The One Year Bible TLB (35 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
“I, Wisdom, give good advice and common sense. Because of my strength, kings reign in power, and rulers make just laws.
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I love all who love me. Those who search for me shall surely find me.
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Unending riches, honor, justice, and righteousness are mine to distribute.
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My gifts are better than the purest gold or sterling silver!
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My paths are those of justice and right.
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Those who love and follow me are indeed wealthy. I fill their treasuries.
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The Lord formed me in the beginning, before he created anything else.
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23
From ages past, I am. I existed before the earth began.
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I lived before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters onto the earth,
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before the mountains and the hills were made.
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Yes, I was born before God made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.”
February 10And Jehovah said to Moses, “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, so that there will be no plague among the people when you number them.
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His payment shall be half a dollar.
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14
All who have reached their twentieth birthday shall give this offering.
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The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, for it is an offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.
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Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle; it is to bring you, the people of Israel, to the Lord’s attention, and to make atonement for you.”
17-18
And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin with a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.
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Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet there,
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when they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord, or when they approach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord. They must always wash before doing so, or they will die.
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These are instructions to Aaron and his sons from generation to generation.”
22-23
Then the Lord told Moses to collect the choicest of spices—eighteen pounds of pure myrrh; half as much of cinnamon and of sweet cane;
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the same amount of cassia as of myrrh; and 1
1
/
2
gallons of olive oil.
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The Lord instructed skilled perfume makers to compound all this into a holy anointing oil.
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“Use this,” he said, “to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark, the table and all its instruments, the lampstand and all its utensils, the incense altar,
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the burnt offering altar with all its instruments, and the washbasin and its pedestal.
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Sanctify them, to make them holy; whatever touches them shall become holy.
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30
Use it to anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them so that they can minister to me as priests.
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And say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall always be my holy anointing oil.
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It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it shall be treated by you as holy.
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Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.’”
34
These were the Lord’s directions to Moses concerning the incense: “Use sweet spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, weighing out the same amounts of each,
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using the usual techniques of the incense maker, and seasoning it with salt; it shall be a pure and holy incense.
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Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front of the Ark where I meet with you in the Tabernacle; this incense is most holy.
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Never make it for yourselves, for it is reserved for the Lord and you must treat it as holy.
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Anyone making it for himself shall be excommunicated.”
31:
1-2
The Lord also said to Moses, “See, I have appointed Bezalel (son of Uri, and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah),
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and have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and skill in constructing the Tabernacle and everything it contains.
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He is highly capable as an artistic designer of objects made of gold, silver, and bronze.
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He is skilled, too, as a jeweler and in carving wood.
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“And I have appointed Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan) to be his assistant; moreover, I have given special skill to all who are known as experts, so that they can make all the things I have instructed you to make:
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the Tabernacle; the Ark with the place of mercy upon it; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
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the table and its instruments; the pure gold lampstand with its instruments; the altar of incense;
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the burnt offering altar with its instruments; the laver and its pedestal;
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the beautifully made, holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons, so that they can minister as priests;
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the anointing oil; and the sweet-spice incense for the Holy Place. They are to follow exactly the directions I gave you.”
12-13
The Lord then gave these further instructions to Moses: “Tell the people of Israel to rest on my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a reminder of the covenant between me and you forever; it helps you to remember that I am Jehovah who makes you holy.
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Yes, rest on the Sabbath, for it is holy. Anyone who does not obey this command must die; anyone who does any work on that day shall be killed.
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Work six days only, for the seventh day is a special day to remind you of my covenant—a weekly reminder forever of my promises to the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and rested on the seventh day, and was refreshed.”
18
Then, as God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God.
At that very moment while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived with a great crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the Jewish leaders.
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Judas had told them to arrest the man he greeted, for that would be the one they were after.
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So now Judas came straight to Jesus and said, “Hello, Master!” and embraced
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him in friendly fashion.
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Jesus said,
“My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed him.
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One of the men with Jesus pulled out a sword and slashed off the ear of the high priest’s servant.
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“Put away your sword,”
Jesus told him.
“Those using swords will get killed.
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Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?
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But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what is happening now?”
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Then Jesus spoke to the crowd.
“Am I some dangerous criminal,”
he asked,
“that you had to arm yourselves with swords and clubs before you could arrest me? I was with you teaching daily in the Temple and you didn’t stop me then.
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But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.”
At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
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Then the mob led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where all the Jewish leaders were gathering.
