;quot; 


text:
and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 


text:
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the sons of Israel while the sons of Israel were going out defiantly. 


text:
The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh&amp;apos;s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 


text:
When Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they were terrified. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 


text:
They said to Moses, &amp;quot;Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 


text:
Didn&amp;apos;t we tell you in Egypt: &amp;apos;Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians&amp;apos;? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Moses said to the people, &amp;quot;Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will perform for you today. For the Egyptians who you see today, you will never see again. 


text:
Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the sons of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 


text:
And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will be glorified over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 


text:
And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I have been glorified over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the angel of God who was going before the armies of Israel moved and went behind them, and the plume of clouds moved from ahead of them and stood behind them, 


text:
coming between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. 


text:
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 


text:
And the sons of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a boundary to them on their right hand and on their left. 


text:
The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh&amp;apos;s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 


text:
And in the morning watch the LORD in the plume of fire and of clouds looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 


text:
clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, &amp;quot;Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD battles for them against the Egyptians.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD overthrew the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 


text:
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 


text:
But the sons of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a boundary to them on their right hand and on their left. 


text:
And the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 


text:
Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. 


text:
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, &amp;quot;I will sing to the LORD, for He has gloriously triumphed ; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. 


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The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father&amp;apos;s God, and I will exalt Him. 


text:
Pharaoh&amp;apos;s chariots and his army He cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Sea of Reeds. 


text:
In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; You send out your fury; it consumed them like stubble. 


text:
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the depths were settled in the heart of the sea. 


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The enemy said, &amp;apos;I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire will have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.&amp;apos; 


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Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 


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You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy dwelling. 


text:
Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have become faint. 


text:
Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of Your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom You have purchased. 


text:
You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which You have made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. 


text:
For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 


text:
And Miriam sang to them: &amp;quot;Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses made Israel set out from the Sea of Reeds, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 


text:
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 


text:
And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them, 


text:
saying, &amp;quot;If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. 


text:
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 


text:
And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 


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and the sons of Israel said to them, &amp;quot;O that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to our fulling, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly from hunger.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather a day&amp;apos;s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 


text:
On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, &amp;quot;At evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 


text:
and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Moses said, &amp;quot;When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him, what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses said to Aaron, &amp;quot;Say to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


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And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 


text:
&amp;quot;I have heard the grumbling of the sons of Israel. Say to them, &amp;apos;At evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


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And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, thin covering, fine as frost on the ground. 


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When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, &amp;quot;What is it?&amp;quot; For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, &amp;quot;It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. 


text:
This is what the LORD has commanded: &amp;apos;Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You will each take an omer, according to the number of the people that each of you has in his tent.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no want. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 


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But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 


text:
Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 


text:
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 


text:
he said to them, &amp;quot;This is what the LORD has commanded: &amp;apos;Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 


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Moses said, &amp;quot;Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 


text:
Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 


text:
See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 


text:
Moses said, &amp;quot;This is what the LORD has commanded: &amp;apos;Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And Moses said to Aaron, &amp;quot;Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.&amp;quot; 


text:
The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 


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All the congregation of the sons of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 


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Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, &amp;quot;Give us water to drink.&amp;quot; And Moses said to them, &amp;quot;Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?&amp;quot; 


text:
But the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, &amp;quot;Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses cried to the LORD, &amp;quot;What will I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.&amp;quot; 


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And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Pass before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 


text:
Behold, I will stand with you there on the rock at Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.&amp;quot; And Moses did so, before the elders of Israel. 


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And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, &amp;quot;Is the LORD with us or not?&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses said to Joshua, &amp;quot;Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Joshua did as Moses told him, and battled with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 


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Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 


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But Moses&amp;apos; hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.&amp;quot; 


text:
saying, &amp;quot;A hand over the throne of the LORD! The LORD will battle with Amalek from generation to generation.&amp;quot; 


text:
Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 


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Now Jethro, Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses&amp;apos; wife, after he had sent her home, 


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along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, &amp;quot;I have been a sojourner in a foreign land&amp;quot;), 


text:
and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, &amp;quot;The God of my father was my aid, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh&amp;quot;). 


text:
Jethro, Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses to the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. 


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And when he sent word to Moses, &amp;quot;I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they inquired of each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 


text:
Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel&amp;apos;s sake, all the hardship that had come on them along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. 


text:
And Jethro rejoiced for all the kindness that the LORD had done for Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 


text:
Jethro said, &amp;quot;Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 


text:
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this matter they dealt with contempt for the people.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Jethro, Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law before God. 


text:
The next day Moses sat to be a judge for the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 


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When Moses&amp;apos; father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, &amp;quot;What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?&amp;quot; 


text:
when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I bring to them understanding of the statutes of God and his laws.&amp;quot; 


text:
You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for this is too much for you. You are not able to do it alone. 


text:
Now listen to what my I say; I will advise you, and God be with you! You will represent the people before God and bring their disputes to God, 


text:
and you will show them of the statutes and the laws, and show the way in which they must walk and what they should do. 


text:
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate dishonest gain, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 


text:
And let them judge for the people at all times. All important matters they will bring to you, but any small matters they will decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 


text:
If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their places in peace.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses chose worthy men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 


text:
And they judged for the people at all times. Any difficult decision they brought to Moses, but any lesser matter they decided themselves. 


text:
In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 


text:
They set out from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they camped in the wilderness. There Israel camped before the mountain, 


text:
and Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, &amp;quot;This you will say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel: 


text:
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you as on eagles&amp;apos; wings and took you to Myself. 


text:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 


text:
and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you will speak to the sons of Israel.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses came and called the elders of the people and said before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 


text:
All the people answered together and said, &amp;quot;All that the LORD has spoken we will do.&amp;quot; And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD. 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.&amp;quot; When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD, 


text:
the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go to the people and dedicate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 


text:
and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 


text:
And you will set limits for the people all around, saying, &amp;apos;Take care not to go up to the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death. 


text:
No hand will touch him, but he will be stoned or pierced; whether beast or man, he will not live.&amp;apos; When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they will come up to the mountain.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and dedicated the people; and they washed their garments. 


text:
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 


text:
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their position at the foot of the mountain. 


text:
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the all the mountain trembled mightly. 


text:
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 


text:
The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go down and warn the people, otherwise they may break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. 