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Meanwhile, Peter was following far to the rear, and came to the courtyard of the high priest’s house and went in and sat with the soldiers, and waited to see what was going to be done to Jesus.
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The chief priests and, in fact, the entire Jewish Supreme Court assembled there and looked for witnesses who would lie about Jesus, in order to build a case against him that would result in a death sentence.
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But even though they found many who agreed to be false witnesses, these always contradicted each other.
Finally two men were found who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
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Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, what about it? Did you say that, or didn’t you?”
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But Jesus remained silent.
Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God.”
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“Yes,”
Jesus said,
“I am. And in the future you will see me, the Messiah,
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sitting at the right hand of God and returning on the clouds of heaven.”
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Then the high priest tore at his own clothing, shouting, “Blasphemy! What need have we for other witnesses? You have all heard him say it! What is your verdict?”
They shouted, “Death!—Death!—Death!”
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Then they spat in his face and struck him and some slapped him,
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saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who struck you that time?”
What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.
3
There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was.
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But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration.
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All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day
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until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess them to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
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Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him
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if he does.
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You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory.
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I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.
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Don’t be like a senseless horse or mule that has to have a bit in its mouth to keep it in line!
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Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
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So rejoice in him, all those who are his,
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and shout for joy, all those who try to obey him.
“I was there when he established the heavens and formed the great springs in the depths of the oceans. I was there when he set the limits of the seas and gave them his instructions not to spread beyond their boundaries. I was there when he made the blueprint for the earth and oceans.
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I was the craftsman at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.
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And how happy I was with what he created—his wide world and all his family of mankind!
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And so, young men, listen to me, for how happy are all who follow my instructions.”
February 11When Moses didn’t come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. “Look,” they said, “make us a god to lead us, for this fellow Moses who brought us here from Egypt has disappeared; something must have happened to him.”
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“Give me your gold earrings,” Aaron replied.
So they all did—men and women, boys and girls.
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Aaron melted the gold, then molded and tooled it into the form of a calf. The people exclaimed, “O Israel, this is the god that brought you out of Egypt!”
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When Aaron saw how happy the people were about it, he built an altar before the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a feast to Jehovah!”
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So they were up early the next morning and began offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the calf idol; afterwards they sat down to feast and drink at a wild party, followed by sexual immorality.
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Then the Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go on down, for your people that you brought from Egypt have defiled themselves,
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and have quickly abandoned all my laws. They have molded themselves a calf, and worshiped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.’”
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Then the Lord said, “I have seen what a stubborn, rebellious lot these people are.
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Now leave me alone and my anger shall blaze out against them and destroy them all; and I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them.”
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But Moses begged God not to do it. “Lord,” he pleaded, “why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty miracles?
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Do you want the Egyptians to say, ‘God tricked them into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying them from off the face of the earth’? Turn back from your fierce wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your people!
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Remember your promise to your servants—to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, ‘I will multiply your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
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So the Lord changed his mind and spared them.
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Then Moses went down the mountain, holding in his hands the Ten Commandments written on both sides of two stone tablets.
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(God himself had written the commandments on the tablets.)
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When Joshua heard the noise below them, of all the people shouting, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds as if they are preparing for war!”
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But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a cry of victory or defeat, but singing.”
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When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and in terrible anger he threw the tablets to the ground, and they lay broken at the foot of the mountain.
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He took the calf and melted it in the fire, and when the metal cooled, he ground it into powder and spread it upon the water and made the people drink it.
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Then he turned to Aaron. “What in the world did the people do to you,” he demanded, “to make you bring such a terrible sin upon them?”
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“Don’t get so upset,” Aaron replied. “You know these people and what a wicked bunch they are.
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They said to me, ‘Make us a god to lead us, for something has happened to this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt.’
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Well, I told them, ‘Bring me your gold earrings.’ So they brought them to me and I threw them into the fire, and . . . well . . . this calf came out!”
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When Moses saw that the people had been committing adultery—at Aaron’s encouragement, and much to the amusement of their enemies—
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he stood at the camp entrance and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come over here and join me.” And all the Levites came.
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He told them, “Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Get your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other and kill even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.’”
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So they did, and about three thousand men died that day.
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Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers; now he will give you a great blessing.”
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The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin, but I will return to the Lord on the mountain—perhaps I will be able to obtain his forgiveness for you.”
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So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold.
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Yet now if you will only forgive their sin—and if not, then blot
me
out of the book you have written.”