text:
Also let the priests who come near to the LORD dedicate themselves, otherwise the LORD may break out against them.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Moses said to the LORD, &amp;quot;The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, &amp;apos;Set limits around the mountain and dedicate it.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to him, &amp;quot;Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, otherwise He may break out against them.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 


text:
You will not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 


text:
You will not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, 


text:
You will not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 


text:
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you will not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 


text:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 


text:
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 


text:
You will not covet your neighbor&amp;apos;s house; you will not covet your neighbor&amp;apos;s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor&amp;apos;s.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 


text:
and said to Moses, &amp;quot;You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, otherwise we die.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses said to the people, &amp;quot;Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Thus you will say to the sons of Israel: &amp;apos;You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 


text:
An altar of earth you will make for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 


text:
If you make Me an altar of stone, you will not build it of cut stones, for if you use your tool on it you profane it. 


text:
When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years, and in the seventh he will go free, without cost. 


text:
If he comes in single, he will depart single; if he comes in married, then his wife will depart with him. 


text:
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will be her master&amp;apos;s, and he will depart alone. 


text:
But if the slave plainly says, &amp;apos;I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go free,&amp;apos; 


text:
then his master will bring him to God, and he will bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master will pierce his ear through with an awl, and he will be his slave forever. 


text:
If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he will let her be redeemed. He will have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. 


text:
If he takes another wife to himself, he will not decrease her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. 


text:
But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 


text:
But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you will take him from my altar, to die. 


text:
When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, 


text:
then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him will be clear; only he will pay for the loss of his time, and will have him thoroughly healed. 


text:
When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he will be avenged. 


text:
When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her will surely be fined, as the woman&amp;apos;s husband will impose on him, and he will pay as a judges decides. 


text:
When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he will let the slave go free because of his eye. 


text:
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he will let the slave go free because of his tooth. 


text:
When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox will be stoned, and its meat will not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be liable. 


text:
But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it penned, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox will be stoned, and its owner also will be put to death. 


text:
If a fine is imposed on him, then he will give for the redemption of his life whatever is required on him. 


text:
If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner will give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox will be stoned. 


text:
When a man uncovers a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 


text:
the owner of the pit will make it good. He will give money to its owner, and the dead one will be his. 


text:
When one man&amp;apos;s ox butts another&amp;apos;s, so that it dies, then they will sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they will share. 


text:
Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it penned, he will repay ox for ox, and the dead beast will be his. 


text:
If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he will repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 


text:
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguilt for him, 


text:
but if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguilt for him. He will surely pay. If he has nothing, then he will be sold for his theft. 


text:
If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he will pay double. 


text:
If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man&amp;apos;s field, he will make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard. 


text:
If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire will make full restitution. 


text:
If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man&amp;apos;s house, then, if the thief is found, he will pay double. 


text:
If the thief is not found, the owner of the house will come before God to show whether or not he has taken his neighbor&amp;apos;s property. 


text:
For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, &amp;apos;This is it,&amp;apos; the case of both parties will come before God. The one whom God finds guilty will pay double to his neighbor. 


text:
If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 


text:
an oath by the LORD will be between them both to see whether or not he has taken his neighbor&amp;apos;s property. The owner will accept the oath, and he will not make restitution. 


text:
If it is torn by beasts, let him present it as evidence. He will not make restitution for what has been preyed upon. 


text:
If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he will make full restitution. 


text:
If the owner was with it, he will not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee. 


text:
If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he will give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. 


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If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he will pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins. 


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and my anger will grow, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. 


text:
If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you will not be like a moneylender to him, and you will not exact interest from him. 


text:
If ever you take your neighbor&amp;apos;s cloak in pledge, you will return it to him before the sun goes down, 


text:
for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else will he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. 


text:
You will not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you will dedicate to me. 


text:
You will do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it will be with its mother; on the eighth day you will give it to me. 


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You will be dedicated to me. Therefore you will not eat any meat that is torn by beasts in the field; you will throw it to the dogs. 


text:
You will not spread a false report. You will not align with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 


text:
You will not fall in with the many to do evil, nor will you bear witness in a dispute, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 


text:
If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you will refrain from leaving him with it; you will rescue it with him. 


text:
Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 


text:
And you will take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 


text:
You will not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 


text:
but the seventh year you will let it rest and lie fallow, that the needy of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You will do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive grove. 


text:
Six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you will rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be rested. 


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Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips. 


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You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None will appear before me empty-handed. 


text:
You will keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You will keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 


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You will not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning. 


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The best of the firstfruits of your ground you will bring into the house of the LORD your God.  You will not boil a young goat in its mother&amp;apos;s milk. 


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Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 


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Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him. 


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But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 


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When My angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 


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you will not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you will utterly overthrow them and break their monuments in pieces. 


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You will serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 


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I will send My fear before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you will come, and I will make all your enemies retreat from you. 


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And I will send hornets before you, which will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 


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I will not drive them out from before you in one year, otherwise the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 


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Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 


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And I will set your border from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your power, and you will drive them out before you. 


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They will not dwell in your land, otherwise they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a trap to you.&amp;quot; 


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Then he said to Moses, &amp;quot;Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. 


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Moses only will come near to the LORD, but the others will not come near, and the people will not come up with him.&amp;quot; 


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Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, &amp;quot;All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.&amp;quot; 


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And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, and twelve memorial pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 


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And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 


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And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 


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Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, &amp;quot;All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.&amp;quot; 


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And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, &amp;quot;Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.&amp;quot; 


text:
and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 


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And He did not lay his hand on the chief men of the sons of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. 


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The LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.&amp;quot; 


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And he said to the elders, &amp;quot;Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.&amp;quot; 


text:
The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 


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Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain before the sons of Israel. 


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Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. 


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&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel, that they take for Me a offering. From every man whose heart moves him you will receive the offering for Me. 


text:
Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, like this you will make it. 


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They will make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half will be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 


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You will overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside will you cover it, and you will make on it a border of gold around it. 


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You will cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 


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You will make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half will be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 


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And you will make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work will you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 


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Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat will you make the cherubim on its two ends. 


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The cherubim will spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat will the faces of the cherubim be. 


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And you will put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. 


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There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel. 


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You will make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits will be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 


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And you will make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 


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You will make the poles of acacia wood, and cover them with gold, and the table will be carried with these. 


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And you will make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you will make them of pure gold. 


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You will make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand will be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers will be of one piece from it. 


text:
And there will be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 


text:
three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch, like so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 


text:
And on the lampstand itself there will be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 


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Their calyxes and their branches will be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. 


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You will make seven lamps for it. And the lamps will be set up so as to give light in the area in front of it. 


text:
And see that you make them after the likeness for them, which is being shown to you on the mountain. 


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And you will make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you will make them the work of a skilled craftsman. 


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The length of each curtain will be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains will be the same size. 


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Five curtains will be attached to one another, and the other five curtains will be attached to one another. 


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And you will make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you will make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 


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Fifty loops you will make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you will make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops will be opposite one another. 


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And you will make fifty clasps of gold, and attach the curtains one to the other with the clasps. And it will become one tabernacle. 


text:
You will also make curtains of goats&amp;apos; hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains will you make. 


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The length of each curtain will be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains will be the same size. 


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You will attach five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you will double over at the front of the tent. 


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You will make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. 


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You will make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and attach the tent together. And it will become one.  


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And the portion that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, will hang over the back of the tabernacle. 


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And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, will hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. 


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And you will make for the tent a covering of tanned rams&amp;apos; skins and a covering of goatskins on top. 


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There will be two pegs in each frame, for fitting together. This way you will make all the frames of the tabernacle. 


text:
and forty bases of silver you will make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two pegs, and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs; 


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they will be separate underneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. This way it will be with both of them; they will form the two corners. 


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And there will be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame. 


text:
and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 


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You will overlay the frames with gold and will make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you will cover the bars with gold. 


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Then you will erect the tabernacle according to the style for it that you were shown on the mountain. 


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And you will make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It will be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 


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And you will hang it on four pillars of acacia covered with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 


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And you will hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil will separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. 


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And you will set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you will put the table on the north side. 


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You will make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. 


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And you will make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and cover them with gold. Their hooks will be of gold, and you will cast five bases of bronze for them. 


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You will make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide. The altar will be square, and its height will be three cubits. 


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And you will make horns for it on its four corners; its horns will be of one piece of it, and you will cover it with bronze. 


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You will make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You will make all its utensils of bronze. 


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You will also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you will make four bronze rings at its four corners. 


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And the poles will be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 


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You will make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, this way will it be made. 


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You will make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court will have curtains of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. 


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Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases will be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets will be of silver. 


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And likewise for its length on the north side there will be curtains a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets will be of silver. 


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And for the width of the court on the west side there will be curtains for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. 


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The curtains for the one side of the gate will be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 


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For the gate of the court there will be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It will have four pillars and with them four bases. 


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All the pillars around the court will be banded with silver. Their hooks will be of silver, and their bases of bronze. 


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The length of the court will be a hundred cubits, the width fifty, and the height five cubits, with curtains of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. 


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All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, will be of bronze. 


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You will command the sons of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp will regularly be set up to burn. 


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In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It will be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the sons of Israel. 


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Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to serve as priests to Me;  Aaron and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 


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You will speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron&amp;apos;s garments to dedicate him for My priesthood. 


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These are the garments that they will make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They will make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve Me as priests. 


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And they will make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully made. 


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And the skillfully woven belt on it will be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 


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six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 


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As a jeweler engraves signets, so will you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You will enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 


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And you will set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron will bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. 


text:
and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you will attach the corded chains to the settings. 


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You will make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you will make it; of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen will you make it. 


text:
You will set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle will be the first row; 


text:
There will be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They will be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 


text:
And you will make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 


text:
The two ends of the two cords you will attach to the two settings of filigree, and attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 


text:
You will make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 


text:
And you will make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven belt of the ephod. 


text:
And they will bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it will lie on the skillfully woven belt of the ephod, so that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod. 


text:
So Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD. 


text:
And in the breastpiece of judgment you will put the Urim and the Thummim, and they will be on Aaron&amp;apos;s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron will bear the judgment of the sons of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly. 


text:
It will have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, so that it will not tear. 


text:
On its hem you will make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 


text:
And it will be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die. 


text:
You will make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, &amp;apos;Holy to the LORD.&amp;apos; 


text:
It will be on Aaron&amp;apos;s forehead, and Aaron will bear any guilt from the holy things that the sons of Israel dedicate as their holy gifts. It will regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 


text:
You will weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash embroidered with needlework. 


text:
For Aaron&amp;apos;s sons you will make coats and sashes and caps. You will make them for glory and beauty. 


text:
And you will put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and will anoint them and ordain them and dedicate them, that they may serve Me as priests. 


text:
You will make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They will reach from the loins to the thighs; 


text:
and they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, otherwise they bear guilt and die. This will be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him. 


text:
Now this is what you will do to them to dedicate them, that they may serve Me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, 


text:
and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You will make them of fine wheat flour. 


text:
Then you will take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven belt of the ephod. 


text:
and you will gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood will be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you will ordain Aaron and his sons. 


text:
Then you will bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull. 


text:
and will take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you will pour out at the base of the altar. 


text:
And you will take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 


text:
But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you will burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering. 


text:
Then you will take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram, 


text:
Then you will cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, 


text:
and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 


text:
and you will kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
Then you will take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons&amp;apos; garments with him. He and his garments will be holy, and his sons and his sons&amp;apos; garments with him. 


text:
You will also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 


text:
and one loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. 


text:
You will put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 


text:
Then you will take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the LORD. It is a food offering to the LORD. 


text:
You will take the breast of the ram of Aaron&amp;apos;s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD, and it will be your portion. 


text:
And you will dedicate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests&amp;apos; portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron&amp;apos;s and his sons&amp;apos;. 


text:
It will be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a contribution. It will be a contribution from the sons of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the LORD. 


text:
The holy garments of Aaron will be for his sons after him; they will be anointed in them and ordained in them. 


text:
The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, will wear them seven days. 


text:
And Aaron and his sons will eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
They will eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an outsider will not eat of them, because they are holy. 


text:
And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you will burn the remainder with fire. It will not be eaten, because it is holy. 


text:
This you will do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through seven days will you ordain them, 


text:
and every day you will offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you will purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and will anoint it to dedicate it. 


text:
Seven days you will make atonement for the altar and dedicate it, and the altar will be most holy. Whatever touches the altar will become holy. 


text:
And with the first lamb a tenth seah of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 


text:
The other lamb you will offer at twilight, and will offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 


text:
It will be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 


text:
I will dedicate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will dedicate to serve Me as priests. 


text:
And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. 