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And the Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book.
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And now go, lead the people to the place I told you about, and I assure you that my Angel shall travel on ahead of you; however, when I come to visit these people, I will punish them for their sins.”
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And the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped Aaron’s calf.
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1
The Lord said to Moses, “Lead these people you brought from Egypt to the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’
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I will send an Angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
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It is a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’; but I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn, unruly people, and I would be tempted to destroy you along the way.”
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When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stripped themselves of their jewelry and ornaments.
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For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are an unruly, stubborn people. If I were there among you for even a moment, I would exterminate you. Remove your jewelry and ornaments until I decide what to do with you.”
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So, after that, they wore no jewelry.
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Moses always erected the sacred tent (the “Tent for Meeting with God,” he called it) far outside the camp, and everyone who wanted to consult with Jehovah went out there.
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Whenever Moses went to the Tabernacle, all the people, when they saw it, stood and would rise and stand in their tent doors.
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As he entered, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the door while the Lord spoke with Moses.
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Then all the people worshiped from their tent doors, bowing low to the pillar of cloud.
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Inside the tent the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterwards Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua (son of Nun), stayed behind in the Tabernacle.
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Moses talked there with the Lord and said to him, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people to the Promised Land,’ but you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You say you are my friend,
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and that I have found favor before you;
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please, if this is really so, guide me clearly along the way you want me to travel
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so that I will understand you and walk acceptably before you. For don’t forget that this nation is your people.”
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And the Lord replied, “I myself will go with you and give you success.”
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For Moses had said, “If you aren’t going with us, don’t let us move a step from this place.
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If you don’t go with us, who will ever know that I and my people have found favor with you, and that we are different from any other people upon the face of the earth?”
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And the Lord had replied to Moses, “Yes, I will do what you have asked, for you have certainly found favor with me, and you are my friend.”
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Then Moses asked to see God’s glory.
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The Lord replied, “I will make my goodness pass before you, and I will announce to you the meaning of my name
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Jehovah, the Lord. I show kindness and mercy to anyone I want to.
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But you may not see the glory of my face, for man may not see me and live.
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However, stand here on this rock beside me.
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And when my glory goes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed.
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Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back but not my face.”
Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting in the courtyard, a girl came over and said to him, “You were with Jesus, for both of you are from Galilee.”
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70
But Peter denied it loudly. “I don’t even know what you are talking about,” he angrily declared.
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Later, out by the gate, another girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus—from Nazareth.”
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Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
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But after a while the men who had been standing there came over to him and said, “We know you are one of his disciples, for we can tell by your Galilean
*
accent.”
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Peter began to curse and swear. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
And immediately the cock crowed.
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Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went away, crying bitterly.
27:
1
When it was morning, the chief priests and Jewish leaders met again to discuss how to induce the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death.
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2
Then they sent him in chains to Pilate, the Roman governor.
3
About that time Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus had been condemned to die, changed his mind and deeply regretted what he had done,
*
and brought back the money to the chief priests and other Jewish leaders.
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“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“That’s your problem,” they retorted.
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Then he threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6
The chief priests picked the money up. “We can’t put it in the collection,” they said, “since it’s against our laws to accept money paid for murder.”
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They talked it over and finally decided to buy a certain field where the clay was used by potters, and to make it into a cemetery for foreigners who died in Jerusalem.
8
That is why the cemetery is still called “The Field of Blood.”
9
This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah which says,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver—the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel—
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and purchased a field from the potters as the Lord directed me.”
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Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the Jews’ Messiah?”
*
the governor asked him.
“Yes,”
Jesus replied.
12
But when the chief priests and other Jewish leaders made their many accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.
13
“Don’t you hear what they are saying?” Pilate demanded.
14
But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor’s surprise.
Let all the joys of the godly well up in praise to the Lord, for it is right to praise him.
2
Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on the harp.
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Compose new songs of praise to him, accompanied skillfully on the harp; sing joyfully.
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For all God’s words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.
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He loves whatever is just and good; the earth is filled with his tender love.
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He merely spoke, and the heavens were formed and all the galaxies of stars.
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He made the oceans, pouring them into his vast reservoirs.
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Let everyone in all the world—men, women, and children—fear the Lord and stand in awe of him.
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For when he but spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command!
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And with a breath he can scatter the plans of all the nations who oppose him,
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but his own plan stands forever. His intentions are the same for every generation.