text:
A cubit will be its length, and a cubit its width. It will be square, and two cubits will be its height. Its horns will be of one piece with it. 


text:
You will cover it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you will make a molding of gold around it. 


text:
And you will make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you will make them, and they will be holders for poles with which to carry it. 


text:
And you will put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 


text:
And Aaron will burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he will burn it, 


text:
and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he will burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. 


text:
You will not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you will not pour a drink offering on it. 


text:
Aaron will make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he will make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;When you take the census of the sons of Israel, then each will give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 


text:
Each one who is numbered in the census will give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the LORD. 


text:
Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, will give the LORD&amp;apos;s offering. 


text:
The rich will not give more, and the poor will not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD&amp;apos;s offering to make atonement for your lives. 


text:
You will take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and will give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it will bring the sons of Israel to remembrance before the LORD, so as to make atonement for your lives.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;You will also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You will put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you will put water in it, 


text:
When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the LORD, they will wash with water, so that they will not die. 


text:
They will wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die. It will be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 


text:
And you will make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil. 


text:
And you will say to the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 


text:
It will not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you will make no other like it in proportion. It is holy, and it will be holy to you. 


text:
Whoever mixes any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider will be cut off from his people.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense, of each will there be an equal part, 


text:
You will beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you. It will be most holy for you. 


text:
And the incense that you will make according to its proportion, you will not make for yourselves. It will be for you holy to the LORD. 


text:
and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all manner of craftsmanship, 


text:
And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.  And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 


text:
the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 


text:
the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 


text:
and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 


text:
and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they will do.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;You are to speak to the sons of Israel and say, &amp;apos;Above all you will keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 


text:
You will keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it will be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul will be cut off from among his people. 


text:
Six days will work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day will be put to death. 


text:
Therefore the sons of Israel will keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 


text:
It is a sign forever between Me and the sons of Israel that in six times the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh time He rested and was refreshed.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. 


text:
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, &amp;quot;Up, make us gods 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 become of him.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Aaron said to them, &amp;quot;Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, &amp;quot;These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!&amp;quot; 


text:
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, &amp;quot;Tomorrow will be a feast to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 


text:
They have quickly departed from the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, &amp;apos;These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 


text:
Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may destroy them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.&amp;quot; 


text:
But Moses prayed to the LORD his God and said, &amp;quot;O LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people, whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 


text:
Why should the Egyptians say, &amp;apos;With evil intent did He bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth&amp;apos;? Turn from Your burning anger and ease from this calamity upon Your people. 


text:
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, &amp;apos;I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit it forever.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 


text:
When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, &amp;quot;There is a noise of battle in the camp.&amp;quot; 


text:
But he said, &amp;quot;It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.&amp;quot; 


text:
And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses&amp;apos; anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 


text:
He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it. 


text:
And Moses said to Aaron, &amp;quot;What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?&amp;quot; 


text:
And Aaron said, &amp;quot;Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 


text:
For they said to me, &amp;apos;Make us gods 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 become of him.&amp;apos; 


text:
So I said to them, &amp;apos;Let any who have gold take it off.&amp;apos; So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.&amp;quot; 


text:
And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to their shame before their enemies), 


text:
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, &amp;quot;Who is on the LORD&amp;apos;s side? Come to me.&amp;quot; And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 


text:
And he said to them, &amp;quot;Thus says the LORD God of Israel, &amp;apos;Put your sword on your side each of you, and go here and there from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 


text:
And Moses said, &amp;quot;Today you have been dedicated for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that He might bestow a blessing upon you this day.&amp;quot; 


text:
The next day Moses said to the people, &amp;quot;You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, &amp;quot;Now, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 


text:
But now, if you will forgive their sin. And if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book that You have written.&amp;quot; 


text:
But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel will go before you. Nevertheless, in the time when I visit, I will visit their sin on them.&amp;quot; 


text:
The LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, &amp;apos;To your offspring I will give it.&amp;apos; 


text:
I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 


text:
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.&amp;quot; 


text:
For the LORD had said to Moses, &amp;quot;Say to the people of Israel, &amp;apos;You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I would go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 


text:
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 


text:
When Moses entered the tent, the plume of clouds would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 


text:
And when all the people saw the plume of clouds standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 


text:
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. 


text:
Moses said to the LORD, &amp;quot;See, you say to me, &amp;apos;Bring up this people,&amp;apos; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, &amp;apos;I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.&amp;apos; 


text:
Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is Your people.&amp;quot; 


text:
For how will it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and Your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.&amp;quot; 


text:
And he said, &amp;quot;I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name &amp;apos;The LORD.&amp;apos; And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 


text:
But,&amp;quot; he said, &amp;quot;you cannot see my face, for man Will not see me and live.&amp;quot; 


text:
and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 


text:
The LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 


text:
Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 


text:
No one will come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 


text:
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, &amp;quot;The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 


text:
keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children&amp;apos;s children, to the third and the fourth generation.&amp;quot; 


text:
And He said, &amp;quot;If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.&amp;quot; 


text:
And He said, &amp;quot;Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are will see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. 


text:
Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 


text:
Take care, otherwise you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, otherwise it become a trap in your midst. 


text:
otherwise you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 


text:
and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods. 


text:
You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 


text:
The firstborn of a donkey you will redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you will break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you will redeem. And none will appear before me empty-handed. 


text:
Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you will rest. In plowing time and in harvest you will rest. 


text:
You will observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year&amp;apos;s end. 


text:
For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. 


text:
You will not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 


text:
The best of the firstfruits of your ground you will bring to the house of the LORD your God. You will not boil a young goat in its mother&amp;apos;s milk.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.&amp;quot; 


text:
So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 


text:
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 


text:
Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 


text:
But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 


text:
Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 


text:
Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 


text:
the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses&amp;apos; face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with Him. 


text:
Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel and said to them, &amp;quot;These are the matters that the LORD has commanded you to do. 


text:
Six days work will be done, but on the seventh day you will have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it will be put to death. 


text:
Moses said to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, &amp;quot;This is that which the LORD has commanded. 


text:
Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD&amp;apos;s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 


text:
the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 


text:
and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 


text:
the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 


text:
the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD&amp;apos;s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 


text:
So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD. 


text:
And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats&amp;apos; hair or tanned rams&amp;apos; skins or goatskins brought them. 


text:
Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD&amp;apos;s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 


text:
And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 


text:
All the men and women, the sons of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD. 


text:
Then Moses said to the people of Israel, &amp;quot;See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 


text:
and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 


text:
He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver, by any sort of workman or skilled designer.


text:
Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary will work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.&amp;quot; 


text:
And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 


text:
And they received from Moses all the contribution that the sons of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 


text:
so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 


text:
and said to Moses, &amp;quot;The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.&amp;quot; 


text:
So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, &amp;quot;Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.&amp;quot; So the people were restricted from giving, 


text:
And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. 


text:
The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size. 


text:
He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. 


text:
He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. 


text:
And he made fifty clasps of gold, and attached the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole. 


text:
He also made curtains of goats&amp;apos; hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 


text:
The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 


text:
And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 


text:
And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two pegs, and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs. 


text:
And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 


text:
and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 


text:
And he covered the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and covered the bars with gold. 


text:
He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. 


text:
And for it he made four pillars of acacia and covered them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. 


text:
He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, 


text:
and its five pillars with their hooks. He covered their capitals, and their tops were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze. 


text:
Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 


text:
And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 


text:
And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its width. 


text:
one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 


text:
The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim. 


text:
He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 


text:
And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings. 


text:
He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of beaten work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 


text:
And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 


text:
three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch, this for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 


text:
And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 


text:
Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of beaten work of pure gold. 


text:
He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its width was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 


text:
He covered it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 


text:
and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 


text:
He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits was its length, and five cubits its width. It was square, and three cubits was its height. 


text:
He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he covered it with bronze. 


text:
And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. 


text:
And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards. 


text:
He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And he made the court. For the south side the curtains of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 


text:
their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 


text:
And for the north side there were curtains of a hundred cubits, their twenty pillars, their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 


text:
And for the west side were curtains of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 


text:
The curtains for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 


text:
And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were curtains of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. 


text:
And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The covering of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 


text:
And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its width, corresponding to the curtains of the court. 


text:
And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the covering of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 


text:
These are the totals of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 


text:
and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 


text:
All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 


text:
The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 


text:
a beka a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. 


text:
The hundred talents of silver were for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. 


text:
And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. 


text:
with it he made the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, 


text:
the bases around the court, and the bases of the gate of the court, all the pegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court. 


text:
From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
And they beat out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. 


text:
And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 


text:
And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 


text:
It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span its length and a span its width when doubled. 


text:
and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. 


text:
There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 


text:
And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 


text:
They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 


text:
Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 


text:
And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 


text:
And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear. 


text:
On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 


text:
They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates, 


text:
a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen, 


text:
and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, &amp;quot;Holy to the LORD.&amp;quot; 


text:
And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
Then all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; this they did. 


text:
Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 


text:
the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 


text:
Exo 39:38  the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent; 


text:
the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand; 


text:
the curtains of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 


text:
the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests. 


text:
And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them. 


text:
&amp;quot;On the first day of the first month you will erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And you will bring in the table and arrange it, and you will bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 


text:
And you will put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 


text:
Then you will take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and dedicate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. 


text:
You will also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and dedicate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. 


text:
Then you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and will wash them with water 


text:
and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you will anoint him and dedicate him, that he may serve me as priest. 


text:
and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing will admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.&amp;quot; 


text:
Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 


text:
And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


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


text:
And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 


text:
And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 


text:
When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


text:
And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. 


text:
And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 


text:
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 


text:
For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you will bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock. 


text:
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he will offer a male without blemish. He will bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 


text:
He will lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 


text:
Then he will kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons the priests will bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And Aaron&amp;apos;s sons the priests will arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 


text:
but its entrails and its legs he will wash with water. And the priest will burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he will bring a male without blemish, 


text:
and he will kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons the priests will throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
And he will cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest will arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 


text:
but the entrails and the legs he will wash with water. And the priest will offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he will bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 


text:
And the priest will bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood will be drained out on the side of the altar. 


text:
He will remove its gizzard with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 


text:
He will tear it open by its wings, but will not sever it completely. And the priest will burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering will be of fine flour. He will pour oil on it and put frankincense on it 


text:
and bring it to Aaron&amp;apos;s sons the priests. And he will take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest will burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
But the rest of the grain offering will be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings. 


text:
When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it will be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. 


text:
And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it will be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil. 


text:
And you will bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the LORD, and when it is presented to the priest, he will bring it to the altar. 


text:
And the priest will take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
No grain offering that you bring to the LORD will be made with leaven, for you will burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the LORD. 


text:
As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they will not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 


text:
You will season all your grain offerings with salt. You will not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you will offer salt. 


text:
If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you will offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. 


text:
And the priest will burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the LORD.


text:
If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he will offer it without blemish before the LORD. 


text:
And he will lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons the priests will throw the blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the LORD, he will offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 


text:
and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys. 


text:
Then Aaron&amp;apos;s sons will burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he will offer it without blemish. 


text:
lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons will throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he will offer as a food offering to the LORD its fat; he will remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 


text:
and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys. 


text:
and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron will throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
Then he will offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 


text:
And the priest will burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the LORD&amp;apos;s. 


text:
It will be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unwittingly in any of the LORD&amp;apos;s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 


text:
if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he will offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering. 


text:
He will bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the LORD. 


text:
And the anointed priest will take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, 


text:
and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 


text:
And the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he will pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he will remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 


text:
and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys 


text:
Even as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings, the priest will burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 


text:
even the rest of the bull, he will carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and will burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it will be burned. 


text:
If the whole congregation of Israel sins unwittingly and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD&amp;apos;s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt, 


text:
when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly will offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And the elders of the congregation will lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull will be killed before the LORD. 


text:
and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil. 


text:
And he will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the tent of meeting before the LORD, and the rest of the blood he will pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
Thus will he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so will he do with this. And the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 


text:
And he will carry the bull outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly. 


text:
When a leader sins, doing unwittingly any one of all the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 


text:
or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he will bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, 


text:
and will lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering. 


text:
Then the priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 


text:
And all its fat he will burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest will make atonement for him for his sin, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the things that by the LORD&amp;apos;s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 


text:
or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he will bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 


text:
And he will lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 


text:
And the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 


text:
And all its fat he will remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest will burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
and lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 


text:
Then the priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 


text:
And all its fat he will remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest will burn it on the altar, on top of the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings. And the priest will make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
If anyone sins in that he hears a public oath, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he will bear his iniquity; 


text:
or if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become unclean, and he realizes his guilt; 


text:
or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt; 


text:
or if anyone utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these; 


text:
he will bring to the LORD as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him for his sin. 


text:
But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he will bring to the LORD as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 


text:
He will bring them to the priest, who will offer first the one for the sin offering. He will wring its head from its neck but will not sever it completely, 


text:
and he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. 


text:
Then he will offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. And the priest will make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he will bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He will put no oil on it and will put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 


text:
And he will bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of it as its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, on the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings; it is a sin offering. 


text:
Thus the priest will make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he will be forgiven. And the remainder will be for the priest, as in the grain offering.&amp;quot; 


text:
If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unwittingly in any of the holy things of the LORD, he will bring to the LORD as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 


text:
He will also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and will add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD&amp;apos;s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he will bear his iniquity. 


text:
He will bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering, and the priest will make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unwittingly, and he will be forgiven. 


text:
&amp;quot;If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 


text:
or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely, in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby, 


text:
if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 


text:
or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he will restore it in full and will add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. 


text:
And he will bring to the priest as his compensation to the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equal for a guilt offering. 


text:
And the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering will be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar will be kept burning on it. 


text:
And the priest will put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he will take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. 


text:
Then he will take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 


text:
The fire on the altar will be kept burning on it; it will not go out. The priest will burn wood on it every morning, and he will arrange the burnt offering on it and will burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. 


text:
And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron will offer it before the LORD in front of the altar. 


text:
And one will take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
And the rest of it Aaron and his sons will eat. It will be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they will eat it. 


text:
It will not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 


text:
Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, from the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings. Whatever touches them will become holy.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;This is the offering that Aaron and his sons will offer to the LORD on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 


text:
It will be made with oil on a griddle. You will bring it well mixed, in baked pieces like a grain offering, and offer it for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


text:
The priest from among Aaron&amp;apos;s sons, who is anointed to succeed him, will offer it to the LORD as decreed forever. The whole of it will be burned. 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed will the sin offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy. 


text:
The priest who offers it for sin will eat it. In a holy place it will be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. 


text:
Whatever touches its flesh will be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you will wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place. 


text:
And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled will be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that will be scoured and rinsed in water. 


text:
But no sin offering will be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it will be burned up with fire.


text:
In the place where they kill the burnt offering they will kill the guilt offering, and its blood will be thrown against the sides of the altar. 


text:
the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys. 


text:
The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it will have it. 


text:
And the priest who offers any man&amp;apos;s burnt offering will have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. 


text:
And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle will belong to the priest who offers it. 


text:
And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, will be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron. 


text:
If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he will offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. 


text:
With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he will bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 


text:
And from it he will offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the LORD. It will belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 


text:
And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving will be eaten on the day of his offering. He will not leave any of it until the morning. 


text:
But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it will be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it will be eaten. 


text:
If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, neither will it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it will bear his iniquity. 


text:
Flesh that touches any unclean thing will not be eaten. It will be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, 


text:
but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD&amp;apos;s peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person will be cut off from his people. 


text:
And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the LORD&amp;apos;s peace offerings, that person will be cut off from his people.&amp;quot; 


text:
The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account will you eat it. 


text:
For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD will be cut off from his people. 


text:
Moreover, you will eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD will bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 


text:
His own hands will bring the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings. He will bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD. 


text:
And the right thigh you will give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. 


text:
Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat will have the right thigh for a portion. 


text:
For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel. 


text:
This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the LORD. 


text:
The LORD commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.&amp;quot; 


text:
This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, 


text:
which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai. 


text:
&amp;quot;Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. 


text:
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


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And Moses said to the congregation, &amp;quot;This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done.&amp;quot; 


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And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band. 


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And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


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Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and dedicated them. 


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And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to dedicate them. 


text:
And Moses brought Aaron&amp;apos;s sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


text:
Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. 


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And he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and dedicated it to make atonement for it. 


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And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. 


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But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


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Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 


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He washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering for the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


text:
Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 


text:
And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron&amp;apos;s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 


text:
Then he presented Aaron&amp;apos;s sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar. 


text:
Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh, 


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and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh. 


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And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD. 


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Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 


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And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD. It was Moses&amp;apos; portion of the ram of ordination, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


text:
Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons&amp;apos; garments. So he dedicated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons&amp;apos; garments with him. 


text:
And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, &amp;quot;Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, &amp;apos;Aaron and his sons will eat it.&amp;apos; 


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And you will not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you. 


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At the entrance of the tent of meeting you will remain day and night for seven days, performing what the LORD has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.&amp;quot; 


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and he said to Aaron, &amp;quot;Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 


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And say to the sons of Israel, &amp;apos;Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, 


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and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the LORD will appear to you.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


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And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 


text:
And Moses said, &amp;quot;This is the thing that the LORD commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.&amp;quot; 


text:
Then Moses said to Aaron, &amp;quot;Draw near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.&amp;quot; 


text:
And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar. 


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But the fat and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the LORD commanded Moses. 


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Then he killed the burnt offering, and Aaron&amp;apos;s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar. 


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And they handed the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head, and he burned them on the altar. 


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Then he presented the people&amp;apos;s offering and took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people and killed it and offered it as a sin offering, like the first one. 


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And he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning. 


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Then he killed the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings for the people. And Aaron&amp;apos;s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar. 


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But the fat pieces of the ox and of the ram, the fat tail and that which covers the entrails and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver, 


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but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses commanded. 


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Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 


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And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 


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And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they cried aloud and fell on their faces. 


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Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 


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Then Moses said to Aaron, &amp;quot;This is what the LORD has said, &amp;apos;Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; And Aaron held was silent. 


text:
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, &amp;quot;Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.&amp;quot; 


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And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, &amp;quot;Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, mourn the burning that the LORD has kindled. 


text:
And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, otherwise you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.&amp;quot; And they did according to the word of Moses. 


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&amp;quot;Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, otherwise you die. It will be a statute forever throughout your generations. 


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and you are to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.&amp;quot; 


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Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: &amp;quot;Take the grain offering that is left of the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. 


text:
You will eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons&amp;apos; due, from the LORD&amp;apos;s food offerings, for so I am commanded. 


text:
But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you will eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons&amp;apos; due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 


text:
The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they will bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it will be yours and your sons&amp;apos; with you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded.&amp;quot; 


text:
Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 


text:
&amp;quot;Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 


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Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.&amp;quot; 


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And Aaron said to Moses, &amp;quot;Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved?&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 


text:
Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you will not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 


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And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 


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You will not eat any of their flesh, and you will not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. 


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These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 


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But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. 


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You will regard them as detestable; you will not eat any of their flesh, and you will avoid their carcasses. 


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And these you will detest among the birds; they will not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 


text:
Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. 


text:
Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 


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And by these you will become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 


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and whoever carries any part of their carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 


text:
Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them will be unclean. 


text:
And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 


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and he who carries their carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. 


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And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, 


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These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until the evening. 


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And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead will be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it will be unclean until the evening; then it will be clean. 


text:
And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it will be unclean, and you will break it. 


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Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water falls, will be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel will be unclean. 


text:
And everything on which any part of their carcass falls will be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it will be broken in pieces. They are unclean and will remain unclean for you. 


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Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water will be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them will be unclean. 


text:
And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening, 


text:
and whoever eats of its carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass will wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 


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Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you will not eat, for they are detestable. 


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You will not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you will not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. 


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For I am the LORD your God. Dedicate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You will not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 


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For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You will therefore be holy, for I am holy.&amp;quot; 


text:
This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, 


text:
to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.&amp;quot;


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, &amp;apos;If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she will be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she will be unclean. 


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Then she will continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She will not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 


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But if she bears a female child, then she will be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she will continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days. 


text:
And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she will bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 


text:
and he will offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her. Then she will be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 


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And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she will take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.&amp;apos;&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he will be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 


text:
and the priest will examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he will pronounce him unclean. 


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But if the spot is white in the skin of his body and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest will shut up the diseased person for seven days. 


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And the priest will examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest will shut him up for another seven days. 


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And the priest will examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest will pronounce him clean; it is only an rash. And he will wash his clothes and be clean. 


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But if the rash spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he will appear again before the priest. 


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And the priest will look, and if the rash has spread in the skin, then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease. 


text:
and the priest will look. And if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 


text:
it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body, and the priest will pronounce him unclean. He will not shut him up, for he is unclean. 


text:
And if the leprous disease breaks out in the skin, so that the leprous disease covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, 


text:
then the priest will look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he will pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean. 


text:
And the priest will examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is a leprous disease. 


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and the priest will examine him, and if the disease has turned white, then the priest will pronounce the diseased person clean; he is clean. 


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and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, then it will be shown to the priest. 


text:
And the priest will look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest will pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil. 


text:
But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest will shut him up seven days. 


text:
But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is an inflamed boil, and the priest will pronounce him clean. 


text:
Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, 


text:
the priest will examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is a leprous disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 


text:
But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but has faded, the priest will shut him up seven days, 


text:
and the priest will examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest will pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 


text:
But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest will pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn. 


text:
the priest will examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest will pronounce him unclean. It is an scall, a leprous disease of the head or the beard. 


text:
And if the priest examines the scall and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest will shut up the person with the scall for seven days, 


text:
and on the seventh day the priest will examine the disease. If the scall has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the scall appears to be no deeper than the skin, 


text:
then he will shave himself, but the scll he will not shave; and the priest will shut up the person with the scall for another seven days. 


text:
And on the seventh day the priest will examine the scall, and if the scall has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest will pronounce him clean. And he will wash his clothes and be clean. 


text:
then the priest will examine him, and if the scall has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 


text:
But if in his eyes the scall is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the scall is healed and he is clean, and the priest will pronounce him clean. 


text:
the priest will look, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is paled spot that has broken out in the skin; he is clean. 


text:
And if a man&amp;apos;s hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean. 


text:
But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased area, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. 


text:
Then the priest will examine him, and if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprous disease in the skin of the body, 


text:
he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head. 


text:
The leprous person who has the disease will wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he will cover his upper lip and cry out, &amp;apos;Unclean, unclean.&amp;apos; 


text:
He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He will live alone. His dwelling will be outside the camp. 


text:
if the disease is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous disease, and it will be shown to the priest. 


text:
Then he will examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a persistent leprous disease; it is unclean. 


text:
And he will burn the garment, or the warp or the woof, the wool or the linen, or any article made of skin that is diseased, for it is a persistent leprous disease. It will be burned in the fire. 


text:
And if the priest examines, and if the disease has not spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, 


text:
then the priest will command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he will shut it up for another seven days. 


text:
And the priest will examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the appearance of the diseased area has not changed, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You will burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front. 


text:
But if the priest examines, and if the diseased area has faded after it has been washed, he will tear it out of the garment or the skin or the warp or the woof. 


text:
Then if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You will burn with fire whatever has the disease. 


text:
But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, will then be washed a second time, and be clean.&amp;quot; 


text:
This is the law for a case of leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean. 


text:
&amp;quot;This will be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He will be brought to the priest, 


text:
and the priest will go out of the camp, and the priest will look. Then, if the case of plague is healed in the leprous person, 


text:
the priest will command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 


text:
And the priest will command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 


text:
He will take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 


text:
And he will sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he will pronounce him clean and will let the living bird go into the open field. 


text:
And he who is to be cleansed will wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he will be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 


text:
And on the seventh day he will shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He will shave off all his hair, and then he will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will be clean. 


text:
And on the eighth day he will take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 


text:
And the priest who cleanses him will set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


text:
And the priest will take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 


text:
And he will kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 


text:
The priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest will put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 


text:
and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 


text:
And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest will put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 


text:
And the rest of the oil that is in the priest&amp;apos;s hand he will put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD. 


text:
The priest will offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he will kill the burnt offering. 


text:
And the priest will offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean. 


text:
But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he will take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 


text:
also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 


text:
And on the eighth day he will bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 


text:
And the priest will take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest will wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 


text:
And he will kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 


text:
and will sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. 


text:
And the priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 


text:
And the rest of the oil that is in the priest&amp;apos;s hand he will put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 


text:
one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest will make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed. 


text:
This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, 


text:
then he who owns the house will come and tell the priest, &amp;apos;There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.&amp;apos; 


text:
Then the priest will command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest will go in to see the house. 


text:
And he will examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 


text:
then the priest will go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days. 


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And the priest will come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 


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then the priest will command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 


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And he will have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they will pour out in an unclean place outside the city. 


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Then they will take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he will take other plaster and plaster the house. 


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If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 


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then the priest will go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. 


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And he will break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he will carry them out of the city to an unclean place. 


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and whoever sleeps in the house will wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house will wash his clothes. 


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But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest will pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed. 


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And for the cleansing of the house he will take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop, 


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and will take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times. 


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Thus he will cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn. 


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And he will let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.&amp;quot; 


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&amp;quot;Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. 


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And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. 


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Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies will be unclean, and everything on which he sits will be unclean. 


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And anyone who touches his bed will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And an earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches will be broken, and every vessel of wood will be rinsed in water. 


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And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he will count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he will bathe his body in fresh water and will be clean. 


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And on the eighth day he will take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 


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And the priest will use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge. 


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If a man has an emission of semen, he will bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes will be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. 


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If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them will bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she will be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her will be unclean until the evening. 


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And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity will be unclean. Everything also on which she sits will be unclean. 


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And whoever touches her bed will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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And whoever touches anything on which she sits will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he will be unclean until the evening. 


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And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he will be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies will be unclean. 


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If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she will continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she will be unclean. 


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Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, will be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits will be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 


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And whoever touches these things will be unclean, and will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 


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But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she will count for herself seven days, and after that she will be clean. 


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And on the eighth day she will take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


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And the priest will use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge. 


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Thus you will keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.&amp;quot; 


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This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; 


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also for her who is menstruating, that is, for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean. 


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The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 


text:
and the LORD said to Moses, &amp;quot;Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 


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But in this way Aaron will come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 


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He will put on the holy linen coat and will have the linen undergarment on his body, and he will tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He will bathe his body in water and then put them on. 


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And he will take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 


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Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and will make atonement for himself and for his house. 


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Then he will take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 


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And Aaron will cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel (the scapegoat). 


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but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel will be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. 


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Aaron will present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and will make atonement for himself and for his house. He will kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 


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And he will take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he will bring it inside the veil 


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and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 


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And he will take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 


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Then he will kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 


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Thus he will make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he will do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 


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No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 


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Then he will go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and will take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 


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And he will sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel. 


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And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he will present the live goat. 


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And Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he will put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 


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The goat will bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he will let the goat go free in the wilderness. 


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Then Aaron will come into the tent of meeting and will take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and will leave them there. 


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And he will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 


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And he who lets the goat go to Azazel will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 


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And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, will be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung will be burned up with fire. 


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And he who burns them will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 


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And it will be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you will humble yourselves and will do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 


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For on this day will atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You will be clean before the LORD from all your sins. 


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And the priest who is anointed and dedicated as priest in his father&amp;apos;s place will make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 


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He will make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he will make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he will make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 


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And this will be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.&amp;quot; And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. 


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&amp;quot;Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, This is what the LORD has commanded. 


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If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 


text:
and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt will be charged to that man. He has shed blood, and that man will be cut off from among his people. 


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This means that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 


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And the priest will throw the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 


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So they will no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This will be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. 


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And you will say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 


text:
and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man will be cut off from his people. 


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&amp;quot;If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will condemn that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 


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For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 


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Therefore I have said to the sons of Israel, No person among you will eat blood, neither will any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. 


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Any one also of the sons of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten will pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 


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For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the sons of Israel, You will not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off. 


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And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he will be clean. 


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You will not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you will not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You will not walk in their statutes. 


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You will therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he will live by them: I am the LORD. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you will not uncover her nakedness. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your father&amp;apos;s wife; it is your father&amp;apos;s nakedness. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father&amp;apos;s daughter or your mother&amp;apos;s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your son&amp;apos;s daughter or of your daughter&amp;apos;s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your father&amp;apos;s wife&amp;apos;s daughter, brought up in your father&amp;apos;s family, since she is your sister. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your father&amp;apos;s sister; she is your father&amp;apos;s relative. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your mother&amp;apos;s sister, for she is your mother&amp;apos;s relative. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your father&amp;apos;s brother, that is, you will not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son&amp;apos;s wife, you will not uncover her nakedness. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of your brother&amp;apos;s wife; it is your brother&amp;apos;s nakedness. 


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You will not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you will not take her son&amp;apos;s daughter or her daughter&amp;apos;s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. 


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And you will not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive. 


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And you will not lie sexually with your neighbor&amp;apos;s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. 


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You will not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 


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And you will not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither will any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion. 


text:
Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 


text:
and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 


text:
But you will keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 


text:
For the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean. 


text:
Otherwise the land may vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 


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For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from among their people. 


text:
So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.&amp;quot; 


text:
&amp;quot;Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You will be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 


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Every one of you will respect his mother and his father, and you will keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 


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When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you will offer it so that you may be accepted. 


text:
t will be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day will be burned up with fire. 


text:
and everyone who eats it will suffer his punishment, because he has profaned what is holy to the LORD, and that person will be cut off from his people. 


text:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you will not reap your field right up to its edge, neither will you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 


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And you will not strip your vineyard bare, neither will you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You will leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God. 


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You will not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant will not remain with you all night until the morning. 


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You will not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you will fear your God: I am the LORD. 


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You will do no injustice in court. You will not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness will you judge your neighbor. 


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You will not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you will not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. 


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You will not hate your brother in your heart, but you will reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 


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You will not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you will love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 


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You will keep my statutes. You will not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You will not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor will you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material. 


text:
If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, there will be punishment. They will not be put to death, because she was not free; 


text:
but he will bring his compensation to the LORD, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 


text:
And the priest will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin that he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin that he has committed. 


text:
When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you will regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it will be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 


text:
But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God. 


text:
Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, otherwise the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. 


text:
Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God. 


text:
You will rise up before the gray head and respect an old man, and you will fear your God: I am the LORD. 


text:
You will treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you will love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 


text:
You will have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 


text:
Say to the sons of Israel, Any one of the sons of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech will surely be put to death. The people of the land will stone him with stones. 


text:
I Myself will condemn that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make My sanctuary unclean and to profane My holy name. 


text:
And if the people of the land do at all look the other way for that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 


text:
then I will condemn that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. 


text:
If a person turns to mediums and wizards, whoring after them, I will condemn that person and will cut him off from among his people. 


text:
For anyone who curses his father or his mother will be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him. 


text:
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress will be put to death. 


text:
If a man lies with his father&amp;apos;s wife, he has uncovered his father&amp;apos;s nakedness; both of them will be put to death; their blood is upon them. 


text:
If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them will be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. 


